The Impact of Servant Leadership on Follower Turnover Intentions: Mediating Role of Resilience

Abstract

Manuscript type: Research paper

Research aims: This paper aims to investigate the impact of servant leadership on turnover intentions within the context of higher education institutions (HEIs). It further examines how resilience affects the relationship between the two variables.

Design/Methodology/Approach: Based on the conservation of resource theory, a research model has been developed and tested through a questionnaire survey approach. Data collected from 301 academics in HEIs in Pakistan were analysed using covariance-based structural equation modelling.

Research findings: The study provides empirical evidence on the importance of having leaders who administer servant leadership, as this will help to reduce the turnover intention. It also reports the mediating effect of employee resilience.

Theoretical contribution/Originality: This study expands the previous literature by focussing on the servant leadership type, which has potentially led to positive followers’ behaviour. It also fills the research gap by incorporating employee resilience as a mediating variable.

Practitioner/Policy implication: Principals, directors and vicechancellors of HEIs should reconsider their leadership strategies to promote a positive working environment, as this will help to address the problem of employee turnover.

Research limitation/Implication: Since the data were collected from Pakistan, it may not be possible to generalise the findings.