The Influence of Servant Leadership on Innovative Work Behavior in the Banking Services Sector: The Role of Work Engagement and Perceived Organizational Support
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24002/kinerja.v30i1.12632Keywords:
servant leadership, work engagement, perceived organizational support, innovative work behaviorAbstract
The dynamic and competitive business environment requires the banking sector to continuously improve efficiency, service quality, and responsiveness to customer needs. In this highly regulated, compliance-driven context, employees’ innovative work behavior (IWB) plays a critical role in sustaining organizational competitiveness and service excellence. This study examines the direct effects of servant leadership on innovative work behavior in the banking sector, while also considering the roles of perceived organizational support (POS) and work engagement as explanatory variables. A quantitative research approach was employed, with data collected through an online survey conducted in April 2025 involving 181 permanent and contract employees at staff and officer levels in the Indonesian banking sector. The data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares–Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that servant leadership has a positive and significant effect on both work engagement and perceived organizational support. Work engagement, in turn, shows a positive and significant effect on innovative work behavior. However, the direct effects of POS on work engagement and servant leadership on IWB, although positive, are not statistically significant. The results indicate that servant leadership has a positive and significant effect on both work engagement and perceived organizational support. Work engagement, in turn, shows a positive and significant effect on innovative work behavior. However, the direct effects of perceived organizational support on work engagement and servant leadership on innovative work behavior, although positive, are not statistically significant.
References
Adekanmbi, F. P., & Ukpere, W. I. (2023). The impact of innovative work behavior, perceived Leadership 4.0, and corporate social responsibility on sustaining banking industry performance in Nigeria within the 4IR era. Banks and Bank Systems, 18(4), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.21511/bbs.18(4).2023.01
Alajhar, N. A., & Salam, M. A. (2022). Servant leadership and innovative work behavior: The mediating role of organizational citizenship behavior. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 12(4), 326–348. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v12-i4/12888
Al-Asadi, R., Muhammed, S., Abidi, O., & Dzenopoljac, V. (2019). Impact of servant leadership on intrinsic and extrinsic job satisfaction. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 40(4), 472–484. https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-09-2018-0337
Al-Azab, M. R., & Al-Romeedy, B. S. (2024). Servant leadership and tourism businesses’ outcomes: A multiple mediation model. Tourism Review, 79(1), 184–204. https://doi.org/10.1108/TR-11-2022-0538
AlShamsi, S. S. S., Bin Ahmad, K. Z., & Jasimuddin, S. M. (2023). The relationship between curiosity and innovative work behavior in the aviation industry: The mediating effect of work engagement. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 31(7), 3119–3136. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-05-2022-3267
Aprilani, D., Rivai, F., Maidin, A., Noor, N. B., Muhammad, L., & Hamzah, H. (2021). The effect of perceived organizational support and organizational commitment to organizational citizenship behavior nurse Dr. Tadjuddin Chalid. Turkish Journal of Computer and Mathematics Education, 12(12), 4138–4146. https://doi.org/10.17762/turcomat.v12i12.8251
Arabia, S. (2023). Understanding the panacea of high perceived organizational support and employee commitment: People performance perspectives from Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Human Resource Management International Digest, 31(2), 24–26. https://doi.org/10.1108/HRMID-11-2022-0283
Bakker, A. B. (2022). The social psychology of work engagement: State of the field. Career Development International, 27(1), 36–53. https://doi.org/10.1108/CDI-08-2021-0213
Bakker, A. B., Schaufeli, W. B., Leiter, M. P., & Taris, T. W. (2008). Work engagement: An emerging concept in occupational health psychology. Work & Stress, 22(3), 187–200. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678370802393649
Baset, M. A., & Karim, D. N. (2020). Relationship between perceived organizational support and work engagement: An empirical evidence from Bangladesh. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4863884
Bavik, A., Hoch, J. E., Bommer, W. H., Dulebohn, J. H., & Wu, D. (2020). A systematic review of the servant leadership literature in management and hospitality. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 32(1), 347–382. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-10-2018-0788
Baykal, E., & Zehir, C. (2019). Perceived organizational support, servant leadership and psychological capacity relationship. In Joint Conference: 14th International Strategic Management Conference and 8th International Conference on Leadership, Technology, Innovation and Business Management (pp. 739–753). https://doi.org/10.15405/epsbs.2019.01.02.63
