Linking empowering leadership with older teachers’ knowledge-sharing behaviour: the roles of organization-based self-esteem and organizational status

ABSTRACT

This study develops a moderated mediation model that explores the link between empowering leadership and older teachers’ knowledge-sharing behaviour by focusing on the mediating role of organization-based self-esteem and the moderating role of organizational status. Based on a two-wave survey of 204 older teachers in primary and secondary schools in China, the results indicate that principals’ empowering leadership is positively related to older teachers’ knowledge-sharing behaviour, and this relationship is mediated by organization-based self-esteem. Moreover, organizational status moderates the mediating role of organization-based self-esteem in transmitting the effect of empowering leadership to knowledge-sharing behaviour.

KEYWORDS:

• Empowering leadership
• principal
• older teacher
• knowledge-sharing behaviour
• organization-based self-esteem
• organizational status

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [71672060]; Young College Teacher Project supported by Suzhou University of Science and Technology [XKR202007]; General Project of Philosophy and Social Science Research for universities of Jiangsu Province [2021SJA1376]

Notes on contributors

Zhenyuan Wang

Zhengyuan Wang is a Professor at Faculty of Economics and Management, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China. He also works at Faculty of Education, East China Normal University. He studies management topics such as rewards management, knowledge sharing, creativity, leadership, social network, strategic management of new ventures, and enterprise management in the digital era. His four projects are funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China. He has authored more than 30 journal articles and edited or authored 5 books. His work has appeared in top international peer-reviewed journals such as the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management (Impact factor=5.667, ABDC A*) and Journal of Medical Internet Research (Impact factor=5.034, ABDC A*).

Liming Zhao

LimingZhao is currently doing her Ph.D. in Corporate Management at East China Normal University in China. She had been an associate professor at Wenzhou University in China for four years and worked as a senior executive in companies for more than ten years. Her current research focuses on leadership, older employees, and organizational behaviour. Her work has appeared in top international peer-reviewed journals such as the Journal of Business Ethics. Liming Zhao is the corresponding author and can be contacted at: [email protected]

Haojie Song

HaojieSong is an associate professor at Zhengzhou University in China. Her research has been published at various journals including international journal of human resource management. Her research interests include human resource management and labor relation.

Jianghong Du

JianghongDu is a post-doctor at Faculty of Economics and Management, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China. She is also a Lecturer at School of Education, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, China. She received her PhD in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from the School of Psychology and Cognitive Science in East China Normal University. She has authored more than 10 journal articles. Her research interests include leadership, creativity, proactive service behaviour, workplace attachment and interpersonal behaviours in the workplace.

Yan Wang

YanWang is currently doing his Ph.D. in Corporate Management at East China Normal University in China. His current research focuses on leadership, older employees, and organizational behaviour.