Supervisor-subordinate Dyads Research Articles

Great minds think alike: does leader-follower similarity in construal level of the work enhance leader-member exchange quality?

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate whether leader-follower similarity in construal level of the work, which indicates the degree of abstraction applied to mental representation of the work, influences the quality of interpersonal relationship at work.Design/methodology/approachFirst, an interview study was conducted to adapt the work-based construal-level (WBCL) scale. Then, a survey study was conducted for hypothesis testing. Data collected from 245 matched supervisor-subordinate dyads were analyzed using multi-level modeling.FindingsResults revealed that dyadic similarity in work-domain construal level is positively related to leader-member exchange (LMX) quality. As a leader and a follower become similar to each other in terms of mental representation (i.e. construal level) of work, they experience higher relationship quality.Originality/valueThis study enhances the current knowledge of the role of cognition and cognitive similarity in leadership processes.

Effects of Coworkers' Helping Behavior on Employees' Knowledge Sharing and Creativity: The Moderating Role of Interactional Justice.

Although it is important to examine how creative performance can be achieved by facilitating knowledge sharing activities among its members, few studies have examined these relationships. Therefore, this study analyzed the effects of coworkers’ helping behavior on knowledge sharing and creativity. It also attempted to demonstrate the moderating role of interactional justice as a situational variable that positively affects coworkers’ helping behavior. Using data from 200 full-time supervisor–subordinate dyads in a large public institution located in South Korea, we performed multiple regression analysis and the bootstrapping method to test our hypotheses. The results of this study presented that coworkers’ helping behavior encouraged individuals to share knowledge and increase their creative performance. Moreover, this study demonstrated that the positive effect of coworkers’ helping behavior on employees’ creativity through their knowledge sharing was stronger when interactional justice was high rather than low. Therefore, this research contributes to finding the critical factors that enable a company to gain a competitive advantage by providing the impact of coworkers’ helping behavior and supervisors’ interactional justice on knowledge sharing and creativity among employees.

An approach to employees’ job performance through work environmental variables and leadership behaviours

This study examines how the combined effects of work environmental factors and leadership behaviours lead to the presence (or absence) of industrial employees job performance by applying fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). A sample composed of supervisor-subordinate dyads was used to test the propositions of this study. The results show that the most important variables are transformational leadership and social support. Employee empowerment and task significance seem to play a secondary role in leading to employee job performance. These findings support the need for managers to use positive leadership to manage human resources. This paper contributes to the advancement of the knowledge of employee job performance through the identification of the combinations of conditions that can lead to the presence or absence of this important organizational outcome. Directions for future studies are commented on at the end of the paper.

Perceptions of co-worker exclusion and performance outcomes: are different forms of support helpful or hurtful?

AbstractWe argue that social support can be helpfulorhurtful in the context of performance outcomes for employees experiencing co-worker exclusion. We contend that employees' perceptions of co-worker exclusion are negatively associated with task performance and citizenship, and positively associated with interpersonal deviance. We further contend that whether social support strengthens or weakens the negative performance outcomes of co-worker exclusion depends on whether the source of social support is from co-workers or family and friends. Using data obtained from 135 supervisor–subordinate dyads across various occupational positions, we find that co-worker support is hurtful, whereas family and friends support is helpful. We also find a three-way interaction: task performance suffers most when employees who feel highly excluded also perceive higher co-worker support and lower family and friends support. These results suggest a need for a more nuanced view of social exchange/support, and build our knowledge about ambivalent relationships.

Corporate environmental responsibility and employees’ pro-environmental behaviors at work: insights from organizational identification and workplace spirituality perspective

Although corporate environmental responsibility (CER) can influence employees’ attitudes and behaviors, little research has been done to explain the effect of different dimensions of CER (e.g. substantive and symbolic CER) on employees’ pro-environmental behaviors at work, and further to explore the underlying mechanism and the boundary condition of this effect. This research built a theoretical model to explain how and when substantive and symbolic CER influences employees’ pro-environmental behaviors. 188 matched supervisor-subordinate dyads were collected from the manufacturing industries in China. The findings revealed that substantive CER has a positive effect on employees’ pro-environmental behaviors. However, symbolic CER has a negative effect on employees’ pro-environmental behaviors. Furthermore, substantive CER also significantly and indirectly affects employees’ pro-environmental behaviors via organizational identification, while symbolic CER has no significantly indirect effect on employees’ pro-environmental behaviors via organizational identification. In addition, employees’ workplace spirituality moderates the effect of CER on their pro-environmental behaviors.

