The impact of transformational leadership on employee creativity: the role of learning orientation

Abstract

Purpose – This research aims to explore the relationship between transformational leadership and employee creativity. In addition, we intend to study the moderating role played by learning orientation in the relationship between transformational leadership and employee creativity. Design/methodology/approach – Data have been collected from employees working at the Airtel and Aircel call centers of J&K (India). A two-step approach to structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to assess the proposed measurement model fit and construct validity. The structural model was generated to test the significance of the theoretical relationships. Findings – The results revealed that there is a positive relationship between transformational leadership and employee creativity, and it is being moderated by learning orientation. Research limitations/implications – Although this study expands our knowledge about the role of learning orientation between transformational leadership and employee creativity, the prospects for further research are still present. The cross-sectional design of study might not have been able to extract the true essence of the cause-and-effect relationship between transformational leadership and employee creativity. Practical implications – Transformational leaders promote followers’ creativity, so the management may find it valuable to invest in transformational leadership training for supervisors and team leaders, or use personality testing to screen for high-caliber candidates, who have high potential of becoming a transformational leader. The characteristics of a transformational leader, when coupled with the learning orientation of employees, yield positive results in the form of employee creativity, which managers can use to generate sustainable competitive advantages for their organizations. Originality/value – This paper is original, as it contributes to existing theory by establishing the moderating role played by learning orientation in between transformational leadership and employee creativity. The moderation has been proved via SEM with the help of latent constructs, which is seldom done.

Learning orientation and innovation performance: the mediating role of operations strategy and supply chain integration

“…This result is consistent with previous studies (Calantone et al, 2002;Rhee et al, 2010;Sheng & Chien, 2016) in which learning orientation showed to be closely related to innovative activities of the organization. If there is a learning orientation in an organization, a desire to develop learning activities like investment in education and training (Calantone et al, 2002;Jyoti & Dev, 2015), creation and implementation of knowledge (Baba, 2015), collecting knowledge and information from different sources (Abdulai Mahmoud & Yusif, 2012), sharing knowledge across the organization and acceptance of new ideas (Calantone et al, 2002) promote. As a result, new knowledge is acquired from different sources, especially external ones and its combination with existing knowledge of the organization leads to new and innovative ideas and initiatives.…”

“…Organizational learning orientation as a derivation from the organizational learning theory is described as a wide range of activities related to the creation and use of knowledge (Calantone, Cavusgil, & Zhao, 2002;Fang et al, 2014) and orients the organization in direction of learning. It consists of four dimensions: commitment to learning, shared vision, open-mindedness and intra-organizational knowledge sharing (Calantone et al, 2002;Jyoti & Dev, 2015). Commitment to learning indicates organization's desire to develop learning activities (Calantone et al, 2002;Sinkula, Baker, & Noordewier, 1997) and it has a significant impact on its investment in education and training.…”

The Roles of System and Organizational Leadership in System-Wide Evidence-Based Intervention Sustainment: A Mixed-Method Study

“…The Cronbach’s alphas from the present study indicated excellent reliability for transformational leadership (α=0.96) and passive-avoidant leadership (α=0.86), and good reliability for transactional leadership (α=0.76). The validity of the MLQ is supported by studies demonstrating its associations and prediction of important organizational outcomes including change in practice (Leithwood & Jantzi, 2006), attitudes toward EBIs and capacity to train providers and implement EBIs (Aarons, 2006; Bonham, Sommerfeld, Willging, & Aarons, 2014), organizational culture (Aarons, Ehrhart, Farahnak, Sklar, & Horowitz, In press), knowledge sharing (Chen & Barnes, 2006), employee creativity (Dhar, 2015; Jyoti & Dev, 2015), innovation performance (Saad & Mazzarol, 2014), enhanced EBI receptivity, ongoing use, and ability to implement and sustain EBIs (Stetler, Ritchie, Rycroft-Malone, Schultz, & Charns, 2009), organizational climate expectations (von Thiele Schwarz, Hasson, & Tafvelin, 2016), and patient and consumer outcomes (Corrigan, Lickey, Campion, & Rashid, 2000; Wong & Giallonardo, 2015). Home visitors indicated the extent to which their supervisor exhibited specific behaviors on a 5 point Likert-type scale from “Not at all” to “To a very great extent.” Individual leadership scores were computed as item averages.…”

Roles and Functions of Transformational Leadership in Improving the Paskibra High School Organization Performance

“…The findings gained from individualized consideration are coaching, nurturing, respecting others, and organizational values. The resulting impact is that students who are members of paskibra can teach their skills to new prospective paskibra and strengthen the relationship between senior and junior (Jyoti and Manisha, 2015). Idealized influence is that a leader seeks to influence his followers through direct communication by emphasizing the importance of commitment and belief, and has a determination to achieve the goals (Antonakis, et al, 2003, Rafferty and Griffin, 2004, and Antonakis, 2012.…”

“…According to (Hartog, et al, 1997), (Yammarino and Dubnisky, 1994), (Antonakis, et al, 2003), (Avolio, 2005), and (Dionne, et al, 2004) in Jyoti and Manisha 2015), states that Inspirational motivation defines inspiration as a leader's capacity to act as an example for his followers. Inspirational motivation refers to the way leaders take decisions to inspire their followers to achieve personal and organizational goals.…”