Leader self-enhancement values: curvilinear and congruence effects
Leadership & Organization Development Journal
ISSN: 0143-7739
Article publication date: 16 June 2020
Issue publication date: 25 June 2020
Abstract
Purpose
Assumptions regarding the effect of leader self-enhancement values on leader-follower relationships are oversimplified. To advance this conversation, we test non-linear and congruence effects. We hypothesize that leader self-enhancement values (via prestige) have an inverted U-shaped relationship with employee perceptions of leader-member exchange (LMX) and leader interpersonal justice, and that leader-follower incongruence is negatively related to LMX and interpersonal justice.
Design/methodology/approach
To evaluate our hypotheses we use hierarchical regression, polynomial regression, and surface plot analysis. Our sample consists of 193 leader-follower dyads from a variety of organizations.
Findings
LMX and interpersonal justice increase as leader self-enhancement increases, but begin to decrease at higher levels of self-enhancement values. Additionally, leader-follower self-enhancement incongruence is negatively related to interpersonal justice. Finally, LMX is lowest when leaders are higher than followers in self-enhancement values compared to when followers are higher than leaders.
Practical implications
It is critical to evaluate the level of leader self-enhancement values and/or the joint influence of the follower values (self-enhancement) to fully understand the effect of leader values on follower perceptions of the dyadic relationship. Organizations interested in facilitating high-quality leader-follower relationships should focus on the levels of the values and on mechanisms that facilitate leader-follower value alignment.
Originality/value
This work extends prior research assuming a direct, linear effect of leader self-enhancement values on follower outcomes. To fully understand the influence of leader values it is important to consider curvilinear and congruence effects.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Compliance with ethical standards: All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee (Miami University: 02520e) and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.Conflict of interest: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Citation
Dust, S., Rode, J. and Wang, P. (2020), "Leader self-enhancement values: curvilinear and congruence effects", Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 41 No. 5, pp. 687-701. https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-10-2019-0438
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited