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The purpose of this paper is to propose the new typologies of leader–member exchange (LMX) theory.

This research conducted a thorough, targeted literature review along with a qualitative research method involving in-depth, open-ended and semi-structured interviews. The interviews were conducted with 21 managers and 70 employees of different public organizations during the two years. After interviews, data were transcribed and the qualitative research method of theory elaboration was used to extract the themes from the transcripts.

The results showed that the LMX has a dynamic nature with four different versions. Also, the results discovered the multi-level of LMX with three different types of leaders’ styles. In addition, four factors that cause damage to high-quality relationships have been identified (i.e. perceived dissimilarity, feeling of being betrayed, failure to meet the expectations and impression management). Finally, the results discovered five dark sides of LMX.

This research proposes the new typologies of LMX and the approach and findings of this research contribute to the literature of leadership theories.

Drawing on principles of social exchange and equity theory, the purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between employee reports of leader-member exchange (LMX) and two types of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB): affiliative and change-oriented OCB. Further, equity sensitivity, a dispositional variable reflecting one’s tendency to “give” or “take” in their interpersonal interactions, was tested as a moderator of these effects.

Data were collected from a sample of 240 manufacturing employees in China and their respective supervisors. Multilevel analyses were conducted to test the hypothesized effects.

LMX was found to be positively associated with affiliative, but not change-oriented OCB. Equity sensitivity moderated these relationships, such that LMX was positively associated with both types of OCB when employees are benevolent, but not when they are entitled.

Given the different pattern of relationships that were observed between LMX and affiliative vs change-oriented OCB, the results suggest that LMX may differentially influence these two types of OCB. Future studies should continue to explore the role of dispositional traits in moderating the effects of LMX, including less desirable (“negative”) traits.

Very few studies have examined the role of dispositional variables in moderating the effects of LMX. Consistent with principles of the social exchange and equity theory, the results suggest that LMX will only be associated with OCB when employees are benevolent (i.e. they are “givers”), and not when they are entitled (i.e. they are “getters”).

Drawing on the symbolic interaction theory, this research examines leader–member exchange (LMX) and employee’s happiness at work (HAW) with mediation of self-esteem (SE) and moderation of organizational embeddedness (OE).

The study uses data collected from a sample of 246 employees working in fast moving consumer goods companies (FMCGs) and applied SmartPLS to analyze the proposed model.

Findings reveal that LMX predicts HAW. Whereas, the follower’s SE fully transmitted the effect of LMX on employee’s HAW. Moreover, OE moderated the relationship between LMX and HAW.

Leaders should consider quality LMX interactions with their employees in prevailing global crises. LMX can improve the relationship with team members and boost their SE resulting in HAW. Furthermore, organizations should promote such practices which may enhance their employees' OE for enhanced workplace happiness.

The study is among the very few works which apply symbolic interaction as an overarching framework to explain the employees' HAW.

The topic of employees’ unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB) has attracted more and more interest in both practice and academic fields. However, previous studies have mainly investigated the antecedents of UPB and little research has discussed the outcome variables. This study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the effect mechanism of UPB on employee performance evaluation rated by a supervisor through a leader-member exchange (LMX) and the moderating role of supervisor bottom-line mentality (BLM).

This study used a sample consisting of 304 employees and 96 supervisors in several manufacturing firms in China. The authors used hierarchical linear modeling to test the hypotheses, as this was cross-level research. In addition, this paper also uses Mplus7.4 to test the moderating effects of supervisor BLM on the indirect effects between the UPB and performance evaluation by a moderated path analysis.

The results confirm that UPB is positively related to performance evaluation rated by supervisors. Additionally, the mediating effect of LMX in the relationship between UPB and performance evaluation is successfully demonstrated. Furthermore, supervisor BLM cross-levelly moderates the relationship between UPB and LMX, as well as moderates the mediation effect of LMX on the correlation between UPB and performance evaluation.

The primary contribution of this research is building a cross-level model for the effect of UPB on followers’ performance evaluation scored by the supervisor and thereby extending the nomological networks of both UPB and performance evaluation literature. Another contribution the study makes to the literature is that it provides a new perspective to understand how UPB relates to followers’ performance evaluation.

This is the first study about how and when UPB predicts followers’ performance evaluation rated by the supervisor.

Drawing on the self-consistency theory, this study aims to test a model where employees' supervisor-based self-esteem (SBSE) is positively related to their promotive and prohibitive voice and mediate the positive relationship between leader–member exchange social comparison (LMXSC) of an employee's promotive and prohibitive voice, but only for local rather than migrant workers.

