Effect of leaders’ improvisational behavior on team members’ innovative work behavior and innovative performance of consulting teams

Purpose Grounded in social learning theory, this research examines the effect of team leaders' improvisational behavior on team members' innovative work behavior and analyzes its subsequent impact on innovative team performance. We also explore whether the effects of team leaders' improvisational behavior on team members' innovative work behavior could be moderated by the leader-member tenure. Design/methodology/approach Survey data were obtained from 215 team members and their leaders from 50 teams across 24 consulting firms in Bangkok, Thailand. We adopted multi-source data collection to prevent common method bias. Team leaders assessed improvisational behavior and innovative team performance, while team members evaluated innovative work behavior. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used for analyzing the data. Findings The results provide evidence supporting the effect of team leaders' improvisational behavior on team members' innovative work behavior. In particular, the effect is significantly stronger for team members who had worked with the leader for a longer period compared to those who had worked with the leader for a shorter period. Lastly, the innovative work behavior of team members mediates the effect of the improvisational behavior of team leaders on innovative team performance. Practical implications This study provides implications for businesses regarding management practices that can be implemented to improve human capital, enhance productivity and promote innovative performance. Specifically, the management of consulting firms should focus on creating supportive conditions that enable team leaders to adopt improvisational behavior appropriately in their work to influence team members to engage in innovative activities actively. Originality/value Our findings extend the boundaries of existing research by providing theoretical explanations and empirical evidence that clarify how leaders' improvisational behavior can influence their subordinates' innovative behavior and how leader-member tenure can moderate this effect.