Transformational leadership and team innovation: Integrating team climate principles
Article Type: Abstracts From: Strategic Direction, Volume 25, Issue 6
Eisenbeiss S.A., Van Knippenberg D., Boerner S.Journal of Applied Psychology, November 2008, Vol. 93 No. 6, Start page: 1438, No. of pages: 9
Purpose – provides an integrated model for exploring the relationship between transformational leadership and team innovation. Design/methodology/approach – examines the role that transformational leadership plays in encouraging team innovation/creativity; drawing on the team dynamics literature, identifies how support for innovation and climate for excellence (team members share a concern for high quality performance) can encourage team innovation. Presents a model of the relationship between transformational leadership and team innovation that incorporates support for innovation as a mediator and climate for excellence as a moderator. Presents a relevant literature review; outlines a number of hypotheses; tests these on 33 R&D teams. Findings – reports how transformational leadership was positively related to support for innovation but that it fostered team innovation only when there were high levels of climate for excellence. Discovers an indirect effect of transformational leadership on team innovation; describes how this was mediated by support for innovation and moderated by climate for excellence. Research limitations/implications – cross-sectional design; small sample;failed to assess objective measures of team innovation. Practical implications– organizations can influence supportive behaviour for innovation by promotion transformational leadership style among team leaders. Originality/value – finds evidence that support for innovation is only effective in promoting team innovation when climate for excellence is high.ISSN: 0021-9010Reference: 38AC427DOI: 10.1037/a0012716
Keywords: Innovation, Team management, Team performance,Trans formational leadership
