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The influence of CEO relationship-focused behaviors on firm performance: A chain-mediating role of employee relations climate and employees’ attitudes

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Abstract

This study examines the inner influencing mechanism and boundary conditions of the association between CEO relationship-focused leadership behaviors and organizational performance. Using data from top managers, HR directors, and operational level employees at 286 companies in seven provinces of China, this paper finds that CEO relationship-focused leadership behaviors have a positive effect on organizational performance. Specifically, CEO relationship-focused leadership behaviors relate directly and positively to firm performance in organically-structured firms and indirectly and positively to firm performance in mechanistically-structured firms via the chain-mediating role of employee relations climate and employees’ attitudes. The findings offer theoretical contributions to the leadership and employee relations climate literature and provide practical value to Chinese enterprises.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Senior Editor and two anonymous reviewers for their invaluable and insightful comments and suggestions on earlier versions of this manuscript. We also appreciate the feedback and help received from Betty S. Coffey at Walker College of Business, Appalachian State University. The National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 71332002 and No.71172063) supported this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Business, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, People’s Republic of China

    Meng Xi & Shuming Zhao

  2. School of Economics & Management, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, People’s Republic of China

    Qin Xu

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  1. Meng Xi
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  2. Shuming Zhao
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Correspondence to Qin Xu.

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Xi, M., Zhao, S. & Xu, Q. The influence of CEO relationship-focused behaviors on firm performance: A chain-mediating role of employee relations climate and employees’ attitudes. Asia Pac J Manag 34, 173–192 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10490-016-9487-7

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