Humanistic Leadership and Organization Commitment Among Delivery Riders: Mediating Role of Perceived Organization Support

The gig economy, particularly the online food delivery sector, raises concerns about delivery riders’ commitment to safety and other related work responsibilities due to the absence of online food delivery platform support and leadership governance on welfare and work conditions. This study investigates the impact of humanistic leadership on digital platforms and its influence on riders’ commitment. Using a quantitative approach, the study emphasizes the limited research on humanistic leadership despite its proven contributions to corporate success. It recommends that digital delivery platforms adopt humanistic leadership to enhance organizational support and commitment. Hypotheses were tested on 161 Malaysian delivery riders, revealing a positive significant relationship between humanistic leadership and organizational support and commitment. However, the link between perceived organizational support and organizational commitment was insignificant and perceived organizational support did not mediate the path between humanistic leadership and organization commitment. This study underscores the importance of humanistic leadership in safeguarding the industry’s viability and sustainability.