Employee Engagement Through Theoretical Foundations
Dr. Erich Pyles, DEL, MS, CSP, CHST, CESCP, CRAME
Certified and Experience ES&H Professional | Professor | Author & Researcher | Mental Health Advocate | Army Combat Veteran
As leaders, we need to know our employees and understand their strengths and weaknesses. Study and know the people on your team (Maxwell, 2021). The better we know who our employees are, not what they were hired to do, the sooner we can start building a relationship. Through a theoretical foundation, leader-member exchange (LMX) is associated with social exchange theory (SET). LMX theorizes the interface between leaders and followers as the foundation for understanding the social exchange relationships between leaders and followers (Graen & Uhl-Bien, 1995; Wayne et al., 1997). Comparatively, SET theorizes that subordinates who experience a positive social exchange rapport with their leaders feel obligated to respond through productive behaviors at work. The relationship leads to an environment of positive leader-follower engagement and psychological safety, leading to improved team and organizational innovation, resilience, and sustainability opportunities.
References
Graen, G. B., & Uhl-Bien, M. (1995). Relationship-based approach to leadership: Development of leader-member exchange (LMX) theory of leadership over 25 years: Applying a multi-level multi-domain perspective. The Leadership Quarterly, 6(2), 219-247. https://doi.org/10.1016/1048-9843(95)90036-5
Maxwell, J.C. (2021). The self-aware leader: Play to your strengths and unleash your team. Harper Collins.?
Wayne, S. J., Shore, L. M., & Liden, R. C. (1997). Perceived organizational support and leader-member exchange: A social exchange perspective. Academy of Management Journal, 40(1), 82-111.