Entrepreneurial leadership and employee innovative behavior in the software development firms: do employees' epistemic curiosity and creative process engagement matter?

Abstract

PurposeBuilding on self-determination theory, this study empirically examined the influence of entrepreneurial leadership (EL) style on employee innovative behavior (EIB) in the context of software development firms located in the twin cities of Pakistan (Rawalpindi and Islamabad).Design/methodology/approachFor the present study, an employee survey (online questionnaire) was used for data collection. The data were collected through an adopted questionnaire by using emails and messaging applications. Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze data collected from 245 respondents.FindingsThe findings of this study delineate that entrepreneurial leadership positively and significantly influences employee innovative behavior. Moreover, the relationship between entrepreneurial leadership and employee innovative behavior was partially mediated by employee epistemic curiosity (EC) and creative process engagement (CPE). The sequential mediation by the employee epistemic curiosity and creative process engagement between the link of entrepreneurial leadership and employee innovative behavior was also confirmed.Practical implicationsIn innovation-intensive organizations like software development firms, entrepreneurial leadership style can foster employee innovative behavior that is critical for organizational innovation success. This study provides information to the strategic leaders on how leadership behaviors can drive employee innovative behavior, particularly in the context of software development companies.Originality/valueThis study is an attempt to extend the scarce literature on the mechanisms through which leadership styles impact employee innovative behavior. Specifically, the mediating roles of employee epistemic curiosity and creative process engagement have been explored through a self-determination perspective.

From work meaningfulness to playful work design: the role of epistemic curiosity and perceived Leader's autonomous support

“…Furthermore, EC mediated the relationship between WM and PWD. This is consistent with the prior findings of Khan (2021) that EC can act as a mediator between perceived workrelated factors and positive employee behaviors from the SDT perspective. The present study argues that leader's autonomous support strengthens the positive relationship between EC and PWD, which aligns with prior arguments (Deci et al, 2017;Sl atten et al, 2020).…”

“…First, building on the SDT, this study tested WM as an antecedent of EC in the context of software development firms of Pakistan. Prior studies support this finding that SDT can be a suitable ground to analyze what drives EC and its outcomes (Chang & Shih, 2019;Gagn e & Deci, 2005;Khan, 2021).…”

The Impact of Entrepreneurial Leadership on Innovation Speed and Quality: The Mediating Role of Strategic Flexibility

“…Therefore, entrepreneurial leaders foster followers' innovative behavior at workplace. Entrepreneurial leaders not only themselves engage in recognizing and exploiting opportunities but also emphasize the importance of such behaviors and thus act as role models and encourage followers to exhibit innovation and creativity in their work activities (Iqbal et al, 2022;Khan, 2022;Miao et al, 2018;Newman et al, 2018). This in turn on one hand, may enable the organization to respond quickly to customer demands, gain a high market share, and generate more profits, supporting organization's ability to reduce the time required to product or processes development and marketing compared to its competitors; and on the other hand, may support the effectiveness of innovation processes in the organization, adding value to its products or services in terms of their features, cost, reliability, and flexibility.…”

Entrepreneurial leadership and innovative behavior: Manager perspective

“…The relationship between entrepreneurial leadership and innovative working behavior gets the attention of scholars utilizing respondents from a single country, i.e., Iran (Bagheri & Akbari, 2018), China (Li et al, 2020), Ecuador (Pinela et al, 2022), the United States (Malibari & Bajaba, 2022), Turkey (Dogru, 2018), Pakistan (Iqbal et al, 2022;Irshad et al, 2023;Khan, 2022;Malik et al, 2020), Iran (Akbari et al, 2021), Indonesia (Kadar et al, 2023;Sarwoko, 2020), Serbia (Dabić et al, 2021), and multiple countries, i.e., the United States, Serbia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina (Kreiner et al, 2022), and their conclusion shows a positive tendency. Regrettably, the negative inclination still appears, as Reynal et al (2023) document.…”