W6 - LMX

Question 1

LMX

Answer 1

• followers aren’t passive
• leadership is a relationship between a leader and their followers
• both leaders and followers influence the relationship and are both accountable for leadership
• relational approach to leadership

Question 2

quality of relationship

Answer 2

low quality = based on employment contract, mostly economic exchanges

high quality = extends beyond contract, engage in positive behaviours motivates employees

Question 3

consequences of LMX (reciprocity)

Answer 3

• premise of lMX is high quality relationships lead to positive outcomes

this is due to social exchange theory and reciprocity

• when one individual helps another an obligation is created where the receiver is indebted to the donor and that remains until its repaid
• this could be info from leader to follower / advice / support etc.

-

Question 4

Predictors of LMX (Role theory)

Answer 4

• relationship between leader and member develops through three phases
  1. role taking
  2. role making
  3. role routinisation

(look at diagram)

Question 5

role taking

Answer 5

• trial phase where leader discovers relevant motivation and limits of the member
• done through a series of roles and responses
• initial meeting of leader and member / determines future relationship between the two
• takes a short amount of time

Question 6

role making

Answer 6

• leader and follower define the nature of their relationship and haw to behave in various situations
• leaders sort followers into one of two groups:
  1. in group - if followers are loyal, trustworthy and skilled they are in the in group. made up of ppl leaders trust the most / more 1-1 time with leaders
  2. out group - if followers betray trust or prove unmotivated. work is restricted have less access to the leader

Question 7

role routinisation

Answer 7

• role making turns into behaviours over time
• relationship stabilises the mutual expectations of leaders and followers
• predicts leaders will form unique relationships with each follower over time through the process

Question 8

predictors of LMX

Answer 8

three predictors of LMX quality:
1. follower characteristics
2. leader characteristics
3. relationship factors

Question 9

follower characteristics

Answer 9

• LMX quality is associated with follower personality
• positively associated with extraversion, consciousness, agreeableness
• more outgoing = more likely to develop high quality relationships

Question 10

leader characteristics and behaviours

Answer 10

• leaders who are more extraverted and agreeable = better quality relationships with their followers
• strongly related to positive leadership styles such as transformational and ethical leadership

Question 11

relationship factors

Answer 11

• similarity between leaders and followers is an important predictor of quality
• similarity between the two with regards to personality Is related to liking and attraction
• similar = better quality relationship

Question 12

issues of LMX theory

Answer 12

1. LMX is a relational theory and focuses on one perspective only
   - only focuses on one side of a relationship - ignores leaders side
   - should be two sided
   - leaders and followers see their relationship in different ways = lack of agreement
2. LMX ambivalence - relationships are either high/low quality
   - relationships can be high and low quality at the same time
   - too rigid
   - when relationships are ambivalent = stress on worker as there is no consistency

Question 13

LMX differentiation

Answer 13

• leaders do not leave a single follower but a team or group of followers
• each individual leader-follower relationship is embedded within a group
• therefore different quality relationships within the group (in groups and out groups)

Question 14

why does this occur

Answer 14

1. interpersonal dynamics - get on better with some over others (similarity)
2. limited resources - leader has limited time. they can devote to the employees on their team. So, a leader, may choose to focus on employees they see as most deserving.
3. Power tactics - purposefully create in / out groups - low quality relationships makes it easy to blame employees for bad outcomes

Question 15

how is LMX differentiation measured

Answer 15

• captured in two ways
  1. LMX variation - there is variation of differences in LMX within the team

2. LMX relative position - relative position each person compared to others is in the team (above / below avg)

Question 16

LMX variation

Answer 16

• measured by looking at standard dev. of LMX in a work group

higher SD = more variation in the team

Question 17

LMX relative position

Answer 17

• measured through Relative LMX (RLMX)

or

• LMX social comparison - followers rate how their managers treat them

Question 18

issues of LMX differentiation

Answer 18

1. team level outcomes - research shows the more differentiation in a group the less likely the group will be able to work together and perform well
2. individual level outcomes - followers who feel like they are in the in group are likely to get a boost and exhibit positive behaviours