Today, startups make up a large part of the turnover and economy of countries. Given the sharp increase in competition and market instability, start-ups with transformational leadership are more likely to succeed. However, other styles, such as servant leadership, could play an essential role in guiding these startup companies on the way of competitiveness by strengthening employees’ empowerment and self-efficacy. Servant leadership is recognized as one of the emerging leadership styles and in recent years, due to its importance, more studies have been conducted. Given the characteristics of servant leadership, the positive effects of this style of leadership will not be less important in many cases if not better than transformational leadership style. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of servant leadership on Competitiveness of startup teams. Also, the role of self-efficacy as a mediator between servant leadership and Competitiveness has been explored. The relationship between servant leadership, competitiveness and self-efficacy was eva‎luated in an experimental study based on a sample of 220 employees of Iranian start-up companies. Data analysis was performed through structural equation modeling technique based on partial least squares approach. In the first stage, measurement models were examined for structural validity and reliability, and in the second stage, the structural model and research hypotheses were tested. The results showed that servant leadership has a positive effect on competitiveness. Also, as expected, self-efficacy acts as a mediating variable between servant leadership and competitiveness, and its role was strongly acknowledged.

محسن شهرياري

بهروز ارباب شيراني، مهدي علينقيان