Why not go the usual way? Empowering leadership, employees’ creative deviance and innovation performance

Purpose Based on social exchange theory and self-determination theory, this study explores the influence mechanism of empowering leadership on employees’ creative deviance and innovation performance. Design/methodology/approach The data were collected from 312 employees on Internet and other high-tech corporation in China. Hierarchical linear regression models and bootstrapping analysis outlined by Hayes were used to test the hypotheses. Findings Empowering leadership is positively correlated with employees’ innovation performance (EIP), and employees’ creative deviance plays an intermediary role in the above relationship. Power distance positively moderates the relationship between empowering leadership and employees’ creative deviance. Time pressure moderates the moderating effect of power distance on empowering leadership and employees’ creative deviance. Originality/value This study advances the empowering leadership and employees’ innovation performance by establishing creative deviance as the mediator. This study is also helpful to clarify the role of time press and power distance as boundary condition in the relationship between empowering leadership and employees’ creative deviance, which have certain reference significance for organization practices.