Behera, B., Panda, R. K., Tiwari, B., & Chaubey, A. (2024). Understanding the drivers of innovative work behaviour among millennial employees in India’s IT sector: Some exploratory research findings. Journal of Asia Business Studies, 18(6), 1620–1646. https://doi.org/10.1108/JABS-02-2024-0089
Cai, M., Wang, M., & Cheng, J. (2024). The effect of servant leadership on work engagement: The role of employee resilience and organizational support. Behavioral Sciences, 14(4), 300. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14040300
Calvert, R. (1992). Leadership and its basis in problems of social coordination. International Political Science Review, 13(1), 7–24. https://doi.org/10.1177/019251219201300102
Carter, D., & Baghurst, T. (2014). The influence of servant leadership on restaurant employee engagement. Journal of Business Ethics, 124(3), 453–464. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1882-0
Chaiyapruksayanonde, C., & Ponchaitiwat, K. (2025). Supportive work environments, innovative work behavior, and job performance in the hospitality industry: Empirical evidence from Thailand. Tourism and Hospitality, 6(1), 20. https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp6010020
Cook, K. S., Cheshire, C., Rice, E. R. W., & Nakagawa, S. (2013). Social exchange theory. In J. DeLamater & A. Ward (Eds.), Handbook of social psychology (2nd ed.). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6772-0
Cui, H., Sun, R., Wang, Y., Lin, L., Duo, R., Li, Y., Ma, F., & Li, H. (2023). Investigation and influencing factors of the behavioral intention of nurses voluntarily participating in the care of older adults with disabilities. International Journal of Nursing Sciences, 10(1), 64–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnss.2022.12.008
Dahiya, R., & Raghuvanshi, J. (2022). Validation of innovative work behaviour scale: Indian apparel manufacturing sector. Asia Pacific Management Review, 27(2), 120–136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmrv.2021.06.002
De Jong, J., & Den Hartog, D. (2010). Measuring innovative work behaviour. Creativity and Innovation Management, 19(1), 23–36. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8691.2010.00547.x
DeConinck, J., & DeConinck, M. B. (2017). The relationship between servant leadership, perceived organizational support, performance, and turnover among business-to-business salespeople. Archives of Business Research, 5(10), 38–53. https://doi.org/10.14738/abr.510.3730
Edyawati, D. R. R., & Desiana, P. M. (2024). Servant leadership and innovative work behavior: The mediation role of flow at work and trust. Jurnal Manajemen dan Organisasi, 15(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.29244/jmo.v15i1.52430
Eisenberger, R., Huntington, R., Hutchison, S., & Sowa, D. (1986). Perceived organizational support. Journal of Applied Psychology, 71(3), 500–507. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.71.3.500
Ekmekcioglu, E. B., & Öner, K. (2023). Servant leadership, innovative work behavior and innovative organizational culture: The mediating role of perceived organizational support. European Journal of Management and Business Economics, 33(3), 272–288. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJMBE-08-2022-0251
Ergun, E., Tunca, S., Cetinkaya, G., & Balcıoğlu, Y. S. (2025). Exploring the roles of work engagement, psychological empowerment, and perceived organizational support in innovative work behavior: A latent class analysis for sustainable organizational practices. Sustainability, 17(4), 1663. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17041663
Eva, N., Robin, M., Sendjaya, S., van Dierendonck, D., & Liden, R. C. (2019). Servant leadership: A systematic review and call for future research. The Leadership Quarterly, 30(1), 111–132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2018.07.004
Fan, Y., Chen, J., Shirkey, G., John, R., Wu, S. R., Park, H., & Shao, C. (2016). Applications of structural equation modeling (SEM) in ecological studies: An updated review. Ecological Processes, 5(1), 19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13717-016-0063-3
Febrianti, A. M., & Yulian, E. T. (2022). Analyzing the influence of servant leadership on job performance through work engagement as a mediator. International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science, 11(6), 157–164. https://doi.org/10.20525/ijrbs.v11i6.1851
Franco, M., & Antunes, A. (2020). Understanding servant leadership dimensions: Theoretical and empirical extensions in the Portuguese context. Nankai Business Review International, 11(3), 345–369. https://doi.org/10.1108/NBRI-08-2019-0038
Greenleaf, R. K. (2007). The servant as leader. In G. Enderle (Ed.), Corporate ethics and corporate governance (pp. 79–85). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-70818-6_6
Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., Sarstedt, M., Danks, N. P., & Ray, S. (2022). Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) using R: A workbook. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-80519-7
Handayani, R., Surya, M., & Oemar, F. (2025). Dampak servant leadership terhadap innovative work behavior. Jurnal Ekonomika Dan Bisnis (JEBS): Universitas Dharma Andalas, 5(1), 54-63.
Harunavamwe, M., & Kanengoni, H. (2023). Hybrid and virtual work settings; The interaction between technostress, perceived organisational support, work-family conflict and the impact on work engagement. African Journal of Economic and Management Studies, 14(2), 252–270. https://doi.org/10.1108/AJEMS-07-2022-0306
Hay Group. (2014). The Hay Group Guide Chart-ProfileSM method of job evaluation. Hay Group.
Hu, L.-T., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 6(1), 1–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705519909540118
Jankelová, N., Joniaková, Z., & Skorková, Z. (2021). Perceived organizational support and work engagement of first-line managers in healthcare: The mediation role of feedback-seeking behavior. Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare, 14, 3109–3123. https://doi.org/10.2147/JMDH.S326563
Janssen, O. (2000). Job demands, perceptions of effort–reward fairness and innovative work behaviour. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 73(3), 287–302. https://doi.org/10.1348/096317900167038
Jonker, C. S., & Dube, S. C. (2025). Servant leadership and well-being: A scoping review of positive organisational outcomes. SA Journal of Human Resource Management, 23, a2783. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajhrm.v23i0.2783
Jonsdottir, I. J., & Kristinsson, K. (2020). Supervisors’ active-empathetic listening as an important antecedent of work engagement. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(21), 7976. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17217976
Khan, M. M., Mubarik, M. S., Ahmed, S. S., Islam, T., & Khan, E. (2022). The contagious servant leadership: Exploring the role of servant leadership in leading employees to servant colleagueship. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 43(6), 847–861. https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-06-2021-0305
Khan, M. M., Mubarik, M. S., Ahmed, S. S., Islam, T., Khan, E., Rehman, A., & Sohail, F. (2021). My meaning is my engagement: Exploring the mediating role of meaning between servant leadership and work engagement. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 42(6), 926–941. https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-08-2020-0320
Khan, M. M., Mubarik, M. S., Ahmed, S. S., Islam, T., & Rehman, S. U. (2024). Utilizing every grain of intellect: Exploring the role of individual-level intellectual capital in linking servant leadership with innovative work behavior. Journal of Intellectual Capital, 25(1), 23–37. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIC-11-2021-0307
Krupah, E. K. (2022). The impact of servant leadership on innovative work behavior in Ghana: The mediation of employee voice. European Journal of Business and Management, 14(2), 58–71. https://doi.org/10.7176/EJBM/14-2-08
Lamprinou, V. D. I., Tasoulis, K., & Kravariti, F. (2021). The impact of servant leadership and perceived organisational and supervisor support on job burnout and work-life balance in the era of teleworking and COVID-19. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 42(7), 1071–1088. https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-12-2020-0526
Lawande, N. (2023). Understanding the association between constructive nonconformity and innovative work behavior: An employee perspective. Australasian Accounting, Business and Finance Journal, 17(1).
