Leader-follower Value Research Articles

Are we on the same page? Leader-follower value congruence as a boundary condition in the emergence of charismatic effects

In the emergence of the charismatic effect, the leader–follower value congruence assumption posits that the charisma signal creates a charismatic effect for followers who have congruent values with the leader but may repel followers with incongruent values. Whereas this assumption is a central pillar of charisma signaling, it has not been causally tested. We theorize the charisma signal, leader–follower value congruence, and their interaction as predictors of the charismatic effect (i.e., perceived leader charisma, prototypicality, and effectiveness). In three preregistered experiments, we manipulate the charisma signal and communicated leader values by relying on video-recorded speeches and measure follower values beforehand. We operationalize leader–follower value congruence as the degree to which communicated leader values and measured follower values match. Study 1 showed mixed results for the leader–follower value congruence assumption, whereas Studies 2 and 3 – using polarized rhetoric – fully support it. We found some evidence that value congruence moderates the charisma signal–charismatic effect relationship, such that the relationship becomes stronger (weaker) with more value congruence (incongruence) in Studies 1 and 3 (but not in Study 2). Theoretical and practical implications as well as limitations are discussed.

Responsible leadership and deceptive knowledge hiding: the mediating role of moral reflectiveness and the moderating role of leader-follower value congruence

Purpose The key to preventing employees from engaging in deceptive knowledge hiding is fostering a responsible environment. Drawing on social cognitive theory, this study aims to explore the factors that inhibit deceptive knowledge hiding and to construct potential pathways for enhancing individual moral cognition. This study further analyzes the moderating effect of leader–follower value congruence on these relationships. Design/methodology/approach Using data from 341 full-time employees in various service industries in China, this study conducted path analysis, the product-of-coefficients method and bootstrapping to test the hypotheses through a three-stage, time-lagged survey. Findings The empirical results show that responsible leadership is negatively associated with employees’ deceptive knowledge hiding. Employee moral reflectiveness mediates this relationship, whereas leader–follower value congruence moderates the indirect effect of responsible leadership on deceptive knowledge hiding through moral reflectiveness. Originality/value First, this study extends field research by introducing positive leadership factors to reduce deceptive knowledge hiding, whereas prior studies focused mainly on negative leadership antecedents. Second, this study sheds light on the underlying moral cognitive mechanisms and explains how responsible leadership can prevent implicit unethical behavior. Third, it reveals how leader–follower value congruence can enhance the impact of responsible leadership on moral reflectiveness, offering novel insights into the role of value-based fit in reducing deceptive knowledge hiding.

Expanding service beyond the organizational boundaries: moderated mediated model of servant leadership to affect employees’ community citizenship behavior

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to understand how servant leadership affects employees’ community citizenship behavior by transforming their servant identity. Additionally, the study explicated whether the relationship between servant leadership and employees’ servant identity is contingent on leader–follower value congruence.Design/methodology/approachFor this study data was collected from 468 employees working in the service industry in three waves which were undertaken with a lag of one month. The collected data was analyzed through structural equation modeling.FindingsThe results revealed that servant leadership is related to employees’ servant identity. The findings also substantiated the relationship between employees’ servant identity and their community citizenship behavior. The mediating role of servant identity linking servant leadership to employees’ community citizenship behavior was confirmed. Finally, leader–follower value congruence was found to moderate the relationship between servant leadership and employees’ servant identity.Originality/valueThe study is the first to ascertain the mediating role of servant identity linking servant leadership to employees’ community citizenship behavior. It is also the first study to ascertain that the effect of servant leadership on employees’ servant identity is contingent upon leader–follower value congruence.

