ISSN 0439-755X
CN 11-1911/B

Acta Psychologica Sinica ›› 2023, Vol. 55 ›› Issue (3): 374-389.doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1041.2023.00374

• Special Issue on “Psychological Characteristics and Behaviors of Chinese People in Response to Crisis and Challenges” • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Dialectical leadership behavior and its impact on firm innovation capability and performance: An exploration based on the Chinese culture

WANG Hui1, WANG Ying2, JI Xiaode1(), JI Ming1   

  1. 1Guanghua School of Management, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
    2Business School, University of International Business and Economics, Beijing 100029, China
  • Received:2021-04-22 Published:2023-03-25 Online:2022-12-22
  • Contact: JI Xiaode E-mail:jixiaode@pku.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    National Natural Science Foundation of China(71872005)

Abstract:

Under the framework of exploring the psychological and behavioral characteristics of Chinese people in coping with crises, this paper explores the conceptualization, structure, measurement, and uniqueness of dialectical leadership behavior, as well as discuss its influence on firm innovation capability and performance. This study found that dialectical leadership behavior, which stemmed from the traditional Chinese and Eastern Asia culture, has six dimensions: 1) timely adjusting, 2) individualized mentoring, 3) balancing between kindness and strictness, 4) weighing contradictions, 5) promoting coordination, and 6) holistically managing. Results from multiple studies show that: 1) dialectical leadership behavior is different from other existing leadership behavior concepts; 2) the mean level of Chinese top managers' dialectical leadership behavior is higher than the United States top managers' dialectical leadership behavior; 3) dialectical leadership behavior is positively related to firm innovation capability and performance. Moreover, we also identified firm strategic flexibility as the underlining mechanism in the above relationships. Finally, we discuss the theoretical and practical implications and future research direction.

Key words: dialectical leadership behavior, strategic flexibility, firm innovative capability, firm performance, Chinese context