Enhancing innovative work behavior of employees across generations through digital leadership, intergenerational work values ​​and knowledge-sharing

The digital era is an era where technology will be used frequently. Where companies will need a leader who must be able to master digital and adhere to the standards of the company, especially in the East Java area. Therefore, companies in East Java need a digital leader to help their employees improve employee performance and creativity. The aim of this research is to determine the influence of digital leadership on employee performance which is mediated by the innovative work behavior of millennial employees in East Java. The technique used was judgment sampling technique and this research consisted of 139 employees. Data was processed using a questionnaire and then using inferential statistical analysis techniques, especially Partial Least Squares (PLS) with Smart-PLS 4 software. This research shows that digital leadership has a big influence on employee performance. Employee innovative work behavior also greatly influences Digital Leadership. Innovative Work Behavior has a significant positive effect on Employee Performance. Innovative Work Behavior has a significant and positive mediating effect on Digital Leadership and Employee Performance.

The dynamic development of digitalization today increases the important role of digital leadership as a key factor to optimize employee performance. Research specifically through the development of creativity and innovative behavior in the workplace. This study aims to examine the indirect effect of digital leadership on performance through creativity and innovative work behavior of employees. The research was conducted at PT Semen Indonesia (Persero) Tbk. The research approach used is quantitative with survey research design where data is collected through questionnaires. The sampling technique used purposive sampling. This study involved 74 respondents who were analyzed using Smart PLS 4.0. The research findings explain that digital leadership does not directly affect the performance of PT Semen Indonesia (Persero) Tbk employees, but has an indirect influence through innovative work behavior. Meanwhile, creativity is not proven to mediate the effect of digital leadership on employee performance. Digital leadership is able to increase employee creativity, but employee creativity is not able to improve the performance of PT Semen Indonesia (Persero) Tbk employees. The research findings underscore the important role of digital leadership to drive employee performance. The results also imply that management can apply digital leadership as a strategy to increase creativity and innovative behavior in the workplace where innovative work behavior drives employee performance.

Purpose Drawing on the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) theory, the primary goal of this study is to conceptualise and empirically validate a theoretical framework that explains the process by which digital job resources influence the innovative work behaviour of technological professionals. Specifically, this study aims to examine the impact of digital job resources, especially digital training, and digital communication, on employee digital engagement. Furthermore, it investigates the influence of digital engagement on digital leadership and the effect of digital leadership on innovative work behaviour. Lastly, the study examines whether digital engagement and digital leadership serially mediate the relationship between digital job resources and innovative work behaviour. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from full-time technological professionals using multiple sampling techniques. A total of 307 samples were utilised for the final data analysis. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM), employing SmartPLS 4.0, was used to test the study hypotheses. Findings The findings of this study emphasize that digital engagement and digital leadership are pivotal in mediating the impact of digital communication on technological professionals' innovative work behaviour. Specifically, our results show that digital communication significantly shapes the digital engagement of these professionals. Digital engagement, in turn, positively influences digital leadership, which then fosters technological professionals’ innovative work behaviour. Notably, both digital engagement and digital leadership serve as mechanisms that link digital communication and innovative work behaviour. Contrary to our initial expectations, the study finds that digital training neither directly affects digital engagement nor has an indirect effect on innovative work behaviour. Originality/value The present study is distinct in offering a theoretical framework outlining the steps through which digital resources influence technological professionals' digital engagement, digital leadership capabilities, and their innovative work behaviour. Prior studies have predominantly focused on antecedents of innovative work behaviour, with an emphasis on individual characteristics and organisational environmental factors. There is limited research exploring how, or even if, digital job resources – such as digital training and digital communication – affect employees’ innovative work behaviour. Additionally, the examination of the interrelationship between digital engagement and digital leadership is notably lacking in existing literature. Much of the research has instead probed the converse relationship: how leadership styles impact employees' engagement. Lastly, this research is among the pioneering efforts to consider the serial mediating role of digital engagement and digital leadership between digital job resources and innovative work behaviour, a topic that remains underrepresented in academic discourse. This study addresses these gaps.

