The impact of transformational leadership style on innovation as perceived by public employees in Jordan

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this empirical study is to provide a deeper understanding of how transformational leadership relates to followers' innovative behavior in the Jordanian public sector.

Design/methodology/approach

Perceptual data were collected from 358 employees working in different public sector organizations located in the Northern region of Jordan.

Findings

Results demonstrate that transformational leadership accounted for 47 percent in the variation of followers' innovative behavior in the Jordanian public sector. Additionally, the findings showed that place of work variable had significant impact on the attitudes of the respondents toward the transformational leadership behavior of their managers and their innovative behavior.

Practical implications

Organizations should invest in transformational leadership training and in the selection of supervisors with this leadership style before initiating the implementation of innovations.

Originality/value

The paper is one of the first to investigate the relationship between transformational leadership and followers' innovative behavior in developing countries.

Citation

Nusair, N., Ababneh, R. and Kyung Bae, Y. (2012), "The impact of transformational leadership style on innovation as perceived by public employees in Jordan", International Journal of Commerce and Management, Vol. 22 No. 3, pp. 182-201. https://doi.org/10.1108/10569211211260283