Effect of humble leadership on knowledge sharing,change and ethnicity in Iranian public libraries

Abstract

This research explores the influence of humble leadership on knowledge sharing and adaptability in Iranian public libraries, with a focus on ethnic diversity. Using a quantitative approach and correlational studies, the study examined public library staff from various ethnic backgrounds in Iran, employing random cluster sampling. The results indicate that humble leadership positively affected both the willingness to adapt and knowledge sharing among library staff. Moreover, an analysis using the Kruskal–Wallis test revealed that one aspect of humble leadership – ‘Acknowledgement of personal limitations’ – had only a weak connection to ethnicity. Interestingly, Iranian Arab ethnicities expressed less preference for humble leadership yet knowledge sharing and adaptability improved among employees from all ethnic backgrounds. This research breaks new ground by simultaneously investigating various variables, including ethnicity, in relation to humble leadership. The findings have significant implications for public library management, highlighting the importance of effective communication and empathy in reducing employee resistance to knowledge sharing and organizational change.

Keywords

Humble leadership knowledge sharing change readiness ethnicity public libraries library management

Introduction

In the landscape of organizational dynamics, leadership plays an unparalleled role. Studies have consistently shown that ineffective leadership constitutes a significant portion of organizational failures when implementing crucial changes and improvements (Chamani Fard and Nikpour, 2018). For an organization to flourish, leaders must adeptly navigate its present circumstances and future trajectory, guiding individuals towards their objectives while fostering a climate that thrives on change and transformation (Mazloumi et al., 2012).

The evolution of leadership into a specialized domain centred on change has ushered in a new skill set for modern leaders (Shelton and Darling, 2001). Within this domain, one attribute stands out: humble leadership. Weick’s (2001) argument underscores the contemporary leader’s need for a blend of high humility and low pride when confronting unexpected challenges and changes. This sentiment resonates through various perspectives, with effective leaders recognized for their significant levels of humility in navigating change (Nazari et al., 2019).

Sara Blakely, a voice in leadership, emphasizes humility as a cornerstone trait. Humble leadership entails acknowledging multiple viewpoints, nurturing self-awareness and leading from a place of generosity rather than ego. This approach encompasses emotional intelligence, fostering an appreciation of colleagues and cultivating an environment of autonomy, accountability and collaboration.

Considering these insights, the importance of humble leadership becomes evident in inspiring and motivating employees towards organizational triumph. Research corroborates humble leadership as pivotal for workplace well-being, nurturing psychological safety and efficient error management (Zhong et al., 2020). It serves as a countermeasure to staff hesitance towards sharing knowledge and embracing change, offering a potent solution to enhance both practices (Al Hawamdeh, 2022).

Concurrently, libraries function as nuclei for knowledge dissemination, entrusted with meeting user needs in an ever-competitive sphere. Knowledge management has transformed into a linchpin for 21st-century libraries, with human resource management playing a pivotal role (Shanhong, 2000). In this context, librarians must engage in knowledge exchange to tackle the myriad challenges they face, necessitating an enduring commitment to continuous learning (Liu et al., 2010; Shanhong, 2000).

People stand at the nucleus of organizational transformation, with their willingness to embrace change emerging as pivotal (Malaki et al., 2011). Amid these trials, the researcher’s experiences within public libraries highlight a discernible connection between leadership style and challenges related to knowledge sharing and change management. Consequently, libraries must tailor their strategies and assess employees’ preparedness for change.

Iran, an expansive and diverse nation with around 85 million inhabitants, showcases an intricate social tapestry. While a significant proportion of the population identifies as Persian, the country accommodates 12 distinct ethnicities. Among the notable groups are the Azeris (Turks), Kurds, Arabs, Balochs, Turkmens and Lors, which all wield substantial influence in Iran’s political arena. Iran’s cultural mosaic unfolds through its myriad ethnic groups, with each contributing its unique culture, aspirations and needs. The interplay of ethnicity assumes particular significance within the domains of social sciences and humanities research. Remarkably, however, many studies within disciplines such as library and information science, management and leadership have largely overlooked the impact of ethnic diversity on pivotal factors.

Notably, a multitude of works, including The Oxford Handbook of Iranian History (Daryaee, 2012), offer comprehensive insights into Iran’s diverse ethnic groups and their historical context. Similarly, the works by Entessar (1997) and Samadi and Rezaei (1998) delve into the role of ethnicity in social sciences and humanities in Iran. Acknowledging the profound significance of effective knowledge sharing and the imperative of adapting to change within libraries, this research embarks on uncharted terrain, particularly underscoring the necessity of investigating the impact of ethnicity. To achieve this, the research framework adopts the perspective of humble leadership.

By delving into the intricate connection between humble leadership, knowledge sharing and the inclination towards change, the research seeks to shed light on this uncharted realm. Given the significance of knowledge sharing, change and the influence of ethnicity, this research focuses on the role of humble leadership. It explores how this leadership style impacts knowledge sharing and the willingness to adapt among library staff from diverse ethnic backgrounds in Iran.