The aim of this study is to investigate the role of inclusive leadership as a predictor of job autonomy and innovative work behaviour (IWB). The study also examines the mediating role of job autonomy between the inclusive leadership and IWB. The sample consisted of employees from 15 private healthcare institutions operating in Bangladesh. Two questionnaire surveys were carried out using a three-month time lag strategy. A total of 226 samples were used for the analysis of the final data. The Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling, using SmartPLS 3.0, was performed to test the hypothesized relationships. The results suggest a causal relationship between inclusive leadership, job autonomy and IWB. In brief, inclusive leadership turned out to be a predictor of job autonomy and IWB, and job autonomy had a positive impact on employees’ IWB. In addition, job autonomy proved to be a mediator between inclusive leadership and employees’ IWB. To date, limited efforts have been undertaken to investigate the links between inclusive leadership, job autonomy and IWB. Specifically, the mediating role of job autonomy between inclusive leadership and the IWB remained unexplored. The present research fills this gap. Additionally, the findings provide pragmatic insights for healthcare practitioners to consider inclusive leadership in order to increase employee job autonomy and IWB in healthcare organizations.

Purpose: This paper seeks to address the moderating effect of leader-member exchange on the link between employee empowerment and innovative work behavior. Design/Methodology: The study draws on the causal-comparative research design, and employs paper-based self-administered questionnaires to gather data from a sample of 470 employees drawn from manufacturing firms in Kenya. This sample is part of a population of 9915 employees and has been narrowed down using Yamane’s formula. The study employs stratified and simple random sampling techniques to constitute the required sample of employees. Findings: The results indicate that employee empowerment and Leader-Member Exchange positively and significantly affect innovative work behavior. The results further reveal that Leader-member exchange significantly moderates the link between employee empowerment and innovative work behavior. Practical Implication: The findings of this study provide an avenue through which managers of manufacturing firms can identify constructs that best explain innovative work behavior, especially during challenging times such as this time of Covid 19 pandemic. The results of this study provides managers with opportunities to come up with techniques, policies and strategies to improve relationship between employees and their supervisors for purposes of improved productivity, employee loyalty and reduced conflicts. Originality/Value: The study makes a novel attempt to show the moderating influence of leader–member exchange in the context of employee empowerment and innovative work behavior in manufacturing firms in Kenya. Moreover, the study underscores the importance of leader-member exchange in employees’ innovative behavior, which is vital knowledge in tough times like the current uncertainty caused by the covid-19 pandemic.

In the Artificial Intelligence era, organizations face unprecedented challenges and opportunities. The use of technology has not only changed the way work is done, but also had a significant impact on employee behavior patterns and performance. The innovative work behavior of employees greatly influences the sustainable development of enterprises. How AI affects explicitly employees’ innovative work behaviors and the mechanism of its impact on work performance is unclear. An in-depth analysis of this process is essential for optimizing the application of AI, promoting employees’ innovative behaviors, and improving job performance. The study of AI’s influence on employees’ innovative behavior and its effect on job performance was conducted using multiple regression and path analysis methods. It was discovered that the use of AI significantly impacts employees’ innovative behavior and work performance. In the paper, after controlling for factors such as gender, education, and enterprise size, the positive influence coefficient of AI on employees’ innovative behavior is 0.305 (p<0.01), and the positive influence coefficient on job performance is 0.520 (p<0.001). The relationship between artificial intelligence and employee innovative behavior is mediated by interpersonal trust. Artificial intelligence directly affects employees’ innovative work behavior, enhances their intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and indirectly promotes work performance improvement. To encourage employee innovative behavior and improve work performance, enterprises should actively adopt AI technology while maintaining interpersonal trust.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide an insight into differences in work values and Person–Organisation (P–O) fit of Baby Boomers, Gen X and Gen Y in India and to understand the relationship between (P–O) fit values and turnover intention of Generation Y employees.Design/methodology/approachThe work values were measured using an adapted version of Lyons Work Values scale. The generational differences in work values and P–O fit were studied using multivariate analysis of variance and relationship between P–O fit values and turnover intention of Gen Y employees was studied using polynomial regression and response surface methodology.FindingsSignificant differences in work values were observed between Generation Y and older generations. Generation Y also reported significantly higher discrepancy in P–O fit values than Generation X and Baby Boomers. This had an effect on their turnover intention.Research limitations/implicationsA cross-sectional design was used to study the generational differences in work values where the generation effects may have been confounded with age effects.Practical implicationsThe differences in work values and P–O fit values of Generation Y and older generations provide input into designing organisation systems and structures more suitable for younger generations to manage the high turnover among Generation Y in India.Originality/valueThis is one of the first studies on generational differences in work values and P–O fit in the Indian context. It is also one of the first to investigate relationship between P–O fit and turnover intention of Generation Y in India.

