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Leader–Employee Trust (In)Congruence and Illegitimate Tasks: The Mediating Role of Leader–Member Exchange

Year: 2026

Type: preprint

Abstract: Background The study investigates leader–employee trust congruence, aiming to develop a more comprehensive understanding of when and why trust exerts differential effects on illegitimate tasks. It also explores the mediating role of leader–member exchange (LMX). Methods Using three-wave, multi-source data collected from 35 managers and 259 employees across multiple organizations in mainland China, we conducted polynomial regression and response surface analyses to test our hypotheses. Results (1) Greater congruence between leader trust in employee (LT) and employee trust in leader (ET) is associated with higher-quality LMX; (2) Compared with the low–low trust condition, LMX quality is significantly higher under the high–high trust condition; (3) Under conditions of trust incongruence, LMX quality is higher when employees' trust exceeds leaders' trust than when leaders' trust exceeds employees' trust; and (4) LMX quality mediates the relationship between leader–employee trust incongruence and employees' perceptions of illegitimate tasks. Conclusions These findings contribute to the trust literature by reconciling previously inconsistent findings and offer practical implications for organizations and leaders seeking to cultivate effective trust relationships.

Source: Research Square

DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-10752634/v1

Authors: Guangya Ma, Chunying Cui, Junhan Ji, Lei Lu

Institutions: Yiwu Industrial & Commercial College, Peking University

Language: English

Topic: Job Satisfaction and Organizational Behavior

Subfield: Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management

Field: Business, Management and Accounting

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funder: Department of Education of Zhejiang Province

OpenAlex ID: W7214656103

Cites: 64

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Related to: 10