Purpose This study aims to explore the ethical challenges of integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into leadership decision-making, focusing on the shift from emotion-based to data-driven approaches. It examines the impact of AI on ethical considerations in leadership, with an emphasis on the role of emotional sensitivity as a moderator. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative approach was employed, utilizing a survey of 300 leaders and managers across various industries in China. The study introduced two novel scales: “AI-supported leadership decisions (AISLDS)” and “emotional sensitivity of leadership decision contexts (ESLDC).” Data was analyzed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, along with regression analysis to test relationships between AI decision-making, emotional sensitivity and ethical considerations. Findings The study found a significant positive relationship between AISLDS and ethical considerations. Emotional sensitivity was found to moderate this relationship, highlighting that AI struggles with ethically consistent decisions in emotionally charged situations, suggesting that human judgment is crucial in these contexts. Practical implications The findings offer guidance for organizations on when AI is suitable for decision-making and when human empathy is essential. It suggests the need for leadership training that emphasizes the integration of AI with human judgment, ensuring that AI complements rather than replaces human compassion and moral reasoning. Additionally, the study informs the development of policies for ethically integrating AI into leadership. Originality/value This study advances AI leadership ethics by demonstrating that emotional sensitivity moderates the relationship between AI-supported decisions and ethical outcomes. Through two newly developed and validated scales (AISLDS and ESLDC), it provides a context-sensitive framework that clarifies when AI can be used ethically and when human empathy is indispensable.
Purpose The factors that influence corporate sustainability have been the subject of several academic studies over the past few years. However, although previous research has shown that arts affect the sustainability of various fields, studies of the effect of arts-related activities on corporate sustainability remain limited. This study aims to fill the gaps in existing research and derive insights by examining the effect of arts sponsorship on corporate sustainability. Design/methodology/approach This study uses the Social Gap Report issued by the Korea National Council on social welfare, environmental, social and governance (ESG) scores provided by the Korea Corporate Governance Service, and financial data from the Korea Listed Companies Association to verify the effect of arts sponsorship on ESG ratings in South Korea. In addition, the authors analyze how the manufacturing industry moderates the correlation between arts sponsorship and ESG scores. Findings After controlling for firm financial variables and industry characteristics, the authors found that corporate arts sponsorship affects ESG performance, impacting social performance to a greater extent than environmental or governance performance. Also, this analysis confirmed that industry type is an important variable to consider when executing corporate social contribution activities. Research limitations/implications The results of this study provide a basis for companies to view arts sponsorship as a strategic activity that improves future sustainability. The findings will thus enable companies to approach arts sponsorship from a more advanced perspective, rather than simply sponsoring arts as a social contribution. Originality/value The authors examined the relationship between arts sponsorship and corporate sustainability, focusing on ESG performance – an indicator that comprehensively evaluates corporate sustainability. Therefore, this findings support and expand upon the results of previous studies that also showed a positive relationship between participation in the arts and corporate sustainability.
Purpose This study aims to investigate the interplay between ethical work climate (EWC) and management control systems (MCS), particularly within Indonesian private higher education institutions (HEIs). It aims to examine the impact of EWC on MCS, comprising both enabling and coercive control mechanisms, which exert an influence on the performance of HEIs. Design/methodology/approach An online questionnaire was distributed via social media platforms (Facebook and WhatsApp) and through university coordinators across Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan and Sulawesi islands. Using purposive sampling, eligibility required a minimum tenure of three years. Informed consent was obtained before participation. Four hundred and 43 valid responses were collected, predominantly from male lecturers residing in Sumatra and Java. Structural equation modeling analysis using Smart PLS was used to test hypotheses. Findings The findings indicate that EWC exerts a positive and significant influence on MCS, encompassing both enabling and coercive controls and the performance of HEIs. The findings also suggest that MCS function as partial mediators in the indirect relationship between EWC and the performance of HEIs. Research limitations/implications This study offers theoretical contributions by advancing the understanding of the dynamics between EWC and MCS, particularly in the context of HEIs’ effectiveness. Practical implications The study provides actionable implications for stakeholders to develop robust ethical and controlling frameworks that can improve HEIs’ governance and performance outcomes. Originality/value This study integrates EWC with dual control mechanisms, enabling and coercive, within Indonesian private HEIs, revealing their coexistence and mediating role in performance. It advances organizational and contingency theories by offering rare empirical insights from the HEI context with practical implications for ethical governance for HEI administrators and policymakers.
