Facilitating career decisions through servant leadership: a moderated mediation approach

Purpose In the context of management education’s growing emphasis on employability and student-centered pedagogy, this study aims to explore how faculty mentors’ servant leadership fosters career development outcomes among postgraduate students in the discipline of management. Specifically, it examines the direct influence of servant leadership on students’ career exploration self-efficacy and career decidedness, the mediating role of career exploration self-efficacy and the moderating effect of students’ feedback-seeking behavior. Design/methodology/approach Survey data were collected from 428 final-year postgraduate students belonging to the management discipline across Indian business schools using a structured questionnaire. Structural equation modeling was employed to test the hypothesized relationships through the partial least squares approach (PLS-SEM) using SmartPLS (version 4.1.0.8) software. Findings The results demonstrate that servant leadership has a significant positive effect on students’ career exploration self-efficacy and career decidedness. Career exploration self-efficacy mediates this link, while feedback-seeking behavior enhances the relationship between servant leadership and self-efficacy. Practical implications The study provides insights for business schools, management educators and human resource professionals. Encouraging faculty to adopt servant leadership practices can build students’ confidence in exploring career paths and making informed career decisions. In addition, cultivating a culture of feedback-seeking among students can further strengthen the developmental impact of faculty mentorship and enhance self-awareness. These findings align with the goals of responsible management education and contribute to Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4): Quality Education. Originality/value This study extends the career self-management (CSM) model into the context of management education and training. By highlighting the combined roles of servant leadership, career exploration self-efficacy and feedback-seeking behavior, it offers a fresh perspective on how faculty mentoring can enhance student employability and career readiness.