Leader-Follower Congruence in Need for Achievement and Work Outcomes: The Mediating Role of Leader-Member Exchange

While several studies have investigated the effect of employees' need for achievement on their work-related outcomes, how leader-follower congruence in need for achievement is related to critical workplace outcomes remains underexplored. Integrating person-environment theory and similarity-attraction theory, this study investigated the influences of leader-follower congruence in need for achievement on followers' job performance and job well-being through the mediating effect of leader-member exchange (LMX). Using cross-level polynomial regression and response surface analysis to analyze the data from 391 leaders and 1,124 followers, we found that leader-follower congruence in need for achievement had a positive effect on followers' job performance and job well-being though the mediating role of LMX. The theoretical and managerial implications are further discussed.