Leading With Callings: Effects of Leader's Calling on Followers' Team Commitment, Voice Behavior, and Job Performance.

Jiyoung Park,Kyoungsu Lee,Young Woo Sohn,Jung In Lim

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01706

Abstract

Viewing work as a calling has been considered to be beneficial to individuals and organizations. However, research to date has largely focused on the effects of individuals’ own callings on themselves, leaving the effects of one’s calling on others unexplored. Based on research that demonstrates prevalent effects of callings and leader’s influences on followers at work, we assumed that leader calling might have positive effects on followers’ outcomes. Specifically, we hypothesized that the extent to which leaders view their work as a calling have positive influences on followers’ team commitment, leader-rated voice behavior, and job performance. We also examined a mediating effect of transformational leadership on the relations between leader’s calling and the three follower’s outcomes. Using data on 284 leader-follower pairs from the South Korean Air Force, we found that leader’s calling was positively associated with followers’ team commitment, voice behaviors, and job performance. The effects of leader’s calling on follower commitment and voice behavior were partly accounted for by follower perceptions of transformational leadership. However, a mediating role of transformational leadership on the link between leader’s calling and job performance was not supported. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Highlights

Over the last two decades, scholars have paid increasing attention to those with callings as viewing work as a calling has been found to be beneficial to individuals and organizations (Wrzesniewski et al, 1997; Bunderson and Thompson, 2009; Duffy et al, 2011)
We examined the five-factor model fit that corresponded to our predictions
We examined model fit for the fourfactor model, which combines two leader-rated job behaviors, voice behavior, and job performance, χ2 = 899.13, df = 164, p < 0.01, CFI = 0.81, IFI = 0.81, RMSEA = 0.13, and the twofactor model, which combines the variables rated by leaders and the variables rated by followers, χ2 = 1244.77, df = 169, p < 0.01, CFI = 0.72, IFI = 0.72, RMSEA = 0.15

Summary

Introduction

Over the last two decades, scholars have paid increasing attention to those with callings as viewing work as a calling has been found to be beneficial to individuals and organizations (Wrzesniewski et al, 1997; Bunderson and Thompson, 2009; Duffy et al, 2011). Some scholars suggest that calling is primarily perceived through work itself and that it can be decoupled from membership in an organization (Wrzesniewski, 2012), experiencing a calling relates to positive attitudes and behaviors toward colleagues (Bunderson and Thompson, 2009) and organizations (Cardador et al, 2011; Xie et al, 2017). Those who viewed their work as a calling exhibited more helping behavior toward coworkers (Bunderson and Thompson, 2009; Park et al, 2016) and organizations (Xie et al, 2017) and higher organizational attachment (Cardador et al, 2011) than those who did not.

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