The effect of servant leadership on innovative work behavior and employee knowledge sharing in the Latvian ICT sector
ISSN: 1746-5265
Article publication date: 12 July 2021
Issue publication date: 5 October 2021
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to peruse the underlying effect of servant leadership (SL) on innovative work behavior (IWB) and employee knowledge sharing behavior (KSB), directly and through the mediating effect of job autonomy (JA), by using autonomous psychological needs of self-determination theory and embracing Hofstede's framework in information and telecommunication technology (ICT) companies in Latvia.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative analysis of data from 271 employees and managers in Latvian ICT companies was used by applying structural equation modeling.
Findings
The result discloses that SL can promote IWB and KSB directly and through mediating effects of JA.
Research limitations/implications
The research is constricted by geography and sample data representation from a specific sector. Hence, future studies can determine the gender effects, carry out more preventive measures to avoid common method bias between constructs, measure antecedents and the mediator before outcomes and examine JA as a moderator.
Practical implications
The findings demonstrate that the Latvian ICT sector should recruit managers with SL potentials, train and equip managers with the required resources to implement SL practices properly and integrate JA across the organization to increase the manifestation of IWB and KSB.
Originality/value
This paper is the first to examine JA as the underlying process through which SL’s effects on IWB and KSB are explained in an individualistic country.
Keywords
Citation
Bou Reslan, F.Y., Garanti, Z. and Emeagwali, O.L. (2021), "The effect of servant leadership on innovative work behavior and employee knowledge sharing in the Latvian ICT sector", Baltic Journal of Management, Vol. 16 No. 5, pp. 729-744. https://doi.org/10.1108/BJM-09-2020-0321
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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