Exploring relationships among servant leadership, role clarity and creative self-efficacy

Abstract

Purpose

Leadership is an essential contributor to employee creative self-efficacy, and past research suggests a positive relationship between servant leadership and creative self-efficacy. However, the relationship is complex and contingent upon moderating variables, and this research examines the moderating effect of role clarity by drawing on social exchange theory and social cognitive theory.

Design/methodology/approach

Data collected from a survey among 116 emergency room employees is used to test the research model using moderated ordinary least squares regression.

Findings

The results confirm a positive relationship between servant leadership and creative self-efficacy and suggest a U-shaped relationship between role clarity and creative self-efficacy. Furthermore, role clarity positively moderates the relationship between servant leadership and creative self-efficacy.

Research limitations/implications

The sample used for this research mainly consisted of highly educated employees within a specific setting. Future research is needed to study if the relationships found in this research can be generalized to other organizational settings.

Practical implications

This research suggests that leaders can support employees' creative self-efficacy through servant leadership, particularly when coupled with high role clarity.

Originality/value

Rapidly changing work environments are characterized by decreased role clarity, so attention is needed to its moderating role on the relationship between servant leadership and creative self-efficacy.

Citation

Birgisdóttir, B.D., Gunnarsdóttir, S. and Candi, M. (2024), "Exploring relationships among servant leadership, role clarity and creative self-efficacy", Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 45 No. 3, pp. 397-422. https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-12-2022-0555