Matej Černe

Authentic leadership, creativity, and innovation: A multilevel perspective

This study aims to propose and empirically test a multilevel model of cross-level interactions between authentic leadership and innovation at the team level, and perception of support for innovation and creativity at the individual level. We use data from 23 team leaders and 289 team members in a Slovenian manufacturing and processing firm engaged in producing innovative products and customer solutions and conduct a multilevel analysis using hierarchical linear modelling (HLM). The results indicate that whereas perceived team leaders’ authentic leadership directly influences team members’ individual creativity and team innovation, the impact of self-ascribed team leaders’ authentic leadership was not significant. In addition to that, the relationship between team leaders’ authenticity and creativity is mediated by perception of support for innovation. Using a multilevel approach, this is the first study to our knowledge to quantitatively examine the relationship between authentic leadership and creativity and innovation. In addition, unlike previous research on related topics that relied solely on one source of information, we examine authentic leadership with empirical data gathered from both team leaders and their employees.

Congruence of leader self-perceptions and follower perceptions of authentic leadership: Understanding what authentic leadership is and how it enhances employees’ job satisfaction

We propose and empirically test a multilevel model of cross-level interactions between leader self-perceptions (team level) and follower perceptions of authentic leadership on job satisfaction. Data from 24 supervisors and 171 team members were used. Applying hierarchical linear modelling, we found that follower perceptions of authentic leadership predict employee job satisfaction. We also found support for the interaction effect of leader self-perceptions and follower perceptions of authentic leadership in predicting job satisfaction, integrating the leader- and follower-centric perspectives of authentic leadership. Polynomial regression analysis further supported the fact that the congruence between leader self-perceptions and follower perceptions of authentic leadership is beneficial and that both need to be present at high levels to produce the most beneficial results in terms of followers’ job satisfaction.

Authentic leadership, employees’ job satisfaction, and work engagement: a hierarchical linear modelling approach

The purpose of this study is to develop and test empirically a multilevel model of cross-level interactions between authentic leadership at the team level and job satisfaction and work engagement at the individual level. Using data from 23 team supervisors and 289 team members, the study also investigates the mediating role of perceived supervisor support in the proposed cross-level relationships. For validation of the measurement instrument, we first applied confirmatory factor analysis using LISREL 8.80 software. The hierarchical linear modelling analysis demonstrated a positive relationship between authentic leadership, employees’ job satisfaction, and work engagement. In addition, the relationship between authentic leadership and job satisfaction is fully mediated by perceived supervisor support, whereas we have also found support for partial mediation of perceived supervisor support in the relationship between authentic leadership and employees’ work engagement. A key originality and the theoretical and methodological contribution of this study lies in a multilevel approach that builds upon a sample of leaders and a number of their followers. We also address managerial implications and discuss future research suggestions.

Organizational Learning Culture and Innovativeness in Turkish Firms

The aim of this paper is to present and test a model that examines the relationship between organizational learning cul- ture and innovativeness. Organizational learning culture consists of the organizational learning process and of different culture types that can be placed within the competing values framework. It is defi ned as a set of norms and values within an organization that support systematic, in-depth approaches aimed at achieving higher-level organizational learning. Innovativeness consists of both innovative culture and innovations. Innovations, the process or outcome of innovating, are more likely to occur and be more successful if there is a strong innovative culture, meaning that the behavioral patterns of the employees are directed towards innovating. We used data from 112 Turkish fi rms employing more than 50 people. The relationship between organizational learning culture and innovativeness is empirically tested via structural equa- tion modeling (SEM). We found support for a very strong positive relationship between organizational learning culture and innovative culture, as well as for the indirect relation between organizational learning culture and innovations via innovative culture.

Interactive effects of perceived time pressure, satisfaction with work-family balance (SWFB), and leader-member exchange (LMX) on creativity

Purpose Drawing on role theory, the purpose of this paper is to investigate a curvilinear relationship between employee’s perceived overall time pressure and creativity. Apart from this, it explores a three-way interaction of perceived time pressure, satisfaction with work-family balance (SWFB), and leader-member exchange (LMX) on creativity. Design/methodology/approach The paper reports a quantitative study of 251 employees from a European company. An online survey was used to collect data. The proposed hypotheses were tested using moderated hierarchical regression analysis. Findings Results demonstrate a U-shaped curvilinear relationship between perceived time pressure and creativity. Results further confirm the proposed three-way interaction of perceived time pressure, SWFB, and LMX as joint predictors of creativity. Research limitations/implications The cross-sectional research design limits the ability to demonstrate causality. Moreover, the data were collected from a single source causing concern for common method bias. Nonetheless, recent research suggests that common method bias cannot create an artificial interaction effect. Originality/value This study is one of the rare attempts to examine a curvilinear relationship between perceived time pressure and creativity. Moreover, it contributes to the work-family literature by providing the first empirical examination of the linkage between SWFB and creativity. Furthermore, the authors find a three-way interaction between time pressure, SWFB and LMX, and creativity. These findings broaden our understanding of how personal and contextual factors interact to foster creativity.

