Emotional Intelligence and Ethical Leadership as Predictors of Employee Innovative Behavior: The Mediating Roles of Psychological Safety and Learning Orientation

Abstract

The integration of psychological capabilities and effective leadership practices plays an important role in shaping employee behavior in contemporary organizations. This study examined the impact of emotional intelligence and ethical leadership on employee innovative behavior. Emotional intelligence reflects an individual’s psychological ability to understand and regulate emotions, whereas ethical leadership represents managerial practices characterized by fairness, integrity, and transparency. The study also investigated the mediating roles of psychological safety and learning orientation in explaining the relationships among these variables. A quantitative research design was employed, and data were collected from employees working in service-sector organizations. Established measurement scales were used to assess the study variables, and the data were analyzed using structural equation modeling to test the hypothesized relationships. The results indicated that emotional intelligence and ethical leadership had significant positive effects on employee innovative behavior. Furthermore, psychological safety and learning orientation significantly mediated the relationships between the independent variables and innovative behavior. The findings suggest that psychological competencies and ethical leadership practices together create a supportive organizational environment that encourages employees to share ideas, learn continuously, and engage in innovative activities within the workplace.