How transformational leadership impact on employee service innovation: the moderating effect of employee creative role identity

Purpose This study examines the impact of transformational leadership on employees' service innovation behaviors in service firms and explores the moderating effect of employees' creative role identity on the relationship between the two from an employee psychological perspective. Design/methodology/approach This study designed two questionnaires to be distributed to supervisors and employees as a means of conducting a questionnaire survey, which resulted in a sample of 328 leader–employee matches. The hypothesized relationships were tested using structural equation modeling and regression analysis. Findings Transformational leadership has a significant positive effect on employee service innovation. The analyses further confirmed that creative role identity plays a moderating role between transformational leadership and employee service innovation. Originality/value This study confirms the effect of transformational leadership on employee innovative behavior and extends the theoretical basis of this relationship. It also hopes to provide inspiration and reference for local management in China.