Management Review ›› 2024, Vol. 36 ›› Issue (8): 173-184.

• Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management • Previous Articles    

How does Leader Perfectionism Affect Employee Performance?—A Study of a Serial Moderated Dual Pathway Model

Zheng Lixun1, Wang Yanfei1, Guo Zisheng2, He Guohua3, Zhu Yu4   

  1. 1. School of Business Administration, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510641;
    2. Guangdong SME Research and Consultancy Centre, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510641;
    3. College of Management, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518055;
    4. School of Management, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632
  • Received:2021-09-15 Published:2024-09-03

Abstract: To better cope with the fierce market competition, more and more enterprises encourage or require employees to finish their work as per high standards. Although many studies have discussed the intrapersonal effect of perfectionism, there is still a lack of attention to its interpersonal effect in workplace interaction. Based on social information processing theory, this study explores how leader perfectionism influences subordinates' job performance. A three-wave survey of 75 team leaders and 272 direct subordinates shows that leader perfectionism could affect subordinates' work overload and task reflexivity through performance pressure, then influence their job performance, and self-efficacy of subordinates moderates the above two mediating paths. By clarifying the mechanism of how leader perfectionism affects subordinates' job performance and the boundary conditions, this study provide a more comprehensive and dialectical perspective for understanding workplace perfectionism and a practical guide for organizations to promote the positive influence of leader perfectionism and avoid its negative impact.

Key words: perfectionism, performance pressure, work overload, task reflexivity, job performance