The burgeoning literature on leader-member exchange (LMX) differentiation indicates that differentiating LMX relationships within groups has both benefits and costs when it comes to group effectiveness. Although some clarity is emerging surrounding the null total effect of LMX differentiation on group performance, we still know little about how leaders themselves shape the differentiation process. In this article, we extend theory to suggest that some leaders may differentiate more effectively than others. Drawing from functional leadership theory, we first identify a potential approach available to leaders likely to enhance their functional effectiveness-strategically investing in and developing stronger social exchange relationships with subordinates who can best help them fulfill the task functions (via task performance-based differentiation) and group maintenance functions (via contextual performance-based differentiation) specified within functional leadership theory. Embedding this potential approach within the ability-motivation-opportunity framework, we then develop a theory for which leaders are best positioned to recognize and pursue strategic relationship development this way. Specifically, we posit that leaders with stronger cognitive abilities (g) are more likely to recognize the value of such an approach, and those high in core self-evaluation are more likely to believe in their capabilities to successfully process, execute on, and persist with the approach. The results from two studies-a multisource study of leaders and team members in newly formed teams as well as a preregistered online vignette study using a sample of current and former supervisors-largely supported our predictions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

中文翻译：

---

聪明的领导者会聪明地区分交换关系吗？实现领导者与成员交换差异的职能领导方法。


关于领导者-成员交换 (LMX) 差异化的新兴文献表明，在群体有效性方面，差异化群体内的 LMX 关系既有好处也有成本。尽管 LMX 差异化对团队绩效的零总体影响已经有了一些清晰的认识，但我们仍然对领导者本身如何塑造差异化过程知之甚少。在本文中，我们扩展了理论，表明某些领导者可能比其他领导者更有效地实现差异化。根据职能领导理论，我们首先确定了领导者可以提高其职能有效性的潜在方法——战略性地投资于下属并与下属发展更牢固的社会交换关系，这些下属可以最好地帮助他们履行任务职能（通过基于任务绩效的差异化）职能领导理论中规定的团队维护职能（通过基于情境绩效的差异化）。将这种潜在的方法嵌入到能力-动机-机会框架中，然后我们开发了一种理论，根据该理论，领导者最有能力以这种方式认识和追求战略关系发展。具体来说，我们认为认知能力 (g) 较强的领导者更有可能认识到这种方法的价值，而核心自我评价较高的领导者更有可能相信自己成功处理、执行和坚持的能力随着方法。两项研究的结果——一项针对新组建团队的领导者和团队成员的多源研究，以及一项使用现任和前任主管样本的预先注册的在线小插图研究——在很大程度上支持了我们的预测。 （PsycInfo 数据库记录 (c) 2024 APA，保留所有权利）。