The Impact of Paradox Leader Behavior on Subordinate Performance through Openness to Experience and Learning Goals Orientation

Purpose: This study aims to analyze how openness to experience and learning
goal orientation influence paradoxical leader behavior and the mediating effect
of paradoxical leader behavior and the moderating effect of psychological capital
on follower performance.
 Design/methodology/approach: This research is a quantitative research, using
PLS-SEM data analysis. The sampling method uses purposive sampling. The
respondents were 102 lecturers and administrative staff at universities who had
subordinates. Questionnaires were distributed to collect data.
 Findings: Significant results were shown by openness to experience on paradox
leader behavior, as well as learning goal orientation on paradoxical leader
behavior and learning goal orientation on follower performance. The results
showed that paradoxical leader behavior neither did mediate openness to
experience nor learning goal orientation on follower performance, Meanwhile,
insignificant results were also shown by openness to experience on follower
performance, and paradoxical leader behavior on follower performance. In
addition, there was no moderating effect of psychological capital on paradoxical
leader behavior on follower performance.
 Research limitations/implications: This study has limitations, as the
population in this study only came from private universities in Indonesia. Future
research could be expanded to include public universities or other demographic
groups/sectors and adding other variables to deepen understanding of the
relationship between these variables.
 Practical implications: The results of the study indicate that leaders and
foundations at private universities need to develop a culture and create a work
environment through rules and policies that emphasize learning goal orientation
and openness to experience to encourage adaptive paradoxical leadership behavior. Employees who understand paradoxical leader behavior can see
conflicting and competing demands as phenomena in the organization and can
integrate various demands so that the contradictions between them can be
productive.
 Originality/value: This research contributes to the implementation of Paradox
Theory and Personality Traits in influencing the performance of subordinates
among lecturers at private universities in Indonesia. This represents a research
gap and is interesting because there is not much research on this topic.
 Paper Type: This article is a research paper examining the influence of openness
to experience and learning goal orientation on paradoxical leader behavior, the
mediating effect of paradoxical leader behavior, and the moderating effect of
psychological capital on follower performance.