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How humble leadership fosters employee innovation behavior: A two-way perspective on the leader-employee interaction

Fei Zhou (College of Business Administration, National Huaqiao University, Quanzhou, China)
Yenchun Jim Wu (Graduate Institute of Global Business and Strategy, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan) (College of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, National Taipei University of Education, Taipei, Taiwan)

Leadership & Organization Development Journal

ISSN: 0143-7739

Article publication date: 2 May 2018

Issue publication date: 9 May 2018

6693

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between humble leadership and employee innovation behavior and to investigate the mediating effects of core self-evaluation (CSE) and the moderating effects of leader political skill in this relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

Questionnaire data from a sample of 169 employee-leader dyads from technology enterprises in China were employed in this research.

Findings

The results show that humble leadership positively affects employee innovation behavior; moreover, employee CSE and leader political skills play partial mediating and moderating roles, respectively, in the relationship between humble leadership and employee innovation behavior.

Research limitations/implications

This study considered only the positive role of humble leadership and not its negative effects in extreme cases, such as the perceived weakness and inferiority of a humble leader, which may inhibit leadership effectiveness. Future research may examine the excessive and/or negative effects of humble leadership in an organization.

Practical implications

The findings of this study suggest that leaders should maintain humility, develop certain political skills, and enhance employee CSE to stimulate employee innovation behavior.

Originality/value

Although humility has been understood as the core trait of servant leadership, level-five leadership and participative leadership, humble leadership as a new type of independent leadership style has yet to be thoroughly investigated. In particular, there is limited empirical research examining the link between humble leadership and employee innovation behavior.

Keywords

Citation

Zhou, F. and Wu, Y.J. (2018), "How humble leadership fosters employee innovation behavior: A two-way perspective on the leader-employee interaction", Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 39 No. 3, pp. 375-387. https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-07-2017-0181

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited

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