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Organizations are confronted with problems and political risks to which they have to respond, presenting a need to develop tools and frames of understanding requisite to do so. In this article, we argue for the necessity of cultivating “political judgment” with a “sense of reality,” especially in the upper echelons of organizations. This article has two objectives: First to highlight how a number of recent interlinked developments within organizational analysis and practice have contributed to weakening judgment and its accompanying “sense of reality.” Second, to (re)introduce some canonical works that, although less in vogue recently, provide both a source of wisdom and frames of understanding that are key to tackling today’s problems. We begin by mapping the context in which the need for the cultivation of political judgment within organizations has arisen: (i) increasing proliferation of political risks and “wicked problems” to which it is expected that organizations adapt and respond; (ii) a wider historical and contemporary context in which the exercise of judgment has been undermined – a result of a combination of economics-inspired styles of theorizing and an associated obsession with metrics. We also explore the nature of “political judgment” and its accompanying “sense of reality” through the work of authors such as Philip Selznick, Max Weber, Chester Barnard, and Isaiah Berlin. We suggest that these authors have a weighty “sense of reality”; are antithetical to “high,” “abstract,” or “axiomatic” theorizing; and have a profound sense of the burden from exercising political judgment in difficult organizational circumstances.

This study examines the relationship between servant leadership and its dimensions on firm performance, with big data playing the role of a mediator.

Survey responses used for analysis in this study have been taken from business managers associated reputed private sector organizations in India. A conceptual model is proposed grounded to the Conservation of Resource Theory (COR). Structural equation modeling has been used to test the proposed model.

Servant leadership significantly relates to firm performance, whereby Big Data is seen to play the role of a mediator. The results also indicate that none of the dimensions of servant leadership independently affect firm performance.

The study adds to extant research by examining the mediating mechanism of Big Data in servant leadership and firm performance. It also suggests that each dimension of servant leadership gets reflected in overall servant leadership. Here it is important to note that Big Data analytics partially mediate the effectiveness of servant leadership.

This study aims to use self-determination and social exchange theory to investigate how transformational leadership influences employees’ motivation for their work behaviors, with job autonomy serving as a mediator. This study hypothesized that transformational leadership could promote employees’ autonomy in performing their tasks, leading to the development of innovative work behaviors and organizational citizenship behaviors.

Using a multilevel approach, data was collected from 409 public service employees across 39 departments.

The findings indicate the significant impact of transformational leadership on shaping employees’ innovative work and organizational citizenship behavior. Notably, job autonomy emerges as a pivotal mediator, facilitating the positive effects of transformational leadership by empowering employees to explore innovative tasks beyond their prescribed roles, thereby enhancing team effectiveness and employee engagement.

This study’s originality lies in its innovative use of multilevel analysis to reveal job autonomy’s mediating role, offering fresh insights into promoting innovation and organizational in public service settings.