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Affect-driven impact of paradoxical leadership on employee organizational citizenship behaviour

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 November 2021

Silu Chen Open the ORCID record for Silu Chen [Opens in a new window] ,
Zhi Wang ,
Yu Zhang Open the ORCID record for Yu Zhang [Opens in a new window]  and
Kaili Guo
Silu Chen
Affiliation:
School of Economics and Business Administration, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
Zhi Wang
Affiliation:
School of Economics and Business Administration, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
Yu Zhang*
Affiliation:
School of Economics and Business Administration, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
Kaili Guo
Affiliation:
School of Economics and Business Administration, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
*
Author for correspondence: Yu Zhang, E-mail: zy3535yu@163.com
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Abstract

Paradoxical leadership is an emerging leadership style which describes leadership behaviours that are ostensibly contradictory but in reality are interrelated and address workplace demands simultaneously and over time. The present study is based on affective events theory (AET), which states that occurrences or events at work result in prompt positive or negative affect in employees. The purpose of the study is to examine the mediating role of positive affect on the relationship between paradoxical leadership and employee organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB). We also examine the moderating role of procedural fairness on the relationship between employee positive affect and OCB. Data collected in two phases in small- and medium-sized Chinese companies indicate that positive affect fully mediates the relationship between paradoxical leadership and employee OCB, and this relationship was found to be stronger when procedural fairness was higher rather than lower. We provide theoretical and practical implications of these findings.

Keywords

AETOCBparadoxical leadershippositive affectprocedural fairness
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Management & Organization , First View , pp. 1 - 14
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2021

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