When Serving Others Goes Bad

This paper explores the impact that working within a servant leadership environment potentially has on individuals who perceive themselves employable, specifically examining its impact on emotional exhaustion and unethical behavior. Based on the social exchange theory (SET), we hypothesize that an individual low in employability will be more likely to experience emotional exhaustion and display unethical behavior. Using a sample of business professionals, we found support that social exchange theory is activated under conditions of servant leadership whereas the subordinates’ behavior is interdependent, resulting in a reduction in emotional exhaustion. Further, emotional exhaustion was related to unethical behavior. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.