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1 – 10 of over 58000Rahul Singh Chauhan, David Charles Howe and Andrew Soderberg
Transformational leaders have long been known to use emotions to motivate their followers and guide their energy toward the vision set forth by the leader. Much of the past…
Abstract
Purpose
Transformational leaders have long been known to use emotions to motivate their followers and guide their energy toward the vision set forth by the leader. Much of the past research and theory on this topic has exhibited a bias toward positively valenced emotions. Negative emotions have received limited attention relative to positive emotions, and this imbalance has led to a skewed understanding of the relationship between emotions and transformational leadership (TL).
Design/methodology/approach
The study reviews the organizational literature regarding negative emotion expression in TL.
Findings
The study integrates research regarding negative emotions and TL with the existing body of research regarding positive emotions and TL. The authors argue that the range of emotions considered needs to be broadened and rebalanced. Practical and theoretical implications are also discussed.
Originality/value
The study integrates the benefits of negative emotions and TL the more well-known and explored the benefits of positive emotions and TL. The study uses the four components of TL theory, i.e. inspirational motivation (IM), idealized influence (II), individualized consideration (IC) and intellectual stimulation (IC), to explore how transformational leaders can effectively display negative emotions. The study ultimately presents a more balanced overview of emotions and TL.
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Inchul Cho, Ismael Diaz and Dan S. Chiaburu
The purpose of this paper is to posit and empirically demonstrate that positive and negative leader behaviors have a linear relationship with subordinate outcomes. The authors…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to posit and empirically demonstrate that positive and negative leader behaviors have a linear relationship with subordinate outcomes. The authors challenge this notion, and test a model where leader positive and negative behaviors have a curvilinear relationship (inverse-U shaped) with subordinate job satisfaction.
Design/methodology/approach
Cross-sectional design, based on a sample of 131 employees working across organizations and industries in the USA. Subordinates provided information on all study measures.
Findings
The authors show that higher levels of positive and negative behaviors from the leader will not generate a corresponding linear increase in employees’ satisfaction. Instead, the relationship is non-linear, with diminishing returns in subordinate job satisfaction for positive leader behaviors and higher ones for negative leader behaviors. In addition, subordinates with high levels of hardiness are more satisfied with positive leader behaviors, and report less dissatisfaction with negative leader behaviors.
Research limitations/implications
Limitations are cross-sectional design, self-reported data, measurement of a limited number of leader behaviors as representative of leader positive and negative behaviors, and focus on only one dependent construct (subordinate job satisfaction).
Practical implications
Above a certain point, leaders’ positive behaviors have limited effect on increasing subordinates’ job satisfaction. Likewise, leaders’ negative behaviors decrease subordinates’ job satisfaction only above specific levels of leader behaviors.
Originality/value
The authors challenge this notion of linearity by theorizing and demonstrating that subordinates’ job satisfaction is influenced by leader positive and negative behaviors in non-linear relationship characterized by an inverse-U-shaped and a specific increase and decrease pattern.
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Sehrish Shahid and Michael K. Muchiri
Recognising the value of positive organisational behaviour at the workplace, this paper aims to provide a major review of the current state of research on positivity, and…
Abstract
Purpose
Recognising the value of positive organisational behaviour at the workplace, this paper aims to provide a major review of the current state of research on positivity, and subsequently proposes new pathways for more theory building relating to important constructs conceptually related to positivity. Following the integration of emerging but disparate research on workplace positivity and related concepts, the paper develops a conceptual framework depicting the relationships amongst authentic leader behaviours, organisational virtuousness, psychological capital, thriving and job performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper offers a systematic critical review of published studies representing the literature addressing authentic leadership, organisational virtuousness, thriving, psychological capital and job performance. The paper relied on computerised keyword searches in the main business source databases of Emerald, ProQuest, ScienceDirect, EBSCOhost and SpringerLink.
Findings
This paper leads to a conceptual framework proposing direct relationships between authentic leadership, psychological capital, organisational virtuousness and job performance. Further, authentic leadership is proposed to potentially nurture organisational virtuousness, psychological capital, employee thriving and job performance, given the theoretical linkages between these conceptually relevant variables related to positivity. Additionally, organisational virtuousness and psychological capital are projected to mediate the relationship between authentic leadership and employee thriving. Finally, organisational virtuousness, psychological capital and employee thriving are designated as mediators of the relationship between authentic leadership and job performance.
Research limitations/implications
This paper proposes a conceptual framework focusing on one form of positive leader behaviour and also assumes specific causal pathways using a positivistic research approach to understanding the leadership–performance relationship. The paper did not examine all possible antecedents of positivity at the workplace.
Practical implications
The proposed conceptual framework should form the basis of many organisational interventions, especially in relation to boosting authentic leadership, organisational virtuousness, psychological capital, employee thriving and job performance. By suggesting the association between authentic leadership, psychological capital and organisational virtuousness, this paper highlights potential benefits from effective leaders’ commitment to enhancing psychological capital and organisational virtuousness and engendering thriving behaviour and job performance.
