Beyond the tipping point: the curvilinear relationships of transformational leadership, leader–member exchange, and emotional exhaustion in the French police

Abstract

As one promise of transformational leadership (TFL), it inspires public servants to perform beyond expectations and embrace needed change. However, it remains unclear whether TFL is linked to reduced stress and exhaustion or whether 'performance beyond expectations' comes at the expense of followers' increased stress. In line with the 'too-much-of-a-good-thing' effect, this article contributes to our understanding of leadership in public organizations by investigating the curvilinear effect of TFL on emotional exhaustion through interpersonal relationships with the leader (LMX). The results based on a two-wave study of 806 French police officers support the expectation of a curvilinear relationship.

Status Quos Are Made to be Broken: The Roles of Transformational Leadership, Job Satisfaction, Psychological Empowerment, and Voice Behavior

“…Existence of a positive association between transformational leadership and followers' outcomes is endorsed by social exchange theory (Molines et al, 2020). The motivation provided by transformational leaders motivates employees to analyze the situation leading them to better problem-solving techniques (Farahnak et al, 2020).…”

Dynamics of person-supervisor fit in relationship quality and well-being of university academicians

“…Supervisors as first-line leaders in organisations have been posited to have first-hand influence on the work experience of their subordinates given their proximity to them. As such, this nature of leadership suggests that it is better viewed as interpersonal relationship involving the leader and subordinates (Fairhurst and Uhl-Bien, 2012; Fein et al , 2020; Molines et al , 2020; Tanskanen et al , 2019), which is considered as the core and probably the most vital relationship in the workplace (Thomas et al , 2013). As a social process, it focuses on the intricate interactions of relational process targeted at important individual and organisational outcomes.…”

The Directional Nature of Organizational Relationships and Their Effect on Individual Performance and Turnover

“…When individuals perceive that supervisors have a greater influence in the organization due to the supervisors’ upward LMX, they feel greater control over their work and perceive more organizational support with fewer obstacles (Molines et al, 2020; Tjosvold et al, 1991). The propensity of turnover for the highly visible increases only when the there is a decline in LMX and CWX quality.…”