DefinePK

Research Objective

To examine the relationship between shared leadership and the taking-charge behavior of employees, with climate for initiative as a mediator and climate for psychological safety as a moderator.

Methodology

The study employed a positivist paradigm and a cross-sectional research design. The target population comprised employees at senior, middle, and lower management levels in the pharmaceutical business in major Pakistani cities. A multistage random sampling method was used to select participants. Primary data were collected from 430 employees using questionnaires distributed via Google Forms. Scales for shared leadership, taking charge, climate for psychological safety, and climate for initiative were used. Data were collected at two time points to mitigate common method variance. Data analysis involved checking for missing values and outliers, followed by structural modeling in AMOS and moderation analysis using the Process macro in SPSS.

Methodology Flowchart

                        graph TD
    A["Define Research Objective"] --> B["Adopt Positivist Paradigm & Cross-Sectional Design"]
    B --> C["Identify Target Population: Pharmaceutical Employees in Pakistan"]
    C --> D["Multistage Random Sampling"]
    D --> E["Data Collection via Questionnaires N=430"]
    E --> F["Data Cleaning: Missing Values & Outliers"]
    F --> G["Data Analysis"]
    G --> H["Structural Modeling AMOS"]
    G --> I["Moderation Analysis SPSS Process Macro"]
    H --> J["Hypothesis Testing H1-H4"]
    I --> K["Hypothesis Testing H5"]
    J --> L["Interpret Results"]
    K --> L
    L --> M["Draw Conclusions & Implications"]                    

Discussion

The findings suggest that shared leadership positively influences employees' willingness to take charge, likely due to the delegation of authority and empowerment inherent in this leadership style. The mediating role of climate for initiative indicates that fostering an environment that encourages new ideas and proactive behavior is crucial for shared leadership to translate into taking charge. The lack of support for the moderation hypothesis suggests that while psychological safety is positively related to climate for initiative, it does not significantly alter the relationship between shared leadership and climate for initiative in this context.

Key Findings

Shared leadership was found to be positively related to taking charge behavior and climate for initiative. Climate for initiative was also positively related to taking charge behavior. Climate for initiative mediated the relationship between shared leadership and taking charge behavior. The moderation hypothesis, positing that climate for psychological safety moderates the relationship between shared leadership and climate for initiative, was not supported.

Conclusion

Shared leadership positively impacts employees' taking-charge behavior, with climate for initiative acting as a significant mediator. While climate for psychological safety is positively associated with climate for initiative, it does not moderate the relationship between shared leadership and climate for initiative in the Pakistani pharmaceutical industry. The study highlights the importance of shared leadership and fostering a climate for initiative to promote proactive employee behavior.

Fact Check

* The study collected data from N=430 employees.
* The research was published in the Journal of Social Sciences, Vol. 4, No. 3 in September 2023.
* The moderation hypothesis (H5) was not supported by the study's findings.

Mind Map