Impact of inclusive leadership on employees’ innovative behavior: A relational silence approach

Abstract

IntroductionAlthough employees’ silence is a common phenomenon in organizations, the mediating role of relational silence has not been studied in inclusive leadership and innovative behavior. In this study, based on the theory of social exchange, relational silence is used as a mediating variable to explore the internal mechanisms of inclusive leadership on employees’ innovative behavior.MethodsData from 263 in-service leaders and employees were collected using convenience sampling and analyzed using Amos and SPSS statistical software package via questionnaires distributed to companies in six cities in the Guangdong province of China.ResultsThe results showed that inclusive leadership has a significant positive predictive effect on employees’ innovative behavior (β = 0.590, p < 0.01), while inclusive leadership is negative and significantly correlated with relational silence (β = −0.469, p < 0.01). More so, relational silence has a significant negative correlation with employees’ innovative behavior (β = −0.408, p < 0.01), and relational silence partially mediates the relationship between inclusive leadership and employee innovation behavior.DiscussionThe mediating role of relational silence between inclusive leadership and employees’ innovative behavior is revealed for the first time, theoretically broadening and enriching the connotation of inclusive leadership’s influence mechanism on employees’ innovative behavior and providing new ideas in practice for constructing inclusive leadership styles, reducing the incidence of relational silence, and evoking employees’ innovative behavior.

Pengaruh Kepemimpinan Inklusif, Self Efficacy dan Iklim Organisasi Terhadap Perilaku Inovatif Karyawan

“…Kepemimpinan inklusif berpengaruh signifikan terhadap perilaku inovatif. Hasil ini di dukung oleh penelitian yang dilakukan oleh Wu & Li, (2023). Kepemimpinan inklusif berdampak pada perilaku inovatif karyawan.…”

“…pandangan melalui keterbukaan, efektivitas, dan aksesibilitas yang ditunjukkan. Selain itu, perilaku inovasi karyawan ini menanamkan gagasan bahwa karyawan dapat menghasilkan ide-ide baru di tempat kerja melalui partisipasi aktif, penggunaan sumber daya organisasi untuk mendukung ide-ide tersebut, serta melalui penerapan rencana untuk mencapai perilaku inovatif pada karyawan (Wu & Li, 2023).…”

A Review of the Impact of Leadership Styles on Employee Innovation Performance

“…Chen and Shi (2007) argued that transactional leadership is a leadership style that communicates to employees their roles, task completion levels, and ultimate goals in various ways to motivate them to actively engage in their work. Wu (2010) suggested that organizations dominated by transactional leadership may impose certain limitations on the innovative behaviour of knowledge workers. However, through goal-oriented behavioural regulation, a transactional leadership style might also facilitate the innovation of knowledge workers.…”

A multilevel analysis of Inclusive leadership and innovative behavior among primary and junior teachers: evidence from China

“…This necessitates school leaders who can accommodate and support these diverse ideas and behaviors. However, limited research exists in the current literature regarding the in uence of principal inclusive leadership on teacher innovative behavior, despite evidence demonstrating that inclusive leadership stimulates employee innovative behavior within the business sector 12,13 .…”