Emotions, helping behavior and leaders’ effectiveness: a serial mediation model

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of leaders’ positive emotions on their followers’ perceptions of leaders’ effectiveness through a serial mediation mechanism that employed followers’ positive emotions and leaders’ helping behaviors as mediators. Design/methodology/approach This study is quantitative in nature. The data for it were collected from supervisors and subordinates in the restaurant and hotel industries of Pakistan. This study used a mix of convenient and purposive/judgmental sampling and the sample consisted of 400 dyads. Findings This study has found statistical support for all its hypotheses. In particular, the results of this study have demonstrated that followers’ emotions and leaders’ helping behaviors mediate the relationships between leaders’ positive emotions and followers’ perceptions about their leaders’ effectiveness, acting in the form of a chain. Practical implications This study has implications for organizational leaders who are in the process of implementing emotional regulation in the workplace. Originality/value This is one of the few studies that has tested a serial mediation model to examine the conditions under which leaders’ positive emotions determine their effectiveness.

When and Why Leaders’ Helping Behavior Promotes Employees’ Thriving: Exploring the Role of Voice Behavior and Perceived Leader’s Role Overload

“…Generally speaking, helping behavior, which includes acts of consideration, is promotive and cooperative in nature (Van Dyne and LePine, 1998). Previous research indicated that leaders' helping behavior did benefit in promoting leader effectiveness and relationship satisfaction (Asadullah et al, 2016;Hoption, 2016). In line with these studies, we argue that perceived leader's helping behavior has a positive effect on employees' thriving and can be explained from the following two perspectives.…”

Leadership and the contagion of affective phenomena: A systematic review and mini meta‐analysis

“…In Asadullah et al. 's () survey of hospitality leader–follower dyads, leaders’ positive emotions were positively associated with followers’ positive emotions in the workplace, which mediated the relationship between leader positive emotions and leader effectiveness.…”

“…The body of extant research reviewed here collectively shows a significant relationship between a leader's emotions and followers’ emotions (Asadullah et al., ; Becker et al., ; Eberly & Fong, ). Specifically, the ability of the leader to influence the affective states of group members (the contagion ability) has typically been operationalized as a leader's emotion display and/or emotional expressions (e.g., Eberly & Fong, ; Visser et al., ), with only Cheng et al.…”

“…In (2) education studies, teachers’ emotions significantly predicted student emotions, and school Principal's affect was related to teacher affect (Becker et al., ; Johnson, ). The findings from (5) organizational studies all indicated a contagion effect between leaders and followers (e.g., Asadullah, Mumtaz, Batool, & Hameed, ; Chi & Huang, ; Chi et al., ; Damen, Van Knippenberg, & Van Knippenberg, ; Tsai et al., ). In public services, firefighters were found to be happier under the command of a charismatic leader than a non‐charismatic leader (Erez et al., ).…”

“…Table ). That is, leaders who express positive emotions rather than neutral or negative emotions are generally perceived by followers to be more effective (e.g., Asadullah et al., ; Bono & Ilies, ; Eberly & Fong, ; Tee et al., ; Visser et al., ). Tee et al.…”