Work for them or myself: a motivational approach to study the influences of supervisor bottom-line mentality on employee exhaustion
基于自我决定理论，研究主管底线心态（只关注底线成果而忽视其他）如何通过外部调节和内在动机影响员工耗竭，并考察领导-成员交换的调节作用。
Extending current bottom-line mentality research, this paper provides a new theoretical perspective for examining the how and when supervisor bottom-line mentality (i.e., supervisors who solely focus on bottom-line attainments at the expense of other priorities) is related to employee exhaustion. Drawing on self-determination theory, it is proposed that supervisor bottom-line mentality is positively related to external regulation and negatively related to intrinsic motivation, both of which can further predict employee exhaustion. Leader-member exchange is also proposed as a boundary condition that prevents the negative relationship between supervisor bottom-line mentality and intrinsic motivation but enhances the positive relationship with external regulation. Data collected at three time points from 251 employees in China provide support for most hypotheses, except the relationship between supervisor bottom-line mentality and intrinsic motivation. The proposed negative relationship was only significant after including control variables. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed and directions for future research are provided.