Effect of despotic leadership on counterproductive behavior: the role of reduced organization-based self-esteem and emotional stability

Purpose: The aim of this paper was to examine the effect of despotic leadership behavior on followers’ counterproductive behavior. It was also hypothesized that the effect would be mediated by reduced organization-based self-esteem (ROBSE) and moderated by employee emotional stability. We draw upon the conservation of resources perspective and social exchange theory. Theoretical framework: We draw upon social exchange theory. Design/methodology/approach: The setting of the study was SMEs (small and medium enterprises) in the Gujranwala Division of Pakistan. Time-lagged data were collected from 227 supervisor-subordinate dyads. Structural equation modeling was applied to test the direct and mediating effects. Interaction moderation was performed using Hayes’ PROCESS macro in SPSS. Findings: The findings suggest that despotic leadership has a positive effect on counterproductive behavior. Reduced organization-based self-esteem partially mediates the influence of despotic leadership on counterproductive behavior. Similarly, emotional stability moderates the impact of despotic leadership on counterproductive behavior. Research Practical & Social Implications: The phenomenon of despotic leadership is not new in organizations; however, it has only recently attracted interest from researchers. It is a good time to empirically investigate the impacts this leadership style can have on subordinates. Originality/Value: For the first time, it is confirmed by our results that despotic leaders’ behavior lowers subordinates’ self-esteem and causes them to engage in counterproductive behavior, except those who have high levels of emotional stability. The study sheds light on the ill effects of despotic leaders on followers. Keywords: despotic leadership, counterproductive behavior, reduced organization-based self-esteem, emotional stability

Social Learning in Empowering Leadership: A Moderated Mediation Analysis

This study suggests a comprehensive social learning model of empowering leadership by focusing on the antecedents and processes of empowering leadership. Data were obtained from subordinate–supervisor dyads from the South Korean Army. The results support the social learning of empowering leadership. Specifically, the empowering leadership of high-level leaders facilitates that of low-level leaders, and this relationship is mediated by leader-leader exchange (LLX). Additionally, the results confirm the existence of a moderated mediation relationship among the constructs of interest; that is, the exchange ideology of low-level leaders moderates the relationship between LLX and their empowering leadership, such that the relationship is stronger when the exchange ideology is weak rather than strong. Thus, a weak exchange ideology strengthens the indirect effects of the empowering leadership of high-level leaders on that of low-level leaders through LLX. Theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.

My boss' passion matters as much as my own: The interpersonal dynamics of passion are a critical driver of performance evaluations

SummaryCompanies often celebrate employees who successfully pursue their passion. Academic research suggests that these positive evaluations occur because of the passion percolating inside the employee. We propose that supervisors are also a key piece of this puzzle: Supervisors who are more successful in their own pursuit of passion place more value on passion in their performance evaluations. This produces an interpersonal dynamic whereby employees who are more successful in pursuing their passion may receive higher performance ratings when their supervisors are also more successful in pursuing their passion. We provide support for this core hypothesis across a crowdsourced study with a heterogeneous sample (N = 106 subordinate–supervisor dyads), a field study with a financial services company (N = 321 subordinate–supervisor dyads), and a laboratory experiment (N = 205) that offers both causal and mediating evidence. Crucially, we demonstrate that this interpersonal dynamic is specific to passion and does not apply to less observable motivations (intrinsic and extrinsic motivation). These results demonstrate that supervisors who successfully pursue their passion may overvalue passion relative to other valuable attributes, leading to potential bias. They also give a new perspective on managing upward: Employees may further their own careers by helping their supervisors pursue their passion.

Coping with job stress for hospital nurses during the COVID-19 crisis: The joint roles of micro-breaks and psychological detachment.

To examine a mediated moderation of the effects of micro-break activity and psychological detachment on the relationship between job stress and work engagement among hospital nurses. Nursing burnout, compassion fatigue and job stress have been relatively constant issues in nursing for at least the past decade-and the pervasiveness of the COVID-19 pandemic is intensifying them, which may lead to new challenges to work engagement. We tested our model using a time-lagged design to collect data from supervisor-subordinate dyads in seven public hospitals located in southern China, and 263 nurses and 58 head nurses in this survey. Confirmatory factor analysis, Pearson's correlation and hierarchical multiple regression were carried out. The results showed that the adverse impact of job stress on work engagement disappeared when nurses engaged in high levels of micro-break activity. Moreover, the moderating role of micro-break activity was mediated by psychological detachment. Micro-break activity and psychological detachment play joint roles in helping nurses to cope with job stress. Nurse managers should change their negative attitude toward micro-break activity (if it exists) and help nurses find opportunities for detachment under high-pressure environment.

