Authentic leadership and work engagement: the mediating effect of practicing core values
Leadership & Organization Development Journal
ISSN: 0143-7739
Article publication date: 31 January 2018
Issue publication date: 29 March 2018
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the mediating effect of practicing core values on the relationship between authentic leadership and work engagement in a Korean corporate environment.
Design/methodology/approach
Self-report data on authentic leadership, practicing core values, and work engagement were obtained from 281 employees of three major corporations in South Korea. Structural equation modeling was adopted to analyze the data.
Findings
The results revealed a direct and significant influence of authentic leadership on both practicing core values and work engagement. In addition, practicing core values was found to have a partial mediating effect on the relationship between authentic leadership and work engagement.
Research limitations/implications
This study revealed a three-factor model of authentic leadership compared to the four-factor model found in western cultural contexts. Similar findings are indicated for other Asian countries. A rigorous future study is warranted to validate the psychometric structure across different cultural settings. Harman’s single factor test was performed to address the common method variance issue.
Practical implications
Practicing core values functioned as a catalyst for developing authentic leaders. Therefore, it is necessary that organizational development practitioners perform developmental activities to purposefully facilitate practicing core values.
Originality/value
The study falls under the isolated or disregarded researched topic of the practicing core values in relation to authentic leadership and work engagement.
Keywords
Citation
Oh, J., Cho, D. and Lim, D.H. (2018), "Authentic leadership and work engagement: the mediating effect of practicing core values", Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 39 No. 2, pp. 276-290. https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-02-2016-0030
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited