Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Unlocking the Mask: a Close Look at how Servant Leaders Influence People

  • Published:
Current Psychology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Given the widespread use of servant leadership in organizations, the purpose of our study was to examine the relationship between servant leadership, creativity, feedback-seeking behavior, and affective climate. We hypothesized that servant leadership promotes creativity through encouraging employees’ feedback-seeking behavior. Additionally, affective climate can moderate the mediated relationship. Based on a sample of 388 full-time employees and their supervisors from a Chinese high-tech company, the results indicated that servant leadership can predict employees’ creativity, mediated by feedback seeking. The moderating effect of affective climate on the mediated relationship, however, was not supported in our sample.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Amabile, T. M. (1988). A model of creativity and innovation in organizations. In B. M. Staw & L. L. Cummings (Eds.), Research in Organizational Behavior (Vol. 10, pp. 123–167). Greenwich: JAI Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Amabile, T. M. (1997). Motivating creativity in organizations: On doing what you love and loving what you do. California Management Review, 40(1), 39–58.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Amabile, T. M., & Conti, R. (1999). Changes in the work environment for creativity during downsizing. Academy of Management Journal, 42, 630–640.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ashford, S. J. (1986). Feedback-seeking in individual adaptation: A resource perspective. Academy of Management Journal, 29(3), 465–487.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ashforth, B. E., & Humphrey, R. H. (1993). Emotional labor in service roles: The influence of identity. Academy of Management Review, 18(1), 88–115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ashforth, B. E., & Humphrey, R. H. (1995). Emotion in the workplace: A reappraisal. Human Relations, 48(2), 97–126.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ashkanasy, N. M., Wilderon, C. P. M., & Peterson, M. P. (2000). The psychological life of organizations. In N. M. Ashkanasy, C. P. M. Wilderon, & M. F. Peterson (Eds.), Handbook of organizational culture and climate (pp. 1–18). Thousand Oaks: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barsade, S. G. (2002). The ripple effect: Emotional contagion and its influence on group behavior. Administrative Science Quarterly, 47(4), 644–675.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boggiano, A. K., Ruble, D. N., & Pittman, T. S. (1982). The mastery hypothesis and the overjustification effect. Social Cognition, 1(1), 38–49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bowen, J., & Ford, R. C. (2002). Managing service organizations: Does having a “thing” make a difference? Journal of Management, 28(3), 447–469.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brislin, R. W. (1990). Method and theory in cross-cultural psychological assessment. Psyccritiques, 35(5), 79–85.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen, Z., Zhu, J., & Zhou, M. (2015). How does a servant leader fuel the service fire? A multilevel model of servant leadership, individual self identity, group competition climate, and customer service performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 100(2), 511–521.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Choi, J. N., Price, R. H., & Vinokur, A. D. (2003). Self-efficacy changes in groups: Effects of diversity, leadership and group climate. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 24(4), 357–371.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crant, J. M. (2000). Proactive behavior in organizations. Journal of Management, 26(3), 435–462.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Stobbeleir, K. E. M., Ashford, S. J., & Buyens, D. (2008). Feedback-seeking behavior as a self-regulation strategy for creative performance. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/24126030.

  • Ehrhart, M. G. (2004). Leadership and procedural justice climate as antecedents of unit-level organizational citizenship behavior. Personnel Psychology, 57(1), 61–94.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greenleaf, R. K. (1970). The servant as leader. Newton Centre: The Robert K. Greenleaf Center.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenleaf, R. K. (1977). Servant leadership: A journey into the nature of legitimate power and greatness. New York: Paulist Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenleaf, R. K. (1998). The power of servant-leadership. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hayes, A. F. (2012). PROCESS: A versatile computational tool for observed variable mediation, moderation, and conditional process modeling. Retrieved from http://www.afhayes.com/public/process2012.pdf.

