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This study aims to explore the associations between leadership styles (i.e. transformational and ethical) and innovative work behavior within higher education institutions (HEIs), additionally investigating the mediating role of work engagement and the moderating role of psychological empowerment.

The basis of this study rested upon adopting a cross-sectional research framework. The data were acquired from a sample comprising 825 academic staff and 275 leaders across 226 HEIs in China. Employing a quantitative methodology, the researchers used AMOS version 26.0 and SPSS version 22.0 for statistical analysis.

The results indicated that leadership styles (i.e. transformational and ethical) positively affected innovative work behavior, both directly and indirectly (via work engagement). Also, psychological empowerment moderated the linkage between leadership styles and innovative work behavior but not the association between work engagement and innovative work behavior.

Despite some existing literature having discussed the correlation between leadership styles and innovative work behavior, there appears to be a conspicuous dearth of research endeavoring to explore the mediator (i.e. work engagement) and the moderator (i.e. psychological empowerment) within the above nexus, especially in the context of HEIs. Thus, this study can be considered original, introducing novel perspectives and substantial contributions to the management literature on HEIs. In addition, it offers insights for organizational managers.