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Can CEO’s Humble Leadership Behavior Really Improve Enterprise Performance and Sustainability? A Case Study of Chinese Start-Up Companies

Author

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  • Qiuzhen Ren

    (Department of Economics and Management, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China)

  • Yingjie Xu

    (Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2 D02 PN40, Ireland)

  • Ranran Zhou

    (School of Economics and Management, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin 150001, China)

  • Jingdong Liu

    (School of Business, Anhui University, Hefei 230039, China)

Abstract

The relationship between the leadership behavior of a chief executive officer (CEO) and start-up enterprise performance is key to effecting the survival and development of start-ups in the era of the internet economy. Currently, most studies on this topic focus more on the role of leadership effectiveness but rarely explore the CEO’s humility in leadership and the mechanism of its behavior affecting enterprise performance and its sustainable development. Based on leadership theory and upper-echelon theory, we build a research model of CEO’s humble leadership behavior, top management team’s (TMT’s) transactive memory system, and start-up enterprise performance, as well as the moderating roles exerted by strategic flexibility. Further, to validate the hypothesis, 400 valid questionnaires are obtained. Based on those data, the empirical results show humility, as a virtue, not only can significantly and positively improve start-up firm performance but also can promote the firm’s sustainable development in the long run by providing a trustworthiness climate for TMT members. Moreover, TMT’s transactive memory systems play a partial mediating role in the relationship between CEO’s humble leadership behavior and start-up enterprise performance. Meanwhile, strategic flexibility significantly and positively moderates the relationship between CEO’s humble leadership behavior and startup entrepreneurial performance. Finally, the theoretical and practical implications are discussed, and directions for future research are proposed.

Suggested Citation

  • Qiuzhen Ren & Yingjie Xu & Ranran Zhou & Jingdong Liu, 2020. "Can CEO’s Humble Leadership Behavior Really Improve Enterprise Performance and Sustainability? A Case Study of Chinese Start-Up Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-25, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:8:p:3168-:d:345490
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    Cited by:

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    2. Feng-Hua Yang & Fang-Jie Shiu, 2023. "Evaluating the Impact of Workplace Friendship on Social Loafing in Long-Term Care Institutions: An Empirical Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-22, May.
    3. Yongbo Sun & Hong Sun, 2021. "Executives’ Environmental Awareness and Eco-Innovation: An Attention-Based View," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-21, April.
    4. Santoshi Sengupta & Swati Sharma & Aishwarya Singh, 2021. "Authentic Leadership Fostering Creativity in Start-ups: Mediating Role of Work Engagement and Employee Task Proactivity," Business Perspectives and Research, , vol. 9(2), pages 235-251, May.
    5. Tutun Mukherjee & Som Sankar Sen, 2022. "Impact of CEO attributes on corporate reputation, financial performance, and corporate sustainable growth: evidence from India," Financial Innovation, Springer;Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, vol. 8(1), pages 1-50, December.

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