Purpose Previous studies have primarily investigated the impacts of regulatory and institutional factors on corporate green innovation (GI). However, these studies basically regard GI as a passive choice under the regulation of stakeholders, ignoring enterprises' spontaneous attention and active learning of stakeholders' behavior. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the peer effect in corporate GI.Design/methodology/approach This paper uses the fixed effect model to conduct empirical analyses based on panel data from Chinese manufacturing companies listed in Shanghai and Shenzhen A-shares from 2008 to 2020.Findings The empirical results show that peer firms' GI can promote corporate GI, indicating that the peer effect does exist in corporate GI. Environmental regulation, media coverage and Confucianism can enhance the peer effect in corporate GI. However, the intensity of the peer effect in corporate GI has a negative impact on sustainability performance. Besides, industry follower firms are more sensitive to leader firms, which supports the information-based motives of the peer effect. Furthermore, the heterogeneity test reveals that the peer effect in corporate GI is more pronounced in state-owned enterprises.Originality/value First, this paper contributes to the research on boundary conditions for the peer effect in GI. Second, this paper reveals whether and how peer effect in GI affects sustainability performance, broadening the study on the impact of GI caused by various antecedents on corporate performance.
Purpose This research aims to identify the antecedents to organizations earning employee loyalty (EEL) and develops a measure of how an organization signals loyalty to its employees, individually and collectively, in ways that its employees see as a fair, desirable and appropriate return for their contributions. This scale significantly improves upon existing conceptual loyalty measures to identify individual employees' perceptions of specific antecedent organizational actions and policies that will generate and sustain the employee's loyalty.Design/methodology/approach This study used an exploratory, sequential mixed-methods design across three phases. Study I used qualitative methods to identify employee expectations of organizational actions, policies and leader communications, generating an initial pool of scale items. Study II tested the factor structure, reliability and nomological validity of the EEL scale through exploratory factor analysis. Study III validated the final scale using confirmatory factor analysis and hierarchical regression, comparing its predictive value against established constructs such as job satisfaction and perceived organizational support (POS).Findings Traditional measures such as POS (Eisenberger et al., 1986) and job satisfaction scales no longer fully capture today's evolving employer-employee relationships including newer employee expectations such as differential accommodations. These tools provide limited insight into specific actions organizations can take to foster loyalty. In contrast, the EEL scale offers a holistic assessment by measuring employee perceptions across thematic categories - such as growth, accommodations and shared values - directly linked to loyalty, providing organizations with clearer guidance for improvement. Final testing demonstrated the EEL scale is significantly better than existing traditional predictors of loyalty such as job satisfaction and POS at predicting.Originality/value This research offers and tests prescriptive actions organizations can take to proactively earn employee loyalty and reduce attrition. Unlike traditional scales, which measure loyalty post hoc, this study provides a forward-looking framework to help organizations anticipate and address employee needs before disengagement occurs.
Purpose The relationship between ebullient supervision and project success remains a nascent area of inquiry in project management literature. Leveraging the Conservation of Resources theory, this study aims to investigate the potential mediating role of employee creativity in the link between ebullient supervision and project success within the IT industry. Design/methodology/approach At the dyad level of analysis, data from 48 project teams (48 project supervisors and 232 project team members – 280 employees in total) from the IT industry was collected using a structured questionnaire. PLS-SEM was considered by employing SmartPLS4 for data analysis. Findings The findings demonstrates that ebullient supervision contributes to project success through employee creativity. Contrary to expectations, thriving at work had a negative moderating effect, indicating that the benefits of ebullient supervision on employee creativity may be diminished when employees are thriving at work. Practical implications This study provides practical insights for IT project managers to drive project success by fostering ebullient supervision and prioritizing employee creativity, ultimately informing resource allocation decisions. Originality/value This paper provides a new outlook on the role of ebullient supervision in the success of a project, by starting to investigate the role of employee creativity as a mediating variable in this process.
