Skip to main content
Have a personal or library account? Click to login
Exploring Curvilinear Relationships of Transformational and Engaging Leadership with Stress. Is Engaging Leadership Any Better? Cover

Exploring Curvilinear Relationships of Transformational and Engaging Leadership with Stress. Is Engaging Leadership Any Better?

Open Access
|Jul 2026

References

  1. Arnold, K. A. (2017). Transformational leadership and employee psychological well-being: A review and directions for future research. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 22(3), 381. 10.1037/ocp0000062
  2. Arnold, K. A., & Connelly, C. E. (2013). Transformational leadership and psychological well-being: Effects on followers and leaders. In The Wiley-Blackwell handbook of the psychology of leadership, change, and organizational development (pp. 175194). Wiley Blackwell. 10.1002/9781118326404.ch9
  3. August, K. J., Rook, K. S., & Newsom, J. T. (2007). The joint effects of life stress and negative social exchanges on emotional distress. The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 62(5), S304S314. 10.1093/geronb/62.5.s304
  4. Bass, B. M., & Riggio, R. E. (2006). Transformational leadership (2nd ed.). L. Erlbaum Associates. 10.4324/9781410617095
  5. Bodla, A. A., Tang, N., Van Dick, R., & Mir, U. R. (2019). Authoritarian leadership, organizational citizenship behavior, and organizational deviance: Curvilinear relationships. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 40(5), 583599. 10.1108/LODJ-08-2018-0313
  6. Bourdeaud’hui, R., Janssens, F., & Vanderhaeghe, S. (2004). Wat maakt werk werkbaar voor werknemers? Onderzoek naar determinanten van werkbaar werk op basis van de Vlaamse Werkbaarheidsmonitor, 2007–2010. SERV.
  7. Brotheridge, C. M., & Lee, R. T. (2002). Testing a conservation of resources model of the dynamics of emotional labor. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 7(1), 5767. 10.1037/1076-8998.7.1.57
  8. Carless, S. A., Wearing, A. J., & Mann, L. (2000). A Short Measure of Transformational Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 14, 389405. 10.1023/A:1022991115523
  9. Carnevale, J. B., Huang, L., Uhl-Bien, M., & Harris, S. (2020). Feeling obligated yet hesitant to speak up: Investigating the curvilinear relationship between LMX and employee promotive voice. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 93(3), 505529. 10.1111/joop.12302
  10. Chen, Y., Ning, R., Yang, T., Feng, S., & Yang, C. (2018). Is transformational leadership always good for employee task performance? Examining curvilinear and moderated relationships. Frontiers of Business Research in China, 12(1), 22. 10.1186/s11782-018-0044-8
  11. Chung, D. S., & Li, J. M. (2021). Curvilinear effect of transformational leadership on innovative behavior among R&D teams in South Korea. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 34(1), 252270. 10.1108/JOCM-01-2017-0017
  12. Cole, M. S., Walter, F., Bedeian, A. G., & O’Boyle, E. H. (2012). Job burnout and employee engagement: A meta-analytic examination of construct proliferation. Journal of Management, 38(5), 15501581. 10.1177/0149206311415252
  13. Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2012). Self-determination theory. 10.4135/9781446249215.n21
  14. Decuypere, A., & Schaufeli, W. (2021). Exploring the leadership–engagement nexus: A moderated meta-analysis and review of explaining mechanisms. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(16), 8592. 10.3390/ijerph18168592
  15. Eisenbeiß, S. A., & Boerner, S. (2010). Transformational leadership and R&D innovation: Taking a curvilinear approach. Creativity and Innovation Management, 19(4), 364372. 10.1111/j.1467-8691.2010.00563.x
  16. Erskine, J., & Georgiou, G. (2023). Leadership styles: Work stress, related outcomes and health. In P. Fauquet-Alekhine, & J. Erskine (Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of occupational stress (pp. 221255). Palgrave Macmillan. 10.1007/978-3-031-27349-0_13
  17. Gagné, M., & Deci, E. L. (2005). Self-determination theory and work motivation. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 26(4), 331362. 10.1002/job.322
  18. Gross, J. J., & Levenson, R. W. (1997). Hiding feelings: the acute effects of inhibiting negative and positive emotion. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 106(1), 95103. 10.1037/0021-843X.106.1.95
  19. Halbesleben, J. R. (2006). Sources of social support and burnout: A meta-analytic test of the conservation of resources model. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91(5), 1134. 10.1037/0021-9010.91.5.1134
  20. Han, G. H., Harms, P. D., & Bai, Y. (2017). Nightmare bosses: The impact of abusive supervision on employees’ sleep, emotions, and creativity. Journal of Business Ethics, 145(1), 2131. 10.1007/s10551-015-2859-y
  21. Harms, P., Credé, M., Tynan, M., Leon, M., & Jeung, W. (2017). Leadership and stress: A meta-analytic review. The Leadership Quarterly, 28(1), 178194. 10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.10.006
