Utilizing every grain of intellect: exploring the role of individual-level intellectual capital in linking servant leadership with innovative work behavior

Purpose: Based on social exchange and social learning theories, this study explicates the mediating role of individual-level human capital, structural capital and relational capital in linking servant leadership with the innovative work behavior (IWB) of employees.

Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected from 256 manager–employee dyads from the IT sector of Pakistan in three phases through a survey conducted two months apart. 

Findings: Results showed that two dimensions of individual-level intellectual capital, namely, individual-level human capital and individual-level relational capital, mediated the relationship between servant leadership and IWB, whereas individual-level structural capital did not mediate the relationship between the two variables. 

Originality/value: This study confirms the relationship between servant leadership and IWB and tests the mediating role of the three facets of individual-level intellectual capital in linking servant leadership with the IWB of employees.