Page 132 - Azerbaijan State University of Economics

Woinshet Mengistu, Pazstor Szabolch, Marsai Viktor, Tariku Jebena: Responsible Leadership
and Organizational Citizenship Behavior: The Mediation Role of Employees CSR Perception

Second, while previous studies mainly focused on how the actual CSR practices
mediates the relationship between various leadership styles and OCB (Hayat, 2023;
Iqbal et al., 2018; Khattak et al., 2019; Kim & Thapa, 2018), our findings indicate that
employees perception of CSR also to have the same effect in mediating the association
among leadership styles and OCB, confirming H4 (Table 5). Third, this study was
conducted to address the research gaps that need to be addressed in future studies, as
suggested by previous studies (Hayat, 2023; Iqbal et al., 2018; Khattak et al., 2019)
regarding the applicability of their findings outside the service sectors and with a
different leadership style other than Ethical Leadership (Hayat, 2023) and Authentic
Leadership (Iqbal et al., 2018; Khattak et al., 2019). Our findings confirm that
previous findings are applicable to the manufacturing sector with responsible
leadership. Four, the study used SLT and Stakeholders Theory to investigate the
connection among responsible leadership and OCB. The integration of the two
theories in the association among responsible leadership and OCB via CSR perception
provides a nuanced understanding of how responsible leaders model ethical behavior
(SLT) while addressing stakeholder needs (Stakeholder Theory), leading to a positive
CSR perceptions among employees, which in turn motivate them to engage in OCB.
Additionally, while employees observe and internalize responsible leaders' behavior
through the lens of SLT, influencing their perception of CSR (Aguinis & Glavas,
2012; Groves & LaRocca, 2011), Stakeholders Theory supports the notion that
responsible leadership should be in line with the interests of different stakeholders,
guaranteeing that CSR practices are authentic and significant (Freeman, 1984; Maak
& Pless, 2006). This integration suggests that employees, inspired by responsible
leadership and a positive CSR perception, are more likely to adopt OCB.

From the foregoing discussion, it can be concluded that companies need to act
ethically and responsibly if they want to stay around in society for a longer time. This
includes both their leaders and employees. According to Han et al. (2019), leaders
must act responsibly and integrate social responsibility with their leadership styles in
order for companies to generate profits and benefit their stakeholders. A leader's
ability to inspire followers to behave in the best interests of society and to influence
organizational values is a key factor in determining how CSR is perceived and
performed (Hamdani et al., 2024). The credibility, reputation, and image of their
organization will all be further enhanced by such responsible leadership. Responsible
leaders who effectively manage stakeholder interests and demonstrate ethical
behavior enhance employees’ perception of CSR. This positive perception encourages
employees to go beyond their formal roles and engage in OCB, contributing to the
organization’s overall success.

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