How leader–member exchange ambivalence influences employee feedback seeking and avoidance

Leader–member exchange ambivalence represents a critical yet underexplored factor shaping leader–employee interaction motivation. Drawing on dual-system decision theory, this study investigates how LMX ambivalence shapes employees’ feedback strategies via both intuitive and analytical processing pathways. Using hierarchical regression and Bootstrap analyses on survey data from 306 employees in China, the findings reveal that LMX ambivalence significantly increases feedback avoidance and reduces feedback-seeking behavior. Cognitive reappraisal partially mediates the relationship between LMX ambivalence and both feedback seeking and feedback avoidance, whereas emotional exhaustion partially mediates the relationship between LMX ambivalence and feedback avoidance. Moreover, the perceived organizational political climate amplifies the positive association between LMX ambivalence and emotional exhaustion, while further intensifying the negative impact of LMX ambivalence on cognitive reappraisal. These results elucidate a systematic explanatory mechanism through which LMX ambivalence undermines employees’ motivation to engage in feedback behaviors. While offering actionable insights, these findings should be interpreted in light of the specific professional and cultural context of the sample. The study provides a solid theoretical foundation for advancing research in this domain.