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Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) and Innovation Climate: the Role of LMX Differentiation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 October 2013

Núria Tordera*
Affiliation:
Universitat de València (Spain)
Vicente González-Romá
Affiliation:
Universitat de València (Spain)
*
*Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Núria Tordera. IDOCAL. Universitat de València. Avda. Blasco Ibáñez 21. 46010. València (Spain). Phone: +34–963864566. Fax: +34–963864668. E-mail: nuria.tordera@uv.es.

Abstract

Leader-member Exchange (LMX) theory has been shown to be one of the most compelling theories for understanding the effects of leadership on organizational behavior. This theory proposes that leaders establish differentiated relationships with each of their subordinates according to the exchanges produced between them. Recently, the concept of LMX differentiation has been introduced into the theory to extend research from the dyadic to the group level. The present paper uses a longitudinal design to analyze the moderator role of LMX differentiation in the relationship between mean LMX and innovation climate in a sample of 24 healthcare teams. The results showed no direct effects of mean LMX on changes in innovation climate over time. However, they provide support for the moderator effect of LMX differentiation in this relationship, as it was stronger when LMX differentiation was low than when it was high.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid 2013 

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Footnotes

This investigation was supported by Research Grant PSI2010-21746 from the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación.

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