Abstract
To stay competitive, companies have been focusing their resources on innovation. However, innovation success depends on various factors, including the capability and skills of the leaders within the company. A new study has created a three-dimensional model identifying the relationship between design leadership, work value ethics, and workplace innovation. By analysing 2,907 questionnaires from small and medium-sized enterprises across seven different countries, the results of the study show that work value ethics have an influence on leadership behaviour, and design leadership significantly impacts the four dimensions of workplace innovation. This confirms the interactionist theory perspective. The study also explores the relationship between work value ethics and workplace innovation within Western and Eastern SMEs, and the findings suggest that leadership behaviour mediates this relationship. This study extends the literature on design leadership, innovation, and values.