Transformational leadership and innovation management: the mediating role of knowledge sharing

  • Puspita Wulansari
    School of Economics and Business, Telkom University
    Indonesia
  • Benedictus Kurnianda Ganesha Pratama 
    School of Economics and Business, Telkom University
    Indonesia

Abstract

Indonesian universities are under increasing pressure to innovate in response to global competition, evolving educational demands, and the need for high-quality applied research. Transformational leadership plays a critical role in driving institutional adaptability, course delivery enhancement, and problem-solving capacity. However, limited empirical research has examined how transformational leadership fosters innovation management, particularly through the mediating role of knowledge sharing. This study investigates the effect of transformational leadership on innovation management, mediated by knowledge sharing, at XXX University in Bandung. Using a causal descriptive design with a quantitative approach, data were analyzed through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using Smart PLS 4.1. The study involved 100 lecturers selected through proportionate stratified random sampling. Findings reveal that transformational leadership significantly influences knowledge sharing (β = 0.6031, T = 5.7661, p < 0.0001) and directly affects innovation management (β = 0.614, T = 7.9821, p < 0.0001). Knowledge sharing also significantly contributes to innovation management (β = 0.364, T = 3.9125, p < 0.0001), and mediates the relationship between leadership and innovation (β = 0.2999, T = 3.7169, p = 0.0002). The study highlights the importance of leadership practices that promote knowledge exchange to strengthen institutional innovation. Future research should consider additional factors such as organizational culture and technological infrastructure.

