Member Exchange Relationships Research Articles

Under dual perspective of work exchange and social exchange

PurposeWith the increasingly intensifying competition and the development and maturity of the modern organization, employees have no longer fully been attached to the organization. The employee‐organization relationship gets more and more attention. As spokespersons of their organizations, the leaders in all levels, to a considerable extent, have an effect on the understanding of the employee for the organization. The purpose of this paper is to explore leader and member exchange (LMX) relationships' impact on employees' organizational commitment and discuss the mediating effect of perceived organizational support (POS) during the period.Design/methodology/approachA sample consisting of 423 employees in four organizations was investigated. After testing the reliability of all questionnaires, the authors constructed a model of the mediating effect of POS between LMX relationships' impact on employees' organizational commitment and used structural equation model technology to verify it.FindingsThe results showed that: affect, loyalty and professional respect have a significant impact on affective commitment but the result of the contribution is not significant. So, work exchange (contribution) was different from social exchange (affect, loyalty and professional respect) in the influence on employee's organizational affective commitment. POS had an intermediary effect between the affect exchange and affective commitment in the organization. Leader‐membership has an important implication for the employee‐organization relationship. The exchanges of different dimensions between the leader and the member were different no matter for the affected contents of the attitude to the organization of the employee or for the affecting mechanism.Research limitations/implicationsAll variable data came from the same employee questionnaires, which may lead to potential problems of same source bias or common method variance. In order to test the influence of common method variance, this research carried out Harman's one‐factor test.Practical implicationsThe organization should emphasize developing the relationship between the leaders from various levels and the members, and in particular the social exchange out of the work must not be neglected.Originality/valueThe present study explores LMX's influence on employees' affective commitment towards the organization from a social exchange perspective. The authors adopted multi‐dimensions LMX, which is different from prior studies (e.g. Wayne et al. and Zhou and Bao) to discuss the mechanism of LMX's impact on subordinates' attitudes to the organization.

A two-study investigation of item wording effects on leader–follower convergence in descriptions of the leader–member exchange (LMX) relationship

The leader–member exchange (LMX) theory of leadership focuses on the quality of relationships built between leaders and subordinates; LMX measures are designed to assess the quality of these relationships. Since the leader and subordinate are jointly embedded in the relationship, it is reasonable to assume that their ratings of their relationship will converge to some reasonable extent. However, leader–member convergence on the most widely used measures, the LMX-7 and SLMX-7 scales, has historically been low. To address this, we conduct two studies to investigate whether item wording and content might be a cause of poor LMX convergence. The obtained results support the conclusion that the wording and content of these measures are, in fact, introducing attributional and social desirability biases into the rating process and causing some of the poor LMX convergence that is commonly seen. Implications for extant and future LMX research are discussed.

Perceptions of abusive supervision: The role of subordinates' attribution styles

Empirical work on the concept of abusive supervision typically employs measurements of subordinates' perceptions of abuse as the primary dependent variable. This study began with a test of the notion that a significant proportion of subordinates' perceptions of abuse can be explained by individual differences in subordinates' attribution styles and their perceptions of the quality of their Leader–Member Exchange (LMX) relationships. Results indicated that subordinates' hostile attribution styles were positively related to subordinates' perceptions of abuse and negatively related to subordinates' LMX perceptions. We also found evidence that the abusive supervision and LMX constructs are confounded. The results call into question the conceptual and empirical distinctions between the abusive supervision and LMX constructs and indicate that attribution style plays a significant role in these perceptions.

Global Mindset: A Construct Clarification and Framework

Global mindset has been proposed to be the only unique characteristic of effective global leadership. This article proposes a framework of global mindset that combines cultural intelligence and global business orientation. In addition, relationships are proposed between global mindset and individual outcomes such as trust, leader—member exchange relationship quality, and organizational commitment. Variables such as complexity of global role and leader distance are also proposed to moderate the relationship between a global leader’s global mindset and outcome variables. The authors also discuss the impact of the proposed relationships and discuss directions for future research.

