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How and when LMX quality relates to counterproductive performance: A mediated moderation model

I.M. Jawahar (Department of Management and Quantitative Methods, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois, USA)
Bert Schreurs (Faculty of Social Sciences and Solvay Business School, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium) (Research Centre for Education and the Labour Market (ROA), Maastricht University School of Business and Economics, Maastricht, The Netherlands)
Shawn J. Mohammed (University High School, Normal, Illinois, USA)

Career Development International

ISSN: 1362-0436

Article publication date: 25 October 2018

Issue publication date: 9 November 2018

1348

Abstract

Purpose

In spite of the recent meta-analysis by Martin et al. (2016), we have very little insight about the theoretical mechanism explaining the leader–member exchange–counterproductive work behavior (LMX–CWB) relationship. Drawing on social cognitive theory, the purpose of this paper is to test if occupational self-efficacy functions as a mediating mechanism to explain the relationship between LMX quality and counterproductive performance directed toward the supervisor. In addition, based on the conservation of resources theory, the paper investigates if supervisor–subordinate relationship tenure acted as a second-stage moderator of this mediated relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors used two-wave time-lagged data from a sample of 189 high-tech professionals to test the hypotheses, controlling for age, sex, and trust.

Findings

The results of this paper showed that occupational self-efficacy carried the effect of LMX quality on counterproductive performance, but only for workers who have longer supervisor–subordinate relationship tenure.

Originality/value

This paper is unique in proposing and testing a social cognitive mechanism to explain the relationship between LMX quality and counterproductive performance. As Johns (2017) advocated, the authors incorporated length of time, a contextual variable into this study by investigating supervisor–subordinate relationship tenure as moderating the proposed mediated relationship.

Keywords

Citation

Jawahar, I.M., Schreurs, B. and Mohammed, S.J. (2018), "How and when LMX quality relates to counterproductive performance: A mediated moderation model", Career Development International, Vol. 23 No. 6/7, pp. 557-575. https://doi.org/10.1108/CDI-05-2018-0134

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited

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