Avoiding the scenario of “The farmer and the snake”: the dark side of servant leadership and an intervention mechanism

IF 3.1 4区管理学 Q2 MANAGEMENT

Journal of Managerial Psychology Pub Date : 2023-05-31 DOI:10.1108/jmp-02-2022-0062

Riguang Gao, Bo Liu

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to reveal the potential dark side of servant leadership by exploring its differential impact on followers with varying degrees of Machiavellianism and to uncover the role of leader negative feedback as an intervention mechanism in attenuating this negative impact. Design/methodology/approach A three-wave survey with one-month intervals was conducted with 344 participants from different industries. Findings The results suggest that servant leadership triggered psychological entitlement among followers with high Machiavellianism, leading to organizational and interpersonal deviance, but only when negative feedback from the leader was weak. Practical implications When leaders implement servant leadership, they should beware of breeding psychological entitlement among highly Machiavellian followers, as this can activate their deviant behavior, and should make full use of negative feedback as an intervention mechanism. Originality/value This study is one of the first to use the self-evaluation perspective to examine the negative impact of servant leadership on follower behavior via attitude and to explore boundary conditions to overcome this effect.

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避免“农夫与蛇”情景:仆人式领导的阴暗面与干预机制

本研究旨在通过探讨仆人式领导对不同马基雅维利主义追随者的不同影响，揭示仆人式领导潜在的阴暗面，并揭示领导者负反馈作为一种干预机制在减弱这种负面影响中的作用。设计/方法/方法我们对来自不同行业的344名受访者进行了三波调查，每隔一个月进行一次。结果表明，仆人式领导在高马基雅维利主义追随者中触发了心理权利，导致组织和人际越轨行为，但只有在领导者的负面反馈较弱时才会发生。实践意义领导者在实施仆人式领导时，应注意在马基雅维利主义程度较高的追随者中滋生权利心理，这可能会激活他们的越轨行为，应充分利用负面反馈作为干预机制。本研究首次运用自我评价的视角，通过态度来考察仆人式领导对下属行为的负面影响，并探索克服这种影响的边界条件。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of Managerial Psychology Multiple-

CiteScore

5.50

自引率

6.20%

发文量

期刊介绍： ■Communication and its influence on action ■Developments in leadership styles ■How managers achieve success ■How work design affects job motivation ■Influences on managerial priorities and time allocation ■Managing conflicts ■The decision-making process in Eastern and Western business cultures