  • Hayes, A. F. (2013). An introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach. New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Higgins, E. T. (1997). Beyond pleasure and pain. American Psychologist, 52(12), 1280–1300.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Higgins, E. T. (1998). Promotion and prevention regulatory focus as a motivational principle. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 30, 1–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hu, J., & Liden, R. C. (2011). Antecedents of team potency and team effectiveness: An examination of goal and process clarity and servant leadership. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96(4), 851–862.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kozlowski, S. W. J., & Klein, K. J. (2000). A multi-level approach to theory and research in organizations: Contextual, temporal and emergent processes. In K. J. Klein & S. W. J. Kozlowski (Eds.), Multi-level theory, research, methods in organizations (pp. 3–90). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Majdar, N. (2005). The contributions of different groups of individuals to employees' creativity. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 7(2), 182–206.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mayer, D. M., Kuenzi, M., Greenbaum, R., Bardes, M., & Salvador, R. (2009). How low does ethical leadership flow? Test of a trickle-down model. Organizational Behavior & Human Decision Processes, 108(1), 1–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mayer, D. M., Aquino, K., Greenbaum, R. L., & Kuenzi, M. (2012). Who displays ethical leadership, and why does it matter? An examination of antecedents and consequences of ethical leadership. Academy of Management Journal, 55(1), 151–171.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McColl-Kennedy, J. R., & Anderson, R. D. (2002). Impact of leadership style and emotions on subordinate performance. The Leadership Quarterly, 13(5), 545–559.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morrison, E. W., & Vancouver, J. B. (2000). Within-person analysis of information seeking: The effects of perceived costs and benefits. Journal of Management, 26(1), 119–137.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Naumann, S. E., & Bennett, N. (2000). A case for procedural justice climate: Development and test of a multilevel model. Academy of Management Journal, 43(5), 881–889.

    Google Scholar 

  • Neubert, M. J., Kacmar, K. M., Carlson, D. S., Chonko, L. B., & Roberts, J. A. (2008). Regulatory focus as a mediator of the influence of initiating structure and servant leadership on employee behavior. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93(6), 1220–1233.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Newman, A., Schwarz, G., Cooper, B., & Sendjaya, S. (2015). How servant leadership influences organizational citizenship behavior: The roles of LMX, empowerment, and proactive personality. Journal of Business Ethics. doi:10.1007/s10551-015-2827-6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O'Reilly, C. A., & Chatman, J. A. (1996). Culture as social control: Corporations, cults, and commitment. In B. M. Staw & L. L. Cummings (Eds.), Research in organizational behavior (Vol. 18, pp. 157–200). Greenwich: JAI Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ostroff, C. (1993). The effects of climate and personal influences on individual behavior and attitudes in organizations. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 56, 56–90.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ostroff, C., Kinicki, A. J., & Tamkins, M. M. (2003). Organizational culture and climate. In W. C. Borman, D. R. Ilgen, R. J. Klimoski, & I. Weiner (Eds.), Handbook of psychology (pp. 565–593). Hoboken: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ozyilmaz, A., & Cicek, S. S. (2015). How does servant leadership affect employee attitudes, behaviors, and psychological climates in a for-profit organizational context? Journal of Management & Organization, 21(3), 263–290.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pekerti, A. A., & Sendjaya, S. (2010). Exploring servant leadership across cultures: Comparative study in Australia and Indonesia. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 21(5), 754–780.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perry-Smith, J. E. (2006). Social yet creative: The role of social relationships in facilitating individual creativity. Academy of Management Journal, 49(1), 85–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Podsakoff, P. M., Mackenzie, S. B., Moorman, R. H., & Fetter, R. (1990). Transformational leader behaviors and their effects on followers' trust in leader, satisfaction, and organizational citizenship behaviors. Leadership Quarterly, 1(2), 107–142.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Podsakoff, N. P., Blume, B. D., Whiting, S. W., & Podsakoff, P. M. (2009). Individual- and organizational-level consequences of organizational citizenship behaviors: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94(1), 122–141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Preacher, K. J., Rucker, D. D., & Hayes, A. F. (2007). Assessing moderated mediation hypotheses: Theory, methods, and prescriptions. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 42, 185–227.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reichers, A. E., & Schneider, B. (1990). Climate and culture: An evolution of constructs. In B. Schneider (Ed.), Organizational culture and climate (pp. 5–39). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, R. M., & Grolnick, W. S. (1986). Origins and pawns in the classroom: Self-report and projective assessments of individual differences in children's perceptions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 50, 550–558.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sausa, M., & Von Dierendonck, D. (2015). Servant leadership and the effect of the interaction between humility, action, and hierarchical power on follower engagement. Journal of Business Ethics. doi:10.1007/s10551-015-2725-y.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schneider, B. (1990). The climate for service: An application of the climate construct. In B. Schneider (Ed.), Organizational culture and climate (pp. 383–412). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schneider, B. (2000). The psychological life of organizations. In N. M. Ashkanasy, C. P. M. Wilderon, & M. F. Peterson (Eds.), Handbook of organizational culture and climate (pp. xvii–xxxi). Thousand Oaks: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schneider, B., Ehrhart, M. G., Mayer, D. M., Saltz, J. L., & Nilesjolly, K. (2005). Understanding organization-customer links in service settings. Academy of Management Journal, 48(6), 1017–1032.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sendjaya, S., Sarros, J. C., & Santora, J. C. (2008). Defining and measuring servant leadership. Behaviour in organizations. Journal of Management Studies, 45(2), 402–424.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shalley, C. E. (1991). Effects of productivity goals, creativity goals, and personal discretion on individual creativity. Journal of Applied Psychology, 76, 179–185.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Somech, A. (2006). The effects of leadership style and team process on performance and innovation in functionally heterogeneous teams. Journal of Management, 32(1), 132–157.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tierney, P., Farmer, S. M., & Graen, G. B. (1999). An examination of leadership and employee creativity: The relevance of traits and relationships. Personnel Psychology, 52(3), 591–620.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tsui, A., & Ashford, S. J. (1994). Adaptive self-regulation: Aprocess view of managerial effectiveness. Journal of Management, 20(1), 93–121.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tyre, M. (1992). Help-seeking, helping, and learning by using with new technologies. Working paper, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge.

