Relational leadership and employee creativity: the role of knowledge-sharing behaviour and leader–follower dyadic tenure

Purpose The study investigated the effects of relational leadership on hotel employees' creativity, using knowledge-sharing behaviour and leader–follower dyadic tenure as intervening variables. Design/methodology/approach A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 355 employees of authorized hotels from the conurbation of Cape Coast and Elmina in Ghana. To evaluate the study's research hypotheses, the authors used WarpPLS and PLS-SEM. Findings The findings demonstrated that while knowledge-sharing behaviour did not directly affect employee creativity, it did have a significant mediating effect on the link between relational leadership and the creativity of employees. The study also revealed that the ability of relational leaders to drive knowledge-sharing behaviour was not contingent on leader–follower dyadic tenure. Practical implications The results of this study have practical relevance for human resource practitioners in the hospitality industry. Given that relational leadership has a positive relationship with employee creativity, the authors recommend that hotel supervisors relate well with employees by sharing valuable information and respecting their opinions in decision-making. Originality/value Studies on the role of relational leadership and employee creativity are scanty. This study develops a model to explain how relational leadership could influence employee creativity by incorporating knowledge-sharing behaviour and leader–follower dyadic tenure.