Impact of connective leadership on employees’ goal commitment during M & A integration
Leadership & Organization Development Journal
ISSN: 0143-7739
Article publication date: 1 August 2016
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of connective leadership in the promotion of employee goal commitment, and to determine whether conflict can mediate the relationship between connective leadership and goal commitment during the integration of mergers and acquisitions (M & A).
Design/methodology/approach
The study draws on survey data (n=255) from Chinese employees who work for 12 native M & A enterprises. Structural equation modeling and regression analysis are applied to analyze the data.
Findings
The results show that connective leadership is positively related to employee goal commitment (p < 0.01). In addition, relationship conflict partially mediates the relationship between connective leadership and employee goal commitment. Task conflict fully mediates the relationship between connective leadership and employee goal commitment.
Originality/value
This study introduces connective leadership into M & A and may contribute to the literature related to connective leadership and M & A integration as well as the literature focussed on goal commitment, especially antecedents of goal commitment.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The National Social Science Foundation of China (project number: 14BGL069). Many thanks for the very specific comments on the paper from Professor Carolyn Jagacinski, Department of Psychology, Purdue University, USA.
Citation
Yan, S., Wu, S. and Zhang, G. (2016), "Impact of connective leadership on employees’ goal commitment during M & A integration", Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 37 No. 6, pp. 789-801. https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-10-2014-0206
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2016, Emerald Group Publishing Limited