IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jbrese/v129y2021icp43-56.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Does organizational structure render leadership unnecessary? Configurations of formalization and centralization as a substitute and neutralizer of servant leadership

Author

Listed:
  • Eva, Nathan
  • Sendjaya, Sen
  • Prajogo, Daniel
  • Madison, Karryna

Abstract

This research draws on the substitutes for leadership theory and the organizational configuration perspective to examine if formalization and centralization moderate the effect of servant leadership on job satisfaction. The findings from a field study and an experimental study suggest that while formalization and centralization did not operate as a substitute or neutralizer independently, however as per the configuration perspective, they interact to moderate the relationship between servant leadership and job satisfaction in different configurations. The results indicate that servant leadership behaviors have more salient effects on followers’ satisfaction when they operate in organizations with lower levels of organizational structure. In addition, under specific structural configurations, formalization can act as a substitute for servant leadership, and centralization can act as a neutralizer on servant leadership. This research contributes to the literatures of servant leadership and the substitutes for leadership theory by enhancing our understanding of the impact of structural configurations.

Suggested Citation

  • Eva, Nathan & Sendjaya, Sen & Prajogo, Daniel & Madison, Karryna, 2021. "Does organizational structure render leadership unnecessary? Configurations of formalization and centralization as a substitute and neutralizer of servant leadership," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 43-56.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:129:y:2021:i:c:p:43-56
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.02.023
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296321001028
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.02.023?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Podsakoff, Philip M. & Niehoff, Brian P. & MacKenzie, Scott B. & Williams, Margaret L., 1993. "Do Substitutes for Leadership Really Substitute for Leadership? An Empirical Examination of Kerr and Jermier's Situational Leadership Model," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 54(1), pages 1-44, February.
    2. Sen Sendjaya & Nathan Eva & Ivan Butar Butar & Mulyadi Robin & Samantha Castles, 2019. "SLBS-6: Validation of a Short Form of the Servant Leadership Behavior Scale," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 156(4), pages 941-956, June.
    3. Schminke, Marshall & Cropanzano, Russell & Rupp, Deborah E., 2002. "Organization structure and fairness perceptions: The moderating effects of organizational level," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 89(1), pages 881-905, September.
    4. Benjamin Artz, 2008. "The Role of Firm Size and Performance Pay in Determining Employee Job Satisfaction Brief: Firm Size, Performance Pay, and Job Satisfaction," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 22(2), pages 315-343, June.
    5. Yoshida, Diah Tuhfat & Sendjaya, Sen & Hirst, Giles & Cooper, Brian, 2014. "Does servant leadership foster creativity and innovation? A multi-level mediation study of identification and prototypicality," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 67(7), pages 1395-1404.
    6. A. Newman & G. Schwarz & B. Cooper & S. Sendjaya, 2017. "How Servant Leadership Influences Organizational Citizenship Behavior: The Roles of LMX, Empowerment, and Proactive Personality," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 145(1), pages 49-62, September.
    7. Sen Sendjaya & James C. Sarros & Joseph C. Santora, 2008. "Defining and Measuring Servant Leadership Behaviour in Organizations," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(2), pages 402-424, March.
    8. Zhu, Yongmin & Liu, Miaomiao & Zeng, Xiaohua & Huang, Pei, 2020. "The effects of prior reviews on perceived review helpfulness: A configuration perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 484-494.
    9. Cremer, David De & Knippenberg, Daan van, 2004. "Leader self-sacrifice and leadership effectiveness: The moderating role of leader self-confidence," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 95(2), pages 140-155, November.
    10. Pertusa-Ortega, Eva M. & Zaragoza-Sáez, Patrocinio & Claver-Cortés, Enrique, 2010. "Can formalization, complexity, and centralization influence knowledge performance?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 63(3), pages 310-320, March.
    11. Tremblay, Michel & Simard, Gilles, 2018. "A multifoci approach to study social support and job performance: A target similarity consideration of development-enhancing practices, leadership, and structure," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 118-130.
    12. Deutscher, Franziska & Zapkau, Florian B. & Schwens, Christian & Baum, Matthias & Kabst, Ruediger, 2016. "Strategic orientations and performance: A configurational perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(2), pages 849-861.
    13. Kulins, Christopher & Leonardy, Hannes & Weber, Christiana, 2016. "A configurational approach in business model design," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(4), pages 1437-1441.
    14. Katsikea, Evangelia & Theodosiou, Marios & Perdikis, Nick & Kehagias, John, 2011. "The effects of organizational structure and job characteristics on export sales managers' job satisfaction and organizational commitment," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 46(2), pages 221-233, April.
    15. Sen Sendjaya, 2015. "Personal and Organizational Excellence through Servant Leadership," Management for Professionals, Springer, edition 127, number 978-3-319-16196-9, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Fernandes, Cristina I. & Veiga, Pedro M. & Ferreira, João J. & Rammal, Hussain G. & Pereira, Vijay, 2022. "Assessing strategic leadership in organizations: Using bibliometric data to develop a holistic model," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 646-655.
