Linking managerial practices and leadership style to innovative work behavior: The role of group and psychological processes

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose and test a theoretical model linking individual perceptions of participative leadership style and managerial practices (i.e. teamwork and information sharing) to individual innovative behavior through the mediating mechanisms of: perceptions of team support for innovation and team vision; and psychological empowerment. Design/methodology/approach – Self-report data were collected from 394 employees working in five organizations. Structural equation models were conducted to empirically test the hypothesized research model. Findings – As hypothesized, participative leadership, teamwork and information sharing positively predicted perceptions of team support for innovation and team vision, which in turn fostered psychological empowerment. The latter was further positively associated with innovative performance. Practical implications – The results of the present study inform management of the group processes (i.e. team vision and support for innovation) that can mobilize employees to engage in effective innovative activities. Importantly, the findings indicate that for such processes to be developed and nurtured, teamwork activities should be promoted within work groups, effective communication systems should be implemented throughout the organization, and participatory skills should be developed among supervisors. Originality/value – The study represents one of the first attempts to investigate the perceived group and psychological processes that can explain how managerial practices and leadership style jointly benefit employee innovative behavior.