The Curvilinear Effect of Newcomer Ingratiation on Leader–Member Exchange: A Dual-Pathway Model of Supervisor Attributions

Although ingratiation is a tactic widely adopted by subordinates to influence supervisors, findings on its effectiveness are mixed at best. Drawing upon advancements in attribution theory, we propose a dual-pathway model to explicate the supervisor attributional processes triggered by newcomer ingratiation. On the one hand, supervisors engage in surface-level correspondent inference, taking newcomer ingratiation at face value and associating more ingratiation with greater relationship-building motives, rendering a positive linear relationship between newcomer ingratiation and relationship-building motive attribution. On the other hand, as newcomer ingratiation becomes more blatant, it prompts supervisors to engage in deep-level ulterior inference to more closely scrutinize hidden motives, rendering an increasing curvilinear relationship (i.e., a positive effect that gradually emerges) between newcomer ingratiation and self-serving motive attribution. These two attributions, in turn, have opposite effects on leader–member exchange (LMX). Taken together, we proposed an overall curvilinear relationship between newcomer ingratiation and LMX. We tested our hypotheses with three field studies. Study 1 revealed an inverted U-shaped relationship between newcomer ingratiation and LMX. Studies 2 and 3 further substantiated the mediation effects of the two attributions linking newcomer ingratiation to LMX. Additionally, Study 3 showed that via the sequential mediation of attributions and LMX, newcomer ingratiation had indirect effects on newcomer task performance and intention to quit.