Driving Employee Creativity with Empowering Leadership: The Role of Happiness at Work and Intrinsic Motivation

Abstract

Background: Modern organisations' growing emphasis on innovation and adaptability highlights the need for leadership approaches that promote creativity. Empowering leadership (EL) has gained recognition as a promising yet under-explored approach to enhancing employee creativity (EC), particularly through its impact on positive emotional states and motivational pathways.

Objective: This research aims to deepen the understanding of the EL-EC relationship through the lens of Social Exchange Theory (SET). This theoretical framework explores the mechanisms by which happiness at work (HAW) and intrinsic motivation (IM) mediate the relationship between EL and EC.

Methodology: Literatures were reviewed, focusing more on mediation and moderation effects in EL studies. This conceptual study examines 29 relevant papers to provide an overview on research variables. Inclusion criteria applied are: articles that focus on EL and its impact on EC, SET as theoretical framework, and it published within the last decade in English.

Results: This research emphasises the importance of EL in enhancing EC but asserts that the best results are achieved when HAW and IM are considered as key elements supporting this relationship.

Conclusion: The proposed model posits that EC is enhanced by EL, while IM capitalises on the impact of EL when HAW mediates the primary relationship. The model addresses existing gaps in previous research and offers insights for leaders on how to enhance creativity levels.

Unique contribution: This framework could broaden the scope of research on empowering leadership by offering a more nuanced perspective on leadership styles and workplace creativity. It also emphasises understanding and addressing employee happiness in specific workplace contexts.

Key recommendation: Future research should empirically test this framework and investigate the influence of contextual factors related to happiness on the observed relationship.