Psychological Reports: Employment Psychology & Marketing

2014, 115, 2, 381-395. © Psychological Reports 2014

SERVANT LEADERSHIP AND AFFECTIVE COMMITMENT

IN THE CHINESE PUBLIC SECTOR: THE MEDIATING
ROLE OF PERCEIVED ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT1, 2

YINGYING ZHOU QING MIAO

College of Administration College of Administration

Zhejiang University, China Zhejiang University, China

Summary.—This study examined a possible mediating mechanism between

servant leadership and the affective commitment in Chinese employees. Servant
leadership, perceived organizational support, and affective commitment was as-
sessed among 239 full-time employees in the Chinese public sector in three rounds
of surveys. Servant leadership influenced affective commitment through perceived
organizational support. The effect of servant leadership exists in Chinese culture as
well as Western cultures.

In recent decades after the implementation of reform and opening-

up policy, China's economy has experienced rapid development (Zhang
& Hong, 2013). The focus on the growth of GDP has led to a series of
negative consequences, e.g., environmental problems (Ma & Chen, 2013),
regional development inequality (Yu, 2013), discontentment with official
corruption (Cong, 2012), etc. The development of a service-oriented pub-
lic sector was proposed to ensure that the government is capable of pro-
viding services (Peng, 2011). The construction of service-oriented govern-
ment requires that every official working for the public sector recognize
themselves as public servants, who should consider the people's interests
as the highest priority, and endeavor to assist in achieving improvement
in people's lives (Zhang & Hong, 2013). Qualified leaders in the public
sector need to improve their administrative and management ability as
servants. The leadership goals in the Chinese public sector correspond to
a Western concept, “servant leadership” (Han, Kakabadse, & Kakabadse,
2010). Research is needed to explore whether servant leadership can be
adopted in the Chinese cultural context (Van Dierendonck, 2011). The un-
derlying mechanism of servant leadership's effects is not well enough es-
tablished.
The term “servant leadership” was first used in a business context
by Greenleaf (1970). He described the servant-leader as a steward of sub-
ordinates. Servant leadership focuses on increased service to others (Van

1
Address correspondence to Dr. Qing Miao, College of Administration, Zhejiang University,
Hangzhou, 310058, China or e-mail (mqok@163.com).
2
The authors acknowledge the sponsorship from the National Natural Science Foundation
71272166.

DOI 10.2466/01.21.PR0.115c23z4 ISSN 0033-2941

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 382 Y. ZHOU & Q. MIAO

Dierendonck & Patterson, 2010), encourages generosity towards others,

and fosters support of others' interests through increased leadership and
service (Ehrhart, 2004). Managers who engage in servant leadership con-
sistently encourage others, nurture others, and endeavor to assist others'
development (Giampetro-Meyer, Brown, Browne, & Kubasek, 1998). The
servant leader serves and promotes a community, and is concerned with
the least influential community members (Graham, 1991). They positively
contribute to the wider community by improving their subordinates' so-
cial responsibility (Sendjaya, Sarros, & Santora, 2008; Searle & Barbuto,
2011). Liden, Wayne, Zhao, & Henderson (2008) tested a seven-factor
model of servant leadership including emotional healing, creating value
for the community, conceptual skills, empowering, helping subordinates
grow and succeed, putting subordinates first, and behaving ethically;
the model had a good fit to data (CFI = 0.98, RMSEA = 0.06, SRMR = 0.05).
Han, et al. (2010) concluded that there is a similar understanding of ser-
vant leadership in China. The following attributes of servant leadership in
China were endorsed by their sample: putting followers first (32%), ethi-
cal behavior (13%), moral love (12%), leadership conceptual skills (11%),
humility (4%), and building relationships (3%). In summary, servant lead-
ership combines increased service to followers and the wider society, and
promotes a sense of community (Van Dierendonck & Patterson, 2010).
Some attributes of a servant leader are embedded in traditional Chinese
culture (Han, et al., 2010). Confucianism directs attention to the needs of fol-
lowers and assisting them by behaving ethically and expressing care and con-
cern. Daoism emphasizes serving the wider society, encouraging humility
and empowering other people (Cheung & Chan, 2008). Readiness to help oth-
ers has moral models throughout Chinese history. Most empirical research on
servant leadership has been conducted in Western cultures. Hofstede, Hofst-
ede, and Minkov (1991) argued that people living in China tend to accept hi-
erarchical discrimination, and it is not clear how they will respond to a ser-
vant leader's behavior. Unlike previous servant leadership studies, the goal of
this study was to investigate the potential consequences of servant leadership
in the Chinese public sector, which has a relatively strong hierarchy.
Affective Commitment
Affective commitment, the “affective attachment to the organization”
(Meyer & Allen, 1991), acts as a psychological contract that connects em-
ployees and organizations over the long term (Mowday, Porter, & Steers,
1982). This emotional connection supports employees' willingness to be
involved in the organization's activities and pursuit of its vision (Mowday,
et al., 1982; Meyer & Allen, 1991; Rhoades, Eisenberger, & Armeli, 2001).
Emotional attachment attitudes and behaviors can lead to positive or neg-
ative effects on organizational performance (Caykoylu, Egri, Havlovic,

