Content area
Full Text
Leader-member exchange (LMX) theory and research is one approach to studying organizational leadership. It has developed as an alternative to average leadership style (ALS), which attempts to identify a single most effective leadership style. LMX focuses instead on the heterogeneity of dyadic relationships. LMX theory is not yet well enough developed to be a guide to HRD practitioners, but further research in this area could lead to the development of better theory to guide HRD interventions. There are some strengths and many weaknesses in LMX theory and research. Recent research has supported the theory, but research is needed on instrumentation, the impact of LMX quality on organizational outcomes, the ways in which leader-member relationships develop, and behavioral components affecting the initiation of leader-member relationships.
Leader-member exchange (LMX) theory and research is one approach to studying organizational leadership. Organizational leadership theory can be useful to HRD practitioners designing management development, succession planning, and managerial coaching processes or attempting to solve performance issues in a work group. LMX theory is not yet well enough developed to be a guide to HRD practitioners, but further research in this area could lead in turn to the development of better theory to guide HRD interventions. This article provides background and suggested directions for HRD researchers who are interested in theoretical and research efforts that lead, ultimately, to improving leader-member relationships.
The theory of leader-member exchange maintains that the leader and each individual member of a work group have a unique relationship. In initial interactions, judgments are made and opinions are formed by the leader and the member. If the opinion is positive, the leader will assign better tasks to the member and the member will experience more support. In LMX theory, the superior-subordinate relationship is conceived as a social exchange or negotiated transaction. This leader-member exchange results in an informally developed role-one that is negotiated between each individual group member and the leader (Graen, 1976). LMX theory holds that the manager's efficiency and effectiveness are affected by the quality of the relationship he or she has with each subordinate. Further, the manager does not have time to give all members equal attention and establishes a close relationship with only a few key members who become the "in-group."
Recent...