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Prosocial leadership : examining the mediation of leader-member exchange (LMX) on employees' perceived prosociality of leaders and organisational commitment
Author
Khoo, Jonathan Chong Meng
Supervisor
Lim, Kam Ming
Abstract
Significant developments and changes in the industrial and organisational climate have all contributed to a need to reconceptualise leadership studies. Where traditional form of leadership research have emphasised on trait-based models that predominantly focused on the leader as the central figure of inspiration and change within the organisation, changing demographics in the past two decades have seen organisations focus on employee engagement as a driver towards organisational success. Furthermore, the reconceptualization of the workplace as a social sphere, characterised by dynamic exchanges between leaders and employees has also increased the need for leaders to pay attention towards nurturing positive relationships with their subordinates as means to garner commitment towards organisational causes.
The current study addressed the criticism regarding a general lack of emphasis in employee-oriented leadership approaches. It endeavoured to examine the questions pertaining to how prosocial leadership behaviours demonstrated by leaders affect leader-member exchanges (LMX) and employees’ organisational commitment. Specifically, the current study sought to answer how employee’s perceived helping behaviours and cooperation and sharing enacted by leaders or supervisors influence their reported levels of the three-components of organizational commitment. The study also explored whether employee’s perceived helping behaviours and cooperation and sharing enacted by leaders or supervisors influence their reported levels of the three-components of organizational commitment. Additionally, it sought to answer the influences of multidimensional LMX have on the three components of organisational commitment. Lastly, the study examined how LMX mediated the relationship between prosocial leadership behaviours and organisational commitment.
A cross-sectional, quantitative approach was carried out for the current study, which first consisted of a pilot study to validate the measurements and their respective theoretical models. A main study was subsequently conducted via convenience sampling with 295 responses from eligible participants included in the analysis. The results from the main study showed that affective relations and helping behaviour of prosocial leadership factors that are perceived to be employee-directed had significant effect on LMX dimensions and organisational commitment components. In addition, LMX dimensions of professional respect and loyalty showed significant effect on affective and normative commitments. Lastly, professional respect, loyalty and affect of the LMX dimensions mediated the relationship between prosocial leadership and organisational commitment.
The findings of the current study contribute towards broadening and deepening existing knowledge of employee-oriented leadership research by drawing relationships among three previously separate, but related theoretical concepts of prosocial leadership, LMX and organisational commitment. In examining the relationship among the factors, dimensions and components of the respective theoretical concepts, the current study’s findings have theoretical implications by way of prescriptively identifying the effects that different prosocial leadership behaviours will have on the relational development between leaders and subordinates, as well as their effect on affective, obligatory, or transactional forms of commitments. The current study’s findings also provided important knowledge for organisations and leaders regarding the key tenets driving commitment outcomes among employees which is critical in the current climate of the “Great Resignation”.
The current study addressed the criticism regarding a general lack of emphasis in employee-oriented leadership approaches. It endeavoured to examine the questions pertaining to how prosocial leadership behaviours demonstrated by leaders affect leader-member exchanges (LMX) and employees’ organisational commitment. Specifically, the current study sought to answer how employee’s perceived helping behaviours and cooperation and sharing enacted by leaders or supervisors influence their reported levels of the three-components of organizational commitment. The study also explored whether employee’s perceived helping behaviours and cooperation and sharing enacted by leaders or supervisors influence their reported levels of the three-components of organizational commitment. Additionally, it sought to answer the influences of multidimensional LMX have on the three components of organisational commitment. Lastly, the study examined how LMX mediated the relationship between prosocial leadership behaviours and organisational commitment.
A cross-sectional, quantitative approach was carried out for the current study, which first consisted of a pilot study to validate the measurements and their respective theoretical models. A main study was subsequently conducted via convenience sampling with 295 responses from eligible participants included in the analysis. The results from the main study showed that affective relations and helping behaviour of prosocial leadership factors that are perceived to be employee-directed had significant effect on LMX dimensions and organisational commitment components. In addition, LMX dimensions of professional respect and loyalty showed significant effect on affective and normative commitments. Lastly, professional respect, loyalty and affect of the LMX dimensions mediated the relationship between prosocial leadership and organisational commitment.
The findings of the current study contribute towards broadening and deepening existing knowledge of employee-oriented leadership research by drawing relationships among three previously separate, but related theoretical concepts of prosocial leadership, LMX and organisational commitment. In examining the relationship among the factors, dimensions and components of the respective theoretical concepts, the current study’s findings have theoretical implications by way of prescriptively identifying the effects that different prosocial leadership behaviours will have on the relational development between leaders and subordinates, as well as their effect on affective, obligatory, or transactional forms of commitments. The current study’s findings also provided important knowledge for organisations and leaders regarding the key tenets driving commitment outcomes among employees which is critical in the current climate of the “Great Resignation”.
Date Issued
2023
Call Number
HD57.7 Kho
Dataset
https://doi.org/10.25340/R4/KXWEZ1
Date Submitted
2023