The impact of servant leadership and transformational leadership on learning organization: a comparative analysis

Excellence in healthcare: nurturing servant leadership, fostering collaborative culture and promoting social sustainability in the UAE - strategies for transformation

PURPOSE

This study aims to investigate the healthcare sector of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to explore the significance of servant leadership and collaborative culture in fostering social sustainability. The primary objective of this paper is to investigate how servant leadership and a collaborative culture contribute to social sustainability in health care in the UAE. With a focus on promoting well-being within healthcare organizations, the paper aims to uncover the synergies between servant leadership, collaborative culture, and social sustainability.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH

This paper conducted a multilayer literature review of existing literature on servant leadership, collaborative culture and social sustainability in health care, both globally and specifically in the UAE context, and a conceptual model was proposed.

FINDINGS

Servant leadership proves to be a culturally pertinent and effective leadership model within the UAE due to its alignment with cultural values, emphasis on community support, and the robust health-care system that contributes to individual well-being. This combination establishes a solid foundation for fostering a healthy and sustainable society.

RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS

Limitations and implications are discussed. The current research has not identified the boundary conditions under which servant leadership and collaborative culture may be more or less effective. This could involve exploring industry-specific influences or contextual factors. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE

The research seeks to unravel the interconnections between servant leadership, collaborative culture and social sustainability. To the best of the author's knowledge, none of the studies have explored the interrelationships of these constructs, particularly in the UAE context.

Flow's Core Prerequisites: The Role of Servant Leadership, Mindfulness and Work-Life Balance

Flow is an optimal mental state of being completely involved in one's activities. This correlational study explored an important, but rarely validated performance model in the workplace-flow. Building on the JD-R theory we recognized three key prerequisites of flow-servant leadership, work-life balance, and mindfulness. We analyzed 987 survey responses from two industries (service and manufacturing) in China. The study discovered that servant leadership, mindfulness, and work-life balance correlate with individual flow as key prerequisites. Further we discovered that the relationship between mindfulness and flow is moderated by the industry. Particularly, data from the manufacturing industry showed a positive relationship between mindfulness and flow but a negative relationship among service employees. Implications for performance and applied psychology research, theory, and practice are discussed.

Leadership and Learning at Work: A Systematic Literature Review of Learning-oriented Leadership

Contemporary organizations must be adaptive and agile as the environment changes. To respond to change, leaders must find ways of integrating learning into everyday work experiences. This invites the question: how do leaders facilitate individual, group and organizational learning? Several studies have examined relationships among leadership and learning and potential mediating and moderating variables. However, because this literature is extensive and fragmented it is difficult to discern what is known about how leadership contributes to individual, group and organizational learning. Accordingly, there is a pressing need to assemble and evaluate the existing studies. To address this limitation of the literature, this paper presents a systematic review and critique of literature in this field. Our review of 105 studies suggests that there are statistically significant relationships between different types of leadership and learning at the individual, group, and organizational levels. Furthermore, the findings indicate that these relationships are often mediated by other variables. However, little is known about moderators and boundary conditions. Based on the findings, it would be premature to say with certainty that leadership causally influences learning, since the empirical basis for such a claim is lacking. We outline the conceptual, theoretical, methodological, and empirical refinements needed to guide future research on learning-oriented leadership and advance this research trajectory. The findings of our review and our conclusions will be informative for researchers and practitioners.

The influence of transformational leadership on work engagement in the context of learning organization mediated by employees’ motivation

Purpose

This study aims to focus on determining the influence of transformational leadership on work engagement as mediated by employee motivation.

Design/methodology/approach

The research findings are based on a quantitative analysis of a survey of 443 full-time employees working in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Great Bay Area (GBA) of China.

Findings

The positive perception of transformational leadership from employees enables them to accomplish tasks beyond expectations. With the help of structural equation modeling, this study reveals that the influence path of perceptions of transformational leadership on work engagement is partially mediated through employee motivation.

