Understanding how leaders' humility promotes followers' emotions and ethical behaviors: Workplace spirituality as a mediator. Issue 3 (3rd May 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Naseer, Saima; Syed, Fauzia; Nauman, Shazia; Fatima, Tasneem; Jameel, Ifrah; Riaz, Namra
• Is Part Of: Journal of positive psychology. Volume 15:Issue 3(2020)
• Page Start: 407
• Page End: 419
• Publication Date: 2020-05-03
• Subjects: Leader humility -- workplace spirituality -- ethical behavior -- empathy -- gratitude; Positive psychology -- Periodicals; Quality of life -- Psychological aspects -- Periodicals; Happiness -- Psychological aspects -- Periodicals; 158
• DOI: 10.1080/17439760.2019.1615103
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1743-9760

Abstract

ABSTRACT: We propose a meditational model that explains why and how leaders' humility manifests into followers' empathy, gratitude, and ethical behaviors. Building on social information-processing theory (SIP), we hypothesize that, when a leader has a high level of humility, his or her followers receive signals that increase perceptions of workplace spirituality, which fosters an environment of ethical behavior, empathy, and gratitude. We collected time-lagged survey data (three time intervals, each a month apart) from employees and their colleagues (n = 286) in nine organizations in Pakistan's telecom, education, and industrial sectors. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), we show that a leader's humility predicts his or her employees' ethical behaviors, empathy, and gratitude. Moreover, perceptions of workplace spirituality mediated the time-lagged effects of a leader's humility on his or her followers' ethical behaviors, empathy, and gratitude. Our findings largely support our theoretical foundations that indicate that a leader's humility has important implications for his or her followers' positive emotions and behaviors through a unique process involving workplace spirituality.