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 SERVANT LEADERSHIP AND AFFECTIVE COMMITMENT 383

& Bradley, 2011). Previous researchers have reported associations among

leadership, organizational factors, and affective commitment. For exam-
ple, in Eisenberger, Armeli, Rexwinkel, Lynch, & Rhoades (2001), per-
ceived organizational support was an antecedent of employees' care about
their organization's welfare and to support the organization in reaching
its goals ( β = 0.39, p < .05). Rhoades, et al. (2001) also found effects from su-
pervisor support to perceived organizational support ( β = 0.33, p < .05) and
from perceived organizational support to affective commitment ( β = 0.72,
p < .05).
In the Chinese work context, the connection between superiors and
subordinates tends to be “more personalized rather than contractual,”
since the sociocultural characteristic of extended kinship networks tends
to impact on the essence of leadership (Mendonca & Kanungo, 2006). The
relations between colleagues incorporate not only work but also their per-
sonal lives. In this “affective reciprocity” between managers and employ-
ees, leaders express care, support, and other affective behaviors to their
followers; in return, followers affectively commit to their leaders (Men-
donca & Kanungo, 2006). This affective relationship between followers
and their immediate superiors positively correlates with their affective
commitment towards the organization. The meta-analyses indicated sta-
tistically significant, positive correlations for each attribute of leader-fol-
lower relations (initiating structure: r = .29; consideration: r = .34; commu-
nication: r = .45; participatory leadership: r = .39)(Mathieu & Zajac, 1990).
In organizations with a culture characterized by a collectivistic orien-
tation, as is China, employees would value a strong sense of belonging to
the “family” (Hofstede, et al., 1991). Employees would tend to affectively
attach to their organizations since they view the organization as a family,
consistent with affective commitment. In the public sector in China, affec-
tive commitment is an important employee work attitude (Miao, New-
man, Sun, & Xu, 2013), and thus was selected for analysis in this study.
The antecedents of affective commitment may include both intrinsic and
extrinsic factors, with intrinsic factors considered to be the main determi-
nant (Mutlucan, 2012). This study was conducted with public sector employ-
ees, who experience lesser extrinsic rewards compared to the private sector
(Young, Worchel, & Woehr, 1998). Thus, in this population intrinsic motiva-
tors may be even more important. As to intrinsic factors in work context, Allen
and Meyer (1990) noted that work experience such as management capacity
( β = .62), supervisor support and feedback ( β = .49), participation ( β = .65), and
personal importance ( β = .87) have strong relationships with affective com-
mitment. The intrinsic antecedents of affective commitment are similar to the
characteristics of servant leadership, e.g. meeting of intrinsic needs such as
clarifying the task importance, providing support for personal growth, em-

