Learning From Senior Leaders as a Catalyst for Innovativeness: The Differential Contributions of Supervisors, Coaches, and Mentors Under Varying Task Uncertainty

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ABSTRACT While the literature on employees' innovative work behavior (IWB) treats leaders as a homogeneous source of firm‐internal knowledge, we examine how learning from different types of senior leaders (supervisors, coaches, and mentors) differentially affects employees' IWB and how these effects vary with the uncertainty of work tasks. Grounded in the knowledge‐based view and knowledge transfer theory, the study conceptualizes these leader roles as distinct conduits for transferring routine, meta‐cognitive, and strategic knowledge, respectively. It argues that the impact of learning from each leader type on IWB follows a non‐linear trajectory, moderated by environmental uncertainty. Hierarchical linear modeling of multi‐source, time‐lagged survey data from 123 employees and 41 supervisors in knowledge‐intensive firms reveals three differentiated patterns. Learning from supervisors exerts a positive effect on IWB that is attenuated under high task uncertainty. Learning from coaches has a U‐shaped effect on IWB, where both high and low learning are superior to a medium degree of learning, and this U‐shape steepens under high task uncertainty. Conversely, learning from mentors has an inverse U‐shaped effect on IWB, suggesting an optimal middle ground, and this optimal degree of knowledge acquisition increases as task uncertainty rises. These findings extend the knowledge‐based view by advancing theoretical understanding of leader‐mediated knowledge spillovers and offer practical guidance for developing innovation‐enhancing learning strategies in dynamic organizational contexts.

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Related topics: Job Satisfaction and Organizational Behavior · Management and Organizational Studies · Innovation and Knowledge Management