Mediating effects of subordinatesʹ competence on leadership styles and organisational citizenship behaviour

This paper seeks to examine the relationship between leadership styles and organisational citizenship behaviour within Malaysian companies. Although there have been several studies that explored the relationship between leadership styles and citizenship behaviour, hitherto, there has yet a study carried out to examine the mediating effects of subordinatesʹ competence on such relationship. Data from 347 respondents from various industries showed that transformational leadership is significantly related to the subordinatesʹ organisational citizenship behaviour. Subordinate competence by itself is not directly related to the organisational citizenship behaviour but it serves to mediate the relationship between transformational leadership style and the organisational citizenship behaviour. The paper concludes by highlighting the implications of the study for future research and practice.