Abstract
Setting out to understand the effects of positive moral emotions in leadership, this research examines the consequences of leaders’ expressions of gratitude and pride for their followers. In two experimental vignette studies (N = 261; N = 168) and a field study (N = 294), leaders’ gratitude expressions showed a positive effect and leaders’ pride expressions showed a negative effect on followers’ ascriptions of leader selfishness. Thereby, leaders’ gratitude expression indirectly led to higher follower satisfaction with and OCB towards the leader, while leaders’ pride expressions indirectly reduced satisfaction with and OCB towards the leader. Furthermore, leaders’ expressions of gratitude indirectly reduced followers’ intentions to leave the leader, while leaders’ expressions of pride indirectly fuelled them. Although ascriptions of selfishness consistently influenced these leader outcomes more strongly than comparable organizational outcomes, results on organizational outcomes were mixed. While leaders’ expressions of gratitude led, as expected, to higher job satisfaction and lower turnover intentions, leaders’ expressions of pride showed positive relations with both OCB towards the organization and intentions to leave the organization. We discuss the theoretical implications of leaders’ expressions of positive moral emotions as signals of outcome attributions, as well as leaders’ selfishness and practical implications that help leaders build followers’ satisfaction and positive leader–follower relationships.
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Notes
Without control variables, the effect of leader selfishness on intentions to leave the organization (β = .27, p < .01, 95% CI [.11, .42]) was significantly smaller than the effect on intentions to leave the leader (β = .43, p < .001, 95% CI [.29, .57]) for both sides of the comparison.
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This work was supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and by the European Social Fund of the European Union in the research project “Selection and Assessment of Leaders in Academia and Business” under Grant FKZ 01FP1072/73.
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Appendix
Appendix
Vignette Study 1a
Susanne/Christoph Roth has worked for the advertising agency New Horizons for 3 years and works there as a team leader. As a team leader, she/he is responsible for product marketing. She/he is an experienced team leader to whom communication with her/his team is very important. To satisfy clients, she/he pays attention to every detail and keeps up with the latest trends in the field.
This week, Susanne/Christoph and her/his team had a very important meeting with a client to present a new proposal for an ad campaign. The client had launched a public call for tenders, so New Horizons was competing for the job with several other agencies. Susanne/Christoph and her/his team were solely responsible for the design and presentation of the campaign.
Susanne’s/Christoph’s task was to coordinate the team and hold the final presentation for the client. The team members’ task was to independently create the concept for the presentation and send it to Susanne/Christoph. The day after the presentation, Susanne/Christoph announces the result during a team meeting: The client was convinced by the campaign and has given the job to New Horizons.
Pride Condition
During the meeting, Susanne/Christoph stands in front of the team, bursting with pride, reports on her/his call with the client and emphasizes that she/he is very proud. At the end of the meeting, Susanne/Christoph talks to each of her/his team members and stands before them with chin proudly raised and a slight smile.
Gratitude Condition
During the meeting, Susanne/Christoph thanks all team members repeatedly, reports on her/his call with the client, and emphasizes that she/he is very grateful. At the end of the meeting, Susanne/Christoph talks to each of her/his team members, shakes everyone’s hand, and again thanks them personally.
Neutral Condition
During the meeting, Susanne/Christoph reports on her/his call with the client. At the end of the meeting, Susanne/Christoph talks to each of her/his team members and again objectively talks about the presentation.
Vignette Study 1b
Susanne/Christoph Roth has worked for the advertising agency New Horizons for 3 years and works there as a team leader. As a team leader, she/he is responsible for product marketing. She/he is an experienced team leader who pays attention to every detail and keeps up with the latest trends in the field to satisfy clients.
This week, Susanne/Christoph and her/his team had a very important meeting with a client to present a new proposal for an ad campaign. The client had launched a public call for tenders, so New Horizons was competing for the job with several other agencies. Susanne/Christoph and her/his team were solely responsible for the design and presentation of the campaign and had worked on the presentation for some weeks.
Susanne’s/Christoph’s task was to coordinate the team and hold the final presentation for the client. The team members’ task was to independently create the concept for the presentation and send it to Susanne/Christoph. They all knew it would be desirable for the firm’s reputation to receive this job. The day after the presentation, Susanne/Christoph announces the result during a team meeting: The client has given the job to New Horizons.
High Selfishness Condition
According to Susanne’s/Christoph’s selfish account, her/his presentation was the strongest contributing factor in the decision of the client. Susanne/Christoph says repeatedly how advantageous and worthwhile this client is for the firm, and how, after Susanne’s/Christoph’s report to the firm’s upper management, upper management also thinks very positively of the fact that she/he had so successfully procured the job. She/he then reports on her/his presentation with the client and repeatedly self-promotes her/his own contribution to the receipt of the job. She/he does not mention the team members’ contribution. Overall, she/he acts very self-servingly over the course of the meeting.
