Despotic leadership and followers creativity: exploring the combined effects of power distance and psychological safety

Abstract

This research investigates how despotic leadership influences follower creativity within the hospitality context. Grounded in social exchange theory (SET), the research delves into the mediating role of psychological safety in the link between despotic leadership and follower creativity. Additionally, it explores how power distance moderates this relationship, potentially alleviating the adverse implications of despotic leadership. By analyzing data collected from 447 employees in China, our findings reveal that despotic leadership behaviors diminish follower creativity. The results emphasize the crucial role of psychological safety as a mediating factor in this relationship. Furthermore, the study uses moderated path analysis to reveal that high power distance intensifies the negative impact of despotic leadership on psychological safety, further reducing employees’ creativity. The research concludes with a discussion of the implications of these findings for both theoretical and practical applications. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40359-024-02242-2.