James Dulebohn et al.
Sergio Caredda
Dulebohn, J. H., Bommer, W. H., Liden, R. C., Brouer, R. L., & Ferris, G. R. (2011). A Meta-Analysis of Antecedents and Consequences of Leader-Member Exchange. Journal of Management, 38(6), 1715–1759. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206311415280
Description:
The Leader-Member Exchange Theory is a relationship-based approach that focuses on the relationship between leaders and followers. Developed by multiple authors across a period that spans now over 40 years, it is a theory that basically criticizes Leadership models that are solely developed based on the Leader or on the Follower and instead focuses on the relationship between these two actors (Graen and Uhl-Bien, 1995).
In a 2011 article, Dulebohn and other have tried to condense the 40+ years of research, into a model that looks at the characteristics of the Leaders, the characteristics of the Followers and the Characteristics of the Relationship. Each of these factors influences the other, and originates a level of LMX (which some of the authors have been consistently measuring through appropriate diagnostic tools). A number of contextual variables are taken into account. All together these determine the Consequences of the relationship, that can be measured by observing the different impacts of Leader-Member relationship.
As mentioned, the focus is on the relationship, and the LMX theory, projects three stages in the relationship building across Leader and Member.
- Role-taking. This is the very start of the relationship when both the manager and the employee are just starting to get to know each other. In this stage, the tasks of the employee will typically be simple and with little responsibility.
- Role-making. This is the stage where the relationship develops and is the most critical. Employees will be able to earn the trust of their managers or not, and thus will unconsciously start falling into two categories: “in-group” or “out-group”. This mental categorization is not just based on loyalty, and development is the influence of multiple interactions with the employees.
- Routinization. Finally, a routine is established in which the manager and employee generally know what to expect from each other. Here the attribution to the two groups becomes stable, which is where ineffectiveness in the leadership style might appear, as the people might have earned their placement based on bias rather than true performance, for example.
This is of course only one element of the theroy, but is a very important one, as it essentially gives manager a sense of awareness on the relevance of the relationship in how theri leadership perception is built.
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