Linking paternalistic leadership and service behaviours through perceived support from supervisor and organisation: empirical evidence from the Pakistani healthcare sector

Drawing upon social exchange theory, this study aims to assess whether paternalistic leadership style (authoritarianism, benevolence and morality) influences employee in-role service behaviour and extra-role service behaviour, particularly patient-oriented organisational citizenship behaviour via a dual mediation mechanism, i.e. perceived supervisor support and perceived organisational support.

The data were gathered from doctors and nurses working in Pakistan’s public, private and semi-government hospitals. We used SPSS and AMOS 27 to run structural equation modelling.

Results revealed that authoritarianism was negatively associated with in-role service behaviour and patient-oriented organisational citizenship behaviour through perceived supervisor support and perceived organisational support. In contrast, benevolent and moral behaviours of leaders were positively associated with in-role service behaviour via perceived supervisor support and perceived organisational support. However, perceived supervisor support did not mediate the relations between paternalistic leadership dimensions and patient-oriented organisational citizenship behaviour.

Our research advances the paternalistic leadership literature concerning paternalistic leadership and employees’ service behaviours through dual mediation mechanisms and in a relatively understudied sector and national context.