Examining the follower-related antecedents and effects of servant leadership in the PRC and Hong Kong

The study drew on Conservation of Resources Theory to explain the adoption of servant leadership behaviours vis-a-vis targeted followers and these behaviours' positive association with worker effectiveness. We collected 365 follower-leader dyadic questionnaire responses in mainland China and conducted 20 interviews in Hong Kong. Results showed that followers' proactive personality and high person-supervisor fit are positively associated with supervisors' servant leadership behaviours, with the latter in turn positively associated with followers' work effectiveness. Our findings challenge the conventional assumption that servant leadership is solely a manifestation of the traits of the leader.