The Effect of Authentic Leadership on Employees ’ In-role and Innovative Behavior: Informal Learning as A Mediator, Perceived Organizational Vision Salience as A Moderator
Authors:   Korean Academy of Leadership, Kim Tae-eun , Cho Yoon-hyung 
Published: September 2022

Authentic leadership, based on positive psychology and positive organizational scholarship, has attracted attention as a new leadership theory. Authentic leadership has been defined in various ways, most conceptualizations and research espouse the fundamental notion of being true to one's self and often considered the root construct of other leadership. Authentic leaders encourage the development of the people around them by practicing real values, beliefs and behaviors, being subordinate oriented and making honest evaluations of the behavior and performance of employees. That means authentic leaders are ethical, transparent, openness to change, involve their subordinates in decision-making, and encourage positive attitudes and behaviors, which in turn advance organizational performance. The purpose of this study is to investigate that authentic leadership affect employees’ in-role and innovative behavior. Also, informal learning mediate those of relationship and perceived organizational vision salience(POVS) moderate between authentic leadership and informal learning. Authentic leadership are consist of self-awareness and self-regulation. Based on literature review, we set the direct, mediate, moderate and moderated mediation(conditionally indirect) effect hypothesis. To test hypothesis, survey method were performed by using questionnaires. Questionnaires are collected by 2nd times(T1, T2) such as 3 month time lag, to remove common method bias. At T1 period, we measure authentic leadership, informal learning and POVS, and then T2 period, in-role and innovative behavior. Total 369 questionnaires are used for analysis using Process Macro(Hayes, 2018). This study results are as follows. First, authentic leadership have positive impact on both of in-role, innovative behavior and informal learning. Second, informal learning have positive impact on employees’ in-role and innovative behavior. Third, POVS have positive impact on informal learning and moderate between authentic leadership and informal learning. Fourth, informal learning mediate between authentic leadership and in-role, innovative behavior. Finally, the relationship of authentic leadership and in-role that show mediation effect of informal learning boost-up under high on POVS as conditionally indirect effect. All of our hypothesis(H1, H2, H3, H4) are supported. Our results reveal that authentic leadership are critical antecedent of employees’ in-role and innovative behavior. And authentic leadership increase informal learning and then, if high on informal learning increase employees’ in role and innovative behavior. If high on POVS, the positive relationship of authentic leadership and informal learning are greater than compared with low on POVS. Specially, if high on POVS, mediation effect of informal learning are more stronger. Based on the results, this study have theoretical and practical implications which authentic leadership, workplace learning concept and organizational vision of role for in-role and innovative behavior of employees.