How Transformational Leadership of Managers Affects Employee Innovative Behavior in IT Corporations

Organizations are constantly challenged by new technologies that have the potential to transform their business models and organizational identity, and they are working to create an environment that supports innovation. Advances in digital tools for work have transformed the way we work, which used to be geographically constrained. Transformational leadership is becoming more important, facilitating access to information and knowledge sharing among internal constituents like never before. In addition, in innovation-oriented workplaces, frequent experiences of psychological capital and thriving at work, where employees enjoy an optimal state of challenge, are factors that promote innovative behavior. Based on the conservation of resources theory and social cognitive theory, this study explores the mechanisms through which transformational leadership influences the innovative behavior of IT workers. Specifically, it examines the dual mediating roles of psychological capital and thriving at work. Drawing on data from 394 valid responses out of 458 Korean IT workers surveyed, the results indicate that transformational leadership positively affects innovative behavior, with this relationship being partially mediated by employees' psychological capital and thriving at work. These findings offer practical insights into how psychological capital and thriving at work function as critical psychological processes through which transformational leadership, within internal collaboration platforms, fosters innovative behavior among team members.