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 384 Y. ZHOU & Q. MIAO

ployee participation in decisions, and sharing common values. In the Chinese

context, traditional values cohere with hierarchical discrimination (Hofstede,
2008). The public sector is the most centralized, bureaucratic organization in
China (Cao, 2011). Lyons, Duxbury, and Higgins (2006) argued that employees
in the public sector have weaker affective commitment compared to the pri-
vate sector, but if managers implemented a servant style of leadership a closer
relationship between superiors and subordinates could be established, posi-
tively influencing employees' commitment.
Hypothesis 1. Servant leadership is positively related to affective
commitment.
Perceived Organizational Support
Perceived organizational support includes whether employees feel
the organization cares about their well-being, interests, values, and ac-
complishments, and is willing to assist the employees' development and
needs (Eisenberger, et al., 2001). Researchers have pointed out that leader-
ship behaviors tend to affect perceived organizational support. Rhoades
and Eisenberger (2002) linked the support from managers with perceived
organizational support ( β = .0.51, p < .01) because employees view their
managers as the representatives of the organization and interpret their di-
rection and feedback as indicators of organizational support (Eisenberger,
et al., 1986, and Levinson, 1965, cited by Rhoades & Eisenberger, 2002).
Liden, et al. (2008) posited that servant leaders would provide extended
support to subordinates beyond formal employment relationships by es-
tablishing trusting relationships and expressing care about employees' in-
terests (Dannhauser & Boshoff, 2006). Servant leadership-related interac-
tions between managers and subordinates may increase perceptions that
the organization supports the subordinates (Baranik, Roling, & Eby, 2010).
Empirically, there tend to be strong correlations (r = .86) between servant
leadership and employees' trust in the organization and management
(Dannhauser & Boshoff, 2006). With the help of the trust relationship, ex-
tended support and care interpret servant leadership, which are perceived
by employees (rs from −.13 to .61 and from −.62 to .16) (Liden, et al., 2008).
Hypothesis 2. Servant leadership is positively related to perceived
organizational support.
Perceived Organizational Support as a Mediating Mechanism
As conceptualized above, servant leaders provide more organizational
support to followers. This support from the manager and organization is in-
dispensable, because employees are concerned about how much the organi-
zation values their input and their interests (Eisenberger, et al., 2001). When
employees perceive support, their affective commitment is expected to rise,

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 SERVANT LEADERSHIP AND AFFECTIVE COMMITMENT 385

while the manager sees his or her leadership as a service provision (Eisen-
berger, et al., 2001). For example, Rhoades, et al. (2001) identified perceived
organizational support as a mediator of supervisor support to affective com-
mitment ( βs = 0.33 and 0.72, p < .05).
Hypothesis 3. Perceived organizational support mediates the rela-
tionship between servant leadership and affective commitment.
The proposed research model is depicted in Fig. 1.

Perceived
Servant leadership
support

FIG. 1. Hypothesized mediation model

METHOD
Participants
In the current study, data were collected through self-report, struc-
tured questionnaires completed by 239 full-time, public sector employees
in China. All participants were required to have close contact with their
immediate supervisors. The Zhejiang University databases of alumni who
graduated from 2001 to 2011 were accessed for sample recruitment. A total
of 1,800 alumni employed full-time in the public sector were identified.
All 1,800 alumni were contacted by a mobile phone text message or by
telephone to invite them to participate. A total of 380 respondents agreed
to participate in the survey, which was individually distributed through a
private, online survey. An introduction to the online survey explained the
research purpose and assured the participants of confidentiality.
Of the 380 respondents who agreed to participate, 362 individuals
completed the first round of the survey, 305 individuals completed the
second round of the survey, and 252 individuals completed the entire sur-
vey. Among these 252 individuals, 239 responses were valid, representing
a response rate of 62.9%. Those who failed to complete all items and those
who marked 10 continuous items with the same rating were considered as
invalid responses and eliminated.
Participants (151 men, 88 women) had a mean age of 32 yr. (SD = 1.0,
range = 26 to 55), with 223 under the age of 40 years. As to their positions
in the organization, 141 were in leadership positions and 98 were not.
Most (n = 184) had been working under their current supervisor for no
more than 5 years. About one-third of the sample (n = 83) reported being
greatly satisfied or satisfied with their compensation. Table 1 shows the
demographic statistics of the sample.

