(Turkish Adaptation of the Humble Leadership Scale and the Effect of Humble Leadership on Voice Behavior: The Moderator Role of Generation Differences)

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to adapt the humble leadership scale developed by Owens et al. (2013) to Turkish. Besides, in the study, the effect of humble leadership on voice behavior and whether this effect varies according to generational difference was examined. Design/methodology/approach – Quantitative research method was used in the study and data were collected using questionnaire technique from two different samples. The first sample included academicians (n = 166) was used for the adaptation of the scale, and the second sample included civil servants (n = 196) was used to test the research hypotheses. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyzes, reliability analysis and independent t test were performed to determine the structural validity of the data obtained from the first sample. Regression analysis was performed to test the data obtained from the second sample. Findings – In the analyses, it was seen that the humble leadership scale has a single factor structure. However, it was determined that the humble leadership perception positively affects the voice behavior and this effect was observed to be stronger in the X generation employees than in the Y generation employees. Discussion – The findings of the study showed that humble leadership scale can be used in Turkish studies. The study showed that humble leadership style is important in organizations because the voice behavior increases with the demonstration of this leadership style. In addition, humble leadership strengthened the voice behavior of both generations of employees, however, generation X, which perceived humble leadership behavior, showed more voice behavior than generation Y.