ABSTRACT

Although paradoxes are inherent to the public sector, few attempts have been made to better understand how to manage such competing yet interrelated demands effectively. This study examines how paradoxical leadership (i.e., leaders’ sense-giving about organizational paradoxes) affects follower outcomes. Based on two-wave survey data from German district offices, structural equation modelling reveals that paradoxical leadership positively influences followers’ job satisfaction and work engagement. Role ambiguity fully mediates the relationship between paradoxical leadership and perceived performance. Our study expands the nomological network of public leadership and advances the notion that paradoxes bear potentials for leadership in ambiguous public settings.

摘要

尽管悖论是公共部门固有的，但很少有人尝试更好地理解如何有效管理这些相互竞争但相互关联的需求。本研究考察了矛盾型领导（即领导者对组织矛盾的感知）如何影响追随者的结果。根据来自德国地区办事处的两波调查数据，结构方程模型显示矛盾型领导对追随者的工作满意度和工作投入有积极影响。角色模糊性完全中介了矛盾型领导与感知绩效之间的关系。我们的研究扩展了公共领导的法则网络，并提出了悖论在模棱两可的公共环境中具有领导潜力的概念。