Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of servant leadership on employees' promotive voice behavior and prohibitive voice behavior by focusing on the mediating role of job engagement and the moderating role of proactive personality.
Design/methodology/approach
Time-lagged data were collected using a field survey research design. The participants included 216 employees and 23 supervisors in two commercial banks in China.
Findings
Perceived servant leadership was positively related to employees' promotive and prohibitive voice behavior, and these relationships were mediated by enhanced job engagement. In addition, employees' proactive personality amplified the relationship between perceived servant leadership and job engagement, and the mediating effect of job engagement on the relationship between perceived servant leadership and voice behavior.
Research limitations/implications
This study enhances understanding of the mechanisms underlying the servant leadership – voice model by identifying the mediating role of job engagement. The results also demonstrate the moderating role of proactive personality in enhancing the effects of servant leadership. However, the survey design was not longitudinal, which limits the study's ability to confirm causality.
Practical implications
The findings reveal that servant leadership, employees' job engagement, and proactive personality can facilitate employees' promotive and prohibitive voice behavior.
Originality/value
This study addresses the unexplored mediating mechanism of the relationship between servant leadership and voice behavior, and offers new directions for servant leadership and voice research.
The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of servant leadership on employees' promotive voice behavior and prohibitive voice behavior by focusing on the mediating role of job engagement and the moderating role of proactive personality.
Design/methodology/approach
Time-lagged data were collected using a field survey research design. The participants included 216 employees and 23 supervisors in two commercial banks in China.
Findings
Perceived servant leadership was positively related to employees' promotive and prohibitive voice behavior, and these relationships were mediated by enhanced job engagement. In addition, employees' proactive personality amplified the relationship between perceived servant leadership and job engagement, and the mediating effect of job engagement on the relationship between perceived servant leadership and voice behavior.
Research limitations/implications
This study enhances understanding of the mechanisms underlying the servant leadership – voice model by identifying the mediating role of job engagement. The results also demonstrate the moderating role of proactive personality in enhancing the effects of servant leadership. However, the survey design was not longitudinal, which limits the study's ability to confirm causality.
Practical implications
The findings reveal that servant leadership, employees' job engagement, and proactive personality can facilitate employees' promotive and prohibitive voice behavior.
Originality/value
This study addresses the unexplored mediating mechanism of the relationship between servant leadership and voice behavior, and offers new directions for servant leadership and voice research.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Journal of Managerial Psychology |
| Issue number | Early Access |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2021 |
Corresponding author email
weicheong2317@hotmail.comProject sponsor
National Social Science Fund of ChinaProject name
;;Social Science Foundation of Henan Province, China;;NG Teng Fong/Sino Outstanding Youth Fund of HUEL;;China Europe International Business School;;China Europe International Business SchoolProject No.
71672108;;2020-ZZJH-033;;;;19TEOMA;; AG21TEOKeywords
- Job engagement
- Proactive personality
- Prohibitive voice
- Promotive voice
- Servant leadership
Indexed by
- ABDC-B
- SSCI