Exploring the relationship among servant leadership, intrinsic motivation and performance in an industrial sales setting

Abstract

Purpose – Although servant leadership (SL) improves the overall effectiveness of individuals and teams, it remains understudied. The aim of this paper is to provide insight into the mediating mechanisms through which perceived SL affects salespersons’ proactive and adaptive behaviors. Design/methodology/approach – Data were gathered from 145 industrial salespeople and their supervisors across a variety of businesses and sectors in Spain. Findings – SL enhances salespeople’s adaptivity and proactivity by positively affecting their self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation. Furthermore, SL directly shapes the development of adaptive behaviors among salespeople, although this direct influence is not significant when considering proactivity. Additionally, the use of outcome-based control mechanisms enhances the positive effects of SL on salespeople’s intrinsic motivation. Practical implications – The results demonstrate that sales managers can promote more proactive and adaptive behaviors among sales staff by recognizing the importance of service and their moral responsibilities to the success of their subordinates. Originality/value – Cognitive evaluation theory was used to examine the direct and indirect effects of perceived SL on two emergent change-oriented behaviors (adaptivity and proactivity) using a matched sample of industrial salespeople from a variety of industries, thus providing a basis for the generalization of results. Moreover, in analyzing the moderating effects of outcome control, the conditions under which SL is more or less effective were examined.

How Does Servant Leadership Foster Employees’ Voluntary Green Behavior? A Sequential Mediation Model

“…The finding that servant leadership has a positive influence on autonomous motivation for the environment is congruent with the existing literature, where servant leadership has shown its positive impact on intrinsic motivation [48], a component of autonomous motivation. The more a leader demonstrates the servant leadership style, the more the followers feel autonomously motivated.…”

“…The existing scholarship has established the positive influence of servant leadership on employees' psychological empowerment [61], intrinsic motivation [48], and employees' extra-role behaviors [42]. In the preceding sections of this article, it has been further accentuated that psychological empowerment and autonomous motivation for the environment would be the mechanisms through which servant leadership exerts its influence in predicting EVGB.…”

“…Despite theoretical support, empirical evidence lacks in establishing the relationship between servant leadership and autonomous motivation. However, a couple of studies highlight the positive influence of servant leadership on intrinsic motivation, a component of autonomous motivation [47,48]. SDT [43] argued that certain contextual and social factors, like leadership, may facilitate in shaping an individual's autonomous motivation.…”

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