The instrumental role of trust in the leader in the effect of servant leadership on organizational citizenship behavior: An application on Metropolitan Municipalities in Çukurova Region

Among local governments, municipalities are one of the most important institutions in solving the problems of the cities and meeting the needs of the individuals living in this city. In the fulfillment of the services provided by the municipalities, there is a need for employees who take an extra role in addition to the job-related definitions of the employees, exhibit behaviors voluntarily, and make positive contributions. The importance of the attitudes and behaviors of the leaders in the formation of these behaviors has a great importance that cannot be underestimated. A leader who values the employees, can empathize with them, and considers the interests of the employees, with these characteristics, will both exhibit organizational citizenship behaviors within the organization and increase the trust of the employees in the leader. The aim of this research is to reveal the mediator role of trust in the leader in the effect of servant leadership, which is a popular leadership style recently, on the employees of Çukurova Region Metropolitan Municipalities, and to determine whether trust in the leader has a mediating effect in the relationship between servant leadership and organizational citizenship. In this context, a total of 591 surveys were conducted in Çukurova Region Metropolitan municipalities. According to the results obtained from the research, it has been determined that there is a positive relationship between servant leadership and organizational citizenship behavior, between servant leadership and trust in the leader, and between organizational citizenship behavior and trust in the leader. It has been determined that trust in the leader does not have a partial mediating role in the relationship between servant leadership and organizational citizenship behavior. Keywords: Servant leadership, organizational citizenship behavior, trust in the leader, local governments