A relational perspective on how and when follower attachment style impacts job performance: The moderating role of leader neuroticism

We integrate insights from attachment theory and relational leadership to develop a novel interpersonal explanation of why, how and when followers' attachment anxiety and avoidance impact performance. Drawing on the attachment system dynamics model, we posit that attachment avoidance will be negatively related to LMX quality, whereas attachment anxiety will be positively related to LMX ambivalence. Furthermore, we predict that followers' anxious (and avoidant) attachment styles will interact with leader neuroticism leading to a hyperactivation (deactivation) of the attachment system, manifesting in greater LMX ambivalence (and lower LMX quality). Across three studies, we found consistent evidence for a positive relationship between follower attachment anxiety and LMX ambivalence, as well as an indirect effect between attachment anxiety and job performance. Leader neuroticism was especially likely to induce LMX ambivalence and, in turn, undermine job performance in anxiously attached followers. Attachment avoidance, although unaffected by leader neuroticism, was negatively related to LMX quality across all three studies and demonstrated an indirect effect on job performance in Study 3. Overall, our findings shed light on the unique explanatory power of relational mechanisms, beyond previously examined intrapersonal mechanisms, for understanding the attachment style–performance relationship as well as the role that leader characteristics play in triggering the attachment system in anxious followers

The relationship between leader support, staff influence over decision making, work pressure and patient satisfaction : a cross-sectional analysis of NHS datasets in England

Objective To explore the relationships between leader support, staff influence over decisions, work pressure and patient satisfaction. Design A cross-sectional study of large National Health Service (NHS) datasets in England in 2010. Setting and participants 158 NHS acute hospital trusts in England (n=63 156) from all staff groups. Primary and secondary outcome measures Survey data measuring leader support, staff influence over decision making, staff work pressure and objective outcome data measuring patient satisfaction. Results Multilevel serial mediation analysis showed a significantly positive association between leader support and staff influence over decisions (B=0.74, SE=0.07, p<0.01). Furthermore, staff influence over decisions showed a negative association with staff work pressure (B=−0.84, SE=0.41, p<0.05) which in turn was negatively linked to patient satisfaction (B=−17.50, SE=4.34, p<0.01). Serial mediation showed a positive indirect effect of leader support on patient satisfaction via staff influence over decisions and work pressure (B=10.96, SE=5.55, p<0.05). Conclusions and implications Our results provide evidence that leader support influences patient satisfaction through shaping staff experience, particularly staff influence over decisions and work pressure. Patients’ care is dependent on the health, well-being, and effectiveness of the NHS workforce. That, in turn, is determined by the extent to which leaders are supportive in ensuring that work environments are managed in a way which protects the well-being of staff

24-Karat or fool’s gold? Consequences of real team and co-acting group membership in healthcare organizations

Although theory on team membership is emerging, limited empirical attention has been paid to the effects of different types of team membership on outcomes. We propose that an important but overlooked distinction is that between membership of real teams and membership of co-acting groups, with the former being characterized by members who report that their teams have shared objectives, and structural interdependence and engage in team reflexivity. We hypothesize that real team membership will be associated with more positive individual- and organizational-level outcomes. These predictions were tested in the English National Health Service, using data from 62,733 respondents from 147 acute hospitals. The results revealed that individuals reporting the characteristics of real team membership, in comparison with those reporting the characteristics of co-acting group membership, witnessed fewer errors and incidents, experienced fewer work related injuries and illness, were less likely to be victims of violence and harassment, and were less likely to intend to leave their current employment. At the organizational level, hospitals with higher proportions of staff reporting the characteristics of real team membership had lower levels of patient mortality and sickness absence. The results suggest the need to clearly delineate real team membership in order to advance scientific understanding of the processes and outcomes of organizational teamwork

How authentic leadership influences team performance:the mediating role of team reflexivity

