Leader-member Exchange Quality Research Articles

Enhancing Workplace Well-being: Unveiling the Dynamics of Leader-Member Exchange and Worker Safety Behavior through Psychological Safety and Job Satisfaction

BackgroundIn healthcare, ensuring safety is crucial for quality care and patient outcomes. While research links leader-member exchange (LMX) quality to safety behavior, this remains understudied in healthcare. Our study explores LMX's long-term impact on safety behavior, proposing a model that includes the moderated mediating role of psychological safety and job satisfaction in the relationship between LMX and safety behaviors, regarding compliance (SCB) and participation (SPB). By identifying the mechanisms through which LMX influences safety behavior, this study can provide insights into the development of interventions that promote workplace safety and enhance the well-being of healthcare workers.. MethodsWe collected data from 325 Algerian healthcare workers across three public hospitals at three points. Through SmartPLS analysis, we used advanced features of Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) alongside PROCESS analysis to evaluate the relationships within our proposed model. ResultsOur analysis found a significant association between higher LMX and increased job satisfaction that positively correlated with enhanced SCB adherence and mediated the LMX-SCB relationship. This relationship was strengthened with high psychological safety. ConclusionOur study emphasizes the crucial role of LMX quality in shaping safety behavior among Algerian healthcare workers, providing insights for cultivating a safety culture in healthcare settings, highlighting the significance of prioritizing LMX, JS, and PS to improve workplace safety and support healthcare worker well-being.

The mediating role of psychological capital in the relationship between LMX and cyberloafing

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the direct impact of leader-member exchange (LMX) quality on cyberloafing as well as its indirect impact through psychological capital.Design/methodology/approachUsing a two-wave time-lagged design, data were collected from 417 full-time employees of 15 information technology service organizations in the Mumbai metropolis area of India.FindingsResults indicate that LMX quality is negatively related to cyberloafing and psychological capital partially mediates this association. Even though data were collected at two points in time, the self-reported nature of the data is a limitation.Practical implicationsResults of the study have practical implications. Designing interventions to help managers enhance the quality of their relationship with their followers will directly and indirectly reduce cyberloafing by enhancing psychological capital.Originality/valueThis study is among the first to examine the impact of LMX quality on cyberloafing. In addition, the reliance on psychological capital theory to predict cyberloafing is a novel contribution. This study explores why and when LMX quality inhibits workplace cyberloafing.

The Impact of Host-Country Supervisor Participation in Cross-Cultural Training on Expatriate Subordinate Outcomes

Using signaling theory (Spence, 1973) and leader-member exchange (LMX) theory (Dansereau et al., 1975), this study examines the effects of the participation of both host-country supervisors and expatriate subordinates in the same cross-cultural training on expatriate subordinates’ outcomes abroad. We propose that host-country supervisor participation in training sends a favorable signal and improves the quality of the host-country supervisor–expatriate subordinate relationship and interactions, thereby leading to improved expatriate subordinate outcomes. Host-country supervisor and expatriate subordinate dyads from a variety of countries took part in a web-based cross-cultural training before or shortly after arriving in the United States. Results indicate that the participation of both host-country supervisors and expatriate subordinates in the same cross-cultural training significantly impacts expatriates’ cross-cultural adjustment and job performance and that these benefits are conferred through increased LMX quality. The recognition and implementation of cross-cultural training is critical for organizations to evolve, compete, and succeed in a global context. This study is one of the first to empirically examine the role that providing both host-country supervisors and expatriate subordinates the same cross-cultural training can have in improving expatriates’ work-related outcomes. It is also one of the first to examine the role of LMX theory in these outcomes.

When work–life balance fails to boost organizational citizenship behaviors: the moderating role of leader–member exchange

PurposeSupporting employees’ work–life balance (WLB) has been a standard human resource management practice, thus the concern is now shifted toward its outcomes. The present study predicts that while WLB can boost organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs), this positive effect may depend on the quality of leader–member exchange (LMX) relationships. The study seeks evidence to clarify how the WLB–OCBs relationship can be moderated by the LMX quality.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 216 frontline employees in New Zealand was used to test two moderation models using SPSS, AMOS and PROCESS macro.FindingsWLB was found to have substantial effects on OCBs-individual (OCBs-I) and OCBs-organization (OCBs-O) if the quality of LMX was high. Under low LMX quality, however, WLB failed to boost OCBs-I and OCBs-O. Thus, the influence of WLB on OCBs seems to be conditional on the leader–subordinate relationship as a boundary factor.Practical implicationsSupporting low-LMX-quality employees to balance their work–life roles seems insufficient to push OCBs. Managers and organizations need to improve the quality of leader–subordinate relationships to unblock the desired effects of WLB toward OCBs, and, ultimately, organizational effectiveness and performance.Originality/valueThe findings extend the research stream around the boundary impact of LMX relationships on the employees’ WLB – OCBs link in which the OCBs construct was especially examined in terms of OCBs-I and OCBs-O.

