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The Effects of Spiritual Leadership in Family Firms: A Conservation of Resources Perspective

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Abstract

Drawing from conservation of resources theory, we theorize that spiritual leadership serves as both a resource to enhance employees’ organizational commitment and a passageway to mitigate the negative effects of work–family conflict. Using primary triadic data from leaders, family employees, and nonfamily employees in 77 family firms, results support our theorizing that organizational commitment is enhanced by spiritual leadership but is decreased by work–family conflict. Contrary to theory, however, spiritual leadership exacerbated the negative effects of work–family conflict. Further analysis reveals that family and nonfamily employees respond differently to leadership and work–family stressors. While spiritual leadership has positive effects for family employees, it has negative effects for nonfamily employees experiencing high work–family conflict.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful for the thoughtful and developmental feedback received from the editors and anonymous reviewers of the special issue.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Business, Belhaven University, 1500 Peachtree Street, Jackson, MS, 39202, USA

    William Tabor

  2. School of Entrepreneurship, Oklahoma State University, 435 Business Building, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA

    Kristen Madison

  3. Department of Management & Information Systems, Mississippi State University, 302-I McCool Hall, Mississippi State, MS, 39762-9581, USA

    Laura E. Marler

  4. Department of Management, University of North Carolina-Charlotte, 9201 University City Blvd, Charlotte, NC, 28223-0001, USA

    Franz W. Kellermanns

  5. Center for Family Enterprises, WHU (Otto Beisheim School of Management), Vallendar, Germany

    Franz W. Kellermanns

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  1. William Tabor
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Revised manuscript for inclusion in the Special Issue: ‘Values, Spirituality and Religion: Family Business and the Roots of Sustainable Ethical Behavior’. Journal of Business Ethics, September 11, 2019.

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Tabor, W., Madison, K., Marler, L.E. et al. The Effects of Spiritual Leadership in Family Firms: A Conservation of Resources Perspective. J Bus Ethics 163, 729–743 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-019-04379-2

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