Despite substantial research on the potential consequences of leadership styles for employees, there is a notable lack of research on the outcomes for the leaders themselves. This study draws on conservation of resources theory to explore, in a Chinese context, the implications of a participative leadership style for the leader’s burnout and job satisfaction. It is hypothesised that the degree to which subordinates have, and believe they have, the required resources to cope with the demands of participative leadership is crucial for the leader outcome. Subordinates with sufficient resources will likely embrace the opportunity, whereas those who sense they lack the required resources will be less likely to do so. Three key work team resources needed to cope with the demands of participative leadership, and which are critical resources for the participative leader, are investigated: elaboration of task-related information, constructive challenge voice, and behavioural empowerment. Furthermore, the study investigates how the collective self-efficacy beliefs of the working team influence the availability of these critical resources. Based on data collected from 537 participants across 127 working teams (each comprising one manager and at least three subordinates) in China, the study provided some support for the hypothesised model. In short, the analysis revealed a significant mediating role of the working team’s constructive challenge voice and behavioural empowerment on the relationship between a participative leadership style and the leader’s burnout and job satisfaction. Unexpectedly, a similar role for team elaboration of task-related information was not demonstrated. Notably, this study did not confirm that the working team’s self-efficacy beliefs strengthen the positive relationship between participative leadership and the team’s constructive challenge voice or behavioural empowerment. The study extends COR theory by providing evidence that the work team’s collective resources are crucial for achieving positive outcomes of a participative leadership style for the leader. Managers in China, aware of the decisive role their subordinates’ resources play, are empowered to adopt a leadership style that prevents negative patterns.
Participative leadership in China: A team-level study on leader burnout and job satisfaction
Jobst, W. (Author). Nov 2025
Student thesis: Doctoral Thesis › Doctor of Business Administration