Linking supervisor feedback environment to contextual performances

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships among supervisor feedback environment (SFE), leader-member exchange (LMX), organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), and workplace deviant behavior (WDB). Specifically, it analyzed the mediating role of LMX. Design/methodology/approach – With the data collected from 258 subordinate-supervisor pairs at various organizations in Taiwan, the authors examined the hypotheses by conducting structural equation modeling analyses. Findings – The results revealed that: SFE is positively related to LMX; LMX is positively related to OCB, and negatively related to WDB; furthermore LMX fully mediates the relationships among SFE and both OCB and WDB. Research limitations/implications – This data are collected in Taiwan, hence it may affect the generalizability of the results. Practical implications – Previous studies investigating the relationship between the feedback environment and organizational outcome variables focus on positive outcome variables. Thus, studies examining whether there is a negative effect on negative outcome variables such as WDB are insufficient. The study addresses this deficiency by including WDB as an outcome variable. The results empirically indicate that SFEs are negatively related to WDBs, but the effect diminishes when LMX is controlled. Social implications – This study presents the following practical implications for managers. To reduce employee deviant behavior, to improve employee supplementary performance, and further improve overall organizational operating performance, organizations can adopt methods for implementing SFE that promote good interpersonal relationships between supervisors and employees, and thus increase employees’ positive expression of OCB, and reduce deviant behavior. Originality/value – It can be argued that when supervisors and subordinates form good relationships, the supervisors would provide favorable feedback that may result in more OCBs and less WDBs. It is also possible to argue that the traditional LMX theory suggests that supervisors are dominant in determining the quality of LMX, and therefore good LMX relationships cannot be developed based on supervisory feedback. This study shows otherwise, and addresses the rival hypothesis by drawing from previous studies and theories as well as in comparing the proposed alternative model by conducting χ 2 differences.