The Mediating Role of Work Engagement in the Effect of Leader-Member Exchange on Job Performance

Abstract

Today, in order for businesses to sustain their presence and gain a competitive advantage in the sector in which they operate, their employees must be able to achieve a high level of performance consistently. Although there are many factors affecting job performance, a leader-member exchange is an important concept used to explain the relationship between manager and employee. This study aims to determine to what extent leader-member exchange affects job performance levels and to determine the mediating role of work engagement in this interaction. The research population of this study consists of business employees operating in the textile sector in Gaziantep 5th Organized Industrial Region. The sample size reached for this study is 284 participants. The data obtained from the participants by the face-to-face survey was tested by performing explanatory and confirmatory factor analysis, descriptive statistics, correlation, and bootstrap regression analysis. The results of conceptual and empirical studies clearly show that there is a statistically significant relation between leader-member exchange and job performance. However, work engagement has a partial mediating role in the relation between job performance and leader-member exchange.

Keywords

• Job Performance Leader-Member Exchange.
• Work Engagement
• Job Performance

References

1. Agarwal, U.A., Datta, S., Blake‐Beard, S., and Bhargava, S. (2012). Linking LMX, innovative work behavior and turnover intentions: The mediating role of work engagement. Career Development International, 17(3), 208-230.
2. Aggarwal, A., Chand, P. K., Jham, D., and Mittal, A. (2020). Leader-Member Exchange, Work Engagement, and Psychological Withdrawal Behavior: The Mediating Role of Psychological Empowerment. Front. Psychol. 11(423), doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00423
3. Akman, Y. (2021). Lider-Üye Etkileşimi ile Performans Arasındaki İlişkinin İncelenmesi: Bir Meta-Analiz Çalışması. Afyon Kocatepe Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 23(4), 1308-1321.
4. Akkoc, İ. (2012). Grup ve Hiyerarşik Alt Kültürlerinin İş Performansına Etkisi: Lider-Üye Etkileşiminin Aracılık Rolü. Çankırı Karatekin Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 3(2), 17-44.
5. Aslaner, F., and Artan, İ. H. (2019). Pozitif Psikolojik Sermayenin Lider-Üye Etkileşimi Vasıtasıyla Bireysel Performansı Etkilemedeki Rolü: Perakende Sektöründe Bir Araştırma, Business & Management Studies: An International Journal, 7(4), 1657-1689.
6. Altinay, L., Dai, Y.-D., Chang, J., Lee, C.-H., Zhuang, W.-L., and Liu, Y.-C. (2019). How to facilitate hotel employees’ work engagement: The roles of leader-member exchange, role overload, and job security. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 31(3), 1525-1542.
7. Babadag, M. (2020). Reviewing the Effects of Leader-Member Exchange on Job Crafting via Moderated-Mediation Analysis: A Study on Teachers. Journal of Business Research-Turk, 12(4), 3350-3368.
8. Bas, T., Keskin, N., and Mert, İ. S. (2010). Lider Üye Etkileşimi (LÜE) Modeli ve Ölçme Aracının Türkçe’de Geçerlik ve Güvenilirlik Analizi. Ege Akademik Bakış, 10(3), 1013-1039. Breevaart, K., Bakker, A.B., Demerouti, E., and van den Heuvel, M. (2015). Leader-member exchange, work engagement, and job performance. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 30(7), 754-770.

