The two-faced leader:The effects of leader emotional inconsistency on follower creative performance

Based on a review of the literatures pertaining to leadership, affect, and creative performance, the studies conducted as part of this thesis aim at testing a research model that examines how and under which conditions leader emotional inconsistency between happiness and anger is related to follower creative performance. For an experimental test of the proposed research model I collected data from 94 followers for whom a leader-follower interaction was simulated using a video manipulation. Moderated mediation analyses revealed that leader emotional inconsistency was positively associated with follower creative performance via increases in creative process engagement, but only for followers with high levels of epistemic motivation, which sheds light on the importance of follower’s information processing capabilities when faced with complex emotional leadership. I replicated the results of the first study in a second experiment where a leader-follower interaction was simulated using a scenario manipulation. Using data collected from 81 followers, moderated mediation analyses showed that leader displays of emotional inconsistency were positively related to creative performance via increases in creative process engagement for followers with high levels of epistemic motivation. Both experimental studies provide evidence towards the directionality of the examined interrelationships across different types of experimental manipulations employed. Finally, I replicated the research model of this thesis in a field setting using a measurement scale of leader emotional inconsistency specifically developed for this study. Week-level data was collected from 60 leader-follower dyads working in two organisations and providing a total of 253 matched weekly leader and follower responses. Multilevel moderated mediation analyses showed that follower weekly creative performance follows from weekly leader displays of emotional inconsistency via increases in weekly creative process engagement for followers with high epistemic motivation. Taken together, the studies conducted provide both internal and external validity to the theoretically derived research model of this thesis

Micro I-Deals: A Weekly Diary Study

Informed by conservation of resources (COR) theory, this study explores the dynamic associations among coworker support, idiosyncratic deals (I-deals) and supervisor-rated in-role work performance. We utilized a weekly diary study design and collected multi-source, data from employees across five weeks. Our results confirmed the partial mediation of micro flexibility I-deals between perceived coworker support and supervisor-rated work performance, all measured at the week level. This research makes important contributions to the conceptualization, theory and measurement of I-deals

Sharing is caring: The role of compassionate love for sharing coworker work-family support at home to promote partners’ creativity at work

Integrating the work-family facilitation model with the integrated model of human energy, we advance a process perspective involving both members of a couple (i.e., actor and partner). We examine the effects of coworker work-family support at work onto actor work-family support provision at home (i.e., work-to-family facilitation) as well as the consequences of partner work-family support receipt at home for partner work-related creativity through a resource gain spiral process at work (i.e., positive affect, flow, and need satisfaction at work; family-to-work facilitation). We further test whether actor compassionate love moderates the dynamic mechanisms that connect coworker work-family support to partner’s creativity. Results of two experience-sampling studies support our model. We find that on weeks with higher coworker work-family support, couples report greater work-family support provision and receipt, which leads to resource gain spirals at work and higher work-related creativity for partners. Furthermore, actor compassionate love strengthens the positive work-home dynamics that follow from coworker work-family support and promote partner’s work-related creativity. We critically discuss our findings and reflect on practical interventions, which may encourage greater work-family support provision at work and at home

Micro I-Deals: A Weekly Diary Study

Informed by conservation of resources (COR) theory, this study explores the dynamic associations among coworker support, idiosyncratic deals (I-deals) and supervisor-rated in-role work performance. We utilized a weekly diary study design and collected multi-source, data from employees across five weeks. Our results confirmed the partial mediation of micro flexibility I-deals between perceived coworker support and supervisor-rated work performance, all measured at the week level. This research makes important contributions to the conceptualization, theory and measurement of I-deals

How we get along depends on how you make me feel: An episodic perspective on leader–follower emotional entrainment and daily interaction quality

Leader–follower relationships are a cornerstone of leadership research. Considering recent developments that point to emotions as key determinants of dyadic relationships, we shift the focus of this literature to the episodic interplay of leader emotional expressions and follower emotional reactions for the emergence of high-quality interactions. Specifically, we develop an emotional entrainment perspective stating that the trajectory of leader emotional expressions and corresponding follower emotional reactions over the course of a day gives rise to follower perceptions of their interaction quality with their leader. We glean additional insights by examining follower attachment styles as a moderator. Results of an experience sampling study (Nemployees = 72, Ndays = 479) demonstrate that emotional entrainment of high-activated emotions (joy and fear) predicts end-of-day interaction quality contingent on followers' (avoidant and anxious) attachment styles. Future avenues for research on the emergence of high-quality leader–follower relationships are discussed