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 386 Y. ZHOU & Q. MIAO

TABLE 1
DEMOGRAPHICS OF SAMPLE
Demographic Variables f % Cumulative %
Sex Male 151 63.2 63.2
Female 88 36.8 100
Age, yr. 26–30 69 28.9 28.9
31–35 89 37.2 66.1
36–40 65 27.2 93.3
41–45 13 5.4 98.7
46–50 2 0.8 99.6
51–55 1 0.4 100
Position Public servant 98 41 41
Fundamental leader 37 15.5 56.5
Middle leader 76 31.8 88.3
Top leader 28 11.7 100
Job tenure, yr. Less than 1 30 12.6 12.6
2–5 154 64.4 77
6–9 45 18.8 95.8
10–13 7 2.9 98.7
14–17 1 0.4 99.2
18–21 2 0.8 100
Compensation Greatly unsatisfied 27 11.3 11.3
satisfaction Unsatisfied 54 22.6 33.9
Neutral 99 41.4 75.3
Satisfied 47 19.7 95
Greatly satisfied 12 5.0 100

Procedure
The items for all scales used in this survey were originally developed
in English and translated into Chinese via the back-translation technique
(Brislin, 1993). All items were translated into Chinese first, then the trans-
lated Chinese version was translated back to English again by a different
translator and compared with the original English version. Inconsisten-
cies with the original version were improved to ensure the Chinese ver-
sion was consistent with the original one by the above two translators and
a third translator.
After the translations, a pilot study involving 15 individuals was con-
ducted. The participants in the pilot study were 9 men, 14 under the age of
40 years, 4 in leadership positions, and 13 with job tenure less than 5 years.
At the end, a semi-structured interview was adopted to explore whether

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 SERVANT LEADERSHIP AND AFFECTIVE COMMITMENT 387

the study variables had the same meaning in China as in the West, and
whether there were alternative Chinese terms that closely related to the
item concepts and expressions in the questionnaire. The questionnaire
was easily understood by the Chinese employees.
After the pilot study, respondents in the main study were asked to
complete questionnaires at three times during the survey period, with a
two-week break between the first round and the second round and be-
tween the second round and the third round to reduce common method
bias. The data related to servant leadership were collected during the first
round, the questionnaire about perceived organizational support was ad-
ministered during the second round, and the questionnaire on affective
commitment and control variables (including demographics and compen-
sation satisfaction) was administered during the third round.
Measures
The questionnaire comprised 14 servant leadership items from Eh-
rhart (2004), six items on perceived organizational support developed by
Eisenberger, et al. (2001), six items designed by Meyer, Allen, and Smith
(1993) and Meyer, Stanley, Herscovitch, and Topolnytsky (2002) to test af-
fective commitment, and demographic items. Each construct was mea-
sured with self-report items adapted from existing scales. Each item was
measured on a five-point Likert scale ranging from 1: Strongly disagree to
5: Strongly agree. The details on each scale are given as follows.
Servant leadership.—Ehrhart's (2004) General Measure of Servant Leader-
ship, consisting of 14 items, was utilized to measure servant leadership. It has
seven subscales: Forming relationships with subordinates, Empowering sub-
ordinates, Helping subordinates grow and succeed, Behaving ethically, Hav-
ing conceptual skills, Putting subordinates first, and Creating value for those
outside of the organization (Ehrhart, 2004), each with two items. Neubert,
Kacmar, Carlson, Chonko, and Roberts (2008) reported that this scale was re-
liable and valid. Items all began with the stem “My immediate superior:…”
and included, for example, “creates a sense of community among employ-
ees,” “makes the personal development of employees a priority,” and “makes
me feel like I work with him/her, not for him/her.” The fit indices for the
servant leadership scale were acceptable (χ2/df = 1.11, GFI = 0.966, IFI = 0.998,
TLI = 0.997, CFI = 0.998, RMSEA = 0.021). Cronbach's α for this measure was
.92, and the Guttman split-half reliability was .92.
Perceived organizational support.—Six high-loading items from the Sur-
vey of Perceived Organizational Support (Eisenberger, et al., 1986; cited by
Eisenberger, et al., 2001) and used by Eisenberger, et al. (2001) were chosen
to evaluate perceived organizational support in this study. This six-item
subset was validated by Shanock and Eisenberger (2006), who found that
the items covered the aspects of perceived organizational support (factor

