Leader-member exchange differentiation and team member performance

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between leader-member exchange (LMX) differentiation and team members’ job performance. The conceptual model developed in this paper also investigates the moderating role of the perception of organisational politics (POP) in affecting the association between LMX differentiation and team members’ job performance. Design/methodology/approach The authors collected data using a survey from 32 Chinese firms. The questionnaire included scales measuring LMX, POP, job performance, and demographic variables. The final sample consisted of 122 teams with 561 employees. The hypothesised relationships among variables were assessed using hierarchical linear modelling. Findings The results show that the higher the LMX differentiation, the lower the level of team members’ contextual performance. The authors also found that POP has a significant effect in positively moderating the relationships between LMX differentiation and team members’ contextual and task performances. Research limitations/implications The conceptual model developed and verified in this paper provides essential insights for the research on LMX and job performance. Future studies are suggested to collect cross-national data to examine the conclusions of this study. Originality/value The association between LMX differentiation and team members’ job performance is moderated by the degree of POP.

A Literature Review of Team-Member Exchange and Prospects

“…It refers to the difference of quality of exchanges between leader and members, including differences in types (social exchanges as well as economy exchanges) and differences in quantities (high/low level of quality of exchanges) [64]. Le Blanc et al…”

The Impact of Perceived Overqualification on Time Banditry Behavior from the Perspective of LMX

“…Due to the limited time, energy, resources, etc., it is difficult for leaders to equally allocate resources to each employee in the team. Therefore, leaders generally manage employees differently according to certain standards, and establish different exchange relationships with them, thus forming a leader-member exchange relationship differentiated environment [32]. High-level leader-member exchange represents the establishment of a high-quality exchange relationship between leaders and employees, which is not only reflected in giving employees more resource support, trust and opportunities at work, but also in the interaction and exchange with employees beyond the scope of work and in social life, such as giving employees help and care in life.…”

Extending the Association Between Leader-Member Exchange Differentiation and Safety Performance: A Moderated Mediation Model

“…However, as people's energy and time are limited, when employees invest in developing high-quality exchange relationships with their leaders, they will ignore the improvement of their work ability and ultimately damage their work quality and performance. 20 Based on this, hypothesis H1 is proposed: H1: LMXD has a significant negative impact on safety performance.…”