Journal of Psychology and Behavior Studies ISSN: 2753-2364 DOI: 10.32996/jpbs Journal Homepage: www.al-kindipublisher.com/index.php/jpbs JPBS AL-KINDI CENTER FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT Copyright: © 2023 the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Published by Al-Kindi Centre for Research and Development, London, United Kingdom. Page | 1 | RESEARCH ARTICLE The Effect of Authentic Leadership on Innovative Work Behavior Mediated by Work Meaningfulness Chiefy Adi Kusmargono 1 ✉ Wihana Kirana Jaya 2 , Agus Heruanto Hadna 3 and Sumaryono 4 1 Student of the Leadership and Policy Innovation Study Program, The Graduate School of Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia 234 Lecturer of the Leadership and Policy Innovation Study Program, The Graduate School of Universitas Corresponding Author: Chiefy Adi Kusmargono, E-mail: chiefy@pmli.co.id | ABSTRACT Volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA) relentlessly targeted the corporate and economic sectors in the twenty- first century. Innovative work behavior is seen as the most important contributor to the organization's performance and sustainability in the face of VUCA. Authentic leadership is a variable that impacts innovative work behavior. This research aimed to examine the effect of authentic leadership on innovative work behavior by mediating the role of work meaningfulness. 208 employees from one of the Learning & Consulting companies in Indonesia were selected by simple random sampling. Data analysis used a simple mediation model by Hayes. The result shows that work meaningfulness has a role booster as a mediator between authentic leadership and innovative work behavior. The results of the study revealed that organizations could enhance creative work behavior by offering authentic leadership development programs for all leaders. The leader can stimulate information and opinion, build trustworthy relationships with employees and communicate the company's vision, goal, objectives, and values linked to employees' personal values. Then for strengthening, companies can further support by explaining the importance of the meaning of work, the roles and contributions of employees to the company and the large purpose. It is hoped that this study has provided some insights into the effect of authentic leadership on innovative work behavior mediated by work meaningfulness. | KEYWORDS Authentic Leadership, Innovative Work Behavior, Work Meaningfulness | ARTICLE INFORMATION ACCEPTED: 19 June 2023 PUBLISHE02D: 19 July 2023 DOI: 10.32996/jpbs.2023.3.2.1 1. Introduction VUCA relentlessly targeted the corporate and economic sectors in the twenty-first century. As a result, one of the most significant consequences is the challenge of managers describing and comprehending their surroundings (Pears, 2017). With the global influence of the VUCA phenomenon, it has become increasingly challenging to generate profitability and growth by acquiring a durable competitive edge. The organization, its executives, and its workers must recognize VUCA, implement suitable management models, and implement relevant tactics. Most academicians, practitioners, and experts now believe that VUCA is a continuous phenomenon whose effect is growing daily (ÇIçeklioğlu, 2020). The VUCA environment forces an organization to use its cognitive resources to quickly generate new ideas (Chawla & Lenka, 2018). Innovation is seen as the most important contributor to the organization's performance and sustainability in the face of unpredictable changes in market circumstances, rising technology breakthroughs, increasingly harsh worldwide competition and VUCA (Millar, Groth, & Mahon, 2018; Amalia & Handoyo, S, 2018). According to research by PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited (Shelton & Percival, 2013), 1,757 executives reported that innovation is necessary for companies to stay relevant and competitive in industries that are changing quickly by predicting and adapting to market changes and client demands. However,