High Power Distance Orientation Research Articles

The influence of supervisor bottom-line mentality on knowledge territorial behavior and knowledge sabotage behavior

Purpose Based on social cognitive theory, this study aims to explore the influence of supervisor bottom-line mentality (SBLM) on employee knowledge behavior (knowledge territorial behavior and knowledge sabotage behavior). The study first investigates the role of an ethical decision-making mechanism (moral disengagement) in mediating this relationship. In addition, it considers the possible boundary conditions to supplement research on the influence of SBLM in the knowledge management field. Design/methodology/approach The authors collected 256 data points from employees across three stages using convenience sampling. The authors then tested the proposed hypothesis using hierarchical regression and bootstrap methods. Findings The results demonstrated that SBLM promotes employees’ moral disengagement, leading to more knowledge territorial behavior and knowledge sabotage behavior. Furthermore, high power distance orientation among employees exacerbates the ill effects of SBLM according to the first stage of a moderated mediation model. Employees with such an orientation are more likely to respond to a SBLM by exhibiting a higher level of moral disengagement, thus increasing their knowledge territorial behavior and knowledge sabotage behavior. Originality/value Research on the influence of SBLM in the knowledge management field is limited. This study not only clarifies the relationships between SBLM and two types of knowledge behavior (knowledge territorial behavior and knowledge sabotage behavior) but also enriches the research on the antecedents of these two types of knowledge behavior.

Western and non-western leadership styles and employee wellbeing: a case of a high-power distance context.

The study combines an emic and etic perspective to test the relationships between three different (Western and non-Western) leadership styles, that is, transformational, authoritarian, and benevolent paternalistic, and follower emotional exhaustion in a high-power distance context of Russia. It employs hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) to analyse a sample of 403 followers to middle-level managers in Russian organizations. The analysis finds only transformational leadership to be generally negatively associated with emotional exhaustion. However, under conditions of high individual-level power distance orientation among followers, this association diminishes whereas that of authoritarian leadership and exhaustion increases. Benevolent paternalistic leadership is unrelated to emotional exhaustion. The study extends research on the relative importance of Western and non-Western leadership behaviors for employee wellbeing in high-power distance contexts and on how this importance differs across followers, thus highlighting the role of follower expectations in determining the effectiveness of leadership. It points toward the need for future research to simultaneously test the contingencies and relative importance of paternalistic, authoritarian, transformational, as well as other leadership styles in various cultures as well as to continue exploring the moderating influence of various cultural value orientations on these leadership styles' follower effects.

Breach not only affects you: the influence of coworker psychological contract breach by the supervisor on third-party perceptions of supervisor interactional justice

Understanding and effectively responding to employee psychological contract (PC) breach is a critical task for human resource (HR) managers. Drawing on social information processing theory and the deontic theory of justice and using two separate studies, Study 1 (an experiment) and Study 2 (a two-wave field study), the study proposes and tests a conceptualization that helps to explicate the implications of PC breach from the perspective of the third-party employee. Specifically, supporting our hypotheses, we found that when a third-party observer perceives a coworker’s PC breach perpetrated by their common focal supervisor that this negatively influences the third-party’s perceptions of the supervisor’s interactional justice (i.e., both interpersonal and informational) and that such a relationship is moderated by the extent of the third-party’s guanxi with the supervisor. Moreover, our findings further reveal that when a third-party observer with high guanxi with the supervisor also has a high power distance orientation (PDO), that the negative effects associated with the perceived coworker PC breach will be weakened. The study not only responds to scholars’ calls but it improves understanding of how the relational context may distort third-party perceptions of social treatment and justice-related behavior. Implications to theory, practice, and future research are discussed.

Using approach-inhibition theory of power to explain how participative decision-making enhances innovative work behavior of high power distance-oriented employees

PurposeThis research study investigated the relationship between participative decision-making and innovative work behavior by considering the moderating role of power distance orientation of individuals. Grounded in the approach-inhibition theory of power, the authors proposed that participative decision-making could mitigate perceived power gap and motivate individuals with high power distance orientation to engage more in innovative work behavior.Design/methodology/approachSurvey data were collected from 243 faculty members from 2 universities located at Dhaka, Bangladesh. The partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used for data analysis.FindingsThe results from the model estimation showed that the positive relationship between participative decision-making and innovative work behavior was stronger among faculty members with high power distance orientation than those with low power distance orientation. The simple slope analysis also clarified the fact that faculty members with high power distance orientation could increase their innovative work behavior to be at the same level as that of faculty members with low power distance orientation when the members were involved highly in participative decision-making.Practical implicationsParticipative decision-making is a management practice that should be implemented in order to motivate faculty members to actively engage in innovative work behavior. Particularly for faculty members who are sensitive towards the power status of other members in the workplace, this management practice is highly recommended to lessen the perceived social barrier that discourages these faculty members from engaging in innovative work behavior.Originality/valueThe authors' research advanced knowledge from prior studies by offering new theoretical insight into the role of empowerment practice that could motivate individuals with high power distance orientation to engage more in innovative practices.

