Abstract: As a newly developed native leadership theory, the paradoxical leader behavior (PLB) is relatively short of empirical studies. Based on the social exchange theory, this study probes into the mechanism and boundary condition of the influence of PLB on employee’ s attitude and performance through the data of matching questionnaire investigations collected from 433 persons at the two time-points of direct leaders and their subordinates. The results show that PLB has obviously positive effects on employees’ job satisfaction and work performance and that leader member exchange has played a mediating role in it. The employee’s Zhongyong value orientation has a positive adjusting effect on the impact of PLB on the leader member exchange, at the same time, it can adjust the indirect effect of leader member exchange between PLB and employee’s job satisfaction and work performance, i.e., the higher the level of employee’s Zhongyong values orientation, the stronger the mediating role of leader member exchange.

Key words: paradoxical leader behavior; social exchange theory; “ying-yang”philosophy; zhongyong”value orientation