Influence of Transformational Leadership on Innovative Behavior in the Korean Public Service Sector: The Moderated Mediating Effect of Change Management and PSM

This study aimed to analyze the factors affecting the innovative behavior of Korean public officials. To this end, it examined the relationship between transformational leadership and innovative behavior of public officials, the mediating effect of organizational change management, and the moderating effect of public service motivation (PSM) of public officials on transformational leadership and change management. The results showed that transformational leadership and change management positively affected innovative behavior. Additionally, the mediating effect of change management was significant. However, PSM moderated only the relationship between change management and innovative behavior, not the relationship between transformational leadership and innovative behavior. It is recommended that organizations hire employees who have internalized PSM and can actively carry out innovative actions in accordance with the organization’s innovation direction, operation, and management guidelines reflecting the characteristics of the Korean public service sector. Furthermore, organizations can develop change management and provide training to cultivate their members’ PSM to institutionalize their innovative behavior. Finally, organizational executives who prepare long-term plans can benefit from the insights of external experts in the private sector who can carry out creative destruction rather than those in public service and dedicated to a single organization.