Transformational leadership and innovation in the manufacturing sector: A moderation mediation mechanism of organisational culture and knowledge sharing

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the mediation effect of knowledge sharing on the relationship between transformational leadership and innovation. The moderating role of organisational culture was also tested on the relationship between transformational leadership and knowledge sharing.

Theoretical Framework: This investigation is based on the transformational leadership theory. Transformational leaders inspire people to share knowledge and create a work environment that is supported by a conducive organisational culture.

Method: Based on extensive literature review, a structured questionnaire was designed, and data were collected via Google forms from a total of 510 manufacturing sector employees based in three SADC region countries. Statistical analyses were done using SMART PLS 4.

Results and Discussion: The study established that while transformational leadership had a significant positive impact on innovation, knowledge sharing partially mediated the relationship between the two variables. Organisational culture had a weak but positive impact on the relationship between transformational leadership and knowledge sharing.These results support prior research findings.

Research Implications: Transformational Leadership and knowledge sharing were found to be positively associated with innovation, hence, theoretically, this study validates the antecedents of innovation in a manufacturing sector context. Practically, managers in the SADC manufacturing sector must exhibit attributes of transformational leadership whilst creating a conducive organisational culture that supports knowledge sharing.

Originality/Value: This study contributes to the literature by proposing and validating a mediation-moderation model that supports the impact of transformational leadership on innovation. The relevance and value of this research is evidenced by an improvement in the quality of exportable products from the SADC manufacturing sector through the transformative efforts of organisational leaders.