Authentic leadership and employee expediency: a moderated mediation framework

Purpose Based on self-verification theory, this study examines the impact of authentic leadership on employee expediency in China. Specifically, the authors investigate the mediating effects of self-verification striving on this relationship, as well as the moderating effects of leader–member exchange. Design/methodology/approach The authors surveyed 502 employees and their direct supervisors from 96 work units in one Chinese province and utilized multi-level path analysis to test a model of moderated mediation. Findings The study analysis results suggest that authentic leadership significantly contributes to reducing employee expediency in the surveyed Chinese companies. Self-verification striving mediates this relationship. Furthermore, leader–member exchange enhances the positive relationship between authentic leadership and self-verification striving. Research limitations/implications This study extends the understanding of antecedents of employee expediency and also extends previous research on the role of self-verification in shaping employee behaviors. The limitation is that the results are specific to China, and the study only relied on cross-sectional data. Practical implications The current study suggests that organizations should consider implementing training programs for their leaders to cultivate traits associated with authentic leadership. Furthermore, managers should actively promote employee engagement in discussions related to work objectives, methods and efficiency to assist them in their self-verification striving. They need to make efforts to enhance the climate of leader–member exchange, thereby reducing employee expediency. Originality/value This research identifies self-verification striving as key mediators that link authentic leadership to employee expediency and reveals the moderating role of leader–member exchange in the process.