Social Comparisons, Self-Conceptions, and Attributions: Assessing the Self-Related Contingencies in Leader-Member...

Area of Science:

• Organizational Behavior
• Social Psychology

Background:

• Leader-member exchange (LMX) quality is a key predictor of work outcomes.
• Employees also engage in social comparisons of their LMX relative to their peers (LMXSC).
• Self-concept, at individual, relational, and collective levels, may moderate these relationships.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the distinct and combined effects of LMX and LMXSC on work outcomes.
• To examine the moderating roles of employee and perceived supervisor self-concept levels.
• To differentiate LMX from LMXSC and understand their interplay with self-conceptions.

Main Methods:

• Survey data collected from 250 employee-supervisor dyads.
• Hypothesis testing using statistical analysis to examine direct and moderated relationships.
• Measurement of LMX, LMXSC, organizational commitment, performance, and self-concept levels.

Main Results:

• LMX positively predicted organizational commitment, which in turn predicted performance.
• Employee and perceived supervisor relational self-concepts moderated LMXSC effects.
• Perceived supervisor collective self-concept moderated LMX and LMXSC effects, with some unexpected findings.

Conclusions:

• LMX and LMXSC have distinct roles in predicting work outcomes.
• Self-concept variables, including those attributed to the supervisor, significantly moderate leader-member exchange dynamics.
• Understanding social comparison and self-concept is crucial for leader-member relationship research.