  22. Harris, K. J., & Kacmar, K. M. (2006). Too much of a good thing: The curvilinear effect of leader-member exchange on stress. The Journal of Social Psychology, 146(1), 6584. 10.3200/SOCP.146.1.65-84
  23. Hetland, H., Hetland, J., Schou Andreassen, C., Pallesen, S., & Notelaers, G. (2011). Leadership and fulfillment of the three basic psychological needs at work. Career Development International, 16(5), 507523. 10.1108/13620431111168903
  24. Hildenbrand, K., Sacramento, C. A., & Binnewies, C. (2018). Transformational leadership and burnout: The role of thriving and followers’ openness to experience. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 23(1), 31. 10.1037/ocp0000051
  25. Hobfoll, S. E. (1989). Conservation of resources: A new attempt at conceptualizing stress. American Psychologist, 44(3), 513. 10.1037/0003-066X.44.3.513
  26. Hobfoll, S. E. (2002). Social and psychological resources and adaptation. Review of General Psychology, 6(4), 307324. 10.1037/1089-2680.6.4.307
  27. Hobfoll, S. E., Halbesleben, J., Neveu, J. P., & Westman, M. (2018). Conservation of resources in the organizational context: The reality of resources and their consequences. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 5(1), 103128. 10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032117-104640
  28. Hülsheger, U. R., Feinholdt, A., & Nübold, A. (2015). A low-dose mindfulness intervention and recovery from work: Effects on psychological detachment, sleep quality, and sleep duration. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 88(3), 464489. 10.1111/joop.12115
  29. Judge, T. A., & Piccolo, R. F. (2004). Transformational and transactional leadership: A meta-analytic test of their relative validity. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89(5), 755. 10.1037/0021-9010.89.5.755
  30. Kark, R., Shamir, B., & Chen, G. (2003). The two faces of transformational leadership: Empowerment and dependency. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(2), 246. 10.1037/0021-9010.88.2.246
  31. Li, N., Chiaburu, D. S., Kirkman, B. L., & Xie, Z. (2013). Spotlight on the followers: An examination of moderators of relationships between transformational leadership and subordinates’ citizenship and taking charge. Personnel Psychology, 66(1), 225260. 10.1111/peps.12014
  32. Lin, S. H., Scott, B. A., & Matta, F. K. (2019). The dark side of transformational leader behaviors for leaders themselves: A conservation of resources perspective. Academy of Management Journal, 62(5), 15561582. 10.5465/amj.2016.1255
  33. Litwiller, B., Snyder, L. A., Taylor, W. D., & Steele, L. M. (2017). The relationship between sleep and work: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 102(4), 682. 10.1037/apl0000169
  34. Ma, X., Jiang, W., Wang, L., & Xiong, J. (2020). A curvilinear relationship between transformational leadership and employee creativity. Management Decision, 58(7), 13551373. 10.1108/MD-07-2017-0653
  35. Molines, M., El Akremi, A., Storme, M., & Celik, P. (2022). Beyond the tipping point: the curvilinear relationships of transformational leadership, leader–member exchange, and emotional exhaustion in the French police. Public Management Review, 24(1), 80105. 10.1080/14719037.2020.1795231
  36. Nielsen, K., & Daniels, K. (2012). Does shared and differentiated transformational leadership predict followers’ working conditions and well-being? The Leadership Quarterly, 23(3), 383397. 10.1016/j.leaqua.2011.09.001
  37. Niemiec, C. P., Olafsen, A. H., Halvari, H., & Williams, G. (2022). Losing sleep over work: A self-determination theory view on need frustration, sleep disturbance, and mental ill health. Stress and Health, 38(4), 790803. 10.1002/smi.3134
  38. Nikolova, I., Schaufeli, W., & Notelaers, G. (2019). Engaging leader–engaged employees? A cross-lagged study on employee engagement. European Management Journal, 37(6), 772783. 10.1016/j.emj.2019.02.004
  39. Notelaers, G., De Witte, H., Van Veldhoven, M., & Vermunt, J. K. (2007). Construction and validation of the Short Inventory to Monitor Psychosocial Hazards. Médecine du Travail & Ergonomie, 44, 1117.
  40. Notelaers, G., Van der Heijden, B., Hoel, H., & Einarsen, S. (2019). Measuring bullying at work with the short-negative acts questionnaire: identification of targets and criterion validity. Work & Stress, 33(1), 5875. 10.1080/02678373.2018.1457736
  41. Olafsen, A. H., Niemiec, C. P., Halvari, H., Deci, E. L., & Williams, G. C. (2017). On the dark side of work: A longitudinal analysis using self-determination theory. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 26(2), 275285. 10.1080/1359432X.2016.1257611
  42. Olaniyan, O. S. (2022) Embracing both sides of the same coin: Work-related psychosocial risks and resources among child welfare workers n. pag. Print.
  43. Pierce, J. R., & Aguinis, H. (2013). The too-much-of-a-good-thing effect in management. Journal of Management, 39(2), 313338. 10.1177/0149206311410060
  44. Podsakoff, N. P., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J. Y., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879903. 10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879
