Does leader turnover intention hinder team innovation performance? The roles of leader self-sacrificial behavior and empathic concern

This study examined how and when leader turnover intention influences team innovation performance. By integrating the literature on turnover intention and team innovation, and treating leader self-sacrificial behavior as a mediator, we explored the relationship between leader turnover intention and team innovation performance. Further, we examined leader empathic concern as a moderator of the relationship. We conducted a multiple-source, time-lagged research design to collect data from 119 team leaders and 397 team members of a large biopharmaceutical company in Northern China. We found that leader turnover intention is negatively related to leader self-sacrificial behavior, and leader empathic concern negatively moderated this relationship. In addition, leader self-sacrificial behavior served as a mediator in the negative relationship between leader turnover intention and team innovation performance. We discuss the implications of our findings for future theory, research, and practice regarding turnover and innovation.