The facilitation mechanism of digital leadership on employee innovation behavior

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the mechanism through which digital leadership facilitates employee innovation behavior. Drawing on the proactive motivation model, we focused on examining the prospective role of job crafting and the moderating effect of the intensity of digital human resource management (DHRM), with the aim of providing deeper insights into the relationship between the two. Design/methodology/approach A two-stage questionnaire survey was conducted with 627 employees from various industries in China. Data were collected at two time points to mitigate common method bias. Regression analysis and the PROCESS macro were used to test the hypotheses. Findings The results indicate that digital leadership is positively related to employee innovation behavior. Job crafting exhibits prospective association in the relationship between the two variables. Furthermore, the intensity of DHRM exerts a positive moderating effect on both the relationship between digital leadership and job crafting, as well as the potential pathway through which digital leadership influences employee innovation behavior via job crafting. Originality/value This study identifies job crafting as a key psychological mechanism linking digital leadership to employee innovation behavior, providing important prospective association evidence for this causal chain. Furthermore, it identifies the intensity of DHRM as a crucial boundary condition. These findings offer valuable insights for organizations seeking to leverage digital leadership and human resource practices to foster employee innovation.