Servant leadership and follower outcomes at work : the influence of perceived leader authenticity

Abstract

This thesis explores the impact of perceived authenticity in servant leadership, particularly the risk of Machiavellian leaders adopting positive leadership styles for self-serving purposes. It examines whether follower attributions of leader intent influence trust and moral disengagement, and whether a serving culture prompts Machiavellian leaders to adopt servant leadership behaviours.

Using attribution theory, the study employs a quantitative, cross-sectional survey design with multilevel modelling to analyse data from leaders and followers. Although hypotheses about leader intent were not supported, the study highlights the need for further investigation given conflicting evidence in the literature regarding followers’ ability to detect manipulative intents. The study also finds that Machiavellian leaders are more likely to adopt servant leadership in a strong serving culture, raising concerns about the potential negative consequences for promoting servant leadership in organisations.

Additionally, servant leadership is linked to a lower propensity for employees to morally disengage, which has theoretical and practical implications and offers an avenue for the leadership style to reduce negative follower outcomes in addition to its benefits. Future research should continue to explore perceived leader sincerity, incorporating relational attributions alongside intentionality attributions, and using longitudinal designs to examine the influence of serving culture over time. Further investigation into moral disengagement as a mediator of reduced negative outcomes and exploring whether moral disengagement is a direct or indirect effect of servant leadership would advance our understanding of how servant leadership can be beneficial for individuals and organisations.