The emergence of servant leadership and its effectiveness in bureaucratic organizations

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (8) ◽  
pp. 1235-1249
Author(s):  
Jungin Kim
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Culture ◽  
Servant Leadership ◽  
Organizational Structure ◽  
Social Exchange ◽  
Hierarchical Linear Modeling ◽  
Social Exchange Theory ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Linear Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Bureaucratic Organizations

PurposeBy following the leadership theory, social exchange theory and social learning theory, we aimed to examine the conditions under which servant leadership (SL) develops in bureaucratic organizations and explore its influences on organizational culture and member behavior.Design/methodology/approachBased on a survey of the South Korean Army, this study conducted the hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) analysis to investigate the research model.FindingsWe found that SL was positively associated with formalized organizational structure and negatively associated with centralized organizational structure. Additionally, SL created a relation-oriented organizational culture (ROOC) and significantly enhanced battalion members' organizational commitment (OC). Furthermore, ROOC significantly mediated the relationship between SL and OC.Originality/valueThese results suggest that SL could emerge in both formalized and decentralized bureaucratic organizations. Moreover, SL appears to create an organizational culture that promotes collaboration, and such a ROOC seems to mediate the positive influence of SL on followers' OC.

Converting service encounters into cross-selling opportunities

2015 ◽  
Vol 49 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 491-511 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ting Yu ◽  
Paul Patterson ◽  
Ko de Ruyter
Keyword(s):  
Goal Orientation ◽  
Hierarchical Linear Modeling ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Linear Modeling ◽  
Research Issues ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Joint Influence ◽  
The Impact ◽  
A Performance

Purpose – This paper aims to examine how the motivation and ability of individual employees to sell influences their units’ capability to align their service delivery with sales in a way that satisfies customers. It also addresses the potential influence of employees’ confidence in their supervisor’s ability to sell, such that they predict a joint influence of personal and proxy agency. Design/methodology/approach – This study uses hierarchical linear modeling to address the research issues. Findings – Employees’ learning orientation has a positive influence on service-sales ambidexterity, but the impact of a performance-avoidance goal orientation is negative, and a performance-prove orientation has no influence. Proxy efficacy enhances the positive impact of learning orientations due to the manager’s ability to lead by example, facilitate knowledge sharing and provide advice. However, it attenuates the impact of self-efficacy on service-sales ambidexterity, because skilled supervisors tend to take over and eliminate opportunities for employees to build their own skills. It also confirms the positive influence of service-sales ambidexterity on branch performance. Originality/value – To examine the emerging service-sales ambidexterity issues raised in frontline service units, this study adopts a motivation and capability paradigm. It is among the first studies to address service-sales ambidexterity issues by considering both individual and branch contextual factors.

Servant leadership and mistreatment at the workplace: mediation of trust and moderation of ethical climate

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Inam Ul Haq ◽  
Usman Raja ◽  
Imtiaz Alam ◽  
Dirk De Clercq ◽  
Sharjeel Saleem
Keyword(s):  
Servant Leadership ◽  
Social Exchange ◽  
Ethical Climate ◽  
Social Exchange Theory ◽  
Interactive Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Workplace Mistreatment ◽  
Time Lagged ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeWith a foundation in social exchange theory, this study examines the relationship between servant leadership and three types of workplace mistreatment – bullying, incivility and ostracism – while also considering a mediating role of trust in the leader and a moderating role of the ethical climate.Design/methodology/approachThree time-lagged sets of data (N = 431) were collected among employees working in various sectors.FindingsServant leadership relates significantly to trust in the leader, as well as to workplace bullying, incivility and ostracism. In turn, trust in the leader mediates the relationship between servant leadership and all three types of workplace mistreatment. The results also indicate the presence of moderated mediation, in that the indirect effect of servant leadership on workplace mistreatment is moderated by the ethical climate.Originality/valueThis study adds to extant research by examining the mediating mechanism of trust in leaders with servant leadership and workplace mistreatment, along with interactive effects of ethical climate.

scholarly journals Exchange variables, organizational culture and their relationship with constructive deviance

