Servant Leadership and Innovative Work Behavior: The Role of Readiness for Organizational Change in Pakistan

This study investigates the relationship between Servant Leadership (SL) and Innovative Work Behavior (IWB) among employees in Pakistan, a collectivistic culture, with a focus on the moderating role of Readiness for Organizational Change (ROC). A cross-sectional, quantitative design was used to collect data from 480 employees across different industries using simple random sampling. SL, IWB and ROC were measured using these standardized scales with reliability confirmed by Cronbach’s alpha (α = .99 for all scales). Hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that SL significantly predicts IWB, and Pearson correlation analysis revealed a strong positive relationship between SL and IWB . IWB was significant but negatively predicted by ROC, with moderation analysis revealing buffering and that high change readiness predicts IWB only in the absence of excessive change readiness. It illustrates the way in which the change field in a Pakistani collectivist context influences the adoption of IWB through balanced change management. The practical implications are to utilise SL to boost IT innovation in Pakistan and to manage the ROC to aid creative outcomes strategically. The study adds insight to the leadership literature by validating SL’s impact in a non-Western context and emphasizing the importance of context, cultural and organizational context in shaping innovation.