Purpose This study aims to examine how leader humor affects organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), focusing on the mediating role of organizational identification and the moderating role of organizational procedural justice. Design/methodology/approach Using a time-lagged design, data were collected from 242 Korean employees through surveys measuring leader humor, organizational identification, procedural justice and OCB. Findings Leader humor positively influences OCB, with organizational identification mediating this relationship. Additionally, procedural justice strengthens the link between leader humor and organizational identification. Originality/value By integrating affective events theory and social identity theory, this study highlights the psychological mechanisms linking leader humor to OCB and underscores the importance of justice perceptions in enhancing its effects.
Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine how green transformational leadership (GTL) fosters green creativity (GC) through the sequential mediating roles of green human resource management (GHRM) and green knowledge sharing (GKS) by extending social exchange theory through the ability–motivation–opportunity (AMO) framework. Design/methodology/approach Data from a two-wave survey collected from 297 employees in different managerial positions were used for PLS-SEM to explore proposed relationships. Findings Results revealed the direct effect of GTL on employee GC, as well as the single and chain mediating roles of GHRM and GKS on the relationship between GTL and GC. Practical implications The findings offer actionable insights for managers seeking to embed sustainability into employee behavior through targeted leadership and human resource management practices. Originality/value By uncovering a sequence of mediators, this research is one of the pioneer studies that deepens the understanding of the internal mechanisms − structured in a logical order − that are essential for GC to flourish by green transformational leaders.
Purpose The present study aimed at examining the direct effects of workplace mistreatment on nurses, particularly workplace bullying (WB), workplace violence (WV) and abusive supervision (AS), on turnover intentions (TI). Moreover, it examined the indirect effects of career development (CD) through the moderating role of work-related social support (SS).Design/methodology/approach This study uses a three-wave time-lagged data collection strategy. Data were collected from nurses in Pakistan (n = 311). Statistical analyses, including structural equation modelling (CB-SEM), were performed to test the proposed hypotheses.Findings The results revealed that workplace mistreatment, mainly WB, WV and AS, is significantly associated with higher TI among nurses in Pakistan. The CD partially mediated the relationship between workplace mistreatment and TI. In addition, the findings reveal that SS moderates the relationship between TI and CD.Practical implications This study highlights the need to address workplace mistreatment and its negative consequences for nurses' TI and CD. It provides practical recommendations to address this vulnerability, enhance employee development and boost retention.Originality/value The present study makes a novel contribution by integrating multiple theoretical lenses to understand the detrimental effects of various forms of workplace mistreatment on nurses' TI and their career trajectories. Moreover, the findings provide novel insights into nurses' vocational experiences within the framework of vulnerability, offering actionable recommendations for organisational policies aimed at nurse retention.
Purpose This study investigates the mediating role of employee well-being in the relationship between work–life conflict (WLC) and four key work-related outcomes, job performance, job satisfaction, organizational citizenship behavior toward the organization (OCBO) and turnover intention, among banking employees in Vietnam. This study aims to clarify how WLC, as a job demand, influences both attitudinal and behavioral outcomes through psychological mechanisms. Design/methodology/approach Grounded in the Conservation of Resources theory, the Job Demands–Resources model and the Happy–Productive Worker Thesis, the study employed a quantitative, cross-sectional design. Data were collected from 308 full-time banking employees in Can Tho City using an online survey. Validated scales were used to measure all constructs, and partial least squares structural equation modeling with bootstrapping (5,000 resamples) was applied to test the hypothesized relationships. Findings The findings reveal that the WLC significantly reduces employee well-being, which in turn negatively affects job performance, job satisfaction and OCBO, while increasing turnover intention. All four mediation hypotheses were supported, confirming that well-being is a critical psychological mechanism linking work-life stressors to workplace outcomes. Practical implications The results highlight the importance of integrating well-being-oriented strategies, such as flexible scheduling, workload management and psychological support, into human resource practices to mitigate WLC and sustain employee engagement in the banking sector. Originality/value By integrating three theoretical frameworks and extending empirical evidence to an emerging Asian economy, this study offers a comprehensive model that explains how WLC depletes psychological resources and shapes employee outcomes, contributing to the growing literature on occupational well-being and sustainable organizational behavior.
