Objective: This study aims to examine the effect of servant leadership on employees’ job burnout, with particular emphasis on the mediating role of psychological capital.
Method: This research is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive–correlational (survey-based) in terms of method and nature. The statistical population consisted of the employees of Alborz Insurance Company in Tehran (N = 1,314). Using Cochran’s formula and simple random sampling, a sample of 297 employees was selected. Data were collected through three standardized instruments: the Servant Leadership Questionnaire (Liden et al., 2008), the Maslach Burnout Inventory (Maslach & Jackson, 1981), and the Psychological Capital Questionnaire (Luthans, 2007). The validity and reliability of the instruments were confirmed through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and Cronbach’s alpha coefficients. The research hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling (SEM) and path analysis in AMOS software (version 22).
Results: The results indicated that servant leadership has a significant negative effect on job burnout (β = −0.707, t = −11.369) and a significant positive effect on psychological capital (β = 0.447, t = 3.544). Psychological capital, in turn, has a significant negative effect on job burnout (β = −0.373, t = −3.553). The Sobel test confirmed the mediating role of psychological capital in the relationship between servant leadership and job burnout (indirect effect = −0.166, t = −3.412, p < 0.05). All model fit indices fell within acceptable ranges (CMIN/DF = 2.011, GFI = 0.89, CFI = 0.92, IFI = 0.91, NFI = 0.91, RMSEA = 0.048), confirming the adequacy of the proposed model.
Conclusions: Servant leadership reduces employees’ job burnout both directly and indirectly, by enhancing their psychological capital. Organizations seeking to mitigate burnout are advised to cultivate servant leadership behaviors— particularly empowerment, ethical conduct, and prioritizing employees’ needs — as a means of strengthening employees’ self-efficacy, optimism, hope, and resilience.