Distinct inter-brain synchronization patterns underlying group decision-making under uncertainty with partners in different interpersonal relationships

Humans may behave in different manners when making decisions with friends and strangers. Whether the interpersonal relationship and the characteristics of the individuals in the group affected the group decision-making under uncertainty in the real-time interaction remains unknown. Using the turn-based Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART), the present study examined the group decision-making propensity under uncertainty with partners in different interpersonal relationships and interpersonal orientations. Corresponding inter-brain synchronization (IBS) patterns at the prefrontal cortex (PFC) were also uncovered with the fNIRS-based hyperscanning approach. Behavioral results identified that dyads in the friend group exhibited the uncertainty-averse propensity when comparing with the stranger group. The fNIRS results reported that feedback-related IBS at the left inferior frontal gyrus (l-IFG) and medial frontopolar cortex (mFPC) during different feedbacks was modulated by interpersonal relationships. The IBS at all channels in the PFC during the positive and negative feedbacks, respectively, predicted the decision-making propensity under uncertainty in the stranger and friend groups based on the support vector machine (SVM) algorithm. The moderating role of the social value orientation (SVO) was also verified in the mediation effect of the dyad closeness on the decision-making propensity under uncertainty via the IBS at the right lateral frontopolar cortex (r-FPC). These findings demonstrated disparate behavioral responses and inter-brain synchronization patterns underlying group decision-making under uncertainty with partners in different interpersonal relationships.

Espoused implicit leadership and followership theories and emergent workplace relations: a factorial survey

Previous research on implicit leadership and followership theories (ILTs/IFTs) and interpersonal congruence thereof has primarily focused on preexisting, vertical leader-follower dyads. This study explores interpersonal congruence of ILTs/IFTs at earliest stages of emergent workplace relations in which formal leader and follower roles are not preassigned. We suggest that ILTs/IFTs, when espoused to others, have sorting effects in the social marketplace of organizations toward adaptive workplace relations. We introduce the notion of espoused ILTs/IFTs (i.e., assumptions about leaders and followers that someone claims to have and articulates to others) and examine how congruence of self- and other-espoused ILTs/IFTs facilitates the initiation and emergence of lateral workplace relations in a 'New Work' design (i.e., job sharing). Results of an experimental study show that interpersonal congruence in espoused ILTs/IFTs drives attraction to a job sharing partner consistently across different types (ILTs vs. IFTs) and valences (prototypes vs. antiprototypes). While ILTs and IFTs have a similarly strong attraction effect when shared by self and other, the effect of prototype congruence is significantly larger than the effect of antiprototype congruence. The findings encourage leadership scholars to study ILTs/IFTs in a broader range of expression than hitherto and make practitioners aware of similarity biases in the formation of flexible work arrangements.

Congruence in leaders-subordinates’ mindfulness and knowledge hiding: The role of emotional exhaustion and gender similarity

Many scholars have focused on understanding ways of how to suppress knowledge hiding by employees. Existing studies have demonstrated that mindfulness could effectively inhibit employees’ knowledge hiding. This study aims to investigate the impact of leader–subordinate mindfulness congruence on subordinate knowledge hiding and its internal mechanisms. Based on the role theory, we collected 169 leadership data and 368 employee data at three time-points through collecting questionnaire of matching leaders and subordinates. In addition, we used polynomial regression and response surface analysis to validate our research hypotheses. The results demonstrated that: (i) Compared with the “high leader–high subordinate” mindfulness congruence condition, subordinates in the “low leader–low subordinate” mindfulness congruence condition were more likely to exhibit knowledge hiding. (ii) Compared with the “low leader–high subordinate” mindfulness incongruence, subordinates under the “high leader–low subordinate” mindfulness incongruence are more likely to exhibit knowledge hiding. (iii) The more incongruent the mindfulness between the leader and the subordinate is, the more likely an employee is to exhibit knowledge hiding. (iv) Emotional exhaustion mediated the correlation between leader–subordinate mindfulness congruence and knowledge hiding. (v) When the gender of the leader and the subordinate is different, the impact of mindfulness congruence on the inhibition of emotional exhaustion is stronger. This study provides a new perspective for researching the impact of mindfulness on individual behavior and provides a new idea for the research related to inhibiting knowledge hiding.

