LEADERSHIP EXPLOITATION AND TALENT OUTCOMES:A CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY PERSPECTIVE ON THE SEQUENTIAL MEDIATING ROLES OF JOB INSECURITY AND EMOTIONAL EXHAUSTION WITH ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT AS A MODERATOR

Abstract

This study examined the impact of exploitative leadership on talent outcomes through the sequential mediating roles of job insecurity and emotional exhaustion, with perceived organizational support serving as a moderating variable. Drawing on conservation of resources theory and organizational stress frameworks, the research investigated how self-serving leadership behaviors influenced employee psychological well-being and performance-related outcomes. A quantitative cross-sectional design was employed, and data were collected from 301 full-time employees working in corporate and service-sector organizations. Structural equation modeling was used to test direct, mediating, and moderating relationships. The results indicated that exploitative leadership significantly increased job insecurity and emotional exhaustion while negatively affecting talent outcomes. Job insecurity significantly predicted emotional exhaustion, confirming a sequential mediation effect (indirect effect = -0.29, 95% CI [-0.36, -0.21]). Perceived organizational support weakened the negative relationship between emotional exhaustion and talent outcomes, demonstrating a buffering effect. Descriptive statistics revealed that employees reported moderate to high levels of exploitative leadership (M = 3.42, SD = 0.81) and emotional exhaustion (M = 3.35, SD = 0.83), while perceived organizational support was relatively high (M = 3.58, SD = 0.79). The findings highlighted that exploitative leadership undermined talent sustainability by triggering cognitive and emotional strain processes, whereas supportive organizational environments mitigated these adverse consequences. The study contributed to clinical organizational psychology by integrating leadership behavior with psychological stress mechanisms and offered practical implications for leadership development and human resource management strategies aimed at promoting sustainable talent performance.