The effects of authentic leadership and organizational factors on employee wellbeing: organizational support as a key mechanism

Purpose The primary aim of this research is to examine the joint impact of authentic leadership and organizational factors on employee wellbeing in the workplace. Drawing on organizational support theory (OST), the study addresses how authentic leadership, perceived organizational support (POS), perceived human resource management (HRM) practices and organizational size collectively influence employee wellbeing. While previous research has examined POS as a mediator in leadership–wellbeing relationships, this study extends existing work by simultaneously examining POS mediation together with two theoretically relevant boundary conditions, which are perceived HRM practices and organizational size within a single integrated model. Design/methodology/approach This study utilized a survey of 384 respondents from multiple business organizations in China. The research was guided by OST to analyze the mediating role of POS and the moderating influences of perceived HRM practices and organizational size in the relationship between authentic leadership and employee wellbeing. Findings The results show that POS mediates the relationship between authentic leadership and employee wellbeing (i.e. burnout and job stress). Specifically, supervisors’ authentic leadership is associated with reduced employee burnout and job stress through its effect on POS. Furthermore, the association between authentic leadership and POS is strengthened when followers’ perceive organizational HRM practices as fair and supportive. Additionally, organizational size moderates the relationship between authentic leadership and follower POS, with the relationship being stronger in smaller organizations where leaders have greater visibility and interpersonal proximity to employees. Originality/value This research introduces new insights by demonstrating how authentic leadership enhances employee wellbeing through perceived organizational support, while also revealing the boundary conditions of HRM practices and organizational size, thereby advancing organizational support theory.