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How Ethical Leadership Influence Employees’ Innovative Work Behavior: A Perspective of Intrinsic Motivation

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An Erratum to this article was published on 28 September 2012

Abstract

Drawing on the cognitive evaluation theory, we proposed a homologous multilevel model to explore how ethical leadership influenced employees’ innovative work behavior through the mediation of intrinsic motivation at both group and individual level. With questionnaires rated by 302 employees from 34 work units of two companies in the mainland of China, we conducted multilevel analysis to examine our hypotheses. The results showed that individual innovative work behavior was positively related to both individual perception of ethical leadership and group ethical leadership, while individual intrinsic motivation mediated the two relationships. Moreover, group intrinsic motivation mediated the relationship between group ethical leadership and innovative work behavior. The theoretical and practical implications were further discussed.

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Notes

  1. The result revealed that Pearson correlation test of group ethical leadership and group intrinsic motivation was not significant (r = 0.275, p = 0.115). However, when we retest their relationship with the Spearman correlation test the result showed that group ethical leadership was positively correlated with group intrinsic motivation ((r = 0.361, p = 0.036).

  2. Considering the sample at group level was relatively small, we adopted bootstrap method to regress group ethical leadership on group intrinsic motivation to calculate coefficient and significance.

Abbreviations

CET:

Cognitive evaluation theory

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC71172203). We also thank Professor Li Yanping, Du Jing, Liu Yan, and the anonymous reviewers for their useful suggestions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Economics and Management School, Wuhan University, Wuhan City, Hubei Province, People’s Republic of China

    Tu Yidong

  2. School of Labor and Human Resources, Renmin University of China, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

    Lu Xinxin

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  1. Tu Yidong
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Correspondence to Lu Xinxin.

Appendix

Appendix

As the data in this research were all responded by the employees, we should also pay attention to the potential common method variance (CMV) that may interfere with the relationship between the variables. Then, we conducted three tests to examine the potential CMV, namely “Harman’s single-factor test,” “controlling for the effects of an unmeasured latent methods factor,” and “marker variable.”

In “Harman’s single-factor test” that employed confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to examine the potential CMV (Malhotra et al. 2006; Podsakoff et al. 2003), we combined the variables step by step, and compared the fitness among models to judge whether CMV existed at the individual level. The results showed that the three-factor model (perception of ethical leadership, individual intrinsic motivation, and individual innovative work behavior as three unique variables) had the best fitness (χ 2 86.48, df 41, CFI 0.969, GFI 0.949, RMR 0.05, RMSEA 0.061, AIC 136.48). It indicated CMV was not a serious problem and the three theoretical constructs were also statistically distinct.

For the “Controlling for the effects of an unmeasured latent methods factor,” we also used CFA to examine CMV. Based on the three-factor model, we added an extra latent variable named “CMV” (four-factor model) which loaded all items of the three theoretical constructs at individual level, at the same time, all items were still loaded in the three theoretical constructs, respectively. The results showed that the four-factor model was also a good fit (χ 2 86.484, df 41, χ 2/df 2.323, CFI 0.969, GFI 0.957, RMR 0.06, RMSEA 0.066, AIC 142.017); however, comparing three-factor model and four-factor model, the three-factor model had better fitness, which suggested that CMV was not serious.

The “marker variable” approach was also utilized to examine the CMV (Podsakoff et al. 2003; Lindell and Whitney 2001). Following Lindell and Whitney’s (2001) recommendations, we identified the traditionality of Chinese as the “marker variable,” and then, the values of r s in the partial-correlation adjustment and their significance were calculated, the zero-order correlations of ethical leadership (independent variable) and innovative work behavior was 0.283 (p < 0.001), the zero-order correlations of intrinsic motivation (mediator) and innovative work behavior was 0.523 (p < 0.001). The results indicated that the theoretical relations were still positive and significant as the hypotheses assumed in spite of the consideration of the adjustment for potential CMV.

In sum, we argued that the results of “Harman’s single-factor test,” “Controlling for the effects of an unmeasured latent methods factor,” and “maker variable” showed that the CMV was not as serious as it was concerned despite of its possible inference in this research.

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Yidong, T., Xinxin, L. How Ethical Leadership Influence Employees’ Innovative Work Behavior: A Perspective of Intrinsic Motivation. J Bus Ethics 116, 441–455 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-012-1455-7

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