Beyond Supervision: Developing a Measure of Supervisory Support for Innovation and Creativity in Higher Education

Innovation and creativity have become strategic priorities for higher education institutions (HEIs), placing increasing emphasis on supervisory behaviours that foster innovative employee performance. Despite growing interest in innovation-supportive leadership, there is limited research identifying the behavioural dimensions of supervisory behaviour and providing a validated instrument to measure them. This study addresses this gap by developing and conducting a preliminary psychometric evaluation of a questionnaire measuring supervisory behaviours that foster employee-driven innovation (EDI) and creativity in higher education. Following established scale development procedures, supervisory behaviour was conceptualised as a unidimensional construct. A quantitative survey was conducted, and data were collected from 624 academic and administrative employees in an open distance and e-learning (ODeL) institution in South Africa using a census approach and self-administered electronic questionnaires. Exploratory factor analysis using principal axis factoring revealed a single-factor solution explaining 63.5% of the variance and supported the unidimensional structure, while reliability analyses and exploratory factor analysis provided preliminary evidence supporting the questionnaire’s psychometric properties. The resulting instrument provides researchers with a preliminary measure of supervisory support for innovation and creativity and offers HEIs a useful foundation for future research, leadership development, and innovation initiatives.