This research aims to investigate the impact of humble leadership on knowledge sharing and the willingness to adapt among public library staff, considering the dimension of ethnic diversity. The study addresses three hypotheses: (1) there is a significant correlation between humble leadership and knowledge sharing in libraries; (2) humble leadership significantly relates to staff’s willingness to embrace change; and (3) ethnicity is a significant factor influencing willingness to change, knowledge sharing and humble leadership.

Literature review

Wang et al.’s (2018) research reveals three key findings: (1) psychological safety mediates the relationship between humble leadership and follower creativity; (2) knowledge sharing moderates the relationship between psychological safety and follower creativity; and (3) humble leadership’s indirect effect on follower creativity through psychological safety is more pronounced when knowledge sharing is high. Wang et al.’s study presents specific findings that emphasize the interplay of humble leadership, psychological safety and knowledge sharing in fostering follower creativity. This aligns with this text’s broader objective of investigating the impact of humble leadership on knowledge sharing and willingness to change among public library staff in Iran, taking into account ethnic diversity. Both texts underline the crucial role of leadership, psychological safety and knowledge sharing in facilitating positive organizational outcomes. While Wang et al.’s study provides empirical evidence for these relationships, this text lays the groundwork for examining these dynamics in a unique context – Iranian public libraries – and exploring the influence of ethnicity on these factors. The synthesis highlights a shared emphasis on leadership’s influence on employee behaviour and organizational success, with this text extending the discussion to include the impact of ethnicity on these dynamics.

Research conducted by Arayesh and Khajavi (2019), entitled ‘The role of efficient managers in managing change and improving the organization’, yielded the following result: to constructively and effectively guide changes within an organization, planning, design and management should take into consideration modifications and advancements across all aspects of the organization. Thus, it can be acknowledged that managers play a pivotal role in empowering and transforming employees within the organization. The findings of this research demonstrate the crucial role of managers in fostering organizational flexibility. Moreover, while managers are examined in this study, leadership is also taken into consideration, since leadership within organizations entails a more human aspect and is contingent on guiding employees in achieving objectives. Arayesh and Khajavi’s findings underscore the significance of effective management in guiding changes and advancements across all aspects of an organization. This is consistent with this text’s focus on the impact of humble leadership on knowledge sharing and willingness to change among public library staff in Iran. However, this text focuses on leadership rather than management, and ethnicity and knowledge sharing are the main variables in this study. There are texts that are not included in Arayesh and Khajavi’s study.

In research undertaken by Roudi et al. (2019), entitled ‘Examining the components of leadership and organizational culture on the tacit knowledge sharing of library staff of Iranian public universities’, it was found that there was a positive and significant correlation between organizational leadership and dimensions of organizational culture and tacit knowledge sharing. Moreover, the components of organizational leadership and organizational culture had a profound impact on sharing tacit knowledge, enabling employees to gain empowerment, fostering innovation and creativity, boosting productivity, offering a competitive advantage and promoting a sense of belonging in an organization. The objective of this research is in line with one of our research inquiries, and it focuses on the library, as we do here. However, variables such as the willingness to change and ethnicity were not examined in Roudi et al.’s study. The current research therefore encompasses a broader scope.

In Nikpour’s (2019) research, titled ‘The effect of managers’ lean leadership skills on readiness for change in the public sector: Analyzing the mediating role of organizational trust’, it was found that managers’ lean leadership skills had not only a direct influence on readiness for change but also an indirect influence through organizational trust. Furthermore, employees’ organizational trust was revealed to mediate the relationship between managers’ application of effective leadership skills and readiness for change. Although Nikpour’s research aligns with previous studies that focus on management variables, it does not include an examination of leadership. Both Nikpour’s study and our text underscore the significance of leadership skills in driving organizational change and influencing employee attitudes and behaviours. While Nikpour’s text focuses on lean leadership skills and their impact on readiness for change, with organizational trust as a mediating factor, this text explores the concept of humble leadership and its effect on knowledge sharing and willingness to change in public libraries.

In a study conducted by Anand et al. (2019), titled ‘Does humility facilitate knowledge sharing? Investigating the role of humble knowledge inquiry and response’, the authors investigate the role of humility in knowledge sharing and identify several individual tendencies which predict that being humble about sharing knowledge can be beneficial. This research further emphasizes the effect of humble behaviour on knowledge sharing, which is one of the fundamental assumptions of our research. While both texts touch on the role of humility, they differ in scope and methodology. Anand et al.’s text primarily examines the role of humility itself in facilitating knowledge sharing, while our study expands the inquiry to the effects of humble leadership on knowledge sharing and change readiness. This text adopts a quantitative research approach – specifically, a correlational study design – whereas Anand et al.’s text’s methodology is not explicitly mentioned. Also, this text’s comprehensive approach, involving diverse ethnic backgrounds in Iran, further enriches understanding of how leadership styles intersect with factors like ethnicity to shape employee behaviours and attitudes towards knowledge sharing and change.

