Leader Influence on Sustained Participation in Self-Organized Volunteer Communities: A Simulation-based Approach

From the perspective of leader-member exchange (LMX) theory, we investigated how two forms of leadership style (uniform LMX (ULMX) and differential LMX (DLMX)) impact member participation in SOVCs. Furthermore, based on computer simulations we also examine the extent to which several contextual factors moderate the relationship between leadership style and member contributions. The key findings suggest that although DLMX appears to be a more effective governance style in the event of high environmental uncertainty, ULMX outperforms its counterpart in decentralized structures and during the early stage of community growth. Furthermore, leadership style plays a more important role for large SOVCs than small SOVCs, which are highly vulnerable to environmental turbulence. Regarding the impact of network structure, centralized structures facilitate higher levels of member participation than decentralized structures, but too much centralization may adversely affect member participation, particularly when a minimal environmental uncertainty exists.