The Necessary Role of Leader-Member Exchange on Employee Outcomes

Abstract

Utilizing a different paradigm, necessity logic (Dul, 2016) across two samples of leader-employee dyads (N1=127, N2=131), I test the extent to which the leader-member exchange (LMX) is a necessary condition for employees’ outcomes at work (i.e., work effort, work quality, job engagement and OCBO). At the individual level, empirical support is found for the necessary role of employee’s perception of the social LMX relationship on OCBO and work engagement. But especially, empirical support is found for the necessary role of leader’s perception of the social LMX relationship on work effort, work quality, OCBO and work engagement. At the dyadic level, findings indicate that leader and employee’s dissimilar perceptions of the social and economic LMX relationship is necessary for low work quality.