Leader-member Exchange Relationships Research Articles

Time after time: optimizing individuals’ experience of work through leaders’ facilitation of employee flow

ABSTRACT We examine the nexus of leadership and flow through the lens of two inherently positive psychological leadership approaches. In so doing, we examine how leaders can craft conditions to make work more conducive to followers’ flow, and the beneficial effects this has on well-being and performance. Data were collected from 40 employees who completed an initial survey and subsequent daily surveys over two weeks (273 data points). Results from hierarchical linear modeling (level-1 days; level-2 persons) suggest that transformational leaders and leader-member exchange (LMX) relationships impact employees’ work characteristics, subsequently impacting daily flow. In turn, followers’ daily flow predicted daily psychological well-being and performance on subsequent days, further evidencing the downstream importance of flow-facilitative leader behaviors. Both transformational leadership and LMX were also found to predict psychological well-being through leaders’ impact on flow preconditions and flow itself in a full multi-stage mediation model.

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.

Empirical Study on the Relationship between Leader–Member Exchange, Employee Trust, and Team Knowledge Sharing

Knowledge sharing is influenced not only by the attributes of the knowledge itself and the hierarchical differences among knowledge holders but also by micro-level factors such as interpersonal communication and psychological dynamics. As the demands of the new economic environment evolve, the role of knowledge sharing among team members in knowledge management has become increasingly critical. A growing body of research emphasizes the importance of sharing knowledge resources as a means of gaining strategic advantages in enterprises. Previous studies have shown that leadership behavior plays a crucial role in fostering knowledge sharing among team members. However, there is limited research on the specific pathways and mechanisms through which leadership behavior influences knowledge sharing. Additionally, existing research lacks a comprehensive examination of the structure and measurement methods of leader–member exchange (LMX), as well as its impact on employee work outcomes. This study addresses this gap by examining trust relationships through the lenses of social identity and emotional interaction, with trust serving as a mediating variable to explore the impact of leader–subordinate interactions on knowledge sharing behavior. Drawing on the relevant literature, the study focuses on 358 employees, investigating the relationship between LMX as the independent variable, team knowledge sharing as the dependent variable, and employee trust as the mediating factor. The research findings are as follows: (1) The quality of the LMX relationship significantly influences employees’ team knowledge sharing; higher-quality LMX relationships are associated with increased knowledge sharing among subordinates. (2) Employee trust in both leaders and colleagues has a substantial impact on team knowledge sharing, with higher levels of trust positively affecting knowledge sharing behaviors. (3) Employee trust serves as a mediating factor in the relationship between LMX and team knowledge sharing. This study delves into the dynamics between LMX, team knowledge sharing, and trust, providing practical recommendations for strengthening these relationships.

The development of blended friendship in high leader-member exchange relationships: Mechanisms and consequences of a relational shift.

Confusion persists about the overlap between high-quality leader-member exchange (LMX) relationships and personal friendships between a leader and a subordinate. How these notions differ, shift from one to the other, and what their consequences are remain unclear. This paper proposes a framework that examines the fundamental differences between high LMX relationships and friendships. We argue that when high LMX relationships shift toward friendships, they in fact shift toward blended friendships, where the leader and the subordinate concomitantly enact two distinct roles, worker and friend. These blended friendships are qualitatively different from high LMX and from friendships. We detail the process by which blended friendship develops in the context of high LMX relationships and identify the key variables and mechanisms that drive the emergence of such blended friendships. We then examine how subordinates' well-being, job engagement, performance, and turnover may simultaneously benefit and suffer from their involvement in a blended friendship.

‘To be a Player, not a Piece’: LMX-Relationships in Late-career Employment

This study employs qualitative interviews with employees (50+) and managers from Norwegian private companies to investigate how retirement age norms affect leader–member exchange (LMX) relationships in the late stages of employment.This research reveals that organizational practices incentivizing early retirement establish retirement age norms and create pressures that significantly impact the LMX dynamic. Employees perceive managers as key in alleviating these pressures. However, the ability of managers to shield employees from retirement pressures varies, as managers face several competing challenges, such as providing opportunities and development for younger employees. While high-quality LMX relationships are crucial in reducing retirement pressures for older employees, differing managerial practices lead to varied support levels within the same organization, putting older employees in precarious positions. The article advocates for policy reforms that limit organizational early retirement practices and promote extended working lives, ensuring a more supportive employment environment for aging workers in private organizations.

