Employees' task performance and propensity to take charge: the role of LMX and leader's task orientation

Recent literature has focused on the outcomes associated with employee performance, but how and when it leads to work-related outcomes further is an area that has not gained due attention. Against this backdrop, this study entails investigating the effects of employee performance on their taking-charge behavior through the mediation of leader–member exchange (LMX) and the leader's task-oriented behavior's moderating role.

Using a questionnaire-based survey design, the study is based on a sample of 304 employees of pharmaceutical companies' sales departments. The two-stage lag approach has been used for data collection, where leader–follower dyads participated in the study.

The study's findings reveal that better-performing employees are considered in-group members by their leaders, and the presence of high LMX makes employees reciprocate by adopting charge behavior. Furthermore, a leader's task-oriented behavior fosters the performance – LMX and performance – taking charge relationship mediated through LMX, a moderated mediation mechanism exists.

The study offers a novel explanation by considering employee performance as a predictor instead of an outcome variable. Furthermore, recent literature has considered adverse outcomes of performance, while this study considers the positive aspects of employee performance (i.e. LMX and charge behavior). It also offers the role of both employee- and leader-specific factors in determining the LMX relationship.