AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON EMPLOYEE INNOVATION SKILLS AND LEADERSHIP THEORIES EXAMINING THE IMPACT OF EMPOWERING LEADERSHIP ON EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE.

Abstract

Using innovation abilities as a mediator, this research investigates how empowered leadership affects employee performance in Chinese organisational settings. This study seeks to answer how leadership styles that promote independent thinking and strong leadership can boost employee creativity and ultimate productivity by examining the effects of these leadership strategies. A quantitative technique was used to gather data from 857 respondents using structured questionnaires. The data was examined using SPSS and factor analysis. The results show that employees’ innovative talents mediate a favourable and statistically significant association between empowered leadership and performance. In particular, leadership actions that encourage independence and personal responsibility create an atmosphere that is favourable to innovation, which in turn increases output from workers. Aesthetically tailored leadership programmes may be a vital component of organisational success, as the findings show that empowerment tactics are relevant within China’s collectivist and hierarchical society norms. The research adds to the current body of knowledge by drawing attention to the mediating role of innovation abilities in the leadership and performance nexus, and it offers managers in China some useful takeaways for encouraging creativity in the workplace. In order to maintain competitive advantages in consumer markets that are always shifting, the findings support programmes for leadership development that place an emphasis on fostering the autonomy of staff members, imaginative thinking, and communication. The research underscores the significance of empowering leadership in the process of encouraging innovation and enhancing staff productivity, especially in the dynamic economic climate that China is now experiencing.