Fostering justice and ethical climate in the workplace: Leader–follower value congruence perspectives

Fostering justice and ethical climate in the workplace: Leader–follower value congruence perspectives

Role of inclusive leadership in employees' OCB in hospitality industry: a social cognitive perspective

PurposeThe success of an organisation is very much determined by the organisational citizenship behaviour of its employees, and the leader plays a substantial role in strengthening this positive behaviour as it helps in disseminating the best practises amongst its stakeholders. The aim of this study is to examine if psychological ownership mediates the association between inclusive leadership and organisational citizenship behaviour. Additionally, it is examined whether leader–follower value congruence has a moderating role in the influence of inclusive leadership on the psychological ownership of the employees.Design/methodology/approachData from 292 employees working in Indian hotels were collected utilising supervisor–supervisee dyadic design. The study utilised partial least squares (PLS-SEM) to test the hypothesised associations.FindingsThe outcomes of the study found that psychological ownership acts as a complementary mediator between inclusive leadership and organisational citizenship behaviour and the moderating impact of leader–follower value congruence strengthens the association concerning inclusive leadership and psychological ownership. The study’s findings indicate that leader–follower value congruence is of utmost importance in strengthening follower's constructive behaviour.Practical implicationsThe study offers relevant inputs and measures for HR professionals in the Indian hospitality industry to acknowledge, strengthen and reward inclusive leadership, along with ways of promoting leader–follower value congruence that have significant positive outcomes in terms of the improvement in the sense of ownership and citizenship behaviour amongst the employees.Originality/valueIn the post-pandemic scenario, the hospitality industry has picked up the pace of growth, leading to an increased requirement for talented resources in the industry. Keeping this background in mind, the top management must keep an eye on their inclusive leaders, as they are the pillars in creating a culture of ownership and positive behaviours in the organisation.

Linking perceived ethical leadership to workplace cheating behavior: A moderated mediation model of moral identity and leader-follower value congruence.

According to social learning theory, we examine the effect of ethical leadership by investigating how moral identity resulting from ethical leadership influences employees’ workplace cheating behaviors. Adopting a moderated mediation framework, this study suggests that leader-follower value congruence moderates the positive relationship between ethical leadership and employees’ moral identity and mitigates the indirect effect of ethical leadership on employees’ workplace cheating behaviors. The results of this study, drawn from a sample of 243 full-time employees and their direct supervisors, support these hypotheses. As such, this study provides novel theoretical and empirical insights into ethical leadership and workplace cheating behavior.

A Multilevel Study of the Relationship between CSR Promotion Climate and Happiness at Work via Organizational Identification: Moderation Effect of Leader-Followers Value Congruence.

The purpose of the present study is to examine the effects of team level Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) promotion climate on work happiness of team members. Furthermore, we investigate the mediating role of organizational identification at individual level and the moderating role of leader–follower value congruence at the team level in the relationship between CSR promotion climate and work happiness, thus overcoming the limitations of previous studies which mainly focused on a unitary level of analysis. To this end, a multilevel analysis was used, dealing with team- and individual-level relationships; the sample comprises 70 teams and 336 employees from 23 Korean firms. Our empirical analysis revealed that a team CSR promotion climate positively influenced team members’ happiness at work and organization identification. Furthermore, organization identification partially mediated the relationship between team CSR promotion climate and happiness at the workplace. By interacting with team CSR promotion climate, leader–followers value congruence positively regulated the influence of team CSR promotion climate on happiness at work. In this process, for a group with high leader–follower value congruence, the team CSR promotion climate strengthens team members’ happiness at the workplace. The study utilizes a multilevel analysis method to simultaneously verify team- and individual-level elements positively affecting team members’ happiness at work. Through this method, it confirmed that CSR promotion climate and team organization identification positively influence happiness at work. The theoretical and practical implications are presented, and directions for future research with limitations of the study are discussed.

