The Relationship Between Leader–Member Exchange and Employees’ Proactive Behaviors

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 106-111
Author(s):  
Fong-Yi Lai ◽  
Szu-Chi Lu ◽  
Cheng-Chen Lin ◽  
Yu-Chin Lee

Abstract. The present study proposed that, unlike prior leader–member exchange (LMX) research which often implicitly assumed that each leader develops equal-quality relationships with their supervisors (leader’s LMX; LLX), every leader develops different relationships with their supervisors and, in turn, receive different amounts of resources. Moreover, these differentiated relationships with superiors will influence how leader–member relationship quality affects team members’ voice and creativity. We adopted a multi-temporal (three wave) and multi-source (leaders and employees) research design. Hypotheses were tested on a sample of 227 bank employees working in 52 departments. Results of the hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) analysis showed that LLX moderates the relationship between LMX and team members’ voice behavior and creative performance. Strengths, limitations, practical implications, and directions for future research are discussed.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Meghan Comstock ◽  
Jonathan Supovitz ◽  
Maya Kaul

PurposeThis study examines the relational dynamics between teachers and formal teacher leaders (TLs). We examine the association between relationship structure and leader-member exchange (LMX) quality and the extent to which LMX mediates the relationship between social network (SN) measures of dyadic relationships and TL influence.Design/methodology/approachUsing survey data from 1,895 teacher-TL relationships, we employ path mediation analysis using hierarchical linear modeling.FindingsOur results indicate that voluntary advice-seeking and multiplex ties are associated with stronger exchange quality between teachers and TLs. In addition, LMX partially mediates the relationship between voluntary ties and TL influence.Originality/valueSN and LMX theories offer two complementary lenses for studying relational dynamics in organizations, though they seldom are used together, especially in education. This study bridges SN and LMX theories and measures to bolster studies of relational dynamics in organizations and highlights that in the case of formal teacher leadership, there is a need for school structures that enable teachers and TLs to seek out one another informally and develop strong social exchanges.


2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (8) ◽  
pp. 725-739 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Buch ◽  
Bård Kuvaas ◽  
Anders Dysvik ◽  
Birgit Schyns

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize social leader-member exchange (SLMX) and economic leader-member exchange (ELMX) as two separate dimensions of leader-member exchange, and examines how intrinsic work motivation moderates their relationship with follower work effort. Design/methodology/approach – Data were obtained from 352 employee-leader dyads from the public health sector in Norway (response rate=61.9 percent). Hierarchical linear modeling was used to test the relationship between subordinate rated SLMX and ELMX relationships and leader ratings of work effort. Findings – This study replicates prior research showing that SLMX is positively related and ELMX negatively related to followers’ work effort. A significant interaction between SLMX and intrinsic motivation is also revealed, suggesting that SLMX relationships are important with respect to work effort for followers who exhibit lower levels of intrinsic work motivation. Research limitations/implications – The data were cross-sectional, thus prohibiting causal inferences. Practical implications – SLMX relationships may be particularly important for the work effort of followers low in intrinsic motivation. Leaders may draw on this finding and seek to aid the development of the relationship by means of relationship-oriented behaviors. Originality/value – Given the importance of maximizing the performance of all the followers, a better understanding of the conditions under which SLMX and ELMX relationships relate to work effort is particularly important. The present study advances knowledge on SLMX and ELMX relationships by demonstrating how intrinsic motivation moderates how SLMX and ELMX relationships relate to follower work effort.


2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Faruk Şahin

AbstractThe purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between McGregor's Theory X and Y management styles and affective commitment through the mediating mechanism of the leader–member exchange (LMX). Adopting a multilevel perspective to explain the complex relations among variables, data were collected from 56 supervisors and 173 subordinates from yacht building companies in Turkey. The results indicated that the Theory Y management style related positively to affective commitment and LMX. In addition, the results indicated that LMX partially mediated the relationship between the Theory Y management style and affective commitment. However, the Theory X management style had no relationships with either LMX or affective commitment. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.


2016 ◽  
Vol 44 (11) ◽  
pp. 1851-1862
Author(s):  
Fangjun Li ◽  
Aimei Li ◽  
Yu Zhu

Experienced employees are a crucial asset and intelligent resource for organizations. In this study, we examined the effect of employee work experience on employee voice behavior. We also proposed employee locomotion as a factor that would affect voice behavior jointly with their work experience and we further proposed that work experience would interact with locomotion to influence voice behavior. Data from subordinates (n = 170) and their immediate supervisors (n = 46) were collected from employees working for companies in East China. Results of hierarchical linear modeling revealed that (a) high locomotion was positively related to promotive voice but not to prohibitive voice; and (b) high locomotion strengthened the association between both work experience and prohibitive voice and work experience and promotive voice. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.


Author(s):  
Mavis Agyemang Opoku ◽  
Suk Bong Choi ◽  
Seung-Wan Kang

This study examines psychological safety as a mediator in the relationship between Leader–Member Exchange (LMX) and voice behavior. Based on the conservation of resources theory, a moderated mediation framework was used to examine human capital investments, specifically employee education and tenure, as boundary conditions of this relationship. The research hypotheses were tested with a sample of 207 employee-supervisor dyads working in a time-lagged design. The study found that psychological safety is an intermediary mechanism through which LMX affects voice behavior. Employees’ level of education negatively moderates the relationship between LMX and psychological safety. Furthermore, the results suggest that organizational tenure accentuates the relationship between LMX and psychological safety, and strengthens the indirect effect of LMX on voice behavior. The theoretical contributions and managerial implications are discussed in addition to directions for future research.


