Linking paternalistic leadership to work engagement among Chinese expatriates: a job demand-resource perspective

Abstract

PurposeThis study explores how paternalistic leadership (PL) influences Chinese expatriates' work engagement in a cross-cultural context, and examines how expatriates' cross-cultural adaptability sets a boundary condition for this relationship.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from two-wave surveys of 82 supervisors and 318 Chinese expatriate teachers from 57 Confucius Institutes in 18 countries. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesized relationships.FindingsBenevolent and moral leadership as job resources are negatively related to work–family conflict (WFC), whereas the job demand of authoritarian leadership positively relates to WFC. Further, WFC mediates the effect of PL styles on Chinese expatriates' work engagement. Cross-cultural adaptability moderates the negative relationship between WFC and work engagement, and the indirect effect of PL styles on work engagement through WFC.Practical implicationsOrganizations should consider WFC an important intervening mechanism linking PL and Chinese expatriates' work engagement. Cross-cultural organizations can mitigate the negative impact of WFC on work engagement by enhancing expatriates' cross-cultural adaptability.Originality/valueThis study is the first to examine the PL–work engagement relationship via a work–family interface, which contributes to integrating leadership and work–family outcomes. It enriches research on the JD-R model by showing that job resources and job demands affect employee outcomes through the mediation of stressors. Furthermore, this study identifies a new personal resource by examining cross-cultural adaptability's moderating role.

Investigating the Moderating Role of Paternalistic Leadership in the Relationship between Talent Management Practices and Employee Engagement A Case of : Five star Hotels in Egypt

“…Finally, fourth part was interested in information about paternalistic leadership and its divided into three sub titles; authoritarian, benevolent and moral leadership. (Erol & Senturk, 2018), (Cheng, Chou &Yu Wu, 2004) and (He, Wang, Zheng, Guo & Zhu, 2021) 7 Findings and Discussion 7.1 Validity and Reliability…”

Moderating Effect of Paternalistic Leadership on the Relationship between Thriving at Work and Expatriate Performance

“…Paternalistic leadership, which is an indigenous leadership style in Chinese societies, is characterised by motherly benevolence, fatherly authoritarianism, and moral integrity in a paternalistic environment [27]. Paternalism is a highly prevalent management style in many Chinese organisations, congruent with the collectivism and high power distance in Chinese culture [10]. Confucianism stresses the principle of a power-distance-based hierarchical relationship between the monarch and vassal, father and son, husband and wife, brothers, and friends [28].…”

“…Previous studies investigated the effect of paternalistic leadership on task and innovative performance [8,9]. He et al explored how paternalistic leadership influences Chinese expatriates' work engagement in a cross-cultural context and examined how expatriates' cross-cultural adaptability sets a boundary condition for this relationship [10]. This study explores the influence of thriving at work on expatriate performance.…”

My sweet‐hard boss: How do paternalistic managers influence employees’ work‐family and family‐work conflict?

“…Furthermore, He et al. (2021) revealed that ​​benevolent and moral leadership dimensions of PL were negatively associated with WFC, whereas the authoritarian leadership dimension of PL which might have been perceived as a job demand was positively associated with WFC. However, these studies focused on the direct relationships of PL with WFC and FWC leaving the questions regarding the underlying psychological processes relatively unanswered.…”