Does follower role orientation impact leader-directed outcomes? An exploration of the indirect effects of follower role orientation on influence and leader effectiveness

Follower role orientations affect how followers approach the leadership process; however, there has been little insight into how individuals use these role beliefs to influence leader outcomes, particularly through their psychological and social leader-follower relationships. This research examines how co-production, passive, and anti-authoritarian follower role orientations affect a follower's influence on their leader and leader effectiveness indirectly through psychological closeness and relationship quality. The results from two studies suggest co-production role orientation had positive effects on influence on the leader through psychological closeness and on perceived leader effectiveness through closeness and leader-member exchange. Passive role orientation was negatively related to followers' influence on the leader through reduced psychological closeness in study 1, while anti-authoritarian role beliefs were negatively related to closeness in study 2. These findings suggest that when followers believe co-production is critical to the leadership process, closeness with the leader, relationship quality, and perceived leader effectiveness improve.

Do leaders and followers see eye to eye? Exploring patterns of congruent expectations and self-views in leader-follower relationships

Purpose

The authors examine mutually exclusive sub-groups of congruent expectations for leader and follower roles relate to sub-groups of self-other endorsement, and how these patterns predict relationship quality.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors examine patterns of congruent implicit theories relate to patterns of self-other endorsement, at the dyadic level, using latent class analysis in 193 working-adult dyads. The authors then examine how these patterns predict leader and follower assessments of relationship quality using general linear models (GLM).

Findings

The authors supported 4 classes of dyads with specific patterns of congruent (or incongruent) ILT's and IFT's: Role congruent, exchange congruent, committed leader congruent, and role incongruent dyads. Class membership predicted leader-assessed leader-member exchange (LMX) and perceived support. The authors then supported 3 classes of self-other endorsement: dyads with mutual endorsement, leader identity endorsement, and no endorsement. Class membership predicted follower-assessed LMX, perceived support, and perceived contribution from leaders. Class membership corresponded meaningfully.

Originality/value

The authors empirically examine the extent to which relationship behavior can be understood: (1) by similar implicit theories, or (2) through identification with a leader or follower role. Moreover, the authors uncover unique combinations of congruence, and address a key challenge posed by traditional variable-oriented strategies typically used in LMX research.

Does similarity trigger cooperation? Dyadic effect of similarity in social value orientation and cognitive resources on cooperation

Although a considerable amount of research has demonstrated a robust relationship between social value orientation and cooperation, these studies may be limited by focusing solely on the individual. Building on the growing literature documenting the effect of group formation on cooperation and personality similarity on negotiation, the present study explored whether similarity in social value orientation (both being pro-social or pro-self) leads to more cooperation in social dilemmas among dyad members. Drawing from expectancy theory and the concept of cognitive resources, we further predicted that the relationship between similarity in social value orientation and cooperation uniquely depends on whether the individual is cognitively busy. To test our hypothesis, we grouped our participants according to their social value orientation into three different dyads (similar-pro-self, similar-pro-social, and pro-self-pro-social) to complete a repeated prisoner's dilemma task, and controlled their cognitive resources using a simultaneous digit memory task. The results suggested that (1) heterogeneous dyads' (pro-self-pro-social) cooperation possibility experience a steeper decay as the number of rounds increases compared with the two homogeneous dyads (similar-pro-self, similar-pro-social). In addition, (2) similarity in social value orientation, interacting with participants' cognitive resources, significantly influenced individual-level cooperation. Specifically, both pro-selfs and pro-socials, paired with unlike-minded counterparts, were more cooperative when they had abundant cognitive resources. However, cognitive resources had no significant influence on dyads with similar social value orientation. Overall, these findings demonstrate the importance of considering personality configuration when attempting to understand cooperation in social dilemmas among dyads.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-022-03276-8.

