The relationships among leader humility, learning agility, positive psychological capital and change-oriented organizational citizenship behavior

What the paper says

Purpose This study aims to empirically examine the associations of leader humility and learning agility on change-oriented organizational citizenship behavior (C-OCB), as mediated by positive psychological capital (PsyCap), in the context of lifelong education institutions. Design/methodology/approach They analyzed survey data from 267 participants used at lifelong education institutions in South Korea. Statistical analysis and structural equation modeling were performed using SPSS and AMOS. Findings The authors found that leader humility as perceived by members positively influences positive PsyCap but is not directly associated with C-OCB. A similar pattern was observed for learning agility. However, leader humility perceived and learning agility indirectly influence change- OCB behavior through positive PsyCap. Practical implications This study reveals that fostering a positive attitude among members toward organizational change requires strengthening leader humility and supporting employees’ learning agility. Practical interventions such as leadership development programs and learning-oriented HR practices can enhance positive PsyCap, thereby promoting members’ C-OCB. Originality/value This study confirms the indirect influence of leader humility on C-OCB, as mediated by positive PsyCap. This finding suggests that fostering leader humility can serve as a practical alternative for enhancing C-OCB indirectly through positive PsyCap. In other words, when a leader demonstrates humility and individuals possess learning agility, this enhances members’ positive PsyCap, comprising self-efficacy, hope, optimism and resilience, thereby improving proactive and creative behavior or C-OCB.