The Double-Edged Sword Effect of Paradoxical Leadership to Organizational Citizenship Behavior

Abstract

Purpose Drawing on social exchange theory and attribution theory, this study aims to explore the influencing mechanism of paradoxical leadership on organizational citizenship behavior. Participants and Methods According to the research purpose, this study selects enterprises in the manufacturing, financial and high-tech industries in Shandong Province as the research objects, and collects data on the leaders and employees of the human resources departments and marketing departments in the enterprises. Data were collected from 77 leaders and 473 employees in China by a two-wave questionnaire survey. Hierarchical regression analysis and structural equation model approach were employed to test hypotheses. Results This study found that perceived insider status and psychological entitlement play mediating roles about paradoxical leadership and organizational citizenship behavior; Collectivism moderates the relationship between paradoxical leadership and perceived insider status, and moderates the positive mediating role played by perceived insider status in the relationship of paradoxical leadership and organizational citizenship behavior; Leader-member exchange differentiation moderates the relationship about paradoxical leadership and psychological entitlement, and moderates negative mediating role played by psychological entitlement in the relationship of paradoxical leadership’s and organizational citizenship behavior. Conclusion The findings of this study offer guidance for managers to better undermine the negative effects of paradoxical leadership, and improve organizational citizenship behavior. Innovations First, this study extends the literature on paradoxical leadership by verifying the double-edged sword effect of paradoxical leadership to organizational citizenship behavior. Second, this study enriches one’s understanding of the “black box” underlying the link between paradoxical leadership and its consequences by demonstrating the mediating roles of perceived insider status and psychological entitlement. Third, by verifying the moderating roles of collectivism and leader-member exchange differentiation, this study provides insights into the boundary conditions of the impact of paradoxical leadership.

Does paradoxical leadership influence employees’ proactive work behavior? A study based on employees in Chinese state-owned enterprises

“…Employees’ behavior in the organization is grounded in the principle of reciprocity. In the organization, employees anticipate that their input (such as hard work) will be rewarded (such as recognition and rewards) ( Niu et al, 2022 ; Zhang et al, 2022 ). Self-efficacy plays a key role in this process, as it affects employees’ confidence in their ability to successfully complete tasks and receive rewards ( Guo et al, 2022 ; Jung et al, 2022 ).…”