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Relationship between leader–member exchange and organizational citizenship behaviors: Examining the moderating role of empowerment

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Abstract

This study addresses the moderating role of empowerment on the relationship between leader–member exchange (LMX) quality and subordinates’ organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Using hierarchical multilevel analyses, we found that LMX is positively related to OCB. Likewise, we found that team-level empowerment climate is positively related to individual-level feelings of empowerment, which, in turn, positively moderate the positive effect of LMX on OCB.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China

    Jian An Zhong

  2. Department of Management and Marketing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong

    Wing Lam

  3. Department of Management, City University of Hong Kong, 88 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong

    Ziguang Chen

Authors
  1. Jian An Zhong
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  2. Wing Lam
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  3. Ziguang Chen
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Correspondence to Ziguang Chen.

Additional information

This paper was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation for Fostering Talents in Basic Research of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (no. J0630760), the Newly Recruited Junior Academic Staff Research Funds (no. A-PC1G) from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (CERG no. CityU 1432/05H and CityU141007).

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Zhong, J.A., Lam, W. & Chen, Z. Relationship between leader–member exchange and organizational citizenship behaviors: Examining the moderating role of empowerment. Asia Pac J Manag 28, 609–626 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10490-009-9163-2

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