Purpose: This study explores how psychological empowerment influences competitive advantage through creativity and innovative work behavior while also analyzing the moderating role of digital leadership. The study emphasizes the importance of building sustainable competitive strategies in Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) through innovation-driven human capital. Research Design and Methodology: A quantitative approach was employed, using a structured questionnaire distributed to 254 MSMEs in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Data analysis was conducted through Structural Equation Modeling using the Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) method to test direct and indirect effects among the studied variables. Findings and Discussion: The results reveal that psychological empowerment significantly affects creativity and innovative work behavior, not a competitive advantage. Creativity influences innovative work behavior but does not directly lead to competitive advantage. Innovative work behavior significantly contributes to competitive advantage. Moreover, creativity mediates the relationship between psychological empowerment and innovative behavior, but not with a competitive advantage. Innovative work behavior mediates both psychological empowerment and creativity in achieving competitive advantage. Digital leadership strengthens the transformation of creativity into innovative behavior. It reinforces the impact of innovative behavior on competitive advantage but does not enhance the direct effects of psychological empowerment and creativity on competitiveness. Implications: This study offers theoretical and managerial insights by highlighting the strategic role of innovation and digital leadership in building sustainable competitive advantage. MSME leaders are encouraged to enhance employee empowerment, nurture creativity, and embrace digital leadership to drive innovation.

One important question in today’s corporate world: Which leadership style is more effective in running a successful enterprise? Previously, the research on the effectivity of transformational and transactional leadership styles was limited due to the mere comparison of one’s effectivity over the other. However, the single leadership approach may not yield more incredible benefits. The present study intends to explore the combination of leadership styles that are more effective in handling ill-defined problems. The study intends to explain the unique combination of future-focused charismatic, past-focused ideological, and present-focused pragmatic leadership in creating a conducive environment for knowledge creation and subsequent employees’ innovative work behavior (IWB). The software developers in IT companies registered under Pakistan Software Export Board make up the study population. The research comprised quantitative data collected from four cities in Pakistan: Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, and Rawalpindi, using a purposive sampling approach. PLS-SEM has been used for the analysis of 362 responses. The results found a positive relationship between charismatic and pragmatic leadership and employee IWB; however, the effect was insignificant for ideological leadership. The study found a positive association between Charismatic, Ideological, and Pragmatic (CIP) leadership and employees’ Knowledge Creation. An indirect relationship was observed for mediation analysis and found significant positive mediation of employees’ knowledge creation between CIP leadership and employees’ IWB. The findings depicted that there is no fit-for-all approach to leadership, and a context-specific CIP leadership approach may serve the best. The IT sector may yield more advantages from the study as the success of the software projects is based on IT professionals’ knowledge and innovative behavior. The present study has novelty as it is the first to explain the role of CIP leadership in employee IWB in the IT industry. Moreover, also novel in explaining the mediation of Knowledge creation between CIP leadership and employees’ IWB.

We examined the generational differences in Chinese employees' work values using the Chinese Work Values Scale with 1,015 Chinese employees across three generations (i.e., Cultural Revolution generation, n = 148; Transitional generation, n = 355; Millennial generation, n = 512). We found that, even with gender, education, and position taken into account, the Millennial generation placed more importance on intrinsic and extrinsic rewards than did the Transitional generation or the Cultural Revolution generation, and that the Cultural Revolution generation placed more importance on altruism than did the younger generations. Results also showed that generation exerted more influence on work values than did age. This implies that, taking these results into account, current human resource management practices in organizations and institutions in China should be adjusted accordingly.

