Development and validation of the leader–member exchange scale in the Indian context

Purpose The primary objective of the present study was to develop an appropriate scale for evaluating LMX by investigating how individuals personally perceive and encounter distinct relationships (both high quality and low quality) with their supervisors, with a specific focus on the Indian context. Design/methodology/approach The scale was administered on a sample of 290 middle-level managers from two large manufacturing organizations located in North India. Findings The factors identified as important for the construct of leader-member exchange were affect, loyalty, and contribution. Research limitations/implications The internal consistency reliability of the LMX contribution dimension is very low. Future researchers should add a few additional items to increase the reliability of the contribution scale of LMX scale so that it fulfills adequate criteria of reliability. Further, the supervisor–subordinate relationship from both supervisor and subordinate perspectives should also be examined. Practical implications This study has made significant advancements in the field of LMX. The findings will also be utilized by the authorities of the organization in focusing future training for its managers. Social implications The findings of this research will help not only advancement in the field of LMX but will also help the manager using LMX to influence subordinates to have better knowledge on which factors to focus on to get better results. Originality/value Overall, the results of the current study provide evidence for the sound reliability and validity of the leader-member exchange scale with employees of Indian manufacturing organizations, supporting its use with these populations. Further, this scale is suitable not only in Indian culture but also in the Western cultural context, as the results corroborate the findings of Western scholars, indicating a fair level of cross-cultural validity. However, future research should also address the cross-validation of the factor structure of LMX on other samples and occupations.