You're humble, so I'm not ashamed to ask? The intervening role of supervisor trust and feedback orientation

Abstract

PurposeDrawing on the perspective of trust and individual differences, this study developed and tested a model to identify the effect of leaders' demonstrated humility on employees' feedback-seeking processes. Specifically, it examined the role of feedback orientation and employees' trust in supervisors in the way humble leadership affects employees' feedback-seeking behavior (FSB).Design/methodology/approachThe moderated mediation model was tested using matched surveys from 175 Chinese employees and their direct supervisors from various organizations.FindingsThe results revealed that humble leadership could predict employees' FSB through supervisor trust. Moreover, feedback orientation not only moderated the relationship between supervisor trust and employees' FSB but also moderated the indirect effect of humble leadership on employees' FSB via supervisor trust.Originality/valueThese findings can provide guidance to corporate organizations on how to motivate employees to actively seek feedback to improve their job performance.