Servant Leadership and Psychological Well-Being: A Philosophical Perspective and the Role of Religiosity and Power Distance Orientation

Abstract

"The COVID-19 pandemic has posed a vital challenge to traditional leadership practices.

The virtual workplace is changing the way people are accustomed to working. Despite

flexibility regarding time and space with the advent of digital technologies, employees face

several psychological problems while working remotely. Servant leadership is one of the

possible solutions to address this issue, but there is a question mark on servant leadership

effectiveness in high power distance cultures. However, the closeness of servant leadership

to religious beliefs can make it effective in such cultures. This research addresses the

philosophy of servant leadership theory and employs Structural Equation Modeling (SEM)

to test a theoretical model to determine how servant leaders can positively impact

employees working distantly. This research reveals that servant leadership helps

employees cope with occupational and perceived stress and maintains their work-life

balance by ensuring their psychological wellbeing. This research also finds that the compatibility of servant leadership with religiosity makes it more effective irrespective of

cultural differences."