Low Selfishness Condition
According to Susanne’s/Christoph’s unselfish account, the concept designed by the team was the strongest contributing factor in the decision of the client. Susanne/Christoph says repeatedly how advantageous and worthwhile this client is for the firm, and how, after Susanne’s/Christoph’s report to the firm’s upper management, upper management also thinks very positively of the fact that the team had so successfully procured the job. She/he then talks to each team member about their individual contribution to the receipt of the job, and again reviews the presentation. She/he mentions her/his own contribution only in passing. Overall, she/he acts very selflessly over the course of the meeting.
Item loadings for Study 1a, Study 1b, and Study 2
Item | Item loadings (standardized regression weights) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Study 1a | Study 1b | Study 2 | |
Factor: Job satisfaction | α = .83 | α = .91 | α = .90 |
All-in-all, I am satisfied with my present job at my organization. (After the situation, I would be satisfied with my job at the organization.) | .83 | .90 | .89 |
All things considered, i.e., pay, promotion, supervisors, co-workers, benefits, I am satisfied with my present job in my organization. (After the situation, at that very moment, I would be quite satisfied with my job.) | .72 | .92 | .78 |
Generally speaking, I am very satisfied with my present job. (After the situation, I would be satisfied with my job.) | .80 | .82 | .95 |
Factor: Satisfaction with the leader | α = .81 | α = .89 | α = .92 |
I am (would be) satisfied with the degree of respect and fair treatment I receive from my leader. | .85 | .79 | .83 |
I am (would be) satisfied with the overall quality of supervision I receive in my work. | 1.00 | .94 | .92 |
I am (would be) satisfied with the amount of support and guidance I receive from my leader. | .70 | .88 | .94 |
Factor: Leader selfishness | α = .78 | α = .88 | |
My (the) leader is self-centred. | .66 | – | .82 |
My (the) leader is egoistic. | .77 | – | .82 |
My (the) leader is selfish. | .80 | – | .82 |
My (the) leader considers others’ needs. (R) | .44 | – | .69 |
My (the) leader is concerned about others. (R) | .46 | – | .66 |
Factor: Leader gratitude | α = .90 | ||
Grateful | – | – | .87 |
Thankful | – | – | .79 |
Appreciative | – | – | .90 |
Obliged | – | – | .67 |
Expressing appreciation | – | – | .77 |
Factor: Leader pride | α = .77 | ||
Proud of him-/herself | – | – | .54 |
Satisfied with him-/herself | – | – | .53 |
Self-confident | – | – | .37 |
Like (s)he has accomplished something | – | – | .81 |
Like (s)he has achieved something | – | – | .83 |
Factor: OCB towards the organization | α = .76 | ||
I take action to protect the organization from potential problems. | – | – | .74 |
I attend functions that are not required but that help the organizational image. | – | – | .52 |
I offer ideas to improve the functioning of the organization. | – | – | .79 |
I keep up with developments in the organization. | – | – | .76 |
Factor: OCB towards the leader | α = .89 | ||
I take on extra responsibilities in order to help my leader when things get demanding at work. | – | – | .82 |
I help my leader with difficult assignments, even when assistance is not directly requested. | – | – | .83 |
I willingly give my time to help my leader with work-related problems. | – | – | .82 |
I assist my leader with heavy workloads even though it is not part of the job. | – | – | .82 |
Factor: Intention to leave the organization | α = .92 | ||
I often think about quitting this organization. | – | – | .90 |
It is likely that I will search for a position with another employer. | – | – | .83 |
It is likely that I will leave the organization within the next year. | – | – | .72 |
If I could, I would like to transfer to another company. | – | – | .94 |
Factor: Intention to leave the leader | α = .92 | ||
I often think about changing leaders within my current organization. | – | – | .88 |
It is likely that I will search for a position with another leader. | – | – | .90 |
It is likely that I will leave my current leader within the next year. | – | – | .77 |
If I could, I would like to transfer to another leader. | – | – | .92 |
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Ritzenhöfer, L., Brosi, P., Spörrle, M. et al. Satisfied with the Job, But Not with the Boss: Leaders’ Expressions of Gratitude and Pride Differentially Signal Leader Selfishness, Resulting in Differing Levels of Followers’ Satisfaction. J Bus Ethics 158, 1185–1202 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-017-3746-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-017-3746-5