Examining the nexus between servant leadership and employee task performance: the moderation mediation model

Abstract

Abstract Despite extensive research on leadership’s role in influencing employee outcomes, there is limited understanding of the specific impact of servant leadership on employee task performance. Little is known about how servant leadership enhances employee promotive voice behavior, which in turn influences task performance. Additionally, the potential moderating role of leader-leader exchange in this relationship has been underexplored, leaving a gap in understanding how interactions between leaders may further shape these outcomes. Based on social exchange theory, this study examined how servant leadership affects employee task performance through the mediating role of employee promotive voice and the moderating role of leader-leader exchange. Using a time-lagged data collection approach, data for this study were gathered from 392 employees working in project-based organizations in the information technology sector in Pakistan. The study’s hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling and the Process Hayes Model. The findings reveal that servant leadership significantly influences employee task performance by mediating the role of employee promotive voice. Furthermore, it was confirmed that leader-leader exchange positively moderates the relationship between employee promotive voice and task performance. This research, further adds to the existing pool of knowledge that holds implications for organizations, top management, academia, researchers, and government concerning leadership behaviors, promotive voice, employee task performance, leader-leader exchange, and preparation for challenges in the future.