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The key to unlocking implicit status: the effects of interpersonal perceptions and leadership emergence on advice-giving network centrality

Minya Xu, Beini Liu, Xiaode Ji

Leadership & Organization Development Journal

ISSN: 0143-7739

Article publication date: 13 January 2025

37

Abstract

Purpose

Most existing research has focused on the outcomes of advice-giving network centrality for focal employees, neglecting to address what drives employee centrality in advice-giving networks. Our study aims to explore how and when employees attain a central position in an advice-giving network.

Design/methodology/approach

Through a multi-wave, multi-source survey design, we collected data from 148 full-time employees on 34 newly established self-managed teams. We used Mplus 8 for data analysis and hypothesis testing.

Findings

Interpersonal trust and leadership emergence sequentially mediate the relationship between warmth/competence perceptions and advice-giving network centrality. Employee narcissism weakens the positive relationship between leadership emergence and advice-giving network centrality and further weakens the mediation effects.

Originality/value

Drawing on the social capital theory of career success and the approach-inhibition theory of power, we outline the driving mechanism behind and the boundary condition for advice-giving network centrality. Our findings not only uncover effective career development strategies for employees but also offer practical insights for managers to improve team effectiveness.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 72202007, 72472005), and the Humanities and Social Sciences Foundation of the Ministry of Education of China (No. 22YJC630082, 24YJA630112). We would also like to thank the support from Center for Statistical Science in Peking University, and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, Peking University LMEQF.

Our research has received approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at one of the author's university. The IRB reference code for the project is BTBU BS #2022-05-06, and the project subject was Leader Emergence and Team Effectiveness.

Citation

Xu, M., Liu, B. and Ji, X. (2025), "The key to unlocking implicit status: the effects of interpersonal perceptions and leadership emergence on advice-giving network centrality", Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-05-2024-0294

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited

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