Empowering leadership and innovative work behavior: a moderated mediation examination

Purpose The purpose of the paper is to investigate the relationship between empowering leadership and the innovative work behavior of employees. Utilizing a moderated mediation mechanism, the study additionally uncovers the mediating impact of knowledge sharing and the moderating influence of role clarity in the proposed model. Design/methodology/approach Cross-sectional design was used in the study, and developed questionnaires were administered to 235 supervisor-subordinates dyads working in Indian organizations to test the proposed relationships. SPSS 20 and AMOS 20 were used for statistical analysis. Findings The hypothesized moderated mediation model was supported. Knowledge sharing mediated the relationship between empowering leadership and innovative work behavior. The moderating impact of role clarity between empowering leadership and knowledge sharing was supported. It was also observed that stronger role clarity strengthened the indirect relationship between empowering leadership and innovative work behavior. Overall, the study shows that empowering leaders creates a cultivating climate for innovative work behavior by encouraging knowledge sharing among the members subject to clear identification of employee roles. Research limitations/implications Cross-sectional design of the study limits the authors from drawing definitive generalizations. Self-reported measures used in the study increase the chances of bias. Practical implications Findings of the study can be utilized by leaders for promoting innovative work behavior in the organization, which has been identified as a key to organizational growth and development. Originality/value The study attempts to address the under developed relationship between empowering leadership and innovative work behavior.