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

Abstract

Naiwen Li,1 Shiwang Bao,1 Sobia Naseem,2 Muddassar Sarfraz,3 Muhammad Mohsin4 1School of Business Management, Liaoning Technical University, Huludao, 125105, People’s Republic of China; 2School of Economics and Management, Shijiazhuang Tiedao University, Shijiazhuang, People’s Republic of China; 3Binjiang College, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Wuxi, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 4School of Business, Hunan University of Humanities, Science and Technology, Hunan, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Muddassar Sarfraz; Muhammad Mohsin Email [email protected]; [email protected]: 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: leader-member exchange differentiation, negative emotions, work engagement, interpersonal trust, safety performance

Keywords

• leader-member exchange differentiation
• negative emotions
• work engagement
• interpersonal trust
• safety performance