PurposeOrganizations in emerging economies (Vietnam) operate in collectivist and reputation-sensitive contexts where hierarchical traditions coexist with ethical expectations. Although transformational and paternalistic leadership (PL) are prevalent in such environments, prior studies have largely examined their ethical or unethical outcomes in isolation. This study aims to investigate how these leadership styles simultaneously shape ethically divergent employee behaviors by examining employer brand perception (EBP) as a mediating mechanism. Design/methodology/approachA sequential mixed-methods design was used. An exploratory qualitative phase involved semistructured interviews with 20 Vietnamese employees to refine measurement scales and ensure cultural relevance. The subsequent quantitative phase analyzed survey data from 464 employees across multiple organizations using partial least squares structural equation modeling to test the hypothesized relationships among transformational leadership (TL), PL, EBP, organizational citizenship behavior toward the organization (OCB-O) and unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB). FindingsBoth transformational and PL positively influence EBP, which, in turn, affects OCB-O and UPB. TL shows a stronger effect on OCB-O than on UPB, whereas PL exerts comparable effects on both outcomes, indicating ethical ambivalence. EBP emerges as an identity-based but ethically neutral mechanism that motivates both constructive citizenship behaviors and unethical protective actions. Originality/valueThis study extends leadership and ethics research by conceptualizing EBP as a higher-order mediating mechanism within social identity theory. It reveals how culturally conditioned identity processes in reputation-sensitive contexts can produce ethical and unethical behaviors, challenging assumptions about the inherently ethical nature of admired leadership styles.
PurposeThis study aims to examine how coercive, legitimate, expert, referent and reward power shape compliance, satisfaction and collaboration in innovation-intensive semiconductor B2B dyads. The authors map bilateral power-pairings and develop a dyadic power-pairing viability (DPPV) framework explaining which pairings persist without sustained satisfaction loss and why others do not. Design/methodology/approachThis study used qualitative multiple-case study of 22 Dutch customer–supplier dyads. The authors code each side’s use of the five power bases, derive pairings, link them to outcomes and use cross-case pattern matching and negative-case analysis to elaborate DPPV and derive testable propositions. FindingsOnly 9/25 theoretical pairings appear; the dominant configuration is {Customer-Legitimate, Supplier-Expert}. Coercive buys short-term compliance but depresses satisfaction. Expert and referent underpin durable collaboration when aligned to partner needs. Legitimate coordinates under clear roles. Reward works when value and fairness are credible. Viability is shaped by IP risk, time-to-market pressure and capability asymmetries. Research limitations/implicationsSingle sector, The Netherlands; qualitative design limits generalizability. Future work should test DPPV quantitatively/longitudinally, probe boundary conditions across sectors/cultures and model dynamic switching between pairings under shocks. Practical implicationsThis study avoids prolonged coercive use, aligns expert/referent to the locus of capability, uses legitimate with explicit roles/decision rights, applies reward with transparent value sharing, combines bases across the dyad (e.g. {Customer-Legitimate, Supplier-Expert}) and mitigates IP exposure, speed pressures and asymmetries. Originality/valueThis study introduces a dyadic, configuration-level view of power (DPPV) that explains observed vs absent power-pairings, links them to compliance-satisfaction trade-offs and tailors power use to semiconductor contexts, extending power-base theory to high-tech B2B governance.