Leader knowledge hiding, feedback avoidance and hotel employee outcomes: a moderated mediation model

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop and test a research model that investigates feedback avoidance behavior (FAB) as a mediator of the impact of leader knowledge hiding (LKH) behavior on creativity and job performance. The model also examines whether leader-follower value congruence (LFVC) moderates the aforementioned mediating linkages.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from hotel managerial employees in two waves and their superiors in Pakistan. The hypotheses were gauged via macro PROCESS.FindingsThe findings reveal that LKH behavior intensifies employees’ FAB, which, in turn, impedes their creativity and job performance. The findings further demonstrate that the positive impact of LKH behavior on FAB is stronger among employees high on LFVC.Practical implicationsManagement should arrange workshops that highlight the critical role of leader’s knowledge sharing with the relevant individuals. This is so important because knowledge hiding behavior heightens FAB and erodes creativity. These workshops can be followed by training programs, which focus on the importance of knowledge exchange and feedback-seeking behavior. Top managers’ and/hotel owners’ participation in these programs can be a force for mutual trust and cultivate LFVC.Originality/valueThe hospitality and tourism literature is devoid of evidence about the underlying process through which LKH behavior influences employee outcomes. The paper enhances current knowledge by proposing FAB as a mediator of the influence of LKH behavior on creativity and job performance. The paper is the first of its kind by assessing whether LFVC moderates the indirect influence of LKH behavior on creativity and job performance via FAB.

Leader Narcissism and Defensive Silence in Higher Education: A Moderated Mediation Model of Interactional Justice and Value Congruence

This study aims to investigate the relationship between the narcissism of leader and the defensive silence of employee. Specifically, it introduces interactional justice as mediator by taking a relational approach. It also considers the moderating role of leader-follower congruence in the relationship between leader narcissism and defensive silence. The sample included 1,023 randomly selected faculty members and department chairs from 15 universities in Turkey. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis tested the proposed model. The findings supported the positive relationship between leader narcissism and employee's defensive silence as well as interactional justice's mediating role. Moreover, when the level of congruence of leader-follower value is high, the relationship between leader narcissism and defensive silence is also strong, whereas the relationship is weak when the level of congruence of leader-follower value is low. This study contributes to employee silence literature by revealing the relationship between leader narcissism and employee silence. In addition, this study provides practical assistance to higher education employees along with their leaders interested in building trust, enhancing employee-leader relationships, and reducing defensive silence.

Leader self-enhancement values: curvilinear and congruence effects

PurposeAssumptions regarding the effect of leader self-enhancement values on leader-follower relationships are oversimplified. To advance this conversation, we test non-linear and congruence effects. We hypothesize that leader self-enhancement values (via prestige) have an inverted U-shaped relationship with employee perceptions of leader-member exchange (LMX) and leader interpersonal justice, and that leader-follower incongruence is negatively related to LMX and interpersonal justice.Design/methodology/approachTo evaluate our hypotheses we use hierarchical regression, polynomial regression, and surface plot analysis. Our sample consists of 193 leader-follower dyads from a variety of organizations.FindingsLMX and interpersonal justice increase as leader self-enhancement increases, but begin to decrease at higher levels of self-enhancement values. Additionally, leader-follower self-enhancement incongruence is negatively related to interpersonal justice. Finally, LMX is lowest when leaders are higher than followers in self-enhancement values compared to when followers are higher than leaders.Practical implicationsIt is critical to evaluate the level of leader self-enhancement values and/or the joint influence of the follower values (self-enhancement) to fully understand the effect of leader values on follower perceptions of the dyadic relationship. Organizations interested in facilitating high-quality leader-follower relationships should focus on the levels of the values and on mechanisms that facilitate leader-follower value alignment.Originality/valueThis work extends prior research assuming a direct, linear effect of leader self-enhancement values on follower outcomes. To fully understand the influence of leader values it is important to consider curvilinear and congruence effects.

The Relationship Between Leader-Follower Value Congruence, Leader-Member Exchanges and Work Outcomes

We hypothesized that leader-follower value congruence would be positively related to leader-member exchange (LMX) relationship quality and work outcomes. Polynomial regression analyses on data coll...

