Consequences of Managers’ Laissez-faire Leadership During Organizational Restructuring
Open Access
- 12 July 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis Ltd in Journal of Change Management
- Vol. 22 (1), 40-58
- https://doi.org/10.1080/14697017.2021.1951811
Abstract
This study draws upon conservation of resources theory to investigate if laissez-faire leadership influences employees’ perceptions of role clarity, and two forms of well-being (job satisfaction and work-related burnout), in the context of organizational restructuring. Moreover, role clarity is studied as a mechanism linking laissez-faire leadership to employee well-being. These relationships were tested using a three-wave time-lagged investigation conducted over a two-year period with a sample of 601 employees working in the Swedish process industry. The results of the structural equation modelling analyses showed that laissez-faire leadership was negatively related to role clarity 9 months later. In turn, role clarity mediated the relationship between laissez-faire leadership and employee well-being. This study contributes to the understanding of how laissez-faire leadership in the context of organizational restructuring may affect employee outcomes. We discuss implications for theories and practices, as well as directions for future research.Keywords
Funding Information
- FORTE
- Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare (2019-00066)
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