Authentic leadership and citizenship behavior

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to assess the pathway through which authentic leadership influences organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). The authors examine how the perception of overall fairness and a sense of belongingness mediate the relationship between authentic leadership and OCB.,The authors distributed survey questionnaires to full-time employees working for an insurance company. Data were collected in two phases. To test the hypotheses, the authors conducted hierarchical multiple regression analysis using the PROCESS macro by Hayes (2012).,PROCESS analysis reveals that overall fairness mediates the relationship between authentic leadership and subordinates' sense of belongingness, which is then positively related to OCB. Taken together, these findings are largely in line with the authors’ theoretical model.,Empirical research has yet to explore how authentic leaders create the perception of fairness, which influences subordinates' OCB. Thus, this study extends the authors’ knowledge on the extant literature of organizational behavior by integrating two important domains—authentic leadership and organizational fairness—to propose that authentic leadership is a fair leadership that aids in promoting OCB. Also, studies on authentic leadership processes have examined basic models and neglected the possibility of sequential mediation. To better understand the complex relationship of authentic leadership and OCB, the authors examine overall fairness and belongingness as sequential mediators.