The Double-Edged Impact of Ambidextrous Leadership: A Dual-Path Moderated Mediation Model of Challenge and Hindrance Stress on Work Disengagement

Grounded in the cognitive transactional theory of stress, this study develops and tests a moderated dual-path mediation model to investigate the dual effects of ambidextrous leadership on employee work disengagement and its underlying mechanisms. Based on three-wave survey data from Chinese enterprises (N=348), the findings reveal that ambidextrous leadership simultaneously increases both challenge and hindrance stress, which, in turn, indirectly influence work disengagement in opposite directions. Specifically, elevated challenge stress alleviates work disengagement, whereas heightened hindrance stress intensifies it. Moreover, leadership behavioral flexibility moderates these relationships, such that when flexibility is high, ambidextrous leadership is more effective in reducing work disengagement through the enhancement of challenge stress. By delineating these distinct stress pathways and their boundary conditions, this study deepens the understanding of how ambidextrous leadership differentially impacts employees and provides valuable managerial implications for organizations.