Great minds think alike: does leader-follower similarity in construal level of the work enhance leader-member exchange quality?

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether leader-follower similarity in construal level of the work, which indicates the degree of abstraction applied to mental representation of the work, influences the quality of interpersonal relationship at work.

Design/methodology/approach

First, an interview study was conducted to adapt the work-based construal-level (WBCL) scale. Then, a survey study was conducted for hypothesis testing. Data collected from 245 matched supervisor-subordinate dyads were analyzed using multi-level modeling.

Findings

Results revealed that dyadic similarity in work-domain construal level is positively related to leader-member exchange (LMX) quality. As a leader and a follower become similar to each other in terms of mental representation (i.e. construal level) of work, they experience higher relationship quality.

Originality/value

This study enhances the current knowledge of the role of cognition and cognitive similarity in leadership processes.

How Do Leaders vs. Followers Construct Followership? A Field Study of implicit followership theories and Work-Related Affect Using Latent Profile Analysis

In this study, we integrate follower categorization theory with affective events theory (AET) to investigate the extent to which within-person patterns of implicit followership theories (IFTs) and work-related affect predict job satisfaction for leaders versus followers. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to identify and to describe distinct profiles of IFTs and work-related affect for leaders versus followers. For the sample of 242 leaders, two profiles with distinct patterns of IFTs and work-related affect ( Proactive and Alienated) were found. Leaders with Proactive views of followers showed above-average ratings of work-related affect, while leaders with Alienated views of followers showed lower ratings of work-related affect. In the sample of 240 followers, there were four profiles of followers with distinct patterns of IFTs and work-related affect ( Conforming, Alienated, Proactive, and Negative). Despite showing a similar pattern of IFTs, followers with Alienated views of their own role showed below-average ratings of work-related affect, while followers with Negative views of their own role showed the highest ratings of work-related affect. These findings suggest that IFTs and work-related affect show unique within-person interaction for followers. Furthermore, for followers, profile membership of IFTs and work-related affect significantly predicted mean levels of job satisfaction. Implications are discussed.

The effect of leader and follower extraversion on leader-member exchange: An interpersonal perspective incorporating power distance orientation

Organizational research commonly proposes that leader and/or follower extraversion will be positively related to leader-member exchange (LMX). The assumption is that being social translates into high-quality relationships. We move beyond this intrapersonal hypothesis and offer an interpersonal hypothesis. Following similarity-attraction theory, we suggest that leader-follower extraversion similarity positively relates to LMX. We also suggest that this relationship depends on follower perspectives regarding appropriate relationship power dynamics. Polynomial regression and moderated polynomial regression analysis using 374 leader-follower dyads found that the relationship between leader-follower extraversion similarity and LMX is significant for followers high in power distance orientation (PDO), but not for followers low in PDO. We also found that low PDO enhances the effect of follower extraversion on LMX, and that for high PDO followers, LMX was highest when leader-follower similarity occurred at extreme levels along the extraversion-introversion continuum compared to similarity at moderate levels (i.e., ambiverts).

Influence of Implicit Followership Cognitive Differences on Innovation Behavior: An Empirical Analysis in China

The innovation behavior (IB) of followers is vital for individuals and organizations. It is not only an important part of individual performance but also an essential foundation of organizational innovation. In general, understanding the formation mechanism of followers’ IB could enhance organizational innovation performance and sustainable competitiveness. The innovation of this study includes the following points. First, in the previous research on the antecedent variables of the IB of followers, the key factor of implicit follow cognitive difference (IFCD) was not examined. We add this key factor to the independent variables of our formation mechanism. Second, in the relationship between IFCD and followers’ IB, we investigate the mediating role of psychological empowerment (PE) and the moderating role of person-organization Fit (P-O Fit), further shown as a mediation model with moderating variables. Third, this study adopts a longitudinal research design, and the data were obtained from 1:1 matched leaders and their followers of large and medium-sized enterprises in China. To avoid deviation in the homologous method, this study gathers data at three-month intervals to ensure that leadership’s influence on followers is effective. In this study, Amos 24.0 and SPSS 24.0 are used for empirical research. The results show IFCD has a negative effect on the IB of followers; PE has a partial mediating effect on the relationship between IFCD and IB of followers; P-O Fit plays a positive regulatory role in the relationship between IFCD and PE, and P-O Fit moderates the mediating effect of PE on the relationship between IFCD and IB. Based on our empirical research, we put forward some feasible suggestions for company managers to increase sustainability in market competition by promoting the formation of the IB of followers.

