Joint Effects of Benevolent and Moral Leadership on Employee Job Crafting

Drawing on social identity theory, this research examines how two dimensions of paternalistic leadership - benevolent and moral leadership - influence employees' engagement in job crafting. A two-wave survey was conducted among 297 Chinese employees from different industries. The results indicate a positive relationship between benevolent leadership and job crafting. Employee trust in management is identified as a mediating factor in this relationship. In addition, moral leadership is found to moderate the indirect relationship between benevolent leadership and job crafting through trust in management. This study contributes to the literature on paternalistic leadership and job crafting by providing insights into the mechanisms in the Asian context. Limitations and directions for future research are also discussed.