Contingent Turnover Intention: The Potential Dark Sides of High-Quality LMX

Many studies have shown that high-quality leader-member exchange (LMX) relationships have several positive outcomes such as better work performance (e.g. Erdogan & Enders, 2007), higher customer orientation (Medler-Liraz & Kark, 2012), or higher organizational commitment (Le Blanc & González-Romá, 2012). Therefore, it is desirable for firms to encourage managers to establish high-quality LMX relationships with their subordinates. However, only few studies have pointed out possible downsides of high-quality LMX relationships. These studies have almost exclusively adressed the emergence of low-quality LMX relationships, i.e. the outgroup phenomenon as one negative aspect of LMX relationships.

Focusing on the impact of LMX relationships on organizational commitment and turnover intention, we red flag a potential negative, yet in current research neglected outcome of high-quality LMX relationships. Even though a positive bond between an employee and its supervisor reduces the employee’s turnover intention, this effect, as well as an increased organizational commitment, is primarily tied to his or her particular supervisor. Thus we argue, that if the supervisor quits the organization, the employees’ commitment to the company fades and his turnover intention increases. We therefore introduce the construct of contingent turnover intention, which we define as an employee’s willingness to follow his supervisor to another organization.

In a first study, we examined the effect of a high-quality LMX relationship on several employee attitudes such as organizational commitment, turnover intention and contingent turnover intention. While acknowledging the “bright side” of high-quality LMX relationships already shown in previous studies, we also address a potential “dark side”: A high-quality LMX relationship leads to a higher contingent turnover intention of the employee, which in turn increases the employee’s actual turnover intention.

In a second study, we did a scenario-based experiment in a restaurant setting, in which we manipulated the employee’s relationship with his or her fictional supervisor to explain underlying mechanics that lead to a higher contingent turnover intention, taking several mediating variables such as affective supervisor commitment or discomfort into account.