Skip to main content
Log in

Relationship of LMX and Agreeableness with Emotional Exhaustion: a Mediated Moderated Model

  • Published:
Current Psychology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

An Erratum to this article was published on 04 May 2017

This article has been updated

Abstract

The aim of the study is to explore that whether Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) and agreeableness incite an employee to create façade of conformity (FOC) and how creation of FOC affects employee’s emotional exhaustion considering moderating effects of trust in management and employee’s emotional stability amongst four service sector organizations of Islamabad, Pakistan. Data Analysis of 303 supervisor-subordinate dyads using OLS regression found that LMX is negatively and significantly related to FOC while agreeableness is positively and significantly related to FOC. Effects of LMX on FOC are moderated by employee’s trust in management. Effect of FOC was lower among those having high degree of trust in management as compared to those who have lower degree of trust in management. FOC leads to emotional exhaustion. Moreover, effects of FOC on emotional exhaustion are moderated by employee’s emotional stability. Such that the effect of emotional exhaustion seems to be lower among those who have higher levels of emotional stability. No evidence was found that LMX and agreeableness directly affects emotional exhaustion without their effect on FOC. Based on these findings, we have discussed practical implications for managers along with limitations of the study and future directions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

Change history

  • 04 May 2017

    An erratum to this article has been published.

References

  • Anderson, J. C., & Gerbing, D. W. (1988). Structural equation modeling in practice: a review and recommended two-step approach. Psychological Bulletin, 103(3), 411.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ashkanasy, N. M., & O’Connor, C. (1997). Value congruence in leader–member exchange. Journal of Social Psychology, 137, 647–662.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ashton, M. C., & Lee, K. (2009). The Hexaco-60: a short measure of the major dimensions of personality. Journal of Personality Assessment, 91(4), 340–345.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Botero, I. C., & Van Dyne, L. (2009). Employee voice behavior: interactive effects of LMX and power distance in the United States and Colombia. Management Communication Quarterly, 23(1), 84–104.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brief, A., Buttram, R., & Dukerich, J. (2001). Collective corruption in the corporate world: Toward a process model (Vol. 471). Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, L. M., Christensen, J. J., Ialynytchev, A., Thomas, K. S., Frahm, K. A., & Hyer, K. (2015). Experiences of assisted living facility staff in evacuating and sheltering residents during hurricanes. Current Psychology, 34(3), 506–514.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cook, J., & Wall, T. D. (1980). New work attitude measures of trust, organizational commitment, and personal need non-fulfillment. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 53, 39–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cordes, C. L., & Dougherty, T. W. (1993). A review and an integration of research on job burnout. Academy of Management Review, 18, 621–656.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cordes, C. L., Dougherty, T. W., & Blum, M. (1997). Patterns of burnout among managers and professionals: a comparison of models. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 18, 685–701.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Demerouti, E., Bakker, A. B., Nachreiner, F., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2001). The job demands resource model of burnout. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86, 499–512.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dirks, K. T., & Ferrin, D. L. (2001). The role of trust in organizational settings. Organization Science, 12(4), 450–467.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duffy, M. K., Scott, K. L., Shaw, J. D., Tepper, B. J., & Aquino, K. (2012). Why and when envy leads to social undermining: development and tests of a social context framework. Academy of Management Journal, 55, 643–666.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dulebohn, J. H., Brouer, R. L., Bommer, W. H., Ferris, G. R., & Kato, K. (2008). A meta-analysis of the antecedents of leadermember exchange: integrating the past with an eye toward the future [Working paper]. East Lansing: Michigan State University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Edwards, J. R., Caplan, R. D., Harrison, R. V., & Cooper, C. L. (1998). Person-environment fit theory: conceptual foundations, empirical evidence, and directions for future research. In C. L. Cooper (Ed.), Theories of organizational stress (pp. 28–67). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fenlason, K. J., & Beehr, T. A. (1994). Social support and occupational stress: effects of talkingto others. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 15, 157–175.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goffman, E. (1959). The presentation of self in everyday life. Garden City: Doubleday.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gomez, C., & Rosen, B. (2001). The leader–member exchange as a link between managerial trust and employee empowerment. Group & Organization Management, 26, 53–69.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Graen, G. (1976). Role-making processes within complex organizations. Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 1201, 1245.

    Google Scholar 

  • Graziano, W. G., Jensen-Campbell, L. A., & Hair, E. C. (1996). Perceiving interpersonal conflict and reacting to it: the case for agreeableness. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70, 820–835.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Halbesleben, J. R. B., & Bowler, W. M. (2007). Emotional exhaustion and job performance: the mediating role of motivation. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(1), 93–106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hayes, A. F. (2012). Process: a versatile computational tool for observed variable mediation, moderation, and conditional process modeling.