UMBLE LEADERSHIP PERSPECTIVE ON CREATIVE PERFORMANCE: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY CLIMATE AND THE MODERATING EFFECT OF LMX

This study aimed to investigate how humble leadership influences creative performance by mediating the psychological safety climate and the moderating role of leader-member exchange (LMX). We hypothesized that humble leadership could positively foster a psychological safety climate, thereby enhancing creative performance, and that LMX would strengthen this positive effect of humble leadership. Using quantitative research methods, this study surveyed 684 ordinary white-collar employees in China and analyzed the collected data using structural equation modeling and multiple linear regression. Overall, the results supported all of the hypotheses. Humble leadership had a positive effect on both psychological safety climate and creative performance. There was also a positive effect on psychological safety climate and creative performance. Finally, psychological safety climate acted as a mediator between humble leadership and creative performance. When LMX levels were high, the positive effect of humble leadership on psychological safety climate became more noticeable. The conclusions of this study indicate that humble leadership is an effective means to promote employees' creative performance as it operates through shaping a psychologically safe work environment, while high-quality LMX relationships can further enhance this effect.

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.

Impact of Organizational Rewards on Employee Engagement with mediating role of Leader Member Exchange: Evidence from Banking Sector of Pakistan

The main objective of this study is to check the relationship of organizational rewards, leader member exchange (LMX) and employee engagement. Organizational rewards play a vital role to motivate the employees to be engaged in their work. This relationship is based on the principle of reciprocity. Managers motivate the employee by facilitating them with organizational rewards and reciprocally employees show enhanced engagement in their work. The relationship of manager with employees is of significant value. A manager acts as a mediator between the implementation of organizational rewards and employee engagement. Through the structural equation modelling (SEM), the relationship of organizational rewards, employee engagement and leader member exchange has been checked. The data was taken from the banking sector of Pakistan. The results reveal that organizational rewards significantly enhance employee engagement and this relationship remains persistent when mediated with LMX. This study is of unique significance because it discusses organizational rewards and their impact on employee engagement and also checks the relationship of organizational rewards and employee engagement with mediation of leader member exchange.

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 and Service-Oriented Organizational Citizenship Behavior: A Mediation-Moderation Model of Employee Envy and Psychological Empowerment Among Hotel Frontline Employees

ABSTRACT Leader–member exchange (LMX) is critical to service-oriented organizational citizenship behavior (SOOCB). This research investigates a mediation–moderation model theorizing the influence of employee envy and psychological empowerment on the LMX and SOOCB relationship. Using survey data acquired from 559 hotel frontline employees and analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM), this study reveals that LMX reduces employee envy and contributes to SOOCB, albeit indirectly, as employee envy was found to have an indirect influence on the relationship between LMX and SOOCB. To address the negative influence of employee envy, the findings suggest that psychological empowerment should be cultivated as it strengthens the effect of LMX in reducing employee envy and thus enabling LMX to exert an indirect influence on SOOCB when employee envy is mitigated.

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.

Leader-Member Exchange Relationship, School Culture, And Job Satisfaction: Their Implication to Senior High School Teachers’ Work Performance

Teaching might not be the most popular profession in the world, but it is undoubtedly the most populated. With the change in the Department of Education in the Philippines, school leaders and teachers are challenged to maintain work performance under stressful conditions. The aim of this study is to investigate the implication of leader-member exchange relationship, school culture, job satisfaction on teachers’ work performance. This study utilized descriptive correlational design and stratified random sampling on the selection of the 157 senior high school teachers from two private universities in Cagayan de Oro City, Academic Year 2023-2024. Data revealed that teachers and principals have a very strong leader-member exchange relationship and shows no significant difference on their relationship. Teachers’ meets their expectations in their overall school culture, has an overall moderate job satisfaction, and exhibits strength on their overall work performance. The study also reveals no significant difference of the teachers’ overall work performance in terms of profile. However, contribution on LMX, teachers’ collaboration on school culture, and job responsibilities and community attachments/linkages have contributed teachers’ work performance. Thus, the theory of Maslow confirms teachers’ needs based on the study’s results. Therefore, this study recommends teachers to possibly show sense of openness to their principal, foster collaboration with colleagues, enroll in graduates studies, engage in community services and teachers serving 5 years above to possibly improve their personal attributes and engagement in community activities. Principals, on the other hand, to provide equal opportunities and minimize the work of the teachers. School administrators to possibly meet the needs of the teaching staff in improving job satisfaction and future research to consider other variables as part of the study’s limitations.