From employee creativity to leader empowering behaviors: the roles of supervisor–subordinate guanxi and supervisor–subordinate similarity

AbstractAlthough employee creativity has been identified to promote organizational competitiveness, its effect on leader empowering behaviors remains underexplored. This study investigated the underlying mechanism and boundary condition under which employee creativity influences leader empowering behaviors. Drawn on social exchange theory and similarity-attraction theory, this study developed a moderated-mediation model in which supervisor–subordinate guanxi serves as the intervening mechanism and supervisor–subordinate similarity serves as a boundary condition influencing this relationship. Using three-wave, time-lagged survey data collected from 309 supervisor–subordinate dyads, this study found that supervisor–subordinate guanxi mediates the relationship between employee creativity and leader empowering behaviors, and that this relationship is stronger when supervisor–subordinate similarity is high rather than low. Finally, theoretical and practical implications were discussed.

Does leader mindfulness influence voice behavior? Leader–member exchange as a mediator

In this study we identified leader mindfulness as a characteristic relevant to facilitating employee voice behavior, and examined leader–member exchange (LMX) as a mediator of this relationship. Via a field study of supervisor–subordinate dyads (197 subordinates and 62 supervisors) in a large retailing company in East China, we revealed a partial mediation model in which leader mindfulness was positively related to employee voice behavior both directly and indirectly through LMX. Our findings suggest that attention should be paid to mindfulness in organizations, and leaders should aim to develop highquality LMX relationships with their subordinates.

Despotic leadership and job performance: A test of serial mediation and moderation model

Drawing on COR theory, this research investigates the negative side of leadership and examines how despotic leadership undermines subordinates’ job performance by testing a serial mediation moderation model. The present study proposes surface acting and emotional exhaustion as explanatory mechanisms in the despotic leadership—performance relationship. Moreover, it investigated faith as a coping mechanism between despotic leadership and surface acting. Three wave time-lagged data were collected from supervisor-subordinate dyads (N= 241) working in manufacturing and service organizations. The results showed that despotic leadership has a direct and negative relationship with job performance and a negative indirect relationship with job performance via surface acting and emotional exhaustion. As expected, when subordinates religious faith increases, the positive relationship between supervisor’s despotism and subordinates’ surface acting becomes weaker. These findings have important implications for organizations wish to mitigate the negative effects of despotic leadership.

Understanding versus Liking: Disability Dissimilarity as Predictor of Idiosyncratic Deals

Although people with disabilities (PWD) represent the largest minority in the world, they are still underrepresented within organizations. Idiosyncratic deals (i-deals) are an effective tool to realize accommodations for PWD, aligning their individual needs and abilities with job demands. While antecedents of i-deals are generally under-researched, this particularly applies to minority employees, such as PWD. Past research demonstrated that similarity in supervisor-subordinate dyads plays a decisive role in this respect. We go beyond the similarity attraction paradigm by introducing the perceived need for accommodation, which is operationalized by person-job fit, as a second theoretical process. We argue that both processes interact depending on the different subordinate-supervisor dyad constellations. They can either reinforce or oppose each other, leading to different outcomes in terms of i-deals and subsequent job and life satisfaction. We test our hypotheses in a time-lagged sample of 6’944 employees who are representative for the German working population. We compare three different scenarios with the baseline in which neither of the dyad members has a disability and find a varying amount of i-deals, also with regard to the different types of i-deals. In dyads in which both members have a disability, more i-deals of any type are granted. Dyads, in which only the subordinate has a disability, do not differ in terms of task and location i-deals, but schedule i-deals are lower, suggesting that similarity outweighs perceived need. However, supervisors with disabilities grant more task and location i-deals to their subordinates without disabilities.

Leader Financial Insecurity and Ethical Leadership

While previous research has explored dispositional and managerial antecedents of ethical leadership in order to promote this positive style of leader behaviors, our knowledge regarding whether broader and extra-organizational context within which supervisors operate may affect the emergence of their ethical leadership remains underspecified. In this research, we draw on uncertainty management theory (UMT) to examine how and when supervisor financial insecurity influences ethical leadership behavior at work. Specifically, we suggest that supervisor financial insecurity triggers supervisor anxiety, which in turn inhibits the demonstration of ethical leadership. We also examine organizational pay fairness as a moderator in this mediation process, such that supervisors who perceive their pay as fair are less susceptible to the anxiety resulting from financial insecurity than those who perceive their pay as unfair. Results from a three wave, multisource field study involving 305 supervisor-subordinate dyads provided support for our hypothesized model. Theoretical and practical implications of our findings are discussed.