Originality/value
This novel paper has the potential to stimulate the empirical studies on workplace positivity through the association of authentic leadership, psychological capital, organisational virtuousness and thriving.
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Johannes Stark and Julia A.M. Reif
Defying conventional wisdom, leaders' storytelling may have ambiguous and even negative effects on followers. Built upon transformational leadership and leader -member exchange…
Abstract
Purpose
Defying conventional wisdom, leaders' storytelling may have ambiguous and even negative effects on followers. Built upon transformational leadership and leader -member exchange theory, the intention-perception model of storytelling in leadership provides a framework to systematically explain when and why unintended effects of storytelling happen. Despite its theoretical and practical relevance, a quantitative evaluation of the model's main assumptions, and particularly of followers' perceptions of leader storytelling, is still pending.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors developed a scale to assess followers' story perceptions in study 1 (N = 79) and confirmed the scale's structure in study 2, an online cross-sectional field study (N = 60). In study 2, the authors also tested a main assumption of the intention-perception model of storytelling, that is, the relationship between followers' story perceptions and story effects, mediated via followers' affective arousal.
Findings
Data revealed that story effects indeed depend on followers' perception of the story. In particular, the better a leader's story met followers' needs (need-supply fit), the more adequate the input load transported by the story (story load), the more positive followers' appraisal of their leader's story (story appraisal) and the more positive affective reactions and positive effects of storytelling (transformation, leader -member exchange quality, and trust in the leader) followers perceived.
Practical implications
The authors provide practical insights into how leaders may improve their storytelling by tailoring their stories to the expectations and needs of their followers.
Originality/value
Taking a follower-centric perspective on a common leadership practice (i.e. storytelling), the present research provides first support for the intention-perception model of storytelling in leadership.
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Chongrui Liu, Cong Wang and Hongjie Wang
Although a plethora of literature has developed person–job fit theory, how leaders' emotions affect followers' person–job fit has received insufficient attention. Drawing on…
Abstract
Purpose
Although a plethora of literature has developed person–job fit theory, how leaders' emotions affect followers' person–job fit has received insufficient attention. Drawing on emotions as social information (EASI) theory, the present research study investigated the impact of leaders' positive emotions on person–job fit and further explained the mediating role of psychological safety and the moderating effect of organizational identification.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 319 Chinese employees nested in 67 teams, and a cross-level design was adopted to examine the research hypotheses.
Findings
The results indicated that individual-level psychological safety played a mediating role in the cross-level relationship between team-directed leaders' positive emotions and individual-level person–job fit. Moreover, the authors found a cross-level moderating effect of team-level organizational identification.
Practical implications
This present research empirically showed that leaders displaying positive emotions in the workplace benefited followers' perceptions of psychological safety, which in turn improved followers' attitudes towards their job in management practice. In addition, organizational identification could positively advance this process.
Originality/value
This study is the first to evaluate the operational mechanism of leaders' emotion on followers' perceived person–job fit in the Chinese context. Person–job fit has primarily been investigated as a driver of employee outcomes in the previous research studies. These studies focussed on whether and how leaders' emotions improve followers' person–job fit.
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Ashita Goswami, Prakash Nair, Terry Beehr and Michael Grossenbacher
The purpose of this paper is to examine affective events theory (AET) by testing the mediating effect of employees’ positive affect at work in the relationships of leaders’ use of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine affective events theory (AET) by testing the mediating effect of employees’ positive affect at work in the relationships of leaders’ use of positive humor with employees’ work engagement, job performance, and organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs); and the moderating effect of transformational leadership style on the relationship between leaders’ use of positive humor and subordinate’s positive affect at work.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were obtained from 235 full-time employees working for a large information technology and business consulting corporation. Moderated mediation (Hayes, 2013) was performed to test the proposed model.
Findings
Leaders’ positive humor was related to creation of subordinates’ positive emotions at work and work engagement. Positive emotions at work did not mediate between leaders’ humor and performance or OCBs. In addition, leaders’ use of transformational leadership style made the relationship between leaders’ positive humor and employees’ positive emotions at work stronger.
Research limitations/implications
This study provides evidence of the positive relationship of leaders’ positive humor with employees’ positive emotions at work and work engagement. Such knowledge may help to inform the training workshops in humor employed by practitioners and potentially create a more enjoyable and fun workplace, which can lead to greater employee engagement.
Originality/value
AET helps explain effects of leader humor, but the effects of are complex. Leader’s use of even positive humor is most likely to have favorable effects mainly depending on their leadership style (transformational) and if their humor successfully leads to positive emotions among employees.
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Muhammad Ali Asadullah, Mehwish Mumtaz, Zillae Batool and Imran Hameed
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of leaders’ positive emotions on their followers’ perceptions of leaders’ effectiveness through a serial mediation mechanism…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of leaders’ positive emotions on their followers’ perceptions of leaders’ effectiveness through a serial mediation mechanism that employed followers’ positive emotions and leaders’ helping behaviors as mediators.
