Transformational leadership and service performance for civil servants of public organizations in China: a two-path mediating role of trust

Abstract

Purpose

Transformational leadership and service performance of civil servants greatly affect the government’s administrative effectiveness. However, there are few studies on the influence mechanism of transformational leadership on service performance in the context of public organizations. Based on the social exchange theory, this study aims to construct and examine the dual path mediating process of affective trust and cognitive trust for the effects of transformational leadership on service performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing from 268 supervisor–subordinate dyads civil servants at the municipal level in China across three waves.

Findings

Both affective trust and cognitive trust partly mediated the relationships between transformational leadership and service performance, which supported the underlying theoretical mechanism of social exchange theory and transformational leadership theory in explaining the dual relationship between leaders and subordinates. This study innovatively and empirically examined the effects of transformational leadership on service performance through dual trust in civil servants in China, thus bridging the gap in this knowledge.

Originality/value

This study innovatively and empirically examined the effects of transformational leadership on service performance through dual trust in civil servants in China, thus bridging the gap in this knowledge.

Citation

Fan, L., Feng, C., Robin, M. and Huang, X. (2023), "Transformational leadership and service performance for civil servants of public organizations in China: a two-path mediating role of trust", Chinese Management Studies, Vol. 17 No. 1, pp. 215-230. https://doi.org/10.1108/CMS-02-2021-0050