Liden, R. C., Wayne, S. J., Zhao, H., & Henderson, D. (2008). Servant leadership: Development of a multidimensional measure and multi-level assessment. The Leadership Quarterly, 19(2), 161–177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2008.01.006
Limbong, L., & Saragih, S. (2023). The effectiveness of servant leadership in enhancing innovative work behavior: The art of job engagement. Jurnal Manajemen Maranatha, 23(1), 33–44. https://doi.org/10.28932/jmm.v23i1.7018
Ly, B. (2024). Inclusion leadership and employee work engagement: The role of organizational commitment in Cambodian public organization. Asia Pacific Management Review, 29(1), 44–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmrv.2023.06.003
Mahmood, N. A., Saad, A., & Ishak, S. (2024). Perceived organizational support and work engagement in Malaysian banking industry. Journal of Ecohumanism, 3(7), 4729–4740. https://doi.org/10.62754/joe.v3i7.4585
Makumbe, W. (2025). Linking Ethical Leadership with Organisational Commitment in Selected South African Public Entities: the Mediating Role of Perceived Organisational Support. African Journal of Public Administration & Environmental Studies (AJOPAES), 4(1).
Merdiaty, N. (2024). Person-job fit on work engagement with meaningful work as mediator. International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science, 13(1), 134-145.
Mesfin, S. (2023). The effect of servant leadership on the organizational citizenship behavior of instructors in public universities in Amhara region. Cogent Business & Management, 11(1), 2288711. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2023.2288711
Narotama, I. B. I., & Sudewi, N. N. D. (2023). Tinjauan literatur sistematis terhadap perilaku kerja inovatif aparatur sipil negara. Jurnal Pendidikan Tambusai, 7(3), 27306–27319. https://jptam.org/index.php/jptam/article/view/11044
Nazir, H., Shoukat, M. H., Elgammal, I., & Hussain, S. (2022). Impact of servant leadership on employee life satisfaction through Islamic work ethics in the Islamic banking industry. Asian Journal of Business Ethics, 11(1), 137–157. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13520-022-00144-3
Park, J., & Kim, J. (2024). The relationship between perceived organizational support, work engagement, organizational citizenship behavior, and customer orientation in the public sports organizations context. Behavioral Sciences, 14(3), 153. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14030153
Pinela, N., Guevara, R., & Armijos, M. (2022). Entrepreneurial leadership, work engagement, and innovative work behavior: The moderating role of gender. International Journal of Economics and Business Administration, 10(2), 19–40. https://doi.org/10.35808/IJEBA/764
Prasetyo, E., Kistyanto, A., & Surjanti, J. (2022). Perceived organizational support on employee performance: The mediating role of organization-based self-esteem. Journal of Business and Management Review, 3(11), 754–771. https://doi.org/10.47153/jbmr311.5062022
Puspita, A., & Najmudin, S. (2021). Perceptions of proactive personality and innovative work behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. South East Asia Journal of Contemporary Business, Economics and Law, 24(5), 162–170.
Putra, D. D., Wicaksono, B., & Satwika, P. A. (2023). Servant leadership and work engagement among contractual employees. Jurnal Ilmiah Psikologi Candrajiwa, 8(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.20961/jip.v8i1.55666
Rahal, F. E. Z. M., & Farmanesh, P. (2022). Does servant leadership stimulate work engagement in the workplace? The mediating role of trust in leader. Sustainability, 14(24), 16528. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142416528
Rahmadani, R., Rahim, A. R., Prasilowati, S. L., & Siradjuddin, S. (2024). A literature review on the effect of perceived organizational support on employee engagement and employee performance of government agencies in Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia. International Journal of Social Service and Research, 4(1), 79–96. https://doi.org/10.46799/ijssr.v4i01.663
Rahmayani, W. E., & Wikaningrum, T. (2022). Analisis perceived organizational support, dukungan atasan dan work engagement terhadap kinerja karyawan selama masa pandemi COVID-19. Jurnal Ekonomi dan Bisnis, 23(2), 71–85. https://doi.org/10.30659/ekobis.23.2.71-85
Rasheed, A., Lodhi, R. N., & Habiba, U. (2016). An empirical study of the impact of servant leadership on employee innovative work behavior with the mediating effect of work engagement: Evidence from banking sector of Pakistan. Global Management Journal for Academic & Corporate Studies, 6(2), 177–190.
