Servant leadership and employee creativity in Islamic context: role of employee empowerment and knowledge sharing

Purpose In today’s volatile global marketplace, cultivating human capital via efficient leadership has become an indispensable requisite for organizational growth. This study aims to examine how servant leadership affects employee creativity through employee empowerment. Moreover, this study examines the moderating effect of knowledge sharing in the relationship between employee empowerment and employee creativity. Design/methodology/approach Quantitative data were processed using Smart PLS-SEM to test the hypothesis. Survey data for this study were obtained from 368 employees working in two Islamic holy sites: the Masjid al-Haram and the Masjid an-Nabawi. Findings A positive correlation is found between employee empowerment and employee creativity. In addition, employee empowerment mediates the relationship between servant leadership and employee creativity. Lastly, knowledge sharing moderates the effect of employee empowerment on employee creativity. Practical implications The findings shed light on the need for servant leadership in service sector organizations. The findings imply that employee creativity in religious firms can be promoted by servant leadership. The results of this study can assist managers in developing a deeper understanding of contextual factors such as employee empowerment and knowledge sharing while formulating policies and development plans. Originality/value The impact of servant leadership in fostering creativity within religious organizations has not been investigated sufficiently. This study expands the literature by offering a thorough understanding of the contextual factors influencing employee creativity in religious organizations such as the mediating role of employee empowerment and the moderating role of knowledge sharing.