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 388 Y. ZHOU & Q. MIAO

loadings from .71 to .84). Items begin with the stem “The organization: …”
and include “takes pride in my accomplishment,” “really cares about my
well-being,” and “is willing to help me when I need a special favor.” The
fit indices for this scale were well within the acceptable range ( χ2/df = 1.39,
GFI = 0.987, IFI = 0.998, TLI = 0.995, CFI = 0.998, RMSEA = 0.041). Cronbach's α
was .96, and the Guttman split-half reliability for this scale was .93.
Affective commitment.—Consistent with Meyer, et al. (1993) and Meyer, et
al.'s (2002) Three-Component Model of Commitment, affective commitment
was measured with six items to assess “employee's emotional attachment to,
identification with, and involvement in the organization.” Examples include
“I would be happy to spend the rest of my career with this organization,”
“I really feel as if this organization's problems are my own,” and “I do not
feel like ‘part of the family’ at my organization” (reverse coded). The model
fit the data well ( χ2/df = 1.33, GFI = 0.985, IFI = 0.998, TLI = 0.996, CFI = 0.998,
RMSEA = 0.037). The internal reliability was high, with a Cronbach's α of .95
and a Guttman split-half reliability of .92.
Control variables.—Age and tenure under a supervisor were measured
as continuous variables. The following categories were utilized for age:
1 = 26–30 years, 2 = 31–35, 3 = 36–40, 4 = 41–45, 5 = 46–50, and 6 = 51–55. The
following categories were utilized to measure tenure with supervisor:
1 = less than 1 year, 2 = 2–5, 3 = 6–9, 4 = 10–13, 5 = 14–16, and 6 = 17–19. A
dummy variable for sex of participants was 0 = female, 1 = male. Position
in the organization was coded based on the hierarchy of ranks in the Chi-
nese civil sector (1 = non-managerial employees, 2 = section managers,
3 = department managers, and 4 = senior managers). Compensation satis-
faction was measured by a three-item scale developed by Malhotra, Bud-
hwar, and Prowse (2007); payment is recognized as an extrinsic factor that
considerably influences employees' affective commitment. Sample items
included: “I am satisfied with the amount of pay” and “I'm satisfied with
my salary considering other colleagues in my organization.” Cronbach's α
for this scale was .94.
RESULTS
Two sets of analyses were undertaken using the survey data. First,
confirmatory factor analysis using LISREL 8.80 was conducted to estab-
lish the discriminant validity of the study variables and test for common
method bias. The three-factor model (servant leadership, perceived orga-
nizational support, and affective commitment) was compared to a one fac-
tor model in which all the items were loaded onto a single factor (Podsa-
koff, Mackenzie, Lee, & Podsakoff, 2003). The three-factor model showed
excellent fit to the data ( χ2 = 351.73, df = 234, RMSEA = 0.05, IFI = 0.98,
CFI = 0.98), and was significantly better than that of the one factor model
( χ2 = 1509.54, df = 248, RMSEA = 0.15, IFI = 0.80, CFI = 0.80). This suggested

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 SERVANT LEADERSHIP AND AFFECTIVE COMMITMENT 389

that common method bias was not a major problem in the study. Second,
regression analysis was undertaken to test the hypotheses. In the first step,
descriptive statistics tested the fundamental associations of the study vari-
ables. In the second step, regression analysis tested the direct and medi-
ated effects of servant leadership on affective commitment. Regression re-
lated analysis was conducted using SPSS 16.0.
Table 2 presents the means, standard deviations, and reliability coef-
ficients of each variable. The correlations between all variables are also
presented.

TABLE 2
DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS AND CORRELATIONS
Scale M SD 1 2 3
1. Servant leadership 3.27 1.02 .92
2. Perceived organizational support 2.90 0.97 .59† .96
3. Affective commitment 3.27 1.00 .40† .53† .95
Note.—Cronbach's αs are in italics on the diagonal. †p < .01.

The regression analysis results are shown in Table 3 and Table 4. In

Model 1, perceived organizational support was positively related to po-
sition ( β = 0.18) and compensation satisfaction ( β = 0.30) but negatively re-
lated to sex of participant ( β = –.17) and tenure with supervisor ( β = –.14).
Model 2 showed a significant positive relation between servant leadership
and perceived organizational support ( β = 0.51). The result supported Hy-
pothesis 2.
TABLE 3
SUMMARY OF MULTIPLE REGRESSION MODEL PREDICTING PERCEIVED
ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT FROM SERVANT LEADERSHIP
Change Statistics
Model R R2 Adj R2 SE Est.
SS df MS F p
1 .46 .21 .19 0.81 41.29 5 8.26 12.45 < .001
2 .66 .43 .42 0.69 84.86 6 14.14 29.55 < .001
Note.—Model 1 Predictors: (Constant), Sex, Age, Position, Tenure with
supervisor, Compensation satisfaction; Model 2 Predictors: (Constant),
Sex, Age, Position, Tenure with supervisor, Compensation satisfaction,
Servant leadership.

