Servant Leadership and Organizational Climate on Job Satisfaction: Digital Readiness as a Moderator
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35917/tb.v27i1.665Keywords:
servant leadership, organizational climate, job satisfaction, digital readinessAbstract
The accelerating pace of digital change requires organizations not only to adopt technology, but also to ensure that their employees are well prepared. To address this issue, this study aims to analyze how servant leadership and organizational climate enhance job satisfaction, in particular how the level of digital readiness influences this relationship. Data were obtained from 147 employees who were actively involved in digital-based work activities, through the distribution of online questionnaires. The hypotheses were analyzed using the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) method. The results show that organizational climate has a positive and significant effect on employee job satisfaction. However, servant leadership does not show a significant effect on job satisfaction in this study’s context. These findings indicate that working with intense digital adoption, employee perception of fulfillment is more influenced by a supportive work climate and the level of digital readiness, rather than by a service-oriented leadership behavior. This study provides some practical implications for managers in developing and promoting practices that support a positive work atmosphere that will lead a higher job satisfaction. In addition, the results also gives an insight for further research to develop a comprehensive model related to work behavior in the digital era.
Downloads
References
Abdullah, F. (2022). Organizational climate as an intervening in the relationship of job demand resources and person organization fit to employee engagement. https://doi.org/10.35335/enrichment.v12i5.943
Adigüzel, Z., Ozcinar, M. F., & Karadal, H. (2020). Does servant leadership moderate the link between strategic human resource management on rule breaking and job satisfaction? European Research on Management and Business Economics, 26(2), 103–110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iedeen.2020.04.002
Adika, D. (2025, February 25). New WalkMe research reveals gap between AI ambitions and employee readiness. SAP News. Retrieved November 25, 2025, at 15:32 from https://news.sap.com/2025/02/new-walkme-research-gap-between-ai-ambitions-employee-readiness/
Ahmad, R., Nawaz, M. R., Ishaq, M. I., Khan, M. M., & Ashraf, H. A. (2023). Social exchange theory: Systematic review and future directions. In Frontiers in Psychology (Vol. 13). Frontiers Media S.A. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1015921
Al-Hadwer, A., Tavana, M., Gillis, D., & Rezania, D. (2021). A Systematic Review of Organizational Factors Impacting Cloud-based Technology Adoption Using Technology-Organization-Environment Framework. In Internet of Things (Netherlands) (Vol. 15). Elsevier B.V. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iot.2021.100407
Axmann, B., & Harmoko, H. (2020). Industry 4.0 Readiness Assessment. Tehnički Glasnik, 14(2), 212–217. https://doi.org/10.31803/tg-20200523195016
Bakker, A. B., Demerouti, E., & Sanz-Vergel, A. (2026). Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior Job Demands-Resources Theory: Ten Years Later. Annu. Rev. Organ. Psychol. Organ. Behav. 2023, 10, 55. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-120920
Beaunoyer, E., Dupéré, S., & Guitton, M. J. (2020). COVID-19 and digital inequalities: Reciprocal impacts and mitigation strategies. Computers in Human Behavior, 111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106424
Chen, X., Chang-Richards, A., Ling, F. Y. Y., Yiu, K. T. W., Pelosi, A., & Yang, N. (2024). Effects of digital readiness on digital competence of AEC companies: a dual-stage PLS-SEM-ANN analysis. Building Research and Information, 52(8), 905–922. https://doi.org/10.1080/09613218.2024.2343825
Cheung, G. W., Cooper-Thomas, H. D., Lau, R. S., & Wang, L. C. (2024). Reporting reliability, convergent and discriminant validity with structural equation modeling: A review and best-practice recommendations. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 41(2), 745–783. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10490-023-09871-y
Eva, N., Robin, M., Sendjaya, S., van Dierendonck, D., & Liden, R. C. (2019). Servant Leadership: A systematic review and call for future research. The Leadership Quarterly, 30(1), 111–132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2018.07.004
Hair, J. F., M. Hult, G. T., M. Ringle, C., Sarstedt, M., P. Danks, N., & Ray, S. (2021). A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-80519-7_1
Huang, Y. (2022). The role of digital readiness innovative teaching methods in music art e-learning students’ satisfaction with entrepreneur psychological capital as a mediator: Evidence from music entrepreneur training institutes. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.979628
Karatepe, O. M., Aboramadan, M., & Dahleez, K. A. (2020). Does climate for creativity mediate the impact of servant leadership on management innovation and innovative behavior in the hotel industry? International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 32(8), 2497–2517. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-03-2020-0219
Li, Y., Huang, H., & Chen, Y. Y. (2020). Organizational climate, job satisfaction, and turnover in voluntary child welfare workers. Children and Youth Services Review, 119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105640
Liden, R. C., Wayne, S. J., Zhao, H., & Henderson, D. (2008). Servant leadership: Development of a multidimensional measure and multi-level assessment. Leadership Quarterly, 19(2), 161–177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2008.01.006
Limbong, L., & Saragih, S. (2023). The effectiveness of servant leadership in enhancing innovative work behavior: The art of job engagement. Jurnal Manajemen Maranatha, 23(1), 33–44. https://doi.org/10.28932/jmm.v23i1.7018
Liu L, Wan Z and Wang L (2023) Cross-level research on the impact of self-serving leadership on employee innovation behavior: The roles of workplace anxiety and team psychological safety. Front. Psychol. 13:1069022. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1069022
Memon, A. M., Ting, H., Cheah, J.-H., Thurasamy, R., Chuah, F., & Huei Cham, T. (2020). Sample Size for Survey Research: Review and Recommendations. In Journal of Applied Structural Equation Modeling(Vol. 4, Issue 2). https://doi.org/10.47263/JASEM.4(2)01
Munawar, S., Yousaf, H. Q., Ahmed, M., & Rehman, S. (2024). The impact of emotional intelligence, servant leadership, and psychological safety on employee’s innovative behavior with the moderating effect of task interdependence in Lahore, Pakistan. Current Psychology, 43(9), 8186–8199. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-04990-7
Muniandy, V. A., & Kamsin, I. F. (2024). Readiness and Challenges in Implementing Digital Learning. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 14(11). https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v14-i11/23668
Mutonyi, B. R., Slåtten, T., & Lien, G. (2020). Organizational climate and creative performance in the public sector. European Business Review, 32(4), 615–631. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-02-2019-0021
Nashrullah, M., Rahman, S., Majid, A., Hariyati, N., & Budiyanto. (2023). Transformasi Digital Dalam Pendidikan Indonesia: Analisis Kebijakan dan Implikasinya Terhadap Kualitas Pembelajaran. Journal of Educational Management, 7. https://doi.org/10.55352/mudir
Osmundsen, K. S. (2020). Competences for digital transformation: Insights from the Norwegian energy sector. In Proceedings of the 53rd Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (pp. 4326–4335). https://doi.org/10.24251/HICSS.2020.529
Oztürk, A., Karatepe, O. M., & Okumus, F. (2021). The effect of servant leadership on hotel employees’ behavioral consequences: Work engagement versus job satisfaction. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2021.102994
Powell, B. J., Mettert, K. D., Dorsey, C. N., Weiner, B. J., Stanick, C. F., Lengnick-Hall, R., Ehrhart, M. G., Aarons, G. A., Barwick, M. A., Damschroder, L. J., & Lewis, C. C. (2021). Measures of organizational culture, organizational climate, and implementation climate in behavioral health: A systematic review. Implementation Research and Practice, 2. https://doi.org/10.1177/26334895211018862
Rahayu, R. P., & Wati, I. R. (2023). The influence of servant leadership and organizational climate on employee performance through affective communication as an intervening variabel (Study on Health Workers of Kumala Siwi Mijen Kudus Public Hospital). https://doi.org/10.57096/return.v2i2.75
Susanto, P., Hoque, M. E., Jannat, T., Emely, B., Zona, M. A., & Islam, M. A. (2022). Work-Life Balance, Job Satisfaction, and Job Performance of SMEs Employees: The Moderating Role of Family-Supportive Supervisor Behaviors. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.906876
Tavakol, M., & Wetzel, A. (2020). Factor Analysis: a means for theory and instrument development in support of construct validity. In International journal of medical education (Vol. 11, pp. 245–247). NLM (Medline). https://doi.org/10.5116/ijme.5f96.0f4a
Tilahun, M., Berhan, E., & Tesfaye, G. (2023). Determinants of consumers’ purchase intention on digital business model platform: evidence from Ethiopia using partial least square structural equation model (PLS-SEM) technique. Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13731-023-00323-x
Trenerry, B., Chng, S., Wang, Y., Suhaila, Z. S., Lim, S. S., Lu, H. Y., & Oh, P. H. (2021). Preparing Workplaces for Digital Transformation: An Integrative Review and Framework of Multi-Level Factors. In Frontiers in Psychology(Vol. 12). Frontiers Media S.A. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.620766
Tummers, L. G., & Bakker, A. B. (2021). Leadership and Job Demands-Resources Theory: A Systematic Review. In Frontiers in Psychology (Vol. 12). Frontiers Media S.A. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.722080
Yeung, E. K. L., Apperly, I. A., & Devine, R. T. (2024). Measures of individual differences in adult theory of mind: A systematic review. In Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews (Vol. 157, p. 17). Elsevier Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105481
Zhou, Q., Cheng, S., Fu, F., Zhang, J., & Jiang, Y. (2025). Enterprise digital transformation as a double-edged sword for employees: an investigation based on the Job Demands-Resources model. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-05985-4
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Citation Check
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Clifford Jeremias Lolang, Susanti Saragih
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
