Perrier, AnthonyORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3246-7532, Molines, MathieuORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0704-0374, Storme, MartinORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8455-120X and El Akremi, AssâadORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9338-2786 (2026) (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction? The effect of servant leadership on firefighters’ global satisfaction – a social identity approach. Public Management Review, vol. 28 (n° 2). pp. 279-306.

Abstract

This study aims to integrate the principles of servant leadership with social identity theory to develop a comprehensive model of the positive effects of this leadership approach on followers’ job satisfaction and life satisfaction. Our 4-wave study focuses on a sample of 303 French firefighters and shows that servant leadership significantly predicts firefighters’ job satisfaction and life satisfaction through the mediation of organizational identification. Our results also indicate that the need to belong moderates the mediating effect of organizational identification on the relationships between servant leadership and both individuals’ job and life satisfaction. The theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.