LMX Ambivalence and Social Cyberloafing: The Mediating Role of Emotional Exhaustion and the Moderating Role of Grandiose Narcissism

ABSTRACT

Drawing on conservation of resources theory and hierometer theory, this study examines how and for whom leader–member exchange (LMX) ambivalence is associated with social cyberloafing. We propose that LMX ambivalence is linked to emotional exhaustion through a resource‐depletion logic, and that emotional exhaustion, in turn, is associated with social cyberloafing as a comparatively accessible and socioemotionally oriented response. We further theorise that this indirect process is stronger among employees high in grandiose narcissism, who attach greater status value to leader–member relationships. Using a three‐wave field survey and a vignette‐based experiment, we test the proposed model in the field and provide experimental evidence for the upstream effect of LMX ambivalence on emotional exhaustion. The findings suggest that LMX ambivalence can function as a relational stressor rooted in conflicted exchange perceptions and identify grandiose narcissism as a key boundary condition. This research contributes to the literature on leadership, relational ambivalence, and digital responses.