Does platform leadership foster subordinates’ innovative behavior? A multilevel moderated mediation analysis

Abstract

Purpose

Drawing on social information processing theory, this study investigates how platform leadership influences employees’ innovative behavior. Specifically, we propose a theoretical model that incorporates creative self-efficacy as a mediator and organizational identification as a moderator.

Design/methodology/approach

Multisource data were collected in three waves from 304 employees and their 65 leaders in China.

Findings

Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) results reveal: (1) a positive association between platform leadership and subordinates’ innovative behavior; (2) creative self-efficacy as a mediator in the relationship between platform leadership and subordinates’ innovative behavior and (3) organizational identification as a moderator in the indirect relationship between platform leadership and subordinates’ innovative behavior through creative self-efficacy, with the indirect effect being stronger when organizational identification is high than when it is low.

Originality/value

From a cross-level perspective, our findings revealed the underlying mechanisms and boundary conditions under which platform leadership influences followers’ innovative behavior.

Citation

Dong, Y. and Li, Y. (2025), "Does platform leadership foster subordinates’ innovative behavior? A multilevel moderated mediation analysis", Personnel Review, Vol. 54 No. 2, pp. 538-556. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-04-2024-0367