Exploring The Relationship Between Leadership Behaviors and Individual Innovation Effectiveness Among Administrators of The Northeastern TVET Institutes In Cambodia

Authors

Kim An Kor , Sarom Mok , Menheang Hor , Somuny Som

DOI:

10.51601/ijersc.v7i5.1115

Published:

2026-10-20

Downloads

Abstract

Understanding organizational behavior and leadership via complex, linked dynamics that create an environment for organizational learning, flexibility, and innovation is known as complexity leadership. Hence, this study aimed to explore the relationship between leadership behaviors and individual innovation effectiveness among administrators of the Northeastern TVET Institutes in Cambodia.  The study used a cross-sectional survey design and a quantitative research approach. The samples were 120 administrators from the Northeastern TVET Institutes completing the surveyed questionnaires. Collected data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics via computer software. The correlation matrix revealed numerous pairs of associated items, and three Pearson r tests were significantly and moderately connected. All three null hypotheses were disproved, and both simple and multiple linear regression produced significant regression equations. There was a stepwise regression. Regression analysis revealed a significant equation. Setting clear goals and deliverables was equivalent to the participants’ anticipated level of individual creativity. By identifying empirical evidence indicating statistically significant connections between complexity leadership and individual innovation inside an organization, the study filled a gap in the literature. In order to foster individual innovation, all leaders should ambidextrously supply agents in networks both dampening (administrative) and amplifying (generative) input. This study suggests that leaders need to set clear goals and deliverables.

References

[1]. Akgün, A. E., Keskin, H., Byrne, J. C., & Ilhan, Ö. Ö. (2014). Complex adaptive system mechanisms, adaptive management practices, and firm product innovativeness. R&D Management, 44(1), 18–41. https://doi.org/10.1111/radm.12036

[2]. Aldahdouh, T. Z., Korhonen, V., & Nokelainen, P. (2019). What contributes to individual innovativeness? A multilevel perspective. International Journal of Innovation Studies, 3(2), 23–39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijis.2019.06.001

[3]. Al-Lail, H. R. J., & Mohamed, E. A. A. (2019). Innovation in the quality life cycle of higher education institutions: The case of Effat University. In A. Visvizi, M. D. Lytras, & A. Sarirete (Eds.), Management and administration of higher education institutions in times of change (pp. 118–135). Emerald Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-78973-627-420191007

[4]. Barrett, B. (2019). The dual roles of higher education institutions in the knowledge-economy. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Perspectives in Higher Education, 4(1), 74–88.

[5]. Bryman, A. (2012). Social research methods (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.

[6]. Callens, C. (2024). Achieving collaborative innovation by controlling or leveraging network complexities through complexity leadership. Public Administration, 102(3), 936–952. https://doi.org/10.1111/padm.12958

[7]. Clarke, N. (2013). Model of complexity leadership development. Human Resource Development International, 16(2), 135–150. https://doi.org/10.1080/13678868.2012.756155

[8]. Clemens, W. C., Jr. (2013). Complexity science and world affairs. SUNY Press.

[9]. Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). SAGE.

[10]. Cureton, L. Y. (2020). An examination of the mediating effects of team behaviors in complex adaptive systems on the relationship between complexity leadership and support for innovation (Publication No. 28546134) [Doctoral dissertation, University of Maryland Eastern Shore]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.

[11]. Dawson, S., Poquet, O., Colvin, C., Rogers, T., Pardo, A., & Gasevic, D. (2018). Rethinking learning analytics adoption through complexity leadership theory. In Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Learning Analytics and Knowledge (pp. 236–244). Association for Computing Machinery. https://doi.org/10.1145/3170358.3170375

[12]. Denis, J.-L., Langley, A., & Sergi, V. (2012). Leadership in the plural. Academy of Management Annals, 6(1), 211–283. https://doi.org/10.1080/19416520.2012.667612

[13]. Diesel, R., & Scheepers, C. B. (2019). Innovation climate mediating complexity leadership and ambidexterity. Personnel Review, 48(7), 1782–1808. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-11-2018-0445

[14]. Fulton, B. R. (2018). Organizations and survey research: Implementing response enhancing strategies and conducting nonresponse analyses. Sociological Methods & Research, 47(2), 240–276. https://doi.org/10.1177/0049124115626169

[15]. George, D., & Mallery, P. (2019). IBM SPSS Statistics 26 step by step: A simple guide and reference (16th ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429056765

[16]. Glover, W. J., Nissinboim, N., & Naveh, E. (2020). Examining innovation in hospital units: A complex adaptive systems approach. BMC Health Services Research, 20, Article 554. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-020-05403-2