Manteghi and Aghighi (2019) propose that humble leadership is a new form of independent leadership that has yet to be fully explored. Through their research, they confirm the mediating role of psychological capital in motivating employee innovation behaviour when led by a humble leader. Their study highlights how followers may perceive or react differently to the effects of their leader’s humble behaviours. Additionally, their research does not address the challenges associated with sharing knowledge or even a desire for change, but instead focuses on employees’ innovations under a leader who is exhibiting humble behaviours. Combining the insights from both texts, it is evident that humble leadership is a multifaceted concept with various implications for employee behaviour. While Manteghi and Aghighi showcase how humble leadership can impact employee innovation behaviour through the mediating role of psychological capital, this text expands the discussion to encompass the effects of humble leadership on knowledge sharing and willingness to change. Both texts highlight the significance of leadership behaviour in influencing employee attitudes and actions, with this text providing a more comprehensive perspective by examining these effects within the context of public libraries and the dimension of ethnic diversity. The synthesis underscores the need to consider various organizational outcomes when exploring the influence of humble leadership, beyond just innovation. In comparison to our research, humility stands out as one of the most important characteristics among leaders that this study takes into account.

In general, many prior studies have examined the relationship between humble leadership and the variable of either knowledge sharing or desire for change. The advantage of this research lies in addressing the two major challenges that libraries face. To further elaborate on this difference, we discuss some of the previously published literature. Nguyen et al. (2020), for example, discovered in their research, titled ‘Leader humility and knowledge sharing intention: A serial mediation model’, that there is a positive correlation between humble leadership and knowledge sharing. Combining the insights from both texts, it is clear that humble leadership is associated with increased knowledge sharing among employees. Nguyen et al. provide a concise assertion of the positive correlation between humble leadership and attention to knowledge sharing. Our text expands on this concept by conducting a comprehensive research study to explore the broader effects of humble leadership, including its impact on knowledge sharing and willingness to change among public library workers of diverse ethnic backgrounds. The synthesis emphasizes the importance of humble leadership in fostering a climate that is conducive to knowledge sharing and organizational change, with our text providing a more detailed and contextualized perspective.

Zainol et al. (2021) explored the effect of effective management on knowledge management and found that managers should be able to motivate their personnel in order to facilitate organizational change. Combining the insights from both texts, it becomes apparent that leadership styles, whether they involve effective management or humble leadership, have a significant impact on employee behaviour, knowledge sharing and willingness to change. Zainol et al. provide a broader understanding of how effective management can motivate personnel and facilitate change, while our text narrows the focus to humble leadership and its ability to increase both knowledge sharing and willingness to change among public library workers with a focus on diverse ethnic backgrounds in Iran. The synthesis underscores the crucial role that leadership plays in shaping employee attitudes and behaviours related to knowledge and change.

Errida and Lotfi’s (2021) research is on the topic of the ‘determinants of organizational change management success’. They identify several factors that had an impact on the success of organizational change management initiatives, which are categorized into 12 different factors. Understanding these success factors can help managers to efficiently implement changes in their organizations. Errida and Lotfi emphasize the importance of identifying success factors in the context of organizational change management, whereas our text underscores the significance of humble leadership in promoting knowledge sharing and willingness to change among employees, and also examines the role of ethnicity in different dimensions.

Qu et al. (2022) demonstrate that humility yields positive outcomes, and a humble leadership style facilitates knowledge sharing by cultivating psychological safety in learning communities. Combining the insights from both texts highlights the role of humble leadership in fostering positive outcomes within organizations. Qu et al. contribute by showing that humility in leadership can cultivate psychological safety, contributing to knowledge sharing and favourable results. This text provides a detailed research context, methodology and findings specific to public library workers, indicating that humble leadership increases both knowledge sharing and willingness to change, and it also examines the role of ethnicity in different dimensions.

In recent years, few studies have examined the relationship between leadership style and ethnicity, and most have focused on how ethnicity and gender, for example, can affect the selection of a leader’s leadership style, as well as the challenges they might face due to their specific ethnicity – such as Morgan et al.’s (2021) study, which found that the chief executive officers of most cancer centres were white males. Chin (2013) further explored the need for greater diversity in leadership based on gender, ethnicity and minority status, noting that women and many ethnic minorities experience more difficulties in becoming leaders than others. In contrast, this article takes a different approach to exploring leadership and ethnicity. Given that previous research has yet to consider the variables of both knowledge sharing and willingness to change simultaneously, as well as the variable of ethnicity, which has not been examined thus far, this study could help enhance leadership and its place in libraries.

Materials and methods

This research is a quantitatively driven, applied, descriptive, non-experimental study. The correlational study used in this research examines two viewpoints of the ethnicity variable – that is, (1) as a considered variable, where data was collected from numerous ethnic groups according to their population size, and a sample size was selected for each group proportionally, and (2) as an independent variable, which influences the other three variables examined in this research (knowledge sharing, willingness to change and humble leadership). The ethnicity variable in the first section of the research, which was dedicated to investigating the role of humble leadership in knowledge transfer and employees’ willingness to change in selected city libraries, was considered as an observational variable and had no intervention in the hypothesis testing. Solely due to the fact that libraries and librarians were selected from regions with different ethnicities (meaning that the questionnaire respondents belonged to the ethnicities mentioned in the article), ethnicity was regarded as an observational variable in this section of the research. In the subsequent section, it is introduced as a primary variable in the related hypothesis testing.

