IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/jbuset/v197y2025i4d10.1007_s10551-024-05757-1.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Being a Parent Helps Being a Benevolent Leader: A Mixed-Method Approach

Author

Listed:
  • Zhengguang Liu

    (Zhejiang University)

  • Zhenkun Liang

    (Zhejiang University)

  • Cheng Wang

    (Zhejiang University)

  • Wenjun Bian

    (Zhejiang University)

Abstract

Benevolent leadership as a typical human-centered leadership pattern has been constantly advocated but often sacrificed to the prevailing performanceism in today’s organizations. However, it still remains unclear on how to effectively facilitate the emergence of benevolent behavior for leaders, which would potentially hinder the adoption of benevolent leadership and its attainment of high priority. In the current research, we go beyond the workplace to explore one deliberate way leaders can bring family resources into their leadership practice to emerge more benevolent behaviors at work. From the experience-based leadership development perspective, supported by the theory of role accumulation across domains, we take a mixed-method approach to uncover the effect of positive parenting experience on benevolent leadership behavior via parent-leader role enrichment. In Study 1, we conduct a qualitative analysis based on the text content and interview provided by parent-role leaders to preliminarily reveal that being a parent makes a leader perform more behaviors with benevolent nature. In Study 2, we draw from the benefits of being a parent generated in Study 1 and the cross-role accumulation perspective to develop a theoretical model to delineate how the positive parenting experience yields benefits for benevolent leadership behavior. Results show that positive parenting experience can benefit parent-role leaders’ benevolent leadership behavior via perspective-taking ability. Meanwhile, both the positive parenting experience’s direct effect on perspective taking and its indirect effect on benevolent leadership behavior are stronger for individuals involved in high-quality co-parenting with their spouse, highlighting the important collaboration effects in the process of achieving parent-to-leader enrichment across domains.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhengguang Liu & Zhenkun Liang & Cheng Wang & Wenjun Bian, 2025. "Being a Parent Helps Being a Benevolent Leader: A Mixed-Method Approach," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 197(4), pages 761-784, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:197:y:2025:i:4:d:10.1007_s10551-024-05757-1
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-024-05757-1
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10551-024-05757-1
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10551-024-05757-1?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. Eric V. Bindah, 2017. "Family dynamics and intergenerational entrepreneurs’ leadership style," Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research, Springer;UNESCO Chair in Entrepreneurship, vol. 7(1), pages 1-12, December.
    2. Guohong Helen Han & P. D. Harms & Yuntao Bai, 2017. "Nightmare Bosses: The Impact of Abusive Supervision on Employees’ Sleep, Emotions, and Creativity," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 145(1), pages 21-31, September.
    3. Fahri Karakas & Emine Sarigollu, 2012. "Benevolent Leadership: Conceptualization and Construct Development," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 108(4), pages 537-553, July.
    4. Weipeng Lin & Jingjing Ma & Qi Zhang & Jenny Chen Li & Feng Jiang, 2018. "How is Benevolent Leadership Linked to Employee Creativity? The Mediating Role of Leader–Member Exchange and the Moderating Role of Power Distance Orientation," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 152(4), pages 1099-1115, November.
    5. Cheng, Gang & Liu, Jia & Yang, Yiying & Wang, Yangqian & Xiong, Xianmeng & Liu, Guangzeng, 2021. "Stressful events and adolescents’ suicidal ideation during the COVID-19 epidemic: A moderated mediation model of depression and parental educational involvement," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    6. Duan, Jinyun & Ren, Xiaoyun & Liu, Zhengguang & Riggio, Ronald E., 2022. "Connecting the dots: How parental and current socioeconomic status shape individuals’ transformational leadership," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 51-58.
    7. Małgorzata Baran & Barbara Sypniewska, 2020. "The Impact of Management Methods on Employee Engagement," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-15, January.
    8. Zeynep Aycan & Birgit Schyns & Jian-Min Sun & Jörg Felfe & Noreen Saher, 2013. "Convergence and divergence of paternalistic leadership: A cross-cultural investigation of prototypes," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 44(9), pages 962-969, December.
    9. Fahri Karakas & Emine Sarigollu, 2013. "The Role of Leadership in Creating Virtuous and Compassionate Organizations: Narratives of Benevolent Leadership in an Anatolian Tiger," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 113(4), pages 663-678, April.
    10. McCall, Morgan W., 2010. "Recasting Leadership Development," Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Cambridge University Press, vol. 3(1), pages 3-19, March.
