Transformational leadership, innovative behavior and task performance: test of mediation and moderation processes

Abstract

We use the self-concept based theory of leadership and social exchange theory to hypothesize processes linking transformational leadership to follower performance outcomes. Specifically, we hypothesize that (a) transformational leadership relates to followers' work engagement both directly and indirectly through their psychological states, (b) work engagement relates to innovative behavior, (c) innovative behavior relates to task performance, and (d) the work engagement-innovative behavior relationship is moderated by leader-member exchange. Results from a test of these relationships in a sample of employees of a large telecommunication company in China largely support our hypothesized model.