I want to be creative, but … preference for creativity, perceived clear outcome goals, work enjoyment, and creative performance

In today’s quickly changing work environment, many individuals want to be creative at their workplace, but only some of them succeed at manifesting these tendencies. In three studies, using both field and experimental data, we focused on transforming individuals’ preference for creativity, defined as an inclination for liking and wanting to be creative, into actual creativity. We first conducted a pilot Study 1 to establish discriminant validity to related constructs and provided initial evidence on predictive and incremental validity of the preference-for-creativity scale. Next, we performed a field Study 2, where we found that transforming preferences for creativity into supervisor-rated creativity is contingent upon employees’ perceptions of clear outcome goals. Clear outcome goals fostered individuals’ preference for creativity to result in higher levels of supervisor-rated creative behaviour—a finding that was replicated in an experimental Study 3. Furthermore, we explored whether work enjoyment mediated the moderated relationship between preference for creativity and creative outcomes. The results supported our mediated moderation model, whereby the manipulation of clear goals led to higher work enjoyment, influencing individuals’ preference for creativity to result in higher ratings of their creative outcomes.

Hiding behind a mask? Cultural intelligence, knowledge hiding, and individual and team creativity

ABSTRACT Culturally diverse colleagues can be valuable sources for stimulating creativity at work, yet only if they decide to share their knowledge. Drawing on the social exchange theory, we propose that cross-cultural interactions among individuals from different national backgrounds can act as a salient contingency in the relationship between knowledge hiding and creativity (individual and team). We further suggest, based on the social categorization theory (e.g., the categorization process of “us” against “them” based on national differences), that cultural intelligence enhances the likelihood of high-quality social exchanges between culturally diverse individuals and, therefore, remedies the otherwise negative relationship between individual knowledge hiding and individual creativity. Two studies using field and experimental data offer consistent support for this argument. First, a field study of 621 employees nested among 70 teams revealed that individual knowledge hiding is negatively related to individual creativity and that cultural intelligence moderates the relationship between knowledge hiding and creativity at an individual level. A quasi-experimental study of 104 international students nested in 24 teams replicated and extended these findings by implying that individual knowledge hiding is also negatively related to team creativity. We discuss the implications for practice and future research.

The impact of leadership influence tactics and employee openness toward others on innovation performance

Despite the vital importance of leadership, employees, and their social interactions in the open-innovation process, there is scarce evidence on the influence and connectedness of different sub-firm levels related to open innovation. The aim of this study is to explore the influence of leadership influence tactics and employee openness toward others on innovation performance at the individual and team levels. We applied a multilevel analysis on a sample of 85 employees and their 15 direct supervisors/team leaders. We find that leaders’ building open-innovation coalitions exhibits a positive cross-level relationship with employee openness toward others and individual-level innovative behavior, and also moderates the link between the latter two constructs. Additionally, the leaders’ building open-innovation coalitions variable is positively related to the team-level scope of innovations and the team-level innovation implementation phase.

Organizational Ambidexterity, Exploration, Exploitation and Firms Innovation Performance

Abstract Background and Purpose: The construct of organizational ambidexterity (OA) has attracted the growing attention in management research. Previous empirical research has investigated the effect of organisational ambidexterity on performance from various perspectives. This study aims to resolve the contradictory previous research findings on the relationship between organisational ambidexterity and innovation performance. We unpack this construct with combined dimension of ambidexterity, which relates to a combination of high levels of both exploration and exploitation (introduction of products or services that were new to the market and new to the firm). Methodology: We frame our ambidexterity hypothesis in terms of firm’s innovation orientation. The hypothesis is tested by using Community Innovation Survey (CIS) 2006 micro data at the organizational level in twelve countries. To operationalize an ambidexterity and firms innovation outcome, we used self-reported measures of innovativeness. Results: To test our hypothesis, we developed a set of models and tested them with multiple hierarchical linear regression analyses. The results indicate that exploration and exploitation are positively related to firm’s innovation performances which supports our assumption that both are complementary. Furthermore, we find that above and over their independent effects, through combining them into a single construct of organizational ambidexterity, this variable remains negatively and significantly related to innovation performance. Conclusion: These results provides the managers with an idea of when managing trade-offs between exploration and exploitation would be more favorable versus detrimental. For firms with lower organizational ambidexterity, the relationship between exploration-exploitation and the firm’s innovation performance is a more positive one.

Management innovation enters the game: Re-considering the link between technological innovation and financial performance

The aim of this study is to investigate the innovation–performance relationship at the organizational level by empirically examining the role of management innovation in the link between technological innovation and financial performance. We adopt a view that is less present in the innovation literature and examine how technological innovations spur the need for new managerial solutions, which in turn result in improved firm performance. We apply a research methodology of testing our model via structural equation modeling on data gathered from 604 firms in three countries: Slovenia, Spain, and South Korea. The findings indicate that management innovation is the mechanism that enables firms to fully benefit from their technological discoveries in order to result in superior financial performance. The conclusions of the paper are related to shifting the view that presumes the crucial and almost exclusive importance of technological innovation for enhancing firm performance.