The Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) Influence at Organizations: The Moderating Role of Person-Organization (P-O) Fit

Motivation: In recent years, leader-member exchange (LMX) has become a widely utilized concept in business management and leadership literature. Additionally, business professionals and practitioners have been adopting this idea in their day-to-day management practices to ensure the effective performance of their teams. Premise: This study investigates the influence of LMX on burnout, turnover intention, and organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB). In addition, we examined the moderating role of person-organization fit on these LMX influences. Approach: To address the moderating role of person-organization (P-O) fit on the relationships between the leader-member exchange (LMX) and burnout, LMX and turnover intention, and LMX and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), a survey was conducted in Kayseri, Turkey's manufacturing region. The sample consists of 903 employees who have direct relationships with their leaders. Frequency analysis, reliability analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and hierarchical regression analysis were employed in the interpretation of the data obtained. Results: The results of the study reveal that leader-member interaction has a negative effect on burnout and intention to quit and has a positive effect on organizational citizenship behavior. In addition, person-organizational fit was found to have a moderating role in these relations. Conclusion: The studies on LMX theory revealed that leaders have the propensity to trust their followers who displayed enthusiasm, and leaders pay less attention to other team members. The LMX theory kept evolving into a new structure concentrating more on the leader-team member relationship. Therefore, leader-member interaction influences burnout, turnover intention, empowerment, employee performance, and organizational behavior. Consistency: Regardless of the type of industry, the quality of the relationship and interaction between managers and employees is directly reflected in work outcomes. In this context, especially in risk management and in times of uncertainty, it is vital that the entire team can act in a coordinated and consistent manner. In professional life, stakeholders can adopt LMX as an effective tool for alleviating burnout and turnover intention and increasing OCB in their organizations.