    11. Kylie C. Rochford & Anthony I. Jack & Richard E. Boyatzis & Shannon E. French, 2017. "Ethical Leadership as a Balance Between Opposing Neural Networks," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 144(4), pages 755-770, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Hazem Ahmed Khairy & Sijun Liu & Samar Sheikhelsouk & Ahmed M. EI-Sherbeeny & Omar Alsetoohy & Bassam Samir Al-Romeedy, 2023. "The Effect of Benevolent Leadership on Job Engagement through Psychological Safety and Workplace Friendship Prevalence in the Tourism and Hospitality Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-22, September.
    2. Sai Bhargavi Vedula & Rakesh Kumar Agrawal, 2024. "Mapping Spiritual Leadership: A Bibliometric Analysis and Synthesis of Past Milestones and Future Research Agenda," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 189(2), pages 301-328, January.
    3. Luu, Tuan, 2019. "Relationship between benevolent leadership and the well-being among employees with disabilities," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 282-294.
    4. Lei Yao & Xiao-Ping Chen & Hongguo Wei, 2023. "How do authoritarian and benevolent leadership affect employee work–family conflict? An emotional regulation perspective," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 40(4), pages 1525-1553, December.
    5. Weipeng Lin & Jingjing Ma & Qi Zhang & Jenny Chen Li & Feng Jiang, 2018. "How is Benevolent Leadership Linked to Employee Creativity? The Mediating Role of Leader–Member Exchange and the Moderating Role of Power Distance Orientation," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 152(4), pages 1099-1115, November.
    6. Guillaume Mercier & Ghislain Deslandes, 2020. "Formal and Informal Benevolence in a Profit-Oriented Context," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 165(1), pages 125-143, August.
    7. Nurun Nabi & Zhiqiang Liu, 2021. "Benevolent paternalistic leadership behavior and follower's radical creativity: The mediating role of follower's voice behavior and moderating role of follower's power distance orientation," International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478), Center for the Strategic Studies in Business and Finance, vol. 10(3), pages 156-176, April.
    8. Xin Qin & Xin Liu & Jacob A. Brown & Xiaoming Zheng & Bradley P. Owens, 2021. "Humility Harmonized? Exploring Whether and How Leader and Employee Humility (In)Congruence Influences Employee Citizenship and Deviance Behaviors," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 170(1), pages 147-165, April.
    9. Yuan Jing Luo & Yan Ping Li & Jing Du, 2020. "Coping with Supervisor Sanctions During Organizational Change: Core Members’ Active Change Behavior and Followers’ Middle Way Thinking," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-12, August.
    10. Yuka Fujimoto & Jasim Uddin, 2022. "Inclusive Leadership for Reduced Inequality: Economic–Social–Economic Cycle of Inclusion," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 181(3), pages 563-582, December.
    11. Urrila, Laura & Eva, Nathan, 2024. "Developing oneself to serve others? Servant leadership practices of mindfulness-trained leaders," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    12. Matthias Weiss & Laura Joan Salm & Miriam Muethel & Martin Hoegl, 2018. "Team personal-life inclusion in socially- versus task-oriented countries: A cross-cultural study of Chinese versus German teams," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 49(7), pages 919-928, September.
    13. Shinjinee Chattopadhyay & Prithwiraj Choudhury, 2017. "Sink or Swim: The Role of Workplace Context in Shaping Career Advancement and Human-Capital Development," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 28(2), pages 211-227, April.
    14. Yonghong Liu & Chen Zhao & Zhiyong Yang & Zhonghua Gao, 2025. "The Effect of Abusive Supervision on Employee Job Performance: The Moderating Role of Employment Contract Type," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 196(1), pages 209-221, January.
    15. Yuntao Bai & Lili Lu & Li Lin-Schilstra, 2022. "Auxiliaries to Abusive Supervisors: The Spillover Effects of Peer Mistreatment on Employee Performance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 178(1), pages 219-237, June.
    16. Iftikhar Hussain & Shahab Ali & Farrukh Shahzad & Muhammad Irfan & Yong Wan & Zeeshan Fareed & Li Sun, 2022. "Abusive Supervision Impact on Employees’ Creativity: A Mediated-Moderated Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-13, July.
    17. Luu Trong Tuan, 2021. "Effects of environmentally-specific servant leadership on green performance via green climate and green crafting," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 38(3), pages 925-953, September.
    18. Loignon, Andrew C. & Scheaf, David J., 2025. "Rags to riches or falling from grace: Gestalt characteristics of income mobility, core self-evaluations, and career success," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 186(C).
    19. Eva Ariño-Mateo & Raúl Ramírez-Vielma & Matías Arriagada-Venegas & Gabriela Nazar-Carter & David Pérez-Jorge, 2022. "Validation of the Organizational Dehumanization Scale in Spanish-Speaking Contexts," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(8), pages 1-14, April.
    20. Harry Hummels & Anne Put, 2023. "Agape in the Workplace. A Survey Among Medium and Large Dutch Companies," Humanistic Management Journal, Springer, vol. 8(3), pages 287-314, December.

    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:kap:jbuset:v:197:y:2025:i:4:d:10.1007_s10551-024-05757-1. 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: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    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.