Superior-subordinate Dyads Research Articles

Proactive personality, transformational leadership and ethical standards: influences on radical creativity

PurposeThis study aims to investigates the influence of proactive personality on employee radical creativity through transformational leadership, professional ethical standards and creative self-efficacy.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected from 343 superior–subordinate dyads in China. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed to measure the validity of the variables. A regression analysis was performed to assess the relationship between model assumptions.FindingsThe results showed that: (1) Proactive personality was positively related to employee radical creativity. (2) Transformational leadership and professional ethical standards moderated the relationship between proactive personality and radical creativity. Specifically, the relationship between proactive personality and employee radical creativity was strong, as expected. It was the strongest in the presence of high transformational leadership and high professional ethical standards. (3) Creative self-efficacy acted as a mediator in this interaction.Originality/valueThis study is a pioneering investigation in the Chinese context. It empirically examines the interactive relationship between proactive personality and radical creativity through transformational leadership and professional ethical standards. Additionally, it substantiates creative self-efficacy as the psychological mechanism behind this interaction. Consequently, this study offers a comprehensive framework with potential implications for personality assessments in the workplace, leadership training, criteria formulation and enhancement of radical creativity.

Motivating servant process for employee organizational citizenship behavior towards the environment: A goal setting perspective of integrating person-organization fit model

By integrating goal setting theory and person-organization fit model (P–O Fit), this paper construct a moderated mediation model to verify the relationship between environmentally-specific servant leadership (ESSL) and employee organizational citizenship behavior towards the environment (OCBE) in China's new energy vehicle industry. A hierarchical regression analysis of two wave data from 356 superior-subordinate dyads indicates that both ESSL and person-organization fit (P–O Fit) are positively related to employee OCBE. Meanwhile, P–O Fit mediates the relationship between ESSL and employee OCBE. Furthermore, this direct and indirect effect is strengthened when team pro-environmental goal clarity (as a moderator) is higher versus lower. Our findings expand the driving mechanism of employee pro-environmental behavior at the micro level, and provide a new lens of how and when ESSL affect employee green practice. Implications and limitations are discussed.

Adjustment and work outcomes of self-initiated expatriates in the United Arab Emirates: Development and testing of a model

Drawing upon anxiety/uncertainty management (AUM) theory and organization support theory (OST), we developed and tested a model on how globally mobile talent – in this instance, self-initiated expatriates (SIEs) - stay and perform well in the organization. We collected data from 276 superior-subordinate dyads, which were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). Our results suggest that role clarity mediates the influence of perceived organizational support and work adjustment. Furthermore, we found that work adjustment mediates the influence of role clarity on task performance and organizational citizenship behavior. We draw out the implications for advancing theory and practice in expatriate management.

What Makes Self-Initiated Expatriates Perform Well? Development and Testing of a Model

Drawing upon anxiety/uncertainty management (AUM) theory and organization support theory (OST), this study developed and tested a model of how self-initiated expatriates (SIEs) perform well. We collected data from 276 superior-subordinate dyads and which was analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the hypotheses of the study. The model posed that SIEs’ job performance depends on interplay of perceived organizational support and role clarity that, however, do not influence job performance directly. The results were in line with the idea behind the model: a). role clarity mediates the influence of perceived organizational support and work adjustment; and b). work adjustment mediates the influence of role clarity on task performance and organizational citizenship behavior. The implications of the findings for theory, practice and for future research are discussed.

Paternalistic leadership and innovation: the moderating effect of environmental dynamism

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to focus on how the three elements of paternalistic leadership – authoritarianism, benevolence and moral leadership – affect organizational innovation – both explorative and exploitative innovation – in Chinese enterprises. It also examines the moderating effect of environmental dynamism on the relationship between paternalistic leadership and organizational innovation.Design/methodology/approachData on 190 superior–subordinate dyads are collected using questionnaire surveys. The supervisors are recruited from the MBA program in a famous university in the city of Hefei, China, who are also asked to distribute subordinate questionnaires to their subordinates. The hierarchical regression analysis is conducted to test the hypotheses by using SPSS 22.0.FindingsThe analysis of 190 superior–subordinate dyads shows that benevolent and authoritarian leadership is positively related to exploratory innovation, while moral leadership has no significant impact on exploratory innovation. The results also reveal that all three elements of paternalistic leadership is, in general, positively correlated with exploitative innovation. Furthermore, environmental dynamism moderates the relationship between paternalistic leadership and innovation. In a dynamic environment, moral leadership has a stronger positive effect on innovation, but only on exploratory innovation; whereas authoritarian leadership exerts more detrimental effects on both exploratory and exploitative innovation.Originality/valueThe current work contributes to understanding the relationship between paternalistic leadership and innovation in the Chinese cultural context by examining the effects of the three elements of paternalistic leadership separately and by showing how these effects can be moderated by environmental dynamism.

