Self-Serving Leadership and Its Effects on Innovative Behavior in Organizations

The individuals chosen to lead a team or organization can significantly influence its level of innovation. In today’s competitive environment, companies must continuously adapt and strive to outperform their rivals. While organizations may believe they are hiring a motivated “go-getter,” this perception can sometimes be misleading. In certain cases, performance declines because the leader prioritizes personal gain over collective success—a concept known as self-serving leadership.

Leaders who place their own interests above those of their team can negatively affect the entire organization. Employees are often able to sense whether a leader is genuine or driven by self-interest. When leadership behavior signals that individual gain is valued over group success, employees are less likely to engage in collaborative, pro-organizational efforts. As a result, motivation and innovation decline, since people tend to withhold effort when they feel it is neither recognized nor appreciated.

Summary of Self-Serving Leadership and Innovative Behavior

• Self-serving leadership (SL) negatively affects employee innovative behavior (IB), meaning employees are less likely to generate or implement new ideas under leaders who prioritize personal gain.
• Psychological entitlement acts as a mediating factor, where employees exposed to SL develop a sense of unfairness or entitlement that reduces their motivation to innovate.
• The study is grounded in social information processing theory, suggesting employees interpret leadership behavior as cues that shape their attitudes and actions.
• Moral identity moderates the relationship, such that employees with a strong moral identity are less influenced by self-serving leadership and its negative effects.
• Overall, the research highlights that leadership style, employee psychology, and personal values interact to influence workplace innovation outcomes.

Mao, H., Peng, S., Zhang, L., & Zhang, Y. (2023). Self-serving leadership and innovative behavior: Roles of psychological entitlement and moral identity. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1071457. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1071457