Linking ethical leadership to followers' innovative work behavior in Pakistan: the vital roles of psychological safety and proactive personality

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Israr Ahmad ◽  
Yongqiang Gao ◽  
Fangguo Su ◽  
Muhammad Kamran Khan

PurposeThis study examines the link between ethical leadership and innovative work behavior. Also, drawing on the substitute for leadership theory, this study investigates the role of a follower's proactive personality in the relationship between ethical leadership and innovative work behavior (IWB). Similarly, this study further explores the role of psychological safety in this relationship.Design/methodology/approachThe data for this study were collected from software development companies based in Islamabad, Pakistan. A total of 240 employees and their immediate supervisors were asked to participate in this study. Processes Macro and Amos were used to assess study hypotheses.FindingsUsing data from software companies in Pakistan, this study found that ethical leadership can be effective to enhance IWB in followers whose proactive personality is low, while this effect is limited in high proactive individuals. Furthermore, psychological safety mediates the main effect of ethical leadership on IWB as well as the interactive effect between ethical leadership and follower's proactive personality on IWB.Originality/valueThis study is among the first to investigate the moderating role of employees' proactive personality in the relationship between ethical leadership and followers' IWB. Secondly, draws on the substitute for leadership perspective, this study explains that how the role of ethical leadership can be less effective for high proactive individuals or how individual characteristics can substitute leadership behavior. Thirdly, this study deepens our understanding of the mechanisms linking ethical leadership to IWB by exploring the role of psychological safety as a mediator. Finally, our research is based on data collected from Pakistan might also add some new insights to the existing west-dominated literature.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Namra Mubarak ◽  
Jabran Khan ◽  
Robina Yasmin ◽  
Atasya Osmadi

PurposeThrough the lens of social exchange theory, this study aims to assess the relationship between proactive personality and innovative work behavior by incorporating the mediating role of work engagement and moderating role of transformational leadership between proactive personality and work engagement.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 259 employees working in Pakistani small-medium enterprises (SMEs). The purposive sampling technique was used to collect data. For hypothesis testing, Preacher and Hayes process macro was employed.FindingsConfirmatory factor analysis verified the distinctiveness of the variables used in this study. The findings show that a proactive personality had a positive influence on innovative work behavior directly and indirectly through work engagement, and transformational leadership positively moderates the relationship between a proactive personality and work engagement in such a way that with high transformational leadership behavior relationship will be strengthened.Originality/valueThis study has addressed three research questions that have been left unanswered in the literature. The initial research question is “how proactive personality enhances innovative work behavior?” This study found that proactive personality enhanced innovative work behavior. The second research question is “what are the suggested mechanisms for proactive personality to promote innovative work behavior?” This study has proven that a proactive personality enhanced innovative work behavior through an important mediating mechanism, namely work engagement. Finally, the third question of the study is “does transformational leadership moderate the relationship between proactive personality and work engagement? The study shows that transformational leadership positively moderates between proactive personality and work engagement.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emil Knezović ◽  
Amina Drkić

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the determinants of innovative work behavior (IWB) by examining the moderating role of transformational leadership in the context of small and medium enterprises (SMEs).Design/methodology/approachThe study surveyed 371 employees from SMEs in Bosnia and Herzegovina by adopting convenience sampling. Hierarchical regression was used to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe findings supported the authors’ assumptions that IWB determinants such as psychological empowerment, participation in the decision-making process and organizational justice are positively related to IWB. Besides, transformational leadership moderates the relationship between organizational justice and IWB.Research limitations/implicationsThe data for this study was collected by using convenience sampling as well as a cross-sectional survey method, which limits the generalization of results.Practical implicationsTo spur the IWB among the employees in SMEs, an organization has to create an environment where psychological empowerment is high, employees have a chance to participate in the decision-making process and organizational rules and procedures are fair. In the case of organizational justice, the relationship shall be stronger if transformational leadership is present.Originality/valueIn SMEs, transformational leadership plays an important role. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study that demonstrates the moderating effect of transformational leadership on the relationship between one specific IWB determinant and IWB.


2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tuğba Erhan ◽  
Hasan Huseyin Uzunbacak ◽  
Erhan Aydin

Purpose The leadership shift from conventional to digital comes from the compulsory digitalization of the workplace because the technological progress provides the opportunity of doing work remotely, and this is a great advantage of reducing costs that stem from the offline workplace. Thus, this research aims at demonstrating the relationship between digitalization of leadership and innovative work behavior. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 320 Turkish department managers in the Textile Industry through digital leadership and innovate work behavior scales. The hypotheses were tested using path analysis. The analyses were conducted by using SPSS and AMOS package programs. Findings The results show that the employees’ perceptions of digital leadership have a positive and significant effect on all dimensions of an employee innovative work behavior. Also, the leaders with high digital skills were perceived positively by the employees and the employees tend to adapt innovative behaviors when they have the digitally skilled leaders. Originality/value This study contributes to leadership research by providing evidence for the role of leadership shift in innovative work behavior. Extending the verification of leadership shift in innovative work behavior that can be adopted in Turkey has also been considered.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Basheer M. Al-Ghazali ◽  
Bilal Afsar

