Effects of emotional healing on organisational learning and radical innovation: a leadership-based approach

Abstract

Purpose The objective of this study was to provide empirical evidence of the relationship between emotional healing, analysed as a leader behaviour and radical innovation.

Design/methodology/approach To test the hypotheses, structural equations were used, with organisational learning capability as an explanatory variable. The study was conducted in a population of 402 Spanish companies. A sample frame of 292 questionnaires was obtained from 146 different organisations. The fieldwork took place in two stages, in 2010 and again in 2015.

Findings Results confirm the hypotheses proposed in the model. Emotional healing promotes organisational learning capability and, in turn, radical innovation.

Practical implications Our results provide some guidelines for companies that are trying to develop radical innovations by improving the workplace conditions.

Originality/value To our knowledge, there are no previous studies which studied the relationship between emotional healing and its effect on radical innovation. Therefore, providing empirical evidence of such a relationship is the main contribution of this paper.