Why and when transformational leadership influences followers' qualitative job insecurity: A three-wave moderated mediation study
Corresponding Author
Xiaohong Xu
Department of Management, Carlos Alvarez College of Business, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
Correspondence
Xiaohong (Violet) Xu, Department of Management, Carlos Alvarez College of Business, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78249, United States.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorLixin Jiang
School of Psychology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Search for more papers by this authorSergio López Bohle
Departamento de Administración, Facultad de Administración y Economía, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile
Search for more papers by this authorFelipe Muñoz Medina
Departamento de Tecnologías de Gestión, Facultad Tecnológica, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile
Search for more papers by this authorMeiqiao Gu
Department of Psychology, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, United States
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Xiaohong Xu
Department of Management, Carlos Alvarez College of Business, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
Correspondence
Xiaohong (Violet) Xu, Department of Management, Carlos Alvarez College of Business, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78249, United States.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorLixin Jiang
School of Psychology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Search for more papers by this authorSergio López Bohle
Departamento de Administración, Facultad de Administración y Economía, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile
Search for more papers by this authorFelipe Muñoz Medina
Departamento de Tecnologías de Gestión, Facultad Tecnológica, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile
Search for more papers by this authorMeiqiao Gu
Department of Psychology, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, United States
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
This study explored the mediation role of follower organization-based self-esteem (OBSE) and the moderation role of workplace friendship in the relationship between transformational leadership and follower qualitative job insecurity. We adopted a three-wave longitudinal design and collected survey data from 142 Chilean employees. Cross-lagged mediation panel analysis indicated that transformational leadership had a lagged effect on follower OBSE, which, in turn, had a lagged effect on follower qualitative job insecurity. Further, follower workplace friendship moderated the effect of transformational leadership on follower OBSE such that transformational leadership only promoted follower OBSE when followers had high workplace friendship but did not significantly moderate the indirect effect of transformational leadership on follower qualitative job insecurity via OBSE. Integrating the leadership literature with the job insecurity literature, our study takes the first attempt to explore how, why, and when transformational leadership may influence follower qualitative job insecurity.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT
The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Open Research
DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT
The data that support the findings of this study are available upon reasonable request.
REFERENCES
- Alfons, A., Ateş, N. Y., & Groenen, P. J. (2022). A robust bootstrap test for mediation analysis. Organizational Research Methods, 25(3), 591–617. https://doi.org/10.1177/109442812199909
- Arnold, K. A. (2017). Transformational leadership and employee psychological well-being: A review and directions for future research. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 22(3), 381–393. https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000062
- Ashford, S. J., Caza, B. B., & Reid, E. M. (2018). From surviving to thriving in the gig economy: A research agenda for individuals in the new world of work. Research in Organizational Behavior, 38(1), 23–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.riob.2018.11.001
10.1016/j.riob.2018.11.001 Google Scholar
- Avolio, B. J., Bass, B., & Jung, D. I. (1995). MLQ multifactor leadership questionnaire: Technical report. Mind Garden.
- Barrech, A., Seubert, C., Glaser, J., & Gündel, H. (2018). Can a workplace leadership intervention reduce job insecurity and improve health? Results from a field study. International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, 91, 547–557. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-018-1302-y
- Bass, B. M., & Avolio, B. J. (1994). Improving organizational effectiveness through transformational leadership (Vol. 21, pp. 210–211). Sage. https://doi.org/10.1016/0099-1333(95)90050-0
- Becker, T. E. (2005). Potential problems in the statistical control of variables in organizational research: A qualitative analysis with recommendations. Organizational Research Methods, 8(3), 274–289. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428105278021
- Bowling, N. A., Eschleman, K. J., Wang, Q., Kirkendall, C., & Alarcon, G. (2010). A meta-analysis of the predictors and consequences of organization-based self-esteem. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 83(3), 601–626. https://doi.org/10.1348/096317909X454382
- Brislin, R. W. (1970). Back-translation for cross-cultural research. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 1(3), 185–216. https://doi.org/10.1177/135910457000100301
- Brockner, J. (1988). Self-esteem at work: Research, theory, and practice. Lexington Books/D. C. Heath and Com.
- Cantor, N., Markus, H., Niedenthal, P., & Nurius, P. (1986). On motivation and the self-concept. In R. M. Sorrentino & E. T. Higgins (Eds.), Handbook of motivation and cognition: Foundations of social behavior (pp. 96–121). Guilford Press.
