Moderating role of leader-member exchange in the effect of innovative work behavior on turnover intention

Abstract

This study aims to determine whether leader-member exchange has a role in the effect of innovative work behavior on turnover intention. Innovative work behavior refers to the tendency of employees to engage in innovative actions such as making suggestions, generating new ideas, and improving work processes. Turnover intention represents an employee's voluntary desire to turnover intention. Leader- member exchange refers to the factors such as leadership support, communication, and trust that influence employee commitment and performance within the organization. The hypotheses of the study were tested on 460 white-collar employees at companies. In the study, 3 scales were used: Innovative work behavior scale, turnover intention scale, and leader-member exchange scale. The structural equation model was preferred for the study. As a result of the study, it was noted that innovative work behavior affected leader-member exchange positively and leader-member exchange had a low level of effect on innovative work behavior and turnover intention. Additionally, it was discovered that professional respect, as a sub-dimension of leader-member exchange, affected idea realization and idea generation directly and indirectly.