A Meta-analytic Path Analysis Review of Leader Humility and its Consequences: The Mediating Role of Psychological Safety

Received:October 16, 2017  Revised:October 16, 2017

Key Words:  Leader humility, Mediators, Consequences, Moderators, Meta-analytic path analysis

Author NameAffiliation
苏 涛* South China University of Technology 
Zhenyu Liao Olin Business School, Washington University in St. Louis 
Zhaoli Song Business School, National University of Singapore 
Chunhua Chen National School of Development, Peking University 

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Abstract:
      While a plethora of studies have examined the relationships between leader humility and its outcomes, there is a lack of a comprehensive and systematic framework that integrates the mediators, consequences and moderators of leader humility. We filled the void in the leader humility literature through conducting a quantitative review. Based on a meta-analysis of 69 independent samples (k=99, N=30,757), we found that leader humility was positively related to subordinates’ psychological process (psychological safety, psychological capital, organizational identification), positive attitudes (turnover intention and job satisfaction), performance, creativity, positive workplace behaviors (voice, work engagement and OCB) and positive assessment for leader (leader effectiveness and leader charisma). Leader humility is more effective (evaluated by employees’ performance and creativity) at team/organizational level than at individual level. What’s more, leader humility more strongly promotes employees’ leader assessment, workplace behaviors than their performance and creativity. Results of moderating analyses showed that not only contextual factors (culture context and leader referent) but also methodological factors (measurement scale and publication status) moderated the magnitude of the effects between leader humility and some of its mediators and outcomes. Last but not least, by meta-analytic path analyses we found that followers’ psychological safety fully mediated the association of leader humility and subordinates’ performance and work engagement. Through integrating prior findings on the mediators, consequences and moderators, our study provided a more complete and systematic knowledge framework on leader humility, the individual psychological mechanism to its outcomes and relative boundary conditions. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

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