Empowering innovation: the role of wise leadership and knowledge sharing in Oman's governmental organizations

Purpose This study investigates how Wise Leadership (WL) influences employee innovation in Omani governmental organizations by emphasizing the mediating role of Knowledge Sharing (KS). Examining leadership within a culturally embedded governance system extends leadership theory by demonstrating how non-Western, contextually grounded leadership models shape innovative outcomes in public sector settings. Design/methodology/approach A descriptive quantitative design was employed to collect survey data from 300 employees across three government institutions. Structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) with 5,000 bootstrapping iterations tested the reliability, validity, and hypothesized relationships among WL dimensions, KS, and employee innovation. Findings KS significantly enhanced employee innovation (ß = 0.629, p < 0.001), whereas moral conduct was the strongest predictor of KS (ß = 0.226, p = 0.042), indirectly improving innovation. In contrast, the intellectual, purring, and cultivating dimensions showed weak or non-significant effects, highlighting the distinctive roles of ethical and relational leadership practices. These results indicate that moral conduct serves as the primary mechanism for translating leadership into innovation, underscoring the contextual limitations of conventional Western leadership models in hierarchical collectivist public-sector environments. Research limitations/implications Reliance on self-reported data and focus on Omani public institutions limits generalizability. A cross-sectional design also constrains causal inference, suggesting the need for longitudinal and cross-cultural studies. Practical implications The findings provide practical insights for policymakers and organizational leaders, highlighting the value of moral leadership and knowledge-sharing practices in enhancing innovation, organizational performance, and societal outcomes. Originality/value This study empirically validates an integrated WL–KS–Innovation model, offering new theoretical insights into how culturally embedded leadership drives innovation in Gulf public organizations while providing actionable guidance for policymakers and leaders.