How positive leadership leads to employees’ interpersonal citizenship behavior: a self-consistency perspective

Purpose: Although researchers have carried out considerable work on organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), the questions of whether and how adopting a positive leadership style leads subordinate employees to engage in interpersonal citizenship behavior (ICB) remain, thus far, unanswered. To address this research gap, this study aimed to uncover the possible underlying mediation mechanism. Design/methodology/approach: Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to test the research model using data collected by means of a three-wave online survey with 166 respondents. Findings: The results indicated that the organization-based self-esteem (OBSE) of subordinate employees mediated the effect of supervisors using a positive leadership style on subordinates engaging in person-focused ICB. Originality/value: The importance of positive leadership is revealed in the finding of a self-consistency-based positive spillover effect, according to which the use of a positive leadership style directly benefits subordinates by enhancing their OBSE. This subsequently motivates them to engage in person-focused ICB, which benefits their coworkers. Thus, a positive leadership style creates a positive dynamic in the workplace.