Experiencing meaningfulness climate in teams: How spiritual leadership enhances team effectiveness when facing uncertain tasks

Abstract

This study integrates social information processing theory with leadership and climate literature, and aims to produce novel theoretical insights into whether and how spiritual leadership and task uncertainty foster conditions to enhance meaningfulness climate and subsequent team effectiveness in China. Team effectiveness was operationalized as team performance and team organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Based on data collected at three time points over 12 months from multiple sources of 123 teams in China, we found that spiritual leadership was positively related to team performance and team OCB through meaningfulness climate. Further, the relationship between spiritual leadership and meaningfulness climate was stronger for teams with high task uncertainty than teams with low task uncertainty.

Spiritual Leadership: Meaning in the Sustainable Workplace

“…Organizational learning [81] Organizational citizenship behavior [59] Higher productivity, performance excellence [31,78,84] Greater flexibility of the organization [84] Greater creativity of the organization [84] Faster growth, higher efficiency [81] Some findings have indicated that spirituality influences learning in teams, spiritual climate, and team-level innovative behaviors [83]. The more humane a workplace is, the more productive, flexible, and creative the organization is [84]. This can cause an increase in high-performing teams [78].…”

Code of ethics and workers' communication policies: The role of corporate governance

“…Thus, the independence of the BoD is enough to promote "CE policies related to communication with employees." We contribute to social information processing theory for employees (Yang et al, 2019) empirically showing a determinant of the possibility to process work and social information, that is, the development of the possibilities for employees to understand their work situations and process social information is promoted by a high independent BoD.…”

“…The presence of many independent directors aims to guarantee a definition of a CE suitable for employee because principles and rules can represent employees' interest and needs, like the need of communication. Thus, the independence of the BoD is enough to promote “CE policies related to communication with employees.” We contribute to social information processing theory for employees (Yang et al, 2019) empirically showing a determinant of the possibility to process work and social information, that is, the development of the possibilities for employees to understand their work situations and process social information is promoted by a high independent BoD. Given that, CE has an impact on work climate and workplace health and safety (Manley, 1991; O'Dwyer & Madden, 2006; Williams & Murphy, 1990), a large component of independent directors, indirectly promoting polices in CE, can improve the work environment in these terms.…”

“…According to this theory, workers try to understand their work situations by exchanging information. Specifically, when the situation is complex or unknown, social information are essential for employees, even more than the leadership behavior (Yang, Huang, & Wu, 2019). Thus, social responsible CE policies related to communication with employees (Effective communication in Spiller, 2000) can promote a correct understanding of the ethical and social aspects related to the work.…”

“…Based on social information processing theory, a specific social situation influences mental and behavior in job attitudes at the expense of rational decision‐making processes (Dodge & Rabiner, 2004; Salancik & Pfeffer, 1978). The stakeholder employee tries to understand its work social situations to adapt its behavior (Yang et al, 2019) and CE, including employees' policies, is an instrument to get access to this information.…”