Purpose The effect of task conflict on innovative work behavior has yielded inconsistent results pointing to the need to examine the conditions under which task conflict is helpful for employees’ innovative work behavior. This study aims to develop a comprehensive model linking task conflict and innovative work behavior through constructive conflict, positive conflict value, cognitive flexibility and psychological safety. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 316 supervisor–subordinate dyads working in software development and high-technology companies located in Saudi Arabia. The research model was tested using partial least squares approach. Findings Results show that constructive conflict mediates the relationship between task conflict and innovative work behavior. Moreover, positive conflict value and cognitive flexibility mediate the effect of constructive conflict on innovative work behavior. Finally, psychological safety positively moderates the effect of positive conflict value and cognitive flexibility on innovative work behavior. Originality/value This study suggests that constructive conflict, cognitive flexibility, positive conflict value and psychological safety are important mechanisms that explain the link between task conflict and innovative work behavior.


2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Yasir ◽  
Abdul Majid

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of boundary integration (BI) on innovative work behavior (IWB) of nursing staff. Furthermore, in order to understand the constructive role of BI, this study also examines the mediating role of work-to-family enrichment (WFE) and moderating role of co-worker and supervisor support.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 786 nurses and 144 doctors (nurse supervisors) through self-administered questionnaires from public sector hospitals in Pakistan. Descriptive statistics, correlation, Baron and Kenny approach (Causal steps approach), PROCESS Macro (Normal Test Theory) developed by Hayes and hierarchical regression approaches were used to analyze the collected data that provide several interesting results for the formulated hypotheses.FindingsResults indicated that BI among nursing staff is positively related to doctors’ rating of innovative behaviors. Moreover, WFE mediates the relationship of BI and IWB. Furthermore, the results also confirmed that the relationship between BI and IWB is stronger among those nurses who frequently received support from co-workers and supervisors.Originality/valueEmployees’ involvement in innovative work is of crucial importance for organization’s strength, especially in health care sector. Although researchers have identified various antecedents of nurses’ IWB, however, it is still unclear how BI influences IWB. Moreover, this study focuses on another important element of workplace support and argues that nurses who can successfully manage work and family matters through the integration of boundaries have greater opportunities to achieve enrichment and respond more effectively to demonstrate IWB.


2014 ◽  
Vol 114 (8) ◽  
pp. 1270-1300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bilal Afsar ◽  
Yuosre F. Badir ◽  
Bilal Bin Saeed

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the mediating role of psychological empowerment and the moderating role of self-construal (independent and interdependent) on the relationship between transformational leadership and employees’ innovative work behavior (IWB). Design/methodology/approach – A total of 639 followers and 87 leaders filled out questionnaires from cross-industry sample of five most innovative companies of China. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the relations. Findings – Results revealed that psychological empowerment mediated the relationship between transformational leadership and IWB. The research established that transformational leadership positively influences IWB which includes idea generation as well as idea implementation. The results also showed that the relationship between transformational leadership and IWB was stronger among employees with a higher interdependent self-construal and a lower independent self-construal. Originality/value – This study adds to IWB literature by empirically testing the moderating role of self-construal and the mediating role of psychological empowerment on transformational leadership-IWB link.


2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-85
Author(s):  
Ely Susanto

PurposeThis paper aims to test the impact of public service motivation (PSM) and love of money (LOM) on innovative work behavior (IWB) and the moderating role of love of money on the relationship between PSM IWB in the public-sector environment.Design/methodology/approachA total of 400 sets of questionnaires were distributed to camat (district heads) and lurah (sub-district heads), civil servants in Yogyakarta municipality, Indonesia. The final sample selected for analysis was comprised of 241 paired data responses. Multiple hierarchical regression analysis was used to test the study's hypotheses.FindingsThis study found that PSM does not positively influence IWB, whereas LOM does. This study also confirmed the moderating role of LOM in the relationship between PSM and IWB.Research limitations/implicationsFirst, the sample size is limited to civil servants working at districts (kecamatan) and sub-districts (kelurahan) in Yogyakarta municipality. Such a limited amount of sample may have an impact on the findings. Second, causal inferences are difficult to achieve as this study employed cross-sectional data. Longitudinal studies should, thus, be considered for future studies. Third, most respondents are 46–50 years old.Practical implicationsLeaders in public organizations should consider the living conditions of their civil servants when drafting policies to encourage innovative behavior. Theoretically, intrinsic motivation is the dominant factor that encourages people to behave innovatively. This theory, however, may not be viable when applied in a condition where civil servants face a difficult life as a result of their relatively low level of salary. Under such conditions, monetary reward policy can subsequently be an alternative to encourage them to behave innovatively.Social implicationsLeaders should carefully pay attention to this policy and follow what Tang and Ciu (2003) and Frey and Jegen (2001) suggest. As an LOM attitude can lead to improper behaviors (Tang and Ciu, 2003), monetary rewards should be used as a support rather than as a control in reference to the civil servants. Moreover, leaders should consistently maintain the sustainability of their monetary policy to improve IWB. This is because they have changed their focus to monetary rewards rather than intrinsic motivation. When this policy is terminated, it may impact the diminishing IWB.Originality/valueScholars and practitioners agree that IWB can help public-sector organizations improve performance. While most existing research has been conducted in the context of the private sector, this study investigates IWB in the context of public sector organizations. Previous studies have also indicated that the battle between two approaches, utilitarianism and romanticism, continues. Therefore, this study is designed to enrich the debate about this struggle between the two approaches in order to uncover ideas that help explain IWB in a developing country.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (5) ◽  
pp. 401-415
Author(s):  
Dr. Muhammad Tahir

