English abstract
Higher education institutions (HEIs) perceive continuous development and improvement as a way to sustain themselves in the modern, dynamic environment. The most crucial
requirements for HEIs to prosper and endure with a competitive advantage are perceived to be leadership and innovation. This study aims to investigate the influence of transformational
leadership on innovative work behavior empirically. Precisely, it intends to examine the
mediation role of knowledge sharing, motivation to learn, and high-performance work
systems on the linkage between transformational leadership and innovative work behavior.
By investigating employee perceptions through administrated questionnaires, a total of 283 employees of HEIs participated in a questionnaire. A Pearson correlation and multiple
regression analysis were employed to examine the research hypothesis. Sobel test was
employed to investigate mediating impact of the mediation factors. According to the research findings, transformational leadership directly and positively influences employees' innovative work behavior. A high-performance work system, knowledge sharing, and motivation to learn are all essential to reinforcing the link between transformational leadership and innovative performance. Theoretically, this study contributed to the existing understanding of leadership and innovation in education by helping scholars, academics, and practitioners identify the factors that determine and influence employees' innovative work behavior. In addition, it expanded existing knowledge and research in innovation, HRM, and leadership. From practical implications, this research can offer policymakers and practitioners crucial theoretical understanding and valuable insights that could enable leaders to support and encourage employees' innovative work behaviors in Omani HEIs, accordingly improves HEI performance.
Keywords: Leadership, Innovation, Innovative Work Behavior, Transformational
Leadership, Knowledge Sharing, Human Resources Management Practices, High Performance Work System, Motivation to Learn
