Share:


Ethical leadership and organizational support for creativity at work

    Gustavo A. Esguerra   Affiliation
    ; Kety Jáuregui   Affiliation
    ; Juan C. Espinosa   Affiliation

Abstract

With permanents global changes, organizations are increasingly required to promote employee creative behavior to deal with competitiveness keeping ethical leadership practices and responsible models of management. The purpose of this research is to investigate the effect of ethical leadership on creativity and estimates the mediating effect of organizational support for creativity in this relationship. A cross-sectional approach with a sample of 258 professionals, employees of different companies and economic sectors in the city of Lima, Peru, was employed. Valid and reliable instruments were used to assess the perception of the variables studied, and direct and indirect effects were tested using structural equation models. The results indicate that ethical leadership positively influences creativity both directly and through organizational support for creativity. This draws attention to the opportunity that leaders have to optimize organizational processes, procedures, and protocols oriented toward responsibility and respect for others to encourage creative behavior in employees. Furthermore, theoretical, and practical implications are discussed.

Keyword : corporate responsibility, creativity, employees’ creativity, ethical leadership, organizational support for creativity, productivity

How to Cite
Esguerra, G. A., Jáuregui, K., & Espinosa, J. C. (2022). Ethical leadership and organizational support for creativity at work. Creativity Studies, 15(2), 526–541. https://doi.org/10.3846/cs.2022.14089
Published in Issue
Jun 21, 2022
Abstract Views
1431
PDF Downloads
955
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

References

Ahmed, I., Ismail, wan W. K., Amin, S. M., & Nawaz, M. M. (2013). A social exchange perspective of the individual Guanxi network: Evidence from Malaysian-Chinese employees. Chinese Management Studies, 7(1), 127–140. https://doi.org/10.1108/17506141311307640

Amabile, T. M., & Pratt, M. G. (2016). The dynamic componential model of creativity and innovation in organizations: Making progress, making meaning. Research in Organizational Behavior, 36, 157–183. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.riob.2016.10.001

Anderson, N., Potočnik, K., & Zhou, J. (2014). Innovation and creativity in organizations: A state-of-the-science review, prospective commentary, and guiding framework. Journal of Management, 40(5), 1297–1333. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206314527128

Appu, A. V., & Kumar Sia, S. (2015). Organizational social support: A predictor of employees workplace creativity. Annamalai International Journal of Business Studies and Research, (Special Issue), 1–5.

Avey, J. B., Palanski, M. E., & Walumbwa, F. O. (2011). When leadership goes unnoticed: The moderating role of follower self-esteem on the relationship between ethical leadership and follower behavior. Journal of Business Ethics, 98(4), 573–582. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-010-0610-2

Blau, P. M. (2017). Exchange and power in social life. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203792643

Bos-Nehles, A., Renkema, M., & Janssen, M. (2017). HRM and innovative work behaviour: A systematic literature review. Personnel Review, 46(7), 1228–1253. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-09-2016-0257

Bouckenooghe, D., Zafar, A., & Raja, U. (2015). How ethical leadership shapes employees’ job performance: The mediating roles of goal congruence and psychological capital. Journal of Business Ethics, 129, 251–264. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-014-2162-3

Brown, M. E., & Treviño, L. K. (2006). Ethical leadership: A review and future directions. The Leadership Quarterly, 17(6), 595–616. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2006.10.004

Brown, M. E., Treviño, L. K., & Harrison, D. A. (2005). Ethical leadership: A social learning perspective for construct development and testing. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 97(2), 117–134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2005.03.002

Carmeli, A., Gelbard, R., & Reiter-Palmon, R. (2013). Leadership, creative problem-solving capacity, and creative performance: The importance of knowledge sharing. Human Resource Management, 52(1), 95–121. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.21514

Cheng, C., & Yang, M. (2019). Creative process engagement and new product performance: The role of new product development speed and leadership encouragement of creativity. Journal of Business Research, 99, 215–225. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.02.067

Chughtai, A. A. (2016). Can ethical leaders enhance their followers’ creativity? Leadership, 12(2), 230–249. https://doi.org/10.1177/1742715014558077

Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. SAGE Publications.

