ISSN 0439-755X
CN 11-1911/B

Acta Psychologica Sinica ›› 2021, Vol. 53 ›› Issue (8): 890-903.doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1041.2021.00890

• Reports of Empirical Studies • Previous Articles     Next Articles

The impact of the fit between needed and received empowering leadership on followers’ job-related outcomes: The mediating role of emotional ex-haustion

SONG Qi, CHEN Yang()   

  1. School of Business Administration, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu 611130, China
  • Received:2020-05-08 Published:2021-08-25 Online:2021-06-25
  • Contact: CHEN Yang E-mail:chenyang@swufe.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    Education and Teaching Reform in 2020 YSW Southwest University of Finance and Economics Excellent Doctoral Dissertation Project(113610004007000040)

Abstract:

Based on the theory of person-environment fit and the transactional model of stress, we discuss the impact of the fit between needed and received empowering leadership on followers’ attitude, behavior, and performance and the mediating role of emotional exhaustion. In this study, we collected data from 150 leaders and 150 followers (Study 1), 50 leaders and 243 followers (Study 2) in two multi-wave, multi-source surveys. We conducted multi-level polynomial regression and response surface analysis to test the hypothesized model. The results of data analyses showed that: (a) the misfit between needed and received empowering leadership was positively and significantly related to followers’ emotional exhaustion; (b) compared with deficient empowerment, followers’ emotional exhaustion was higher when they received excessive empowerment; and (c) followers’ emotional exhaustion mediated the effect of the fit between needed and received empowering leadership on followers’ satisfaction with their leaders, organizational citizenship behavior, and job performance.

Key words: needed empowering leadership, received empowering leadership, needs-supplies fit, emotional exhaustion