  • Hayes, A. F. (2013). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional processanalysis: a regression-based approach. New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hewlin, P. F. (2003). And the award for best actor goes to…: facades of conformity in organizational settings. Academy of Management Review, 28(4), 633–642.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hewlin, P. F. (2009). Wearing the cloak: antecedents and consequences of creating facades of conformity. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94(3), 727.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hobfoll, S. E. (1989). Conservation of resources: a new attempt at conceptualizing stress. American Psychologist, 44(3), 513.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hobfoll, S. E. (2001). The influence of culture, community, and the nested-self in the stress process: advancing conservation of resources theory. Applied Psychology, 50(3), 337–421.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hofstede, G. (1983). The cultural relativity of organizational practices and theories. Journal of International Business Studies, 14(2), 75–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kacmar, K. M., Andrews, M. C., Harris, K. J., & Tepper, B. J. (2013). Ethical leadership and subordinate outcomes: the mediating role of organizational politics and the moderating role of political skill. Journal of Business Ethics, 115(1), 33–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kassing, J. W. (2000). Investigating the relationship between superior-subordinate relationship quality and employee dissent. Communication Research Reports, 17(1), 58–69.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kokkinos, C. M. (2007). Job stressors, personality and burnout in primary school teachers. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 77, 229–243.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krone, K. J. (1991). Effects of leader-member exchange on subordinates' upward influence attempts. Communication Research Reports, 8(1), 9–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lambert, L. S., Tepper, B. J., Carr, J. C, Holt, D. T., & Barelka, A. J. (2012). Forgotten, but not gone: an examination of fit between leader consideration and initiating structure needed and received. Journal of Applied Psychology, 97(5), 913–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liden, R. C., & Maslyn, J. M. (1998). Multidimensionality of leader-member exchange: an empirical assessment through scale development. Journal of Management, 24(1), 43–72.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lilly, J. D., & Wipawayangkool, K. (2017). Current Psychology. doi:10.1007/s12144-016-9555-7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maslach, C. A. (1982). Burnout: the cost of caring. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maslach, C., & Jackson, S. (1981a). Maslach burnout inventory: MBI. Palo Alto: Consulting psychologists press.

  • Maslach, C., & Jackson, S. E. (1981b). The measurement of experienced burnout. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 2(2), 99–113.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maslach, C., Schaufeli, W., & Leiter, M. (2001). Job burnout. Annual Review of Psychology, 52(1), 397–422.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Murphy, S. E., & Ensher, E. A. (1999). The effects of leader and substitute characteristics in the development of leader–member exchange quality. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 29(7), 1371–1394.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Özyılmaz, A. (2012). Antecedents of Employee’s trust in supervisors, management, and organizations/Çalışanın Bir Üst Yöneticisine, Yönetime ve Organizasyona Duyduğu Güvenin Belirleyicileri. Mustafa Kemal Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 9(18).

  • Phillips, A. S., & Bedeian, A. G. (1994). Leader–follower exchange quality: the role of personal and interpersonal attributes. Academy of Management Journal, 37, 990–1001.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Piedmont, R. L. (1993). A longitudinal analysis of burnout in the health care setting: the role of personal dispositions. Journal of Personality Assessment, 61, 457–473.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pilarska, A. (2016). Contributions of cognitive-motivational factors to the sense of identity. Current Psychology. doi:10.1007/s12144-016-9435.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pilarska, A., & Suchańska, A. (2015). Self-complexity and self-concept differentiation – what have We been measuring for the past 30 Years? Current Psychology, 34, 723. doi:10.1007/s12144-014-9285-7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rokeach, M. (1973). The nature of human values (Vol. 438). New York: Free press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Satchell, L., Morris, P., Akehurst, L., et al. (2017). Can judgments of threat reflect an approaching Person’s trait aggression? Current Psychology. doi:10.1007/s12144-016-9557-5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schaufeli, W. B., & Enzmann, D. (1998). The burnout companion to study and practice: a critical analysis. London: Taylor & Francis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sharma, C. S., & Sharma, N. (2014). Impact of facades of conformity on creativity and productivity - an investigation into coping strategies. Business Analyst, 35(1), 39–53.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sharma, C. S., & Sharma, N. (2015). Impact of facades of conformity on self monitoring and emotional exhaustion – an investigation into its causes. Vidya International Journal of Management Research, 2(1), 38–44.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sparrowe, R. T., & Liden, R. C. (1997). Process and structure in leader-member exchange. Academy of Management Review, 22(2), 522–552.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spreitzer, G. M. (1996). Social structural characteristics of psychological empowerment. Academy of Management Journal, 39(2), 483–504.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steiner, D. D. (1988). Value perceptions in leader-member exchange. The Journal of Social Psychology, 128(5), 611–618.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Storm, K., & Rothmann, S. (2003). The relationship between burnout, personality traits and coping strategies in a corporate pharmaceutical group. South African Journal of Industrial Psychology, 29, 35–42.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stormer, F., & Devine, K. (2008). Acting at work façades of conformity in academia. Journal of Management Inquiry, 17(2), 112–134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Teng, C., Chang, S., & Hsu, K. (2009). Emotional stability of nurses: impact on patient safety. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 65(10), 2088–2096.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wat, D., & Shaffer, M. A. (2005). Equity and relationship quality influences on organizational citizenship behaviors: the mediating role of trust in the supervisor and empowerment. Personnel Review, 34(4), 406–422.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xie, J., & Johns, G. (1995). Job scope and stress: can job scope be too high? Academy of Management Journal, 38, 1288–1309.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zellars, K., & Perrewe, P. (2001). Affective personality and the content of emotional social support: coping in organizations. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(3), 459–467.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors are highly grateful to the unknown referees for the valuable comments which prove highly useful to improve the quality of manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shazia Akhtar.

Additional information

The original version of this article was revised: The name of the first author was written incorrectly as 'Fraz Ahmed'. It should have been 'Fraz Akbar'.

Practitioner Points

1) Study will facilitate managers to adopt such practices, which can refrain employees from façade creation.

2) Practitioners will find ways to curtail detrimental effects of FOC after its occurrence.

3) Organization will get benefit of P-O fit after avoiding façade creation.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Akbar, F., Akhtar, S. Relationship of LMX and Agreeableness with Emotional Exhaustion: a Mediated Moderated Model. Curr Psychol 37, 862–874 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-017-9566-z

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-017-9566-z

Keywords

Navigation