Paternalistic leadership and employee performance in Vietnam: a cultural perspective

Purpose This study aims to investigate the impact of paternalistic leadership, comprising authoritarianism, benevolence and morality, on employee performance, with a specific focus on the mediating role of employee engagement. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative, cross-sectional research design was employed, drawing on survey data from 388 employees across private enterprises in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Preliminary analyses and exploratory factor analysis were conducted using SPSS version 26, followed by confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling in AMOS version 24 to evaluate the measurement and structural models. Findings The results reveal that benevolence and morality significantly and positively influenced both task and contextual performance, both directly and indirectly through employee engagement. In contrast, authoritarianism negatively affected contextual performance and showed no significant relationship with task performance or engagement. Employee engagement did not mediate the link between authoritarianism and performance outcomes. Originality/value Anchored in social exchange theory and a culturally contextualised interpretation of leadership, this study addresses an underexamined area in organisational literature by investigating the impact of paternalistic leadership on multiple dimensions of employee performance, with employee engagement as a mediating mechanism in the Vietnamese context. Practically, the findings offer culturally nuanced insights to guide the development and implementation of management practices that effectively influence employee attitudes and behaviours.