윤리적 리더십이 창의성에 미치는 영향 - 심리적 특권의식 및 피드백 추구행동의 매개역할 -

초록

This study aims to examine the effect of ethical leadership on employee creativity and to investigate the mediating roles of psychological entitlement and feedback-seeking behavior in this relationship. Prior studies have primarily explained the relationship between ethical leadership and creativity by focusing on relational variables such as trust in the supervisor. However, relatively little research has integratively examined employees’ psychological perceptions and proactive behaviors. Accordingly, this study sheds light on the effect of ethical leadership on employee creativity from the perspective of psychological and behavioral mechanisms. Specifically, drawing on self-enhancement bias and conservation of resources theory, this study examines the mediating effects of psychological entitlement and feedback-seeking behavior. Based on an empirical analysis of 412 Chinese employees from various industries, the results show that ethical leadership is positively related to creativity, and that both psychological entitlement and feedback-seeking behavior significantly mediate this relationship. This study contributes to the literature by examining the effectiveness of ethical leadership through the dual pathways of changes in employees’ psychological perceptions and proactive behavioral responses, thereby offering a new perspective beyond the traditional relationship-centered explanation. In addition, unlike prior studies that have mainly focused on the negative consequences of psychological entitlement, this study extends the theoretical scope of psychological entitlement by demonstrating how it can function as a positive mechanism. The findings also offer practical implications for the role of ethical leadership in promoting employee creativity in organizational settings.

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