- Carless, S. A., Wearing, A. J., & Mann, L. (2000). A short measure of transformational leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 14(3), 389–405. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022991115523
- Chen, C., Ding, X., & Li, J. (2021). Transformational leadership and employee job satisfaction: The mediating role of employee relations climate and the moderating role of subordinate gender. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(1), 233. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19010233
- Cole, D. A., & Maxwell, S. E. (2003). Testing mediational models with longitudinal data: Questions and tips in the use of structural equation modeling. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 112(4), 558–577. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-843X.112.4.558
- Conway, J. M., & Lance, C. E. (2010). What reviewers should expect from authors regarding common method bias in organizational research. Journal of Business and Psychology, 25(3), 325–334. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-010-9181-6
- Craig, L., & Kuykendall, L. (2019). Examining the role of friendship for employee well-being. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 115, 103313. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2019.06.001
- Crede, M., Jong, J., & Harms, P. (2019). The generalizability of transformational leadership across cultures: A meta-analysis. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 34(3), 139–155. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMP-11-2018-0506
- De Witte, H. (2005). Job insecurity: Review of the international literature on definitions, prevalence, antecedents and consequences. SA journal of Industrial Psychology, 31(4), 1-6.
10.4102/sajip.v31i4.200 Google Scholar
- Durrah, O. (2023). Do we need friendship in the workplace? The effect on innovative behavior and mediating role of psychological safety. Current Psychology, 42(32), 28597–28610. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-03949-4
- Ernst, M., Niederer, D., Werner, A. M., Czaja, S. J., Mikton, C., Ong, A. D., Rosen, T., Brähler, E., & Beutel, M. E. (2022). Loneliness before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review with meta-analysis. American Psychologist, 77(5), 660–677. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0001005
- Festinger, L. (1957). A theory of cognitive dissonance. Stanford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781503620766
- Gattiker, U. E., & Cohen, A. (1997). Gender-based wage differences: The effects of occupation and job segregation in Israel. Relations Industrielles, 52(3), 507–530. https://doi.org/10.7202/051184ar
- Harms, P. D., Crede, M., Tynan, M., Leon, M., & Jeung, W. (2017). Leadership and stress: A meta-analytic review. Leadership Quarterly, 28(1), 178–194. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.10.006
- Heider, F. (1958). The psychology of interpersonal relations. John Wiley & Sons Inc. https://doi.org/10.1037/10628-000
10.1037/10628-000 Google Scholar
- Heidmets, M., & Liik, K. (2014). School principal's leadership style and teachers' subjective well-being at school. Problems of Education in Century, 62(62), 40–50. https://doi.org/10.33225/pec/14.62.40
10.33225/pec/14.62.40 Google Scholar
- Hellgren, J., & Sverke, M. (2003). Does job insecurity lead to impaired well-being or vice versa? Estimation of cross-lagged effects using latent variable modelling. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 24(2), 215–236. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.184
- Hellgren, J., Sverke, M., & Isaksson, K. (1999). A two-dimensional approach to job insecurity: Consequences for employee attitudes and well-being. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 8(2), 179–195. https://doi.org/10.1080/135943299398311
10.1080/135943299398311 Google Scholar
- Hildenbrand, K., Sacramento, C. A., & Binnewies, C. (2018). Transformational leadership and burnout: The role of thriving and followers' openness to experience. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 23(1), 31–43. https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000051
- Hobfoll, S. E. (2001). The influence of culture, community, and the nested-self in the stress process: Advancing conservation of resources theory. Applied Psychology, 50(3), 337–421. https://doi.org/10.1111/1464-0597.00062
- Hofstede, G. (1980). Motivation, leadership, and organization: Do American theories apply abroad? Organizational Dynamics, 9(1), 42–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/0090-2616(80)90013-3
- Hu, L. L., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling, 6(1), 1–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705519909540118
- Jiang, L., & Lavaysse, L. M. (2018). Cognitive and affective job insecurity: A meta-analysis and a primary study. Journal of Management, 44(6), 2307–2342. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206318773853
- Jiang, L., Lawrence, A., & Xu, X. (2022). Does a stick work? A meta-analytic examination of curvilinear relationships between job insecurity and employee workplace behaviors. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 43(8), 1410–1445. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2652
- Jiang, L., Xu, X., & Wang, H. J. (2021). A resources–demands approach to sources of job insecurity: A multilevel meta-analytic investigation. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 26(2), 108–126. https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000267
- Jiang, L., Xu, X., Zubielevitch, E., & Sibley, C. G. (2023). Gain and loss spirals: Reciprocal relationships between resources and job insecurity. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 96(3), 646–668. https://doi.org/10.1111/joop.12440
- Jones, S. C. (1973). Self- and interpersonal evaluations: Esteem theories versus consistency theories. Psychological Bulletin, 79(3), 185–199. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0033957
- Judge, T. A., & Piccolo, R. F. (2004). Transformational and transactional leadership: A meta-analytic test of their relative validity. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89(5), 755–768. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.89.5.755
- Kalleberg, A. L. (2011). Good jobs, bad jobs: The rise of polarized and precarious employment systems in the United States, 1970s–2000s. Russell Sage Foundation.
