Humble leadership and follower strengths use: Leader-member exchange as a mediator and role overload as a moderator

Abstract

Based on the conservation of resources (COR) theory, this study explores the mediating effect of leader-member exchange (LMX) and the moderating effect of role overload in the relationship between humble leadership and follower strengths use. We collected data from 230 employees (female = 46. 10%; mean age = 35. 12 years, SD = 7. 65) working in various Chinese organisations with a three-wave design. The bootstrapping analysis was used to test our hypotheses. Results showed that humble leadership was positively correlated with follower strengths use, and LMX mediated the relationship between humble leadership and follower strengths use. In addition, role overload reduced the direct relationship between LMX and follower strengths use and the indirect relationship between humble leadership and follower strengths use through LMX. This study deepens our understanding of the relationship between humble leadership and follower strengths use for follower-centric human resource management practices.

Keywords:

• humble leadership
• follower strengths use
• leader-member exchange
• role overload

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the employees who participated in this study.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Authors’ note

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 72202063). All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from HD (believedh@126. com), upon reasonable request.