Authentic leadership, knowledge sharing, and employees’ creativity

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to analyze the influence of authentic leadership on knowledge sharing and employee’s creativity through the mediating role of team environment of psychological safety and trust.

Design/methodology/approach

The participants in this study were 60 team leaders and 300 team members’ working in different Overseas Employment Promoters Agencies (OEPA) at Islamabad region, Pakistan. In addition to the authentic leadership of their supervisors, employees reported their perception of being psychologically safe and in the environment of team trust at work, whereas supervisors rated employee’s creativity at work areas. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was carried out using structural equation modelling (SEM) for validation of results among the variables.

Findings

The major findings of the study were (a) authentic leadership positively predicted knowledge sharing and employees’ creativity through the mediator’s role of team environment (psychological safety and team environment of trust), and (b) team environment of psychological safety and team environment of trust affected both the knowledge sharing and employee’s creativity.

Practical implications

Authentic leadership has to be synergized with environment of psychological safety and team environment of trust, to enhance employees’ creativity. The results of the study delineated practical applications for both the researchers and policymakers. The results of this study would also augment the body of knowledge on human resource practices in both developed and developing countries.

Originality/value

This is one of the first studies to empirically examine the influence of authentic leadership on knowledge sharing and employee’s creativity through the mediator role of team environment of psychological safety and trust in OEPA in Pakistan.

Citation

Zeb, A., Abdullah, N.H., Hussain, A. and Safi, A. (2020), "Authentic leadership, knowledge sharing, and employees’ creativity", Management Research Review, Vol. 43 No. 6, pp. 669-690. https://doi.org/10.1108/MRR-04-2019-0164