This study examines how authentic leadership influences team performance via the mediating mechanism of team reflexivity. Adopting a self-regulatory perspective, we propose that authentic leadership will predict the specific team regulatory process of reflexivity, which in turn will be associated with two outcomes of team performance; effectiveness and productivity. Using survey data from 53 teams in three organizations in the United Kingdom and Greece and controlling for collective trust, we found support for our stated hypotheses with the results indicating a significant fully mediated relationship. As predicted the self-regulatory behaviors inherent in the process of authentic leadership served to collectively shape team behavior, manifesting in the process of team reflexivity, which, in turn, positively predicted team performance. We conclude with a discussion of how this study extends theoretical understanding of authentic leadership in relation to teamwork and delineate several practical implications for leaders and organizations

Paradoxical leadership: A meta-analytical review

This is the author accepted manuscriptThe past few decades have brought a rapid emergence of research related to paradoxical leadership behavior (PLB), yet extant research remains scattered, inconsistent and somewhat contradictory. This meta-analysis examines the association between PLB and follower/team outcomes, specifically exploring PLBs incremental validity over other established leadership styles, namely transactional, transformational and servant leadership, as well three competing mechanisms through which PLB elicits positive effects. Our findings demonstrate that PLB is consistently positively associated with follower in-role performance, organizational citizenship behaviour, creativity, voice and innovation. However, while PLB showed consistent incremental effects over transactional leadership, its incremental validity in relation to transformational and servant leadership is less clear, with the exception of predicting innovation. Finally, we found evidence that PLB is related to follower behaviors via socio-cognitive (psychological safety), role-based (role clarity), and relational (LMX) mechanisms, with these effects varying as a function of the outcome. Based on our findings, we derive several important implications for PLB theory and key implications for future research

Servant Leadership A Meta-Analytic Examination of Incremental Contribution, Moderation and Mediation

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Wiley via the DOI in this record.Research suggests that when leaders, as servant leaders, focus on their followers’ needs, this can have a positive effect on organizational functioning. Yet results are inconsistent in establishing the strength of the relationships, limiting understanding of the theoretical impact and practical reach of the servant leadership (SL) construct. Using a quantitative meta-analysis based on 130 independent studies, the current research provides evidence that SL has incremental predictive validity over transformational, authentic, and ethical leadership. Further, the link between SL and a range of individual- and team-level behavioral outcomes can be partially explained by trust in the leader, procedural justice and leader-member exchange. The paper also explores moderators to better establish SL’s criterion-related validity and to clarify the magnitude of effects across boundary conditions, such as research design, national culture, and industry

A Relational Perspective on How and When Follower Attachment Style Impacts Job Performance: The Moderating Role of Leader Neuroticism

This is the author accepted manuscript.Data Availability Statement: The data that supports the findings of our studies (i.e., studies 1, 2 and 3) are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable requestWe integrate insights from attachment theory and relational leadership to develop a novel interpersonal explanation of why, how, and when followers’ attachment anxiety and avoidance impact performance. Drawing on the attachment system dynamics model, we posit that attachment avoidance will be negatively related to LMX quality, whereas attachment anxiety will be positively related to LMX ambivalence. Furthermore, we predict that follower’s anxious (and avoidant) attachment styles will interact with leader neuroticism leading to a hyperactivation (deactivation) of the attachment system, manifesting in greater LMX ambivalence (and lower LMX quality). Across three studies, we found consistent evidence for a positive relationship between follower attachment anxiety and LMX ambivalence, as well an indirect effect between attachment anxiety and job performance. Leader neuroticism was especially likely to induce LMX ambivalence and, in turn, undermine job performance in anxiously attached followers. Attachment avoidance, though unaffected by leader neuroticism, was negatively related to LMX quality across all three studies and demonstrated an indirect effect on job performance in study 3. Overall, our findings shed light on the unique explanatory power of relational mechanisms, beyond previously examined intrapersonal mechanisms, for understanding the attachment style performance relationship as well as the role that leader characteristics play in triggering the attachment system in anxious followers