SERVANT LEADERSHIP,TRUST, AND THE ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT OF PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYEES IN CHINA |
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| Authors: | QING MIAO ALEXANDER NEWMAN GARY SCHWARZ LIN XU |
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| Institution: | 1. Qing Miao is at College of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University, , Hangzhou, China;2. Alexander Newman is at the Department of Management, Monash University, , Victoria, Australia;3. Gary Schwarz is at Nottingham University Business School, China and Ash Center, Harvard Kennedy School, , USA;4. Lin Xu is at the Zhejiang University, , Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China |
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| Abstract: | So‐called servant leaders strive selflessly and altruistically to assist others before themselves, work to develop their followers' greatest potential, and seek to benefit the wider community. This article examines the trust‐based mechanisms by which servant leadership influences organizational commitment in the Chinese public sector, using data from a survey of civil servants. Quantitative analysis shows that servant leadership strongly influences affective and normative commitment, while having no impact on continuance commitment. Furthermore, we find that affective trust rather than cognitive trust is the mechanism by which servant leadership induces higher levels of commitment. Our findings suggest that in a time of decreasing confidence levels in public leaders, servant leadership behaviour may be used to re‐establish trust and create legitimacy for the Chinese civil service. |
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