A Study of the Relationship Between Servant Leadership, Micro-Aggression and Intention to Leave in IT Sector: Employee Resilience as Mediating Variable

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In Malaysia’s rapidly evolving Information Technology (IT) industry, marked by increasing cyber threats and a scarcity of skilled cybersecurity professionals, this study explores the intention to leave among IT professionals. At the intersection of servant leadership, microaggressions, and employee resilience, it aims to unravel these factors’ relationships and their collective impact on turnover intentions. Emphasizing the lack of studies on race- based microaggressions, particular attention is given to microaggressions as workplace adversity. The research examines servant leadership, microaggressions, and employee resilience, focusing on cybersecurity companies in the Klang Valley region, capturing IT industry dynamics in Malaysia. Using Partial Least Square – Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), survey data from 385 IT professionals in Klang Valley was analyzed, revealing significant relationships: a positive relationship between servant leadership and employee resilience, a negative relationship between employee resilience and intention to leave, a negative relationship between servant leadership and intention to leave, and a positive link between microaggressions and intention to leave. Additionally, employee resilience was found to complementarily mediate the relationship between servant leadership and intention to leave. However, the hypothesized negative relationship between microaggressions and employee resilience, and the mediation effect of employee resilience between microaggressions and intention to leave, were not supported. The study also utilized PLS Predict to show that the variables can predict future research outcomes. Theoretically, this study enriches understanding by affirming servant leadership’s significance in explaining the nexus between employee resilience and intention to leave. Practically, by unraveling these associations, the research aims to provide organizations with insights to mitigate high turnover rates, potentially reducing hiring costs, training expenses, and overall operational outlays in the IT industry.