Genuine Servant Leadership (GSL) Impacting Employee Motivation and Work Intentions: A Special Focus on Asian High Power Distance and Vertical Collectivist Organizations

Introduction

In recent years, empirical researchers have taken a growing interest in servant leadership and its effectiveness through outcomes variables, such as those related to job, leader and group. Specifically, research has focused on examining how servant leadership motivates and improves employee attitudes and performance in the workplace (Hsiao et al, 2015; Ling et al, 2016; Testa & Sipe, 2012), employee job engagement outcomes (De Clercq et al, 2014) trust in leader (Chan & Mak, 2014) service performance and OCB (Liden et al., 2014; Van Dierendonck, 2011), group outcomes in service climate (Chen et al., 2015) and group service performance and group OCB (Hu & Liden, 2011, Retrieved from Zhang et al, 2021), employee satisfaction and intention to remain in the organization (Sadq et al. 2021), entrepreneurial intentions (Khan et al., 2021), employee turnover intentions (e.g. Li & Xie, 2021; Brohi et al, 2021; Mansyah & Rojuaniah, 2021; Han & Jun, 2021). Despite servant leadership research has stemmed from Western cultures, (Liden et al. 2008; Parris & Peachey, 2018), an augmenting list is surging for Asia (Hale & Fields, 2007; Han et al., 2010; Ling & al., 2016; Miao, et al., 2014). Certain scholars have regarded servant leadership to be a universal concept across cultures (Reviewed by Parris & Peachey 2013). However, some have proposed that servant leadership may manifest diversely depending on cultural dynamics of specific societies, categorically towards power distance and collectivism in Asia (Pekerti & Sendjaya, 2010; Sun & Wang, 2009; Trompenaars & Voerman, 2009). Thus, more research has been called to satiate the gap from the cultural dimensions’ moderating effects, expressly on power distance and collectivism.

Despite the increasing attention of servant leadership research in Asia, majority have taken the quantitative study approach, leaving a gap to fill in qualitative methods (Pressentin, 2021). Zhang et al, (2021) have performed a systemactic review, through empirical research, of servant leadership in Asia on employee outcomes moderated by power distance, individualism, traditionalism and masculinity. They found that servant leadership is less effective in influencing people prone to high power distance, less individualism and high traditionalism in Asia. This suggests that cultural background may impact followers desirability of a particular leaderhsip style, explained by implicit leadership theory (Dorfman et al, 2014).

More research on the grounds of cultural dimensions as moderating effects on servant leadership’s effectiveness has been suggested, in addition to learning about those across diverse levels of management and organization (Zhang et al., 2021; Zigarmi et al, 2015; Peyton & Zigarmi, 2021; Eva, et al., 2019; Lee, et al., 2019; Rowley, et al., 2019; Verdorfer, 2019). In addition, studies on servant leadership has accentuated focused on the leader’s viewpoint, while there is space and necessity to explore from the followers’ perspective (Bligh & Schyns, 2007, Khan, et al., 2019; Alvesson & Einola, 2019). Servant leadership research is still in its infancy and developing (Liden, 2014; Zhang et al., 2021). There has been a consistent interest in seeking servant leadership’s effectiveness in the form of outcomes, satisfaction and commitment (Zhang, et al., 2021). However, a body of research has verified that a better measurement of results is employees’ intentions, as there is less room for speculation of engagement, organizational commitment and satisfaction when based on predictable employees’ behaviors, deemed as a significant aspect (Nimon & Zigarmi, 2015). Finally, limited research has involved the aspects of social exchange and social learning exchange theories in combination which could foster the understanding of organizational operations efficiency and service quality (Zhang et al., 2021).