Where Do I Stand? Examining the Effects of Leader-Member Exchange Social Comparison on Employee Work Behaviors

Taking an approach integrating principles of leader-member exchange (LMX) differentiation with social comparison theory, we contend that subjective ratings by individuals of their LMX compared to the LMXs of coworkers (labeled LMX social comparison, or LMXSC) explain unique and meaningful variance i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of applied psychology 2010-09, Vol.95 (5), p.849-861
Main Authors: Vidyarthi, Prajya R., Liden, Robert C., Anand, Smriti, Erdogan, Berrin, Ghosh, Samiran
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Adult Education
Biological and medical sciences
Citizenship
Comparative Analysis
Coworkers
Data Collection - methods
Employees
Exchange
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Group Processes
Human
Humans
India
Interprofessional Relations
Job Performance
Job Satisfaction
Leader Member Exchange Theory
Leader-Member exchange
Leaders
Leadership
Male
Middle Aged
Occupational psychology
Organization and management. Professional relation
Organization theory
Organizational behavior
Organizational behaviour
Organizational Culture
Organizational research
Perceptions
Principal Component Analysis
Psychology
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Social Behavior
Social Comparison
Social interaction
Studies
Supervisor Employee Interaction
Theories
Work behaviour
Workplace - psychology
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Description
Summary:Taking an approach integrating principles of leader-member exchange (LMX) differentiation with social comparison theory, we contend that subjective ratings by individuals of their LMX compared to the LMXs of coworkers (labeled LMX social comparison, or LMXSC) explain unique and meaningful variance in outcomes beyond LMX and the actual standing of those individuals in the LMX distribution, referred to as relative LMX, or RLMX. Our findings demonstrate that employees' perceptions of LMXSC are positively related beyond the effects of LMX and RLMX to job performance and citizenship behaviors. Further, we argue that LMXSC mediates the RLMX→outcomes relationships. Analyses showed that, in a sample of 254 employees nested in 50 work groups, a significant part of the effects of RLMX on job performance and citizenship behaviors was mediated through LMXSC after controlling for LMX.
ISSN:0021-9010
1939-1854
DOI:10.1037/a0020033