The contribution of leader–member exchange (LMX) to organisational sustainable development: Results and implications from Kenyan public universities study

We aimed to establish the contribution of leader–member exchange (LMX) to sustainable development of public universities in the emerging country of Kenya. The participants were 320 employees from public universities in Kenya (female = 43.1%; middle level managers = 47.8%, top leadership team = 26.6%; mean year of service = 13 years, SD = 3.6 years). They completed measures on LMX, innovative work behaviour, organisational engagement and sustainable development. Following structural equation modelling, findings showed that high quality LMX characteristics exhibited between leaders and followers significantly contributed to organisational sustainable development. High quality LMX also significantly contributed to employee organisation engagement. The results further revealed that innovative work behaviour was positively associated with sustainable development in that high LMX relationships between leaders and their followers inspired workers to be more innovative in their jobs. Our findings suggest a need for emerging countries’ public universities to incorporate LMX in their policies and procedures for their sustainability. The results indicate that high LMX is a key factor for driving successful public universities in developing country settings.

A study on the impact of perceived leadership member exchange on innovation behavior by university lectures

Based on the social exchange theory, this study used the convenience maximization method to submit a form to 832 teachers. SPSS and AMOS software were used to analyze teachers' cognition of leader-member exchange (LMX) and teachers' psychological empowerment and psychological safety in innovative behavior. Meanwhile, the influence of education and professional background on these factors was evaluated. It also explores the impact of the quality of leader-member exchange on innovation, and the intrinsic role of psychological empowerment and psychological security in the process. The results show that teachers with different academic levels and titles have significant differences in leader-member interaction behavior, behavioral innovation, psychological empowerment and psychological safety. In addition, the quality of leader-teacher interaction is positively correlated with innovative behavior and psychological empowerment, indicating that leadership plays a positive role in improving teachers' innovative behavior. Psychological empowerment and psychological safety, as the key, connect the complex relationship between leadership, educational environment and innovative behavior.These findings not only provide practical strategies for higher education administrators to promote teacher innovation, but also provide a theoretical basis for widespread application in the field of organizational and environmental psychology, highlighting the potential role of leadership in creating environments that support innovation, empowerment, and safety. This framework provides a powerful tool for creating an innovative and conducive work environment. Supported.

Do You See What I See? Examining College Internships From Both the Intern and Supervisor Perspectives

Background: The mentoring and leader–member exchange (LMX) literature suggests that the relationship formed between interns and their supervisors contributes to interns’ career development. Although interns and their supervisors evaluate their relationship quality differently, the quality of intern–supervisor relationship is often evaluated only by interns in the literature. Purpose: This study examined college intern-supervisor relationships from both the intern and supervisor perspectives. Methodology/Approach: The quantitative data were collected from 183 college intern-supervisor pairs in the United States by a survey questionnaire. Interns and supervisors both reported their weekly interaction frequency and their LMX quality. Interns also reported their perceived career support received from the supervisors and clarity of their professional identity. Findings/Conclusions: For both interns and supervisors, their interaction frequency was positively related to their evaluation of LMX quality. However, only interns’ perceived LMX led to a greater perception of career support, which in turn fostered a greater sense of clarity of professional identity among interns. Implications: The study highlights the importance of interaction frequency in the development of high-quality intern–supervisor relationships and intern–supervisor differences in evaluating the relationship. Guiding both interns and supervisors to develop relationships can benefit interns’ professional growth and better address employers’ recruitment needs through college internship programs.

Exploring dual narratives of supervisory trust in remote supervisor–subordinate relationships

AbstractThis study evaluates the involuntary remote work experiences of subordinates and supervisors in terms of supervisory trust. Data were collected from professionals in Türkiye through an open‐ended questionnaire. The findings reveal that subordinates feel less supervisory trust, whereas supervisors confirm trusting their remote subordinates less. Utilizing leader–member exchange (LMX) theory as a theoretical approach, we argue that the lack of supervisory trust is a major setback for the quality of LMX and displays itself in the form of more controlling and monitoring together with criticisms over ability and behavioural integrity. Moreover, cognitive trust is more dominant in the remote dyadic trust relationship, even though the cultural context signals a more affect‐based one. This study contributes to the emerging literature on trust and LMX in virtual work settings by presenting dual narratives on supervisory trust in the supervisor–subordinate relationships under remote work conditions.