The Impact of Perceived Overqualification on Time Banditry Behavior from the Perspective of LMX

Time banditry behavior is a negative extra-normative behavior, which has a negative impact on employee and organizational performance. However, it is easy to be ignored because of its strong concealment. In view of this, based on the equity theory, this study explores the influence mechanism of perceived overqualification on time banditry behavior. The results of a two-stage questionnaire survey of 430 employees show that the perceived overqualification positively affects employees' time banditry behavior; the perception of leader-member exchange relationship plays a partial mediating role in the process of perceived overqualification affecting time banditry behavior. Organizational chaxu climate positively moderates the mediating effect of leader-member exchange relationship perception.

Do intelligent leaders differentiate exchange relationships intelligently? A functional leadership approach to leader-member exchange differentiation.

The burgeoning literature on leader-member exchange (LMX) differentiation indicates that differentiating LMX relationships within groups has both benefits and costs when it comes to group effectiveness. Although some clarity is emerging surrounding the null total effect of LMX differentiation on group performance, we still know little about how leaders themselves shape the differentiation process. In this article, we extend theory to suggest that some leaders may differentiate more effectively than others. Drawing from functional leadership theory, we first identify a potential approach available to leaders likely to enhance their functional effectiveness-strategically investing in and developing stronger social exchange relationships with subordinates who can best help them fulfill the task functions (via task performance-based differentiation) and group maintenance functions (via contextual performance-based differentiation) specified within functional leadership theory. Embedding this potential approach within the ability-motivation-opportunity framework, we then develop a theory for which leaders are best positioned to recognize and pursue strategic relationship development this way. Specifically, we posit that leaders with stronger cognitive abilities (g) are more likely to recognize the value of such an approach, and those high in core self-evaluation are more likely to believe in their capabilities to successfully process, execute on, and persist with the approach. The results from two studies-a multisource study of leaders and team members in newly formed teams as well as a preregistered online vignette study using a sample of current and former supervisors-largely supported our predictions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

A meta-analytic review of family supportive supervisor behaviors (FSSBs): Work-family related antecedents, outcomes, and a theory-driven comparison of two mediating mechanisms

This quantitative review systematically integrates the antecedents and outcomes of Family-Supportive Supervisor Behaviors (FSSBs) through bivariate meta-analysis and meta-analytic structural equation modeling (MASEM). Utilizing data from 231 primary studies, which are drawn from 213 sources (N = 118, 100), we examined a set of hypotheses exploring the antecedents and consequences of FSSBs. We also conducted a comparative analysis of the explanatory power of two theoretical perspectives: the resource-based view (operationalized as work-family conflict and work-family enrichment) and the social-exchange perspective (operationalized as leader-member exchange relationship). Our results showed that the social-exchange perspective accounted for a greater proportion of FSSBs' impacts on work outcomes (i.e., in-role performance, and job satisfaction), while the resource-based perspective predominantly elucidates FSSBs' influence on employee wellbeing (i.e., burnout). In doing this, we unveiled nuanced insights into the nomological network surrounding FSSBs. Based on these results, we develop a future map for this growing body of research.

How leader-member exchange affects work outcomes in small-and-medium enterprises?

