From servant leadership to organizational citizenship behavior: A theoretically grounded moderated mediation framework for Chinese private enterprises

China's rapidly evolving economic landscape, particularly the significant role of private enterprises, necessitates a deeper understanding of factors influencing organizational success. Organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), defined as voluntary employee actions beyond formal job descriptions, is crucial for enhanced performance, innovation, and competitiveness. Servant leadership (SL), characterized by prioritizing employee well-being and development, has been shown to positively influence OCB. However, the precise mechanisms underlying this relationship, especially within the context of Chinese private enterprises often characterized by paternalistic leadership, remain unclear. This study addresses this gap by investigating the mediating roles of relational identification and perceived organizational support (POS), and further explores the moderating influence of workplace loneliness, a negative emotion potentially undermining the positive effects of SL on OCB.

Existing research establishes a positive link between servant leadership and OCB. This study builds upon this by exploring the mediating role of relational identification, emphasizing the importance of strong leader-employee relationships in fostering OCB. Social identity theory provides the theoretical framework for this mediation. Additionally, the study examines the mediating role of perceived organizational support (POS), suggesting that employees who perceive organizational support are more likely to reciprocate with OCB, based on social exchange theory. The inclusion of workplace loneliness as a moderator addresses the limitation of previous studies that largely overlooked the potential negative emotional states impacting this relationship. Psychological contract theory is used to understand how workplace loneliness can weaken the link between SL and OCB by breaching the implied contract of trust and mutual support.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 335 employees from seven private enterprises in Zhejiang Province, China, using a convenience sampling method. The questionnaire included established scales measuring servant leadership (Liden et al., 2015), organizational citizenship behavior (Ahmad & Zafar, 2018), relational identification (Sluss et al., 2012), perceived organizational support (Albalawi et al., 2019), and workplace loneliness (Lam & Lau, 2012). Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to analyze the data, assessing the measurement model for reliability, validity, and common method bias, before testing the proposed moderated mediation model. A bootstrapping procedure with 10,000 samples was used to test the significance of the path coefficients.

The results support the hypotheses. First, a positive relationship between servant leadership and OCB was confirmed (β = 0.296, p < 0.01). Second, relational identification partially mediated the relationship between servant leadership and OCB (β = 0.146, p < 0.01). Third, perceived organizational support also partially mediated the relationship (β = 0.105, p < 0.01). Fourth, the sequential mediation effect of relational identification followed by POS on the relationship between servant leadership and OCB was significant (β = 0.045, p < 0.01). Finally, workplace loneliness significantly moderated the relationship between servant leadership and relational identification (β = -0.025, p < 0.05). The moderation analysis showed that the positive impact of SL on relational identification was stronger when workplace loneliness was low, suggesting that employees who felt less lonely were more responsive to the effects of servant leadership.

The findings highlight the importance of servant leadership in fostering OCB within Chinese private enterprises. The mediating roles of relational identification and POS underscore the need for leaders to cultivate strong, supportive relationships with employees and create a positive organizational climate. The sequential mediation suggests that building strong relationships with leaders leads to higher perceived organizational support, which, in turn, strengthens OCB. The moderating effect of workplace loneliness emphasizes the importance of addressing negative emotions in the workplace. Leaders must create environments where employees feel connected and supported to fully realize the benefits of servant leadership.

This study provides valuable insights into the mechanism linking servant leadership to OCB, revealing the crucial mediating roles of relational identification and POS, and the moderating impact of workplace loneliness. These findings offer practical implications for organizations seeking to enhance employee engagement and performance. Future research could investigate other forms of identification and employ a longitudinal design to further explore these relationships. Additionally, incorporating contextual factors, such as organizational culture and industry type, would enrich our understanding of the SL-OCB dynamic.

The study's limitations include the cross-sectional design, convenience sampling, and focus on a specific region of China. Future research should consider longitudinal studies with larger, more diverse samples across different regions and industries to enhance generalizability. Furthermore, exploring other types of identification, beyond relational identification, and considering additional contextual factors, could further refine the model.