Understanding employee innovative behavior: Integrating the social network and leader-member exchange perspectives

• Published in: Journal of organizational behavior Vol. 36; no. 3; pp. 403 - 420
• Main Authors: Wang, Xiao-Hua (Frank), Fang, Yulin, Qureshi, Israr, Janssen, Onne
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chichester Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.04.2015; Wiley (Variant); Wiley Periodicals Inc
• Subjects: Employee management relations; Group dynamics; innovative behavior; Leader-member exchange; Organizational behavior; Research Article; Social interaction; social network; Social networks; Studies
• ISSN: 0894-3796; 1099-1379
• DOI: 10.1002/job.1994

By integrating social network theory and leader–member exchange (LMX) theory, we explore the effects of three types of social relationships on employee innovative behavior: weak ties outside the group, LMX, and strong ties within the group. The results from a sample in a high-tech firm showed that LMX fully mediated the positive relationship between out-group weak ties and innovative behavior. Furthermore, within-group strong ties negatively moderated the second stage of this indirect relationship, such that LMX was positively and significantly related to innovative behavior only when the number of within-group strong ties was low. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.