This research focused on public library employees in Iran, who come from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. In particular, six larger ethnic groups – Balochs, Kurds, Turks, Lors, Arabs and Turkmens – were selected for the study; other ethnicities were not included due to their smaller numbers. Nonetheless, Iran has many more religious and linguistic ethnicities than those examined here.

For the selection of the sample, not only was employment in an ethnic geographical area taken into account, but the ethnic background of the people was also of importance. A random cluster sampling method was employed in order to select library employees from the central cities within each province based on the population of their respective ethnicities.¹ The research population totalled 645, and approximately 257 of these individuals were selected as samples using the Krejcie and Morgan table and distributed proportionally across different ethnicities in the country. Table 1 shows the approximate number of the population of Iranian ethnic groups based on community size and the number of samples.

Table 1.

The approximate Number of the population of Iranian ethnic groups.

Ethnic group	Selected city and province	Community size (approximate)	Sample size
Turks	Tabriz, East Azerbaijan	215	82
Kurds	Sanandaj, Kurdistan	110	45
Lors	Khorramabad, Lorestan	115	45
Turkmens	Gonbad, Golestan	55	22
Arabs	Khorramshahr, Khuzestan	85	35
Baluchs	Zahedan, Sistan and Baluchistan	65	28

The total number of public libraries in Iran is approximately 3500, and it is evident that the number of employees in these libraries exceeds 645. However, in this study, only public libraries in provinces with Kurdish, Lor, Azeri or Turk, Turkmen, Baloch or Arab ethnicities have been considered, where the number of employees amounted to approximately 645 individuals.

In determining the sample sizes presented in Table 1, the approach was to allocate the number of samples based on the proportion of each ethnic group within the total population (645 individuals). For instance, considering the Turk community (Azeri), which constituted around 33% of the total population (645 individuals), a corresponding sample size of 33% was chosen for this ethnicity, resulting in a sample of 82 individuals. Similar calculations were applied to the other ethnicities.

It is noteworthy that Persians are not included in this research, despite being the largest ethnic group in Iran. This is because an increase in their population would distort the normal distribution of the data; moreover, they have been the subject of a separate study. Previous studies conducted on humble leadership, knowledge sharing and desire to change in Iran have also mainly encompassed the Persian ethnicity. Among these, the studies by Arayesh and Khajavi (2019), Roudi et al. (2019) and Nikpour (2019) are notable examples, as they were conducted in Persian-speaking ethnic regions. Therefore, not only would the large proportion of this population lead to sample skewness and non-normality of society with regard to the findings, but it has also been studied many times over.

The random cluster sampling process employed in this research can be summarized as follows:

Dividing the population into clusters: in this initial step, the entire population was divided into clusters based on geographic regions – specifically, provinces with distinct ethnicities.

Random selection of clusters: initially, a subset of provinces was randomly chosen from the various provinces. Following this, the central city of each selected province was identified as a sample city.

Inclusion of all members: subsequently, all libraries within the chosen cities were incorporated into the sample. The selection of the participants was completely random, providing an equal chance for each individual.

This sampling approach facilitated the representation of diverse geographical regions and allowed for the comprehensive inclusion of libraries and individuals, enhancing the validity and robustness of the study’s findings.

Data-gathering tools

This research employed a researcher-developed questionnaire, which was divided into three sections pertaining to the variables of humble leadership, willingness to change and knowledge sharing. The questionnaire included a total of 32 questions, which were formulated based on the items found within three established standard questionnaires. The rationale behind the creation and utilization of the researcher-generated questionnaire stemmed from the dispersion and substantial quantity of questions in the standard questionnaires. This complexity resulted in respondent fatigue and reluctance. Consequently, the research team devised a questionnaire that succinctly yet comprehensively encompassed the essence of the questions found in the three standard questionnaires. The standard questionnaires that were used were the following (the corresponding number of questions incorporated from each source is given):

The Humble Leadership Questionnaire, which is based on the three components of the humble leadership theory outlined by Owens et al. (2013). Our questionnaire contains nine items measuring acknowledging individual limitations (Questions 1 to 3), appreciating the strengths of others (Questions 4 to 6), and teachability and learning from others (Questions 7 to 9). Responses are recorded in a Likert-scale format with five options (always, often, sometimes, rarely, never).

The Knowledge Sharing Questionnaire, which consists of five items that measure the two components of knowledge-sharing theory (Bock et al., 2005). In our questionnaire, Questions 1 and 2 assess hidden knowledge, and Questions 3 to 5 evaluate open knowledge. Responses to this questionnaire are given via a Likert scale of choices (always, often, sometimes, rarely, never).

