The relationship between servant leadership, affective team commitment and team effectiveness

Abstract

Orientation: Value-based leadership practices play a critical role in teamwork in high-performance organisations. Research purpose: The aim of the study was to empirically validate a theoretical model explicating the structural relationships between servant leadership, affective team commitment and team effectiveness. Motivation for the study: The increased eliance on teams for production calls for an analysis of the role of follower-focused leadership practices in enhancing eam effectiveness.Research design, approach and method: A non-probabilityand multicultural sample consisting of 202 primary and secondary school teachers was drawn from 32 chools in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.Main findings: High levels of reliability were found and uni-dimensionality of the subscales was demonstrated through exploratory factor analyses. Good fit with the data was found for the measurement models through confirmatory factor analyses. Structural equation modelling showed a reasonable fit for the structural model. Positive relationships were found amongst servant leadership, team effectiveness and affective team commitment. Standard multiple regression analysis showed that affective team commitment moderated the relationship between servant leadership and team effectiveness.Practical/managerial implications: The findings emphasise the central role played by servant leadership and affective team commitment in team performance. Servant leadership fosters team effectiveness if employees feel committed to their work team.Contribution/value-add: The servant leadership style alone may not be a sufficient condition for team effectiveness; other variables, such as affective team commitment, also play a role. The study suggested specific variables that may also combine with leadership to positively influence team effectiveness.

An empirical investigation of banks employees’ interactions and workflow influence during social media advent: a case study of two commercial banks

“…In a belief that social media has brought great cohesiveness among employees, respondents felt positive by revealing a high percentage of agreement. Mahembe and Engelbrecht (2013) are in agreement as well with this finding by pointing out that "communication of the team's mission and goals with proper feedback enhances cohesive relationships amongst team members". This study revealed a high percentage of the majority of respondents who were in agreement that social media has created online communities that can be easily managed.…”

Factors influencing student usage of an online learning community: the case of a rural South African university

“…Furthermore, the structural model describes relationships between latent variables, and the measurement model describes the relationship between the latent variables and their corresponding indicators (Diamantopoulos and Siguaw, 2000). Finally, in SEM, the implied covariance matrix resulting from the model is then compared with the observed covariance matrix inputted as data to determine model fit (Mahembe and Engelbrecht, 2013).…”

How Team-Level and Individual-Level Conflict Influences Team Commitment: A Multilevel Investigation

“…Because a team cannot perform well without managing team conflict effectively (de Wit et al, 2012 ; Bradley et al, 2015 ), it is critical to understand how team conflict influences team dynamics and its success. Although team commitment has been recognized as one of the critical determinants of team success (Kukenberger et al, 2012 ; Mathieu and Gilson, 2012 ; Mahembe and Engelbrecht, 2013 ), there still has been a paucity of studies investigating the relationship between conflict and team commitment. To answer this call, this study examines the relationships between different types and levels of conflict and team commitment.…”