[17]. Hazy, J. K., & Prottas, D. J. (2018). Complexity leadership: Construct validation of an instrument to assess generative and administrative leadership modes. Journal of Managerial Issues, 325–348. https://www.jstor.org/stable/45176588

[18]. Hazy, J. K., & Uhl-Bien, M. (2015). Towards operationalizing complexity leadership: How generative, administrative, and community-building leadership practices enact organizational outcomes. Leadership, 11(1), 79–104. https://doi.org/10.1177/1742715013511483

[19]. Ho, J., Foo Seong Ng, D., Chua, P. H., & Binte Munir, N. (2025). Leadership across schools to diffuse an education innovation: Applying complexity leadership theory with ecological leadership. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 28(2), 307–329. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603124.2021.2010283

[20]. Horvat, A., & Filipovic, J. (2018). Service quality and maturity of health care organizations through the lens of complexity leadership theory. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 24(1), 301–307. https://doi.org/10.1111/jep.12789

[21]. Houchin, K., & MacLean, D. (2005). Complexity theory and strategic change: An empirically informed critique. British Journal of Management, 16(2), 149–166. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8551.2005.00427.x

[22]. Hurny-Fricano, B. E. (2021). Leadership practices and dimensions of organizational capacities: Supporting innovation in small nonprofits [Doctoral dissertation, St. John Fisher University]. Fisher Digital Publications. https://fisherpub.sjf.edu/education_etd/513/

[23]. Kemer, A. S., & Altuntaş, S. (2017). Adaptation of the Individual Innovative Behaviors Scale in nursing profesion: Turkish validity–reliability study. Journal of Education & Research in Nursing, 14(1), 52–61. https://doi.org/10.5222/HEAD.2017.052

[24]. Khan, C. B. A., Ahmed, R., & Anantatmula, V. S. (2021). Linking complexity leadership functions to entrepreneurial orientation: Evidence from telecommunication sector. Journal of Business and Entrepreneurship, 9(2), 52–67. https://doi.org/10.46273/job&e.v9i2.207

[25]. Kleysen, R. F., & Street, C. T. (2001). Toward a multi-dimensional measure of individual innovative behavior. Journal of Intellectual Capital, 2(3), 284–296. https://doi.org/10.1108/EUM0000000005660

[26]. Laufer, M., Deacon, B., Mende, M. A., & Schäfer, L. O. (2025). Leading with trust: How university leaders can foster innovation with educational technology through organizational trust. Innovative Higher Education, 50(1), 303–327. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-024-09733-5

[27]. Li, Y., Wang, M., van Jaarsveld, D. D., Lee, G. K., & Ma, D. G. (2018). From employee-experienced high-involvement work system to innovation: An emergence-based human resource management framework. Academy of Management Journal, 61(5), 2000–2019. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2015.1101

[28]. Lichtenstein, B. B., Uhl-Bien, M., Marion, R., Seers, A., Orton, J. D., & Schreiber, C. (2006). Complexity leadership theory: An interactive perspective on leading in complex adaptive systems. Emergence: Complexity and Organization, 8(4), 2–12.

[29]. Mai, N. K., & Do, T. T. (2023). The role of leadership and organizational learning in fostering high performance of tourism firms in Vietnam. Cogent Business & Management, 10(1), Article 2164139. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2022.2164139

[30]. Marion, R., & Uhl-Bien, M. (2001). Leadership in complex organizations. The Leadership Quarterly, 12(4), 389–418. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1048-9843(01)00092-3

[31]. Mok, S., Chhun, H., Lim, S., Chhun, R., Pann, S., Thay, K., & Yoeun. S. (2026a). The dynamics of servant leadership style practices and work commitment in TVET setting: Developing a local practice model for Cambodians. Int Res J Multidiscip Scope, 7(3), 1768-1780. DOI: 10.47857/irjms.2026.v07i03.011361

[32]. Mok, S., Chhun, R., Hor, M., & Thay, K. (2026b). An analytical framework for understanding governance, public action, and organizational coordination: A systematic literature review. Journal of Law and Social Politics, 4(3), 360–372. https://doi.org/10.59261/jlsp.v4i3.133

[33]. Olo, D., Correia, L., & Rego, C. (2021). Higher education institutions and development: Missions, models, and challenges. Journal of Social Studies Education Research, 12(2), 1–25.