    2. Piotr Tarka & Elżbieta Jędrych, 2023. "Toward an exploratory framework of determinants of marketing research effectiveness in business organizations," Journal of Marketing Analytics, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(3), pages 503-522, September.
    3. Richa Goyal & Neha Sheoran & Himani Sharma, 2024. "Can Mindfulness be an Alternative for Servant Leadership? A Well-being Perspective," Business Perspectives and Research, , vol. 12(2), pages 315-330, April.
    4. Ángeles López-Cabarcos, M. & Vázquez-Rodríguez, Paula & Quiñoá-Piñeiro, Lara M., 2022. "An approach to employees’ job performance through work environmental variables and leadership behaviours," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 361-369.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Junting Lu & Zhe Zhang & Ming Jia, 2019. "Does Servant Leadership Affect Employees’ Emotional Labor? A Social Information-Processing Perspective," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 159(2), pages 507-518, October.
    2. Ghulam Mustafa & Richard Glavee-Geo & Kjell Gronhaug & Hanan Saber Almazrouei, 2019. "Structural Impacts on Formation of Self-Efficacy and Its Performance Effects," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-24, February.
    3. Michiel Frederick Coetzer & Mark Bussin & Madelyn Geldenhuys, 2017. "The Functions of a Servant Leader," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 7(1), pages 1-32, February.
    4. Sen Sendjaya & Nathan Eva & Ivan Butar Butar & Mulyadi Robin & Samantha Castles, 2019. "SLBS-6: Validation of a Short Form of the Servant Leadership Behavior Scale," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 156(4), pages 941-956, June.
    5. Mohammed Khalifa Abdelsalam & Ibrahim Mohammed Massoud Egdair & Halima Begum & Diara Md. Jadi & Hussein-Elhakim Al Issa & Omar Saad Saleh Abrika & A. S. A. Ferdous Alam, 2021. "The Key Organizational Factors in Healthcare Waste Management Practices of Libyan Public Hospitals," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-19, November.
    6. Ximeng Jia & Chen Chen & Yaoqin Li & Mengyu Hao, 2023. "From childhood poverty to good boss: the impact of CEO's early-life experience on corporate employee responsibility," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 22(5), pages 1937-1961, November.
    7. Jianji Zeng & Guangyi Xu, 2020. "How Servant Leadership Motivates Innovative Behavior: A Moderated Mediation Model," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(13), pages 1-14, July.
    8. Émilie Lapointe & Christian Vandenberghe, 2018. "Examination of the Relationships Between Servant Leadership, Organizational Commitment, and Voice and Antisocial Behaviors," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 148(1), pages 99-115, March.
    9. Ghulam Mustafa & Hans Solli-Sæther & Virginia Bodolica & Jon Ivar Håvold & Anam Ilyas, 2022. "Digitalization trends and organizational structure: bureaucracy, ambidexterity or post-bureaucracy?," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 12(4), pages 671-694, December.
    10. Malakkaran Johny Jino & Hima Elizabeth Mathew, 2021. "Can Formalisation Ensure Ethical Behaviour Among Teachers? The Mediating Role of Moral Efficacy," Business Perspectives and Research, , vol. 9(2), pages 306-323, May.
    11. Abida Ellahi & Mobashar Rehman & Yasir Javed & Fahd Sultan & Hafiz Mudassir Rehman, 2022. "Impact of Servant Leadership on Project Success Through Mediating Role of Team Motivation and Effectiveness: A Case of Software Industry," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(3), pages 21582440221, September.
    12. Yen, Chang-Hua & Teng, Hsiu-Yu, 2013. "The effect of centralization on organizational citizenship behavior and deviant workplace behavior in the hospitality industry," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 401-410.
    13. Vincent J. Giolito & Robert C. Liden & Dirk Dierendonck & Gordon W. Cheung, 2021. "Servant Leadership Influencing Store-Level Profit: The Mediating Effect of Employee Flourishing," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 172(3), pages 503-524, September.
    14. Muhammad Azeem Qureshi & Abdur Rahman Aleemi & Syed Irfan Hyder, 2019. "Servant Leadership: A Taxonomic Approach Towards Systematic Literature Review," IBT Journal of Business Studies (JBS), Ilma University, Faculty of Management Science, vol. 15(1), pages 219-230.
    15. Muhammad Azeem Qureshi & Abdur Rahman Aleemi & Syed Irfan Hyder, 2019. "Servant Leadership: A Taxonomic Approach Towards Systematic Literature Review," IBT Journal of Business Studies (JBS), Ilma University, Faculty of Management Science, vol. 15(1), pages 15-18.
    16. Lifeng Zhong & Zhichao Qian & Dongdong Wang, 2020. "How does the servant supervisor influence the employability of postgraduates? Exploring the mechanisms of self-efficacy and academic engagement," Frontiers of Business Research in China, Springer, vol. 14(1), pages 1-20, December.
    17. Sarah Kimakwa & Jorge A. Gonzalez & Hale Kaynak, 2023. "Social Entrepreneur Servant Leadership and Social Venture Performance: How are They Related?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 182(1), pages 95-118, January.
    18. Jiang, Wan & Wang, Linlin & Chu, Zhaofang & Zheng, Chundong, 2019. "Does leader turnover intention hinder team innovation performance? The roles of leader self-sacrificial behavior and empathic concern," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 261-270.
    19. Farida Saleem & Yingying Zhang Zhang & C. Gopinath & Ahmad Adeel, 2020. "Impact of Servant Leadership on Performance: The Mediating Role of Affective and Cognitive Trust," SAGE Open, , vol. 10(1), pages 21582440199, January.
    20. Yucheng Zhang & Yuyan Zheng & Long Zhang & Shan Xu & Xin Liu & Wansi Chen, 2021. "A meta-analytic review of the consequences of servant leadership: The moderating roles of cultural factors," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 38(1), pages 371-400, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:129:y:2021:i:c:p:43-56. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jbusres .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.