The Effects of Psychological Empowerment and Innovative Behavior on the Relationship between Change-oriented Leadership and Task Performance

Innovative behavior is increasingly important for an organization’s long-term survival and change-oriented leadership has been argued to be particularly effective in engendering follower innovative behavior. Due to the lack of empirical evidence for this relationship, this study focuses on linking change-oriented leadership to follower performance outcomes. Specifically, the study explored how innovative behavior mediates the relationship between change-oriented leadership and task performance, as well as how psychological empowerment moderates the relationship between change-oriented leadership and innovative behavior. Data were gathered through a three-wave self-reported questionnaire conducted in South Korea. The study found psychological empowerment to moderate the relationship between change-oriented leadership and innovative behavior while innovative behavior mediated the relationship between change-oriented leadership and task performance. Moreover, the study found mediated moderation suggesting that individuals that feel empowered are more likely to engage in innovative behaviors when they perceive change-oriented leadership.