This study investigates how female religious leaders nurture spiritual well-being in religious sisters. Specifically, we examined how servant leadership fosters spiritual well-being [Gifts and Fruits of the Spirit (GFSp)] through, respectively, the mediating role of team trust and reduced occurrence of team conflicts. Quantitative survey data were collected from 453 religious sisters (followers) within a Catholic Women Religious Institute in Nigeria. Using structural equation modeling, results showed that servant leadership is positively related to team trust and negatively related to team conflict. Further findings showed that servant leadership indirectly fosters spiritual well-being: Gifts of the Spirit (GSp), and Fruits of the Spirit (FSp), through the mediating role of team trust, however not through reduced team conflict. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Purpose The present study investigates the relationship between servant and authoritarian leadership, and leaders’ third-party conflict behaviors in followers’ conflicts, thereby contributing to integrating knowledge on leadership styles and leaders’ third-party conflict behaviors. This study aims to investigate leadership and conflict management in a context hardly studied: local religious communities or convents within a female religious organization. Design/methodology/approach The authors collected quantitative survey data from 453 religious sisters, measuring their perception of leaders’ behaviors. These religious sisters live in local religious communities within a Catholic Women Religious Institute based in Nigeria (West Africa) and in other countries across the globe. Findings Results show that servant leadership relates positively to leaders’ third-party problem-solving behavior and negatively to leaders’ avoiding and forcing. Moreover, authoritarian leadership relates positively to leaders’ third-party avoiding and forcing behaviors. Originality/value This study expands theory development and practices on leadership and leaders’ third-party conflict behaviors. The authors associate servant and authoritarian leadership with leaders’ third-party conflict behaviors: avoiding, forcing and problem-solving, in followers’ conflicts. The authors offer practical recommendations for religious leaders on servant leadership and leaders’ third-party conflict behaviors.

Leadership plays a crucial role in building trust and followers' wellbeing in organizations. This study explores the relationship between servant and authoritarian leadership, team trust, and follower engagement and affective commitment in local religious communities or convents, within a Catholic Women Religious Institute in Nigeria. Structural equation modeling was applied to investigate these relationships with quantitative data comprising 453 followers. We complement our quantitative data using exploratory findings from qualitative content analysis; looking into archival documents to further explain the observed relations. Findings show that servant leadership in convents stimulates followers' engagement and affective commitment through team trust (followers' trust in each other) that leaders promote among followers. Authoritarian leadership in contrast, was found to hinder followers' engagement and affective commitment since there is less fostering of team trust among followers. We discuss theoretical and practical implications.