A Narrative Approach to Pregnancy‐related Discrimination and Leader–follower Relationships

This study sheds light on women's perceptions of pregnancy‐related discrimination committed by the discriminated woman's immediate leader. The purpose is to show how women describe this perception during pregnancy and after their return to working life after maternity leave. Further, the study explores the ways in which the quality of the leader–follower relationship is revealed during the narration process. The research draws on five individual stories, collected in two rounds of interviews. Representations of several kinds of discriminatory practices can be found in the narratives and reveal that even being a partner in a good‐quality leader–follower relationship does not necessarily protect a woman from pregnancy‐related discrimination. However, women involved in a high‐quality leader–follower relationship described their perceptions in a more positive manner than those in a low‐quality relationship. The contribution of the article to the literature is twofold: firstly, the results challenge the traditional view that high‐quality leader–member exchange relationships lead to positive outcomes. Secondly, examining the different ways in which people describe their perceptions of discrimination deepens our understanding of the equality problems that working women face.

Who Abuses Their Coworkers? An Examination of Personality and Situational Variables

ABSTRACT This study examines predictors of abusive employee behavior toward coworkers. We examined two personality variables, negative affectivity and political skill, and two situational relationship variables—team member exchange and coworker relationship conflict. We tested our hypotheses with data obtained from a sample of 232 working employees. We found that political skill and team member exchange were negatively related to coworker abuse, whereas negative affectivity and relationship conflict were positively related. Additionally, we found statistical support for the negative affectivity-relationship conflict, political skill-team member exchange, and political skill-relationship conflict interactions. Practical implications and directions for future research are provided.

LMX, Context Perceptions, and Performance: An Uncertainty Management Perspective

This study investigates the role of leader—member exchange in moderating the effects of perceptions of organizational justice and politics on job performance. In contrast to previous research, which has relied on social exchange theory to explain these relationships, the current study uses uncertainty management theory to propose that relationships between employee perceptions of the context (e.g., perceptions of organizational politics, procedural justice, and distributive justice) and performance are stronger for employees who have lower quality leader—member exchange relationships with their supervisors. Analysis of data from a sample of 157 government employees and their supervisors provided partial support for the three hypothesized interactions and indicated that leaders play an important role in determining how employees respond to their perceptions of politics and justice and that neither social exchange theory nor uncertainty management theory fully explained our results. Theoretical and practical implications of our findings as well as directions for future research are provided.

Multi-Dimensional Leader Member Exchange and Work Attitude Relationship: The Role of Reciprocity

Multi-Dimensional Leader Member Exchange and Work Attitude Relationship: The Role of Reciprocity

Leader–Member Exchange and Work–Family Interactions: The Mediating Role of Self-Reported Challenge- and Hindrance-Related Stress

ABSTRACT The authors examined the relations among 4 components of the leader–member exchange (LMX) relationship (i.e., contribution, affect, loyalty, and professional respect) and the level of work–family conflict and work–family facilitation that an employee experiences. Further, the authors examined the mediating role of challenge- and hindrance-related self-reported stress on relations. In doing this, the authors linked positive and negative aspects of LMX, stressors, work–family conflict, and work–family facilitation. Data from a sample of full-time employed individuals support some hypothesized relations between components of LMX and work–family interactions. Also, results support the mediating role of hindrance-related stress in the relation between (a) the affect and loyalty components of LMX and (b) work–family conflict. The authors discuss the implications and limitations of their findings.

Representations of Change within Dyadic Relationships between Leader and Follower: Discourses of Pregnant Followers

This study explores the different discourses of change within dyadic leader—follower relationships due to the followers' pregnancy. The research draws on qualitative interviews with 20 pregnant working women in Finland The discourses of change were produced in tal through the participants' subjective emotional experiences about the direction of development (both positive and negative). Therefore, each of the discourses is presented here using representations of emotions. In this study, three different discourses were identified that represent change within the leader—member exchange (LMX) relationship. These were `practical discourse', `future orientation discourse', and `individual attention discourse'. The contribution of the article is threefold. First, the discursive approach applied in this study is rarely used in conjunction with LMX studies or studies concerning pregnant working women. Second, considering the accounts about change within relationships between pregnant followers and their leaders deepens our understanding about working women. Third, the findings challenge the traditional view that leader—member exchange relationships are stable.

