Multilevel structural equation modeling analysis of the servant leadership construct and its relation to job satisfaction
Leadership & Organization Development Journal
ISSN: 0143-7739
Article publication date: 7 November 2016
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to address the statistical issues associated with the hierarchically structured data in previous studies that focused on servant leadership. To resolve these issues, multilevel modeling methods were applied to re-visit the construct validity of the servant leadership questionnaire developed by Barbuto and Wheeler (2006) and investigate the relationship between servant leadership and job satisfaction under a multilevel framework.
Design/methodology/approach
The survey data was obtained from a sample of 2,089 teachers from 117 primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong. The analyses were conducted using multilevel confirmatory factor analysis (MLCFA) and multilevel structural equation modeling (MLSEM).
Findings
The results revealed the significant and non-trivial variances that were explained at the organization level in the items measuring servant leadership, which justified the use of MLCFA and MLSEM. The results of MLCFA provided empirical support for the multidimensional construct as well as the second-order factorial structure of servant leadership measures at both the individual and organization levels. In addition, the positive relationships between servant leadership and the followers’ job satisfaction were found to vary at different levels.
Originality/value
This study reiterates the importance of using appropriate methods to capture a solid definition of the construct of servant leadership and provides new insights into the conceptual framework of servant leadership as well as the effects of servant leadership on individual and organizational outcomes.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the Centre for Religious and Spirituality Education, The Education University of Hong Kong for supporting the study. Thanks are extended to Professor John Barbuto, Jr and Professor Robert Eisenberger for their support as well as the editor and the reviewers for their advice for improving the manuscript.
Citation
Zhang, Z., Lee, J.C.-K. and Wong, P.H. (2016), "Multilevel structural equation modeling analysis of the servant leadership construct and its relation to job satisfaction", Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 37 No. 8, pp. 1147-1167. https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-07-2015-0159
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2016, Emerald Group Publishing Limited