AUTHOR=Hu Zhizhong , Zhang Honglin , He Xiaoling , Han Yingchun 

TITLE=The relationship between servant leadership and followers’ pro-social rule-breaking behavior: a study based on Chinese selected candidates

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=Volume 16 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1588127

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1588127

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=ObjectiveThis study explores the relationships among servant leadership, work autonomy, risk-taking willingness, public service motivation (PSM), and pro-social rule-breaking (PSRB), focusing on their underlying psychological mechanisms.MethodsA survey was conducted among selected cadres using electronic questionnaires. The questionnaire included demographic information, the Servant Leadership Scale, the Risk-Taking Willingness Scale, the Work Autonomy Scale, the PSM Scale, and the PSRB Scale. A total of 679 valid responses were collected. Descriptive analyses and moderated mediation tests were performed using AMOS, SPSS, and the PROCESS macro.ResultsServant leadership showed a significant positive correlation with PSRB. Mediation analysis further indicated that work autonomy and risk-taking willingness exerted significant mediating effects. Servant leadership positively predicted work autonomy, which in turn predicted PSRB. Servant leadership negatively predicted risk-taking willingness. In turn, risk-taking willingness negatively predicted PSRB. The direct effect of servant leadership on PSRB was also significant. In addition, PSM significantly moderated the positive relationship between work autonomy and PSRB and negatively moderated the relationship between risk-taking willingness and PSRB.ConclusionServant leadership fosters PSRB through both direct and indirect mechanisms. Work autonomy and risk-taking willingness serve as parallel mediators, while PSM qualifies these mediating effects by moderating the second stage of the mediation process.