Leader–Member Exchange Quality as a Moderator of Employee Performance and Career Mobility in Kenyan Healthcare NGOs
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47941/ijhss.3885Keywords:
Leader–Member Exchange, Employee Performance, Career Mobility, Healthcare NGOsAbstract
Purpose: The study focuses on the moderating effect of leader-member exchange (LMX) on the link between employee performance and perceived career mobility of healthcare workers in Kenyan NGOs. Drawing on the LMX theory, the study posits that high-quality supervisor–subordinate relationships enhance the performance–mobility connection through relational access to mentorship, advocacy, and developmental opportunities in structurally restricted settings.
Methodology: The research was conducted by cross sectional survey of 370 employees out of 1267 population in 13 healthcare NGOs using stratified random sampling method. Validated multi-item Likert scales were used to measure employee performance, LMX, and career mobility. The moderation effect was tested using hierarchical multiple regression with HC3 robust standard errors.
Findings: Results show that employee performance had a significant main effect on career mobility (β = 0.38, p < .001) and a significant interaction with LMX (β = 0.16, p < .01; ΔR² = .024, p < .01). Simple slopes analysis shows that the relationship is stronger at high LMX (+1 SD: slope ≈ 0.53, p < .001) than at low LMX (−1 SD: slope ≈ 0.22, p < .05).
Unique Contribution to Theory, Policy and Practice: The results broaden the concept of leader–member exchange theory in the context of resource-poor nonprofit settings by showing how a relational approach to leadership can make up for weak formal mobility structures. In practice, healthcare NGOs need to fund supervisory leadership programs to enhance the relationship between supervisors and subordinates and therefore increase the perceived opportunities for employees' careers and increase employee retention.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Bogonko Risper Keruboh Asnath, Prof. Harriet J. Kidombo, Prof. Mercy G. Munjuri, Dr. Moses M. Otieno
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