Research on Employee Innovation Ability in Human–Machine Collaborative Work Scenarios—Based on the Grounded Theory Construct of Chinese Innovative Enterprises

Abstract

Against the backdrop of the booming digital economy, innovation has emerged as the core driving force for enterprise development, with employees’ innovative capabilities serving as a key competitive advantage for innovative enterprises. Adopting grounded theory as the methodological framework, we obtain multi-source data to investigate the factors influencing employees’ innovative capabilities and their underlying mechanisms. Furthermore, we develop a theoretical model elucidating the formation mechanism of employees’ innovative capabilities in human–machine collaboration contexts, identifying four core dimensions—innovation drivers, human–AI collaboration patterns, knowledge conversion pathways, and technological breakthroughs—that dominantly shape these capabilities. Thus, we reveal that the formation of innovative capabilities constitutes a dynamic interplay of technology empowerment, cognitive restructuring, and collaborative reinforcement and demonstrate its spiral progression characterized by “triggering, collaboration, and iteration”. This research not only contributes to academic discourse but also offers actionable theoretical and practical insights for innovative enterprises to enhance employees’ innovative capabilities, thereby fostering sustainable development in global competition.