The Relationship Between K-Workers’ Leader–Member Exchange, Organizational Citizenship Behavior and Task Performance—Evidence From Chinese Hospitals

Aiming to reduce the difficulty of managing and motivating knowledge workers (k-workers), and promote the psychological well-being of them in Chinese hospitals, this study examines how k-workers’ leader–member exchange (LMX) influences their task performance and the mediation effect of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Through a self-administered survey, valid questionnaires were collected from 384 k-workers in Chinese hospitals, and partial least squares structural equation modeling was employed for data analysis. The findings show that LMX is positively related to OCB and task performance, and that OCB mediates the relationship between LMX and task performance. This research has theoretical implications and also provides practical suggestions on how to manage, motivate, and inspire k-workers, and promote the psychological well-being of them, and finally enhance the organizational performance in Chinese hospitals.