The effects of Korean leadership style on members’ creativity: Perceived supervisor support as a mediator

Abstract

With a sample of 200 paired employees working at multinational quick service restaurants in Korea, the current study investigated the relationship between the supervisors’ Korean leadership style and subordinates’ creativity. In order to avoid common method variance, two sources of data were collected from the restaurant operation supervisors and their subordinates separately. Hypotheses of the study contended that Korean leadership style, in particular the relational dimensions, i.e. relationship with the superiors (upward adaptability), peers (lateral harmony) and subordinates (downward benevolence), would enhance subordinates’ creativity. It is postulated that subordinates would role model after their supervisors’ relational behaviors and work collectively and harmoniously with their working group, underpinned by the Korean unique “cheong”, “woori” emotional phenomena and the “can do” competitive spirit. In the process, the subordinates would de-individualize and adjust their behavior to meet their supervisors’ and group business goals. Consequently, the subordinates would make it their priority to think of better and improved creative ways to execute. The results of regression analyses revealed that the relational dimensions of the Korean leadership style were positively related to subordinates’ creativity, and the subordinates' perceived supervisor support was shown to fully mediate. Implications of the study results were discussed along with study limitations and future directions of research.