Paradoxical Leader Behaviors and Followers Overall Justice and Citizenship Behaviors: The Role of Renqing Perception and Trait Agreeableness

Abstract

Purpose Drawing on the uncertainty management theory, this study explores the relationships between paradoxical leader behaviors (PLB) and followers perceptions of overall justice and organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB), as well as the mediating role of two components of followers perceptions of renqing (affective interaction and discretionary consideration) and the moderating role of trait agreeableness. Methods This study employed two-wave surveys with the aim of reducing the potential risk of common method bias. Participants were 325 employees from seven enterprises located in Northern and Southwest China. A moderated-mediation path analysis based on Hayes’ Process Model was performed in AMOS to examine the hypotheses. Results Results from two-wave surveys of 325 Chinese employees indicated that PLB is positively related to followers perceptions of overall justice. Two components of followers perceptions of renqing significantly mediate the relationship between PLB and overall justice. Moreover, two components of perceptions of renqing and overall justice exert a serial mediation effect in the relationship of PLB and OCB. More importantly, followers trait agreeableness strengthens the effects of affective interaction on overall justice. Conclusion This study advances the current understandings of the influencing mechanisms between PLB and followers overall justice perceptions and OCB. It is suggested that leaders PLB will facilitate two components of followers perceptions of renqing first, then boost their perceptions of overall justice, which in turn leading to more OCB, especially for those followers who endorse more agreeableness.

Institutional and individual determinants of entrepreneurial intentions: evidence from developing and transition economies

“…We performed the analyses with SPSS 24 and AMOS 24 software. After performing confirmatory factor analysis in AMOS software, we followed numerous studies that used the Hayes Process plugin for mediation and moderated mediation analyses (Yang et al 2020 ; Zhou et al 2020 ; Jiatong et al 2021 ; Ren and Yang 2021 ; Liu et al 2022a , b ; Uysal et al 2022 ). For the data generated from the questionnaires, we employed various statistical analyses tools such as questionnaire reliability, descriptive statistics, differences (T-test and ANOVA), confirmatory factor, correlation, multiple regression, and mediation analyses.…”

Paradoxical leadership: a meta-analytical review

“…The basic premise of PLB is that leaders will confront ongoing, competing demands to meet both organizations' structural needs and followers' individual needs (Zhang et al, 2015). Most PLB studies employing survey designs measuring follower perceptions of PLB have found positive associations with outcomes including follower job attitudes (e.g., Zhang et al, 2015;Backhaus et al, 2022) and behaviors (e.g., Ren and Yang, 2021). However, there are also inconsistent (Ishaq et al, 2021;Qu et al, 2022) and conflicting findings, such as positive associations with follower job stress (Bashir, 2021) and mixed associations with follower creativity (e.g., Shao et al, 2019), suggesting that PLB may not always be desirable.…”

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

“…24 There is a positive relationship between paradoxical leader behaviors and organizational citizenship behaviors. 25 Work engagement has a mediating role between workplace loneliness and organizational citizenship behaviors. 26 At the same time, according to the affective events theory, individuals' perceived work experience will trigger their emotional reactions, affecting the individual's psychology and behaviour and further affecting the organization's performance.…”