Abstract
PurposeThe purpose of this study is to develop and validate a Japanese version of the Servant Leadership Scale and to clarify the relationship between servant leadership (SL) and well-being among Japanese workers.MethodsAfter the Japanese version of the SLS (SLS-J) and of its short form (SLS-J-short) were developed in conformity with the guidelines (Wild et al., 2005), a web-based survey was administered to 516 Japanese employees (20 or older and have a supervisor). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to evaluate a construct validation of the SLS-J and the SLS-J-short. Convergent validity was estimated with theoretically related constructs (e.g., transformational leadership, supervisory support, and interpersonal justice) and potential consequences of SL (e.g., affective commitment, work engagement, job satisfaction, organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), psychological distress, and work performance). Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) using the test-retest method was conducted with 104 of the initial respondents to assess internal consistency reliability. Additionally, the effects of SL on employees’ work engagement and the mediating role of employees’ affective commitment were estimated.ResultsCFA confirmed that an eight-factor model (SLS-J) and a five-factor model (SLS-J-short) had the most satisfactory fits for the two scales with Japanese workers. Tests of convergent validity and reliability showed sufficiency for each of the dimensions of SLS-J and SLS-J-short. Additionally, it was revealed that SL has an impact on employees’ work engagement through a mediation of affective commitment at a cross-sectional level, and the indirect association between SL and work engagement via affective commitment remained afterward.ConclusionSLS-J and SLS-J-short were confirmed to have good reliability and validity for Japanese workers. Also, this study found that SL has an important role in enhancing the engagement of workers.
Highlights
The mental health of workers, both in terms of distress and in terms of engagement at work, has been a major focus of the health field (Nieuwenhuijsen et al, 2010; Theorell et al, 2015), but it is only recently that the role of the direct supervisor has gained more attention
Transformational leadership (TL) theory, the dominant theory of positive leadership since the 1980s, resembles servant leadership theory in that it emphasizes the personal growth of followers (Avolio et al, 2004)
We developed the Japanese version of the Servant Leadership Survey (SLS) (SLS-J) in accordance with the guidelines specified in the International Society of Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) task force (Wild et al, 2005)
Summary
The mental health of workers, both in terms of distress and in terms of engagement at work, has been a major focus of the health field (Nieuwenhuijsen et al, 2010; Theorell et al, 2015), but it is only recently that the role of the direct supervisor has gained more attention. Leadership based on positive psychology emphasizing ethical and moral leader behavior has drawn considerable attention in association with public corporate scandals (e.g., Enron, Fannie Mae, Lehmann Brothers, Tyco, and WorldCom) (Hoch et al, 2018). The core characteristic of servant leaders is that they go beyond their self-interest and focus on fulfilling the needs of their followers (Liden et al, 2015; van Dierendonck, 2011). Servant leaders promote the realization of shared vision by creating conditions that enhance followers’ well-being and functioning through “humility,” “authenticity,” and “interpersonal acceptance.”. Servant leaders focus on the psychological needs of followers as a goal in itself and trust followers to do what is necessary for the organization (Stone et al, 2004) Transformational leaders inspire followers toward the organizational goals and enable them to perform better through “individualized consideration,” “intellectual stimulation,” and “supportive behavior.” Servant leaders promote the realization of shared vision by creating conditions that enhance followers’ well-being and functioning through “humility,” “authenticity,” and “interpersonal acceptance.” Servant leaders focus on the psychological needs of followers as a goal in itself and trust followers to do what is necessary for the organization (Stone et al, 2004)
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