Culture, Work, and Subjective Well-Being: The Role of LMX and Resilience in Spanish and Chinese Cultures

Abstract

Globalization and interdependencies among nations require a better understanding of the influence of culture on organizational processes. In order to succeed in global business, leaders have to respond to practices that may be different in diverse cultures. This study was conducted within the framework of the leader member exchange approach and from a positive perspective of organizations linking successful businesses and workers’ well-being. The aim of this study was to examine whether the quality of the relationship with the leader predicts engagement and life satisfaction, and whether resilience moderates this relationship in two different cultural contexts (Spanish and Chinese). The sample was composed of 277 workers (127 Chinese workers corresponding to a vertical-collectivistic culture and 150 Spanish workers representing a horizontal-individualistic culture). To test the hypotheses, a structural equations model (SEM) was conducted using the maximum likelihood (ML) estimation method. Results revealed that leader-member exchange (LMX) positively predicts engagement and life satisfaction and that the moderator role of resilience varies across cultures. Resilience moderated the relationship between LMX and engagement and life satisfaction only in the Spanish sample. In the Chinese sample, resilience only moderated the relation between LMX and life satisfaction. Finally, our study contributes to a better understanding of the relationship between leaders and subordinates operating in a global context.

Leader-member exchange and subjective well-being: the moderating role of metacognitive cultural intelligence

“…LMX is also found to be a positive predictor of life satisfaction among Chinese and Spanish workers, and this relationship is moderated by resilience (González-Navarro et al, 2019).…”

Latent transition analysis in organizational psychology: A simplified “how to” guide by using an applied example

“…In meta-analytic research, Martin et al (2016) have shown that a high-quality LMX relationship is essential for the attitudes and performance of employees. For instance, LMX has been found to be related to employees’ proactive behavior ( Lai et al, 2019 ), engagement and job satisfaction ( Volmer et al, 2011 ; González-Navarro et al, 2019 ), as well as their resilience ( Kakkar, 2019 ). Moreover, González-Navarro et al (2019) found a positive association between LMX and job engagement.…”

“…For instance, LMX has been found to be related to employees’ proactive behavior ( Lai et al, 2019 ), engagement and job satisfaction ( Volmer et al, 2011 ; González-Navarro et al, 2019 ), as well as their resilience ( Kakkar, 2019 ). Moreover, González-Navarro et al (2019) found a positive association between LMX and job engagement. Research has also shown that PsyCap can be significantly enhanced through proximity, trust, and support that leaders can provide their employees with ( Law et al, 2010 ; Kakkar, 2019 ) and that LMX-quality can predict PsyCap profiles ( Luthans et al, 2004 ).…”

The Mediating Role of Work Engagement in the Relationship between Executive Functioning Deficits and Employee Well-Being

“…Empirical studies have consistently evidenced a positive relationship between work engagement and employee well-being, including its relevant domains (e.g., life satisfaction) in different cultural contexts (e.g., [ 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 ]). In a two-year longitudinal study involving 1196 employees from an industrial machinery company in Japan, Shimazu and colleagues found that the three subdomains of work engagement (i.e., vigor, dedication, and absorption) are positively correlated with improvement in psychological well-being, as indexed by job satisfaction and family satisfaction ( r = 0.09–0.16) [ 47 ].…”