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Influence of Ethical Leadership on Employees’ Innovative Behavior: The Role of Organization-Based Self-Esteem and Flexible Human Resource Management

Author

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  • Qiuxiang Wen

    (School of Business, Nanjing University, Gulou District, Nanjing 210093, China)

  • Yingxuan Wu

    (Development Institute of Jiangbei New Area, School of Business, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Pukou District, Nanjing 210044, China)

  • Jing Long

    (School of Business, Nanjing University, Gulou District, Nanjing 210093, China)

Abstract

Employees’ innovative behavior is a vital source for promoting the sustainable survival and development of enterprises. Innovation is a complicated and high-risk mental process, where in each stage employees’ innovative attitude and behavior will be affected by the varying behaviors of their direct leaders. Therefore, exploring the intricate relationship between leadership behavior and employees’ innovative behavior is necessary. Based on social exchange theory, this study builds a cross-level moderation model to investigate the impact of ethical leadership on employees’ innovative behavior and the mediating role of organization-based self-esteem and the moderating role of flexible human resource management. On the basis of a questionnaire survey of 146 supervisors and 365 subordinates in the mainland of China, the empirical results show that: (a) Ethical leadership positively affects employees’ innovative behavior significantly; (b) Organization-based self-esteem has a partial mediating relationship between ethical leadership and employees’ innovative behavior; and (c) flexible human resource management plays a positive moderating role in the relationship between organization-based self-esteem and employees’ innovative behavior, and it also positively moderates the mediating effect of organization-based self-esteem on the relationship between ethical leadership and employees’ innovative behavior. The findings reveal the internal mechanism and boundary condition of ethical leadership influencing employees’ innovative behavior, which provide a reference for enterprises to encourage employees to innovate, and have important practical significance for employees to actively pursue innovative activities in the workplace.

Suggested Citation

  • Qiuxiang Wen & Yingxuan Wu & Jing Long, 2021. "Influence of Ethical Leadership on Employees’ Innovative Behavior: The Role of Organization-Based Self-Esteem and Flexible Human Resource Management," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-15, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:3:p:1359-:d:488555
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. James Avey & Michael Palanski & Fred Walumbwa, 2011. "When Leadership Goes Unnoticed: The Moderating Role of Follower Self-Esteem on the Relationship Between Ethical Leadership and Follower Behavior," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 98(4), pages 573-582, February.
    2. Yi Tu & Xin Lu, 2013. "Erratum to: How Ethical Leadership Influence Employees’ Innovative Work Behavior: A Perspective of Intrinsic Motivation," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 116(2), pages 457-457, August.
    3. Hui Li & Nazir Sajjad & Qun Wang & Asadullah Muhammad Ali & Zeb Khaqan & Shafi Amina, 2019. "Influence of Transformational Leadership on Employees’ Innovative Work Behavior in Sustainable Organizations: Test of Mediation and Moderation Processes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-21, March.
    4. Sajjad Nazir & Wang Qun & Li Hui & Amina Shafi, 2018. "Influence of Social Exchange Relationships on Affective Commitment and Innovative Behavior: Role of Perceived Organizational Support," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-20, November.
    5. S. Hansen & Bradley Alge & Michael Brown & Christine Jackson & Benjamin Dunford, 2013. "Ethical Leadership: Assessing the Value of a Multifoci Social Exchange Perspective," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 115(3), pages 435-449, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Xin Liu & Yan Huang & Jaehyoung Kim & Sanggyun Na, 2023. "How Ethical Leadership Cultivates Innovative Work Behaviors in Employees? Psychological Safety, Work Engagement and Openness to Experience," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-22, February.
    2. Marina Žižakov & Teodora Vuckovic & Srđan Vulanović & Dušanka Dakić & Milan Delić, 2023. "Investigating the Key Factors Influencing the Process Innovation Capability in Organizations: Evidence from the Republic of Serbia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-17, May.
    3. Zhongqiu Li & Caiquan Duan & Zhuo Lyu & Xin Xu, 2021. "Why and When Supervisor Developmental Feedback Impact Innovative Behavior: Perspective of Self-Regulation Theory," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-14, August.

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