A study of the Mediating Role Impact of Psychological Capital on the Relationship between Authentic Leadership and Knowledge Sharing

The purpose of this study was to investigate the mediating effect of psychological capital on the relationship between authentic leadership and knowledge sharing among the staff of Lorestan University.

This is a descriptive-correlational study. The statistical population is 421 staff of Lorestan University in 1397-96. The sample group is consisted of 201 people selected by using Cochran formula and proportional stratified method. Walumbwa, Avolio, Gardner, Wernsing & Peterson (2008), Knowledge sharing Bock, Zmud, Kim & Lee (2005) and Luthans and Avolio's psychological capital (2007) authentic Leadership questionnaires were used for data collection. Structural equation modeling with partial least squares approach PLS was used for data analysis.

The results indicate that authentic Leadership has direct effect (β = 0.322) on knowledge sharing and (β=0.832) on psychological capital. Psychological capital directly affects knowledge sharing (β = 0.389), as well as the impact of authentic Leadership on knowledge sharing directly and indirectly was explained by the mediator variable, psychological capital (β = 0.65).

In this regard, psychological capital is more powerful when it enters the equation as a mediating variable. In other words, authentic leadership with the mediating role of psychological capital enhances knowledge sharing among employees. Therefore, it is suggested that university administrators develop and strengthen the attitude of authentic Leadership in the organization and emphasize the knowledge sharing and promotion among their employees and perceive their employees as the most important asset of the organization