How Malaysian Managers Persuade Employees' Innovative Behaviour?

The intention of this paper was to examine the impact of six selected leaders' behaviours on employees' innovative behaviour through the mediating role of leader-member exchange (LMX). A total number of 155 pairs of employees and their immediate managers participated in this study. Employees rated their managers' behaviours and managers evaluated their subordinates' innovative behaviour. Both managers and employees answered to LMX measurement. Then, the agreements of employees' and managers' LMX rating were applied based on the results of within and between analysis (WABA). The obtained data were analysed through structural equation modelling-partial least square (SEM-PLS). The findings revealed the significance of mediating role of LMX in relationship between behaviour of recognising, taking risks for change and paternalistic with employees' innovative behaviour. Thus, this study has contributed to the leadership literature in addition to providing a clear vision for Malaysian managers to increase employees' innovative behaviour via improving exchange relationship.