Lisensing Information
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

References
  1. Afsar, B., & Umrani, W. A. (2020). Transformational leadership and innovative work behavior. European Journal of Innovation Management, 23(3), 402–428. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJIM-12-2018-0257
  2. Al-Husseini, S., El Beltagi, I., & Moizer, J. (2021). Transformational leadership and innovation: the mediating role of knowledge sharing amongst higher education faculty. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 24(5), 670–693. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603124.2019.1588381
  3. Alrowwad, A., Abualoush, S. H., & Masa’deh, R. (2020). Innovation and intellectual capital as intermediary variables among transformational leadership, transactional leadership, and organizational performance. Journal of Management Development, 39(2), 196–222. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-02-2019-0062
  4. Arsawan, I. W. E., Koval, V., Rajiani, I., Rustiarini, N. W., Supartha, W. G., & Suryantini, N. P. S. (2022). Leveraging knowledge sharing and innovation culture into SMEs sustainable competitive advantage. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 71(2), 405–428. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPPM-04-2020-0192
  5. Azeem, M., Ahmed, M., Haider, S., & Sajjad, M. (2021). Expanding competitive advantage through organizational culture, knowledge sharing and organizational innovation. Technology in Society, 66, 101635.
  6. Balaka, M. Y. (2022). Metodologi penelitian kuantitatif.
  7. Benavides, L. M. C., Tamayo Arias, J. A., Arango Serna, M. D., Branch Bedoya, J. W., & Burgos, D. (2020). Digital transformation in higher education institutions: A systematic literature review. Sensors, 20(11), 3291.
  8. Castellani, P., Rossato, C., Giaretta, E., & Davide, R. (2021). Tacit knowledge sharing in knowledge-intensive firms: the perceptions of team members and team leaders. Review of Managerial Science, 15(1), 125–155. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11846-019-00368-x
  9. Cheung, G. W., Cooper-Thomas, H. D., Lau, R. S., & Wang, L. C. (2024). Reporting reliability, convergent and discriminant validity with structural equation modeling: A review and best-practice recommendations. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 41(2), 745–783. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10490-023-09871-y
  10. Farrukh, M., Sajid, M., Zreen, A., & Khalid, R. (2020). Knowledge sharing in higher education institutes. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, 12(2), 311–329. https://doi.org/10.1108/JARHE-11-2018-0228
  11. Global Inovation Index. (2023). Global Innovation Index Database WIPO 2023.
  12. Gotthardt, M., & Mezhuyev, V. (2022). Measuring the success of recommender systems: A PLS-SEM approach. IEEE Access, 10, 30610–30623.
  13. Gui, L., Lei, H., & Le, P. B. (2022). Determinants of radical and incremental innovation: the influence of transformational leadership, knowledge sharing and knowledge-centered culture. European Journal of Innovation Management, 25(5), 1221–1241. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJIM-12-2020-0478
  14. Gui, L., Lei, H., & Le, P. B. (2024). Fostering product and process innovation through transformational leadership and knowledge management capability: the moderating role of innovation culture. European Journal of Innovation Management, 27(1), 214–232. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJIM-02-2022-0063
  15. Gupta, B. L. (2020). Governance and management structure for higher education institutions. International Journal of Advanced Research in Education, 1(1), 1–6.
  16. Herdiansyah, A. (2021). Kewajiban Publikasi Karya Ilmiah Berdasarkan Jenjang Jafung untuk Dosen. Madania.Co.Id. https://madania.co.id/kewajiban-publikasi-karya-ilmiah-berdasarkan-jenjang- jafung-untuk-dosen/#google_vignette
  17. Kusumanegara, A. S., & Rachmawati, I. (2023). The effect of service quality and price on customer satisfaction and loyalty in Telkomsel cellular operator services. Proceedings of the International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management.
  18. Lam, L., Nguyen, P., Le, N., & Tran, K. (2021). The relation among organizational culture, knowledge management, and innovation capability: Its implication for open innovation. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 7(1), 66.
  19. Lei, H., Gui, L., & Le, P. B. (2021). Linking transformational leadership and frugal innovation: the mediating role of tacit and explicit knowledge sharing. Journal of Knowledge Management, 25(7), 1832–1852. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-04-2020-0247
  20. Mayastinasari, V., & Suseno, B. (2023). The role of transformational leadership, and knowledge sharing on innovative work behavior of public organization in the digital era. International Journal of Professional Business Review: Int. J. Prof. Bus. Rev., 8(7), 117.
  21. Muhammed, S., & Zaim, H. (2020). Peer knowledge sharing and organizational performance: the role of leadership support and knowledge management success. Journal of Knowledge Management, 24(10), 2455–2489. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-03-2020-0227
  22. Nawaz, N., Durst, S., Hariharasudan, A., & Shamugia, Z. (2020). Knowledge management practices in higher education institutions-A comparative study. Polish Journal of Management Studies, 22.
  23. Pellegrini, M. M., Ciampi, F., Marzi, G., & Orlando, B. (2020). The relationship between knowledge management and leadership: mapping the field and providing future research avenues. Journal of Knowledge Management, 24(6), 1445–1492.
  24. Purwanto, A., Purba, J. T., Bernarto, I., & Sijabat, R. (2021). Effect of management innovation, transformational leadership, and knowledge sharing on market performance of Indonesian consumer goods company. Journal of Applied Management (JAM).
  25. Putra, A. S., Waruwu, H., Asbari, M., Novitasari, D., & Purwanto, A. (2020). Leadership in the innovation era: Transactional or transformational style? International Journal of Social and Management Studies, 1(1), 89–94.
  26. Saad Alessa, G. (2021). The dimensions of transformational leadership and its organizational effects in public universities in Saudi Arabia: A systematic review. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 682092.
  27. Singh, S. K., Gupta, S., Busso, D., & Kamboj, S. (2021). Top management knowledge value, knowledge sharing practices, open innovation and organizational performance. Journal of Business Research, 128, 788–798.
  28. Sudibjo, N., & Prameswari, R. K. (2021). The effects of knowledge sharing and person–organization fit on the relationship between transformational leadership on innovative work behavior. Heliyon, 7(6).
  29. Sunaengsih, C., Komariah, A., Kurniady, D. A., Suharto, N., Tamam, B., & Julia, J. (2021). Transformational Leadership Survey. Elementary School Forum (Mimbar Sekolah Dasar), 8(1), 41–54.
  30. Tentama, F., & Anindita, W. D. (2020). Employability scale: Construct validity and reliability. International Journal of Scientific & Technology Research, 9(4), 3166–3170.
  31. Wang, C., & Hu, Q. (2020). Knowledge sharing in supply chain networks: Effects of collaborative innovation activities and capability on innovation performance. Technovation, 94, 102010

Downloads

PDF

Statistic

Abstract Views
: 176 times
PDF
: 142 times