Extending the Association Between Leader-Member Exchange Differentiation and Safety Performance: A Moderated Mediation Model

Naiwen Li; Shiwang Bao; Sobia Naseem; Muddassar Sarfraz; Muhammad Mohsin

doi:10.2147/PRBM.S335199

Extending the Association Between Leader-Member Exchange Differentiation and Safety Performance: A Moderated Mediation Model

Psychol Res Behav Manag. 2021 Oct 7:14:1603-1613. doi: 10.2147/PRBM.S335199. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Naiwen Li¹, Shiwang Bao¹, Sobia Naseem², Muddassar Sarfraz³, Muhammad Mohsin⁴

Affiliations

¹ School of Business Management, Liaoning Technical University, Huludao, 125105, People's Republic of China.
² School of Economics and Management, Shijiazhuang Tiedao University, Shijiazhuang, People's Republic of China.
³ Binjiang College, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Wuxi, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China.
⁴ School of Business, Hunan University of Humanities, Science and Technology, Hunan, People's Republic of China.

Abstract

Purpose: This study examines and analyses the impact of leader-member exchange differentiation (LMXD) on employee safety performance.

Methods: A quantitative study was conducted on a sample of 357 Chinese construction industry employees through a structured questionnaire. The research hypothesis was tested by using the structural equation modelling (SEM) technique.

Results: The results showed that LMXD could directly and positively affect the negative emotions and indirectly affect the safety performance of employees through the mediating effect of negative emotions and work engagement. Interpersonal trust has a moderating impact on the relationship between LMXD and negative emotions.

Conclusion: This study contributes to the literature on organizational behavior. Employee workplace safety is a great challenge in the construction industry. Enterprises should pay attention to the negative impact of LMXD. A fair working environment has significant importance to the employee's safety.

Keywords: interpersonal trust; leader-member exchange differentiation; negative emotions; safety performance; work engagement.

Grants and funding

This research was supported by discipline innovation team of Liaoning Technical University(LNTU20TD-04) and Humanities and Social Science Fund of MOE (Ministry of Education of China)(19YJA630038).