9. Biao, L., and Shuping, C. (2014). Leader-Member Exchange, Efficacy and Job Performance: A Cognitive Perspective Interpretation. Canadian Social Science, 10(5), 244-248.
10. Bicer, M. (2021). Örgütsel Sadakat ve Lider-Üye Etkileşiminin Çalışanların Bireysel İş Performansları Üzerindeki Etkileri. İnsan ve Toplum Bilimleri Araştırmaları Dergisi, 10(2), 1518-1538.
11. Burch, T. C., and Guarana, C. L. (2014) “The Comparative Influences of Transformational Leadership and Leader-Member Exchange on Follower Engagement”, Journal of Leadership Studies 8(3), 6-25.
12. Chaurasia, S., and Shukla, A. (2013) “The influence of leader-member exchange relations on employee engagement and work role performance”, International Journal of Organization Theory & Behavior, 16(4), 465-493.
13. Calıskan, A. (2018) “Dönüşümcü Liderliğin İş Performansına Etkisi: Lider Üye Etkileşimi ve Örgütsel Bağlılığın Aracılık Rolü. Toros Üniversitesi İİSBF Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi”, 5(8), 104-140.
14. Cerit, Y. (2012) “Lider Üye Etkileşimi ile Öğretmenlerin Performansları Arasındaki İlişki”, Balıkesir Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 15(28), 33-46.
15. Choy, J., McCormack, D., and Djurkovic, N. (2016) “Leader-member exchange and job performance: The mediating roles of delegation and participation”, Journal of Management Development, 35(1), 104–119.
16. Ciftci, O. D. (2019) “Lider üye etkileşiminin işe adanmışlık üzerindeki etkisinde psikolojik güçlendirmenin aracı rolü”, Business and Economics Research Journal, 10(1), 167-186.
17. Col, G. (2008) “Algılanan Güçlendirmenin İşgören Performansı Üzerine Etkileri”, Doğuş Üniversitesi Dergisi, 9(1), 35-46.
18. Duyan, M., and Yıldız, S. M. (2018) “The effect of leader-member exchange on job performance of academic staff: An empirical evidence from higher education institutions”, Journal of Human Sciences, 15(2), 1129–1136.
19. Els, C., Viljoen, J., de Beer, L., and Brand-Labuschagne, L. (2016) “The mediating effect of leader-member exchange between strengths use and work engagement”, Journal of Psychology in Africa, 26(1), 22-28.
20. Garg, S., and Dhar, R. (2017) “Employee service innovative behavior: The roles of leader-member exchange (LMX), work engagement, and job autonomy”, International Journal of Manpower, 38(2), 242-258.
21. Graen G.P., and Uhl-Bien M. (1995) “Relationship-based approach to leadership: Development of leader-member exchange (LMX) theory of leadership over 25 years: Applying a multi-level multi-domain perspective”, Leadership Quarterly, 6(2), 219-247.
22. Hayes, A. F. (2009) “Beyond Baron and Kenny: Statistical Mediation Analysis in the New Millennium”, Communication Monographs, 76(4), 408-420.
23. Howell, J. M., and Hall-Merenda, K. E. (1999) “The ties that bind: The impact of leader-member exchange, transformational and transactional leadership, and distance on predicting follower performance”, Journal of Applied Psychology, 84(5), 680–694.
24. Huang, X., Chan, S. C.H., Lam, W., and Nan, X. (2010) “The joint effect of leader-member exchange and emotional intelligence on burnout and work performance in call centers in China”, The International. Journal of Human Resource Management, 21(7), 1124-1144.
25. Janssen, O., and Van Yperen, N. W. (2004) “Employees’ Goal Orientations, the Quality of Leader-Member Exchange, and The Outcomes of Job Performance and Job Satisfaction”, Academy of Management Journal, 47(3),368-384.
26. Joo B-K. (Brian) (2012) “Leader–Member Exchange Quality and In-Role Job Performance: The Moderating Role of Learning Organization Culture”, Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies. 19(1), 25-34.
27. Karcıoglu, F., ve Kahya, C. (2012) “Lider-Üye Etkileşimi ve Çatışma Yönetim Stili İlişkisi”, Atatürk Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 15 (2), 337-352.
28. Karayel, M., Akkoc, İ., ve Birer, İ. (2018) “Örgütsel Destek, Sosyal Destek Ve Lider Desteğinin İş Performansına Etkisinde Lider-Üye Etkileşiminin Aracılık Rolü. Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi İşletme Fakültesi Dergisi”, 19(2), 301-332.
29. Kim, T-Y., Liu, Z. Q., and Diefendorff, J. M. (2014) “Leader–member exchange and job performance: The effects of taking charge and organizational tenure. Journal of Organizational Behavior”, DOI: 10.1002/job, 1-16.
