How does the captain guide the brightest stars? The effect of leadership styles on star's work performance

• Main Author: CHEN, Jen-Tsung
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2024
• Subjects: Star Talent; Transformational Leadership; Transactional Leadership; Laissez-Faire Leadership; Leader-Member Exchange; Work Performance.; Organization Development; Strategic Management Policy
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/etd_coll/584; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/etd_coll/article/1582/viewcontent/GPBA_AY2017_DBA_CHEN_Jen_Tsung.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

This study aims to investigate the effect of leadership styles on the work performance of star talents. As star talents play more and more critical roles in the sustainable development of enterprise, how to effectively manage star talents’ sustaining growth becomes a crucial issue for organizations. The questionnaire survey is conducted to explore how different leadership styles influence the work performance of star talents. How leader-member exchange mediates the relationship between leadership styles and star talents’ work performance, and how star talents’ annual income moderates the relationship between leadership and star talents’ work performance. A total number of qualified 149 responses are received from students of the SJTU-SMU DBA program, two Shanghai-based multinational companies and one local company. The findings indicate that all three leadership styles have significant impacts on the star talents’ work performance, yet, LMX significantly and positively mediates the relationship between transformational leadership, laissez-fair leadership, and star talents’ work performance, while it is not significant for transactional leadership on star talents’ work performance. Star talents’ annual income moderates the relationship between transformational and transactional leadership and star talents’ work performance, such that the lower the annual income status the stronger the effect. Yet, it is insignificant in moderating therelationship between laissez-faire leadership and star talents’ work performance. The result sheds light on the strategies organizations can apply to optimize the work performance of star talents through effective leadership practices and supportive leader-member relationships.