Can I speak up? The effect of ethical human resource management on employee ethical voice

Organizational development includes moral challenges, and some ethical decisions need to be made; otherwise, the organization will face great public pressure and damage to its public image. In recent years, scholars have expanded past human resource management practices and proposed ethically oriented ones. Can these practices promote employee ethical voice? Based on the social cognitive theory of moral thought and action, this study investigates ethical human resource management (HRM) and ethical voice relationship involves the mediating role of ethical efficacy and the moderating role of ethical task complexity. Data from 265 supervisor-subordinate dyads employed in China revealed that employees’ ethical HRM perceptions directly and indirectly affect their engagement in ethical voice through ethical efficacy, and these effects are stronger for high levels of ethical task complexity. The theoretical and practical implications of our ?ndings are further discussed.

Do for My Job! A Moderated Mediation Model of Responsible Leadership and Unethical Pro-job Behavior

Unethical pro-job behavior, as a form of self-externalization, has been intriguing increasingly scholars’ interest. Employees tend to engage in unethical pro-job behaviors that strengthen their bonds with jobs. This study examined the antecedent of unethical pro-job behaviors from the perspective of leadership. 252 supervisor-subordinate dyads data conducted in four foreign-owned enterprises in the east of China showed that responsible leadership negatively affects the employee's unethical pro-job behavior through the mediation effect of moral disengagement; leader identification positively moderates the negative relationship between responsible leadership and moral disengagement; furthermore, the indirect effect of responsible leadership on unethical pro-job behavior through moral disengagement was positively moderated by leader identification. This study discusses theoretical and practical implications.

Understanding Deviance Spillover in Organizations

Drawing on moral disengagement theory, we developed and tested a dual-stage moderated mediation model to explore the spillover effect of workplace deviance as well as the boundary conditions of the spillover. A two-wave survey was conducted on 231 supervisor-subordinate dyads. Results showed that (a) employee deviance increased abusive supervision, which triggered supervisor-directed aggression; (b) supervisor’s organizational embodiment strengthened the positive relationship between employee deviance and abusive supervision; (c) subordinate’s perspective taking weakened the positive relationship between abusive supervision and supervisor-directed aggression; (d) the indirect effect of employee deviance on supervisor-directed aggression through abusive supervision is most pronounced when supervisor’s organizational embodiment is high and subordinate’s perspective taking is low. The findings suggest how organizational embodiment and perspective taking may influence the spillover effect among different forms of workplace deviance. Implications for how to handle the spillover effect of workplace deviance are also discussed. Key words: employee deviance; abusive supervision; organizational embodiment; perspective taking; spillover effect

How and when leader humility encourages follower leadership potential

Leader humility has received increasing attention in research and practice in recent years; however, little is known regarding whether leader humility can foster followers’ leadership potential. Drawing on expectation states theory and using data collected from 216 supervisor-subordinate dyads, we investigate how and when leader humility can foster followers’ leadership potential. Results indicate that leader humility promotes followers’ leadership potential (i.e., followers’ motivation to lead and taking-charge behaviors) via the followers’ perception of their own workplace status. However, the aforementioned effects occur only among those followers who are high in individualistic orientation. Our research offers novel theoretical and practical insights into consequences of leader humility.

Frequent Changes Undermine Employee Adaptivity: The Importance of Job Crafting and Personal Needs

Drawing on the transactional theory of stress and self-regulation theory, we propose a conceptual framework examining how change frequency relates to approach or avoidance adaptations. Multiwave, multisource data from 424 subordinate-supervisor dyads indicate that (1) approach and avoidance crafting mediate the negative relationship between change frequency and adaptivity; (2) need for human connection weakens the relationship between change frequency and approach-avoidance crafting; (3) need for control strengthens the relationship between change frequency and approach-avoidance crafting; (4) change frequency has a weakened (strengthened) indirect effect on adaptivity via approach crafting and avoidance crafting when employees have high needs for human connection (for control). The study expands research on job crafting and adaptivity, and provides practical implications for organizations undergoing or soon to undergo changes.

How and When Does Leader Humility Enhance Employee Proactive Career Behavior

In this research, we drew upon implicit leadership theory to examine the joint effects of leader humility, follower power distance, and follower narcissism on proactive career behavior via perceived leader competence. Specifically, we proposed that leader humility would be perceived as more competent for the employees with lower power distance; we also proposed two competing predictions about the interactive effect of leader humility and follower narcissism on leader competence from two different theoretical perspectives (i.e., opposite-attraction perspective vs. similar-attraction perspective). We tested our hypotheses using a multi-waves and time-lagged survey with 281 subordinate-supervisor dyads from 87 teams. The results of our studies demonstrate that the followers with low power distance and low narcissism are more likely to perceive higher leader humility to be more competent and thus increase their proactive career behavior. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings.