Disability and LMX - The role of self-efficacy, performnace, and type of disability

Two field studies (N = 1240 and N = 22021) were conducted to investigate the impact of subordinates' disability status, type of disability, and self efficacy on leader-member exchange (LMX) relationships. In study 1, we focused on the interplay of subordinates disability status and personal resources (self-efficacy and individual performance) in predicting LMX quality. Contrary to further research, subordinates with disabilities formed no lower-quality LMX relationships with their supervisors in general and the interaction of disability status and personal resources (self-efficacy and individual performance) did not affect LMX quality. However, after analyzing subordinates' disability status, self-efficacy and performance in a three-way-interaction, we found a significant relationship with LMX quality For employees with disabilities, the combination of high self-efficacy and low performance resulted in the lowest LMX quality, while low self-efficacy and low performance resulted in significantly higher LMX quality. For employees without disabilities, this pattern did not emerge. In study 2, we investigated the interplay of disability type, self-efficacy, and LMX quality. In line with our expectations, we found significant differences between disability types, indicating that employees that have both a physical and a psychological disability form significantly worse LMX relationships with their supervisors than employees without or with just one type of disability. Moreover, we found two significant moderations such that self-efficacy had a stronger impact on LMX quality when a subordinate had a psychological disability, or a combination of disabilities. Theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed and directions for future research are presented.