Servant Leadership and Innovative Work Behaviour:

Resolving the Dimensionality Debate through a Multilevel Resource-based Framework

Abstract

Innovative work behaviour (IWB) is crucial for organisational adaptation; nevertheless, current research is conceptually disjointed, especially concerning the dimensionality of IWB and the methods by which leadership fosters innovation. The principal objective of this study is to establish a cohesive, theory-based framework that elucidates how servant leadership promotes enduring innovative work behaviour through processes of resource production, incentive, and resource transfer. Utilising Servant Leadership Theory and Conservation of Resources Theory, the study defines servant leaders as essential facilitators of innovation by creating pathways for resources that safeguard, activate, and restore psychological, social, and structural assets. To improve explanatory capacity, the framework is supplemented by Social Exchange Theory, the Job Demands–Resources model, and Self-Determination Theory, which together clarify the mechanisms by which leadership-generated resources are reciprocated, internalised, and transformed into sustained innovative behaviour. The paper employs a narrative critical review methodology to synthesise current literature, elucidate definitional difficulties related to IWB, reconcile conflicts between resource conservation and investment, and define processes of empathy-driven resource crossing. The analysis additionally reveals contextual factors, such as organisational culture and environmental volatility that influence the efficacy of leadership-driven innovation. This study enhances theoretical clarity by refining classifications of innovation-related resources and elucidating resource flows facilitated by leaders, providing practical guidance for institutionalising servant leadership practices that foster resilient, resource-abundant environments conducive to sustaining innovation and long-term competitive advantage.