The Influence of Leader Encouragement of Creativity on Innovation Speed: Findings from SEM and fsQCA

Cong Cheng, Liebing Cao, Huihui Zhong, Yining He and Jiahong Qian
Additional contact information
Cong Cheng: China Institute for SMEs, Zhejiang University of Technology, Liuhe Road 288, Xihu District, Hangzhou 310023, China
Liebing Cao: School of Business, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
Huihui Zhong: School of Management, Zhejiang University of Technology, Liuhe Road 288, Xihu District, Hangzhou 310023, China
Yining He: School of Management, Zhejiang University of Technology, Liuhe Road 288, Xihu District, Hangzhou 310023, China
Jiahong Qian: School of Management, Zhejiang University of Technology, Liuhe Road 288, Xihu District, Hangzhou 310023, China

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 9, 1-17

Abstract: Adopting the empowerment perspective of leadership, this study proposes and examines the mediating model that leader encouragement of creativity affects innovation speed through strengthening employees’ engagement in the creative process. Using a sample of 245 participants in China, the results from structural equation modeling (SEM) suggest that the impact of leader encouragement of creativity on innovation speed is significantly mediated by creative process engagement, and positively moderated by organizational ambidexterity at the same time. Additionally, the results from fuzzy-set comparative qualitative analysis (fsQCA) with the same data set reveal that the aforementioned factors have a holistic effect on enhancing innovation speed. The results of fsQCA reinforce and refine the findings of the SEM analysis concerning the limits and conditions for how leader encouragement of creativity affects innovation speed.

Keywords: leader encouragement of creativity; innovation speed; creative process engagement; organizational ambidexterity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/9/2693/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/9/2693/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:9:p:2693-:d:230394

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().