Investigating the Moderating Role of Team Learning Orientation in the Relationship between Servant Leadership and Innovative Work Behavior among Egyptian Public University Staff Members

Abstract

While servant leadership and innovation have been examined extensively in Western contexts, there are three important gaps in this literature: firstly, boundary conditions under which servant leadership is most effective in fostering innovation have been minimally explored; secondly, team-level moderators are rarely considered in resource-constrained contexts; and thirdly, there is a paucity of empirical research in higher education settings in developing countries, where culturally and structurally contingent collective learning orientations could play out differently. This study investigates the moderating influence of team learning orientation on the link between servant leadership and innovative work behavior within the context of Egyptian public universities among academic Staff members. Data were collected using a three-wave survey design involving 412 faculty members at five public universities in Egypt. Servant leadership was assessed using the SL-7 scale, team learning orientation was measured using the 28-item Team Learning Behaviors Scale, and innovative work behavior was assessed using the Innovative Behavior Inventory. Moderation analyses were carried out using the PROCESS macro and hierarchical regression. Servant leadership is a significant positive predictor of innovative work behavior (β = 0.324, p < .001) and team learning orientation (β = 0.612, p < .001). There is a positive path to innovative work behavior from a team learning orientation (β = 0.417, p <.001). Notably, the interaction effect of team learning orientation on the relationship between servant leadership and innovative work behavior is significant (β = 0.128, p < .01), wherein the interaction is stronger at the high than low level of team learning orientation. Team learning orientation is an important boundary condition of servant leadership that facilitates innovation. The findings emphasize the necessity of integrating servant leadership programs with the promotion of a team learning climate in higher education settings.