- Kark, R., & Van Dijk, D. (2007). Motivation to lead, motivation to follow: The role of the self-regulatory focus in leadership processes. The Academy of Management Review, 32(2), 500–528. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2007.24351846
- Keim, A. C., Landis, R. S., Pierce, C. A., & Earnest, D. R. (2014). Why do employees worry about their jobs? A meta-analytic review of predictors of job insecurity. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 19(3), 269–290. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0036743
- Kelloway, E. K., Barling, J., & Helleur, J. (2000). Enhancing transformational leadership: The roles of training and feedback. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 21(3), 145–149. https://doi.org/10.1108/01437730010325022
10.1108/01437730010325022 Google Scholar
- Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (1990). Leadership practices inventory (LPI): A self-assessment and analysis. Pfeiffer & Co.
- Lang, J., Bliese, P. D., Lang, J. W., & Adler, A. B. (2011). Work gets unfair for the depressed: Cross-lagged relations between organizational justice perceptions and depressive symptoms. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96(3), 602–618. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0022463
- Lee, C., Huang, G. H., & Ashford, S. J. (2018). Job insecurity and the changing workplace: Recent developments and the future trends in job insecurity research. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 5(1), 335–359. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032117-104651
10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032117-104651 Google Scholar
- Lee, H. J., Probst, T. M., Bazzoli, A., & Lee, S. (2022). Technology advancements and employees' qualitative job insecurity in the Republic of Korea: Does training help? Employer-provided vs. self-paid training. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(21), 14368. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192114368
- Liu, J., Hui, C., Lee, C., & Chen, Z. X. (2013). Why do I feel valued and why do I contribute? A relational approach to employee's organization-based self-esteem and job performance. Journal of Management Studies, 50(6), 1018–1040. https://doi.org/10.1111/joms.12037
- Lonergan-Cullum, M., Hooker, S. A., Levy, R., & Ricco, J. (2022). A new pandemic of loneliness. The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 35(3), 593–596. https://doi.org/10.3122/jabfm.2022.03.210461
- Lord, R. G., & Brown, D. J. (2001). Leadership, values, and subordinate self-concepts. The Leadership Quarterly, 12(2), 133–152. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1048-9843(01)00072-8
- Lord, R. G., Brown, D. J., & Freiberg, S. J. (1999). Understanding the dynamics of leadership: The role of follower self-concepts in the leader/follower relationship. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 78(3), 167–203. https://doi.org/10.1006/obhd.1999.2832
- MacKinnon, D. P., Lockwood, C. M., Hoffman, J. M., West, S. G., & Sheets, V. (2002). A comparison of methods to test mediation and other intervening variable effects. Psychological Methods, 7(1), 83–104. https://doi.org/10.1037/1082-989X.7.1.83
- Mathieu, J. E., DeShon, R. P., & Bergh, D. D. (2008). Mediational inferences in organizational research: Then, now, and beyond. Organizational Research Methods, 11(2), 203–223. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428107310089
- Moore, S., Grunberg, L., & Greenberg, E. (2004). Repeated downsizing contact: The effects of similar and dissimilar layoff experiences on work and well-being outcomes. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 9(3), 247–257. https://doi.org/10.1037/1076-8998.9.3.247
- Muthén, L. K., & Muthén, B. O. (1998-2017). Mplus user's guide ( 8th ed.). Los Angeles, CA:Muthén & Muthén.
