The Impact of Servant Leadership on Innovative Work Behavior in Ghana: The Mediation of Employee Voice

Abstract

Innovation is a crucial concept for organizational sustenance and development. The study investigated the impact of servant leadership on employee innovative work behavior by examining the mediating role of employee voice in Ghana. This was done to contribute to fostering innovation in the nation and stimulate the idea of servant leadership behavior in Ghanaian organizations where generally, power appears to be distant.Data from 200 full-time Ghanaian workers were used in this cross-sectional study. Pearson’s correlation, linear regression, and SEM were utilized in the data analysis. The empirical findings from the study demonstrate that servant leadership and employee voice correlate significantly and positively with innovative work behavior. However, employee voice failed to mediate the effect of servant leadership on employee innovative work behavior. Servant leadership in Ghana also failed to exert positive influence on employee voice.The implication of this research infers that organizational leaders in Ghana can have confidence in putting on servant leadership behavior to increase innovative work behavior in employees as is critical for organizational productivity and survival. The deliberate attempt to augment innovation also means that organizations necessitate the intentional creation of atmospheres (climate for innovation) for breeding and nurturing practical, innovative concepts. This study also gives employers the assurance that encouraging employee voice in the workplace is critical since it keeps the lines of communication open and serves as a deterrent to operational behaviors that hamper organizational advancement. The study further elaborates a detailed discussion of the research results, implications, limitations, and prospects for future studies.

Keywords: Servant leadership, innovative work behavior, employee voice, Ghana

DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/14-2-08

Publication date: January 31^st 2022