A longitudinal study on the early development of leader-member exchanges.

Abstract

The authors investigated the first 6 months that 166 newly hired employees and their immediate supervisors worked together. Expectations, perceived similarity, liking, demographic similarity, and performance were examined as determinants of leader-member exchanges (LMXs). Leader and member expectations of each other assessed in the first 5 days in the life of the dyad predicted LMXs at 2 weeks and at 6 weeks following the 1st day of the dyads' existence. Member expectations of leaders also predicted LMXs at 6 months. Following nearly the same pattern, perceived similarity and liking from both the leaders' and members' perspectives predicted LMXs at most time periods. Demographic similarity between leaders and members had no significant effects on LMX development, and subordinate performance ratings were relatively less important in predicting LMX than were affective variables.Leader-member exchange (LMX) theory suggests that leaders differentiate among their subordinates within the work unit (

The joint effects of personality and workplace social exchange relationships in predicting task performance and citizenship performance.

“…Since task performance is the traditional and primary focus of work exchange relationships, we propose a positive relationship between LMX and task performance. Consistent with this, Gerstner and Day's (1997) meta-analysis and other studies (e.g., Bauer, Erdogan, Liden, & Wayne, 2006;Klein & Kim, 1998;Liden, Wayne, & Stilwell, 1993) have demonstrated positive relationships between LMX and task performance. Thus, H3a: LMX will be positively related to task performance.…”

Conceptualizing leadership perceptions as attitudes: Using attitude theory to further understand the leadership process

“…This is particularly pertinent to the study of leadership as research has shown the importance of liking in the early stages of leader-follower relationship development and its role as a precursor of leadership ratings (Engle & Lord, 1997;Lewter & Lord, 1992;Liden, Wayne, & Stilwell, 1993;Wayne & Ferris, 1990). Liden et al (1993), for instance, showed that liking assessed during the first two weeks of a leader-follower relationship predicted followers' ratings of the relationship six months later. This suggests that the initial basis for attitudinal evaluations can affect the interpretation of future attitude-relevant information.…”

“…Again such findings have implications for leadership as it suggests that the way leaders try to persuade followers should match the content of the follower's attitude. It is clear that liking plays a powerful role in the early development of leader-follower relationships (Liden et al, 1993) and it is probable that for many followers leader-follower attitudes may be based on affect. In such cases leaders may be more persuasive if they make persuasive appeals rather than rational, cognitively-based appeals.…”

“…This primacy effect refers to the sequence of affect and cognition in an attitude's formation and has been shown, for example, to be an important determinant of its subsequent resistance to affective and cognitive means of persuasion (e.g., Edwards, 1990). This is particularly pertinent to the study of leadership as research has shown the importance of liking in the early stages of leader-follower relationship development and its role as a precursor of leadership ratings (Engle & Lord, 1997;Lewter & Lord, 1992;Liden, Wayne, & Stilwell, 1993;Wayne & Ferris, 1990). Liden et al (1993), for instance, showed that liking assessed during the first two weeks of a leader-follower relationship predicted followers' ratings of the relationship six months later.…”

“…For example, with regards to leader-member relationships, it is important to understand how the relationship develops from the initial interaction through to the later stages of the relationship (Liden et al, 1993) but also how stable these relationships are once established. To date, relatively little is known about how the relationships develop and are maintained over time.…”