Implicit Leadership Theories, Implicit Followership Theories, and Dynamic Processing of Leadership Information

We offer a comprehensive review of the theoretical underpinnings and existing empirical evidence in the implicit leadership and implicit followership theories domain. After briefly touching on the historical roots of information-processing approaches to leadership and leader categorization theory, we focus on current contextualized and dynamic perspectives. We specifically present neural network approaches and adaptive resonance processes that guide leadership perceptions. We further address measurement issues, emerging areas of study such as implicit leadership theories, and identity and cross-cultural issues. We offer specific avenues for future research in the form of a systematic list of unanswered research questions and further outline leadership development implications.

Leader–follower pessimism (in)congruence and job satisfaction

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the (in)congruence of leaders’ and followers’ cognitive characteristics (i.e. pessimism), followers’ identification with a leader and job satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

Data from 291 working professionals are analyzed, following a series of hierarchical linear modeling and mediated polynomial regression analyses.

Findings

Polynomial regression analysis results indicate that alignment (congruence) between leaders’ pessimism and followers’ pessimism, when both are at high levels, is related to low levels of job satisfaction. Further, leader–follower congruence at lower levels of pessimism leads to high levels of job satisfaction through the mediator of followers’ perceived identification with a leader.

Originality/value

By identifying (in)congruence of leader–follower pessimism as a key antecedent, and taking an explanatory mechanism of identification with a leader into account, the authors contribute to disentangling the conceptual paths that underlie the mode by which implicit leadership theory might explain instances of individual job satisfaction.

Cognitive leader–member exchange differences between supervisors and subordinates

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to reveal the influence of organizational identification (OI) on organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) directed toward organization (OCB-O) and OCB directed toward individuals (OCB-I), and explore the moderating effects of turnover intention (TI) and the differences of the moderating effects of supervisors’ ratings of leader–member exchange quality (LMX-L) and subordinates’ ratings of LMX quality (LMX-S) in the process.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on social exchange theory, this study took administrative staff of private small and medium enterprises in China as population. A paired-samples design was used, and 437 valid paired samples were collected finally. Data analyses were conducted by using structural equation modeling.

Findings

OI indicated a positive influence on both OCB-O and OCB-I. TI showed a negative moderating effect on the positive relationship between OI and OCB-I, but no significant moderating effect on the positive relationship between OI and OCB-O. LMX-L and LMX-S were not in one same direction and showed different moderating levels. LMX-L had no significant effects on the relationship between OI and OCB-O, nor did on the relationship between OI and OCB-I. On the other hand, LMX-S strengthened both the positive relationship between OI and OCB-O, and the positive relationship between OI and OCB-I.

Originality/value

This study explored the relationships from social exchange perspective, found that OCB-O and OCB-I had different formation mechanisms and should be explored as distinct variables, and confirmed that it was necessary to use the paired-samples design when studying dyadic phenomena.

Opening the Implicit Leadership Theories' Black Box: An Experimental Approach with Conjoint Analysis

Although research on implicit leadership theories (ILTs) has concentrated on determining which attributes define a leadership prototype, little attention has been paid to testing the relative importance of each of these attributes for individuals' leadership perceptions. Building on socio-cognitive theories of impression processes, we experimentally explore the formation of leadership perceptions based on the recognition of six key attributes in a series of three experimental studies comprising 566 US-based participants recruited online via Amazon Mechanical Turk. Our results show that while certain attributes play an important role in the leader categorization process, others are less relevant. We also demonstrate that some attributes' importance is contingent on the presence of other attributes and on the leadership schema type activated in respondents' minds. Consistent with the Leadership Categorization Theory, our findings support the premise that individuals cognitively hold a superordinate leadership prototype, which imposes constraints on their more basic level prototypes. We discuss the implications of these results for leadership theory and practice.