Role of Leader Member Exchange (LMX) and Emotional Intelligence in Hospitality Industry

Employee attitudes and conduct is highly relevant for customer’s perception of high-quality service. Leadership to ensure exceptional conduct of employees, and to prevent supervisor undermining is of critical importance to the hospitality sector. This research investigates the significance of the leader-member exchange superior-subordinate dyads and emotional intelligence theories within the hospitality industry.

The Relationship among Emotional Intelligence and Outcome Variables: A Study of Indian Employees

This study examined the relationship among four dimensions of emotional intelligence (EI) as predictor variables vis-à-vis five dimensions of organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB) and in-role behaviour (IRB) as criterion variables. Sample constituted of 250 superior–subordinate dyads working on technical and non-technical jobs in power plants in India. Canonical correlation analysis and hierarchical multiple regression analysis have been applied to investigate the relationship between the two sets of variables. Demographic variables have been controlled, to find the unique variance in the prediction of criterion variables. Significant relationship was found between emotional intelligence dimensions and outcome variables with Rc = 0.569. Among the outcome variables, sportsmanship had the highest canonical loading and IRB had the lowest canonical loading. Canonical loadings for predictor canonical variate were highest for utilization of emotion and lowest for perception of emotion. Sensitivity analysis was carried out to validate the results obtained through canonical correlation analysis by removing individual independent variable at a time. The results showed little difference, indicating stability of the results. Overall the results established significant relationship among the predictor and criterion variables. However, the dimensions of EI were better in predicting OCB dimensions as compared to IRB of the respondents.

Managing others like you were managed: How prevention focus motivates copying interpersonal norms.

In 5 studies, we investigated the relation between regulatory focus and the tendency to copy a role model's managing behavior after one experiences this behavior as its recipient and later takes on the same managing role. Because enacting role-related behaviors fulfills interpersonal norms that fit prevention concerns, we predicted a stronger tendency to copy among individuals with a stronger prevention focus on duties and obligations ("oughts") but not among those with a stronger promotion focus on aspirations and advancements (ideals). We also predicted that individuals with a stronger prevention focus would tend to copy a managing behavior regardless of their earlier hedonic experience with this behavior as its recipient. These predictions were first supported in 2 experimental studies, where a stronger prevention focus was measured as a chronic disposition (Study 1) and experimentally induced as a temporary state (Study 2). Further, we tested the mechanism underlying the relation between stronger prevention and stronger copying and found that concerns about the normativeness, but not the effectiveness, of a managing behavior motivated copying for individuals with a strong prevention focus (Studies 3 and 4). We generalized these experimental results to the field by surveying a sample of superior-subordinate dyads in real world organizations (Study 5). Across all studies, we found that individuals with a stronger prevention focus tend to copy more a role model's managing behavior--independent of their hedonic satisfaction with the behavior as its recipient and their perception of its effectiveness.

Empowering leadership: An examination of mediating mechanisms within a hierarchical structure

Drawing from recent theory and research on empowerment and resistance, data on leader behaviors and follower responses were collected from superior–subordinate dyads in 179 public high schools. Structural equation modeling revealed that empowering leadership was associated with higher employee performance and satisfaction, as well as reduced dysfunctional resistance. Also, employee dysfunctional resistance partially mediated the relationship of empowering leadership with (a) employee performance and (b) employee satisfaction. These results are interpreted as supportive of a perspective that endorses the utility of empowering leadership at the dyadic level within a hierarchical power structure.

Determinants of Transformational Leadership and Organizational Citizenship Behavior

Using a sample of 93 superior-subordinate dyads from various organizations in India, this study looked at the relationships between leader's organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), transformational leadership, and follower's OCB. It also looked at leader's public self-consciousness and self-monitoring as antecedents to leader OCB, and leader's social skills and even-temperedness as antecedents to follower OCB. Results show that public self-consciousness is positively related to leader OCB, leader OCB is positively related to transformational leadership, and transformational leadership, social skills, and even-temperedness are positively related to follower OCB.