As indicated in Model 3 in Tables 5 and 6, compensation satisfaction

was positively related to affective commitment ( β = 0.33). When demo-
graphic variables and compensation satisfaction were controlled in Model
4, the results indicated a significant, positive relation between servant

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 390 Y. ZHOU & Q. MIAO

TABLE 4
COEFFICIENTS FROM MULTIPLE REGRESSION: PERCEIVED ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT
FROM SERVANT LEADERSHIP
Unstandardized Standardized
Model Source Coefficients Coefficients t p
B SE B β
Model 1 (Constant) 2.80 0.32 8.68 < .001
Sex −0.31 0.12 −0.17 −2.67 .008
Age −0.12 0.06 −0.12 −1.85 .07
Position 0.15 0.06 0.18 2.64 .009
Tenure with supervisor −0.17 0.07 −0.14 −2.40 .02
Compensation satisfaction 0.29 0.06 0.30 5.19 < .001
Model 2 (Constant) 1.10 0.33 3.37 .001
Sex −0.17 0.10 −0.09 −1.66 .10
Age −0.04 0.05 −0.05 −0.81 .42
Position 0.15 0.05 0.18 3.15 .002
Tenure with supervisor −0.10 0.06 −0.08 −1.62 .11
Compensation satisfaction 0.16 0.05 0.17 3.33 .001
Servant leadership 0.47 0.05 0.51 9.54 < .001

leadership and affective commitment ( β = 0.32), which supports Hypoth-

esis 1. The mediation hypothesis was considered in Model 5. When per-
ceived organizational support was included in the regression with servant
leadership, the previous significant relationship between servant leader-
ship and affective commitment was reduced significantly in the presence
of perceived organizational support ( β = 0.14). Instead, a significant posi-
tive relation was observed between perceived organizational support and
affective commitment ( β = 0.36). This result indicated that perceived orga-
nizational support partly mediated the relationship.

TABLE 5
SUMMARY OF MULTIPLE REGRESSION MODEL: AFFECTIVE COMMITMENT FROM
SERVANT LEADERSHIP AND PERCEIVED ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT
Change Statistics
Model R R2 Adj R2 SE Est.
SS df MS F p
3c .42 .18 .16 0.86 37.40 5 7.48 1.23 < .001
4d .52 .27 .25 0.81 56.25 6 9.38 14.35 < .001
5e .59 .35 .33 0.77 71.89 7 1.27 17.45 < .001
Note.—Model 3 Predictors: (Constant), Sex, Age, Position, Tenure with
supervisor, Compensation satisfaction; Model 4 Predictors: (Constant),
Sex, Age, Position, Tenure with supervisor, Compensation satisfaction,
Servant leadership; Model 5 Predictors: (Constant), Sex, Age, Position,
Tenure with supervisor, Compensation satisfaction, Servant leadership,
Perceived organizational support.

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 SERVANT LEADERSHIP AND AFFECTIVE COMMITMENT 391

TABLE 6
SUMMARY OF MULTIPLE REGRESSION MODEL: AFFECTIVE COMMITMENT FROM SERVANT LEADERSHIP
AND PERCEIVED ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT

Unstandardized Standardized
Model Source Coefficients Coefficients t p
B Std. Error β
Model 3 (Constant) 2.58 0.34 7.61 < .001
Sex −0.23 0.12 −0.12 −1.90 .06
Age 0.03 0.07 0.03 0.43 .67
Position 0.11 0.06 0.13 1.81 .07
Tenure with supervisor −0.09 0.07 −0.08 −1.27 .21
Compensation satisfaction 0.32 0.06 0.33 5.48 < .001
Model 4 (Constant) 1.46 0.38 3.82 < .001
Sex −0.14 0.12 −0.07 −1.17 .25
Age 0.08 0.06 0.08 1.21 .23
Position 0.11 0.06 0.13 1.94 .05
Tenure with supervisor −0.05 0.07 −0.04 − 0.67 .51
Compensation satisfaction 0.24 0.06 0.24 4.15 < .001
Servant leadership 0.31 0.06 0.32 5.37 < .001
Model 5 (Constant) 1.05 0.37 2.82 .01
Sex −0.07 0.11 −0.04 − 0.66 .51
Age 0.09 0.06 0.10 1.55 0.12
Position 0.05 0.05 0.06 0.96 0.34
Tenure with supervisor −0.01 0.07 −0.01 −0.15 0.88
Compensation satisfaction 0.18 0.06 0.18 3.17 0.002
Servant leadership 0.13 0.07 0.14 2.06 0.04
Perceived organizational
support 0.38 0.07 0.36 5.15 < .001

