The Impact of Supervisors’ Coaching Leadership on the Adaptation Performance of New Employees in SMEs: The Mediating Role of Feedback-Seeking Behavior and the Moderating Role of Growth Need

Purpose: New employees in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) often face significant challenges during their initial adaptation to the organization, including job stress, low job satisfaction, and high turnover rates. To address these issues, it is important to analyze the impact of supervisors' coaching leadership on the adaptability of new employees. However, there is a lack of research on the specific mechanisms through which supervisors' coaching leadership influences employee adaptability. This study investigates how supervisors' coaching leadership affects the adaptability of new employees, with a particular focus on the roles of feedback-seeking behavior and growth need in this process. The aim is to contribute to a better understanding of the leadership strategies and organizational environments necessary to support successful adaptation in new employees.Methods: For this study, data were collected through a survey conducted among employees working in SMEs in South Korea, resulting in 562 valid responses. Hypotheses were developed based on theories and previous studies related to coaching leadership, adaptability, feedback-seeking behavior, and growth need. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to verify the reliability and validity of the constructs. Hypotheses were tested using regression analysis with SPSS 26, examining mediation and moderation effects, with Process Macro Model 7 employed to assess moderated mediation effects.Results: As s result of the analysis, First, supervisors' coaching leadership was found to have a positive impact on the adaptability of new employees. Second, feedback-seeking behavior partially mediated the relationship between coaching leadership and adaptability. Third, growth need moderated the relationship between coaching leadership and feedback-seeking behavior. Finally, it was confirmed that when growth need is high, the indirect effect of coaching leadership on adaptability, mediated by feedback-seeking behavior, is strengthened.Conclusion: It reveals that feedback-seeking behavior serves as a mediating variable that amplifies the effectiveness of coaching leadership, underscoring the importance of fostering an organizational culture that encourages such behavior. Furthermore, the findings suggest that providing tailored coaching and feedback to new employees with high growth needs can effectively support adaptive performance. Finally, the study underscores the necessity for organizations to develop customized leadership strategies that consider the individual characteristics and needs of new employees to enhance the efficiency of talent management.