The ICT sector in Oman has a lot of potentials to grow and contribute to the employment creation and diversification of the economy of the country. The sector also faces global international competition and requires to give greater attention to the creative potential of its staff to compete. In the present study, we investigated how ethical leadership can influence employee innovative work behavior with the mediating role of perceived meaningful work. By using the survey method as a primary method of data collection, we generated a useable sample of 121 participants belonged to the ten selected ICT firms. We utilized the SmartPLS version 3 for data analysis. The analysis included an assessment of the measurement model for testing the reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity of the constructs for which we found satisfactory results. The second stage of analysis included an assessment of the structural model for hypothesis testing. We found that ethical leadership has positive and significanteffects on employee innovative work behavior (?=1.77, P<.05); and perceived meaningful work (?=.815, P<.05). We did not find significant effects of perceived meaningful work on employee innovative work behavior (?=-.077, P>.05). The analysis of indirect effects for testing the mediation hypothesis shows that perceived meaningful work does not work as a mediator between the relationship of ethical leadership and employee innovative work behavior (?=-.634, P>.05). Our findings imply that ICT firms should develop ethical leadership behavior among the supervisory staff, line managers, and team leaders to facilitate favorable employee outcomes in this particular context. Keywords:Ethical Leadership, Innovative Work Behavior, Creativity, Meaningful Work, ICT, Oman


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Irfan Ullah ◽  
Bilal Mirza ◽  
Amber Jamil

PurposeRecent research studies have increasingly suggested leadership as a major antecedent to encourage innovative work behavior among business employees. Empirical studies which investigated the influence of various leadership aspects such as style and ethics on employees' innovative performance and unraveled the mechanism through which leadership exerts its impact on employees' innovative work behavior were restricted. Thus, the purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between ethical leadership and employees' innovative performance by focusing on the mediating role of two forms of the intellectual capital (IC), i.e. human capital and social capital.Design/methodology/approachData for present research were collected through in person administered questionnaire-based survey from the managerial level employees of the targeted sample of the manufacturing firms. Furthermore, due consideration was given while selecting the individuals from R&D departments of these organizations, who were typically involved in knowledge-intensive jobs and where application of intellectual assets was needed.FindingsEthical leadership was observed as to positively influencing employees' innovative performance. Two forms of IC, i.e. human capital and social capital were observed as playing mediating role in the ethical leadership – employees' innovative performance relationship.Originality/valueThe contemporary research study adds value in the literature of the ethical leadership. The most imperative theoretical contribution of the present research study underlines the psychological process, i.e. IC by which ethical leaders encourage innovative behavior among employees.


2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 561-581 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andres Salas-Vallina ◽  
Manoli Pozo ◽  
Rafael Fernandez-Guerrero

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to measure and conceptualize the concept of well-being-oriented management (WOM), and to investigate the relationship between well-being oriented management (WOM), harmonious work passion, and innovative work behavior (IWB).Design/methodology/approachIn a sample of 362 senior managers, the authors used a two-wave structural equation model to verify whether the relationship between WOM and IWB was mediated by harmonious work passion.FindingsThis study reveals that human resource practices (HRM) oriented toward well-being, namely WOM, can be measured and conceptualized. In addition, WOM implemented over a period of one year, subsequently fostered IWB. Further, the role of harmonious passion as a catalyst in the relationship between these HRM practices and IWB was also examined.Originality/valueDrawing upon the social exchange theory and the Job Demands-Resources model, our contributions are threefold: to conceptualize and empirically measure WOM; to discover the effect of WOM on IWB, and to assess the mediating role of harmonious work passion in the relationship between WOM and IWB.


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