How transformational leadership influences employees’ job-related outcomes through public service motivation: Does power distance orientation matter?

The goal of this research is to examine the influence of transformational leadership (TL) on employees’ job-related outcomes, noting the mediating roles of public service motivation (PSM) as well as the moderating effect of power distance orientation (PDO). Surveys were collected from 605 civil servants currently working in local governments in Vietnam and the researcher used the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique with SmartPLS 3.0 software to test hypotheses. The findings showed that there was a positive influence of transformational leadership on employees’ work outcomes; this relationship was mediated partially through public service motivation. Also, the finding revealed the moderating effects of power distance orientation on the effect of perceived transformational leadership on public service motivation, job satisfaction, and job performance. Civil servants with high power distance orientation tended to dampen the positive relationship between transformational leadership and public service motivation which led to decreased job satisfaction and job performance. Based on the findings, it is recommended that managers or leaders in Vietnamese local governments should apply transformational leadership in practice to improve the level of employee work outcomes. Finally, this study broadens new knowledge to the existing literature on transformational leadership and job-related outcomes by proposing an alternative model of how this relationship exists. Besides, the findings showed that although transformational leaders can lead to good behavioral outcomes, high power distance orientation could mitigate this benefit.

The effect of empowering leadership on job performance among frontline employees: does power distance orientation matter?

PurposeThe objective of this research is to investigate how empowering leadership (EL) could promote employees' knowledge sharing (KS) and innovative work behavior (IWB), which, in turn, improve their job performance (JP). Besides, the moderating role of power distance orientation (PDO) will be considered as well.Design/methodology/approachThis study employed a self-reported questionnaire from 460 frontline employees at Vietnamese commercial banks and the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) via the SmartPLS 3.0 to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe findings showed that there was a positive influence of EL on JP; this was mediated partially through KS and IWB. Additionally, the first research was the one that revealed that employees with high PDO dampened the positive effects of EL on KS and IWB.Practical implicationsThe result of this study suggests that managers should evolve EL to heighten employees' JP.Originality/valueThe findings explored correlations between a system of variables. Besides, the main results of this research also demonstrated that EL played a crucial role in KS, IWB and JP.

The Influence of Ethical Leadership on Employee Silence

Differences in leadership styles influence employees' behavioural choices, and employees' attitudes towards the organization influence the development of the organization. This paper explores the mechanism between ethical leadership and employee silence , and introduces two variables, organizational identification and power distance orientation, organizational identification as mediating variables between ethical leadership and employee silence, and power distance orientation as moderating variables between ethical leadership and employee silence .The results show that ethical leadership positively influences employees' organizational identification and negatively influences employee silence .Compared with high power distance orientation, employees with low power distance orientation can effectively reduce employee silence. Thus, the mechanism clarified the connection between ethical leadership and employee silence. In this way, this paper provides some insight into the subsequent management practice of the company.

Managing Affective Commitment to Change in Public Sector Organization of Pakistan: A Social Exchange Perspective

Literature on organizational development is well-stocked with researches advocating change as a universal remedy for organizational survival and success. However, the importance of eliciting positive employees’ response during change lacks attention. Considering the crucial role of managing employees’ positive change reactions in public sector organizations, the current study highlights the role of High Performance Work Systems (HPWS) in fostering affective commitment to change (ACTC) in culturally diverse employees’ along with its interlinking mechanisms. Based on Social Exchange perspective, we hypothesized that employees’ perceptions of the nature of exchange mediates the relationship between HPWS-Affective commitment to change. More specifically, we proposed a moderating mediation model outlining how individual’s cultural orientation might play a significant role in influencing the nature of exchange which in turn may predict the dynamics of HPWS-employees’ affective commitment to change relationship. A sample of 591 full-time employees from the largest public-sector bank of Pakistan undergoing Privatization were surveyed. The results reveal the positive impact of High performance work systems on affective commitment to change. Moreover, employees’ perceptions of social exchange mediate the positive relationship between HPWS and Affective CTC. However, this underpinning mechanism is stronger for employees scoring high collectivism and low power distance orientation and vice versa. The study contributes to the literature through examining the intermediatory mechanism and boundary conditions under which the positive impact of HPWS- Affective CTC might prove to be more effective. Finally, both practical and theoretical implications are discussed in the light of results obtained followed by future directions.

