A leader in need is a leader indeed? The influence of leaders' stress mindset on their perception of employee well‐being and their intended leadership behavior

Antonia J Kaluza,Pauline Raesch,Nina M Junker,Nathalie K Von Rooy,Sebastian C Schuh,Rolf Van Dick

doi:10.1111/apps.12359

Abstract

AbstractThe ability to respond appropriately to employees' work‐related well‐being requires leaders to pay attention to their employees' well‐being in the first place. We propose that leaders' stress mindset, that is, the belief that stress is enhancing versus debilitating, may bias their perception of employees' well‐being. We further propose that this judgment then influences leaders' intention to engage in or refrain from health‐oriented leadership behavior, to express higher performance expectations, or to promote their employees. We expect this process to be stronger if leaders strongly identify with their team, increasing their perceived similarity with their employees. In three experiments (N1 = 198, N2 = 292, N3 = 250), we tested the effect of participants' stress mindset on their intention to show certain leadership behaviors, mediated by their perception of employee well‐being (emotional exhaustion, somatic symptoms, work engagement) and moderated by their team identification. Our findings largely support the association between stress mindset and the perception of well‐being. The results for the proposed mediation and the moderating function of identification were mixed. Overall, the results emphasize the critical role of leaders' stress mindset and may, thus, improve health promotion in organizations by helping leaders to adequately recognize employees' well‐being and respond appropriately.

Highlights

Occupational stress is a ubiquitous phenomenon and a major concern for employees and organizations alike
In three experiments (N1 = 198, N2 = 292, N3 = 250), we tested the effect of participants' stress mindset on their intention to show certain leadership behaviors, mediated by their perception of employee well-being and moderated by their team identification
The overall model showed a good fit to the data: χ2(5) = 4.11, p = .533, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.00, comparative fit index (CFI) = 1.00, Tucker–Lewis index (TLI) = 1.01, and standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) = 0.02

Summary

Introduction

Occupational stress is a ubiquitous phenomenon and a major concern for employees and organizations alike. Leaders play a pivotal role in organizations, and their behavior can have a crucial influence on the experience of stress and on the well-being of their employees (e.g., Harms et al, 2017; Montano et al, 2017). The majority of research has focused on the healthrelated consequences of different leadership behaviors (e.g., Kuoppala et al, 2008; Schyns & Schilling, 2013). This is especially true for health-oriented leadership—a research area that has only recently received increased attention and for which many questions remain open, including why some leaders engage in health-oriented behaviors, such as responding to followers' stress signals, and others do not (cf Pangert, 2011; Rudolph et al, 2020). Some leaders may even assign more tasks and raise their performance expectations in stressful situations (e.g., Hunt et al, 1999; MacKenzie et al, 2001)

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