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (12) ◽  
pp. 1423-1446 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron Cohen ◽  
Sari Ehrlich
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Culture ◽  
Organizational Climate ◽  
Hierarchical Linear Modeling ◽  
Psychological Contract ◽  
Moral Identity ◽  
Mediation Effect ◽  
Linear Modeling ◽  
Contract Breach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Dependent Variables

Purpose Constructive deviance is a behavior that can contribute to the effectiveness of an organization despite its problematic nature. Too few studies have examined the correlates of this behavior. The purpose of this study is to examine variables that represent exchange and organizational culture and their relationship to supervisor-reported and self-reported constructive deviance. Design/methodology/approach The survey data were collected from 602 employees (a response rate of 67 per cent) in a large municipality in central Israel. Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) analyses were performed for each of the dependent variables (three self-reported constructive deviances and three supervisor-reported constructive deviance) controlling for divisions and departments. Findings The findings showed that self-reported constructive deviance was explained much better by the independent variables than supervisor-reported deviance. Organizational justice and moral identity had a strong direct effect on constructive deviance (self-reported). The mediation effect showed that an organizational climate for innovation had the strongest mediation effect among the mediators. Psychological contract breach was found to have a limited effect on constructive deviance. Practical implications Organizations should encourage procedural justice to encourage their employees to act in support of the organization, whether openly (formal performance) or more secretly (constructive deviance). Also, organizations should support innovation climate if they want to increase constructive deviance of their employees. Originality/value In a time when innovation and creativity are gaining increasing importance as behaviors that contribute to organizational success, more research on constructive deviance is expected. This study increases our understanding of this important concept stimulates additional studies of it.

Casting a Long Shadow: Leader–Leader Relationship and Employee Citizenship Behavior

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Muldoon ◽  
Satvir Singh ◽  
Prajya R. Vidyarthi
Keyword(s):  
Social Exchange ◽  
Organizational Citizenship ◽  
Hierarchical Linear Modeling ◽  
Organizational Citizenship Behavior ◽  
Social Exchange Theory ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Citizenship Behavior ◽  
Linear Modeling ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Employee Citizenship

This study examines the process and context of the relationship between leader–leader exchange (LLX) and subordinate organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) such that direct supervisors’ attitudes and behaviors affect the relationship. Integrating social exchange theory with signaling theory, we argue that LLX influences the amount of OCBs that direct supervisors can obtain from subordinates and depends on direct supervisors’ organizational-based self-esteem and support. In a sample of 290 direct supervisor/subordinate-dyads, using hierarchical linear modeling, we found that LLX partially mediates through supervisor support and is positively related to OCBs, and the mediation is highest in high organizational-based self-esteem.

scholarly journals Servant leadership and followers' creativity: does climate for creativity matter?

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Aboramadan
Keyword(s):  
Servant Leadership ◽  
Social Exchange ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Social Exchange Theory ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Maturity Stage ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hotel Managers ◽  
Research Studies

PurposeThis research proposes, building on social exchange theory and the componential theory of creativity, a model of servant leadership to investigate its effect on followers' creativity through the intervening mechanism of climate for creativity in the hospitality  industry, operating in a non-Western context.Design/methodology/approachThe study predicted that climate for creativity will play a significant intervening role in the servant leadership–creativity relationship. The study’s data were collected from 232 employees working in 70 Palestinian hotels. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses along with techniques used to reduce common method bias.FindingsThe results revealed the significance of climate for creativity as a partial mediator in the relationship between servant leadership and followers' creativity.Practical implicationsThe results might be useful for hotel managers in the context of utilizing servant leadership roles for fostering a creative climate. They might, therefore, consider placing servant leaders as a recruitment agenda priority.Originality/valueThis research is novel in three ways. First, its aim is to enrich the empirical literature on servant leadership, which is still in a maturity stage. Second, even with the research studies that are available, limited analysis is found on how servant leadership can stimulate employees' behaviors in the hospitality industry. Third, the study has been conducted in a non-Western context, in contrast to most servant leadership research studies being carried out in Western countries.