Demirtas, O. (2015). Ethical leadership influence at organizations: Evidence from the field. Journal of Business Ethics, 126, 273–284. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1950-5

Duan, S., Liu, Zh., & Che, H. (2018). Mediating influences of ethical leadership on employee creativity. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 46(2), 323–338. https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.6160

Feng, J., Zhang, Y., Liu, X., Zhang, L., & Han, X. (2018). Just the right amount of ethics inspires creativity: A cross-level investigation of ethical leadership, intrinsic motivation, and employee creativity. Journal of Business Ethics, 153(3), 645–658. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-016-3297-1

Ferreira, J., Coelho, A., & Moutinho, L. (2020). Dynamic capabilities, creativity and innovation capability and their impact on competitive advantage and firm performance: The moderating role of entrepreneurial orientation. Technovation, 92–93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2018.11.004

Fulmer, C. A., & Ostroff, Ch. (2017). Trust in direct leaders and top leaders: A trickle-up model. Journal of Applied Psychology, 102(4), 648–657. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000189

Gils, van S., Quaquebeke, van N., Knippenberg, van D., Dijke, van M., & Cremer, de D. (2015). Ethical leadership and follower organizational deviance: The moderating role of follower moral attentiveness. The Leadership Quarterly, 26(2), 190–203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2014.08.005

Gong, Y., Huang, J.-Ch., & Farh, J.-L. (2009). Employee learning orientation, transformational leadership, and employee creativity: The mediating role of employee creative self-efficacy. Academy of Management Journal, 52(4), 765–778. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2009.43670890

Gu, Q., Li-Ping Tang, Th., & Jiang, W. (2015). Does moral leadership enhance employee creativity? Employee identification with Leader and Leader–Member Exchange (LMX) in the Chinese context. Journal of Business Ethics, 126, 513–529. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1967-9

Gupta, V., & Singh, Sh. (2015). Leadership and creative performance behaviors in R&D laboratories: Examining the mediating role of justice perceptions. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 22(1), 21–36. https://doi.org/10.1177/1548051813517002

Hair, Jr. J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2013). Multivariate data analysis. Pearson Education Limited.

Haque Talukder, A. K. M. M. (2019). Supervisor support and organizational commitment: The role of work–family conflict, job satisfaction, and work–life balance. Journal of Employment Counseling, 56(3), 98–116. https://doi.org/10.1002/joec.12125

Hirst, G., Knippenberg, van D., & Zhou, J. (2009). A cross-level perspective on employee creativity: Goal orientation, team learning behavior, and individual creativity. Academy of Management Journal, 52(2), 280–293. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2009.37308035

Houghton, J. D., & DiLiello, T. C. (2010). Leadership development: The key to unlocking individual creativity in organizations. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 31(3), 230–245. https://doi.org/10.1108/01437731011039343

Hoyt, C. L., Price, T. L., & Poatsy, L. (2013). The social role theory of unethical leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 24(5), 712–723. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2013.07.001

Ibrahim, H. I., Isa, A., & Shahbudin, Md. A. Sh. (2016). Organizational support and creativity: The role of developmental experiences as a moderator. Procedia: Economics and Finance, 35, 509–514. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2212-5671(16)00063-0

Javed, B., Khan, A. A., Bashir, S., & Arjoon, S. (2017). Impact of ethical leadership on creativity: The role of psychological empowerment. Current Issues in Tourism, 20(8), 839–851. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2016.1188894

Javed, B., Rawwas, M. Y. A., Khandai, S., Shahid, K., & Tayyeb, H. H. (2018). Ethical leadership, trust in leader and creativity: The mediated mechanism and an interacting effect. Journal of Management and Organization, 24(3), 388–405. https://doi.org/10.1017/jmo.2017.56

Kalshoven, K., Hartog, den D. N., & Hoogh, de A. H. B. (2013). Ethical leadership and followers’ helping and initiative: The role of demonstrated responsibility and job autonomy. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 22(2), 165–181. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2011.640773

Kim, W. G., & Brymer, R. A. (2011). The effects of ethical leadership on manager job satisfaction, commitment, behavioral outcomes, and firm performance. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 30(4), 1020–1026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2011.03.008

Knippenberg, van D. (2020). Meaning-based leadership. Organizational Psychology Review, 10(1), 6–28. https://doi.org/10.1177/2041386619897618

Ko, Ch., Ma, J., Bartnik, R., Haney, M. H., & Kang, M. (2018). Ethical leadership: An integrative review and future research agenda. Ethics and Behavior, 28(2), 104–132. https://doi.org/10.1080/10508422.2017.1318069

Lim, W. M. (2016). Creativity and sustainability in hospitality and tourism. Tourism Management Perspectives, 18, 161–167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2016.02.001

Loi, R., Lam, L. W., & Chan, K. W. (2012). Coping with job insecurity: The role of procedural justice, ethical leadership and power distance orientation. Journal of Business Ethics, 108(3), 361–372. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-011-1095-3

Lu, Ch.-Sh., & Lin, Ch.-Ch. (2014). The effects of ethical leadership and ethical climate on employee ethical behavior in the international port context. Journal of Business Ethics, 124, 209–223. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1868-y

