Leadership, stress and politics: influences on creativity and innovation in emerging markets

Abstract

PurposeThis research explores the moderating role of empowering leadership, job-related stress and workplace politics on the link between employee creativity and innovation output.Design/methodology/approachTo test the hypothesized relationships, the authors used a questionnaire survey to nest the data from subordinates (n = 388) and their supervisors (n = 151) working for the emerging markets of Pakistan and analyzed data by using the SmartPLS-SEM technique.FindingsEmployee creativity is positively associated with innovation output. The moderation by empowering leadership and employee job-related stress further strengthens the association between employee creativity and innovation output. However, the creativity of employees is not directed toward innovation if they are involved in politics.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings will help modern managers to understand the importance of enhancing employee creativity through empowering leadership. Such leadership delegates authority enables employee motivation, develops a conducive working environment by eliminating workplace politics and ensures the well-being of employees. It offers employees the confidence to unleash their creative efforts for innovation.Practical implicationsThe managers can benefit from the findings: a) to enhance the abilities of creative employees for innovation outputs by practicing the role of empowering leadership, b) the extent to which employees display job-related stress and enhances their innovation outputs and c) to be aware of the inverse effects of creative employees' involvement in workplace politics on innovation.Originality/valueAlthough the previous research was well established on the link between creativity and innovation, the authors knew a little about the factors that can strengthen/weaken this relationship. The authors believe that the findings are a small effort to solve the pieces of the puzzle in the literature.