Work

Unpacking the relationship leader affiliative humor and employee innovative behavior: multilevel roles of role breadth self-efficacy and team trust

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Employee innovative behavior stands as a pivotal factor influencing the core competitiveness of enterprises. Extant research indicates that leadership style is a crucial factor driving employee innovative behavior. Based on social information processing theory, this study focuses on the multilevel mechanism of leader affiliative humor (LAFH) on employee innovative behavior. Through a multi-source, two-stage questionnaire survey, paired sample data were collected from 79 leaders and 302 employees. The results indicate that LAFH has a significant positive effect on role breadth self-efficacy, team trust, and employee innovative behavior, respectively. Role breadth self-efficacy and team trust play a multilevel mediating role in the relationship between LAFH and employee innovative behavior. Besides, team trust exerts a significant multilevel moderating effect on the relationship between LAFH and role breadth self-efficacy, with a stronger positive relationship when team trust is higher.

Source: Frontiers in Psychology

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1629241

Authors: Zheli Zhang, Zhenting Xu, Ruixiao Yu

Institutions: Zhejiang Tongji Vocational College of Science and Technology, Qingdao University of Technology, Linyi University

Language: English

Topic: Job Satisfaction and Organizational Behavior

Subfield: Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management

Field: Business, Management and Accounting

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Decent work and economic growth

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,801