Saleh, M. S. M., Abdelwahid, A. E. E. A., Elsabahy, H. E., Eltahan, A. A., & Ata, A. A. (2025). Visionary leadership: The mediating role of organizational support on nurse interns’ creativity and organizational effectiveness. BMC Nursing, 24(1), 400. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-025-02951-y
Sari, D. K., Yudiarso, A., & Sinambela, F. C. (2021). Work engagement and innovative work behavior: Meta-analysis study. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Psychological Studies (ICPSYCHE 2020) (Vol. 530, pp. 359–366). Atlantis Press. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.210423.053
Schaufeli, W. B., Bakker, A. B., & Salanova, M. (2006). The measurement of work engagement with a short questionnaire: A cross-national study. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 66(4), 701–716. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164405282471
Shahid, M., Chaudhry, S., Bilal, M., Amber, H., Aslam, S., Malik, S., & Shahzad, K. (2022). The link between team identification, entrepreneurial orientation, and innovative work behavior and its dimensions in the context of Pakistan. SAGE Open, 12(1), 21582440221079893. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440221079893
Shailja, S., Kumari, P., & Singla, H. (2023). Impact of servant leadership on innovative work behaviour: A moderation mediation analysis. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 44(3), 330–349. https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-03-2022-0121
Shetty, P. K., Rao, P. K., & Kamath, R. C. (2022). Impact of servant leadership on perceived organizational support of employees in manufacturing industries and educational institution. Cogent Business & Management, 9(1), 2143074. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2022.2143074
Sitompul, P., Soelistya, D., Simanihuruk, P., Purwati, T., & Efendi, E. (2024). Impact of work-Life balance and work engagement on innovative work behavior. International Journal of Supply and Operations Management, 11(4), 448-461. https://doi.org/10.22034/ijsom.2024.110201.2966
Sitorus, F. H. D., Simanjuntak, C. W., & Irvan. (2021). Perceptions effect of organizational support on employees’ work engagement. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Culture Heritage, Education, Sustainable Tourism, and Innovation Technologies (CESIT 2020) (pp. 615–621). SCITEPRESS. https://doi.org/10.5220/001037000000305 1
Srirahayu, D. P., Ekowati, D., & Sridadi, A. R. (2023). Innovative work behavior in public organizations: A systematic literature review. Heliyon, 9(2), e13557. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e13557
Tri, H. T., Nga, V. T., & Sipko, J. (2019). Predicting overall staffs’ creativity and innovative work behavior in banking. Management & Marketing, 14(2), 188–202. https://doi.org/10.2478/mmcks-2019-0013
Udin, U., Chanthes, S., & Dananjoyo, R. (2024). Servant leadership, work engagement and affective commitment in social exchange perspective: A mediation-moderation framework. Human Systems Management, 44(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3233/HSM-240077
Uppathampracha, R. (2022). How ethical leadership sparks employee innovative work behavior: Examining the mediating role of employee resilience and work engagement. ABAC Journal, 42(3), 199–213.
Utami, A. R., & Ardiyanti, N. (2023). Servant leadership’s impact on adaptive performance in Indonesian tech companies: How work engagement and trust in leaders play a role. The Asian Journal of Technology Management, 16(2), 109–120. https://doi.org/10.12695/ajtm.2023.16.2.3
Wijaya, A., Colin, V., & Ng, R. (2024). The Influence of Servant Leadership on Employee Performance With Perceptions of Organizational Support As Mediator. Jurnal Muara Ilmu Ekonomi dan Bisnis, 8(2), 274-285.
Xiao, F. X., Lin, Y., Kuang, J. F., Yang, L. L., & Wang, Q. (2025). How and when servant leadership affect public employees’ innovative behavior. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 26705. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-11504-x
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Ni Wayan Hayati, Purwanto Purwanto

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.












