Turning Daily Time Pressure into a Creative Day: The Interactionist Roles of Employee Neuroticism and Time Pressure Dirspersion

Bormann K. Turning Daily Time Pressure into a Creative Day: The Interactionist Roles of Employee Neuroticism and Time Pressure Dirspersion. APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY-AN INTERNATIONAL REVIEW-PSYCHOLOGIE APPLIQUEE-REVUE INTERNATIONALE. 2020;69(3):589-615.The purpose of this study was to explore under which circumstances daily time pressure is positively related to daily creativity. Building on resource allocation and uncertainty theory, it is argued that highly neurotic individuals' creativity, relative to their emotionally stable counterparts, is more strongly enhanced by daily time pressure. This effect, however, should only emerge in instances of highly consistent daily time pressure over time. To test this model, a diary study was conducted spanning over five subsequent working days. The sample consisted of 250 individuals with 1,156 daily measurement points. As expected, neuroticism and dispersion of time pressure over time jointly moderated the relationship between daily time pressure and daily creativity. The relationship was positive and significant only when individuals ranked high in neuroticism and dispersion of time pressure was low. The results of this study suggest that under certain circumstances, neurotic individuals are able to realise more gains from increased time pressure compared to their emotionally stable counterparts

The dynamic relationship between laissez-faire leadership and day-level stress: A role theory perspective

Diebig M, Bormann K. The dynamic relationship between laissez-faire leadership and day-level stress: A role theory perspective. GERMAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT-ZEITSCHRIFT FUR PERSONALFORSCHUNG. 2020;34(3):324-344.Previous research on laissez-faire leadership and stress has focused on between-person differences by looking at general ratings of leader behaviours. Yet, researchers have demonstrated a high situational contingency of leadership behaviours that call for a more detailed analysis of within-person differences. We adopt a role theory perspective to explain why daily laissez-faire leadership is linked to daily stress of followers. Also drawing on role theory, we further explain fluctuations of supervisors' laissez-faire leadership behaviour over time in relation to follower perceptions of day-specific stress. Finally, we also take followers' level of neuroticism into perspective to describe when followers are particularly vulnerable to laissez-faire leadership. We conducted a diary study spanning over 5 days within I working week to test whether daily laissez-faire leadership and its variability were positively related to followers' daily stress and whether these relations were moderated by follower neuroticism. A total of 201 participants completed the diary surveys (M=4.79 days X 201 participants = 963 data points) and provided information in an initial survey. Results gave support for most of our hypotheses and showed a positive relationship between daily laissez-faire leadership and daily stress as well as a positive relationship between laissez-faire leadership variability and daily stress. Neuroticism moderated the positive relationship between laissez-faire leadership variability and daily stress in the way that the relationship between laissez-faire leadership variability and daily stress was stronger for individuals with high neuroticism

Following an Uneven Lead: Trickle-Down Effects of Differentiated Transformational Leadership

Bormann K, Diebig M. Following an Uneven Lead: Trickle-Down Effects of Differentiated Transformational Leadership. Journal of Management. 2021;47(8):2105-2134.Drawing from conservation-of-resources theory, we examine a trickle-down model of differentiated transformational leadership (leaders treating followers differently) across three hierarchical levels (i.e., managers, supervisors, and supervisors' followers). Specifically, we develop a model in which manager differentiated transformational leadership increases department unit stress (i.e., the managers' group of followers), which then translates into increased differentiated supervisor transformational leadership. The latter then again positively predicts team unit stress (i.e., the supervisors' group of followers) and, eventually, results in decreased team helping behavior of supervisors' followers. We tested this model using data from a large, multisource field study. The results provide support for our trickle-down model in that department managers' differentiated transformational leadership decreased team helping behavior two hierarchical levels below the manager via increasing department unit stress (Stage 1 mediator), supervisor differentiated transformational leadership (Stage 2 mediator), and team unit stress (Stage 3 mediator)

Construct proliferation in leadership style research: Reviewing pro and contra arguments

Bormann K, Rowold J. Construct proliferation in leadership style research: Reviewing pro and contra arguments. ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY REVIEW. 2018;8(2-3):149-173.Given the steady increase in new leadership models and approaches introduced to the field, we provide a systematic review on the topic of construct proliferation in the leadership style literature. Construct proliferation suggests that newly designed constructs are too similar to existing ones and, consequently, lack discriminant validity. In our review, we tackle the issue of construct proliferation from two perspectives. First, we present explanations and evidence indicating construct proliferation. Then, we take the opposing stance and provide arguments (as well as empirical evidence) against it. This comparison results in a discussion in which we provide cues for future leadership style research that builds on the realization that we need a more nuanced awareness of where construct proliferation exists and where it does not