  • Van Dierendonck, D. (2011). Servant leadership: A review and synthesis. Journal of Management, 37(4), 1228–1261.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • VandeWalle, D., Ganesan, S., Challagalla, G. N., & Brown, S. P. (2000). An integrated model of feedback-seeking behavior: Disposition, context, and cognition. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85(6), 996–1003.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walter, F., & Bruch, H. (2008). The positive group affect spiral: A dynamic model of the emergence of positive affective similarity in work groups. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 29(2), 239–261.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walumbwa, F. O., Hartnell, C. A., & Adegoke, O. (2010). Servant leadership, procedural justice climate, service climate, employee attitudes, and organizational citizenship behavior: A cross-level investigation. Journal of Applied Psychology, 95(3), 517–529.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang Z. M. (1993). Psychology in China: a review dedicated to Li Chen. Annual Review of Psychology, 44(1), 87–116.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, P., & Rode, J. C. (2010). Transformational leadership and follower creativity: the moderating effects of identification with leader and organizational climate. Human Relations, 63(8), 1105–1128.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weiss, H. M., & Cropanzano, R. (1996). Affective events theory: A theoretical discussion of the structure, causes and consequences of affective experiences at work. In B. M. Staw & L. L. Cummings (Eds.), Research in organizational behavior (Vol. 18, pp. 1–74). Greenwich: JAI Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Xie, J. L., Schaubroeck, J., & Lam, S. S. (2008). Theories of job stress and the role of traditional values: A longitudinal study in China. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93(4), 831–848.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yoshida, D. T., Sendjaya, S., Hirst, G., & Cooper, B. (2014). Does servant leadership foster creativity and innovation? A multi-level mediation study of identification and prototypicality. Journal of Business Research, 67(7), 1395–1404.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou, J. (1998). Feedback valence, feedback style, task autonomy, and achievement orientation: Interactive effects on creative performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 83(2), 261–276.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhu, Y., & Wang, X. (2015). Servant leadership and employee voice behavior: the role of leader-member exchange and learning goal orientation. Journal of Psychological Science, 38(2), 426–432.

Download references

Acknowledgements

This research is supported by the national Natural Science Foundation of China (project 71672012).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Business School, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China

    Chuying Huang, Jing Qian & Bin Wang

  2. School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China

    Zhuyun Jin

Authors
  1. Chuying Huang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jing Qian
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Zhuyun Jin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Bin Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jing Qian.

Ethics declarations

This study was funded by Natural Science Foundation of China.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Conflict of Interest

All of the authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Huang, C., Qian, J., Jin, Z. et al. Unlocking the Mask: a Close Look at how Servant Leaders Influence People. Curr Psychol 37, 958–965 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-017-9576-x

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-017-9576-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation