Spiritual Leadership and Intrinsic Motivation: The Roles of Supervisors' Developmental Feedback and Supportive Organizational Culture

Abstract

Organizational survival in today's dynamic and competitive business environment requires a holistic leadership approach that can intrinsically motivate employees to experience deeper meaning in their work beyond exchanging their labor for payment and fringe benefits. Anchored on self-determination theory, this study examines how spiritual leadership relates to employees' intrinsic motivation. Specifically, the study proposes a theoretical model in which supervisors' developmental feedback mediates this relationship, whereas supportive organizational culture moderates it. Using a sample of 448 employees from the financial sector in Kenya, results indicated that spiritual leadership, directly and indirectly, influenced intrinsic motivation, partially through supervisors' developmental feedback. Further, the results indicate that supportive organizational culture moderates the relationship between spiritual leadership and intrinsic motivation, such that the relationship is stronger when supportive organizational culture is high rather than low. Implications of these findings and recommendations for future research are offered.