Abstract
Although the topic of value congruence has attracted considerable attention from researchers and practitioners, evidence for the link between person–supervisor value congruence and followers’ reactions is less robust than often assumed. This study addresses three central issues in our understanding of person–supervisor value congruence (a) by assessing the impact of objective person–supervisor value congruence rather than subjective value congruence, (b) by examining the differential effects of value congruence in strongly versus moderately held values, and (c) by exploring perceived empowerment as a central mediating mechanism. Results of a multi-source study comprising 116 person–supervisor dyads reveal that objective value congruence relates to followers’ job satisfaction and affective commitment and that this link can be explained by followers’ perceived empowerment. Moreover, polynomial regression and response surface analyses reveal that congruence effects vary with the importance that leaders and followers ascribe to a certain value: Congruency in strongly held values have more robust relations with followers’ outcomes than congruence in moderately held values.
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Notes
The data presented in this manuscript were part of a larger data collection effort. A first paper has recently been accepted for publication by the Journal of Organizational Behavior. The current manuscript is the second and last paper from this database. Importantly, the published paper and the current manuscript do not overlap in any of the used variables. To keep the review process anonymous, we had to withhold the exact reference of the published paper. However, it is known to the Editor of the Journal of Business Ethics.
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Byza, O.A.U., Dörr, S.L., Schuh, S.C. et al. When Leaders and Followers Match: The Impact of Objective Value Congruence, Value Extremity, and Empowerment on Employee Commitment and Job Satisfaction. J Bus Ethics 158, 1097–1112 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-017-3748-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-017-3748-3