Organizational justice, voluntary learning behavior, and job performance: A test of the mediating effects of identification and leader‐member exchange

AbstractThis paper presents and tests an integrative model of voluntary learning behavior. Drawing on social exchange theory, we argue that individuals are more likely to pursue learning activities when they identify with their employing organization and have a high quality leader–member exchange (LMX) relationship with their supervisor. We further argue that organizational identification is enhanced by both distributive and procedural fairness, whereas LMX quality is enhanced by interpersonal and informational fairness. Moreover, we contend that effective learning behavior improves job performance. The model was tested with a sample of 398 employees from a large automobile dealership. Results supported most predictions. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Pygmalion and Employee Learning: The Role of Leader Behaviors

The aim of this study was to investigate which leader behaviors mediate the relationship between leader expectations and employee engagement in learning activities. Based on Rosenthal’s Pygmalion model, five potential mediators of the Pygmalion effect were distinguished: leader—member exchange relationship, goal setting (i.e., goal specificity, goal difficulty), providing learning opportunities, and feedback. Data from 904 manager—subordinate dyads in six organizations showed that leader expectations were related to employee engagement in learning activities. Goal specificity, goal difficulty, and providing learning opportunities proved to be mediators. These findings suggest that goal setting lies at the heart of the Pygmalion effect.

The moderating effect of political skill on the demographic dissimilarity — Leader–member exchange quality relationship

LMX theorists have long argued that similarity between supervisors and subordinates will lead to the development of higher quality leader–member exchange (LMX) relationships. However, studies that have examined the impact of similarity on these relationships have found mixed results, suggesting the need for examining moderators. The purpose of the present study was to examine the impact of subordinates' political skill on the relationship between supervisor–subordinate racial similarity/dissimilarity (RSD) and the quality of LMX relationships. The sample consisted of 189 participants in a retail service organization. The results indicate that political skill is a significant moderator, and plays a substantial role in LMX relationship quality for racially dissimilar supervisor–subordinate dyads. The strengths and limitations of the study, and directions for future research are discussed.

Organisational relationship quality and service employee acceptance of change in SMEs: A social exchange perspective

AbstractThe paper used a social exchange lens to explore the impact of the quality of the relationship between supervisors and service employees on individual and organisational outcomes. The findings provide further evidence that the quality of the relationship between supervisors and service employees is a significant factor - in this case explaining almost half of the reasons as to why employees accepted or rejected organisational changes. Using the social exchange lens, the theory argues that the same characteristics evident in high quality leader–member exchange (LMX) relationships (effective levels of information, feedback and respect) are also likely to provide the ideal conditions for employees' to address their fears and answer their questions about potential organisational changes. As a result, service employees are more likely to accept the organisational changes. In addition, this study suggests that approximately half of job productivity and satisfaction is affected by the way LMX firstly affects employees' satisfaction with organisational communication processes, and secondly, their acceptance of organisational changes within SMEs.

Organisational relationship quality and service employee acceptance of change in SMEs: A social exchange perspective

AbstractThe paper used a social exchange lens to explore the impact of the quality of the relationship between supervisors and service employees on individual and organisational outcomes. The findings provide further evidence that the quality of the relationship between supervisors and service employees is a significant factor - in this case explaining almost half of the reasons as to why employees accepted or rejected organisational changes. Using the social exchange lens, the theory argues that the same characteristics evident in high quality leader–member exchange (LMX) relationships (effective levels of information, feedback and respect) are also likely to provide the ideal conditions for employees' to address their fears and answer their questions about potential organisational changes. As a result, service employees are more likely to accept the organisational changes. In addition, this study suggests that approximately half of job productivity and satisfaction is affected by the way LMX firstly affects employees' satisfaction with organisational communication processes, and secondly, their acceptance of organisational changes within SMEs.

