From Servant Leadership to Social Responsibility: Testing a Mediation Model of Organizational Citizenship Behavior
Keywords:
servant Leadership, , social responsibility, Organizational citizenship behaviorAbstract
Purpose: This study aimed to examine the effect of servant leadership on social responsibility among administrative staff, with organizational citizenship behavior as the mediating variable.
Methodology: A quantitative descriptive–correlational design was employed. The statistical population consisted of all administrative employees of the Education Department in West Azerbaijan Province, from which 287 participants were selected through stratified random sampling using Cochran’s formula. Standardized questionnaires measuring servant leadership, organizational citizenship behavior, and social responsibility—each validated through confirmatory factor analysis, composite reliability, AVE, and Cronbach’s alpha—were administered. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS and SmartPLS within the framework of structural equation modeling.
Findings: Servant leadership showed significant positive correlations with organizational citizenship behavior (r=0.63) and social responsibility (r=0.54). Organizational citizenship behavior was also significantly correlated with social responsibility (r=0.57). Structural equation modeling indicated that servant leadership had a significant direct effect on social responsibility (β=0.58, p<0.001) and an indirect mediating effect through organizational citizenship behavior (β=0.26, p<0.001). Model fit indices, including R²=0.76, Q²=0.66, and GOF=0.63, supported strong explanatory and predictive power.
Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that servant leadership enhances social responsibility both directly and through strengthening organizational citizenship behaviors. This underscores the critical role of supportive, empowering, and trust-based leadership environments in administrative educational settings. Fostering servant leadership can promote extra-role behaviors and ultimately improve the social responsibility of administrative staff.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Javad Poorzaman (Author); Jahangir Yari Hajatalou; Sadegh Maleki Avarsin (Author)
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