Establishing a partnership between top and IT managers

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 948-972 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anton Manfreda ◽  
Mojca Indihar Štemberger
Keyword(s):  
Social Exchange ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Social Exchange Theory ◽  
Strong Relationship ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Interdisciplinary Studies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
It Managers ◽  
It Department ◽  
Negative Effect

Purpose A poor relationship between top management and IT personnel is often denoted as a business–IT gap. In an era of digital transformation, bridging this gap and establishing a strong relationship between business and IT are more important than ever before. The purpose of this paper is thus to examine a particular link between business and IT managers – a partnership relationship – together with the factors facilitating it. Design/methodology/approach A partnership construct is developed based on interdisciplinary studies and transferred to the business–IT context since it is not generally used in IT disciplines. The model was empirically tested with structural equation modelling using data obtained from 221 IT managers in Slovenian companies. Findings The results show that both the perceived value of IT and the business orientation of the IT department exert a positive influence on the partnership, while a mere technology-oriented IT department has a negative effect on the partnership relationship. Furthermore, the paper also presents the prerequisites for a business-oriented IT department. Originality/value In this digitalisation era, IT is becoming even more important for its strategic role in organisations. There is thus a strong need to bridge the business–IT gap. Despite significant efforts made to close this gap, it remains a major issue. This research contributes to understanding the business–IT gap and presents the key factors for ensuring a partnership relationship is in place. The study also combines the views of social exchange theory and knowledge-based theory and upgrades findings concerning the influence of social facilitators on collaboration outcomes.

When and why does relative leader-member exchange enhance service performance?

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (7) ◽  
pp. 2666-2690 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahn Hee Yoon ◽  
David J. Yoon
Keyword(s):  
Customer Service ◽  
Social Exchange ◽  
Hierarchical Linear Modeling ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Leader Member Exchange ◽  
Linear Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Team Commitment ◽  
Member Exchange ◽  
Quality Relationships

Purpose This paper aims to examine the mediating roles of self-efficacy and team commitment in linking service employees’ relative leader-member exchange (RLMX) with customer service behaviors and also the moderating roles of team-level differentiations in leader-member exchange (LMX) and team-member exchange (TMX) in influencing these mediation processes. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 467 customer-contact employees working in hotel restaurants. Hierarchical linear modeling analysis was used to test the mediation hypotheses, and moderated path was used to assess the moderated mediation. Findings Self-efficacy and team-commitment both mediated the relationship between RLMX and customer service behaviors. The differentiations in LMX and TMX significantly interacted with RLMX in predicting self-efficacy and team commitment and also moderated the indirect effects of RLMX on customer service behaviors. Research limitations/implications Future studies need to incorporate customers’ or immediate supervisors’ ratings of subordinates’ customer service behaviors and replicate the findings in different countries and work settings. Practical implications Hospitality managers should foster a work environment wherein they develop equal quality relationships with their subordinates in a workgroup and promote high-quality relationships among subordinates in the workgroup to improve subordinates’ self-efficacy, team commitment and, subsequently, their customer service behaviors. Originality/value This study incorporates both self-efficacy and team commitment as motivation-based and social exchange-based mediators, respectively, in predicting customer service behavior. It also extends the boundary condition for the mediations by considering the team-level differentiations in both vertical exchange (LMX) and horizontal exchange (TMX).

Impact of relatedness, uncertainty and slack on corporate entrepreneurship decisions

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Garrett ◽  
Shaunn Mattingly ◽  
Jeff Hornsby ◽  
Alireza Aghaey
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Hierarchical Linear Modeling ◽  
Cognitive Strategies ◽  
Corporate Entrepreneurship ◽  
New Venture ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Linear Modeling ◽  
Slack Resources ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Positive Effect

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of opportunity relatedness and uncertainty on the decision of a corporate entrepreneur to pursue a venturing opportunity.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses a conjoint experimental design to reveal the structure of respondents' decision policies. Data were gathered from 47 useable replies from corporate entrepreneurs and were analyzed with hierarchical linear modeling (HLM).FindingsResults show that product relatedness, market relatedness, perceived certainty about expected outcomes and slack resources all have a positive effect on the willingness of a corporate entrepreneur to pursue a new venture idea. Moreover, slack was found to diminish the positive effect of product relatedness on the likelihood to pursue a venturing opportunity.Practical implicationsBy providing a better understanding of decision-making schemas of corporate entrepreneurs, the findings of this study help improve the practice of entrepreneurship at the organizational level. In order to make more accurate opportunity assessments, corporate entrepreneurs need to be aware of their cognitive strategies and need to factor in the salient criteria affecting such assessments.Originality/valueThis paper adds to the limited understanding of corporate-level decision-making with regard to pursuing venturing opportunities. More specifically, the paper adds new insights regarding how relatedness and uncertainty affect new venture opportunity assessments in the presence (or lack thereof) of slack resources.

