The Influence of Principal Transformational Leadership, Organizational Culture Through Knowledge Sharing on the Innovative Behavior of Elementary School Teachers in South Solok Regency

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the relationships of principals’ transformational leadership and organizational culture with elementary school teachers’ innovative behavior and to determine the mediating role of knowledge sharing in these relationships. A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was employed involving 291 public elementary school teachers in South Solok Regency, Indonesia, selected from a population of 1,190 teachers through stratified proportional random sampling. Data were collected using validated five-point Likert-scale questionnaires and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4. The results showed that transformational leadership was positively associated with teachers’ innovative behavior (β = 0.141, t = 2.883, p = 0.002) and knowledge sharing (β = 0.267, t = 4.844, p < 0.001). Organizational culture was positively associated with knowledge sharing (β = 0.515, t = 9.655, p < 0.001) but had no significant direct relationship with innovative behavior (β = −0.034, t = 0.566, p = 0.286). Knowledge sharing demonstrated the strongest relationship with innovative behavior (β = 0.722, t = 16.322, p < 0.001) and significantly mediated the relationships between transformational leadership and innovative behavior (β = 0.193) and between organizational culture and innovative behavior (β = 0.372). The model explained 61.9% of the variance in teachers’ innovative behavior. These findings underscore knowledge sharing as a central organizational mechanism linking leadership and school culture with teacher innovation. Given the cross-sectional and self-reported nature of the data, future studies should employ longitudinal and mixed-method designs across broader educational contexts.