  45. Quan, J., & van Dierendonck, D. (2025). A blessing and a curse: The influence of showing servant leadership behaviors on leader work engagement. Journal of Business Research, 186, 115051. 10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.115051
  46. Rahmadani, V. G., Schaufeli, W. B., Ivanova, T. Y., & Osin, E. N. (2019). Basic psychological need satisfaction mediates the relationship between engaging leadership and work engagement: A cross-national study. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 30(4), 453471. 10.1002/hrdq.21366
  47. Rick, V. B., Brandl, C., Knispel, J., Slavchova, V., Arling, V., Mertens, A., & Nitsch, V. (2024). What really bothers us about work interruptions? Investigating the characteristics of work interruptions and their effects on office workers. Work & Stress, 38(2), 157181. 10.1080/02678373.2024.2303527
  48. Salem, I. E. B. (2015). Transformational leadership: Relationship to job stress and job burnout in five-star hotels. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 15, 240253. 10.1177/1467358415581445
  49. Sanders, P., & Eggen, T. (1993). The optimum allocation of measurements in balanced random effects models. Methodika, 7(1), 5361.
  50. Schaufeli, W. (2021). Engaging leadership: How to promote work engagement? Front Psychol, 12, 754556. 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.754556
  51. Schaufeli, W. B. (2015). Engaging leadership in the job demands-resources model. Career Development International, 20(5), 446463. 10.1108/CDI-02-2015-0025
  52. Seltzer, J., Numerof, R. E., & Bass, B. M. (1989). Transformational leadership: Is it a source of more burnout and stress? Journal of Health and Human Resources Administration, 174185.
  53. Stouten, J., Van Dijke, M., Mayer, D. M., De Cremer, D., & Euwema, M. C. (2013). Can a leader be seen as too ethical? The curvilinear effects of ethical leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 24(5), 680695. 10.1016/j.leaqua.2013.05.002
  54. Söderström, M., Jeding, K., Ekstedt, M., Perski, A., & Åkerstedt, T. (2012). Insufficient sleep predicts clinical burnout. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 17(2), 175. 10.1037/a0027518
  55. Tafvelin, S., Nielsen, K., von Thiele Schwarz, U., & Stenling, A. (2019). Leading well is a matter of resources: Leader vigour and peer support augments the relationship between transformational leadership and burnout. Work & Stress, 33(2), 156172. 10.1080/02678373.2018.1513961
  56. Ten Brummelhuis, L. L., & Bakker, A. B. (2012). A resource perspective on the work–home interface: The work–home resources model. American Psychologist, 67(7), 545. 10.1037/a0027974
  57. Tourish, D. (2013). The dark side of transformational leadership: A critical perspective. Routledge. 10.4324/9780203558119
  58. Tummers, L. G., & Bakker, A. B. (2021). Leadership and job demands-resources theory: A systematic review. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 722080. 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.722080
  59. Van den Broeck, A., Vansteenkiste, M., De Witte, H., & Lens, W. (2008). Explaining the relationships between job characteristics, burnout, and engagement: The role of basic psychological need satisfaction. Work & stress, 22(3), 277294. 10.1080/02678370802393672
  60. van Gils, S., & Seljeseth, I. M. (2025). Ally or antagonist? Moral identity determines the curvilinear effect of ethical leadership on employee stress. Journal of Business Research, 199, 115548. 10.1016/j.jbusres.2025.115548
  61. Van Knippenberg, D., & Sitkin, S. B. (2013). A critical assessment of charismatic–transformational leadership research: Back to the drawing board? The Academy of Management Annals, 7(1), 160. 10.5465/19416520.2013.759433
  62. Van Tuin, L., Schaufeli, W. B., & Van Rhenen, W. (2020). The satisfaction and frustration of basic psychological needs in engaging leadership. Journal of Leadership Studies, 14(2), 623. 10.1002/jls.21695
  63. Warr, P. (1994). A conceptual framework for the study of work and mental health. Work & Stress, 8(2), 8497. 10.1080/02678379408259982
  64. Weber, L. (2013, January 22). Go ahead, hit the snooze button. Wall Street Journal.
  65. Wu, S., Zhang, Y., & Yang, H. (2024). The curvilinear relationship between supervisor negative feedback and subordinate job performance: the role of work concentration and leader-member exchange. Current Psychology (New Brunswick, N.J.), 43(11), 1034610355. 10.1007/s12144-023-05137-4
  66. Yammarino, F. J., Spangler, W. D., & Bass, B. M. (1993). Transformational leadership and performance: A longitudinal investigation. The Leadership Quarterly, 4(1), 81108. 10.1016/1048-9843(93)90005-E
DOI: https://doi.org/10.16993/sjwop.357 | Journal eISSN: 2002-2867
Language: English
Page range: 12 - 12
Submitted on: Oct 15, 2024
Accepted on: May 23, 2026
Published on: Jul 10, 2026
Published by: Stockholm University Press
In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

© 2026 Oyeniyi Samuel Olaniyan, Sandra K. Iversen, Maria Hole, Henrik Y. Førde, Katrine S. Mathiassen, Guy Notelaers, published by Stockholm University Press
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.