2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 824-838 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice J.M. Tan ◽  
Raymond Loi ◽  
Long W. Lam ◽  
Lida L. Zhang

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether embedded employees proactively provide voice for future improvement, and how interactional justice moderates this relationship. Design/methodology/approach Survey data were collected from the administrative staff and their immediate supervisors of a major university located in Southern China. The data were analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling. Findings Job embeddedness was positively related to voice behavior toward organization (VBO) but not to voice behavior toward work unit. Interactional justice was positively related to both types of voice behavior. The relationship between job embeddedness and VBO was stronger among employees who perceived lower interactional justice. Practical implications To encourage voice behavior, organizations should attempt to enhance employees’ job embeddedness by adopting human resource strategies such as providing training that helps employees to meet their long-term career goals. This is particularly important when supervisors fail to treat their employees with fairness. When employees are treated with fairness by supervisors, they are also motivated to speak up. Thus, supervisors should pay attention to the ways in which they interact with employees. Originality/value This paper adds to the existing knowledge of the consequences of job embeddedness by examining its relationship with voice, a proactive behavior which can benefit the organization but is considered as risky by the employees. Additionally, studying the moderating effect of interactional justice enriches the understanding of the conditions under which the relationship between job embeddedness and voice may vary. It also reveals the uncertainty management process underlying the influences of job embeddedness and interactional justice on voice behavior.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
You-De Dai ◽  
Wen-Long Zhuang ◽  
Po-Kai Yang ◽  
Yi-Jun Wang ◽  
Tzung-Cheng Huan

Purpose Drawing on leader-member exchange theory and regulatory focus theory, the purpose of this study is to explore the effects of hotel employees’ regulatory foci on their voice behavior and the moderating role of leader-member exchange. Design/methodology/approach The questionnaire includes demographics, regulatory foci, leader-member exchange and voice behavior sections. The data was collected via a survey of 10 international tourist hotels in Taiwan and 479 valid questionnaires were completed. Confirmatory factor analysis and path analysis were used to test the composite reliability, discriminant validity and convergent validity. Multiple regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses. Findings The outcome of this study indicates that both promotion focus and prevention focus can benefit employees’ voice behavior; however, prevention-focused employees have more positive voice behavior than promotion-focused employees. In addition, the leader-member exchange can moderate the relationship between regulatory foci and voice behavior. Originality/value This is an empirical study in the hotel field to examine the moderating effects of leader-member exchange on the relationships between regulatory foci and voice behavior. This research is contributed toward human resource management literature in the hospitality and tourism domain. Practices for managers and suggestions for future research are discussed.


2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Faruk Şahin

AbstractThe purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between McGregor's Theory X and Y management styles and affective commitment through the mediating mechanism of the leader–member exchange (LMX). Adopting a multilevel perspective to explain the complex relations among variables, data were collected from 56 supervisors and 173 subordinates from yacht building companies in Turkey. The results indicated that the Theory Y management style related positively to affective commitment and LMX. In addition, the results indicated that LMX partially mediated the relationship between the Theory Y management style and affective commitment. However, the Theory X management style had no relationships with either LMX or affective commitment. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.


2016 ◽  
Vol 44 (7) ◽  
pp. 1223-1231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fa-Wang Zhang ◽  
Jian-Qiao Liao ◽  
Jin-Ming Yuan

Given the prevalence and concealment of misconduct in the workplace, whistleblowing has become an important organizational control mechanism. In this study, we focused on the process by which ethical leadership influences employees to blow the whistle internally. We collected data via a survey administered to the respondents, who were leader–member dyads in a large branch of the central bank in southern China. Hierarchical linear modeling results revealed that ethical leadership was positively related to internal whistleblowing by subordinates. We controlled for ethical climate and found that collective moral potency as a component of the ethical environment, and employees' personal identification with their supervisors fully mediated the relationship between ethical leadership and internal whistleblowing. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed and directions for future research are suggested.


2015 ◽  
Vol 43 (7) ◽  
pp. 2195-2217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Long Wai Lam ◽  
Kelly Z. Peng ◽  
Chi-Sum Wong ◽  
Dora C. Lau

Feedback is information made available to employees in their work environment, whereas feedback-seeking behaviors (FSBs) help employees to evaluate proactively whether their work has met performance standards and their behavior is considered appropriate. Prior studies have provided a perspective on how the feedback-seeking contexts affect the emergence and development of FSBs. In this study, we extend that perspective by investigating when FSBs affect job performance so that we can understand whether more feedback seeking is always better. Adopting the relational view of leadership, we hypothesize that the FSB-performance relationship should be stronger for employees with low leader-member exchange (LMX) and in groups with low aggregate LMX and low LMX differentiation. Using a multilevel research design and a sample of 379 teachers in 25 groups, we find support for most of our hypotheses. We discuss the implications of the study for the FSB and the proactive behavior literature and suggest avenues for future research.


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