Job autonomy and employee burnout: the moderating role of power distance orientation

ABSTRACT Job autonomy, as a job resource, is expected to yield beneficial effects for employees. We examine job autonomy’s relationship to burnout and propose three mediators that explain its effect. Considering the diversified workplace, we argue that how job autonomy affects burnout depends on individuals’ levels of power distance orientation (PDO). Tested with a combined sample of individuals from three countries – the U.S., China, and Brazil –, we found that job autonomy is generally beneficial to reducing burnout, but that individuals with lower PDO benefit more than individuals with higher PDO. More specifically, we found that PDO moderates the relationship between job autonomy and three role stressors – role conflicts, ambiguity, and overload. In addition, our study found that people with different levels of PDO experience different processes of job autonomy – burnout relation. Post-hoc analyses suggest that each of the three job autonomy dimensions and overall job autonomy have similar influences on employee burnout.

Effect of Psychological Ownership on Employee Defensive Voice in IT Services Organisations: The Moderating Role of Power Distance Orientation

The relationship between psychological ownership (PO) and defensive voice to supervisor, and the moderation of this relationship by power distance orientation (PDO) are not examined in current research. To reduce harmful defensive voice to supervisor in organisations, it was examined if PO (job or organisation) is negatively related to defensive voice to supervisor. As research reports that PDO affects different predictor–employee voice relationships, the moderating effect of PDO on PO (job or organisation)–defensive voice to supervisor relationship was examined. Survey method and judgement sampling were employed for data collection from 349 information technology (IT) services employees in India. Confirmatory factor analysis and moderated hierarchical regression were used for analysis. PO (job or organisation) was found to be negatively related to defensive voice to supervisor, and PDO moderated this relationship such that high PDO employees express lower defensive voice to supervisor than low PDO employees.

The Relationship Between Supervisor Bottom-Line Mentality and Subordinate Work Performance: Linear or Curvilinear Effects?

PurposeCombine the transactional model of stress and coping with the challenge and hindrance stressor framework. This study examined whether there is a linear or curvilinear relationship between supervisor bottom-line mentality (BLM), which emphasizes the pursuit of bottom-line results above all else, and the work performance of subordinates.Materials and MethodsA total of 284 two-wave dual-source survey data have been collected from an insurance company in China. Analysis was conducted in two steps. First, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to test the validity of scales. Second, hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to examine the hypotheses.ResultsResults show that there has an inverted U-shaped (curvilinear) relationship between supervisor BLM and subordinate work performance. As the level of supervisor BLM increases from low to moderate, subordinate work performance increases; as the level of supervisor BLM increases from moderate to high, subordinate work performance decreases. Moreover, this study finds that the inverted U-shaped relationship between supervisor BLM and subordinates’ work performance was stronger when subordinates have higher power distance orientation.ConclusionUnlike previous studies which found a linear relationship between supervisor BLM and subordinate work performance, this study provided the first empirical examination of our hypothetical inverted U-shaped relationship of supervisor BLM impact on subordinate work performance. In addition, this study found that the relationship was stronger when subordinates had a higher power distance orientation.

CAN MANAGER’S LISTENING BEHAVIOR BENEFIT EMPLOYEES? POWER DISTANCE MAY HAVE THE ANSWER

ABSTRACT The current research investigated employee’s perception of their manager’s listening behavior (MLB). Drawing on the group-value theory, we examined the role of MLB and analyzed its effect through employee’s power distance orientation. We distributed questionnaires to 219 employees and adopted two-wave data collection to ameliorate the bias of common method variance. Statistical analysis revealed that MLB was related to employees’ well-being and work engagement. For employees with lower power distance orientation, MLB led to more self-esteem. For employees with higher power distance orientation, MLB did not affect their self-esteem. MLB was not always beneficial to the employees, as individuals may interpret MLB positively or negatively. Research findings have brought new insights into the listening literature, particularly from the perspective of manager’s listening behavior. We encourage the organizations to incorporate listening skills into the education programs (for training incumbent managers) and recruitment criterions (for hiring new managers). Implications on the manager-employee relationship are also discussed.

