Impact of Self-sacrificial Leadership on Organizational Engagement: A Psychological Mechanism of Job Satisfaction

Drawing on social cognitive theory, this paper examines the relationships between self-sacrificial leadership, job satisfaction, and organizational engagement. This study proposes that job satisfaction serves as a psychological mechanism reflecting how Self-sacrificial Leadership (SSL) influences organizational engagement. This study defines SSL in terms of a leader’s willingness to prioritize the interests of their employees ahead of their own interests and to bear any costs associated with such behavior. The findings of the empirical data, collected through self-reporting questionnaires taken from a sample of 176 employees working in the banking sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, demonstrate that self-sacrificial leadership does positively impact both job satisfaction and organizational engagement. The results further suggest that the link between self-sacrificial leadership and organizational engagement is mediated by job satisfaction. In light of the positive and significant relationships shown to exist between these constructs, this study has valuable implications for leadership and employee behavioral management within the banking and finance industry. Specifically, the results illustrate how SSL as a leadership approach may outperform traditional leadership styles in several ways. We would further suggest that these findings may also be extrapolated to other industries in order to benefit from the implementation of self-sacrificial leadership to improve organizational outcomes.