Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of self-leadership on innovation and creativity. These competencies have been identified as critical to organizations looking to thrive in the 21st century. Theory. Creativity Theory and Self Leadership Theory provide the basis of the research model and the impetus for the study. Research suggests that a working environment that encourages the workforce to generate unique ideas for problem resolution and process improvements can enhance an organization's innovation. Innovation is imperative to organizational survival. The ability to leverage innovation and creativity depends largely on effective leadership. The leadership literature suggests that effective leadership may begin with leading oneself. Methodology. Primary data were collected from a command within the Department of Defense using an online survey. This is a cross-sectional study using self reported data. Multiple response frequencies were used to answer descriptive questions. Regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses. Path Analysis was used to test the indirect relationship between self-leadership and practiced innovation and creativity. Findings. This study found that individuals who have strong self-leadership are more likely to have high innovation and creativity potential than individuals who have weak self-leadership. It was also found that individuals who have high innovation and creativity potential are more likely to perceive opportunities to practice innovation and creativity when they perceive strong support from the workplace. The workplace was measured at the Work Group level, the supervisor level, and the organizational level. These findings support the theoretical propositions that self-leadership and innovation/creativity are related. Implications. The results of this study have theoretical, empirical and practical applications. This study will add to the research on self-leadership theory and creativity theory, and will promote the empirical research on the relationship between the two constructs. The impact of these findings should be useful to the advancement of leadership development training in both public and private organizations. The results are especially useful to the transformational efforts in the DoD in support of war-fighter readiness.