The effect of servant leadership on employee outcomes: does endogeneity matter?

Abstract

Today’s society demands ethical and people-oriented management from companies. In this context, servant leadership represents a key element due to its influence on the organiza- tion’s well-being and proper functioning, both at the individual level (employees) and the global level (team). This research analyzes servant leadership’s influence on organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and how it promotes its efficiency through its two dimensions (OCB towards the employees and OCB towards the organization). Thus, data has been col- lected from both managers and employees of 53 fitness centers belonging to four chains in Spain. The results reveal a significant direct influence of servant leadership on OCB and direct and indirect effects through employee’s self-efficacy and job satisfaction. A set of managerial implications and future research lines are suggested after discussing the results, while an endogeneity test is illustrated.