It's Only Abusive If I Care The Effect of Organizational Concern on Abusive Supervision, Stress, and Work Behaviors

Bormann K, Gellatly IR. It's Only Abusive If I Care The Effect of Organizational Concern on Abusive Supervision, Stress, and Work Behaviors. Journal of Personnel Psychology. 2021.Drawing on conservation of resources (COR) theory, we propose that abusive supervision increases stress responses in targets, which, in turn, diminishes their ability to perform extra- and in-role work behaviors. However, based on COR theory, we argue that followers who are driven by low rather than high organizational concern motives place less value on their work and the social context in which technical activities occur. As such, feeling low organizational concern should make people less susceptible to abusive supervision rather than more so. Thus, organizational concern was proposed to moderate the abuse-stress relationship. Across two multisource studies, we found support for most of our hypotheses. Abusive supervision negatively affected organizational citizenship behaviors via increased stress, and low organizational concern was found to attenuate the detrimental effects of abusive supervision. Implications for leadership literature and future research are discussed

Mindful leadership: mindfulness as a new antecedent of destructive and transformational leadership behavior

Lange S, Bormann K, Rowold J. Mindful leadership: mindfulness as a new antecedent of destructive and transformational leadership behavior. Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation. Zeitschrift für Angewandte Organisationspsychologie. 2018;49(2):139-147.Purpose: While previous research has well-examined the stress reducing effects of mindfulness, much less is known, evidentially, about the impact that it might have on working behavior, particularly in the context of leadership. Against this background, the goal of our study was to examine whether mindfulness influences leadership behavior. Design: To answer this question, we used a two-source survey study consisting of 60 teams, examining trait mindfulness of leaders via self-evaluation and their leadership behavior through the eyes of their subordinates. To analyze the given data, we conducted regression analyses. Results: Our findings confirmed the hypothesized relationships. We found a negative relationship between leaders' mindfulness and destructive leadership, as well as a positive one between leaders' mindfulness and transformational leadership. Implications: The results of our study underline the importance of mindfulness as a potential tool to optimize leadership quality. In order to prevent destructive and promote transformational leadership, organizations should help to develop leaders' mindfulness capacities

What Makes Nonfamily Employees Act as Good Stewards? Emotions and the Moderating Roles of Stewardship Culture and Gender Roles in Family Firms

Bormann K, Backs S, Hoon C. What Makes Nonfamily Employees Act as Good Stewards? Emotions and the Moderating Roles of Stewardship Culture and Gender Roles in Family Firms. Family Business Review. 2020: 0894486520968826.Based on stewardship theory and social role theory, we examine the bounded nature of nonfamily employees' individual stewardship behaviors (i.e., organizational citizenship behavior, OCB) in family firms. We expect stewardship culture to make male (female) employees' OCB more (less) affect-driven. In Study 1, we used data from family and nonfamily firms' employees to establish the unique manifestation of stewardship in family firms. Study 2 was a diary study of nonfamily employees. As expected, for women, we found stewardship culture to attenuate the relationships between affect and OCB. For men, stewardship culture strengthened the relationship between affect and OCB

Doing bad through being selective in doing good: the role of within-unit variability in ethical leadership

Bormann K, Poethke U, Cohrs C, Rowold J. Doing bad through being selective in doing good: the role of within-unit variability in ethical leadership. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF WORK AND ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY. 2018;27(6):683-699.In this two study investigation we examined the role of ethical leadership variability defined as the differences in follower perceptions of ethical leadership with regard to the same leader. Building on a leader distance and social exchange framework, we developed a model in which a leader's span of control positively predicted ethical leadership variability, which in turn negatively affected unit job satisfaction through decreasing unit trust in the leader. Additionally, leaders' extraversion was postulated to buffer the negative indirect effect of span of control on unit job satisfaction. In Study 1, we drew a sample of 168 leaders and their 1490 immediate followers and found the expected positive indirect relationship between span of control on unit job satisfaction via ethical leadership variability. In Study 2, we analyzed a sample of 137 leaders and their 1468 followers. Results suggested that span of control was positively related to ethical leadership variability; this, in turn, was negatively related to unit job satisfaction through attenuating unit trust in the leader. As expected, extraversion reduced the negative indirect effect of span of control. Implications for ethical leadership theory, future research, and organizational practice are discussed

Identity Leadership in Familienunternehmen

Boberg P, Bövers J, Bormann K, Hoon C. Identity Leadership in Familienunternehmen. Zeitschrift Führung und Organisation. 01.10.2020;89(5)