Professional Development, Organizational Identification, and Team-Level Innovation in Chinese Higher Education: A Contemporary Literature Review

Abstract

This article synthesizes recent scholarship (primarily 2020–2025) on three interlocking constructs—professional development (PD), organizational identification (OI), and team-level innovation—in higher education with particular attention to the Chinese context. Across studies, PD enhances faculty ability, motivation, and opportunity to innovate through mentoring, communities of practice, micro-credentials, and leadership preparation. OI, defined as a faculty member’s self-definition with the university, is strengthened by inclusive leadership, prestige, justice, and psychological safety, and in turn predicts persistence, citizenship, and innovation participation. Team-level innovation emerges where collaborative routines, knowledge-sharing infrastructures, and enabling climates convert ideas into implemented changes in teaching, research, and service. Evidence converges on moderate-to-strong positive links among the three constructs; the most robust gains come from bundled, longitudinal PD aligned with institutional priorities and supported by inclusive, transformational leadership. The review closes with an evidence-informed agenda for future causal designs, equity analyses, and sustainability tracking, and offers practical recommendations for Chinese HEIs seeking to raise innovation capacity.