How proactive personality affects psychological strain and job performance: The moderating role of leader-member exchange

This paper investigates when proactive personality exerts a positive or negative effect on psychological strain, which, in turn, is conducive or destructive to job performance. Drawing on conservation of resources theory, we examine leader-member exchange (LMX, the quality of emotional support, trust and exchange of valuable resources between the leader and follower) as a crucial moderator, such that proactive personality is negatively related to psychological strain under high LMX, but is positively related to psychological strain under low LMX. Moreover, we hypothesize a moderated mediation effect such that the indirect effect of proactive personality on job performance through psychological strain is positive when LMX is high but negative when LMX is low. Results based on a two-wave, multi-source survey study with a sample of 266 employees and their direct supervisors in a sales company in China lent support to our moderation and moderated mediation hypotheses.

Automated summary

This study investigates the impact of leader-member exchange on the relationship between proactive personality, psychological strain, and job performance. The results show that high-quality leader-member exchange reduces the negative impact of proactive personality on psychological strain, while low-quality leader-member exchange enhances the positive impact of proactive personality. Additionally, the study reveals a moderated mediation effect where the indirect effect of proactive personality on job performance through psychological strain varies depending on the quality of leader-member exchange.