The variance inflation factor (VIF) was analyzed to support validity.

The values of tolerance and VIF (1/tolerance) in the last model for the ser-
vant leadership were 0.62 and 1.60, respectively; for perceived organiza-
tional support, 0.57 and 1.76, signifying no problematic multicollinearity
in the model variables.
DISCUSSION
This study investigated a mediation model of the influence of servant
leadership on affective commitment. It has been argued that servant leader-
ship contributes to perceived organizational support and that perceived orga-
nizational support shapes affective commitment. The findings agree with re-
search asserting that a leader's behaviors influence organizational factors and
create change in affective commitment (e.g., Lok & Crawford, 2004; Miao,

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 392 Y. ZHOU & Q. MIAO

et al., 2013). This study contributed to the body of literature by suggesting

an underlying mechanism between servant leadership behavior and affec-
tive commitment through perceived organizational support. Many previous
studies of servant leadership were conducted in Western cultures, so the re-
sults extend existing knowledge to servant leadership in a Chinese context.
Servant leadership practices apparently strengthen affective commitment in
an intensively centralized organization, Chinese public service.
The findings in this study were consistent with the proposed hypoth-
eses. Managers who implement servant leadership practices are ready to
assist and develop employees. Managers' servant conduct is an example
from which followers can learn. Forming quality relationships with em-
ployees, creating a sense of community, considering team members' opin-
ion when making decisions, and prioritizing subordinates' personal de-
velopment all lead to a supportive work context, in which employees feel
that the organization cares about their well-being and values their contri-
butions. Such behaviors tend to inspire followers to achieve and commit
more at work in response (Eisenberger, et al., 2001). Employees in a sup-
portive working context simultaneously feel support from their organiza-
tion and tend to be more affective and eager to provide services to help
others (Cullen, Parboteeah, & Victor, 2003).
Limitations and Conclusions
The study has certain limitations. First, the results of this study are lim-
ited and constrained by the items adopted to measure leadership style, orga-
nizational support, and affective commitment. All variables were measured
from the subjective perception of the employee, i.e., the employees' presup-
posed understanding of the phenomena in their own minds instead of from
an independent and objective point of view. Measurements in future studies
could combine both subjective assessments and objective variables to gener-
ate more convincing data. Second, this research included only one dimension
of the study variables, which might lead to some bias. Further studies should
consider the multiple dimensions of servant leadership and perceived organi-
zational support. Last, when investigating the leadership's effect in a different
cultural context, it would be more comprehensive if there were comparison
studies between Western and Chinese samples in future studies.
The results may have practical implications. Management in public
sector organizations should consider how to foster organizational sup-
port in order to facilitate the development of employees' affective commit-
ment. Opportunities for social interaction between immediate supervisors
and subordinates could be increased in order to foster closer relationships
and reduce the imbedded consciousness of hierarchy in the Chinese em-
ployees' minds. A budget to care for employees might be needed, for ex-
ample, to send get-well cards, buy birthday gifts, and to send employees

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 SERVANT LEADERSHIP AND AFFECTIVE COMMITMENT 393

to education and training programs. The Chinese National Human Resource

Development Strategy requires that all civil servants above the department
head level take a 3-month training program every 5 years (Xue & Liou, 2012).
Servant leadership elements could be incorporated into the training plan, e.g.,
behaving ethically and considerately, providing help to others, and creating
a sense of community by involving the least advanced employees. Finally,
recruiting and selecting qualified managers with servant leadership behav-
iors toward subordinates should be reinforced. Subordinates could comment
on whether the leader supports their career development, and whether they
perceive supportive environment, conversations, and cooperation from their
leader personally as well as in the work context.
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Accepted August 28, 2014.

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