The Change Readiness Questionnaire, which is based on Dunham et al.’s (1989) theory of readiness for change. Our questionnaire consists of five items that measure cognitive reaction (Questions 1 to 6), emotional reaction (Questions 7 to 12), and behavioural reaction (Questions 13 to 18). Answers are given using a Likert scale (always, often, sometimes, rarely, never).

The face validity of our questionnaire was endorsed by 10 professors specializing in library and information studies. The overall Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was .85, signifying a satisfactory level of reliability. The results of calculating the Cronbach’s alpha and content validity for the three sections of the questionnaire are presented in Table 2.

Table 2.

Reliability and validity of the questionnaire.

Variable	Cronbach’s alpha	Content validity ratio
Humble leadership	.84	0.79
Knowledge sharing	.88	0.75
Desire to change	.83	0.84

The data presented in Table 2 indicates that the questionnaire developed by the researchers for this study possessed the essential validity and reliability required for conducting the test. The data of this research is of the ordinal type, so non-parametric tests were used to conduct the research.

Data analysis

To answer the research hypotheses, SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) inferential statistics such as Spearman’s correlation coefficient, multivariate regression and Kruskal–Wallis were utilized. Notably, ethnicity was initially just an observer variable (not directly included in the analyses). However, to balance out the data, an equal number of questionnaires was eventually analysed for each ethnicity to examine willingness to change, knowledge sharing and the state of humble leadership. In total, 120 survey responses were used for this part of the study, with 20 from each ethnicity. Additionally, all of the surveys used a Likert scale for the hypothesis tests. Because the questionnaires were completed blind by the study participants, there was no distinction or superiority among them. As a result, 20 questionnaires were randomly selected from each ethnicity to test the hypotheses related to the ethnic diversity aspect of the study.

Results

First hypothesis

To evaluate the initial hypothesis of the research – ‘Humble leadership does not have a significant relationship with knowledge sharing in libraries’ – a multivariate regression was conducted, with the subcomponent of humble leadership as the independent variable and the knowledge-sharing subcomponent as the dependent variable. The results are presented in Table 3.

Table 3.

Multivariate regression indices of subcomponents of humble leadership and knowledge sharing.

Durbin–Watson value	Adjusted coefficient of determination	Coefficient of determination	Model
1.776	0.490	0.504	1

The adjusted coefficient of determination for Model 1, with knowledge sharing as the dependent variable, is 0.490. This implies that subcomponents of humble leadership are able to explain 49% of changes in knowledge sharing. The Durbin–Watson statistic value falls within the range of > 1 and < 3, indicating minimal autocorrelation among the model variables. This suggests that the model is capable of fitting adequately and is less prone to errors during the modelling process.

It should be noted that the two models (Model 1 and Model 2) mentioned in this article are the only statistical models that Afar SPSS software has used to calculate and order the entry of variables in hypothesis testing using the multivariate regression method, and therefore these models do not include external drawings and special non-statistical explanations in this article. A multivariate regression model is a statistical tool that is used to analyse relationships between one dependent variable and one or more independent variables (explanatory variables). In this type of analysis, the dependent variable, also known as the response variable, is defined, and independent variables serve as explanatory variables. A multivariate regression model can be employed to examine the impact of one or more independent variables on the dependent variable and predict the value of the dependent variable based on the values of the explanatory variables. The multivariate regression model is constructed using mathematical equations – typically linear or nonlinear equations – integrated into statistical analysis. In a multivariate regression model, the relationship between the response and explanatory variables is investigated through regression coefficients, which indicate how the response variable changes in response to changes in the explanatory variables.

Figure 1 illustrates the estimated values of Model 1 relative to the errors, which are within the confidence interval of 1.5–2.5, thus demonstrating that the regression errors are independent. Figure 1 demonstrates the robustness of the regression model by incorporating nearly all the significant variables and establishing accurate relationships among them. It is noteworthy that the absence of any noticeable pattern or trend in the residuals further substantiates the model’s reliability.

Figure 1.

Predicted values against error values related to Model 1.

Furthermore, a regression analysis was conducted to examine the null hypothesis outlined in Table 4, wherein humble leadership subcomponents acted as independent variables and knowledge-sharing subcomponents were designated as dependent variables.

Table 4.

Regression results between the subcomponents of humble leadership and knowledge sharing.

VIF	Sig.	t	Standard coefficients	Non-standard coefficients		Variables	Model
VIF	Sig.	t	Beta	SE	B	Variables	Model
–	.002	3.147	–	0.286	0.900	Width from origin (constant)	1
1.056	.000	6.135	0.453	0.051	0.315	Acknowledgement of personal limitations
1.149	.000	4.836	0.358	0.056	0.272	Appreciating the strengths of others
1.168	.006	20825	0.211	0.064	0.182	Teaching and learning from others

VIF: variance inflation factor.

Table 4 demonstrates that the significance level of all three components of humble leadership in the model is < .05. As such, these components can potentially be an effective predictor for knowledge sharing. Nevertheless, to evaluate the connection between knowledge sharing and humble leadership further, a Spearman’s correlation coefficient was applied, the results of which are presented in Table 5.

Table 5.

Results of correlation coefficient test of the relationship between humble leadership and knowledge sharing.

