You're humble, so I'm not ashamed to ask? The intervening role of supervisor trust and feedback orientation
Leadership & Organization Development Journal
ISSN: 0143-7739
Article publication date: 8 June 2023
Issue publication date: 29 June 2023
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing on the perspective of trust and individual differences, this study developed and tested a model to identify the effect of leaders' demonstrated humility on employees' feedback-seeking processes. Specifically, it examined the role of feedback orientation and employees' trust in supervisors in the way humble leadership affects employees' feedback-seeking behavior (FSB).
Design/methodology/approach
The moderated mediation model was tested using matched surveys from 175 Chinese employees and their direct supervisors from various organizations.
Findings
The results revealed that humble leadership could predict employees' FSB through supervisor trust. Moreover, feedback orientation not only moderated the relationship between supervisor trust and employees' FSB but also moderated the indirect effect of humble leadership on employees' FSB via supervisor trust.
Originality/value
These findings can provide guidance to corporate organizations on how to motivate employees to actively seek feedback to improve their job performance.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This study was supported by grants from the Introduction (Cultivation) Talent Scientific Research Funding of Shaoguan University and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant number: 72171135).
Citation
Liao, H.-Y., Shaw, K.-H. and Che, Z.-Y. (2023), "You're humble, so I'm not ashamed to ask? The intervening role of supervisor trust and feedback orientation", Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 44 No. 4, pp. 474-488. https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-11-2021-0533
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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