Unmasking Exploitative Leadership’s Dual Pathways: An FsQCA and PLS-SEM Comparison Analysis of Emotional Exhaustion and Job Satisfaction in Workplace Procrastination

This study investigates how exploitative leadership(EL) exacerbates employee work procrastination(WP) through the chain mediation of emotional exhaustion(EE) and job satisfaction(JS), while examining psychological resilience(PR) as a critical moderator. Grounded in affective events theory and conservation of resources theory, this study collected data from 450 employees of Chinese companies. Structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) revealed that EL significantly increases WP (β = 0.340, p < 0.001), with EE (β = 0.306) and JS (β = -0.188) serving as partial mediators (VAF = 63.3% and 30.5%, respectively). Furthermore, PR attenuates EL’s adverse effects, weakening its association with EE (β = -0.302) and buffering JS decline (β = 0.161). Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) identified three causal configurations, with the EL × EE pathway showing the highest explanatory power (raw coverage = 0.756). These findings advance understanding of the dynamic interplay between destructive leadership and procrastination, emphasizing the role of emotional and cognitive depletion. Practically, the study advocates for institutional transparency and resilience-building interventions to mitigate EL’s covert harm. By integrating symmetric and asymmetric methodologies, this research bridges theoretical gaps and offers a nuanced framework for fostering healthier workplaces.