The mediating effect of LMX in the relationship between school bureaucratic structure and teachers’ proactive behavior

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating effect of leader-member exchange on school bureaucratic structure and teachers’ proactive behavior.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was carried out in elementary schools in Turkey. Classroom teachers proactive behavior was measured using the taking charge scale developed by Morrison and Phelps (1999), school bureaucratic structure was measured using enabling school structure scale developed by Hoy and Sweetland (2000), and LMX quality was measured using the seven-item LMX scale developed by Graen ve Uhl-bien (1995).

Findings

It was found that school bureaucratic structure had both directly and indirectly effect on teachers proactive behavior via leader-member exchange.

Research limitations/implications

This study contributes to complete proactive behavior literature by investigating how such behavior is related to the quality of LMX relationships and school bureaucratic structure. The investigation of these relationships is likely to advance understanding of the consequences of teachers’ proactive behavior.

Originality/value

This research combines prior research streams by jointly exploring bureaucratic school structure and the quality of LMX relationships as predictors of teachers’ proactive behaviors.

The Effect of Implicit-Explicit Followership Congruence on Benevolent Leadership: Evidence from Chinese Family Firms

Benevolent leadership, a traditional Chinese leadership style generated under the influence of Confucianism, has been under growing discussion since its proposal. However, existing research has focused mainly on the consequences of benevolent leadership, and research probing into its antecedents is scarce. To fill such research gap, the current study aims to explore the effect of the congruence between implicit positive followership prototype (PFP) and explicit positive followership trait (PFT) on benevolent leadership. Polynomial regression combined with the response surface methodology was used to test the hypotheses herein. The results, based on a sample of 241 leader–follower dyads from four Chinese family firms, indicated the following: (1) benevolent leadership is higher when leader PFP is congruent with follower PFT than when they are incongruent; (2) in cases of congruence, benevolent leadership is higher when leader PFP and follower PFT are both high rather than low; (3) in the case of incongruence, there is no significant difference for the level of benevolent leadership in two scenarios: “low leader PFP – high follower PFT” and “high leader PFP – low follower PFT”.

The double-edged sword of helping behavior in leader-follower dyads

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine potential consequences of helping behaviors on leader and follower relationship satisfaction and transformational leadership (TFL) ratings. It is argued that follower helping behaviors can violate leaders’ and followers’ expectations of each other, and especially disadvantage male leaders because of gender-role stereotypes.

Design/methodology/approach

– Two studies were conducted. In Study 1, data were collected from 61 dyads (25 male and 34 female supervisors, 23 male and 38 female subordinates, two participants did not disclose their gender; M age=35.56 years, SD=10.41). In Study 2, data were collected from 125 participants (66 female and 58 male subordinates, 22 female and 25 male supervisors; 79 respondents did not disclose their gender; M age=39.21 years, SD=11.25).

Findings

– Helping behaviors were positively associated with relationship satisfaction suggesting that leaders were amenable to receiving help from followers (Study 1). However, follower helping behaviors were negatively related to TFL ratings for male but not female leaders (Study 2).

Research limitations/implications

– While leaders may be amenable to increased follower involvement in leadership, future research is needed to investigate followers’ openness to, and intentions behind increasing their involvement in leadership, as well as strategies for leaders to mitigate unintended consequences.

Practical implications

– For the sake of their TFL ratings, leaders should minimize any direct benefit from follower helping behaviors, and emphasize how follower helping behaviors aid follower development and/or benefit the organization.

Originality/value

– The findings illustrate the dual-nature of follower helping behaviors: they have the potential to enhance leader relationship satisfaction, and also compromise perceptions of TFL.