The Road to the Future: A Multi-Technique Bibliometric Review and Development Projections of the Leader–Member Exchange (LMX) Research

Abstract

This study examines the evolution of leader–member exchange (LMX) research. We apply bibliometrics to analyze the extant literature published from the beginning of the construct development, complementing existing qualitative and meta-analytic reviews of the LMX field. We use a combination of three bibliometric techniques—document co-citation analysis, co-word analysis, and bibliographic coupling. Our approach enables us to identify the most influential topics, determine the underlying structure and development of the field by interpreting bibliometric results against the backdrop of the invisible colleges framework, as well as detect emerging topics. We conclude by providing important theoretical and methodological implications, suggesting the emergence of new sub-fields and future opportunities for new connections among specific existing sub-streams of LMX, leadership, and management research.

Multiple teams, multiple projects, multiple groups at the intersection of (multiple) research fields: A bibliometric study

“…These techniques have been extensively described by Donthu et al (2021) as well as by Zupic and Čater (2015). Such triangulation of various bibliometric methods provides a more comprehensive overview of complex multidisciplinary approaches that addressed multi-teaming, and each approach tackles different but complementary research questions, such in our case the past, present and future snapshots of multi-teaming (Premru et al, 2022).…”

Exploring the past, present, and future of the mindfulness field: A multitechnique bibliometric review

“…Our main goals of employing a cutoff point were to select only the most influential documents and to limit the document set to a manageable size (Zupic and Cater, 2015 ). The general rule of thumb that is frequently applied in bibliometric visualizations (Caputo et al, 2021 ; Premru et al, 2022 ) is that one tries to plot the ca. 100–400 most important units; this provides optimal complexity while still being interpretable.…”

The cost of protecting resources: a cross-sectional study on the interaction between LMX and role ambiguity on work addiction and burnout among Canadian first-level healthcare managers

“…Following the formulated hypotheses, we investigated a boundary condition under which the relationship of the managers with their team may alter the proposed process. LMX, defined as “the quality of exchange between a leader and their subordinate” ( Premru et al, 2022 , p. 2), is often used to study the perception of such relationships. High LMX can have beneficial effects for subordinates ( Dulebohn et al, 2012 ; Serban et al, 2021 ), such as reduced role overload ( Tordera et al, 2008 ), increased performance ( Martin et al, 2016 ), and stronger affective commitment ( Montani et al, 2017 ).…”

“…This potential “dark side” manifests as they overinvest themselves to protect their quality relation with their subordinates. As highlighted by Premru et al (2022) in a recent literature review regarding LMX, this concept and its negative aspects have mainly been scrutinized from a subordinate standpoint. However, as a dyadic phenomenon, it should be studied from both perspectives to allow a more nuanced and complete overview.…”