Good problem solvers? Leveraging knowledge sharing mechanisms and management support

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 1017-1038 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ambra Galeazzo ◽  
Andrea Furlan
Keyword(s):  
Transformational Leadership ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Hierarchical Linear Modeling ◽  
Shop Floor ◽  
Management Support ◽  
Linear Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Problem Solvers ◽  
Good Problem

Purpose Organizational learning relies on problem-solving as a way to generate new knowledge. Good problem solvers should adopt a problem-solving orientation (PSO) that analyzes the causes of problems to arrive at an effective solution. The purpose of this paper is to investigate this relevant, though underexplored, topic by examining two important antecedents of PSO: knowledge sharing mechanisms and transformational leaders’ support. Design/methodology/approach Hierarchical linear modeling analyses were performed on a sample of 131 workers in 12 plants. A questionnaire was designed to collect data from shop-floor employees. Knowledge sharing was measured using the mechanisms of participative practices and standardized practices. Management support was assessed based on the extent to which supervisors engaged in transformational leadership. Findings Knowledge sharing mechanisms are an antecedent of PSO behavior, but management support measured in terms of transformational leadership is not. However, transformational leadership affects the use of knowledge sharing mechanisms that, in turn, is positively related to PSO behavior. Practical implications The research provides practical guidance for practitioners to understand how to manage knowledge in the workplace to promote employees’ PSO behaviors. Originality/value Though problem-solving activities are intrinsic in any working context, PSO is still very much underrepresented and scarcely understood in knowledge management studies. This study fills this gap by investigating the antecedents of PSO behavior.

scholarly journals Beyond agency and stewardship theory: shareholder–manager relationships and governance structures in family firms

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Sophie K. Löhde ◽  
Giovanna Campopiano ◽  
Andrea Calabrò
Keyword(s):  
Social Exchange ◽  
Family Business ◽  
Social Exchange Theory ◽  
Family Firms ◽  
Governance Structure ◽  
Managerial Behavior ◽  
Exchange System ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The One ◽  
Over Time

PurposeChallenging the static view of family business governance, we propose a model of owner–manager relationships derived from the configurational analysis of managerial behavior and change in governance structure.Design/methodology/approachStemming from social exchange theory and building on the 4C model proposed by Miller and Le Breton-Miller (2005), we consider the evolving owner–manager relationship in four main configurations. On the one hand, we account for family businesses shifting from a generalized to a restricted exchange system, and vice versa, according to whether a family manager misbehaves in a stewardship-oriented governance structure or a nonfamily manager succeeds in building a trusting relationship in an agency-oriented governance structure. On the other hand, we consider that family firms will strengthen a generalized exchange system, rather than a restricted one, according to whether a family manager contributes to the stewardship-oriented culture in the business or a nonfamily manager proves to be driven by extrinsic rewards. Four scenarios are analyzed in terms of the managerial behavior and governance structure that characterize the phases of the relationship between owners and managers.FindingsVarious factors trigger managerial behavior, making the firm deviate from or further build on what is assumed by stewardship and agency theories (i.e. proorganizational versus opportunistic behavior, respectively), which determine the governance structure over time. Workplace deviance, asymmetric altruism and patriarchy on the one hand, and proorganizational behavior, relationship building and long-term commitment on the other, are found to determine how the manager behaves and thus characterize the owner's reactions in terms of governance mechanisms. This enables us to present a dynamic view of governance structures, which adapt to the actual attitudes and behaviors of employed managers.Research limitations/implicationsAs time is a relevant dimension affecting individual behavior and triggering change in an organization, one must consider family business governance as being dynamic in nature. Moreover, it is not family membership that determines the most appropriate governance structure but the owner–manager relationship that evolves over time, thus contributing to the 4C model.Originality/valueThe proposed model integrates social exchange theory and the 4C model to predict changes in governance structure, as summarized in the final framework we propose.

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