To test the study hypotheses, multi-source data were collected from 341 matched supervisor–supervisee dyads working in a diverse range of organizations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

As predicted, employees' SBSE is positively related to their promotive and prohibitive voice and mediates a positive relationship between their LMXSC and their promotive and prohibitive voice, but only for local workers. The study findings support the self-consistency theory perspective on LMX and provide new insight into the “dark side” of migrant working – a lack of voice.

This study responds to calls for more research that explores the roles played by macro-environmental factors on employees' voice. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Based on the trait activation theory and social exchange theory, this study proposed a model of the impact of Machiavellian personality on organisational cynicism (OC) through the mediating effect of psychological contract breach (PCB) and the moderating role of leader-member exchange (LMX) quality in PCB and OC.

A three-time points survey involving 264 employees from China’s hotel industry was conducted using quantitative methods. Subsequently, a structural equation model was constructed.

The results revealed that Machiavellianism positively affects OC, and PCB plays a mediating role in this process. In addition, LMX quality can buffer the effect of the PCB on OC.

The study’s findings provide another insight into the relationship between Machiavellianism, PCB and OC. Managers must pay attention to the control of PCB and the establishment of LMX quality.

The study significantly contributes to hotel literature, as the Machiavellian personality subject has not been adequately investigated in the field to date.

While the rapid adoption of information communication technologies (ICT) in organizations has been linked with a higher risk of cyberbullying, research on the influence of cyberbullying on interpersonal behaviors in the workplace remains limited. By drawing on the ego-depletion theory and the leader-member exchange (LMX) theory, this research investigates how, why and when workplace cyberbullying may trigger interpersonal aggression through ICT.

The authors collected data from 259 employees and 62 supervisors working in large ICT organizations in China through a multi-wave survey. The authors performed multilevel analysis and used hierarchical linear modeling to test the proposed moderated mediation model.

The results revealed that workplace cyberbullying has a significant and positive influence on interpersonal aggression in the workplace via ego depletion. The authors found that differentiation in LMX processes at group level moderates the indirect relationship between workplace cyberbullying and interpersonal aggression (via ego depletion). Furthermore, the positive indirect effect of workplace cyberbullying was found to be stronger in the presence of a high LMX differentiation condition in comparison to a low LMX differentiation condition.

The data were collected from Chinese ICT organizations, which may limit the generalization of this study’s findings to other cultural and sectoral contexts.

This paper provides the first step in understanding how, why and when workplace cyberbullying triggers interpersonal aggression by investigating the role of ego depletion as a mediator and LMX differentiation as a boundary condition. This is the first study to empirically examine the relationships between workplace cyberbullying, ego depletion, LMX differentiation and interpersonal aggression in ICT organizations using multi-level modeling.

For work organizations and their members, establishing and maintaining mutually satisfying employment relationships is a fundamental concern. The importance that scholars attach to employment relationships is reflected in research streams that explore the optimal design of strategic human resource management systems, the nature of psychological contract fulfillment and violation, and the factors associated with achieving person-environment fit, among others. Generally missing from theory and research pertaining to employment relationships is the perspective of individuals who reside at the employee-employer interface – managerial leaders. We argue that, for managerial leaders, a pervasive concern involves the tangible and intangible resource requirements of specific employees. We then provide the groundwork for study of the leader’s perspective on employment relationships by proposing a model that identifies how employees come to be perceived as low versus high maintenance and how these perceptions, in turn, influence leader cognition, affect, and behavior.

Given that many subordinates work for leaders who mistreat them, the purpose of this paper is to examine whether leader–member exchange (LMX) influences the relationship between leaders’ dark triad (DT) traits and follower perceptions of abusive supervision. Drawing on theories of idiosyncratic and deviance credits, the authors posit that high LMX weakens the positive relationship between leaders’ DT traits and the perception of abusive supervision.

Data were collected from 326 full-time employees. A moderated regression was performed to determine whether high LMX weakened the relationships between each DT trait (Machiavellianism, narcissism and psychopathy) and the perception of abusive supervision.

Results suggested that high LMX indeed weakened the positive relationships between two leader DT traits – narcissism and psychopathy – and the occurrence of abusive supervision. Hence, employees who perceived their LMX relationship to be high were less likely to report the occurrence of abusive supervision when their leader was also perceived to be high in narcissism or psychopathy. A post hoc analysis suggested different results for mixed-sex dyads.

The present study suggests a potential strategy for reducing the detrimental effects of a DT leader, namely, forming a high-quality relationship between leader and follower.

This study addresses the call for more research into the boundary conditions under which leader characteristics may affect followers. Drawing on past research that treats LMX as a boundary condition, the authors frame LMX as an important buffer between DT leader characteristics and the perception of abusive supervision. Results suggest a potential exchange of deviance credits in cases where LMX is high rather than low.