Effective Leadership in Superior-Subordinate Dyads

This paper describes and experimentally demonstrates the main tenets of an operant theory of leadership. Leadership is characterized in the current paper as involving problem solving operant behavior (Cerutti, 1989; Skinner, 1969) in a social context (Skinner, 1953). The theory was assessed under two experimental analogs modeled from generic formal organizational bureaucratic leader-follower role relations. Under a minimal leadership contingency (MLC) leaders and followers in N = 4 dyads interacted via button pressing and trigger pulling responses, respectively, and they received feedback on counters located on response panels in their separate rooms. Under the MLC every leader button press added a point worth money to one of the follower's counters but the leader received no points worth money based on follower responses. A leadership contingency (LC) was identical to the MLC except that for every 19th follower trigger pull the leader received a point worth money. As anticipated, high rates of leader-follower interaction evolved in all dyads under the LC and appreciably lower rates occurred under the MLC as leader button pressing extinguished under the MLC with repeated exposures to the two contingencies presented in ABABAB fashion. Results were discussed in terms of the theory and data as they may be related to assessment and maintenance of leader-follower interactions and performance in OBM lab and field experiments.

Relational demography in supervisor–subordinate dyads: Impact on subordinate job satisfaction, burnout, and perceived procedural justice

Summary Although research has shown that demographic dissimilarity within groups is negatively associated with organizational attachment-orientated variables, few studies have investigated its relations with other job-related variables. Focusing on relational demographics within the context of superior-subordinate dyads, associations between relational demographic characteristics and subordinate job attitudes and perceptions were examined using polynomial regression. Relational race was found to correlate with perceptions of procedural justice and job satisfaction, but not job burnout. The implications of these findings for future relational demographic research are discussed. ? 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. J. Organiz. Behav. 18: 351-362 (1997)

Leadership and Empowerment: A Social Exchange Perspective

This paper proposes that the receipt of negotiating latitude and support for self-worth from superiors empowers subordinates by increasing their perceptions of control. Subordinates reciprocate by performing in accordance with supervisory preferences. Additionally, superiors who utilize empowering leadership practices are predicted to be viewed as fair by subordinates. The results from the analysis of data collected from 92 superior-subordinate dyads support these hypotheses. The implications of empowerment for management are discussed.

Beyond Simple Demographic Effects: The Importance of Relational Demography in Superior-Subordinate Dyads

Beyond Simple Demographic Effects: The Importance of Relational Demography in Superior-Subordinate Dyads

Centralization of Decision Making and Accountability Based on Gender

Different gender combinations in superior-subordinate dyads were examined and results indicated that female employees perceived that they were delegated less authority or influence in decisions affecting their work. These results were consistent regardless of the gender of the manager and no differences were found across industry. Implications for career advancement and organizational socialization of female employees are discussed.

Sex and sycophancy: Communication strategies for ascendance in same-sex and mixed-sex superior-subordinate dyads

The purpose of this study was to examine communication strategies for ascendance in same-sex and mixed-sex superior-subordinate dyads. The strategies, operationalized in terms of task and social facilitation, were derived from Bales' Interaction Process Analysis categories. Corollary data were collected relative to the subordinate's expected job satisfaction under male versus female supervision. Results indicated that (1) the perceived importance of task versus social facilitative strategies varied both within and across the four types of dyads, and (2) female subordinates expected to be more satisfied working under female supervision than did male subordinates.

Perception and management of superior-subordinate conflict

This study investigated interpersonal conflict that occurred on the job. Members of 36 superior-subordinate dyads representing 10 organizational subunits completed the Employee Conflict Inventory (ECI). An independent sample of employees ( N = 169) from the same subunits completed the Profile of Organizational Characteristics which was used to measure organizational climate. Results from the ECI indicated that dyad members held similar perceptions concerning the topics and sources of superior-subordinate conflict; technical and administrative issues were the most frequent topics, and differences in perception and knowledge were the primary reasons. Although perceptions of the other party's management of conflict were similar to the respondent's description of self, they differed significantly from the other's own self description. Conflict management was related to status differences as well as to attitudes toward conflict and corresponded to response styles predicted to emerge in consultative organizational climates.