Licensed to Misbehave? Leader Decisiveness Given Follower's Competence and Misconduct

Based on the idiosyncrasy credit theory, this article empirically tests the idea that leaders are likely to be more (less) lenient toward more (less) competent subordinates for misconduct—employee behavior that should be punished. With a field survey of 103 supervisors and their 582 subordinates (study 1) and an experiment that manipulates subordinates’ competence and leader dependence on subordinates (study 2), the posited effect is found to be indirect through leader–member exchange (LMX) and stronger when the leader dependence on the follower was higher. The findings suggest that given the exact same misconduct, leaders are more likely to mete differential treatment based on perceived subordinates’ competency, and LMX quality works as the underlying mechanism for these effects. Thus, the present work highlights the dark side of LMX by demonstrating when and why leaders are likely to be compromised when it comes to disciplinary decisions and offers practical implications for organizations on how to handle employee misconduct. Theoretically, our work suggests that the quality of relation between credit holders and those responsible for overseeing norms functions as the underlying mechanism for the idiosyncrasy credit theory.

Leaders' mental health and leader-member exchange: Exploring relations on different levels of analysis.

Research on leader-member exchange (LMX) has shown that the relation between leaders and followers may be considered from different angles. Leaders may form individual relationships with followers (LMX quality), may agree with their followers on these relationships (LMX agreement), and may form different relationships within their work group (LMX variability). We posit that leaders' mental health may function as an antecedent for these different forms of LMX. We use conservation-of-resources theory as a theoretical model to describe how leaders' mental health may interact with relationship quality with followers on different levels. We operationalized leaders' mental health using depressive symptoms, anxiety, and stress reactivity. Our sample consisted of 322 followers of 75 leaders. Followers rated the LMX quality with their respective leader. Leaders rated depressive symptoms, anxiety, levels of stress reactivity, and LMX quality with their followers. Results of multilevel modeling showed that stress reactivity was negatively related to LMX quality and anxiety was positively linked to LMX agreement. Depressive symptoms were not related to aspects of LMX. By using multisource data on different analysis levels, we are able to include different perspectives on antecedents of LMX relationship quality. Implications for LMX at different levels of analysis as well as future research are discussed.

Leader Member Exchange as a Mediator of the Relationship Between Schools’ Openness to Change and Political Skills of School Principals

In today’s competitive and complex environment, school leaders require social influencing skills to mobilize schools to enable them to adapt to change. The schools’ openness to change (SOC) is affected by the direction and strength of relationships between teachers and principals in the school. In particular, the political skills of school principals can play a prominent role in mobilizing employees for change. This research investigates the impact of school principals’ political skills on schools’ openness to change, with a focus on the mediating role of leader member exchange (LMX) quality. The sample group was obtained by simple random sampling from 613 state teachers working in the Kocaeli province in Turkey in the 2019 to 2020 academic year. This study is based on quantitative data collected through the “Leader-Member Exchange Scale,”“Schools’ Openness to Change Scale,” and “Political Skill Inventory.” The measurement models of the latent variables (political skill, LMX, and SOC) were confirmed via running Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Afterward, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test the structural model. The results reveal that the political skills of school principals significantly predict the SOC and the LMX. Political skills of school principals affect schools’ openness to change positively, and leader-member exchange positively effects the relationship between political skills and openness to change. It’s recommended that activities supporting the quality of leader member interactions in schools be carried out.

Applying Organisational Support Lenses for Employee Retention: The Role of Supervisor Support and Compensation Fairness

Employee retention is critical, yet organisations face challenging talent markets and increasing turnover costs from departing staff. This study examines drivers of retention for professional workers to isolate actionable focus areas for organisations. Drawing on organisational support theory, perceived organisational support, compensation fairness, and quality leader-member exchange relationships are hypothesized to reduce turnover intentions. Survey data from a sample of 120 employees analysed using PLS-SEM, confirmed perceived organisational support as the strongest predictor, followed by compensation equity and supervisor support. All three fulfil socioemotional needs that build affective commitment and loyalty when present. Practical recommendations center on monitoring support perceptions through pulse surveys, purposeful communications conveying care for employees, and leader training on nurturing developmental relationships. Investing in perceived support elements represents a high-yield, affordable retention strategy. These findings refine broader retention drivers, spotlighting the centrality of care and inclusion assurances for anchoring talent. Limitations around generalizability and cross-sectional data point to useful future research directions.