- Näswall, K., & De Witte, H. (2003). Who feels insecure in Europe? Predicting job insecurity from background variables. Economic and Industrial Democracy, 24(2), 189–215. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143831X0302400200
- Nielsen, I. K., Jex, S. M., & Adams, G. A. (2000). Development and validation of scores on a two-dimensional workplace friendship scale. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 60(4), 628–643. https://doi.org/10.1177/00131640021970655
- Orth, U., & Robins, R. W. (2014). The development of self-esteem. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 23(5), 381–387. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721414547414
- Pierce, J. L., & Gardner, D. G. (2004). Self-esteem within the work and organizational context: A review of the organization-based self-esteem literature. Journal of Management, 30(5), 591–622. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jm.2003.10.001
- Pierce, J. L., Gardner, D. G., Cummings, L. L., & Dunham, R. B. (1989). Organization-based self-esteem: Construct definition, measurement, and validation. Academy of Management Journal, 32(3), 622–648. https://doi.org/10.5465/256437
- Pillemer, J., & Rothbard, N. P. (2018). Friends without benefits: Understanding the dark sides of workplace friendship. Academy of Management Review, 43(4), 635–660. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2016.0309
- Ployhart, R. E., & Vandenberg, R. J. (2010). Longitudinal research: The theory, design, and analysis of change. Journal of Management, 36(1), 94–120. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206309352110
- Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J. Y., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879–903. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879
- Probst, T. M., Chizh, A., Jiang, L., Hu, S., & Austin, C. T. (2020). Explaining the relationship between job insecurity and creativity: A test of cognitive and affective mediators. Career Development International, 25(3), 247–270. https://doi.org/10.1108/CDI-04-2018-0118
- Ransbotham, S., Kiron, D., & Prentice, P. K. (2015). The talent dividend. MIT Sloan Management Review, 56(4), 1–12.
- Selig, J. P., & Little, T. D. (2012). Autoregressive and cross-lagged panel analysis for longitudinal data. In B. Laursen, T. D. Little, & N. A. Card (Eds.), Handbook of developmental research methods (pp. 265–278). The Guilford Press.
- Shoss, M. K. (2017). Job insecurity: An integrative review and agenda for future research. Journal of Management, 43(6), 1911–1939. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206317691574
- Sias, P. M., & Cahill, D. J. (1998). From coworkers to friends: The development of peer friendships in the workplace. Western Journal of Communication, 62(3), 273–299. https://doi.org/10.1080/10570319809374611
- Siemsen, E., Roth, A., & Oliveira, P. (2010). Common method bias in regression models with linear, quadratic, and interaction effects. Organizational Research Methods, 13(3), 456–476. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428109351241
- Stempel, C. R., Dettmers, J., & Rigotti, T. (2023). The domino effect: How leader job characteristics as antecedents of transformational leadership facilitate follower job characteristics. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 32(5), 678–687. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2023.2208354
- Stock, G., Banks, G. C., Voss, E. N., Tonidandel, S., & Woznyj, H. (2022). Putting leader (follower) behavior back into transformational leadership: A theoretical and empirical course correction. The Leadership Quarterly, 34(6), 101632. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2022.101632
- Su, X. Y., Wang, L. Y., & Zhang, L. (2022). Workplace relationships and employees' proactive behavior: Organization-based self-esteem as a mediator. Social Behavior and Personality: an International Journal, 50(5), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.11148
- Van Knippenberg, D., & Sitkin, S. B. (2013). A critical assessment of charismatic—Transformational leadership research: Back to the drawing board? Academy of Management Annals, 7(1), 1–60. https://doi.org/10.1080/19416520.2013.759433
- Wang, X.-H., & Howell, J. M. (2010). Exploring the dual-level effects of transformational leadership on followers. Journal of Applied Psychology, 95(6), 1134–1144. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0020754
- Winstead, B. A., Derlega, V. J., Montgomery, M. J., & Pilkington, C. (1995). The quality of friendships at work and job satisfaction. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 12(2), 199–215. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407595122003
- Xu, X., Jiang, L., Hong, P. Y., & Roche, M. (2021). Will mindful employees benefit from positive work reflection triggered by transformational leadership? A two-study examination. International Journal of Stress Management, 28(1), 61–73. https://doi.org/10.1037/str0000222
- Xu, X., Zhao, P., Hayes, R., Le, N., & Dormann, C. (2023). Revisit the causal inference between organizational commitment and job satisfaction: A meta-analysis disentangling its sources of inconsistencies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 108(7), 1244–1261. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0001073
- Xu, X., Jiang, L., Probst, T. M., Shoss, M. K., & Jalil, D. (2023). How national culture shapes employee reactions to job insecurity: The role of national corruption. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 32(1), 60-78. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2022.2090344
- Yam, K. C., Tang, P. M., Jackson, J. C., Su, R., & Gray, K. (2023). The rise of robots increases job insecurity and maladaptive workplace behaviors: Multimethod evidence. Journal of Applied Psychology, 108(5), 850–870. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0001045