Servant Leadership and Innovative Work Behavior: Self-Construal Moderates the Relationship

Abstract

This study examines how self-construal (independent and interdependent) moderates the relationship between servant leadership (SL) and innovative work behaviour (IWB) in the Pakistani Banking Industry. A total of 250 structured questionnaires were sent to bankers as part of a cross-sectional survey—the study chose twenty-five banks for the current study. The technique of convenience sampling was employed. Employees and their supervisors or managers from various banks' departments participated in the survey, including sales, operations, human resources, information technology, and customer service. The percentage of successful respondents was 90%, with 76% of respondents being employees and 24% being their leaders or managers. To test hypotheses, the researchers used Smart PLS. The path coefficient analysis showed that interdependent self-construal strengthens the positive relationship between SL and IWB, indicating that employees prioritizing collective goals respond better to servant leadership in fostering innovation. A negative path coefficient showed that employees with higher independent self-construal have a weaker SL-IWB relationship. These findings demonstrate the importance of aligning leadership styles with employees' self-construal to promote innovation, with servant leadership working best with interdependent employees. The study adds to the literature by confirming the moderating role of self-construal in the SL-IWB relationship and suggesting ways to improve innovation leadership.