Effect of high-involvement human resource management practices, transformational leadership on employee innovative behaviour in Kenyan aviation industry

Abstract

In the realm of the aviation industry, innovative work behavior takes on a pivotal role in molding the trajectory and performance of this sector. As the industry maneuvers through the complexities of an ever-changing global landscape, the prowess of innovation emerges as a propelling force that drives enduring success Nonetheless, in the context of Kenyan aviation, the level of innovation has not reached parity with that of its international counterparts, resulting in the observation that Kenya's aviation sector lags behind. Therefore, the main objective of the study is to determine effect of high-involvement human resource management practices (HI-HRM), transformational leadership (TL) on employee innovative work behaviour (IWB) in Kenyan aviation industry. The study will specifically establish the effect of training on employee innovative behaviour, the effect of job autonomy on employee innovative behaviour, effect of reward practice on employee innovative behaviour and analyse the moderating effect of transformation leadership on relationship between HI-HRM practices and employee innovative behaviour in Kenyan aviation industry. The study was anchored on Social Exchange Theory (SET) and Transformational Leadership Theory. This study will use explanatory research design. The study population consisted of 3155 employees from the top five airlines in Kenya, namely Kenya Airways, Safari Link, African Express Airways, Airkenya Express, and Mombasa Air Safari. Stratified and random sampling was used to select 354 employees. For this study, a structured questionnaire served as the data collection instrument to gather data for analyzing the study objectives. To ensure the reliability of the data gathered and the subsequent findings, the Cronbach's Alpha coefficient was used. SPSS statistical analysis program Version 25 was used to generate descriptive statistics, such as frequency, percentages, mean, and standard deviation of the study variables. Multiple linear regression and hierarchical regression analysis was used test direct and moderated hypothesis respectively. The finding revealed that training (β= 0.526, p=.000<.05), job autonomy (β= 0.218, p=.000<.05) and reward system (β = 0.129. p=.000<.05) had positive and significant effect on innovative behaviour in Kenyan aviation industry. Further findings revealed that TL was found to have a moderating effect on the relationship between training and IWB (β= 0.45, p=.000<.05, R 2 Δ = 0.046) suggesting the importance of TL in facilitating IWB. However, TL did not moderate the relationship between job autonomy and IWB (β= 0.04, p= >.05, R 2 Δ = 0.00) and reward system and IWB (β= 0.5, p=.>.05, R2Δ = 0.00). Thus, it is recommended that Kenyan aviation industry organizations focus on enhancing their training programs, promoting job autonomy while cultivating transformational leadership qualities among leaders, and continuously monitoring and adjusting human resource practices to support and stimulate employee innovative behavior. Future research should delve deeper into the specific components of transformational leadership and explore the role of other leadership styles in the context of HI-HRM practices and innovation.