Entrepreneurial Leadership and Organizational Innovation: Improving Attitudes and Behaviors of Chinese Public Employees

Abstract

This study investigated the meaning and construct of entrepreneurial leadership and its impacts on trustable, accountable, and creative behaviors in Chinese public sectors. The results reveal that entrepreneurial leadership elicits higher levels of trust and interaction in organizations by associating with managerial accountability and creativity, which promote the deepening and dissemination of administrative reforms and entrepreneurial leadership practices in China’s new civil service system. We also conducted qualitative research (i.e., focused group interviews with Hangzhou public officials), to confirm whether those empirical results were also valid and reliable, and consistent. We believe a mixed approach is critical, one that embraces not only the entrepreneurial path to innovation, but also the intrapreneurship strategies of existing public agencies. Overall, the main findings provide clear lessons and inspirations on how to activate and cultivate personal, organizational, and social innovative spirits and behaviors to maximize the effects of social innovation.