Research on the Impact Mechanism of the Ambidextrous Innovation of Public Administrators

Abstract

This study draws on the literature of social cognitive theory to examine the impact of leadership self-efficacy on the ambidextrous innovation of public administrators. Afterwards, this study introduces perspective taking as a moderator and then discusses the different moderating effects of cognitive perspective taking and affective perspective taking. Findings show that leadership self-efficacy has a significant positive effect on ambidextrous innovation; cognitive perspective taking and affective perspective taking play important roles in the relationship between leadership self-efficacy and ambidextrous innovation; the interaction of affective perspective taking and leadership self-efficacy is not conducive to the realization of the ambidextrous innovation of public administrators. This study is a pioneering endeavor in the field of innovation research at the individual level in Chinese public sector, thereby providing important implications for public administrators to stimulate their ambidextrous innovation.

Keywords: public administrators, ambidextrous innovation, leadership self-efficacy, cognitive perspective taking, affective perspective taking