Emotional intelligence, leader-member exchange, and behavioral engagement: considering mediation and reciprocity effects

Leader-member exchange (LMX) is a dyadic concept that describes the content and quality of a relationship between leader and follower. In order to better understand LMX as a dyadic construct, I investigate both leader and follower contributions to the leader-member exchange relationship. The current study proposes to make four contributions to LMX research: (a) evaluating ability-based emotional intelligence (EI) as a common antecedent of follower LMX, job satisfaction, and behavioral engagement (i.e., a composite of job performance, citizenship, and withdrawal), (b) proposing LMX as a relational construct that mediates the effects of EI on job satisfaction and behavior at work, (c) evaluating the role of LMX reciprocity (i.e., the extent to which leader contributions to the LMX relationship are matched by follower LMX contributions and vice versa) in predicting follower job satisfaction and behavioral engagement, and (d) providing initial evidence for the interrelationships among both leader and follower EI, LMX perceptions, job satisfaction and behavioral engagement, within the framework of Kenny, Kashy, and Cook???s (2006) Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM). Results from two studies suggest: (a) follower ability-based EI is a robust predictor of self-reported job satisfaction and behavioral engagement (even after controlling for cognitive ability and Big Five personality traits), (b) LMX is not an important mediator of EI effects, although it strongly and independently predicts both job satisfaction and behavioral engagement, (c) LMX reciprocity effects are inconsistent, and (d) pilot data on the APIM imply strong actor effects of LMX on behavioral engagement but more modest partner effects of LMX provisions on one???s partner???s satisfaction and behavior. Implications for incorporating both EI and LMX as independent antecedents of job satisfaction, job performance, organizational citizenship behavior, and withdrawal are discussed