Direction of relationship	Sig.	Correlation value	Dependent variable	Independent variable
Positive and direct	.000	0.702	Knowledge sharing	Humble leadership

The Spearman’s correlation coefficient between humble leadership and employee knowledge sharing is 0.702, which, with a significance level of .000, indicates a significant correlation between the two variables. Therefore, the null hypothesis is not supported. Furthermore, this test reveals that an increase in humble leadership leads to increased knowledge sharing among library staff.

The data in Table 6 reveals that, with a t-value of 10.153 and p < .05, the independent variable (humble leadership) is statistically significant. Additionally, with a positive standard beta coefficient (0.702) and p < .05, it is clear that humble leadership has a significant influence on employees’ knowledge sharing. An increase of one standard deviation in humble leadership will result in an increase of 0.702 of a standard deviation in knowledge sharing. Therefore, it can be concluded that humble leadership improves employee knowledge sharing.

Table 6.

Regression results between humble leadership and knowledge sharing.

Sig.	t	Standard coefficients	Non-standard coefficients		Variable	Model
Sig.	t	Beta	SE	B	Variable	Model
.004	2.905	–	0.278	0.807	Width from origin (constant)	1
.000	10.153	0.702	0.077	0.779	Humble leadership	1

Second hypothesis

In order to test the second hypothesis – ‘Humble leadership does not have a significant relationship with the desire to change in library staff’ – a multivariate regression was conducted, with the subcomponents of humble leadership as the independent variable and desire to change as the dependent variable. The results are presented in Table 7.

Table 7.

Multivariate regression indices of subcomponents of humble leadership and desire to change.

Durbin–Watson value	Adjusted coefficient of determination	Coefficient of determination	Model
1.885	0.444	0.459	2

The adjusted coefficient of determination for Model 2 in relation to the dependent variable of desire to change was 0.459, indicating that humble leadership subcomponents have been able to predict 44% of the variation in desire to change. Similarly to Table 3, the configuration of the model is elucidated here, shedding light on how the variables are integrated into the regression analysis. In this context, every variable has been included in the model, effectively constituting the model. To facilitate distinction, Model 2 has been employed instead of Model 1, underscoring the intention to differentiate between the alterations in Table 6. Furthermore, just as in the prior instance, the Durbin–Watson statistic – falling between 1 and 3 – signifies minimal autocorrelation among the model variables. This suggests that the model is capable of fitting adequately and is less prone to errors during the modelling process.

In the ‘Model’ column, it should be noted that for this test, all variables, including both the independent and dependent variables, were incorporated into a single model. As a result, the provided command has generated a singular model where the software assessed the interconnectedness of the variables within the model. In light of the ordinal nature of the data, ordinal regression was employed for the analysis.

Figure 2 depicts the predicted values in comparison to the error values of Model 2. The Durbin–Watson statistic, which tests for the independence of errors, is at 1.793 and 1.853, respectively, for Model 1 and Model 2, showing that the errors are independent and within a safe and reliable range (1.5–2.5). Figure 2 demonstrates the robustness of the regression model by incorporating nearly all of the significant variables and establishing accurate relationships among them. It is noteworthy that the absence of any noticeable pattern or trend in the residuals further substantiates the model’s reliability.

Figure 2.

Depicts the predicted values in comparison to the error values of the second model.

Table 8 presents the results of the regression between the subcomponents of humble leadership and desire to change.

Table 8.

Regression results between the subcomponents of humble leadership and desire to change.

VIF	Sig.	t	Standard coefficients	Non-standard coefficients		Variables	Model
VIF	Sig.	t	Beta	SE	B	Variables	Model
–	.000	4.286	–	0.275	1.178	Width from origin (constant)	2
1.056	.000	5.931	0.439	0.049	0.293	Acknowledgement of personal limitations
1.149	.001	3.333	0.258	0.054	0.180	Appreciating the strengths of others
1.168	.001	3.357	0.262	0.062	0.208	Teaching and learning from others

VIF: variance inflation factor.

The results presented in Table 8 corroborate previous research regarding knowledge sharing, implying that the components of humble leadership play a role in employees’ desire to change within the libraries studied.

The Spearman’s correlation coefficient for examining the association between humble leadership and changes desired by library staff is displayed in Table 9.

Table 9.

Results of the correlation coefficient test of the relationship between humble leadership and desire to change.

Direction of relationship	Sig.	Correlation value	Dependent variable	Independent variable
Positive and direct	.000	0.668	Desire to change	Humble leadership

The Spearman’s correlation coefficient between the two variables of humble leadership and employee desire to change is 0.668, demonstrating a statistically significant correlation, given the significance level of .000. Therefore, the null hypothesis has not been supported as true. Additionally, this test indicates that an increase in humble leadership yields an increased desire for change among library staff.

It can be confidently asserted that there is a positive and significant correlation between humble leadership and the desire for change among library staff, as indicated by the data in Table 10. Moreover, with an increase of one standard deviation in humble leadership, employees’ desire to change will also increase by 0.668 of a standard deviation.

Table 10.

