How Strength-Based Leadership Fosters Citizenship Behavior: Harmonious Passion among Millennial Civil Servants

Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB) is essential for improving service quality, yet the motivational mechanism through which strength-based leadership promotes OCB among Indonesian millennial civil servants remains unclear. Guided by Self-Determination Theory, this study examined Harmonious Passion as a mediator between Strength-Based Leadership and OCB. A quantitative, non-experimental, two-wave time-lagged survey was conducted with 256 Indonesian millennial civil servants. Data were analyzed using Hayes’ PROCESS Macro Model 4. Strength-Based Leadership positively predicted Harmonious Passion (b = .380, p < .001), while Harmonious Passion positively predicted OCB (b = .340, p < .001). The direct effect of Strength-Based Leadership on OCB was nonsignificant (b = .088, p = .073), whereas the indirect effect through Harmonious Passion was significant (b = .129, 95% CI [.060, .212]), indicating full mediation. These findings extend Self-Determination Theory and suggest that public organizations should develop strength-based leadership practices to cultivate harmonious passion and enhance discretionary employee behavior.