Research limitations/implications

Employee motivation is not the only mediating factor, other factors mediate the relationship between transformational leadership and work engagement. The problem of sample size and sampling collection, the survey only focuses on samples working in the GBA.

Originality/value

The analysis and results based on data from mainland China, especially the GBA, expands the boundaries of the role of transformational leaders in learning organization and provides additional data support and sources for future relevant research. At the same time, the study of the mediation models between leadership and work engagement also hints more potential possible mediation factors.

HOW DOES SERVANT LEADERSHIP INCREASE THE COMPETITIVENESS OF STARTUP TEAMS? THE MEDIATING ROLE OF EMPLOYEES’ SELF-EFFICACY

Purpose–The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of servant leadership on competitiveness of startups. Also, the role of self-efficacy as a mediator between servant leadership and competitiveness has been explored.

Design/methodology/approach—Servant leadership, competitiveness and self-efficacy were evaluated in an empirical study based on a sample of 220 employees of Iranian start-up companies.

The data analysis was performed through a two-stage partial least squares structural equation modeling technique. In the first stage, the measurement models were examined in terms of construct validity and reliability, while in the second stage, the structural model and research hypotheses were tested.

Findings—The results demonstrated that servant leadership positively affects competitiveness. Also, as expected, self-efficacy act as a mediating variable between servant leadership and competitiveness.

Practical implications—Start-ups nowadays constitute a large portion of countries’ financial turnover and economy. Considering the sharp increase in competitiveness and instability in the market, start-ups with transformational leadership are more likely to succeed. However, other styles, such as servant leadership, could play an essential role in guiding these startup companies on the way of competitiveness by strengthening employees’ empowerment and self-efficacy.

Originality/value—It is believed that the important contribution of this study is demonstrating the effects of servant leadership on competitiveness of startups. Also, the mediating role of self-efficacy in this relationship has been strongly confirmed.

The Venture Firm’s Ambidexterity: Do Transformational Leaders Boost Organizational Learning for Venture Growth?

Having experienced the turbulent change in corporate value rankings over the past 20 years, companies are paying attention to their reorganization to quickly recognize changes and proactively adapt to these changes for survival. This study examines the relationships and intervening ambidexterity mechanisms between CEOs’ leadership style and employees’ learning agility. Using multilevel regression, we analyze hypotheses on a sample of 102 participating CEOs and 236 employees. Results reveal that the ambidextrous organization, which pursues the current organizational development while constantly adapting to changing environments, plays a role as a partial mediator between transformational leadership and members’ learning agility. These results explain that to increase the organization’s agility, a systematic organizational structure system that stimulates members’ motives and simultaneously pursues utilization and exploration must be established through clear goals and appropriate stimuli even in an uncertain environment. Our finding contributes to an understanding of how the CEO’s leadership style affects employees’ learning agility in ventures and to what extent the contextual ambidextrous structure influences the relationship.

Effects of emerging leadership styles on engagement – a mediation analysis in a military context

Purpose

This paper aims to report the findings of a study examining the relationship between different leadership styles and engagement through the mediating role of proactive personality.

Design/methodology/approach

Servant leadership, paradoxical leadership, authentic leadership, employee engagement and proactive personality were assessed in an empirical study based on a sample of 348 military personnel in Spain. The questionnaire data were analyzed through SEM using EQS and bootstrapping analysis using the PROCESS macro for SPSS.

Findings

The results reveal that servant leadership style in officers partially impacts their cadets' engagement through proactive personality but that authentic and paradoxical leadership styles do not mediate the relationship. The authors also verify a direct relationship between proactive personality and engagement.

Practical implications

The study implications advance the literature on leadership in emphasizing new leadership styles to increase proactive personality and engagement in the military context. This study verifies the importance of military leaders fostering servant leadership as an antecedent of proactive personality. Finally, the authors show that servant leadership partially impacts engagement through proactive personality.

Originality/value

This study explores the relationship among servant, paradoxical and authentic leadership styles, proactive personality, and engagement – relationships that have not been explored theoretically and tested empirically in the military context.