Servant Leadership and Work Engagement: The Contingency Effects of Leader-Follower Social Capital

Abstract

Drawing from research on work engagement, contingent leadership, and social capital, the authors investigate the relationship between servant leadership and work engagement, as well as how this relationship might be moderated by leader-follower social capital. Data captured from 263 employees of four information technology (IT) companies show that servant leadership enhances work engagement, especially at higher levels of goal congruence and social interaction. In addition, a significant three-way interaction effect shows that, in conditions marked by high social interaction, goal congruence more strongly enables the conversion of servant leadership into enhanced work engagement. These findings have significant implications for HRD research and practice.