The moderating role of employee proactive behaviour in the relationship between servant leadership and job satisfaction

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to analyse the relationship between servant leadership and job satisfaction and the moderating effect of employees’ proactive behaviour on this relationship. Design/methodology/approach Survey data were gathered from 256 employees (131 from Brazil and 125 from Spain). Structural equation modelling was used to test the research model. Findings The results of this study indicate that servant leadership is positively related to job satisfaction, with employees’ proactive behaviour negatively moderating the relationship between servant leadership and job satisfaction. Originality/value This study relates leadership and employee behaviour and advances our understanding of the conditions that affect the influence of servant leadership on followers. In addition, the country culture variable is found to be statistically significant. This result opens the way to deeper research into the effect of country culture on the behaviour of employees related to leadership.

Servant Leadership in Government Institution, is it Effective?

“…These results indicate that the majority respondents assess the servant leadership style adopted by direct supervisors can increase their job satisfaction. Supervisors tend to prioritize how their employees can grow and develop which facilitates employee job satisfaction (Gil et al, 2023), provides high salaries, and big opportunities to do their own work so it increased their satisfaction at work. This result is supported by the research of Gil et al (2023) on 256 employees in Brazil and Spain and Widyastuti (2022) who examined 249 employees in state-owned hotels stated that servant leadership had a positive and significant effect on job satisfaction.…”

“…Supervisors tend to prioritize how their employees can grow and develop which facilitates employee job satisfaction (Gil et al, 2023), provides high salaries, and big opportunities to do their own work so it increased their satisfaction at work. This result is supported by the research of Gil et al (2023) on 256 employees in Brazil and Spain and Widyastuti (2022) who examined 249 employees in state-owned hotels stated that servant leadership had a positive and significant effect on job satisfaction. H4: servant leadership has no significant effect on job performance through job involvement.…”