The trickle-down effect of responsible leadership on unethical pro-organizational behavior: The moderating role of leader-follower value congruence

This study aims to explore how and when responsible leadership flows down the organizational hierarchy to reduce unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB). Drawing on social learning theory, we hypothesize that high-level leader responsible leadership restrains UPB through low-level leader responsible leadership and that leader-follower value congruence moderates the trickle-down effect of responsible leadership on UPB. Based on the multiphase and multilevel data from 120 sales team supervisors and 426 insurance salespeople in China, we found that low-level leader responsible leadership mediated the impact of high-level leader responsible leadership on UPB. Moreover, high- and low-level leader value congruence significantly moderated the relationship between high- and low-level leader responsible leadership as well as the indirect effect of low-level leader responsible leadership. Similarly, low-level leader-employee value congruence moderated the relationship between low-level leader responsible leadership and UPB as well as the indirect effect of low-level leader responsible leadership. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Value Congruence in the Egyptian Hotel Industry: The Role of Transformational and Transactional Leadership

This paper aims at investigating leader-follower value congruence in the Egyptian hotel industry. The impact of employees’ cultural values (power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and individualism vs. collectivism) on their perception of the appropriate leadership style (transactional and transformational leadership style) was theoretically discussed and empirically tested. To date, no studies have sought to link these two constructs (leadership styles and employees' cultural values), and therefore no model exists to theoretically and/or practically link these concepts within the hospitality industry in Egypt, a gap this paper aims to fill. A structured questionnaire derived from an extensive literature review was completed by employees in five star hotels. A total of 500 responses were obtained. One hundred uncompleted questionnaires were eliminated leaving 400 usable questionnaires with a response rate of 80%. Reliability of the variables was analyzed by employing Cronbach’s alpha method, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to test the dimensional structure of the study variables, and finally, Path analysis in structural equation modeling (SEM) was conducted to assess the research hypotheses. The results of the current study give evidence that might help hotel managers to adopt certain leadership styles to fit with the employees’ cultural values. The implications of the current study results were then discussed and interpreted.

Ethical Leadership and Employee Moral Voice: The Mediating Role of Moral Efficacy and the Moderating Role of Leader–Follower Value Congruence

Despite the general expectation that ethical leadership fosters employees’ ethical behaviors, surprisingly little empirical effort has been made to verify this expected effect of ethical leadership. To address this research gap, we examine the role of ethical leadership in relation to a direct ethical outcome of employees: moral voice. Focusing on how and when ethical leadership motivates employees to speak up about ethical issues, we propose that moral efficacy serves as a psychological mechanism underlying the relationship, and that leader–follower value congruence serves as a boundary condition for the effect of ethical leadership on moral efficacy. We tested the proposed relationships with matched reports from 154 Korean white-collar employees and their immediate supervisors, collected at two different points in time. The results revealed that ethical leadership was positively related to moral voice, and moral efficacy mediated the relationship. Importantly, as the relationship between ethical leadership and moral efficacy depended on leader–follower value congruence, the mediated relationship was effective only under high leader–follower value congruence. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Ethical Leadership and Employee Moral Voice: The Roles of Moral Efficacy and Value Congruence

Despite the general expectation that ethical leadership fosters employees' ethical behaviors, surprisingly little empirical effort has been made to verify this expected effect of ethical leadership. To address this research gap, we examine the role of ethical leadership in relation to a direct ethical outcome of employees: moral voice. Focusing on how and when ethical leadership motivates employees to speak up about ethical issues, we propose that moral efficacy serves as a psychological mechanism underlying the relationship, and that leader-follower value congruence serves as a boundary condition for the effect of ethical leadership on moral efficacy. We tested the proposed relationships with matched reports from 154 Korean white-collar employees and their immediate supervisors, collected at two different points in time. The results revealed that ethical leadership was positively related to moral voice, and moral efficacy mediated the relationship. Importantly, as the relationship between ethical leadership and moral efficacy depended on leader-follower value congruence, the mediated relationship was effective only under high leader-follower value congruence. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

