Help or Harm? Understanding the Nuanced Influence Mechanisms Between Paradoxical Leadership Behaviors and Work–Family Conflicts in the Public Sector

Abstract

Whether, how, and when paradoxical leadership behaviors are beneficial for employees in the public sector is underexplored. We propose that workplace anxiety and job crafting differentially mediate the influence of paradoxical leadership behaviors on work–family conflicts and that resilience plays a moderating role on these relationships. To test our hypotheses, we used two-wave survey data collected from 595 public employees in China. The study findings support our predictions, expanding knowledge on the paradoxes in public administration. We share implications for public leaders on how to maximize the positive effects of paradoxical leadership behaviors while considering their double-edged-sword effects.

Keywords:

• paradoxical leadership behaviors
• work–family conflicts
• workplace anxiety
• job crafting
• resilience

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Yuanjie Bao

Yuanjie Bao is an Assistant Professor at the School of Public Administration and Policy, Renmin University of China. He is interested in leadership, motivation, and public policy.

Chang Yang

Chang Yang is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Management, Beijing Electronic Science and Technology Institute. His work focuses on organizational behavior within public organizations.