The chain mediation effect of spiritual leadership on employees' innovative behavior

Abstract

PurposeBased on the intrinsic motivation theory and spiritual leadership theory, the current study proposes a chain mediation model for testing the linkage between spiritual leadership and employees' innovative behavior through individual values and role identity.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, 309 valid leader–subordinate matching questionnaires from 10 Internet enterprises and 21 manufacturing enterprises in China were collected through a field study. The hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling and bootstrapping.FindingsThe results show that spiritual leadership has a positive impact on employees' innovative behavior. Uncertainty avoidance and creative role identity not only respectively play a mediating role but also play a chain mediating role in the process of spiritual leadership influencing employees' innovative behavior.Originality/valueThis study explores the influence of leadership style on employees' individual values, which has rarely been done in previous studies. Furthermore, the research explores the impact of personal values (uncertainty avoidance) on employee self-perception (creative role identity). And it enriches the relationship between spiritual leadership and employees' innovative behavior and reveals the deeper influence mechanism between them.

The Effect of Abusive Supervision on Employee Creativity: The Mediating Role of Negative Affect and Moderating Role of Interpersonal Harmony

“…Previous study on the effect of leadership on creativity has focused on cognitive mechanisms, such as breach of psychological contract ( Parzefall and Salin, 2010 ), psychological distress ( Tepper, 2000 ), psychological safety ( Liu and Wang, 2020 ), psychology empowerment ( Xia and Ji, 2017 ), creative self-efficacy ( Rabbani and Sarmad, 2019 ), self-efficacy ( Chen and Wang, 2017 ), and creative role identity ( Yang et al, 2020 ). However, the influence of abusive supervision on employee creativity has not been fully explored ( Akram et al, 2021 ).…”

Impact of Inclusive Leadership on Innovation Performance During Coronavirus Disease 2019 Outbreak: Mediating Role of Employee Innovation Behavior and Moderating Role of Psychological Empowerment

“…Illustratively, a leader who is confident with the employees can express creative ideas more appropriately as an innovative attitude ( Pundt, 2015 ). Furthermore, leaders with the transformational leadership style remain more successful in inspiring employees to innovate by incorporating intelligence and encouragement ( Yang et al, 2020 ). Inclusive leadership style also has a positive influence from the perspective of Chinese tradition similar to other beneficial leadership styles.…”

How does perceived respect affect innovative behavior? The role of thriving at work and spiritual leadership

“…When spiritual leadership has a strong effect, employees are more likely to pursue higher level needs due to their spiritual survival needs being activated, which also awakens employees’ intrinsic motivation for self-enhancement (Taormina and Gao,2013). In order to meet higher level needs, employees become more energetic and proactive ( Yang et al, 2020 ), which can give them the confidence to acquire and utilize new skills and develop their competence and confidence ( Liu et al, 2020 ), leading to enhanced enthusiasm and vitality at work and, finally, thriving employees. In summary, when the effect of spiritual leadership is strong, the positive effect of employees’ perceived respect on thriving at work will be amplified.…”