human services

Leader-Member Exchange Theory Literature Review

Liberty University

Priscilla Hill

Leader-Member Exchange Theory

Introduction

The leader-member exchange theory denotes how a leader maintains the working relationship, between her and her supporters, who are assigned specific responsibilities, as well as the advisers (Volmer et al., 2012). For a person to be considered a leader, he must acquire and maintain the assigned leadership roles. In order to attain and maintain the leadership position, such a leader must work closely with associates, advisers, supporters and other trusted and loyal persons. It is suggested that leader-member exchange theory can also be referred to as the Vertical Dyad Linkage Theory. The word Dyad means two. Two, in this case, denotes the leader and other people whom the leader is closely working with. Linkage refers to the connection maintained in the dyad; between the leader and others. The vertical Dyad Linkage, in essence, denotes how the leader relates with or regard those around him or her, depending on the degree of support the leader acquires from each one of them.

Leader-Member Exchange Theory Literature Review

According to Saeed et al., (2014), based on Leader-Member Exchange Theory it can be authenticated that the role of subordinate staff is neither passive nor static, as it used to be; since the subordinate exercises considerable influence over the leader and their relationship is primarily build on the pursuit of a common goal and interest. The primary role of the leader, in this relationship, can be said to be facilitating the establishment of different negotiating roles. The magnitude of the negotiating roles leads to distinct behaviors, both from the leader and the junior staffs. This difference in behavior has specific identifiable impacts on both the leader and the junior staffs as well as the organization in general. The essential concept in this working relationship is that it develops efficient leadership, through the development of a mature relationship, affection, loyalty, respect, as well as reciprocity, between the leader and the junior staffs (Saeed et al., 2014). This trend further takes into consideration the existing agreements with regard to the nature of relationship established between them. Through the leader-member exchange theory, the leader can exploit the established interaction to influence the behavior of the junior staffs in order to collectively realize the shared goals.

Casimir et al., (2014) posits that for effective understanding of the Leader-Member Exchange theory, in a human service organization, it is prudent to study the leader of that organization. The leadership of a human service organization, such as healthcare organization, has a critical influence on the health and the well-being of the junior nursing staff; which essentially affects patient’s satisfaction. The satisfaction of the patient is one of the most critical determinants of the quality of service offered at hospital facilities. The quality of services indicates the efficiency of the existing leadership system. The desire to achieve the satisfaction of the client is very essential in the planning, organizing and in the execution of care services in the organization (Casimir et al., 2014).

According to Volmer et al., (2012), through the leadership, which recognizes the satisfaction of the client’s needs, the services are aligned to meet the expected results in the needs of the client. As changes occur in the health policies and programs, which are primarily premised on the desire to control the expenditure as well as to produce sustainable healthcare service programs, the urge to establish a responsible leadership structure has also become apparent. Due to the challenges faced in the social systems, which presents itself in an intricate change pattern, leadership is considered to be one of the primary stepping stones towards ensuring a sound and sustainable social human services; such as in hospitals. A practical application of the leader-member theory, in the provision of multidisciplinary human services, such as in healthcare facilities, should be anchored on patient satisfaction.

Kim & Barak (2015) opines that the leadership system at human service organizations, for instance, hospitals and children welfare departments, directly influences the satisfaction of the client, which is understood as the level to which the care service availed to the client is in line with his or her expectations. According to Dusterhoff et al., (2014), client satisfaction is dependent on factors such as the environment of service, quality of care, constant service availability, community service, as well as the efficiency of the workers or service providers. These factors are a reflection of the kind of working relationship between the leaders of the organization, the junior staffs and well as other advisors.

According to Loi et al., (2014), the Leader-Member Exchange Theory is essentially related to the psychological factors which the staffs experience at work; such as job satisfaction, work attitudes, or organizational commitment. A strong relationship between the leader and the junior staffs is strengthened when the leader avails resources which are staffs can use in meeting administrative costs. Based on this support, the junior staffs are able to develop commitment towards the organization as well as loyalty to the leader. This harmonious relationship leads to effective service delivery in the human service organizations (Loi et al., 2014).

Methods of study Used in the Papers

The methods used in studies are quantitative, analytical, and cross-study. Questionnaires were used as the primary data collection tools, which consisted of several instruments designed to suit the different assessment units.

In the studies, the variables captured the analysis of;

i. The quality of leadership relationship from the perspective of the leaders in the human service organization.

ii. The quality of the leadership relationship from the view of the junior staffs in the human service organization.

iii. The effect of the leader-staff relationship in the satisfaction of the client or the patient in the human service organization.

The IBM and SPSS statistics 19 statistical software was used to analyze to conduct statistical analysis. The 0.05 significance level was used while performing the statistical tests.

The Results of the Studies

In the evaluation of the results, the following results emerged;

i. It was found that in human service organizations where the junior staff considered the leadership relationship effective or strong, the staffs were satisfied and the quality of service was in line with needs of the client.

ii. It was also found that in organizations where the leaders considered the leadership relationship effective, the service delivery in such organization was in line with the prevailing client desires hence due to the loyalty and commitment of the junior staffs.

iii. With regard to patient satisfaction, it was apparent from the studies that patients were enormously satisfied with the care they received in organizations with an effective leader-member system of leadership. Quality of care is linked to client satisfaction, which is an illustration of the effectiveness of the leadership.

The Application of the Study in Kaiser Permanente healthcare

The studies are very significant in streamlining services at human service organizations such as Kaiser Permanente healthcare. Using the studies, the organizations are able to evaluate their services as a mechanism for realizing its goals. This approach is anchored on the basis that those physicians who, in the process of evaluation and measurement of service delivery, prove to be fruitful and competent may be rewarded through being given lucrative and influential positions in connection to the management of the institution.

References

Casimir, G., Ngee Keith Ng, Y., Yuan Wang, K., & Ooi, G. (2014). The relationships amongst leader-member exchange, perceived organizational support, affective commitment, and in-role performance: A social-exchange perspective. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 35(5), 366-385.

Dusterhoff, C., Cunningham, J. B., & MacGregor, J. N. (2014). The effects of performance rating, leader-member exchange, perceived utility, and organizational justice on performance appraisal satisfaction: Applying a moral judgment perspective. Journal of business ethics, 119(2), 265-273.

Kim, A., & Barak, M. E. M. (2015). The mediating roles of leader-member exchange and perceived organizational support in the role stress–turnover intention relationship among child welfare workers: A longitudinal analysis. Children and Youth Services Review, 52, 135-143.

Loi, R., Chan, K. W., & Lam, L. W. (2014). Leader-member exchange, organizational identification, and job satisfaction: A social identity perspective. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 87(1), 42-61.

Saeed, I., Waseem, M., Sikander, S., & Rizwan, M. (2014). The relationship of turnover intention with job satisfaction, job performance, leader-member exchange, emotional intelligence and organizational commitment. International Journal of Learning and Development, 4(2), 242-256.

Volmer, J., Spurk, D., & Niessen, C. (2012). Leader-member exchange (LMX), job autonomy, and creative work involvement. The Leadership Quarterly, 23(3), 456-465.