The impact of employee emotion regulation strategies on perceptions of social competence, LMX relationships, and job performance

John Peter Trougakos, Purdue University

Abstract

This paper extends research exploring the outcomes of emotion regulation by examining the interpersonal consequences associated with employee emotion regulation strategies. In the proposed model two emotion regulation strategies, cognitive reappraisal and expression suppression are predicted to differentially influence perceptions of employee social competence which in turn is predicted to influence leader-member exchange (LMX) quality. In addition, I examine how employees' affective disposition might moderate the relationship between emotion regulation strategies and social competence. Moreover, employee social competence is also expected to affect the development of LMX relationships indirectly. Specifically, it is hypothesized that employees leverage their social competence in order to gain greater access to resources from sources other than the leader thus making them more valuable to their leaders. Furthermore, LMX is predicted to determine employees' access to resources from their supervisors. Finally, LMX relationships and employee access to resources are predicted to influence both task performance, as well as performance of organizational citizenship behaviors. Data was collected from four organization (N=150) from both employees and their immediate supervisors. Results revealed that cognitive reappraisal was positively related and expression suppression was negatively related to social competence. Social competence was positively related to LMX, however, it was not related to access to resources from non-supervisory sources. Access to resources from both supervisors as well as non-supervisors was positively related to LMX. Access to both types of resources was not significantly related to either task performance or OCB, however, LMX was positively related to both types of performance even when taking the effects of resource access into account. Tests of alternative and exploratory models yielded numerous intriguing finds including a direct positive relationship between reappraisal and LMX, as well as a direct negative relationship between suppression and both types of performance. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed along with study limitations and future research directions.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Green, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Management|Occupational psychology

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