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Abstract Based on the traits of employees in the construction industry and applying Social Comparison Theory, this study takes employees of subsidiaries under a large-scale Chinese construction group as the research object. It empirically analyzes the mechanism by which employee leadership potential influences leadership delegation, explores the mediating effect of positive empathy, and examines the moderating effects of organizational competitive climate and core self-evaluation. The findings revealed that due to leaders’ unique resource advantages, downward comparisons can more easily yield rich psychological benefits, fostering empathy toward employees with leadership potential. This, in turn, promotes leaders’ positive delegation behaviors, enhancing employees’ sense of shared organizational interests and driving high organizational performance. Further research indicates that when the competitive climate within an organization is at a low level, subordinates’ leadership potential can effectively bridge the relational distance with senior leaders, prompting empathetic behaviors and subsequently increasing leaders’ motivation and actions toward delegation. Additionally, when leaders have a higher degree of core self-evaluation, subordinates’ high-potential leadership attributes also stimulate leaders’ high-level delegation behaviors, serving as an indirect effect of subordinates’ leadership potential.
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Received: 26 November 2024
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