Servant Leadership and Innovative Behavior in Vietnam's Public Sector
Updated: Oct 9
A study co-authored by Nhung Thi Hong Nguyen (HAPRI Senior Research Associate), Diep Nguyen, Nguyen Vo and Luu Trong Tuan, published in Administration & Society (2022), theorizes that servant leadership fosters public sector employees' innovative behavior through the sequential mediation roles of public service motivation and learning goal orientation. Survey results from Vietnam's public sector support this model, which sheds light on the drivers of public employees' innovative behavior in a less researched context.
Context
The authors describe public employees' innovative behavior as essential for the ongoing improvement of public services and, through that, the development of public organizations. They also note that limited research has examined this topic, especially in transition countries.
The study looks at this question in Vietnam's public sector.
Methods
The study draws on social cognitive theory to build its hypothesized model. It tests the model with structural equation modelling, using multi-source data from surveys of public sector employees and managers in Vietnam.
Key findings
The study theorizes that servant leadership fosters public sector employees' innovative behavior through the sequential mediation roles of public service motivation and learning goal orientation.
Results from structural equation modelling with multi-source data from Vietnam's public sector employee and manager surveys support the hypothesized model.
The authors note that limited research has examined public employees' innovative behavior, especially in transition countries.
The study sheds light on the drivers of public employees' innovative behavior in a less researched context.
Policy implications
The authors say their research offers important implications for public sector practitioners, especially for those from non-Western transition countries like Vietnam. The authors write that public sector organizations should also provide training programs for current and future public leaders about the importance of servant leadership and the practice of this leadership style.
Keywords:
Servant Leadership
Innovative Behavior
Public Service Motivation
Learning Goal Orientation
Public Sector
Vietnam
Link:
Citation:
Nguyen, N. T. H., Nguyen, D., Vo, N., & Tuan, L. T. (2022). Fostering Public Sector Employees’ Innovative Behavior: The Roles of Servant Leadership, Public Service Motivation, and Learning Goal Orientation. Administration & Society, 55(1), 30-63.