Leader-member exchange differentiation and followers’ psychological strain: exploring relations on the individual and on the team-level

Due to social comparison in the team, leader-member exchange (LMX) differentiation has been shown to play a crucial role for explaining follower outcomes. LMX differentiation may be beneficial for some followers, but also detrimental for others, when perceived as unfair. In order to understand the impact of LMX differentiation on work-related outcomes, LMX differentiation should be described by three properties (relative LMX position, LMX variability, and team-level LMX). The aim of the study is to focus on LMX differentiation and test relationships between different properties of LMX and followers’ psychological strain. In sum, 75 teams with 322 followers answered an online survey about their leaders’ LMX and their individual levels of psychological strain. Results of multilevel modeling showed that the relative LMX position was negatively related to psychological strain on the individual level. This relation was moderated by LMX variability and team-level LMX. However, we did not find significant relations between team-level LMX and team-level psychological strain. The present study extends previous research by looking at relations between LMX and psychological strain on an individual follower level as well as on the team level. Our results suggest that the relative position of LMX within a team seems to play a crucial role for individual follower psychological strain. Results imply that leaders should aim to improve LMX relationships within their team and to reduce differences between team members. Leadership trainings should impart knowledge and skills to improve LMX quality and include elements about LMX differentiation, its origins, as well as consequences.

Unmasking the Connection Between Managerial Narcissism, Machiavellianism and Leader–Member Exchange in the Singaporean Construction Industry: Managerial Corporate Psychopathic Behaviour as a Mediator

The current study aims to investigate the effect of managerial narcissism and Machiavellianism on leader–member exchange (LMX) quality and the mediating role of managerial corporate psychopathic behaviour in the aforementioned relationships. A questionnaire was designed and distributed to management professionals working in the Singaporean construction sector. A total of 300 responses were collected and analysed through SPSS version 26 and SmartPLS 4 software. The results demonstrated that managerial narcissism and Machiavellianism were negatively associated with LMX quality. The findings of this study showed that managerial narcissism and Machiavellianism facilitate managerial corporate psychopathic behaviour. The study also found that a negative relationship exists between managerial corporate psychopathic behaviour and LMX quality. Most importantly, the study provided valuable empirical evidence on the mediating effect of managerial corporate psychopathic behaviour in the relationships between narcissism and LMX quality and between Machiavellianism and LMX quality, thereby highlighting the underlying mechanism interconnecting the variables. Practically, this study draws attention to the need for construction corporations to create an organizational culture emphasizing collaboration instead of hierarchy and autocracy to minimize the indifference between managers and subordinates.

The Impact of LMX and Job Stress on Service Quality of Police Personnel Through the Mediating Role of Job Satisfaction and Moderating Role of Social Support

This study examines how leader–member exchange (LMX) and job stress affect the calibre of service provided by police personnel, considering the mediating effects of job satisfaction and the moderating effects of social support. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse data from 1,273 people from North India and 552 police personnel. According to the findings, job satisfaction acts as a buffer between job stress and the good effects of LMX on service quality. Particularly at moderate and higher levels, social support reduces the mediation effect of job satisfaction between LMX and service quality as well as between job stress and service quality. This study offers insights to improve service quality for Indian police personnel through the presentation of a comprehensive framework that tackles job stress, job satisfaction, LMX and social support.

Basic psychological need satisfaction of collegiate athletes: the unique and interactive effects of team identification and LMX quality.

The present study sought to understand the relationships between team identification, leader-member exchange (LMX) quality, and the basic psychological need satisfaction of collegiate athletes, as well as the moderating role of coach-athlete LMX quality. Self-reported data from 319 collegiate athletes were analyzed using SPSS version 29. The relationships between the study variables were tested by moderation analysis using PROCESS macro model 1. Regression analyses showed team identification to be positively related to the satisfaction of the needs for competence and relatedness, while LMX quality was positively related to the satisfaction of the needs for competence and autonomy. Furthermore, moderation analyses showed that LMX quality positively moderated the relationship between team identification and the satisfaction of the needs for competence and relatedness. The results of this study highlight the important role that team identification and LMX quality play in the satisfaction of the basic psychological needs of collegiate athletes. The implications of these results for the optimal functioning of collegiate athletes are discussed.

The cost of protecting resources: a cross-sectional study on the interaction between LMX and role ambiguity on work addiction and burnout among Canadian first-level healthcare managers.

