The Impact of Empowering Leadership on the Creativity of Middle- and Older-Aged Workers in a Retirement-Decoupled Environment: Focusing on the Mediating Role of Learning Goal Orientation

This study aims to empirically investigate the influence of empowering leadership on the creative performance of older workers, with a particular focus on the mediating role of learning goal orientation.As aging populations become more prominent in the workforce, understanding how to sustain and enhance the contributions of older employees is increasingly important.Data were collected from 159 older employees aged between 50 and 64 years who are currently employed in various organizations across South Korea.The findings revealed that empowering leadership-defined by behaviors such as sharing power, encouraging autonomy, and fostering employee development-has a direct and positive impact on the creative performance of older workers.In addition, the results confirmed that learning goal orientation plays a significant mediating role in this relationship.Specifically, older workers who perceive their leaders as empowering are more likely to adopt a learning-oriented mindset, which enhances their intrinsic motivation to acquire new skills and knowledge.This, in turn, fosters greater engagement in creative problem-solving and idea generation.The study highlights the crucial role of leadership practices that foster autonomy and psychological empowerment, enabling older employees to remain innovative and engaged.Practical implications are discussed in terms of developing leadership strategies and organizational policies that support the ongoing development and reintegration of older workers into dynamic, innovation-driven work environments.