The impact of servant leadership and subordinates' organizational tenure on trust in leader and attitudes

TLDR

The study investigates how servant leadership influences subordinates' trust in their leader and job satisfaction, and whether organizational tenure moderates this relationship. Data were collected via a structured questionnaire from 218 employees at a private service firm in China. Trust in the leader mediated the link between servant leadership and job satisfaction, with stronger effects observed among short‑tenure employees than long‑tenure ones.

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between servant leadership, subordinates' trust in leader and job satisfaction, and whether subordinates' organizational tenure moderated the effect. Design/methodology/approach – A structured questionnaire survey was used to collect data by 218 employees in a service-oriented private firm in the People's Republic of China. Findings – The findings indicated that trust in leader mediated the relationship between servant leadership and subordinates' job satisfaction. Also, the positive effect of servant leadership on subordinates' trust in leader and job satisfaction was stronger for short-tenure subordinates than that for long-tenure subordinates. Originality/value – This paper enriches the existing leadership literature and contributes to the research into how and why servant leadership may influence subordinates' attitudes.