The Effects of Self-sacrificial Leadership on Thriving at Work: The Mediating Role of Perceived Interpersonal Justice and the Moderating Role of Perceived Corporate Social Responsibility

Thriving at work is a positive psychological state which involves learning and vitality. High level of thriving at work facilitates employee development and organizational performance. In this study, the relationship between self-sacrificial leadership and followers’ thriving at work was tested with followers’ interpersonal justice perception as mediator. Using the data from 476 Chinese employee samples, we found strong supports for all the hypothesized statements, including the mediating mechanism of perceived interpersonal justice and the moderating effects of perceived corporate social responsibility. The findings would contribute to better understanding the relationship between self-sacrificial leadership and employees’ thriving at work, a recently emerging construct of positive psychology. In conclusion, we present theoretical and practical implications for improving leader effectiveness and employee thriving at work, and suggest directions for future research.