Chapter 8: Servant Leadership and Idiosyncratic Deals: Influence on Individual and Team Performance

Idiosyncratic deals, or i-deals, are individualized work arrangements employees negotiate with their managers that are different from those of their coworkers. As a type of nonstandard human resource (HR) practice, i-deals represent a critical supplement to standardized HR practices in the workplace. In the current study, I simultaneously investigate antecedents and effects of i-deals at the individual and team levels. To this end, I draw on social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1986, 2001) to examine the relationship between servant leadership, i-deals, and subsequent individual and team efficacy and effectiveness. Two-wave, two-source, survey data collected from 189 employees and their managers working in 45 teams reveal multi-level motivation pathways for individuals and teams. Specifically, results show that servant leaders enhance employee self-efficacy and task performance by providing i-deals. At the team level, servant leaders promote team efficacy by allowing a high level of i-deals within teams, which in turn enhances team performance. This research enhances the theory building of servant leadership and i-deals, contributing to the broader integration of leadership and human resource management (HRM) in team research.