The Joint Fluctuations of LMX and Relative LMX Predict Follower Work Effort: A Dual-Dynamic Perspective

Abstract

The extant leader-member exchange (LMX) literature holds that LMX and LMX differentiation have various consequences on the focal employees’ work-related outcomes. Since the levels of LMX might change as a result of exchanges in work interactions, scholars recently have raised the importance of adopting a more dynamic view in this literature. With the present research, we aim to examine the relationship between the change of LMX, the change of relative LMX (RLMX), and work-related effort. In particular, we focus on the concurrent effects of LMX-and-RLMX changes on the focal employees’ work-related efforts. Drawing on self-regulation theories, we propose that LMX trajectories and RLMX trajectories serve as two independent feedback loop forms regarding the attainability of achieving favorable LMX within teams, which jointly affect the focal employee work efforts. We collected multi-wave and multisource data from 328 employees in 42 workgroups and archival records from an insurance call center. The results indicated that negative LMX change was correlated with higher effort (i.e., the number of calls). Moreover, polynomial regression and response surface analyses revealed a positive relationship between follower LMX–RLMX change incompatibility and work effort. Our dual-dynamic model indicates the importance of considering concurrent changes in both LMX and RLMX to understand better the dynamic processes and outcomes of LMX in work teams.