Knowledge-oriented leadership and workers' performance: do individual knowledge management engagement and empowerment matter?

Abstract

PurposeDrawing upon social cognitive theory (SCT), the authors aimed to examine the relationship between supervisors' knowledge-oriented leadership (KOL) style and knowledge workers' performance. The authors further investigated the conditional indirect effects of KOL on workers' performance through knowledge management (KM) engagement at different levels of workers' empowerment.Design/methodology/approachThe authors used a time-lagged field survey and collected data from 212 knowledge workers and their 72 supervisors working in 15 knowledge-intensive firms across Pakistan.FindingsThe results showed that supervisors' KOL positively affected knowledge workers' performance both directly and through KM engagement. Similarly, the effect of KM engagement on workers' performance was stronger for those who experienced higher levels of empowerment. Finally, the indirect effects of KOL on workers' performance through KM engagement were stronger for higher levels of empowerment.Originality/valueThe study provided theoretical implications, specifically in a non-Western work context where KOL is relatively less explored. Additionally, the authors examined the concept of empowerment, using SCT, as a boundary condition, providing evidence for empowerment as a contingency factor that fosters employees' performance.

Nexus of knowledge oriented leadership and knowledge worker performance in Chinese higher education institutions: a post-pandemic behavioral analysis

“…The current investigation has yielded empirical evidence that KOL can enhance the digital citizenship practices of workers through training, digital skill development, empowerment, motivation, behavior, satisfaction, and reward, ultimately resulting in increased KWP and a sustainable competitive advantage (SCA) in the HEI market during emerging times. Our results are in line with those of previous studies, indicating their potential for generalization (Malik et al, 2023;Sahibzada et al, 2023a, b).…”

“…The literature review highlights a significant gap in this research regarding the impact of knowledge-oriented leadership (KOL) on knowledge worker performance (KWP), with only one study addressing this relationship (Malik et al, 2023). Malik et al (2023) stated that KOL can implement a range of strategies to enhance the visibility of knowledge management tools, thereby bolstering knowledge worker performance. Moreover, Sahibzada et al (2021b) highlighted that the main focus of KOL is on acquiring knowledge through on-the-job learning, promoting knowledge sharing among employees, and providing the necessary resources and tools to enhance knowledge worker performance.…”

“…In emerging economies such as China, universities often exhibit a fixed organizational structure, underpinned by a strong culture and bureaucracy (Sahibzada et al ., 2022a, 2023a). Regrettably, upper-level management and leadership fail to provide sufficient motivation to foster the performance of knowledge workers (Malik et al ., 2023; Sahibzada et al ., 2023a; Sahibzada et al ., 2021b). Hence, modern studies on education have placed significant emphasis on recognizing factors that could potentially help implementers in the execution of digital orientation and digital citizenship practices, which could enhance knowledge worker performance (Aboobaker and Ka, 2021; Hawamdeh et al ., 2022) specifically in Chinese higher education institutions (Sahibzada et al ., 2023a, b; Shafait and Sahibzada, 2024).…”

“…The characteristics of transformational and transactional leadership collectively inform and shape the structure of KOL (Donate and de Pablo, 2015). A recent study revealed that knowledge-oriented leadership plays a pivotal role as a catalyst in boosting knowledge-worker performance in an organization (Malik et al ., 2023).…”

“…Present research claims that the expertise and practical skills of KOLs can significantly enhance their comprehensive knowledge performance in HEIs via the implementation of intervening mechanisms. Effective leadership within KOL has the potential to facilitate and encourage knowledge workers to utilize knowledge resources, such as competence, skills, creativity, and experience via organizational intelligence, thereby achieving superior levels of performance (Malik et al ., 2023). However, current research has not sufficiently examined the extent to which KOL can affect knowledge worker performance in higher education institutions.…”