When and How Does Leader Boundary Spanning Behavior Enhance Follower Task Performance? Dual Mediating Mechanisms and the Moderating Effect of Promotion Focus

Abstract

Active resourcing and buffering across formal organizational boundaries are becoming increasingly important in today’s highly interconnected organizations. These boundary spanning activities can be particularly effective and successful when performed by leaders who can leverage formal authority and networks to cross these boundaries. In this context, we highlight the benefits of leader boundary spanning behavior, focusing on their influence on task performance within leader-follower dyads. Drawing on Job Demands-Resources theory, we propose that personal resources, both cognitive (i.e., self-efficacy) and socio-emotional (i.e., psychological safety), augmented by boundary spanning leaders, serve to enhance follower task performance. Furthermore, we propose that the effects of leader boundary spanning behavior will be more pronounced for followers with high promotion focus, as the work environment fostered by boundary spanning leaders will be more consistent with their regulatory fit. Results from an empirical investigation of 694 leader-follower dyads largely confirm our moderated mediation model. By extending beyond existing team-level findings, we elucidate the theoretical and managerial implications of leader boundary spanning behavior at the individual level and within the dyadic framework.