Purpose This study examines how statutory governance reforms requiring CEO-chair role separation reconfigure top executive relationships. Drawing on social exchange and triadic interaction theory, the authors analyze how formal structural mandates interact with informal leadership bonds to influence trust, loyalty, authority and cohesion among the CEO, executive chair and members of the top management team. The authors explore how senior executives negotiate continuity and change in their relationships while adapting to global governance norms and balancing local relational traditions with international accountability and legitimacy expectations.Design/methodology/approach The authors pursued a revelatory case study in an emerging markets context with rare access into an emerging market multinational corporation that transitioned from CEO-chair duality to separate roles following regulatory reform. Data collection included 22 semi-structured interviews with the CEO, chair and all TMT members; over 450 hours of site visits; observations of meetings; and internal documents. The authors categorized and coded data thematically and structured their approach conceptually around an emergent triadic social exchange theory and methodologically to capture interdependencies across CEO-chair-TMT interactions.Findings Formal governance reforms reshaped executive role definitions but did not eliminate longstanding informal ties. Trust, loyalty and familial-style bonds persisted, influencing triadic dynamics in ways that sometimes reinforced and sometimes undermined formal structures. The executive chair exerted disproportionate influence, while prior TMT membership constrained the legitimacy of the new CEO. Triadic configurations highlighted asymmetries of power, mutual dependence and relational cohesion, showing how persistent socioemotional connections mediate formal institutional change.Research limitations/implications The study derives from a single firm in one emerging market regulatory context, limiting broad generalizability. Nevertheless, findings extend social exchange theory by applying a triadic lens to governance reform, moving beyond dyadic models of CEO-chair or CEO-TMT relations. Future research should explore multi-actor interactions across different governance systems, industries and regions and consider the inclusion of boards, additional heterogeneity dimensions and comparative institutional frameworks.Practical implications For boards and policymakers, findings underscore that mandating role separation alone does not guarantee stronger accountability or independence. Informal ties, often culturally embedded, can sustain influence and blur authority lines even after reform. Effective governance, therefore, requires not only formal structural compliance but also careful attention to relational dynamics among executives. Practitioners should proactively manage transitions, clarify expectations and cultivate balanced trust to ensure that role reconfiguration achieves both oversight and collaboration goals.Social implications The authors highlight how institutional reforms aimed at enhancing transparency and accountability intersect with relational traditions in emerging markets. By demonstrating how executives rely on personal trust and quasi-familial loyalty to navigate structural changes, the authors show the continuing salience of social capital in organizational governance. Findings encourage policymakers to consider cultural embeddedness when designing reforms, ensuring that governance frameworks accommodate both global legitimacy demands and local relational practices without creating unanticipated tensions.Originality/value The authors advance understanding of governance by applying a triadic social exchange perspective to the CEO-chair-TMT constellation, involving multple triadic groupings of the CEO, chair and individual members of the TMT. The authors show how formal governance reforms intersect with informal executive bonds to create hybrid relational structures. Through rare empirical access to elite leadership in an emerging market multinational, the authors contribute novel theoretical, contextual and practical insights to the governance literature. This study informs both scholars and practitioners seeking to understand the relational undercurrents of governance reforms in globalizing firms.
PurposeThis study aims to explore how banks might enhance customer attitudinal loyalty in a wartime context, based on emotional attachment and psychological engagement with their digital tools, focusing on Ukraine. In conditions of geopolitical instability, understanding the psychological drivers of loyalty becomes critical for fostering financial systems’ stability. Design/methodology/approachUsing survey data from Ukrainian banking customers, the authors used confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Based on a previously validated scale, engagement was modeled as a second-order construct with five first-order dimensions: interaction, visual aesthetics, discovery, identity and civic orientation. FindingsThe results show that emotional attachment does not directly drive loyalty but works indirectly through engagement with digital tools. Visual design and informational discovery emerged as the strongest engagement dimensions, while interaction and civic orientation were weaker. In Ukraine’s wartime context, affective bonds alone are insufficient to sustain loyalty; attachment must be translated into psychological digital engagement to have an effect. These findings remain robust when considering only Ukrainian-headquartered banks or only traditional banks with physical branches, underscoring the central role of digital engagement in maintaining customer loyalty during crisis. Practical implicationsBanks operating in warzones or similarly uncertain environments should prioritize the engagement of customers – in particular, the design and content quality of their digital platforms – to enhance their loyalty. In addition, strengthening the direct psychological and emotional connection with them could offer another lever for improving loyalty. This suggests that while customers may feel proud of or connected to their domestic banks, these sentiments remain largely symbolic unless reinforced by tangible, engaging experiences with digital banking services. Originality/valueThis research provides new insights into banking consumer loyalty under extreme uncertainty, contributing to the literature on customer loyalty and consumer behavior during crisis. It positions digital banking tools not just as a service channel, but as a psychological anchor for customers in times of societal disruption.
