Abstract
Extant literature has suggested that leadership styles have a significant impact on subordinate taking charge. However, the effect of ethical leadership on subordinate taking charge is still insufficiently explored. Drawing on social exchange theory, we developed a moderated mediation model in which social exchange was theorized as a mediating mechanism underlining why subordinates feel motivated to take charge with the supervision of ethical leadership. Moreover, power distance was supposed to be a relevant boundary condition to moderate such a relationship. Two hundred thirty-nine independent leader–subordinate dyads in China were used to test the model. Results showed that subordinates’ social exchange mediates the relationship between ethical leadership and subordinate taking charge, and such a relationship was found to be stronger among subordinates who had lower levels of power distance rather than higher levels. Theoretical and practical implications concerning enhancement of subordinate taking charge in organizations where ethical leaderships exist are discussed.
Highlights
Taking charge has emerged as a major means of enhancing management effectiveness in the environment of rapidly changing, high-competition, and highly uncertain business (Crant, 2000; Grant and Ashford, 2008), which is an important form of proactive behavior (Morrison and Phelps, 1999; Parker and Collins, 2010) and prosocial behavior (Grant et al, 2009; Lee, 2016)
Our research examined how and when ethical leadership facilitates subordinate taking charge
Drawing on social exchange theory, we confirmed that social exchange mediates the relationship between ethical leadership and subordinate taking charge
Summary
Taking charge has emerged as a major means of enhancing management effectiveness in the environment of rapidly changing, high-competition, and highly uncertain business (Crant, 2000; Grant and Ashford, 2008), which is an important form of proactive behavior (Morrison and Phelps, 1999; Parker and Collins, 2010) and prosocial behavior (Grant et al, 2009; Lee, 2016). Taking charge has been defined as “voluntary and constructive efforts, by individual subordinates, to effect organizationally functional change with respect to how work is executed within the contexts of their jobs, work units, or organizations”(Morrison and Phelps, 1999). It is of significant interest to explore how ethical leadership influences subordinate taking charge
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