The effect of Coaching Leadership on Organizational Trust and Innovative Behavior: Moderated Mediation by Power Distance Orientation

The purpose of this study is to reveal the effect of coaching leadership on organizational trust and innovative behavior depending on the level of power distance orientation. Specifically, the relationship between coaching leadership and innovative behavior was examined and the mediating effect of organizational trust was identified in the effect of coaching leadership on innovative behavior. In addition, this study examined a moderating effect of power distance orientation on the relationship between organizational trust and innovative behavior Finally, the relationship between coaching leadership and innovative behavior is verified by the moderated mediating effect of power distance orientation in the mediation of organizational trust. For this purpose, data from 697 Korean workers were collected through Embrain, an Internet survey company in Korea. According to the research, the relationship between coaching leadership and innovative behavior has been proven to have a partial mediating effect significantly by organizational trust. The moderating effect of the power distance orientation and the moderated mediating effect were also both significant. Employees with lower organizational turst and lower power distance orientation tended to innovate more than employees with higher power distance orientation, but the difference was found to have been decreased significantly at a higher level of organizational trust. Finally, we discussed practical implications, limitations, and future research.

LMX, RLMX and Job Involvement: Effects of Leader’s Power Distance Orientation and Promotion Criteria

A multi-level model based on social information processing theory is used to explain how and when the leader-employee social exchange relationship relates to employee’s job involvement simultaneously at the vertical dyad level (leader-member exchange; LMX) and through the horizontal group context (relative leader-member exchange; RLMX). Based on the data collected from 113 team leaders and their 452 corresponding employees, the results showed that both the LMX and RLMX positively related to employees’ job involvement via their perceived informal status. Moreover, moderated path analysis revealed the indirect relationship between LMX and job involvement was stronger when the leader had lower power distance orientation and absolute promotion criteria were used in the team. The indirect relationship between RLMX and job involvement was stronger when the leader had higher power distance orientation and adopted absolute promotion criteria.

Culture-informed Influence of Job Autonomy on Burnout: Power Distance Orientation as A Moderator

Job autonomy, as a job resource, is expected to yield beneficial effects for employees. We examine job autonomy’s relationship to burnout and propose three mediators that explain its effect. Further, considering the diversified workplace, we argue that how job autonomy affects burnout depends on individuals’ levels of power distance orientation (PDO). Tested with a combined sample of individuals from three countries – the U.S., China, and Brazil –, we found that job autonomy is generally beneficial to reducing burnout, but that individuals with lower PDO benefit more than individuals with higher PDO. More specifically, we found that PDO moderates the relationship between job autonomy and three role stressors – role conflicts, ambiguity and overload. In addition, our study found that people with different levels of PDO experience different processes of job autonomy – burnout relation. Supplemental analyses suggest that country contexts have significant influences on some of the hypothesized relationships.

When does benevolent leadership inhibit silence? The joint moderating roles of perceived employee agreement and cultural value orientations

PurposeThis study's purpose is to examine benevolent leadership's effect on employee silence, as moderated by perceived employee agreement on leader behaviors and cultural value orientations.Design/methodology/approachTwo-wave survey data were collected from 240 Chinese employees working in various industries. Hierarchical regression and simple slope analysis were used to test the hypotheses.FindingsBenevolent leadership was negatively related to employee silence. When perceived employee agreement on leader behaviors was high, employees with high power-distance orientation or low vertical individualism were more sensitive to benevolent leadership and engaged in less silence.Practical implicationsManagers are advised to exhibit benevolent behaviors to mitigate employees' tendency to remain silence. Organizations and managers can also design interventions to encourage employees with low power distance or high vertical individualism to speak up.Originality/valueThis study advances the understanding of the relationship between benevolent leadership and employee silence. By highlighting the moderating role of employees' perception of leader behaviors and their cultural value orientations, this study helps explain the conditions that when employees choose to keep silence or not.

Surrendering personal control to automation: Appalling or appealing?

There has been a growing interest in Autonomous Vehicle (AV) technology worldwide over the last decade. Nevertheless, various studies have noted some potential socio-psychological challenges to AV use and ownership. These challenges can be mitigated by designing AV that accounts for users’ personalities, such as their perceived control and power. The complex relationship between personal control and automation, two concepts that intuitively sound contradictory to each other, is less explored. In this study, two dimensions of personal control, the desire for control and the driver locus of control, were hypothesized to influence the attitude toward AV. The relationships were moderated by power distance, a cultural factor related to one’s sense of control. The hypotheses were tested using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) approach via the Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) software. As many as 457 respondents from two sample groups, Hungarian and Indonesian drivers were gathered via an online questionnaire and compared. The results reveal that 1) the higher the desire for control, the more negative the attitude toward AV 2) the higher the external driver locus of control, the more positive the attitude toward AV 3) the more positive the attitude toward AV, the higher the intention to use AV and 4) power distance moderates the relationship between the desire for control and the attitude toward AV, such that the negative effect of the desire for control is strengthened in high power distance orientation. This study also provides theoretical contributions and managerial implications, especially to AV designers.

