Can humble leaders nurture employee well-being? The roles of job crafting and public service motivation

Abstract

Purpose

Though humble leaders can draw from their own resources to nurture employees' sense of well-being, this impact appears neglected in the leader humility literature. The aim of this study is to unfold how and when leader humility contributes to the well-being of employees in the public sector.

Design/methodology/approach

Participants in our research came from wards (grassroot level governments) in Vietnam.

Findings

The results lent credence to role of job crafting in mediating the relationships between leader humility and the physical, psychological and social well-being among public employees. The positive nexus between leader humility and job crafting was found to be stronger when employees demonstrated low levels of public service motivation.

Originality/value

This study advances the understanding of public sector employees' well-being via the predictive role of leader humility and the mediation mechanism of job crafting.

Citation

Luu, T.T. (2020), "Can humble leaders nurture employee well-being? The roles of job crafting and public service motivation", Personnel Review, Vol. 50 No. 3, pp. 789-811. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-12-2019-0701