Gender and the Quality of the Leader-Member Exchange: Findings from a South African Organisation

Traditional leadership approaches have tended to examine leadership solely from the leaders' perspective. Past research has also assumed the existence of a ‘general leadership style’, which a leader displays toward all subordinates. However, there are more modern, alternative approaches to leadership that emphasise the importance of the exchanges between leader and follower. One conceptualisation central to the understanding of leadership practices is the leader–member exchange model. This model was adopted in the present study as a theoretical framework from which to start developing an understanding of gender and leadership within a South African context. Leader–member exchange focuses on the individual dyadic relationship between supervisors or managers and each of their subordinates, and emphasises the differences in the manner in which a supervisor behaves toward different subordinates. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of gender on the quality of leader–member exchange relationships. The research was conducted on a sample of 29 individuals comprising two mixed gender groups, each supervised by a different supervisor (a male-supervised group and a female-supervised group). The findings revealed that males experienced a more positive leader–member exchange relationship under male supervision and females experienced a more positive leader–member exchange relationship under female supervision. Also, a significant interaction was found between gender of supervisor and gender of subordinate, thus emphasising different patterns of exchange between the two groups.

Exploring knowledge contribution from an OCB perspective

As participation in virtual community becomes popular, it is important to know how to encourage individuals to contribute actively and assist other members share their expertise. Through the lens of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), we explored the factors that facilitate voluntary knowledge sharing in a virtual community. We examined OCB in online gaming communities in which various behaviors can contribute to the community (the team) or to individuals (team members). Our aim was to gain insight into ways of creating an environment that facilitated voluntary sharing of knowledge. Our findings suggested that effective leader–member exchange relationships, the attractiveness of the group to individuals, and affection similarity were important in establishing a virtual environment within which voluntary contributions could be promoted effectively. In addition, our study suggested that better quality leader–member exchange relationships and positive affection toward the virtual team enhanced OCB.

Superior–Subordinate Relationships in Korean Civil Engineering Companies

The Leader–Member Exchange (LMX) relationship quality between superiors and subordinates in Korean civil engineering companies were empirically examined for superiors’ feedback-seeking behaviors. The results showed that for superiors, affect, loyalty, and contribution toward subordinates were positively related to seeking negative as well as positive feedback from subordinates. From subordinates’ point of view, affect, contribution, and professional respect toward their superiors were positively related to superiors’ negative feedback seeking, but affect was negatively related to superiors’ positive feedback seeking. It was also found that superiors and subordinates were not consensual in LMX and superiors’ feedback-seeking behaviors. For example, for superiors, all of the four LMX dimensions were positively related to superiors’ asking subordinates directly for feedback, whereas for subordinates, none of the LMX dimensions were significantly related to superiors’ asking subordinates directly for feedback...

Cross-cultural leadership: Goal interdependence and leader–member relations in foreign ventures in China

Abstract Cross-cultural leadership may be particularly challenging, as there are significant barriers to developing an effective relationship between managers and employees. Two hundred and thirty Chinese employees from various industries in Chinese Mainland were surveyed on their relationship with their American, Asian, and Chinese managers. Results, including structural equation analyses, support the hypotheses that cooperative, but not competitive or independent, goals help employees and their foreign managers develop a quality leader–member exchange relationship, which in turn improve leader effectiveness, employee commitment, and future collaboration. Cooperative goals may be an important way to overcome obstacles and develop an effective leader relationship within and across cultural boundaries.

Leadership in research and development organizations: A literature review and conceptual framework

We present a conceptual framework and review the empirical literature on leadership in research and development (R&D) organizations. Findings of studies reviewed suggest that transformational project leaders who communicate an inspirational vision and provide intellectual stimulation and leaders who develop a high-quality leader–member exchange (LMX) relationship with project members are associated with project success. Boundary-spanning activity and championing by the leader are also found to be important factors for project success. The review also suggests that a number of moderators and contextual variables such as project group membership and rate of technological change may make leadership in R&D organizations different from that in operating organizations. Propositions for future research are suggested.