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The Link between Ambidextrous Leadership and Innovative Work Behavior in a Military Organization: The Moderating Role of Climate for Innovation

Author

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  • Gökhan Akıncı

    (Graduate School, Istanbul Technical University, Maslak, Istanbul 34469, Turkey)

  • Lutfihak Alpkan

    (Department of Management Engineering, Istanbul Technical University, Beşiktaş, Istanbul 34367, Turkey)

  • Bora Yıldız

    (Department of Business Administration, Istanbul University, Fatih, Istanbul 34452, Turkey
    Department of Organizational Psychology, School of Business, Economics and Informatics, Birkbeck College, University of London, London WC1E 7HX, UK)

  • Gaye Karacay

    (Department of Industrial Engineering, Istanbul Technical University, Beşiktaş, Istanbul 34367, Turkey)

Abstract

Innovative work behavior is a vital necessity that enables sustainable public sector organizations, particularly the highly centralized military ones, to successfully adapt to complex and rising challenges. This empirical study, drawing on the social exchange theory, investigates the separate and combined effects of ambidextrous leadership dimensions (i.e., opening and closing leader behaviors) on innovative work behavior and the moderating role of climate for innovation on these relationships. The data were collected from 425 participants working at Allied Command Transformation (ACT), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) Warfare Development Command, and analyzed using AMOS and SPSS Process Macro. We found that while opening leader behavior of ambidextrous leadership was positively related to innovative work behavior, closing leader behavior had no significant effect on it. Findings also confirmed that the interaction of both (i.e., the combined effect of ambidextrous leadership) was positively related to innovative work behavior, and climate for innovation moderated the relations of both closing leader behavior and ambidextrous leadership to innovative work behavior. Based on these results, we discuss the managerial and theoretical implications.

Suggested Citation

  • Gökhan Akıncı & Lutfihak Alpkan & Bora Yıldız & Gaye Karacay, 2022. "The Link between Ambidextrous Leadership and Innovative Work Behavior in a Military Organization: The Moderating Role of Climate for Innovation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-19, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:22:p:15315-:d:976420
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    3. Saeid Karimi & Farzaneh Ahmadi Malek & Ahmad Yaghoubi Farani & Genovaitė Liobikienė, 2023. "The Role of Transformational Leadership in Developing Innovative Work Behaviors: The Mediating Role of Employees’ Psychological Capital," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-21, January.
    4. Dudung Abdurachman & Rudy M. Ramdhan & Ateng Karsoma & Alex Winarno & Deni Hermana, 2023. "Integrating Leadership in Job Demand Resources (JD-R) for Personal Performance in Military Institution," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-12, February.
    5. Jihyeon Oh & Dae Hee Kim & Daehwan Kim, 2023. "The Impact of Inclusive Leadership and Autocratic Leadership on Employees’ Job Satisfaction and Commitment in Sport Organizations: The Mediating Role of Organizational Trust and The Moderating Role of," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-13, February.
    6. Irena Mladenova & Tsvetan Davidkov, 2023. "Leadership, Adaptability and Performance of Bulgarian Organizations – Cultural Reflections on Empirical Data," Economic Studies journal, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences - Economic Research Institute, issue 7, pages 93-113.
    7. Xiaoke Yang, 2024. "Managerial power and ambidextrous innovation: the moderating role of absorptive capacity and resource slack," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 49(4), pages 1471-1495, August.

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