Self-sacrificial leadership and employee creativity: The mediating role of psychological safety

Authors
Keywords:
employee creativity, self-sacrificial leadership, psychological safety, charismatic leadership, leadership style, leader–follower relationship
Abstract

Previous research has revealed the importance of leadership in promoting employee creativity. However, the mechanism by which self-sacrificial leadership facilitates employee creativity is not well understood. We proposed a model explaining why self-sacrificial leadership may enhance employee creativity, which we tested with data from 206 part-time Master of Business Administration students and their supervisors at two Chinese universities. Results of structural equation modeling analysis show that self-sacrificial leadership had a positive relationship with employee creativity, both directly and also indirectly through the mediator of psychological safety. These findings shed light on how self-sacrificial leadership helps to enhance employee creativity. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Author Biographies
  1. Xuzhuo Liang, Xi’an Jiaotong University
    School of Economics and Finance
  2. Jianchang Fan, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
    School of Management and Economics
References
Published
2020-08-20
Section
Articles
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