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Congruence in positive implicit followership theories, relational identification, and job performance: The moderating role of uncertainty avoidance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 August 2023

Jian Peng Open the ORCID record for Jian Peng [Opens in a new window] ,
Qi Nie ,
Xiao Chen Open the ORCID record for Xiao Chen [Opens in a new window]  and
Zhijie Zhang
Jian Peng
Affiliation:
School of Management, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, China
Qi Nie
Affiliation:
School of Business, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
Xiao Chen*
Affiliation:
School of Business and Digital Leadership Research Center, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China
Zhijie Zhang
Affiliation:
Human Resource Management Department, Jiangmen Dachangjiang Group Co., Ltd., Jiangmen, China
*
Corresponding author: Xiao Chen; Email: xiaochen_hrm@163.com
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Abstract

While previous research has identified the performance implications of leaders’ positive implicit followership theories (IFTs, i.e., personal expectations regarding followers’ positive characteristics), this study focuses on the effect of leader–follower congruence in positive IFTs on followers’ job performance. To test our predictions, we conducted two complementary studies. The results of Study 1 (an experiment, N = 200) show that leader–follower congruence (versus incongruence) in positive IFTs is positively related to followers’ relational identification with the leader, which, in turn, is positively related to followers’ job performance. Moreover, followers’ uncertainty avoidance strengthens this relationship. These findings were replicated in Study 2 (a three-wave survey, N = 223) through polynomial regression and response surface analysis. This study improves our understanding of IFTs by showing that leader–follower congruence in this domain is related to followers’ outcomes.

Keywords

followershipidentificationperformancecongruencepolynomial regression
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Management & Organization , First View , pp. 1 - 20
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press in association with the Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management

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