EFFECT OF KNOWLEDGE LEADERSHIP ON KNOWLEDGE INNOVATION BEHAVIOUR OF KNOWLEDGE WORKER: THE ROLE OF FAILURE LEARNING AND FEAR OF FAILURE

Abstract

In the era of knowledge economy, the promotion of knowledge worker’s knowledge innovation behaviour (KIB) is a crucial concern for research and development (R&D) team supervisors in the rapidly evolving and competitive technological landscape. The study reported here examined the relationship between knowledge leadership (KL) and KIB of knowledge workers by focusing on the mediating effect of failure learning (FL) and moderating effect of fear of failure (FF). Data from a two-wave survey of 211 R&D supervisor–employee matching questionnaires from 28 high-tech firms in China indicated that as predicted, KL was positively related to KIB of knowledge worker while knowledge worker’s FL mediated this relationship significantly. Moreover, the findings also found that knowledge worker’s FF not only negatively moderated the impact of KL on knowledge worker’s FL, but also affects the mediating effect of FL on the relationship between KL and KIB of knowledge worker. Specifically, higher levels of knowledge worker’s FF weaken the indirect effect of KL on knowledge worker’s KIB through FL. Our findings have a number of theoretical and practical implications for the research on managing knowledge workers and their KIB.