Regression results between humble leadership and desire to change.

Sig.	t	Standard coefficients	Non-standard coefficients		Variable	Model
Sig.	t	Beta	SE	B	Variable	Model
.000	4.313	–	0.267	1.152	Width from origin (constant)	2
.000	9.248	0.668	0.074	0.683	Humble leadership

Third hypothesis

The third hypothesis of this research comprises three null hypotheses: (1) ‘Ethnicity does not have a significant relationship with the desire to change’; (2) ‘Ethnicity does not have a significant relationship with knowledge sharing’; and (3) ‘Ethnicity does not have a significant relationship with humble leadership’. To test these hypotheses, Spearman’s correlation coefficient was utilized to assess the significance and direction of the relationship between the independent variable (i.e. ethnicity) and each of the dependent variables, including desire to change, knowledge sharing and humble leadership. Table 11 shows the results of the Spearman’s correlation coefficient between the variables.

Table 11.

Results of the correlation coefficient test of the relationship between ethnicity and humble leadership, desire to change and knowledge sharing.

Sig.	Correlation value	Dependent variable	Independent variable
.098	0.008	Desire to change	Ethnicity
.065	0.018	Knowledge sharing	Ethnicity
.051	0.101	Humble leadership	Ethnicity

At a significance level of .05, Spearman’s correlation coefficient showed that the variables of knowledge sharing and willingness to change among library staff are not correlated with their ethnicity, since p > .05. However, there was a weak correlation between humble leadership and ethnicity, as the obtained coefficient is very close to but slightly smaller than .05. Therefore, all three null hypotheses cannot be supported.

To further evaluate the relative association observed in humble leadership (Table 11), a Kruskal–Wallis test was performed on each ethnic group in terms of the subcomponents of humble leadership (Table 12).

Table 12.

Results of the Kruskal–Wallis test between the ethnicity variable and subcomponents of humble leadership.

Variable	Kruskal–Wallis H	df	Sig.
Educability of learning from others	0.137	5	.984
Acknowledgement of personal limitations	6.777	5	.000
Appreciating the strengths of others	0.127	5	.973

The Kruskal–Wallis test results presented in Table 12 show that there was a relationship between ‘Acknowledgement of personal limitations’ and ethnicity. This indicates that the average answers given by different ethnicities were different only for this option, as shown in Table 13, which displays the averages of each of the three subcomponents of humble leadership.

Table 13.

Means for each subcomponent of humble leadership by ethnicity.

		Nationality		Acknowledgement of personal limitations		Educability of learning from others	Appreciating the strengths of others
N	Valid	119		119		119	119
N	Missing	0		0		0	0
M				3.93		4.07	4.15
Ethnicity			Acknowledgement of personal limitations		Educability of learning from others			Appreciating the strengths of others
Arab			3.38		4.05			4.19
Kurd			4.10		4.05			4.15
Lor			4.00		4.05			4.20
Turk			4.11		4.11			4.11
Turkmen			3.95		4.05			4.15
Baloch			4.11		4.07			4.16

The data in Table 13 demonstrates that the average score for the subcomponent ‘Acknowledgement of personal limitations’ within the Arab ethnic group in Iran is close to the average, whilst the remainder of the subcomponents are above average. This implies that ethnicity has a huge influence on humble leadership. The findings from Table 11 support this conclusion.

Discussion

Humble leadership is grounded in the principle that if someone wishes to lead others, others must first learn to follow them (Anand et al., 2019). The research findings suggest that the humble leadership style – which is rooted in mutual respect between a leader and their employees – has a significant and meaningful correlation with knowledge sharing amongst public library personnel in Iran. This implies that successful learning organizations require leaders who are respected by their subordinates and act as facilitators of both knowledge transfer and sharing. The findings of this study provide valuable insights into the complex relationships between humble leadership, knowledge sharing, willingness to change and the influence of ethnicity among public library staff in Iran. These insights both extend and are intricately aligned with the scholarly discussions presented in the literature review. Throughout this discussion, we will explain how the results of this research intricately interweave with and build on the studies cited in the literature review, and emphasize the central role of humble leadership in shaping organizational dynamics. It is especially emphasized in library environments and among different ethnic backgrounds.

Swain (2018) reiterates that a leader’s humility can foster the smooth flow of information within an organization or team. This further demonstrates how humble leadership can have a positive influence on the exchange and sharing of knowledge throughout an organization or team. Moreover, Wang et al. (2018), Anand et al. (2019) and Nguyen et al. (2020) have all verified through their research that humble behaviour from leaders encourages employees to share knowledge within an organization while simultaneously reducing resistance.

Libraries in Iran are faced with a number of challenges, which necessitate change in order for them to survive. By focusing on library leadership, these changes can be successfully implemented, as research has demonstrated a positive and meaningful relationship between humble leadership and an employee’s willingness to make such changes. According to Arayesh and Khajavi (2019), Nikpour (2019), and Vera and Rodriguez-Lopez (2004), the characteristic of humility as a leader can have a significant impact on organizational performance by increasing organizational learning and flexibility. Therefore, the humbler the library leaders are in their style of leading, the less resistant employees will be to making necessary modifications.

