Self-serving leadership behaviours and productive work behaviours: The role of proactive personality

Abstract

Studies investigating the circumstances under which self-serving leadership affect individual level outcomes are dearth. Drawing on the social information processing theory, the research investigated the extent to which proactive personality moderates the relationship between self-serving leadership and the performance of employees in government-based organisations in Ghana. A cross-sectional survey design was used to gather data from 272 employees working in public sector institutions in Ghana, who completed our anonymous and confidential survey. The results indicate that self-serving leadership behaviors and proactive personality have different effects on productive behaviors at work. Self-serving leadership behaviours related negatively to task proficiency and proactive behavior, whereas a proactive personality related positively with both proficient and proactive performance. Finally, it was revealed that self-serving leadership behavior was counterproductive to both task proficiency and proactivity for employees with high levels of proactive tendencies; however, the relationship was insignificant for those with low levels of proactivity. Self-serving leadership behaviour fosters the performance of public sector employees who are highly proactive. This research addresses an essential, yet under-researched question in leadership literature. Importantly, the study showed that self-serving leadership undermines task proficiency and proactive work behavior for employees with a high level of proactive personality in public sector organisations in Ghana.