Performing for Status: A Hierometer Approach to Follower Narcissism and the Impact of Leader-Member Exchange on Follower Performance

Drawing on hierometer theory with social comparison theory as an orienting framework, two field studies test the importance of follower grandiose narcissism in enabling the performance-enhancing potential of Leader-Member Exchange (LMX). Latent change regression analysis of follower performance appraisal scores over one year in Study 1 (international logistics organization) revealed improvements in performance only for followers who perceived higher LMX quality than others and also either (a) perceived their leader to hold high status in their organization (N = 198) or (b) themselves exhibited high grandiose narcissism (N = 147). Followers’ perception of leader status did not moderate the impact of follower grandiose narcissism on the LMX-performance improvement relationship. Latent change regression analysis of performance appraisal scores over one year in Study 2 (N = 282, large public university) replicated the performance improvement associated with perceived LMX quality only among followers expressing higher grandiose narcissism but found it contingent upon feelings of being already envied by others in the follower’s work environment. The results support the interpretation of LMX as a form of self-enhancing status fulfillment for followers, which motivates performance reciprocity. We discuss the fitness of hierometer theory in understanding the LMX-performance relationship as compared to the more commonly applied sociometer theory, as well as the broader implications of these findings for LMX theory.