This study examined the mediating effect of organizational commitment and the moderating effect of conscientiousness in the process by which authentic leadership influences proactive work behavior. For this purpose, data were collected and analyzed fr...
This study examined the mediating effect of organizational commitment and the moderating effect of conscientiousness in the process by which authentic leadership influences proactive work behavior. For this purpose, data were collected and analyzed from 436 employees working in Korean companies. The results of the analysis are as follows. First, authentic leadership has a significant positive effect on proactive work behavior. Second, organizational commitment partially mediates the relationship between authentic leadership and proactive work behavior. Third, conscientiousness was found to have a moderated mediating effect, moderating the mediating effect of organizational commitment on the relationship between authentic leadership and proactive work behaviors.
These results suggest that authentic leadership plays an important role in encouraging proactive work behaviors and that organizational commitment plays a mediating role in this relationship. Furthermore, the level of conscientiousness of employees determines whether the mediating effect of organizational commitment is positively moderated. In essence, the more conscientious employees are, the stronger the influence of authentic leadership on proactive work behaviors conveyed through organizational commitment. This highlights the important interplay of individual personality traits, leadership style, and organizational ties.
This study contributes to the growing body of research on different approaches to enhancing proactive work behavior, the need to build a culture of engagement within organizations, and the need to design leadership development programs that take into account individual differences in the selection and training of employees.