Are we in-sync? The role of employee-supervisor pacing fit in employee work outcomes

Abstract

Drawing on the social entrainment perspective, this study examines the relationship between employee-supervisor pacing fit and employee task performance and helping and voice behaviors. The polynomial regression analyses and response surface tests conducted for 235 employee-supervisor dyads generally supported the proposed fit effect for helping and voice behaviors. Employee helping behavior was higher when both employees and supervisors exhibited an early action pacing style and when both adopted a deadline action pacing style than when there was a misfit. Similarly, employees engaged in more voice behavior when their pacing style matched that of their supervisor than when there was a mismatch. Contrary to our prediction, we detected the main effect of employee pacing style on task performance, such that task performance was higher for employees with an early action pacing style than for those with a deadline action pacing style. Such a differential effect of pacing fit provides a nuanced understanding of the roles of pacing style and alignment in work outcomes.