Power distance orientation and perceived insider status in China: a social identity perspective

Abstract

Previous studies have mostly focused on how power distance orientation leads employees to evaluate leader justice differently in relation to their treatment. However, it remains unclear how leader treatment may impact the way power distance-oriented individuals evaluate their social identities. Taking a social identity perspective, we investigated how leader social support in teams impacts the relationship between power distance orientation and perceived insider status in China. Building upon the heuristic-systematic model of information processing, we argued that high power distance-oriented individuals are more likely to make identity adjustments based on relative leader social support and team level leader social support. Hypotheses were tested using a sample of 631 employees in 78 teams. We found an interaction effect between individual power distance orientation and relative leader social support on perceived insider status, such that the negative relationship between power distance orientation and perceived insider status is mitigated when members receive relatively high leader social support. Furthermore, this interaction effect was stronger when the mean of team leader social support was high or when the differentiation of team leader social support was low. Additionally, the above three-way interaction was transmitted to employees’ affective commitment and turnover intention via perceived insider status.

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