How does a good leader–member relationship motivate employees' innovative behaviour?

Purpose Enterprise innovation depends on the innovative behaviour of employees. The relationship between leaders and employees has a significant impact on employees' attitudes and behaviours. Therefore, it is of great practical significance to explore how a good leader–member relationship (LMR) motivates employees' innovative behaviour. Design/methodology/approach Based on 316 questionnaires completed by the members of 53 organisations, SPSS 25.0, Mplus 8.0 and HLM 6.08 were used to analyse the internal mechanisms of LMRs and employees' innovative behaviour. Findings The study identified the following findings: first, LMR was positively correlated with employees' innovative behaviour; second, perceived supervisor support and followership behaviour played mediating roles between leader–member relationship and employees' innovative behaviour and third, organisational political climate was negatively correlated with employees' innovative behaviour and played a moderating role in the relationship between LMR and employees' innovative behaviour. Originality/value The results of this study have clarified the transmission mechanism between LMRs and employees' innovative behaviour while providing useful references for improving the effectiveness of human resource management in organisations.