Transformational leadership and knowledge creation practices in Korean and US schools: knowledge assets as mediators

Abstract

This study examined a comprehensive model including transformational leadership, individual- and organisational-level knowledge assets (i.e., work engagement and a supportive learning culture), and knowledge creation practices with a cultural comparison between South Korean and US schools. The results indicated that a principal's transformational leadership strongly affected a supportive learning culture, which is an organisational-level knowledge asset, which in turn led to knowledge creation practices in schools. From a cross-cultural perspective, a principal's leadership directly affected knowledge creation practices of teachers in Korean schools, whereas a supportive learning culture was found to be more influential on teachers' attitudes and behaviours related to knowledge creation in US schools. Our study contributes to a better understanding of conditions for knowledge creation practices from a cross-cultural perspective and provides several important implications for the knowledge management literature.