Authentic leadership, work engagement and organizational citizenship behaviors in petroleum company

Author(s):  
Mohamed Saeed Al Sahi AL Zaabi ◽  
Kamarul Zaman Ahmad ◽  
Chowdhury Hossan

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between authentic leadership (AL), work engagement (WE), and organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB) among United Arab Emirates (UAE) nationals working in the petroleum sector. This study further intends to examine the mediating effect of psychological empowerment (PE) on above mentioned relationship. Design/methodology/approach – Quantitative method involving self-reported questionnaire was used in this study. Data were collected from 189 UAE national employees from one of the major petroleum companies in the UAE. An extensive online questionnaire consisting of 70 questions was designed in Version 2.05+ of LimeSurvey, an open source-based survey tool. Structural equation modeling using Lisrel was deployed to examine the relationship between AL, PE, WE, and OCB. Findings – The results revealed that AL significantly increases WE and OCB. Results also indicated that PE increases the strength of relationship between AL with WE and OCB while acting as a mediator. Practical implications – The research results suggested that leaders and discussion makers in the petroleum sector in UAE should encourage their managers to adopt a more AL style. Given that AL is strongly related to WE, PE, and OCB, AL training programs is consequently important in building employees that would be more empowered and engaged. Originality/value – This study contributes to organizational behavior and industrial psychology literature. The study is unique in respect to the research model that was developed and validated. It’s one of the first attempts to empirically investigate the direct relationship among AL, PE, WE, and OCB in Middle-East context. This study was conducted in UAE, where AL concept has been rarely investigated and finding from this study may help in filling up the gap in knowledge.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Neuza Ribeiro ◽  
Ana Patrícia Duarte ◽  
Rita Filipe ◽  
Rajasekhar David

Purpose This study aims to examine the impact of authentic leadership (AL) on employees’ organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB) by investigating the mediating effect of affective commitment (AC). Design/methodology/approach Data were collected on 194 leader-follower dyads in diverse organizations, using individual surveys. Followers reported their perceptions of AL and their AC, and leaders assessed each follower’s level of OCB. Findings The results support the research hypotheses proposed, confirming that employees’ perceptions of AL are positively related to both their AC and OCB. Moreover, AC completely mediates the relationship between AL and OCB, indicating that authentic leaders increase employees’ affective bonds to their organization, and therefore, strengthen workers’ tendency to engage in OCB. Research limitations/implications Additional studies with larger samples are needed to clarify more fully not only AL’s influence on OCB but also other psychosocial variables affecting this relationship. Practical implications The findings suggest that organizations can foster employees’ AC and OCB by encouraging managers to adopt a more AL style. Authentic leaders are likely to focus on the collective as they care about their teams, the wider organization and even society’s welfare and sustainability. Social implications Growing concerns about sustainability and business ethics and the crisis of trust in organizations can be addressed through further research on positive leadership forms such as AL. This study’s findings suggest that AL fosters employees’ affective bond to organizations and their willingness to engage in OCB, which are two indicators related to organizational sustainability. Originality/value This study integrated AL, AC and OCB into a single research model, thereby extending previous investigations. In addition, the data were collected from two sources (i.e. both leaders and followers in dyads) to minimize the risk of common-method variance.


2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 276-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jihye Oh ◽  
Daeyeon Cho ◽  
Doo Hun Lim

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the mediating effect of practicing core values on the relationship between authentic leadership and work engagement in a Korean corporate environment. Design/methodology/approach Self-report data on authentic leadership, practicing core values, and work engagement were obtained from 281 employees of three major corporations in South Korea. Structural equation modeling was adopted to analyze the data. Findings The results revealed a direct and significant influence of authentic leadership on both practicing core values and work engagement. In addition, practicing core values was found to have a partial mediating effect on the relationship between authentic leadership and work engagement. Research limitations/implications This study revealed a three-factor model of authentic leadership compared to the four-factor model found in western cultural contexts. Similar findings are indicated for other Asian countries. A rigorous future study is warranted to validate the psychometric structure across different cultural settings. Harman’s single factor test was performed to address the common method variance issue. Practical implications Practicing core values functioned as a catalyst for developing authentic leaders. Therefore, it is necessary that organizational development practitioners perform developmental activities to purposefully facilitate practicing core values. Originality/value The study falls under the isolated or disregarded researched topic of the practicing core values in relation to authentic leadership and work engagement.


2016 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 626-642 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa E. Baranik ◽  
Lillian Eby

Purpose – Using mood regulation theories and the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions, the purpose of this paper is to hypothesize that the relationship between organizational citizenship behaviors aimed at individuals (OCB-Is) and depressed mood, burnout, and satisfaction with life and health would be mediated by positive affect. Design/methodology/approach – Lagged data were collected from employee-supervisor dyads. Findings – OCB-Is were related to positive affect, and positive affect was positively related to subsequent reports of life satisfaction and general health satisfaction, and negatively related to burnout and depressed mood. Positive affect mediated the relationship between OCB-Is and life satisfaction, general health satisfaction, and depressed mood but not burnout. An alternative reverse causality mediation model ruled out the possibility that OCB-Is mediated the relationship between positive affect and the employee outcomes. Originality/value – These findings lend support for OCBs being an antecedent of mood, rather than vice versa.


2018 ◽  
Vol 67 (9) ◽  
pp. 1585-1607 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neuza Ribeiro ◽  
Ana Patrícia Duarte ◽  
Rita Filipe

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a more comprehensive understanding of how authentic leadership (AL) can affect individual performance through creativity and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB)’s mediating roles. Design/methodology/approach The sample included 177 leader-follower dyads from 26 private and small and medium-sized organizations. Followers reported their perceptions of AL, and leaders assessed each follower’s level of creativity, individual performance and OCB. Findings The findings show that AL has a positive impact on OCB (i.e. altruism, sportsmanship, civic virtue, conscientiousness and courtesy), employee creativity, and individual performance. Creativity partially mediates the relationship between AL and individual performance. Some dimensions of OCB, namely, altruism, civic virtue and courtesy, also play a mediating role in this relationship. Research limitations/implications Additional studies with larger samples are needed to determine more clearly not only AL’s influence on individual performance but also other psychosocial variables affecting that relationship. Practical implications Organizations can increase employees’ creativity, OCB and individual performance by encouraging managers to adopt more AL styles. Originality/value This study is the first to integrate AL, creativity, OCB and individual performance into a single research model, thereby extending previous research. The study also used a double-source method to collect data (i.e. leader-follower dyads) to minimize the risk of introducing common-method variance.


2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shibani Belwalkar ◽  
Veena Vohra

<p class="Abstract">Workplace spirituality has steadily been gaining attention in the last couple of years. Many researchers have investigated the role of “workplace spirituality” with the aim of generating research data that would firmly entrench this construct as vital in the workplace. This article proposes the relationships between workplace spirituality, job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behaviors. It examines the relationship between three workplace spirituality components–meaning and purpose in work, recognition of an inner life or spirit and interconnectedness with the various forms in which organizational citizenship behaviours manifest, mediated by the job satisfaction experienced by the employees. This study can provide significant inputs to promote managerial effectiveness, change management, leadership, holistic performance and growth of organizations, through environments which promote workplace spirituality.</p>


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