IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/jbuset/v132y2015i2p363-377.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Authentic Leadership and Employee Well-Being: The Mediating Role of Attachment Insecurity

Author

Listed:
  • Fariborz Rahimnia
  • Mohammad Sharifirad

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between authentic leadership and the three dimensions of employee well-being (job satisfaction, perceived work stress, and stress symptoms). Furthermore, attachment insecurity was considered as a mediating factor between authentic leadership and the three dimensions of employee well-being. Data were obtained from a field sample of 212 health care providers with patient contact at five hospitals in the North East of Iran. Initially, collected data were analyzed with multiple confirmatory factor analyses. Then, structural equation modeling was applied to test proposed hypotheses. First, it was shown that authentic leadership negatively impacted attachment insecurity. Second, attachment insecurity proved to be a factor impinging upon job satisfaction. On the contrary, higher levels of attachment insecurity was associated with higher levels of perceived stress and stress symptoms. Third, it was revealed that attachment insecurity partially mediated the relationship between authentic leadership and job satisfaction and fully mediated the relationship between authentic leadership, perceived stress, and stress symptoms. According to the literature of authentic leadership, this is one of the first research studies, and literally the first in the East exploring the effects of authentic leadership on the exclusive combination of dimensions offered in this paper. Moreover, researchers in the field of management have not delved enough into attachment and its antecedents and consequences in leader–follower relationship. This is one of the first studies to provide evidence of the relationship between authentic leadership, attachment security and employee well-being. As a further analysis, the final model was separately put under the two different lens of gender (female and male) and some interesting findings were discussed in the discussion. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015

