Leader-member Exchange within Academic Research Teams: An Exploration of the Relationship between the Research Team Leader and Research Member(s)

LMX (Leader Member Exchange) theory is considered an approach to evaluate and examine the quality of the relationship between two parties, the leader and the group members. The objective of this approach, characterized by unique leader-members relationships, made it popular within the field of leadership. Based on the LMX framework, this research study aims to develop an understanding of the nature of the relationship between the research group leader and the research group members within the Higher Education (HE) sector where the research on LMX has been insufficient. This paper follows a phenomenological research approach to explore certain phenomena such as LMX differentiation and how it is perceived by research team members within the HE sector. The United Kingdom (UK) has been chosen as the research context due to the increasing impact of the HE sector, including the field of academic research, on the economy of the UK and the importance of academic research teams within this sector. This conceptual paper will explore the significance of the proposed research and its methodological implications.