The role of co-operation and competition on leader--member exchange and extra-role performance in China

This study examines antecedents and outcomes of leader—member exchange (LMX) in China by relating the theory of co-operation and competition and the research on organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) to LMX. One hundred and seventy supervisor—subordinate dyads in a watch-case manufacturing factory in southern China were studied. Co-operation and competition and LMX were assessed by subordinates, and OCB by their immediate supervisors. Structural equation modeling analyses indicated that co-operation and competition predicted LMX, which in turn predicted OCB. These results were interpreted as further suggesting that a quality relationship between leader and follower is important and that the theory of co-operation and competition can guide building this relationship.