Our study integrates three resource-related theories—social exchange, social learning, and self-verification—to investigate how laissez-faire leadership influences subordinates’ organizational citizenship behavior toward individuals (OCB-I). Hence, we introduce a comprehensive job demands-resources (JD-R) model, which positions laissez-faire leadership as a challenging job demand. This leadership style, characterized by a hands-off approach that encourages subordinates to seek resources, is examined concerning three key mechanisms-perceived organizational support (POS), coworker support, and learning goal orientation (LGO)-that mediate the relationship between laissez-faire leadership and subordinate OCB-I.
Using a cross-sectional survey design and an online questionnaire, we collected usable data from 203 Taiwanese employees in various industries and performed an Mplus analysis.
Our results show that (1) perceived organizational support and coworker support fully mediated the relationship between laissez-faire leadership and subordinate OCBI, (2) learning-goal orientation partially mediated the relationship, and (3) when multiple resources were simultaneously available in the workplace, coworker support outweighed other resources and benefited employees the most in the context of laissez-faire leadership.
This research underscores the often overlooked but critically challenging job demand of laissez-faire leadership. By establishing a concurrent test of three functions of resources, our work sheds new light on how laissez-faire leadership can be effectively managed to enhance OCB-I. Our research also reveals how employees can overcome challenges by focusing on appropriate resources and fostering a willingness to assist colleagues through OCB-I. These practical implications empower leaders and practitioners to effectively manage laissez-faire leadership and enhance organizational citizenship behavior.
