Abstract
Due to the strong focus on dyadic relationships in leader–member exchange (LMX) theory, it is vital to investigate the predictors of the types of relationships that leaders and subordinates develop. This study explores the supervisor-level antecedents of LMX. Drawing from conservation of resources theory, this study tests whether leaders’ psychological flexibility moderates the relationship between leaders’ perceptions of work overload and LMX. A field study was conducted among 186 subordinates and 93 leaders from a Norwegian public service organization. Multisource field data demonstrated general support for the hypothesized relationships. The results of multilevel analyses showed a negative relation between the perceptions of work overload of leaders with lower levels of psychological flexibility and their subordinates’ perceptions of LMX. Thus, psychological flexibility seemed to mitigate the negative implications of leaders’ work overload. This study extends previous studies on managers’ perceptions of work overload by introducing an important contingency of the relationship between managers’ perceptions of work overload and the quality of their relationship with subordinates. As such, this study contributes to a more complete understanding of the factors that relate to the development of high-quality LMX.
Highlights
Due to the strong focus on dyadic relationships in leader–member exchange (LMX) theory, it is vital to investigate the predictors of the types of relationships that leaders and subordinates develop
There is a relative paucity in studies that have examined the influence of leader work overload on LMX quality
This study aims to contribute to the LMX theory by investigating whether leader perceptions of work overload are related to follower LMX and whether a psychological contingency applies to this relationship
Summary
Due to the strong focus on dyadic relationships in leader–member exchange (LMX) theory, it is vital to investigate the predictors of the types of relationships that leaders and subordinates develop. Drawing from conservation of resources theory, this study tests whether leaders’ psychological flexibility moderates the relationship between leaders’ perceptions of work overload and LMX. In yet another study by Kuvaas and Buch (2016), leader role ambiguity was found to be negatively related to high-quality LMX relationships Such contradictory results about the implication of leaders’ job stressors on LMX suggest the presence of unexamined moderating influences. This study aims to contribute to the LMX theory by investigating whether leader perceptions of work overload are related to follower LMX and whether a psychological contingency applies to this relationship. Because psychological flexibility equips leaders with resources that enable them to master stressful events, it may buffer the negative influences of leader perceptions of work overload on the LMX relationship
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