Innovative work behavior driving Indian startups go global – the role of authentic leadership and readiness for change

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of the study was to find out the effect of authentic leadership on innovative work behavior among employees in the context of Indian startups that have gone global in the past one decade. The study also aimed to investigate the mediating effect of one organizational-level variable, i.e. organizational climate and one individual-level variable, i.e. readiness for change on the direct relationship between authentic leadership and innovative work behavior.Design/methodology/approachThe study used survey method with a sample of 261 employees working in Indian startups that have gone global in the past one decade. Authentic leadership, organizational climate, readiness for change and innovative work behavior were measured using standardized questionnaires.FindingsStructural equation modeling revealed that authentic leadership had significant direct effect on innovative work behavior and this effect was mediated by readiness for change. However, organizational climate had no significant effect.Practical implicationsThe findings of the study have important implications for startups that employ millennials as employees and have plans to go global. Millennials have very different characteristics in the workplace and they regard authenticity in the leader very highly. Since they are assertive and they question everything, it becomes imperative for founder-leaders to exhibit authenticity in their actions, words and thoughts.Originality/valueThis is the first study in the context of Indian startups that have gone global by taking important variables of authentic leadership, readiness for change and innovative work behavior.

Innovative work behavior in the context of Indian startups: authentic leadership, organizational climate and readiness for change

“…The review is based on “"Innovative work behavior driving Indian startups go global – the role of authentic leadership and readiness for change”, by Sengupta et al . (2023), published in Journal of Organizational Change Management.…”

“…A research paper by Sengupta et al (2023) examines the effect of authentic leadership on innovative work behavior and the mediating effects of organizational climate (an organizational-level variable) and readiness for change (an individual-level variable). Data is gathered from the responses of 261 employees working in 9 Indian startup companies which have gone global in the last ten years to a questionnaire survey and analyzed using structural equation modeling.…”

Machine learning models for early‐stage investment decision making in startups

“…We aim to bridge these diverse theoretical perspectives by rigorously evaluating the predictive power of variables tied to both internal capabilities and external forces using machine learning techniques. Moskovkin, 2020;Sengupta et al, 2023). For instance, ventures in earlier stages face higher risks, while those crossing milestones like the first product launch demonstrate greater maturity.…”

“…The existing research on startup success prediction has garnered significant attention from researchers and scientists, resulting in the development of various forecasting models aiming to predict the future outcomes of newly created companies with reliability (Hyytinen et al, 2015;Prettenhofer & Stein, 2010). Several studies have identified factors contributing to the success or bankruptcy of startups (Escolano, 2022;Fuertes-Callén et al, 2020), while others have categorized startup efforts based on qualifications, abilities of individuals involved, and the startup's environment (Schillo & Ebrahimi, 2021;Sengupta et al, 2023). Notably, _ Zbikowski and Antosiuk (2021) used Crunchbase data to create a predictive model with promising results in accuracy, recall, and F1 scores.…”

Modeling innovative work behavior through leadership behaviors in the hospitality industry; the role of work–family enrichment

“…This is not surprising since authentic and empowering leadership behaviors cultivate a culture that prioritizes adaptability and innovation which are paramount for maintaining competitiveness within the hospitality industry (Kundi et al, 2023). Interestingly, the association between ALB and IWB (Gelaidan et al, 2023;Kafeel et al, 2023;Sengupta et al, 2023) and between ELB and IWB (Hassi et al, 2022;Lin et al, 2022;Na-Nan and Arunyaphum, 2021) has been considered in Leadership behaviors in hospitality industry prior research. However, there is a dearth of studies linking ALB or ELB to IWB in the hospitality industry.…”