Effect of relative status on responsibility attributions in human–robot collaboration: Mediating role of sense of responsibility and moderating role of power distance orientation

This study investigates the effect of relative status on responsibility attributions in situations in which people and a humanoid robot collectively contribute to an outcome. A 3 × 2 experiment was conducted using the robot status (supervisor, peer, and subordinate) and the attribution target (robot or self) as independent variables. Fifty-four students from a university campus participated in the experiment. The participants were randomly assigned into three groups with balanced gender. In the experiment, the participants and the humanoid robot Nao cooperated on joint tasks of product poster selection. Subsequently, the participants were instructed to allocate the causal responsibility between themselves and the humanoid robot for a specified dyadic performance success or failure. Results show that the relative status moderated participants' self-serving biases. Participants who cooperated with a supervisor robot claimed credit for dyadic success but blamed the robot for dyadic failure, whereas participants who cooperated with a peer or subordinate robot claimed both credit for dyadic success and blame for dyadic failure. In addition, the participants' sense of responsibility mediated the relationships between relative status and responsibility attributions. As the status of the humanoid robot increased, participants felt less responsible for the task performance; consequently, they tended to attribute the outcome more to the robot and less to themselves. Finally, the participants’ power distance orientation moderated the relationships between relative status and responsibility attributions, namely that the relationships were stronger for participants with higher power distance orientation.

Does formal mentoring impact safety performance? A study on Chinese high-speed rail operators

The importance of mentoring as a developmental resource in organizational settings is well documented. However, the mechanism underlying the association between formal mentoring and safety performance is not well defined. Based on the self-expansion theory, this study examines the relationship between formal mentoring and individual safety performance in the high-speed railway operation. We postulate that formal mentoring enhances individual safety performance through the sequential mediation of self-expansion and self-efficacy. We also argue that the relationship between formal mentoring and individuals’ self-expansion is weaker when individuals possess high power distance orientation. Using paired data from 421 protégés and 102 mentors operating high-speed railways of China, we tested the proposed model. This study contributes to the understanding of formal mentoring by; i. establishing that formal mentoring positively relates to protégés’ safety performance, ii. empirically validating the sequential mechanisms by which formal mentoring promotes positive outcomes for the organization and the employees, and iii. revealing the moderating effect of power distance orientation on the relationship between formal mentoring and self-expansion. The findings of this research provide practical implications for managers to understand the positive effects of formal mentoring and make rational use of it in safety-critical organizations.

The effects of leader–subordinate power distance orientation congruence on employees' taking charge behaviors in China: a moderated mediation model

PurposeBased on the social exchange theory, this study explores the mechanism of leader–subordinate power distance orientation (PDO) congruence with employees' taking charge behavior (TCB) and also verifies the moderated mediation effect of employees' promotion regulatory focus (PROM-F) on leader–subordinate PDO congruence and on employees' TCB through trust in the leader (which is the mediator).Design/methodology/approachBased on 296 questionnaires from 46 teams of Chinese enterprises, the authors use cross-level polynomial regressions and response surface techniques to analyze the effect of leader–subordinate PDO congruence on employees' TCB and use the block variable technique to test the mediating effect of trust in the leader.Findings(1) When leader–subordinates' PDO is congruent, the leader–subordinate low-low PDO matching pattern leads to more employees' TCB than the leader–subordinate high-high PDO matching pattern. (2) When leader–subordinate PDO is incongruent, the leader–subordinate low–high PDO matching pattern will lead to more TCB than the high-low PDO pattern.Practical implications(1) Encourage and promote the development of diverse cultures in enterprises. (2) Respect the power and status of employees and encourage a low-PDO leadership style. (3) Increase credibility by developing and establishing a good corporate leader image.Originality/value(1) The unique background of this survey offers important cross-cultural information on the effects of leader–subordinate PDO congruence. (2) The results of this research enrich the theoretical understanding of the factors that influence TCB. (3) Reveal the internal mechanisms of CPD congruence with TCB and demonstrate an indirect effect of trust in leader. (4) The discussion of the moderating role of employee's PROM-F will also deepen the understanding of the exchange relationship between leaders and subordinates.