Can’t get you out of my head: The stress-driven dual effects of LMX Ambivalence

How can having a complicated, ambivalent relationship with your boss be both harmful and beneficial? This paper challenges the conventional view that such relationships are solely detrimental. Drawing on the Challenge-Hindrance Stressor Framework (CHSF), we explore how LMX ambivalence—conflicting feelings toward a leader—can be interpreted as both a hindrance and a challenge stressor, depending on a follower’s epistemic motivation (i.e. their drive to understand their environment). We argue that this dual perspective leads to different ruminative responses that shape the outcomes of LMX ambivalence. Our findings across three studies reveal that LMX ambivalence can have both harmful and beneficial effects on emotional exhaustion and voice, respectively, which arise from distinct processes: affective rumination (emotional) and problem-solving pondering (cognitive). Furthermore, we show that the impact of LMX ambivalence is contingent on a follower's trait epistemic motivation. Specifically, when faced with LMX ambivalence, followers with higher epistemic motivation are a) less likely to affectively ruminate and be emotionally exhausted from it and b) more likely to engage in problem-solving pondering and subsequent voice behavior. This research offers a more nuanced view of LMX ambivalence by emphasizing its dual consequences for followers. By advancing our understanding of these complexities, we provide valuable insights for organizations, leaders, and followers seeking to navigate the challenges of leader-follower relationships.