Title: Exploring the role of servant leader in promoting organisational commitment and the mediating role of trusting managers: structural model analysis

Authors: Hussein Dehhaghi; Hadi Ganji Zahraei; Masoumeh Sama Kush

Addresses: Department of Finance and Economics, Road, Housing and Urban Development Research Centre (BHRC), Iran ' Department of Finance and Economics, Road, Housing and Urban Development Research Centre (BHRC), Iran ' Department of Finance and Economics, Road, Housing and Urban Development Research Centre (BHRC), Iran

Abstract: This study discusses the role of servant leadership in organisations and its impact on organisational commitment, with a focus on the mediating effect of trust. To conduct the study, cluster sampling was adopted to choose 352 samples. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was employed to assess how servant leadership influences various dimensions of organisational commitment and whether trust plays a mediating role. The study's results indicate that servant leadership significantly and positively impacts affective commitment. However, its impact on normative and continuous commitment is not statistically significant. The findings also emphasise that trust plays a mediating role, significantly influencing the link between servant leadership and different aspects of organisational commitment. Also, the findings highlight the importance of servant leadership in enhancing affective commitment and emphasise the significant mediating role of trust in fostering organisational commitment. For data analysis, SmartPLS was employed.

Keywords: servant leader; organisational commitment; trusting managers; mediating role of trust; servant leader and organisational commitment; servant leader and trust; SmartPLS; structural equation modelling; SEM.

DOI: 10.1504/MEJM.2025.145903

Middle East Journal of Management, 2025 Vol.12 No.3, pp.286 - 306

Received: 02 Oct 2023
Accepted: 15 Nov 2023
Published online: 30 Apr 2025 *

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