ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to examine structural relationships between leader–member exchange (LMX), self-leadership, empowerment, and innovative behavior of professional sports organizations. The validities and reliabilities of the measures used were tested through confirmatory factor analysis and Cronbach’s alpha by recruiting 612 employees affiliated with professional sports teams in South Korea. Structural equation modeling analysis with maximum likelihood estimation was conducted to examine relationships between various study variables. The findings of the study revealed the positive influences of (a) LMX and empowerment, (b) LMX and innovative behavior, (c) self-leadership and empowerment, (d) self-leadership and innovative behavior, and (e) empowerment and innovative behavior. Moreover, the findings disclosed that (f) empowerment did not mediate the relationship between LMX and innovative behavior or the relationship between self-leadership and innovative behavior. Based on its results, the current study (a) stresses on the importance and necessity of developing LMX for building individual empowerment and innovative behavior, (b) heeds the argument of previous researchers by seeking to understand the role of self-leadership in the prediction of empowerment and innovative behavior, and (c) highlights the need to include individual empowerment in an innovative behavior model. Therefore, for LMX quality, the formation of mutual understanding and respect between leaders and subordinates is crucial. Moreover, in the interest of self-leadership, employees must establish clear, specific plans for their work goals.
