Empowering leadership and LMX as the mediators between leader’s personality traits and constructive voice behavior

Abstract

PurposeThis paper aims to uncover the impact of leader’s personality traits, agreeableness conscientiousness and neuroticism, on employee’s constructive voice behavior via proposed sequential mediating impact of the empowering leadership and leader–member exchange (LMX).Design/methodology/approachThe proposed model was examined by using the data collected from 262 service executives based in an Indian private sector, using the partial least square structural equation modeling method. This study uses SPSS Process macro (serial mediation model) to analyze the data collected.FindingsResults of the study indicated the positive association of agreeableness and conscientiousness with empowering leadership, while neuroticism was found to be negatively related. The results also provided support for the mediating effect of the LMX between empowering leadership and constructive voice behavior. Further, the authors theorized and verified the sequential mediation model proposing the indirect effect between leader’s personality traits and constructive voice.Research limitations/ implicationsSelf-reported measures were used for data collection which suffers from the limitation of socially biased responses. Lack of large sample size inhibits us from drawing widely accepted generalization.Practical implicationsThe authors suggest that consideration of the personality traits might assist and help organizations in choosing empowering leaders. This assumes importance as notable indirect impact of empowering leadership on constructive voice (promotive voice and prohibitive voice) has been observed. The findings also suggest the nurturing quality that LMX plays an important role in facilitating constructive voice.Originality/valueThis study is first of its kind in understanding the mediating mechanism between empowering leadership and constructive voice. This study further explored serial mediation (i.e. empowering leadership and LMX together) between leader’s personality and constructive voice.