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Transformational leadership dimensions and employee creativity in China: A cross-level analysis

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  • Li, Chaoping
  • Zhao, Hao
  • Begley, Thomas M.

Abstract

China's rapid economic growth is staggering but the country still has a long way to go before becoming a center for innovation and creativity. We examine whether or not transformational leadership can encourage employee creativity, using a Chinese-specific transformational leadership model. The study proposes a positive relationship between organization-level transformational leadership and individual level creativity which will be mediated by psychological safety climate. Analyses of multisource and multilevel data from 123 branches of a retail bank in mainland China show that two dimensions of transformational leadership, moral modeling and individualized consideration, are positively related to employee creativity. Although these two dimensions relate to a psychologically safe organizational climate, the climate does not relate to employee creativity. We discuss the findings in light of the Chinese cultural context.

Suggested Citation

  • Li, Chaoping & Zhao, Hao & Begley, Thomas M., 2015. "Transformational leadership dimensions and employee creativity in China: A cross-level analysis," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 68(6), pages 1149-1156.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:68:y:2015:i:6:p:1149-1156
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2014.11.009
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Gumusluoglu, Lale & Ilsev, Arzu, 2009. "Transformational leadership, creativity, and organizational innovation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 62(4), pages 461-473, April.
    2. Peter Woods & David Lamond, 2011. "What Would Confucius Do? – Confucian Ethics and Self-Regulation in Management," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 102(4), pages 669-683, September.
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    1. Rentao Miao & Yi Cao, 2019. "High-Performance Work System, Work Well-Being, and Employee Creativity: Cross-Level Moderating Role of Transformational Leadership," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(9), pages 1-24, May.
    2. Hafilan Zainul Umam & Tri Siwi Agustina, 2025. "Why Organizational Culture Matters? Transformational Leadership, Organizational Learning Culture, and Organizational Innovative Culture Linkage," International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation, International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI), vol. 12(3), pages 1126-1132, March.
    3. Guo, Liang & Decoster, Stijn & Babalola, Mayowa T. & De Schutter, Leander & Garba, Omale A. & Riisla, Katrin, 2018. "Authoritarian leadership and employee creativity: The moderating role of psychological capital and the mediating role of fear and defensive silence," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 219-230.
    4. Stanley Y. B. Huang, 2025. "How to drive the innovation strategy adoption in the renewable energy technology company: a perspective of organizational management," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 27(4), pages 9021-9037, April.
    5. Newman, Alexander & Tse, Herman H.M. & Schwarz, Gary & Nielsen, Ingrid, 2018. "The effects of employees' creative self-efficacy on innovative behavior: The role of entrepreneurial leadership," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 1-9.
    6. Bruce Gashema & Misago Isae Kadhafi, 2020. "Advancing employee’s innovative work behaviors in the workplace: The role of transformational leadership, positive psychological capital and effort-reward fairness," Bussecon Review of Social Sciences (2687-2285), Bussecon International Academy, vol. 2(1), pages 13-26, January.
    7. Breidenthal, Amy P. & Liu, Dong & Bai, Yuntao & Mao, Yina, 2020. "The dark side of creativity: Coworker envy and ostracism as a response to employee creativity," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 161(C), pages 242-254.
    8. Shih-Chin Lee & Stanley Y. B. Huang, 2024. "The effect of Chinese-specific environmentally responsible leadership on the adoption of green innovation strategy," Energy & Environment, , vol. 35(8), pages 4114-4132, December.
    9. José Esteves & Guillermo Haro Rodríguez & María Teresa Ballestar & Jorge Sainz, 2024. "Gender and generational cohort impact on entrepreneurs’ emotional intelligence and transformational leadership," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 20(2), pages 1295-1322, June.
    10. Yuanjie Bao & Chaoping Li, 2019. "From moral leadership to positive work behaviors: the mediating roles of value congruence and leader-member exchange," Frontiers of Business Research in China, Springer, vol. 13(1), pages 1-18, December.
    11. Cai-Hui Veronica Lin & Jian-Min James Sun, 2018. "Chinese employees’ leadership preferences and the relationship with power distance orientation and core self-evaluation," Frontiers of Business Research in China, Springer, vol. 12(1), pages 1-22, December.
    12. Yanchun Zhang & Junwei Zheng & Amos Darko, 2018. "How Does Transformational Leadership Promote Innovation in Construction? The Mediating Role of Innovation Climate and the Multilevel Moderation Role of Project Requirements," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-19, May.

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