Design/methodology/approach
This study is quantitative in nature. The data for it were collected from supervisors and subordinates in the restaurant and hotel industries of Pakistan. This study used a mix of convenient and purposive/judgmental sampling and the sample consisted of 400 dyads.
Findings
This study has found statistical support for all its hypotheses. In particular, the results of this study have demonstrated that followers’ emotions and leaders’ helping behaviors mediate the relationships between leaders’ positive emotions and followers’ perceptions about their leaders’ effectiveness, acting in the form of a chain.
Practical implications
This study has implications for organizational leaders who are in the process of implementing emotional regulation in the workplace.
Originality/value
This is one of the few studies that has tested a serial mediation model to examine the conditions under which leaders’ positive emotions determine their effectiveness.
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Anastasiia Popelnukha, Shamika Almeida, Asfia Obaid, Naukhez Sarwar, Cynthia Atamba, Hussain Tariq and Qingxiong (Derek) Weng
Although voice endorsement is essential for individuals, teams and organizational performance, leaders who consider followers' voice to be threatening are reluctant to implement…
Abstract
Purpose
Although voice endorsement is essential for individuals, teams and organizational performance, leaders who consider followers' voice to be threatening are reluctant to implement followers' ideas. The authors, taking note of this phenomenon, investigate why leaders who feel a threat from followers' voice exhibit voice rejection at the workplace and when this detrimental tendency can be diminished. Thus, based on the self-defense tendency as per self-affirmation theory, the authors argue that those leaders who experience threat triggered by followers' voice, justify voice rejection through the self-defense tactics: message derogation and source derogation. In addition, the authors also propose that a leader's positive (negative) affect experienced before voice exposure may decrease (increase) self-defense and voice rejection.
Design/methodology/approach
To test the authors’ moderated mediation model, they conducted two independent vignette studies (N = 269; N = 208). The purpose of the first vignette study was to test the simple mediation (i.e. the direct and indirect effects), whereas the second study aimed to test the moderated mediation model.
Findings
In Study 1, the authors found that the leader's perceived threat to competence provoked by followers' voice was positively related to voice rejection, and the relationship was partially mediated by message derogation and source derogation. In line with this, in Study 2, the authors tested the moderated mediation model and replicated the findings of Study 1. They found that the effects of leader's perceived threat to competence on voice rejection through self-defense tactics are weaker (stronger) at the high (low) values of a leader's positive affect. In contrast, the effects of a leader's perceived threat to competence on voice rejection through self-defense tactics are stronger (weaker) at the high (low) values of a leader's negative affect.
Originality/value
This study suggests that leaders who experience a threat to competence instigated by employee voice are more likely to think that ideas proposed by employees are non-constructive and employees who suggest those ideas are not credible, and these appraisals have a direct influence on voice rejection. However, if leaders are in a good mood vs. bad mood, they will be less likely to think negatively about employees and their ideas even when they experience psychological threats. The findings highlight several avenues for future researchers to extend the literature on employee voice management and leadership coaching by providing theoretical and managerial implications.
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A self‐help guide to achieving success in business. Directed more towards the self‐employed, it is relevant to other managers in organizations. Divided into clear sections on…
Abstract
A self‐help guide to achieving success in business. Directed more towards the self‐employed, it is relevant to other managers in organizations. Divided into clear sections on creativity and dealing with change; importance of clear goal setting; developing winning business and marketing strategies; negotiating skills; leadership; financial skills; and time management.
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Mohammed Y.A. Rawwas, Basharat Javed, Karthik N.S. Iyer and Baochun Zhao
The purpose of this study was to examine the process of the use of management’s positivity and negativity sources and their mediation on pharmaceutical members’ satisfaction that…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to examine the process of the use of management’s positivity and negativity sources and their mediation on pharmaceutical members’ satisfaction that, in turn, enable a health-care organization to meet its business objectives with more agility.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were obtained from a survey of 106 pharmaceutical members regarding their relationships with management.
Findings
The results of LISREL analysis revealed that the use of positivity variables such as reward enhanced each of referent, expert and positive conflict; in addition, referent boosted satisfaction. However, the use of negativity variables such as opportunism enhanced power, but weakened each of referent, expert and legitimate power sources. The use of coercion enhanced power too, but produced dissatisfaction. Further, the prevalence of negative conflict caused dissatisfaction.
Originality/value
This study also reported major contributions when it examined the effect of the mediation of the use of positivity intrinsic power sources on satisfaction. It found that referent power functioned as a full mediator by dropping the amount of the relationship between the use of reward and satisfaction to zero and as a partial mediator by dropping the amount of the relationship between the use of coercion and satisfaction. In addition, the use of referent power mediated the joint effect of both the use of coercion and reward power sources, triggering a positive effect on satisfaction. Several managerial implications were discussed.
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