[34]. Ramos, J., Anderson, N., Peiró, J. M., & Zijlstra, F. (2016). Studying innovation in organizations: A dialectic perspective—Introduction to the special issue. European Journal of Work & Organizational Psychology, 25(4), 477–480. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2016.1192364

[35]. Regine, B., & Lewin, R. (2000). Leading at the edge: How leaders influence complex systems. Emergence, 2(2), 5–23. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327000EM0202_02

[36]. Rosenhead, J., Franco, L. A., Grint, K., & Friedland, B. (2019). Complexity theory and leadership practice: A review, a critique, and some recommendations. The Leadership Quarterly, 30(5), Article 101304. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2019.07.002

[37]. Ross, A. M., Iliac, K., Kiyoshi-Teo, H., & Lee, C. S. (2018). Psychometric analysis of the Leadership Environment Scale (LENS): Outcome from the Oregon research initiative on the organisation of nursing (ORION). Journal of Nursing Management, 26(4), 467–476. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.12572

[38]. Schneider, M., & Somers, M. (2006). Organizations as complex adaptive systems: Implications of complexity theory for leadership research. The Leadership Quarterly, 17(4), 351–365. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2006.04.006

[39]. Schophuizen, M., Kelly, A., Utama, C., Specht, M., & Kalz, M. (2023). Enabling educational innovation through complexity leadership? Perspectives from four Dutch universities. Tertiary Education and Management, 29(4), 471–490. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11233-022-09105-8

[40]. Soliday, J., & Lombardi, M. (2019). Pivot: A vision for the new university. Advantage Media Group.

[41]. Sok, C., Mok, S., Som, S., Hor, M., & Em, S. (2026a). Teachers’ self-regulated learning instructional practices: Differences in perception among TVET students in Cambodia. Journal of General Education and Humanities, 5(2), 2121 –. https://doi.org/10.58421/gehu.v5i2.866

[42]. Sok, C., Mok, S., Thay, K., Sokha, M., & Um, S. (2026b). The impact of TVET institute directors’ servant leadership style on teachers’ job commitment in the Cambodian context. Journal of Mathematics Instruction, Social Research and Opinion, 5(1), 1085–1100. https://doi.org/10.58421/misro.v5i1.1319

[43]. Stingl, A. (2021). Knowledge-based economy. EBSCO Information Services. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/economics/knowledge-based-economy

[44]. Tsai, Y.-S., Poquet, O., Gašević, D., Dawson, S., & Pardo, A. (2019). Complexity leadership in learning analytics: Drivers, challenges, and opportunities. British Journal of Educational Technology, 50(6), 2839–2854. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12846

[45]. Uhl-Bien, M., & Arena, M. (2018). Leadership for organizational adaptability: A theoretical synthesis and integrative framework. The Leadership Quarterly, 29(1), 89–104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2017.12.009

[46]. Uhl-Bien, M., & Marion, R. (2009). Complexity leadership in bureaucratic forms of organizing: A meso model. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(4), 631–650. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2009.04.007

[47]. Uhl-Bien, M., Marion, R., & McKelvey, B. (2007). Complexity leadership theory: Shifting leadership from the industrial age to the knowledge era. The Leadership Quarterly, 18(4), 298–318. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2007.04.002

[48]. Walters, C. (2021). The complexity of leadership in South African universities. Higher Education Research and Development, 40(6), 1326–1341. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2020.1811644

[49]. Zillmann, D., Schmitz, A., Skopek, J., & Blossfeld, H.-P. (2014). Survey topic and unit nonresponse: Evidence from an online survey on mating. Quality & Quantity, 48(4), 2069–2088. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-013-9880-y.

Author Biographies

Kim An Kor, Ph.D. Candidate, Preah Sihamoniraja Buddhist University, Cambodia

Author Origin : Cambodia

Sarom Mok, Ph.D., Post-Doctoral Researcher, Universitas Komputer Indonesia (UNIKOM), Indonesia

Author Origin : Indonesia

Menheang Hor, Ph.D., Main Advisor, Preah Sihamoniraja Buddhist University, Cambodia

Author Origin : Cambodia

Somuny Som, Academician. Co-advisor, Preah Sihamoniraja Buddhist University, Cambodia

Author Origin : Cambodia

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

How to Cite

An Kor, K., Mok, S., Menheang Hor, & Somuny Som. (2026). Exploring The Relationship Between Leadership Behaviors and Individual Innovation Effectiveness Among Administrators of The Northeastern TVET Institutes In Cambodia . International Journal of Educational Research & Social Sciences , 7(5), 759–768. https://doi.org/10.51601/ijersc.v7i5.1115