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Enabling the engine of workplace thriving through servant leadership: The moderating role of core self-evaluations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 July 2020

Muhammad Usman Open the ORCID record for Muhammad Usman [Opens in a new window] ,
Yuxin Liu Open the ORCID record for Yuxin Liu [Opens in a new window] ,
Haihong Li ,
Jianwei Zhang ,
Usman Ghani Open the ORCID record for Usman Ghani [Opens in a new window]  and
Habib Gul
Muhammad Usman
Affiliation:
School of Management, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
Yuxin Liu*
Affiliation:
Business School, University of International Business and Economics, Beijing, China
Haihong Li
Affiliation:
School of Business Administration, Shandong University of Finance and Economics, 7366 East Second Ring Road, Lixia Distinct, Jinan250014, P.R. China
Jianwei Zhang
Affiliation:
School of Humanities and Social Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, 5 South Zhongguancun Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100081, P.R. China
Usman Ghani
Affiliation:
College of Education, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou310000, China
Habib Gul
Affiliation:
Business School, University of International Business and Economics, Beijing, China
*
*Corresponding author. Email: liuyuxin@uibe.edu.cn
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Abstract

Grounding our research in social exchange theory and the conservation of resources perspective, we hypothesized a model that examines the effects of servant leadership (SL) on employees' workplace thriving via agentic work behaviors. To clarify the effects, employee core self-evaluations (CSEs) were investigated to determine boundary conditions on the relationship between SL and thriving. Data were collected at three points in time from 260 professionals across diverse functional backgrounds and industries. The analysis results confirmed an indirect effect from SL to workplace thriving via agentic work behaviors. Importantly, the moderation results demonstrated that the relationship between SL and workplace thriving is stronger when individuals have high CSEs. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Keywords

servant leadershipagentic work behaviorsworkplace thrivingcore self-evaluationsChinese employees
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Management & Organization , Volume 27 , Issue 3 , May 2021 , pp. 582 - 600
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2020

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