Dual-Focused Transformational Leadership and Multi-level Creativity: The Mediating Role of Knowledge Sharing and Perspective Taking

Abstract

Abstract: The relationship between transformational leadership and creativity is a research topic in the context of today's organizational change. A hotspot for organizational scholars and management practitioners is to explain the mechanism systematically. Based on the recognition of the team level view of creativity, this study takes the free flowing of knowledge at the team level and the absorption and transformation of knowledge at the individual level as clues, using the theory of social interdependence and the theory of motivational information processing to explore the mechanism of dual-focused transformational leadership on multi-level creativity. The results show that: dual-focused transformational leadership has a positive impact on multi-level creativity. Team oriented transformational leadership has a positive indirect effect on team creativity via team knowledge sharing. Individual oriented transformational leadership has a positive indirect effect on employee creativity via employee perspective taking. Meanwhile, it's also found that team knowledge sharing plays an intermediary role in the relationship between team oriented transformational leadership and employee perspective taking. Finally, the research results are discussed and summarized from the perspective of theory and practice.

Key words: transformational leadership, team knowledge sharing, employee perspective taking, team creativity, employee creativity

Shi Guanfeng, Niu Yulin, Liu Zhaohui. Dual-Focused Transformational Leadership and Multi-level Creativity: The Mediating Role of Knowledge Sharing and Perspective Taking[J]. Management Review, 2020, 32(10): 217-228.

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