Impact of Leader-Member Exchange on Innovative Work Behavior of Information Technology Project Employees; Role of Employee Engagement and Self-Efficacy

The study focuses on the relationship between leader-member exchange and innovative work behavior of project employees with mediating role of employee engagement and moderating role of self-efficacy. This study was conducted in the IT sector of Pakistan. Questionnaires were used to collect data from 230 employees of IT projects. The research findings highlight the actions that need to be taken to increase the innovative work behavior of project employees. Results indicate that leader-member exchange is positively linked with innovative work behavior while employee engagement mediates the relationship between leader-member exchange and innovative work behavior. In addition, the results confirmed the moderating role of Self-Efficacy between employee engagement and innovative work behavior. The positive exchange between leader and member can contribute positively toward the outcomes, especially in project-based organizations where every project is unique and requires the exchange of knowledge and ideas.