This paper presents a critical review of the theoretical basis and empirical evidence for the popular practitioner idea that there are generational differences in work values. The concept of generations has a strong basis in sociological theory, but the academic empirical evidence for generational differences in work values is, at best, mixed. Many studies are unable to find the predicted differences in work values, and those that do often fail to distinguish between ‘generation’ and ‘age’ as possible drivers of such observed differences. In addition, the empirical literature is fraught with methodological limitations through the use of cross-sectional research designs in most studies, confusion about the definition of a generation as opposed to a cohort, and a lack of consideration for differences in national context, gender and ethnicity. Given the multitude of problems inherent in the evidence on generational differences in work values, it is not clear what value the notion of generations has for practitioners, and this may suggest that the concept be ignored. Ultimately, it may not matter to practitioners whether differences in the values of different birth cohorts reflect true generational effects, provided one can reliably demonstrate that these differences do exist. However, at present this is not the case, and therefore significant research is required first to disentangle cohort and generational effects from those caused by age or period. The suggestion that different groups of employees have different values and preferences, based on both age and other factors such as gender, remains a useful idea for managers; but a convincing case for consideration of generation as an additional distinguishing factor has yet to be made.

Extending Social Exchange Theory to Investigate Employee Innovative Work Behaviors in Vietnamese Manufacturing Firms

Purpose Digital leadership is essential in navigating the complexities of modern organizations, driving technological adoption and fostering innovation. This study aims to examine how digital leadership influences employees’ attitudes toward artificial intelligence, enhances career resilience and ultimately drives innovative work behavior. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from respondents employed in multinational corporations within Pakistan’s pharmaceutical industry. The relationships among the variables were analyzed using AMOS, and a dyadic approach was adopted for data collection, where employees rated their managers on digital leadership, and managers evaluated employees on innovative work behavior through questionnaires. A total of 230 managers, middle managers and employees participated in the study. Findings The results reveal that digital leadership significantly shapes employees’ attitudes toward artificial intelligence and enhances their career resilience, thereby fostering innovative work behavior. The study offers valuable insights into the mechanisms through which digital leadership translates into positive employee behaviors. Originality/value This study uniquely explores the pathways of AI intentions and career resilience as mediators between digital leadership and innovative work behavior. It contributes to the limited research on how digital leadership directly impacts employee attitudes toward emerging technologies and career adaptability. The findings offer fresh perspectives on the role of leadership in driving innovation within dynamic organizational environments.

Leaders greatly influence their teams’ ability to engage in innovative work behavior by creating supportive work environments. Government service innovation performance is a direct result of these behavioral changes. The goal is to achieve the highest levels of responsiveness, efficiency, and accountability in government infrastructure through cutting-edge technical solutions. This study investigates the effect of digital leadership, dynamic capabilities, and development capabilities on the leaders’ innovative work behavior and government service innovation performance in China. A questionnaire was administered to 388 leaders from different government services in China, consisting of 74 items distributed among 15 factors. Data analyses were conducted using SPSS 29, JASP, and SmartPLS 4. The findings indicate that digital leadership and dynamic capabilities do not directly enhance innovative work behavior, nor do they indirectly improve government service innovation performance through leaders’ innovative work behavior. However, digital leadership development capabilities do have a positive impact on both. Additionally, the study found that leaders’ innovative work behavior has a significant positive effect on government innovation performance. The study concludes that effective strategies should be adopted by government and leaders to promote digital leadership and its dynamic capabilities in order to improve the success of leaders’ innovative work behavior and government service innovation performance.

Conducive school culture and digital leadership are essential in fostering teachers' innovative behavior in schools. The relation between these needs to be carefully observed in educational institutions. The aim of this research is to determine the influence of teachers' perspectives on school culture and digital leadership on teachers' innovative work behavior at XYZ Manado school. This research uses a quantitative correlation method to measure the influence of the studied variables. Data collection was carried out by distributing questionnaires to 63 teachers. This research uses the PLS-SEM model for hypothesis testing. Data validation is conducted through measurement validation, reliability testing, and structural model validation. The research results show that school culture has a positive and significant effect on teachers' innovative work behavior. Digital leadership does not have a positive and significant effect on teachers' innovative work behavior. Future research can examine the influence of school culture perception in various contexts, such as urban and rural areas.