When can feedback-seeking behavior result in a better performance rating? Investigating the moderating role of political skill

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of supervisor-subordinate guanxi (SSG) on managers’ feedback-seeking behavior in the context of Chinese organizations, especially the mediating role of psychological expectations and the moderating role of political skill. Design/methodology/approach – The study sample comprised matched surveys from 252 supervisor-subordinate dyad in the People’s Republic of China. The subordinate managers completed measures of SSG, performance enhancement expectations, impression management expectations and political skill. The supervisors were asked to rate managers’ feedback-seeking behavior. Findings – Result show that SSG was positively related to managers’ feedback-seeking behavior. Performance enhancement expectations and impression management expectations partially mediated supervisor-subordinate guanxi’s influence on managers’ feedback-seeking behavior. Political skill positively moderated the relationships between SSG and managers’ feedback-seeking behavior in such a way that the relationships were stronger for managers higher in political skill than lower. Research limitations/implications – The paper not only helps for deeper understanding of managers’ feedback-seeking behavior but also provides a new perspective for exploring effective governance of Chinese local managers. Originality/value – This study provides preliminary evidence of the mediation effect of psychological expectations and the moderating effect of political skill in the relationship between SSG and managers’ feedback-seeking behavior. Additionally, the findings highlight the necessity of study on managers’ feedback-seeking behavior in the context of China to help advance the theoretical understanding of the mechanisms that underlie the effect of SSG on managers’ feedback-seeking behavior.

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Moderating role of power distance in the relationship between leader-leader exchange (LLX) and knowledge sharing: is feedback-seeking behavior a missing link?

VINE Journal of Information and Knowledge Management Systems ◽

10.1108/vjikms-08-2021-0154 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Rayees Farooq ◽

Nachiketa Tripathi

Keyword(s):

Knowledge Sharing ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Power Distance ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Feedback Seeking ◽

Content Type ◽

Seeking Behavior ◽

The Relationship ◽

Moderating Role

Purpose This study aims to investigate the effect of leader-leader exchange (LLX) on knowledge sharing through feedback-seeking behavior. The study also explores the moderating role of power distance. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional data of 290 knowledge workers from manufacturing and service firms in India were taken as a sample of the study. The hypotheses were tested using confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling and hierarchical regression. Findings The results showed that LLX positively affects knowledge sharing and feedback-seeking behavior mediates the relationship between LLX and knowledge sharing. Moreover, power distance does not moderate the relationship between LLX and knowledge sharing. Originality/value The present study one of its kind explores the relationship between LLX, feedback-seeking behavior, knowledge sharing and power distance.

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