Entrepreneurial Leadership and Innovative Work Behavior: The Role of Employee Entrepreneurial Passion

Abstract

Innovation is a gateway to survival, growth, and success for modern organizations.  Employees’ fundamental contribution to organizational innovation is well documented.  Stimulating the creativity and innovativeness of employees is thus an essential objective of many leaders.  However, not all leaders would be effective in this endeavor, and not under all circumstances.  We investigate the relationship between perceived entrepreneurial leadership and innovative work behavior of IT employees.

We draw on social cognitive theory to explain this relationship. Our model theorizes that perceived entrepreneurial leadership would enhance employees' innovative behavior directly and indirectly through their entrepreneurial passion.  We empirically test our theory using structural equation modeling based on data collected from 446 employees using an online survey.  The results validate our model.  Our findings offer new, important theoretical insights and useful managerial implications .