The impact of servant leadership on employees taking charge behavior

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of servant leadership on employees’ taking charge behavior, focusing on the mediating roles of intrinsic motivation and supervisor-subordinate relationships, and the moderating effect of employees’ hierarchical levels. Grounded in self-determination and social exchange theories, the research employs a moderated mediation model and utilizes ordinary least squares (OLS) regression to analyze data from 356 employees in China. The findings reveal that servant leadership significantly enhances employees’ taking charge behavior. Intrinsic motivation and supervisor-subordinate relationships serve as essential mediators in this process. Furthermore, employees’ hierarchical level moderates the indirect effects of servant leadership on taking charge behavior, with a stronger influence observed among those in higher hierarchical positions. This study advances the understanding of taking charge behavior by elucidating the mechanisms through which servant leadership influences proactive employee actions. Additionally, it contributes to the literature on organizational hierarchy within the context of leadership and employee behavior.