PurposeThe role of identity leadership in enhancing employee performance within public service organisations is gaining increasing attention. However, the mechanisms through which identity leadership influences employee performance, especially in the context of Ghana’s Civil Service, remain underexplored. This study aims to investigate the moderated mediation roles of workplace identity strength and relational transparency in the linkage between identity leadership and employee performance (work-role performance and organisational citizenship behaviour [OCB]). Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a cross-sectional design and selects 314 respondents from Ghana’s Civil Service using a multi-stage sampling approach. The hierarchical regression was used to test the proposed moderated mediation model. FindingsThe findings indicate that identity leadership positively influences employee performance (work-role performance and OCB). Workplace identity strength mediates the effect of identity leadership on employee performance. In addition, relational transparency moderates these mediated relationships, enhancing the positive impact of workplace identity strength on employee performance. Originality/valueThis paper extends the literature on identity leadership by demonstrating the complex interactions between identity leadership, workplace identity strength, relational transparency and employee performance in the public sector. It is among the maiden studies to explore the moderated mediation dynamics in Ghana’s Civil Service, providing insights into how identity leadership can enhance employee performance.
Purpose This study aims to examine the effect of CEO gender and CEO tenure on managerial ability.Design/methodology/approach Managerial ability is measured using data envelopment analysis and Demerjian, Lev and McVay (2012). The statistical population includes all the companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange, out of which a sample of 150 companies is selected for 2013-2022 using a multivariate regression is used to test the hypotheses. To check for the robustness of results, models are tested using alternative methods, such as feasible generalized least squares, ordinary least squares, random effects and T + 1.Findings The results demonstrate that female CEOs have higher managerial ability. Moreover, it is found that tenure does not affect managerial ability, and tenure does not moderate the relationship between CEO gender and managerial ability; the results of additional analyses are entirely consistent with the leading results.Originality/value To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first research study to investigate this issue in the TSE; therefore, the results of this study can provide users with helpful information and add to the relevant literature.
PurposeThis work aimed to explore the relationship between CEO overconfidence and earnings management and whether this relationship is moderated by accounting secrecy culture. Design/methodology/approachBased on panel data from 1,396 environmental, social and governance-listed firms (2010–2022), this study examines the moderating effect of accounting secrecy culture on the link between CEO overconfidence and accrual-based earnings management. Robustness and endogeneity issues are addressed using alternative measures, two-stage least squares (2SLS) and the Heckman two-step method. FindingsThe empirical findings show that CEO overconfidence has a significant positive effect on accrual-based earnings management. Moreover, the results reveal that accounting secrecy culture strengthens this relationship, suggesting that in environments where secrecy is culturally embedded, overconfident CEOs are more likely to engage in earnings manipulation. These findings remain robust across alternative specifications and after addressing endogeneity issues using 2SLS and the Heckman two-step approach. Originality/valueBy analyzing the moderating role of accounting secrecy culture, this study extends the literature on CEO overconfidence and earnings management. It offers novel cross-country evidence on how national accounting secrecy norms shape the impact of managerial cognitive biases on financial reporting quality.
PurposeThis study aims to investigate how perceived electronic performance monitoring (EPM) influences employees' turnover intention in call-center environments. Grounded in Psychological Reactance Theory and Social Exchange Theory, the study examines three mediating mechanisms, privacy invasion, organizational trust and individual stress, to clarify the psychological processes linking monitoring to withdrawal behavior.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 319 full-time call-center employees in Vietnam using an online survey. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to assess both the measurement and structural models and to test the mediating effects of the proposed pathways.FindingsThe results indicate that perceived EPM significantly increases privacy invasion and individual stress while reducing organizational trust. In turn, all three mediators significantly predict turnover intention. Indirect path analyses confirm that privacy invasion, organizational trust and individual stress each mediate the relationship between perceived EPM and turnover intention, with stress emerging as the strongest mechanism.Practical implicationsThe findings highlight the need for organizations to implement EPM transparently and avoid overly intrusive monitoring practices. Supportive managerial communication, clear career pathways and stress-reduction initiatives are critical to minimizing unintended negative outcomes of digital surveillance.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the growing literature on the unintended consequences of workplace monitoring by integrating two theoretical perspectives and validating a multipath mediation model in an emerging economy context. It provides new insights into how employees psychologically interpret EPM and how these interpretations shape turnover intention in high-pressure service environments.
