Top management leadership and influence on innovation: The role of sociocultural context

Abstract

This study proposes and tests a model for top-management influence on innovations. Three research questions are addressed: Is top managers' influence on innovation a function of their leadership? Does socio-cultural context directly affect leadership? and, Does sociocultural context moderate the relationship of leadership with top-management influence on innovation? These questions are investigated with data from 12 European countries. The results show that leadership factors have strong effects on top-management innovation influence. In support of the culture-specific view of leadership, sociocultural context directly influences leadership and moderates its relationship with organizational innovation. © 2005 Southern Management Association. All rights reserved.