The role of psychological capital in the interaction of transformative leadership and innovative behavior of employees

Abstract

The relevance of this study stems from the need to understand the psychological mechanisms through which leadership style influences employees’ innovative activity in the context of digital transformation and the knowledge economy. The objective of the research is to examine the intervening role of psychological capital in the relationship between transformational leadership and employees’ innovative behavior. The hypothesis posits that psychological capital constitutes a significant intermediate factor in this relationship. The theoretical framework draws on B. Bass’s concept of transformational leadership, F. Luthans’s theory of psychological capital, and the model of workplace innovative behavior. The sample comprised 62 employees of a commercial organization working under the supervision of line managers. The following instruments were administered: the “Employee Innovative Readiness Inventory” (V.V. Panteleeva, T.P. Knysheva), an adapted version of the “Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire” (B.M. Bass, B.J. Avolio), and an adapted version of the “Psychological Capital Questionnaire” (PCQ-24). Statistical processing, which included the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test and Pearson’s correlation coefficient, was performed using SPSS 26.0. Statistically significant positive correlations were found between the degree of transformational leadership, the level of psychological capital, and the indicators of innovative behavior. It was further established that psychological capital acts as a substantial intervening variable in the examined relationship. The obtained results expand the understanding of the indirect mechanisms by which leadership affects innovative activity and create opportunities for designing employee development programs aimed at strengthening workers’ psychological resources.