The nexus between Level 5 Leadership, Employee Innovation and Employee Voice

Employee innovation plays a vital role in enhancing the competitiveness of manufacturing organisations in South Africa, within the challenges of a turbulent global business landscape. It is essential to identify the factors influencing employee innovation. This study, guided by social exchange theory, examines two perspectives. Firstly, it seeks to analyse the direct relationship between level 5 leadership and employee innovation. Secondly, it aims to investigate whether employee voice acts as a mediating path through which level 5 leadership influences employee innovation. Survey data based on an online questionnaire was collected from 177 employees in the South African manufacturing industry. The proposed hypotheses were assessed by applying partial least squares structural equation modelling. The findings verify that level 5 leadership positively influences employee innovation. Furthermore, the authors argue that employee voice mediates this relationship. The relationship between level 5 leadership and employee innovation and the position of employee voice in mediating this link has not been studied until now. By adopting leadership behaviour based on personal humility and professional will and facilitating an environment that promotes employee voice, management and human resource practitioners can enhance employee innovation and, in turn, organisational innovation and success in the South African manufacturing industry.