Linkages between empowering leadership and subjective well-being and work performance via perceived organizational and co-worker support

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of empowering leadership at the team level on employees’ subjective well-being (SWB) and work performance through perceived social support. Based on social exchange theory (Blau, 1964), the study identifies the mediating effects of perceived social support in the relationship between empowering leadership and both employees’ well-being and work performance.

The study utilized a survey of 1,225 employees working for an organization in South Korea and archival data of the organization. It employed hierarchical linear modeling analyses and the CWC(M) procedure for the tests of multilevel mediation.

It was observed that perceived organizational support (POS) and co-worker support (PCS) mediated the relationship between empowering leadership and SWB, but not the relationship between empowering leadership and performance. There was a significant direct effect of empowering leadership on both POS and PCS, which subsequently led to improved work performance.

Taking a multilevel approach to leadership and relying on both self-reported and organizational archival data, this study contributes to the literature on leadership and well-being by examining the relationships between empowering leadership toward a team and team members’ well-being and performance, and by revealing the crucial mechanisms that underlie them. The study helps to elucidate the impact of empowering leadership on employee SWB, which has largely been neglected in prior management research.