Responsible leadership, job satisfaction and duty orientation: lessons from the manufacturing sector in Ghana

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to investigate the influence of responsible leadership on employee duty orientation in the manufacturing sector of Ghana by using job satisfaction as a mediating variable. Design/methodology/approach This study relied on the quantitative approach and explanatory research design for the execution. This study gathered data from 325 employees across three manufacturing firms and applied the partial least squares structural equation modelling technique to test hypotheses. Findings This study established that responsible leadership had significant positive relationship with duty orientation and job satisfaction. The findings further disclosed that job satisfaction was positively related to duty orientation. This study provided evidence that job satisfaction serves as a mechanism through which responsible leadership could influence duty orientation. Practical implications This study recommends that for manufacturing firms to enhance job satisfaction, which will eventually lead to employees’ demonstrating duty orientation, the employers and relevant stakeholders such as board of directors and shareholders should emphasise responsible leadership traits among various managers and supervisors. Originality/value This study contributes to knowledge in a novel research area. It adds to empirical evidence by highlighting the possible variables that may influence employees to engage in duty orientation.

Relational leadership and employee creativity: the role of knowledge-sharing behaviour and leader–follower dyadic tenure

“…Third, our study emphasized that positive leadership styles do not only advance knowledge management literature but they are also important channels for promoting employee creative behaviours (Ansong et al, 2022). Our findings support the view that high-quality interaction between leaders and followers in the hospitality industry promotes employee creativity as they feel indebted and seek diverse means to ensure the sustenance of their organizations (Akgunduz et al , 2022).…”

Organizational justice, supervisor-provided resources and duty orientation: lessons from the mining sector

“…Evidence supports the fact that duty orientation can be an important resource to improve organizational performance in complex work environments like the mining sector that demand team-oriented work practices (Ansong et al, 2022;Eva et al, 2020). Apparently, employees in the sector who possess these rare traits of duty orientation tend to project their organizations as meeting the lawful demands of the sector (Ansong et al, 2022). As Moss et al (2020) submitted, individuals with a higher duty orientation towards their group are motivated to serve the best interests of coworkers, fulfil their shared mission and align with the group's norms to improve overall performance.…”

“…The authors described duty orientation as one's volition to serve and faithfully support other members of the group, to strive and sacrifice to accomplish the tasks and missions of the group and to honour its codes and principles. Evidence supports the fact that duty orientation can be an important resource to improve organizational performance in complex work environments like the mining sector that demand team-oriented work practices (Ansong et al, 2022;Eva et al, 2020). Apparently, employees in the sector who possess these rare traits of duty orientation tend to project their organizations as meeting the lawful demands of the sector (Ansong et al, 2022).…”

“…While businesses in the mining sector may rely on multiple approaches to excel in terms of addressing regulatory and societal needs and making profit (Blinova et al, 2022;Sauer and Hiete, 2019), the presence of employees who are willing to exceed the formal responsibilities specified in their job descriptions has been acknowledged by scholars as a rare resource that can help these organizations succeed (Ansong et al, 2022;Hannah et al, 2014). These employees possess a bundle of discretionary behaviours that are critical for building the goodwill of organizations and spurring productivity (Gnankob et al, 2022).…”

“…Despite attempts to link organizational justice to discretionary behaviours, limited attention has been given to the concept of duty orientation. Recent works have focused on how leadership (Ansong et al, 2022;Moss et al, 2020), perceived organizational support (DeConinck et al, 2021;Eva et al, 2020) and ethical psychological climate (Gok et al, 2023) influenced duty orientation, with a dearth of literature on the role of organizational justice. Meanwhile, organizational justice encompasses a series of organizational actions that eschew discrimination, information asymmetry and the unfair allocation of resources for work.…”