The effects of leader member exchange differentiation on task performance and organizational citizenship behaviors

• Main Author: GAN, Junhui
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2024
• Subjects: Leader-Member Exchange (LMX); Team-Member Exchange (TMX); Team conflict; Task performance; Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB); Business Administration, Management, and Operations; Organizational Behavior and Theory; Organization Development
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/etd_coll/558; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/etd_coll/article/1556/viewcontent/GPBA_AY2020__DBA__Gan__Junhui.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

This study delves into the intricate dynamics of Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) within working teams, with a specific focus on Leader-Member Exchange Differentiation (LMXD) and its subsequent impact on task performance and Organizational Citizenship Behaviors (OCB). Utilizing a comprehensive, multisource dataset comprising 394 employees across 120 store teams in three furnishing shopping malls in Zhejiang Province, China, this research employs a two-wave data collection methodology to examine the proposed theoretical model. Contrary to prevailing assumptions in the LMX literature, this study reveals that LMXD does not significantly influence anticipated team conflict, nor does it exert indirect effects on task performance and OCB. This finding marks a departure from traditional views on LMXD and prompts a reevaluation of its role in team dynamics. Instead, the research highlights the critical influence of the collective quality of Leader-Member Exchanges (group-mean LMX) on team dynamics. This insight suggests that group-mean LMX serves as a potent determinant in affecting team conflict, thereby indirectly influencing task performance and OCB through the mediating roles of task, relationship, and status conflict. This dissertation extends the theoretical boundaries of LMX theory beyond individual-level analyses to explore its implications at the team level within organizational contexts. The findings offer substantive contributions to leadership practices, particularly in retail management, emphasizing the strategic importance of fostering positive group-level leader-member interactions to enhance team cohesion and effectiveness. The study offers valuable insights into LMX dynamics, although its generalizability may be constrained by its focus on the retail sector and its cross-sectional design.These limitations underscore the necessity for future research, including longitudinal studies, to explore these dynamics across diverse organizational settings and over time.