Lucia, de C., Balena, P., Stufano Melone, M. R., & Borri, D. (2016). Policy, entrepreneurship, creativity and sustainability: The case of Principi Attivi (“Active Ingredients”) in Apulia Region (Southern Italy). Journal of Cleaner Production, 135, 1461–1473. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.06.068

Lukes, M., & Stephan, U. (2017). Measuring employee innovation: A review of existing scales and the development of the innovative behavior and innovation support inventories across cultures. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior and Research, 23(1), 136–158. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEBR-11-2015-0262

Ma, Y., Cheng, W., Ribbens, B. A., & Zhou, J. (2013). Linking ethical leadership to employee creativity: Knowledge sharing and self-efficacy as mediators. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 41(9), 1409–1420. https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.2013.41.9.1409

MacKinnon, D. P., & Dwyer, J. H. (1993). Estimating mediated effects in prevention studies. Evaluation Review, 17(2), 144–158. https://doi.org/10.1177/0193841X9301700202

Mayer, D. M., Aquino, K., Greenbaum, R. L., & Kuenzi, M. (2012). Who displays ethical leadership, and why does it matter? An examination of antecedents and consequences of ethical leadership. Academy of Management Journal, 55(1), 151–171. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2008.0276

Mayer, D. M., Nurmohamed, S., Klebe Treviño, L., Shapiro, D. L., & Schminke, M. (2013). Encouraging employees to report unethical conduct internally: It takes a village. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 121, 89–103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2013.01.002

McMahon, S. R., & Ford, C. M. (2013). Heuristic transfer in the relationship between leadership and employee creativity. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 20(1), 69–83. https://doi.org/10.1177/1548051812465894

Mehmood, S. (2016). Impact of ethical leadership on employee creativity: Mediating role of trust and moderating role of creative self efficacy. Jinnah Business Review, 4(2), 65–74. https://doi.org/10.53369/XJFB5529

Melnikas, B. (2019). Sustainable social development, economic growth and technological breakthroughs: Creativity and creative change. Creativity Studies, 12(2), 301–314. https://doi.org/10.3846/cs.2019.10335

Mirzaee, S., & Ghaffari, A. (2018). Investigating the impact of information systems on knowledge sharing. Journal of Knowledge Management, 22(3), 501–520. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-08-2017-0371

Mo, Sh., Ling, Ch.-D., & Xie, X.-Y. (2019). The curvilinear relationship between ethical leadership and team creativity: The moderating role of Team Fault Lines. Journal of Business Ethics, 154, 229–242. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-016-3430-1

Neves, P., & Eisenberger, R. (2014). Perceived organizational support and risk taking. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 29(2), 187–205. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMP-07-2011-0021

Newman, A., Kiazad, K., Miao, Q., & Cooper, B. (2014). Examining the cognitive and affective trust-based mechanisms underlying the relationship between ethical leadership and organisational citizenship: A case of the head leading the heart? Journal of Business Ethics, 123, 113–123. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1803-2

Ng, Th. W. H., & Feldman, D. C. (2015). Ethical leadership: Meta-analytic evidence of criterion-related and incremental validity. Journal of Applied Psychology, 100(3), 948–965. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0038246

Perry-Smith, J. E., & Mannucci, P. V. (2017). From creativity to innovation: The social network drivers of the four phases of the idea journey. Academy of Management Review, 42(1), 53–79. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2014.0462

Preacher, K. J., & Leonardelli, G. J. (2010–2021). Calculation for the Sobel Test: An interactive calculation tool for mediation tests. http://quantpsy.org/sobel/sobel.htm

Riggle, R. J., Edmondson, D. R., & Hansen, J. D. (2009). A meta-analysis of the relationship between perceived organizational support and job outcomes: 20 years of research. Journal of Business Research, 62(10), 1027–1030. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2008.05.003

Sacramento, C. A., Dawson, J. F., & West, M. A. (2008). Team creativity: More than the sum of its parts? In M. D. Mumford, S. T. Hunter, & K. E. Bedell-Avers (Eds.), Research in multi-level issues. Multi-level issues in creativity and innovation (Vol. 7, pp. 269–287). https://doi.org/10.1016/S1475-9144(07)00010-0

Saleem, M., Qadeer, F., Mahmood, F., Ariza-Montes, A., & Han, H. (2020). Ethical leadership and employee green behavior: A multilevel moderated mediation analysis. Sustainability, 12(8). https://doi.org/10.3390/su12083314

