CEO transformational leadership and the new product development process

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the linkages between CEO transformational leadership and the new product development (NPD) process through organizational learning and innovation culture. Design/methodology/approach – A large-scale survey by a sample of 269 manufacturing firms in Thailand was conducted. Structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed relationships. Findings – CEO transformational leadership was strongly and positively associated with organizational learning and innovation culture. Additionally, organizational learning and innovation culture were positively related to the NPD process. Practical implications – Managers should pay more attention to organizational learning since it has a strong impact on the NPD process. CEOs with an innovation-oriented attitude should develop their transformational leadership to support organizational learning and an innovation culture. Originality/value – The study extends the understanding of the connections between CEO transformational leadership and the NPD process. The results highlight the mediating roles of organizational learning and innovation culture on the relationship between CEO transformational leadership and the NPD process.