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How is Benevolent Leadership Linked to Employee Creativity? The Mediating Role of Leader–Member Exchange and the Moderating Role of Power Distance Orientation

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Abstract

Previous research has shown that virtuous leader behavior in the form of benevolent leadership has considerable impact on employee creativity. However, little is known as to how and under what conditions these constructs are linked. In the current research, we proposed and tested a moderated mediation model positing leader–member exchange (LMX) as a mediator, and employee power-distance orientation as a moderator of this relationship. Two studies were conducted to test our hypothesized model. In Study 1, repeated measured data collected from 284 Chinese employees in an information technology company demonstrated that benevolent leadership had a lagged effect on LMX. In Study 2, analyses of multisource and lagged data from 391 Chinese employees in 42 research and development teams, and their direct supervisors indicated that benevolent leadership was positively related to supervisor-rated employee creativity via LMX. In addition, the relationship between benevolent leadership and LMX was stronger for employees high in power-distance orientation. Theoretical implications of benevolent leadership’s research and practical contributions concerning promoting creativity in organizations where benevolent leaders prevail are also discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Resource Management, Business School, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China

    Weipeng Lin

  2. Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA

    Jingjing Ma

  3. Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA

    Qi Zhang

  4. Department of Psychology, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China

    Jenny Chen Li

  5. Department of Organization and Human Resource Management, Business School, Central University of Finance and Economics, Beijing, 100081, China

    Feng Jiang

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Lin, W., Ma, J., Zhang, Q. et al. How is Benevolent Leadership Linked to Employee Creativity? The Mediating Role of Leader–Member Exchange and the Moderating Role of Power Distance Orientation. J Bus Ethics 152, 1099–1115 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-016-3314-4

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