The moderating role of employee proactive behaviour in the relationship between servant leadership and job satisfaction

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to analyse the relationship between servant leadership and job satisfaction and the moderating effect of employees’ proactive behaviour on this relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

Survey data were gathered from 256 employees (131 from Brazil and 125 from Spain). Structural equation modelling was used to test the research model.

Findings

The results of this study indicate that servant leadership is positively related to job satisfaction, with employees’ proactive behaviour negatively moderating the relationship between servant leadership and job satisfaction.

Originality/value

This study relates leadership and employee behaviour and advances our understanding of the conditions that affect the influence of servant leadership on followers. In addition, the country culture variable is found to be statistically significant. This result opens the way to deeper research into the effect of country culture on the behaviour of employees related to leadership.

Citation

Gil, A.J., Bittencourt Gonzalez Mosegui, G., Zenezi Moreira, R. and Eguizabal, M.J. (2024), "The moderating role of employee proactive behaviour in the relationship between servant leadership and job satisfaction", International Journal of Organizational Analysis, Vol. 32 No. 3, pp. 422-434. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-01-2023-3592