30. Li, X., Sanders, K., and Frenkel, S. (2012) “How leader–member exchange, work engagement and HRM consistency explain Chinese luxury hotel employees’ job performance”, International Journal of Hospitality Management 31, 1059-1066.
31. Liden, R. C., and Maslyn, J. M. (1998) “Multidimensionality of leader-member exchange: An empirical assessment through scale development”, Journal of Management, 24(1), 43-72.
32. Loi, R., Ngo, H.-Y., Zhang, L., and Lau, V. P. (2011) “The interaction between leader–member exchange and perceived job security in predicting employee altruism and work performance”, Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 84(4), 669–685.
33. Meydan, C. H., ve Sesen, H. (2011) “Yapısal eşitlik modellemesi AMOS uygulamaları”, Detay Yayıncılık, Ankara.
34. Naz, S. (2019) “Role of Work Engagement and Job Performance in an LMX Environment”, Market Forces Research Journal, 14(2), 56-77.
35. Ozkalp, P. E., and Meydan, P. B. (2015) “Schaufeli ve Bakker Tarafından Geliştirilmiş Olan İşe Angaje Olma Ölçeğinin Türkçe’de Güvenilirlik ve Geçerliliğinin Analizi”, ISGUC The Journal of Industrial Relations and Human Resources, 17(3), 1-19.
36. Ozutku, H., Agca, V., & Cevrioğlu, E. (2010) “Lider-Üye Etkileşim Teorisi Çerçevesinde, Yönetici-Ast Etkileşimi İle Örgütsel Bağlılık Boyutları ve İş Performansı Arasındaki İlişki: Ampirik Bir İnceleme”, Atatürk Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Dergisi, 22(2), 193-210.
37. Preacher, K. J., and Hayes, A. F. (2004) “SPSS and SAS Procedures for Estimating Indirect Effect in Simple Mediation Models, Behavior Research Methods”, Instruments, & Computers, 36(4), 717-731.
38. Preacher, Kristopher J., and Andrew F. (2008) “Asymptotic and Resampling Strategies for Assessing and Comparing Indirect Effects in Multiple Mediator Models”, Behavior Research Methods, 40(3), 879-891.
39. Sepdiningtyas, R., and Santoso, C. B. (2017) “The Influence of Leader-Member Exchange on Individual Performance: The Roles of Work Engagement as a Mediating Variable and CoWorkers Support as a Moderating Variable”, Review of Integrative Business and Economics Research, 6(4). 285-305.
40. Schaufeli, W.B., Salanova, M., Gonzalez-Roma, V., and Bakker, A.B. (2002) “The measurement of engagement and burnout: A two sample confirmatory factor analytic approach”, Journal of Happiness Studies. 3, 71–92. Retrieved 24 March 2022 from http://www.wilmarschaufeli.nl/publications/Schaufeli/178.pdf
41. Schaufeli, W. B., Taris, T. W., and Van Rhenen, W. (2008) “Workaholism, Burnout, and Work Engagement: Three of a Kind or Three Different Kinds of Employee Well-being?”, Applied Psychology: An International Revıew, 57(2), 173–203.
42. Tanskanen, J., Mäkelä, L., and Viitala, R. (2019) “Linking Managerial Coaching and Leader–Member Exchange on Work Engagement and Performance”, J Happiness Stud 20, 1217-1240.
43. Tekin, E. (2018) “Lider-Üye Etkileşiminin Çalışan Performansı Üzerindeki Etkisinde Örgütsel Vatandaşlık Davranışının Aracılık Rolü”, Karadeniz Teknik Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, (16), 343-364.
44. Tetik, H. T. (2016) “Psikolojik Sermaye, Lider-Üye Etkileşimi ve İş-Aile Çatışması Arasındaki İlişkilerin Hizmet Sektöründe Araştırılması”, (Yayınlanmamış Doktora Tezi) Manisa Celal Bayar Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü.
45. Turgut, H., Tokmak, İ., ve Ateş, M. (2015) “Lider-Üye Etkileşiminin İşgören Performansına Etkisinde Çalışanların Örgütsel Adalet Algılarının Rolü”, Çankırı Karatekin Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Fakültesi Dergisi, 5(2), 417-442.
46. Uludag, G. (2019) “Lider Üye Etkileşiminin İşgören Performansına Etkisi Üzerine Bir Alan Araştırması”, Atatürk Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 23 (2), 719-739.
47. Utami, V. P., and Zakiy, M. (2020) “Linking leader-member exchange and person supervisor fit with employee performance: the mediating role of employee work engagement”, Journal of Leadership in Organizations, 2(2) 121-137.
48. Wagner, B., and Koob, C. (2022) “The relationship between leader-member exchange and work engagement in social work: A mediation analysis of job resources”, Heliyon 8(1), e08793.
49. Yazıcıoglu, Y., ve Erdogan, S. (2004) “SPSS uygulamalı bilimsel araştırma yöntemleri”, Detay Yayıncılık, Ankara.