Linking servant leadership to positive deviant behavior: The mediating role of self-determination theory

How can servant leadership focused primarily on developing employees help them to become more ethical and prosocial, and to achieve positive results reaching beyond mere compliance with their tasks? More specifically, we propose that servant leadership may influence employees to engage in positive deviant behavior (PDB), meaning non-conforming behavior that is positive and ethical. Using self-determination theory (SDT), our research examines the effect of perceived servant leadership on the adoption of PDB by employees, mediated by basic psychological needs satisfaction and intrinsic motivation. To this end, we conducted a quantitative study of 344 French employees’ answers to an online survey. Structural equation modeling results indicated that the relationship between perceived servant leadership and innovative PDB is strongly predicted by SDT. Intrinsic motivation mediates the relationship between perceived servant leadership, satisfaction of basic psychological needs, and innovative PDB. Several limitations and implications will be discussed.