Analysis of the Influence of Digital Leadership on Innovative Work Behavior through Psychological Safety

Abstract

This study examines the influence of digital leadership on innovative work behavior, with psychological safety positioned as a mediating variable. The rapid adoption of digital technologies has transformed the way leaders guide, motivate, and empower employees, creating a pressing need to understand how digitally oriented leadership styles translate into innovative outcomes at the individual level. Using a quantitative research design, data were collected through a structured questionnaire distributed to 215 employees working in technology-based service organizations, and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that digital leadership has a significant positive effect on both psychological safety and innovative work behavior, and that psychological safety significantly mediates the relationship between digital leadership and innovative work behavior. These findings suggest that leaders who effectively leverage digital competencies, transparent communication, and adaptive decision-making foster a climate in which employees feel safe to take interpersonal risks, which in turn encourages them to generate, promote, and implement novel ideas. The study contributes to the growing body of literature on digital-era leadership by clarifying the psychological mechanism through which digital leadership stimulates innovation, and offers practical implications for organizations seeking to strengthen innovation capacity through leadership development and the cultivation of psychologically safe work environments