The cultural drive of innovative behavior: cross-level impacts of Leader-Employee’s Zhong-Yong orientation

Abstract

Despite numerous antecedents to innovative behaviours, how those behaviours occur and develop in indigenous Chinese contexts is mostly unknown. This study focuses on Zhong-Yong orientation, a significant Chinese cultural element that features ‘moderation’, the practice of which indicates solving problems in impartial, appropriate, and non-aggressive ways. Acting with moderation means to seek balance and to pursue properness. In addition, there is ‘conformity’, which indicates having a holistic view, focusing on harmony and balance, and being consistent with the environment. We use Bandura’s social learning theory as an overarching framework to build a trickle-down model. In this model, leaders’ Zhong-Yong orientation enhances members’ innovative behaviours by promoting the members’ own Zhong-Yong orientation. The relevant data come from 93 teams (i.e., 93 leaders and their 402 members) from six Chinese companies; cross-level analyses also provide support for our model. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed later in the study.