The Effect of Leader‘s Energy on Subordinate’s Procedural Justice Perception: The Mechanism of Psychological Resource Transfer and Utilization Mediated by Subordinate’s Energy

This study investigates a mediating model in which leader’s energy affects the procedural justice perception of subordinate through subordinate’s energy. The dual path of social contagion and leader role enactment posits that the leader’s energy positively affects subordinate’s energy. In turn, the subordinate’s energy improved by the leader’s energy is expected to positively affect procedural justice through two pathways. First, based on the broaden and build theory, the energy enables an extended interpretation of the organizational situation. According to the control theory approach, an extended interpretation of the situation will lead to increase procedural justice perception. Second, drawing on the interaction ritual theory, employee with high energy tend to experience positive social interactions with other members. According to the socio-emotional approach, individual with high energy experiences favorable social interaction with others, which enhances procedural justice perception. This study analyzes the data of 275 employees in China. Results reveal that leader’s energy positively affects subordinate’s energy. Also subordinate’s energy positively affects procedural justice perception. Finally, this study determines a significant mediating effect of the leader’s energy on the perception of procedural justice mediated by the subordinate’s energy. The results make a theoretical contribution to the organizational justice literature by explaining the formation of the perception from the lens of the accumulation and utilization of employee’s energy as a psychological resource. Moreover, the current study contributesto leadership research in that it explains the influence of leader energy. In practice, the results provide implications by examining the comprehensive influence of leader energy and suggesting a way to utilize it for leadership or organizational development.