The primary focus of the current research was to assess the effect of ethnicity on three variables – humble leadership, knowledge sharing and desire for change – among Iranian public library employees. While prior studies, such as Morgan et al. (2021) and Chin (2013), have explored the impact of ethnicity on leadership selection and challenges, this research uniquely examines how ethnicity intersects with leadership styles and behavioural factors within libraries. The results of the data analysis reveal that there is no considerable relationship between ethnicity and any of the three variables. Nonetheless, a weak correlation between a humble leadership style and ethnicity was observed; specifically, when analysing the six different ethnicities based on the subcomponents of humble leadership, it was found that only within the Iranian Arab ethnicity did ‘Acknowledgement of personal limitations’ slightly exceed average levels. Thus, this subcomponent indicated a slight notable difference in comparison to other the ethnicities and their respective subcomponents.

Limitations

Taking into account the type of data gathered and the research’s specific concentration on public library employees in Iran, its potential applicability to wider organizational sectors and diverse geographical regions could be constrained. Hence, it is advisable that forthcoming research avoid such limitations by enlarging the sample size and broadening the research scope to enhance the generalizability of the results.

Regarding ethnic distinctions, a comprehensive examination of their nuances and impacts has not been conducted. Thus, it is recommended that future studies meticulously explore various dimensions of ethnic diversity for a more thorough understanding.

Conclusion

Humble leadership is widely regarded as a critical leadership style in the contemporary world. By inspiring motivation and work commitment among employees, this approach unlocks their potential and contributes to organizational success. Libraries – particularly public libraries – are viewed traditionally as institutions of knowledge sharing and have seen shifts in their services, necessitating both the ability to share knowledge and the capacity for change. The latter are identified as two of the major management challenges faced by libraries today.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of humble leadership on knowledge sharing and adaptability within the context of public library staff, while also considering the dimension of ethnic diversity. The research set out to test three hypotheses: (1) ‘There is a significant correlation between humble leadership and knowledge sharing in library environments’; (2) ‘Humble leadership has a meaningful association with the willingness of staff to embrace change’; and (3) ‘Ethnicity plays a crucial role in influencing attitudes towards change, knowledge sharing and humble leadership’.

The findings of this research reveal that the humble leadership style can have a direct and positive effect on knowledge sharing and the desire to change in libraries. This research further examined these two variables while taking into account the impact of ethnicity, making it unique among existing studies. It was found that ethnic background did not significantly influence humble leadership, knowledge sharing and the desire to change within public libraries in Iran. However, it was observed that Iranian Arabs were less likely than other ethnic groups to accept humble leadership styles, especially when considering one particular subcomponent. This research has also examined how four main challenges of libraries interrelate, which has not been done in prior studies. It is recommended that future studies consider and explore the leadership styles of different ethnicities and the role of ethnicity when designing and providing library services.

Humble leadership stands as a pivotal leadership style in the modern world. By fostering employee motivation and commitment, this approach taps into their potential and contributes significantly to the overall success of organizations. Public libraries, which are particularly traditional bastions of knowledge sharing, have encountered transformative shifts in their services, demanding both knowledge-sharing capabilities and adaptability – the two key management challenges confronting libraries today.

The aim of this article can be divided into two parts. The first is the component assessing the impact of humble leadership on knowledge sharing and willingness to change, which can be extended to other communities and countries depending on the scale of the sample examined and the normality of the statistical population in the research. The second is the section analysing the influence of different ethnicities on humble leadership, knowledge sharing and readiness to change, which could prove especially useful in countries with diverse ethnicities – particularly those whose primary ethnicity is one of those investigated in this article – hence making it possible for these findings to be applicable. As a result, this article can be perceived as an international scientific study.

In conclusion, this study serves as a bridge between existing research and unexplored terrain, investigating the impact of humble leadership on knowledge sharing and willingness to change within the specific context of Iranian public libraries with diverse ethnic backgrounds. By connecting and expanding on the insights from prior studies, this research enhances the understanding of leadership’s multifaceted role in shaping organizational dynamics and paves the way for further exploration of leadership styles in diverse settings. By introducing the dimension of ethnic diversity and investigating the intersection of humble leadership with knowledge sharing and willingness to change, this study provides a nuanced perspective on the complex interplay of these factors within the context of Iranian public libraries. These insights not only contribute to the existing body of knowledge, but also pave the way for future research to explore similar dynamics in other cultural contexts. As libraries continue to navigate the challenges of the modern world, these insights can inform strategies that promote effective leadership, knowledge sharing, and successful change implementation across diverse organizational and ethnic contexts.

Footnotes

Acknowledgements

The authors thank those who participated in this study. All of the authors reviewed the article. Both was a major contributor in writing the article and Mahshid Eltemasi analysed the data and was also a major contributor in writing the article.

Availability of data and materials

The data that supports the findings of this study is available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Declaration of conflicting interests

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.

Funding

The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.

ORCID iD

Mahshid Eltemasi

Note

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