The Impact of Coaching Leadership on Employees’ Innovative Behaviors: Mediating Roles of Self-Efficacy and Cognitive Flexibility

Abstract

Purpose - Innovative behavior has become increasingly critical for organizational survival. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of coaching leadership on employees’ innovative behaviors in organizations. This study further examined the mediating roles of employees’ self-efficacy and cognitive flexibility in the relationship between coaching leadership and employees’ innovative behaviors. Design/Methodology/Approach - For this study, 234 employees in various industries participated in the survey, and 214 responses were utilized in the final analyses. To test the hypotheses, this study performed structural equation modeling (SEM). In addition, this study conducted bootstrapping analysis to further test the mediating effects of cognitive flexibility and self-efficacy. Findings - This study demonstrated the positive impacts of coaching leadership on employees’ self-efficacy and cognitive flexibility. It also showed that self-efficacy and cognitive flexibility affected innovative behavior. The direct impact of coaching leadership on employees’ innovative behaviors was not significant, but the indirect impact of coaching leadership through employees’ self-efficacy and cognitive flexibility was confirmed. Research Implications - This study provides a detailed framework of the interactions among the factors of innovative behavior. This research also offers insights for organizations on how to enhance their employees’ innovative behaviors. Developing managers’ coaching skills can help encourage innovation among employees. Organizations will also need to assess and increase employees’ self-efficacy and cognitive flexibility levels as effective strategies for innovation.