Orientation: Employees with a collectivistic culture want the closeness and support of their leaders. How leader-member exchange (LMX), perceived organisational support (POS), job satisfaction (JS) and organisational commitment (OC) influence each other still requires in-depth research because there are differences between the results of previous studies.Research purpose: This study examined the relationship model of LMX and POS as antecedent, mediator and moderator variables on work outcomes such as JS and OC in small- and medium enterprises (SMEs) with a collectivistic culture and high-power distance.Motivation for the study: Leadership in SMEs gets less attention because of its role in managing and carrying out operational activities.Research approach/design and method: Data were collected from 427 employees using questionnaires with purposive sampling, which was tested for validity and reliability. Structural equation modelling (SEM) and multi-group SEM were used to test the relationship model.Main findings: The results of testing four relationship models proved that the LMX relationship did not directly affect JS and OC but was mediated by POS. LMX can also be a mediator and moderator of the relationship model.Practical/managerial implications: This study emphasises the need to minimise the differences between in-group and out-group in the leaders-followers relationship to improve employee performance. Leaders must expand the range of their relationships with followers to improve work outcomes.Contribution/value-add: This study examined LMX as an important predictor of work outcomes with clearer mechanisms. LMX cannot be a predictor if employees do not feel the leader’s support as a representative of the organisation.

Translating team-member exchange relationships to school outcomes: the mediating role of leader-member exchange

PurposeRelying on the principles of the social exchange theory, the current study is aimed at investigating the impact of team-member exchange relationships (TMX) among school management team (SMT) members on school outcomes (organizational citizenship behavior [OCB], job satisfaction and innovation) via the mediating role of leader-member exchange (LMX) relationships between principals and SMTs.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from multiple sources in 86 elementary and junior high schools to avoid one-source bias: 86 principals, 357 SMT members and 683 schoolteachers who were not members of the management teams.FindingsThe results revealed a positive relationship between TMX and teachers' job satisfaction and OCB, but no significant link between TMX and innovation. LMX partially mediated the relationship between TMX and OCB and between TMX and teachers' job satisfaction. Full mediation was found in TMX-innovation relationship.Practical implicationsThe findings carry a message for school principals and policymakers regarding the importance of developing and maintaining high-quality horizontal and vertical exchange relationships among the SMT members for their positive influence on school outcomes.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to examine the link between TMX and LMX as a team phenomenon, and specifically in the educational setting. The finding that there is a positive link between the two constructs may imply that SMTs contribute to school success not only directly by exhibiting high-quality TMX but also indirectly through the high-quality LMX.

WORK CONDITION FACTORS AND EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL CAPITAL

Work conditions influenced employee engagement, but its influence was still unclear owing to its multifaceted nature and variations across professions and industries in highly dynamic environments. In addition, studies on the psychological mechanisms explaining this relationship were limited. The study examined specific work condition factors comprising leader-member exchange and role clarity as influences on employee engagement, given psychological capital as a mediating variable. Data were obtained from 231 customer-contact employees working in hotels in two major cities, Asaba and Warri, in Delta State, Nigeria, and analyzed using the partial least squares analytical procedure. The study found that leader-member exchange and role clarity relationships with employee engagement were positive and significant, and psychological capital mediated these relationships. Also, role clarity and psychological capital sequentially mediated the relationship between leader-member exchange and employee engagement. The study contributed an integrated research framework that uncovered the sequential effect of leader-member exchange on employee engagement and the simple and sequential mediation of psychological capital in this framework. The practical implications of the findings were discussed for improving employee engagement.

A Purposeful Approach to LMX Differentiation: The Role of LMX With Key Members

A central idea in the leader-member exchange (LMX) literature is that leaders, due to the limited organizational and personal resources available to them, often struggle with developing and maintaining high-quality exchange relationships with all of their members. As a natural consequence, leaders typically form high-quality relationships with a select few members—often those who seem likable or are similar to the leader—while maintaining formal and distant relationships (i.e., low-quality LMX) with others. This form of differentiated treatment of members creates tensions in team dynamics. In this paper, we propose that leaders can mitigate the downsides of leader-member exchange differentiation (LMXD) for team dynamics by being more purposeful and strategic in how they differentiate in their treatment of members. Specifically, we posit that when leaders strategically develop high-quality LMX relationships with key members—individuals occupying influential positions in team social networks—such key members will engage in behaviors that buffer the negative impact of LMXD on team dynamics. Our framework integrates LMX theory with perspectives from social networks research to illustrate how strategic differentiation influences task and relational team dynamics. Finally, we discuss recommendations for empirically testing, theoretical extensions, and practical implications of this framework.