Suggested Citation

  • Fariborz Rahimnia & Mohammad Sharifirad, 2015. "Authentic Leadership and Employee Well-Being: The Mediating Role of Attachment Insecurity," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 132(2), pages 363-377, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:132:y:2015:i:2:p:363-377
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-014-2318-1
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1007/s10551-014-2318-1
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10551-014-2318-1?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Evans, Martin G., 1985. "A Monte Carlo study of the effects of correlated method variance in moderated multiple regression analysis," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 36(3), pages 305-323, December.
    2. Wang, Chung-Jen & Tsai, Huei-Ting & Tsai, Ming-Tien, 2014. "Linking transformational leadership and employee creativity in the hospitality industry: The influences of creative role identity, creative self-efficacy, and job complexity," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 79-89.
    3. Claudia Peus & Jenny Wesche & Bernhard Streicher & Susanne Braun & Dieter Frey, 2012. "Authentic Leadership: An Empirical Test of Its Antecedents, Consequences, and Mediating Mechanisms," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 107(3), pages 331-348, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Rajeh Bati Almasradi & Farhan Sarwar & Ismail Droup, 2024. "Authentic Leadership and Socially Responsible Behavior: Sequential Mediation of Psychological Empowerment and Psychological Capital and Moderating Effect of Perceived Corporate Social Responsibility," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(15), pages 1-20, July.
    2. Yucheng Zhang & Yongxing Guo & Meng Zhang & Shan Xu & Xin Liu & Alexander Newman, 2022. "Antecedents and outcomes of authentic leadership across culture: A meta-analytic review," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 39(4), pages 1399-1435, December.
    3. Nidhi Yadav & Shikha Dixit, 2017. "Authentic Leadership and Employees’ Work-related Quality of Life: A Study of IT Organizations in India," International Journal of Business and Management, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 12(4), pages 222-222, March.
    4. Luu, Tuan, 2019. "Relationship between benevolent leadership and the well-being among employees with disabilities," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 282-294.
    5. Jeremy B. Bernerth, 2022. "Does the Narcissist (and Those Around Him/Her) Pay a Price for Being Narcissistic? An Empirical Study of Leaders’ Narcissism and Well-Being," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 177(3), pages 533-546, May.
    6. Tomasz Gigol, 2020. "Influence of Authentic Leadership on Unethical Pro-Organizational Behavior: The Intermediate Role of Work Engagement," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-14, February.
    7. Adnan Celik & Tahir Akgemci & Turgut Emre Akyazi, 2016. "A Comparison between the Styles of Transformational Leaders and Authentic Leaders in Crisis Management," International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, Human Resource Management Academic Research Society, International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, vol. 6(2), pages 183-196, February.
    8. Jie He & Alastair M. Morrison & Hao Zhang, 2019. "Improving Millennial Employee Well-Being and Task Performance in the Hospitality Industry: The Interactive Effects of HRM and Responsible Leadership," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-19, August.
    9. Orlando C. Richard & O. Dorian Boncoeur & Hao Chen & David L. Ford, 2020. "Supervisor Abuse Effects on Subordinate Turnover Intentions and Subsequent Interpersonal Aggression: The Role of Power-Distance Orientation and Perceived Human Resource Support Climate," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 164(3), pages 549-563, July.
    10. Yuanmei Elly Qu & Marie T. Dasborough & Mi Zhou & Gergana Todorova, 2019. "Should Authentic Leaders Value Power? A Study of Leaders’ Values and Perceived Value Congruence," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 156(4), pages 1027-1044, June.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ling, Qian & Lin, Meizhen & Wu, Xiaoyi, 2016. "The trickle-down effect of servant leadership on frontline employee service behaviors and performance: A multilevel study of Chinese hotels," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 341-368.
    2. Michelle Xue Zheng & Yingjie Yuan & Marius Dijke & David Cremer & Alain Van Hiel, 2020. "The Interactive Effect of a Leader’s Sense of Uniqueness and Sense of Belongingness on Followers’ Perceptions of Leader Authenticity," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 164(3), pages 515-533, July.
    3. Kurt T. Dirks & Patrick J. Sweeney & Nikolaos Dimotakis & Todd Woodruff, 2022. "Understanding the Change and Development of Trust and the Implications for New Leaders," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 180(2), pages 711-730, October.
    4. Giles Hirst & Fred Walumbwa & Samuel Aryee & Ivan Butarbutar & Chin Jeffery Hui Chen, 2016. "A Multi-level Investigation of Authentic Leadership as an Antecedent of Helping Behavior," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 139(3), pages 485-499, December.
    5. Panagopoulos, Nikolaos G. & Avlonitis, George J., 2010. "Performance implications of sales strategy: The moderating effects of leadership and environment," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 27(1), pages 46-57.
    6. Raymond Loi & Hang-Yue Ngo, 2010. "Mobility norms, risk aversion, and career satisfaction of Chinese employees," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 27(2), pages 237-255, June.
    7. Homburg, Christian & Klarmann, Martin & Schmitt, Jens, 2010. "Brand awareness in business markets: When is it related to firm performance?," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 27(3), pages 201-212.
    8. Yogesh Upadhyay & Dharmendra Kumar, 2020. "Leader–Member Exchange, Psychological Capital and Employees’ Creativity," Vision, , vol. 24(4), pages 406-418, December.
    9. Yoo, Chul Woo & Goo, Jahyun & Huang, C. Derrick & Nam, Kichan & Woo, Mina, 2017. "Improving travel decision support satisfaction with smart tourism technologies: A framework of tourist elaboration likelihood and self-efficacy," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 330-341.
    10. Tomoki Sekiguchi, 2010. "Career Development of College Students through Part-Time Work: The Role of Leader-Member Exchange and Taking Charge Behavior," Discussion Papers in Economics and Business 10-10, Osaka University, Graduate School of Economics.
    11. Eli Ayawo Atatsi & Petru L. Curșeu & Jol Stoffers & Ad Kil, 2022. "Learn in Order to Innovate: An Exploration of Individual and Team Learning as Antecedents of Innovative Work Behaviours in Ghanaian Technical Universities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-13, March.
    12. Lin, Meizhen & Wu, Xiaoyi & Ling, Qian, 2017. "Assessing the effectiveness of empowerment on service quality: A multi-level study of Chinese tourism firms," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 411-425.
    13. Jeong Sik Kim & Jong Gyu Park & Hyun Jung Park, 2022. "Linking Authentic Leadership With Employee Initiative Behavior and Task Performance: The Mediating Role of Emotional Sharing and Communication Satisfaction," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(1), pages 21582440221, March.
    14. Hmieleski, Keith M. & Sheppard, Leah D., 2019. "The Yin and Yang of entrepreneurship: Gender differences in the importance of communal and agentic characteristics for entrepreneurs' subjective well-being and performance," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 34(4), pages 709-730.
    15. Cremer, David De & Knippenberg, Daan van, 2004. "Leader self-sacrifice and leadership effectiveness: The moderating role of leader self-confidence," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 95(2), pages 140-155, November.
    16. Giessner, S.R. & van Knippenberg, D.L. & Sleebos, E., 2008. "License to Fail? How Leader Group Prototypicality Moderates the Effects of Leader Performance on Perceptions of Leadership Effectiveness," ERIM Report Series Research in Management ERS-2008-066-ORG, Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM), ERIM is the joint research institute of the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
    17. Tracy L. Dumas & Katherine W. Phillips & Nancy P. Rothbard, 2013. "Getting Closer at the Company Party: Integration Experiences, Racial Dissimilarity, and Workplace Relationships," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 24(5), pages 1377-1401, October.
    18. Fu Yang & Jun Liu & Zhen Wang & Yucheng Zhang, 2019. "Feeling Energized: A Multilevel Model of Spiritual Leadership, Leader Integrity, Relational Energy, and Job Performance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 158(4), pages 983-997, September.
    19. Daniel Leunbach & Truls Erikson & Max Rapp-Ricciardi, 2020. "Muddling through Akerlofian and Knightian uncertainty: The role of sociobehavioral integration, positive affective tone, and polychronicity," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 18(2), pages 145-164, June.
    20. Booth, Jonathan E. & Shantz, Amanda & Glomb, Theresa M. & Duffy, Michelle K. & Stillwell, Ellie, 2020. "Bad bosses and self-verification: the moderating role of core self-evaluations with trust in workplace management," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 100839, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:132:y:2015:i:2:p:363-377. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.