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How does leader career calling stimulate employee career growth? The role of career crafting and supervisor–subordinate guanxi

Xudong Ni (School of Economics and Management, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China)
Xingkui Zhu (School of Economics and Management, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China)
Wenjun Bian (School of Psychology and Behavior, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China)
Jiyu Li (School of Urban Economics and Management, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing, China)
Chen Pan (School of Psychology and Behavior, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China)
Chengkai Pan (School of Economics and Management, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China)

Leadership & Organization Development Journal

ISSN: 0143-7739

Article publication date: 24 October 2023

Issue publication date: 5 February 2024

567

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to explore how leader career calling stimulates employee career growth, with the supervisor–subordinate guanxi serving as a moderating factor.

Design/methodology/approach

Study 1 demonstrated that high leader career calling served as a catalyst for employee career crafting. The experiment provided causal evidence for the relationship between these two constructs, exhibiting strong internal validity. However, due to the challenges in measuring supervisor–subordinate guanxi and career growth within the context of a scenario experiment, Study 2 was designed to test the entire model and enhance the external validity of the findings.

Findings

Leader career calling significantly predicts employee career growth, while employee career crafting serves as a mediating mechanism in the relationship between leader career calling and employee career growth. Moreover, supervisor–subordinate guanxi positively moderates the relationship between leader career calling and employee career crafting. Furthermore, the mediating effect of employee career crafting in the relationship between leader career calling and employee career growth is contingent upon the quality of supervisor–subordinate guanxi. This study sheds light on the role of leader career calling in employee career growth and provides insights into the mechanisms facilitating employee career growth.

Originality/value

Firstly, it explores leader-to-employee career calling transmission, extending the career calling study beyond individual impacts. It emphasizes how leaders' work attitudes shape employee career growth. Secondly, it reveals career crafting as a mediator between leader career calling and employee career growth, identifying a new influence mechanism and expanding upon the primarily job crafting-focused existing literature. Lastly, it identifies supervisor–subordinate guanxi quality as a moderator in the leader career calling-employee career crafting relationship. This perspective enriches career calling research, illustrating how specific conditions stimulate career crafting.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The first author was supported by the Major Humanities and Social Sciences Program (Grant number 2021QN059) of the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Education.

Citation

Ni, X., Zhu, X., Bian, W., Li, J., Pan, C. and Pan, C. (2024), "How does leader career calling stimulate employee career growth? The role of career crafting and supervisor–subordinate guanxi", Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 45 No. 1, pp. 21-34. https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-07-2023-0400

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited

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