PurposeThis study aims to develop the Maslow–Maqasid Employee Motivation Scale (MM-EMS), a novel framework that integrates Maslow’s hierarchy of needs with Maqasid Shariah principles. By embedding ethical and spiritual imperatives into motivation theory, this study addresses the limitations of secular and individualistic models, offering a more holistic and cross-culturally adaptable understanding of workplace motivation. Design/methodology/approachA quantitative survey was administered to 250 Gen Z employees in Malaysia, yielding 169 valid responses (67.6% response rate). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) using principal component analysis with Varimax rotation was applied to test the dimensionality of the MM-EMS. Items were developed through expert validation and focus groups to ensure cultural and contextual relevance. FindingsThe results identified 15 distinct motivational components, collectively explaining 79.39% of the variance. These components reflect not only psychological needs but also ethical-spiritual drivers such as trust in leadership, purposeful work, communal justice and spiritual fulfillment. Research limitations/implicationsThis research used EFA and cross-sectional self-report study design. The model also needs to be tested further with the help of confirmatory factor analysis to confirm the structure. Practical implicationsThe MM-EMS provides HR practitioners and organizational leaders with a diagnostic tool to assess employee needs across psychological, ethical and spiritual dimensions. Its emphasis on trust in leadership and fairness offers actionable guidance for leadership training, policy design and employee engagement strategies. Social implicationsBy aligning motivation with Maqasid Shariah, the MM-EMS reframes work as a moral and communal endeavor, contributing to ethical labor practices and organizational justice. This alignment supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Decent Work (SDG 8), Gender Equality (SDG 5) and Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions (SDG 16). Originality/valueThe novelty of this study lies in extending Maslow’s theory into a faith-sensitive, empirically validated scale that integrates psychological and spiritual dimensions of motivation. The MM-EMS not only advances motivational theory but also sets a foundation for cross-cultural applications, offering a paradigm that balances organizational performance with ethical integrity and spiritual purpose.
PurposeThis research aims to examine how team leaders’ servant leadership influences team members’ perceptions of a compassionate climate and, in turn, how these perceptions foster perceived shared vision. Specifically, leader grit and team size are proposed as moderators of the relationship between servant leadership and perceived compassionate climate. Design/methodology/approachSurvey data were collected from 304 matched leader–member dyads across 116 teams in one of Thailand’s largest canned seafood manufacturing firms. Multisource data were obtained from team members and their team leaders within each team to minimize the potential risk of common method variance. The research model was analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. FindingsThe results indicate that servant leadership did not have a significant direct effect on perceived shared vision; rather, its relationship with perceived shared vision operated indirectly through perceived compassionate climate. The findings further show that the positive association between servant leadership and perceived compassionate climate is stronger when team leaders exhibit higher levels of grit and when team size is relatively large. In contrast, the association becomes weaker and statistically non-significant when leader grit is low or when team size is small. Practical implicationsThe findings suggest that organizations can enhance employee productivity by fostering a supportive working environment through servant leadership. Encouraging leaders to consistently demonstrate empathy and persistence can strengthen a compassionate climate, thereby improving alignment and cooperation in employment settings. Originality/valueThis study contributes to the servant leadership literature by identifying important boundary conditions and clarifying the perceptual mechanism through which servant leadership relates to shared vision. The findings suggest that the influence of servant leadership on employees’ perceptions of their team environment varies depending on leader persistence and team structure, thereby offering a more nuanced understanding of its contextual effectiveness.