The Importance of Ethical Leadership in Employees’ Value Congruence and Turnover

This study investigates the relationship between leadership, value congruence, and employees’ intention to leave in China’s hospitality industry. We test the moderating effect of cultural values on the relationships between these factors using data gathered from employees at ten branches of a major restaurant chain in South China. Our results show (1) a positive relationship between ethical leadership and leader–follower value congruence, (2) a significant moderating effect of collectivism on the relationship between ethical leadership and leader–follower value congruence, (3) a negative relationship between leader–follower value congruence and employees’ intention to leave, and (4) a significant mediating effect of value congruence on the relationship between ethical leadership and employees’ intention to leave. Although these findings apply only to the restaurant industry, it is clear that ethical behavior by group leaders builds value congruence and discourages employee turnover.

Leader-follower value congruence in social responsibility and ethical satisfaction: a polynomial regression analysis.

This paper presents empirical research into the relationship between leader-follower value congruence in social responsibility and the level of ethical satisfaction for employees in the workplace. 163 dyads were analyzed, each consisting of a team leader and an employee working at a large manufacturing company in South Korea. Following current methodological recommendations for congruence research, polynomial regression and response surface modeling methodologies were used to determine the effects of value congruence. Results indicate that leader-follower value congruence in social responsibility was positively related to the ethical satisfaction of employees. Furthermore, employees' ethical satisfaction was stronger when aligned with a leader with high social responsibility. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

The Impact of Transformational Leadership on Leader-Follower Work Value Congruence

This study builds on the theory that transformational leadership impacts perceptions of leader-follower value congruence. The study examines intrinsic, altruistic, and social work values in a sample of 150 workers in the United States. The hypotheses tested that different levels of transformational leadership, as perceived by followers, are positively related to follower perceptions of leader-follower intrinsic, altruistic, and social work value congruence. Utilizing hierarchical multiple regression, the findings indicate that levels of perceived transformational leadership are positively related to higher levels of perceived leader-follower intrinsic, altruistic, and social work value congruency. This study used four different measurement tools to test these hypotheses and controlled for task-oriented behaviors, tenure with supervisor as well as race, gender, and age similarity with supervisor. The findings suggest that organizations involved in a restructuring or reorganization due to either internal or external circumstances should emphasize developing leaders’ transformational leadership behaviors in order to capture benefits related to value congruency.

Examining Leader–Follower Congruence of Social Responsibility Values in Transformational Leadership

Recent reviews of corporate social responsibility (CSR) research indicate a need for studies of micro-level influence processes addressing CSR values. Transformational leadership is a values-laden influence process whereby leaders elicit superior follower performance through the alignment of work values. Using data from 129 leaders and 582 of their direct reports, this study’s results demonstrated that leader CSR values were associated with transformational leadership. Transformational leadership was positively associated with follower stakeholder CSR values and negatively related to follower shareholder CSR values. Leader stakeholder CSR values moderated the relationship between transformational leadership and follower stakeholder values, offering evidence of leader–follower value congruence while addressing a limitation of prior studies that adopted perceptual measures of values congruence. Implications for transformational leadership theory, practice, and future research are discussed.

Value Congruence and Charismatic Leadership in CEO–Top Manager Relationships: An Empirical Investigation

Although charismatic leadership theorists have long argued that leader–follower value congruence plays a central role in the development of charismatic relationships, few studies have tested this proposition. Using data from two studies involving a total of 329 CEOs and 1807 members of their top management teams, we tested the hypothesis that value congruence between leaders and their followers is empirically linked to follower perceptions of the charisma of their leader. Consistent with a relational perspective on charismatic leadership, strong support was found for the hypothesis that perceived value congruence between leaders (CEOs) and their followers (members of their top management teams) is positively related to follower perceptions of the degree of charisma possessed by the leader. Conversely, only limited support was found for the hypothesis that actual value congruence is linked to perceptions of charismatic leadership. Implications of these findings for research and practice are discussed.