Sarooghi, H., Libaers, D., & Burkemper, A. (2015). Examining the relationship between creativity and innovation: A meta-analysis of organizational, cultural, and environmental factors. Journal of Business Venturing, 30(5), 714–731. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2014.12.003

Scott, S. G., & Bruce, R. A. (1994). Determinants of innovative behavior: A path model of individual innovation in the workplace. Academy of Management Journal, 37(3), 580–607. https://doi.org/10.5465/256701

Shafique, I., Ahmad, B., & Nawaz Kalyar, M. (2020). How ethical leadership influences creativity and organizational innovation: Examining the underlying mechanisms. European Journal of Innovation Management, 23(1), 114–133. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJIM-12-2018-0269

Shalley, Ch. E., & Lemoine, G. J. (2019). Leader behaviors and employee creativity: Taking stock of the current state of research. In Ch. Mainemelis, O. Epitropaki, & R. Kark (Eds.). Routledge studies in leadership research. Creative leadership: Contexts and prospects (pp. 79–94). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203712214-5

Sharif, M. M., & Scandura, T. A. (2014). Do perceptions of ethical conduct matter during organizational change? Ethical leadership and employee involvement. Journal of Business Ethics, 124, 185–196. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1869-x

Shin-Yih Chen, A., & Hou, Y.-H. (2016). The effects of ethical leadership, voice behavior and climates for innovation on creativity: A moderated mediation examination. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2015.10.007

Siegel, S. M., & Kaemmerer, W. F. (1978). Measuring the perceived support for innovation in organizations. Journal of Applied Psychology, 63(5), 553–562. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.63.5.553

Smith, E. F., Gilmer, D. O., & Stockdale, M. S. (2019). The importance of culture and support for workplace flexibility: An ecological framework for understanding flexibility support structures. Business Horizons, 62(5), 557–566. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2019.04.002

Sobel, M. E. (1982). Asymptotic confidence intervals for indirect effects in structural equations models. Sociological Methodology, 13, 290–312. https://doi.org/10.2307/270723

Suifan, T. S., Abdallah, A. B., & Al Janini, M. (2018). The impact of transformational leadership on employees’ creativity: The mediating role of perceived organizational support. Management Research Review, 41(1), 113–132. https://doi.org/10.1108/MRR-02-2017-0032

Sumanth, J. J., & Hannah, S. T. (2014). Developing leadership capacity: An integration and exploration of ethical and authentic leadership antecedents. In L. L. Neider & Ch. A. Schriesheim (Eds.), Research in management. Advances in Authentic and Ethical Leadership (Vol. 10, pp. 25–74). L. L. Neider & Ch. A. Schriesheim (Series Eds.). Information Age Publishing, Inc.

Tu, Y., Lu, X., Choi, J. N., & Guo, W. (2019). Ethical leadership and team level creativity: Mediation of psychological safety climate and moderation of supervisor support for creativity. Journal of Business Ethics, 159, 551–565. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-018-3839-9

Wang, Y.-D., & Sung, W.-Ch. (2016). Predictors of organizational citizenship behavior: Ethical leadership and workplace jealousy. Journal of Business Ethics, 135, 117–128. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-014-2480-5

Wu, L.-Z., Kwan, H. K., Hong-kit Yim, F., Chiu, R. K., & He, X. (2015). CEO ethical leadership and corporate social responsibility: A moderated mediation model. Journal of Business Ethics, 130, 819–831. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-014-2108-9

Yidong, T., & Xinxin, L. (2013). How ethical leadership influence employees’ innovative work behavior: A perspective of intrinsic motivation. Journal of Business Ethics, 116, 441–455. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-012-1455-7

Yuandon, G., Zhou, W. L., & Peng, J. S. (2014). How do perceived organizational support for creativity affect employee creative behavior? The moderating effect of achievement motivation and job involvement. Chinese Journal of Management, 11(4), 548–554.

Yukl, G., & Fleet, van D. D. (1992). Theory and research on leadership in organizations. In M. D. Dunnette & L. M. Hough (Eds.), Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology (Vol. 3, pp. 147–198). Consulting Psychologists Press.

Yukl, G., Mahsud, R., Hassan, Sh., & Prussia, G. E. (2013). An improved measure of ethical leadership. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 20(1), 38–48. https://doi.org/10.1177/1548051811429352

Zhou, J., & George, J. M. (2001). When job dissatisfaction leads to creativity: Encouraging the expression of voice. Academy of Management Journal, 44(4), 682–696. https://doi.org/10.5465/3069410

Zhou, J., & Hoever, I. J. (2014). Research on workplace creativity: A review and redirection. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 1, 333–359. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-031413-091226