Psychological Empowerment, Knowledge Sharing, Coworker Support and Platform Leadership Effecting Employee Innovative Behavior High-Tech Manufacturing in China
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Abstract
This study, grounded in Social Exchange Theory, Social Learning Theory, and the Ability-Motivation-Opportunity (AMO) framework, investigates the emerging leadership paradigm of platform leadership within the context of China. The research focuses on: (1) examining the effect of platform leadership on employees’ innovative behavior; (2) exploring the mediating roles of organizational learning, knowledge sharing, psychological empowerment, and coworker support in the relationship between platform leadership and employees’ innovative behavior; and (3) analyzing the overall relationship between platform leadership and employee innovation. A mixed-methods approach was employed, following a sequential explanatory design. The quantitative phase involved the analysis of questionnaire data from 518 employees working in high-tech industries in Chongqing, including the manufacturing, software, and information services sectors, as well as internet companies. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS and SmartPLS software. For the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews were conducted with employees from 24 enterprises to further explore the structural equation model.
The research findings indicate that: (1) platform leadership has a positive and significant impact on organizational learning, knowledge sharing, coworker support, and psychological empowerment; and that organizational learning, knowledge sharing, and psychological empowerment significantly influence employee innovative behavior. (2) Platform leadership affects employee innovative behavior indirectly through these mediators, with organizational learning showing the strongest mediating effect. (3) The mediating role of coworker support and the underlying mechanisms linking platform leadership to innovative behavior warrant further investigation and empirical validation.
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