Organizational identification and job satisfaction as mediators between servant leadership and organizational citizenship behavior in Kazakhstani schools

Purpose This study aims to examine how servant leadership is associated with teachers' organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) in Kazakhstani public schools. It focuses on organizational identification and job satisfaction as primary parallel mechanisms, while also considering a supplementary sequential pathway from identification to satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach Survey data were collected from 295 public-school teachers in Kazakhstan. The measurement model was assessed through confirmatory factor analysis. Hypothesized relationships were tested using observed-variable path analysis based on composite scores and 5,000 bias-corrected bootstrap resamples. Findings Servant leadership was positively associated with organizational citizenship behavior. Organizational identification and job satisfaction were each associated with this relationship, and both indirect effects were statistically significant. Research limitations/implications The cross-sectional, single-source, self-report design limits causal inference and may involve common-method or social desirability bias. Future research should use longitudinal, multilevel, or multi-source designs. Practical implications Leadership development should emphasize supportive communication, recognition, ethical conduct and teacher well-being to foster identification, satisfaction and discretionary contribution. Social implications Supportive school leadership may contribute to stronger teacher collaboration, professional engagement and school functioning in centralized education systems. Originality/value The study extends servant leadership research to Kazakhstan, an underrepresented post-Soviet educational context, and shows that identity-based and attitude-based pathways are more central than the supplementary sequential pathway.