Using the conservation of resources (COR) theory, our study explores the interaction between role ambiguity and leader-member exchange (LMX) quality on burnout using work addiction as a mediator among Canadian first-level healthcare managers. Cross-sectional data was collected among 165 first-level managers working in healthcare with the support of interprofessional associations in Canada. Linear regression was used to test the presented hypotheses. Work addiction fully mediated the positive relationship between role ambiguity and burnout among first-level managers. In addition, high LMX exacerbated both the direct and indirect effects of role ambiguity. Our study contributes by identifying role ambiguity as a context under which LMX can have adverse effects for first-level managers in healthcare. Moreover, work addiction acted as a mediator, theorized as a risky resource investment which depletes managers' resources. Having a good relationship with their team further entices managers to develop a pathological relationship with their work to protect its members, which in turn is related to higher levels of burnout.

The role of psychological contract breach and leader-member exchange quality in Machiavellianism and organisational cynicism

PurposeBased on the trait activation theory and social exchange theory, this study proposed a model of the impact of Machiavellian personality on organisational cynicism (OC) through the mediating effect of psychological contract breach (PCB) and the moderating role of leader-member exchange (LMX) quality in PCB and OC.Design/methodology/approachA three-time points survey involving 264 employees from China’s hotel industry was conducted using quantitative methods. Subsequently, a structural equation model was constructed.FindingsThe results revealed that Machiavellianism positively affects OC, and PCB plays a mediating role in this process. In addition, LMX quality can buffer the effect of the PCB on OC.Practical implicationsThe study’s findings provide another insight into the relationship between Machiavellianism, PCB and OC. Managers must pay attention to the control of PCB and the establishment of LMX quality.Originality/valueThe study significantly contributes to hotel literature, as the Machiavellian personality subject has not been adequately investigated in the field to date.

Waiting for the Boss's Blue Checkmark to Appear: Supervisor's Attentiveness, Negative Emotions, and Work Engagement During Instant Messaging at Work.

In organizations, employees actively manage the immediacy with which they respond to instant messages to cope with mobile connectivity overload caused by continuous interactions. This research conducted a naturalistic observational design to examine real-life mobile connectivity behaviors in organizations and measure their occupational well-being consequences. Specifically, we focused on the use of a feature (WhatsApp's blue checkmark) that enables senders to know precisely when recipients choose to read their messages. In the study, 192 participants sent important messages to their supervisors through WhatsApp. The study used Confirmatory Factor Analysis and moderation analyses to explore the relationship between supervisors' attentiveness (indicated by WhatsApp's blue checkmark), negative emotions, work engagement, and the quality of leader-member exchange (LMX). Drawing on the perspective of 'digital well-being,' we investigated the role of relationship quality between supervisors and employees (LMX) as a moderator. We hypothesized that relationship quality would buffer against negative feelings and decreased work engagement when employees await a response after sending important messages to their supervisors. Indeed, supervisor's inattentiveness was positively correlated with negative affect and negatively correlated with employee engagement. Surprisingly, we found that employees with strong relationship quality (high LMX) with their supervisors experienced lower work engagement while waiting for an indication that their message had been read. These results suggest that timely indications of message read by supervisors play an important role in mitigating negative emotions and fostering higher work engagement among employees.

The impact of leader member exchange quality and differentiation on counterproductive and citizenship behavior in health care teams.

Organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) may increase service quality. In contrast, counterproductive work behavior (CWB) may undermine patient safety. Efforts to increase OCB and reduce CWB rely on a good understanding of their antecedents, yet there is a lack of research in health care to inform such endeavors. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of leadership, specifically leader-member exchange (LMX), in reducing CWB and increasing OCB in health care teams. Team survey data were collected from 75 teams in U.S. health services organizations. Polynomial regression and response surface analysis was used to investigate our hypotheses. For OCB, the response surface along the line of incongruence (a3) was positive and significant, and for CWB, a3 was negative and significant. The results of polynomial regression and response surface analysis indicate that OCB increases when LMX quality is high and that LMX differentiation is comparatively lower. In contrast, CWB increases when LMX differentiation is high, whereas LMX quality is lower. These findings provide useful suggestions to promote valuable extra-role behaviors in health care teams. Health care team leaders should aim to develop strong exchange relationships with all members if they wish to increase citizenship behavior and decrease counterproductive behavior. Building positive exchange relationships with only a few team members is likely to undermine citizenship behavior and increase counterproductive behavior.