AUTHOR=Wang Wei , Zhao Xiaorui , Zhang Xiaomeng , Liu Yanbin , Yuan Ping 

TITLE=Entrepreneurs’ role overload and empowering leadership: A reciprocal relationship based on conservation of resources

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=Volume 14 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1118099

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1118099

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=Role overload is not new, but its increasing prevalence in recent years calls for further research. This study considers empowering leadership as a means of resource investment and proposes that it is exerted by entrepreneurs to reduce their role overload. This study adds clarity by revealing how entrepreneurs’ role overload is mitigated via the intermediate mechanism of empowering leadership. Hypotheses are derived from conservation of resources theory. Results are based on data collected from 315 entrepreneurs in China. This study finds that entrepreneurs’ previous experience of role overload positively relates to their current empowering leadership behavior and their previous empowering leadership behavior negatively relates to their current role overload, which implies a mediating role of empowering leadership. Specifically, the second stage of the indirect effect of previous role overload on current role overload through empowering leadership is moderated by top management team (TMT) heterogeneity. When TMT heterogeneity is higher, the negative indirect effect is stronger. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.