Title Page

Abstract

Contents

Ⅰ. Introduction 18

1. Research Background 18

1) Literature Review 18

2) Basis for Selection of Topics 20

2. Purpose of the Study 22

3. Research Contributions 24

1) Theory Contributions 24

2) Actual Contribution 25

Ⅱ. Theoretical background 26

1. The Concept of Variables 26

1) Concept of Middle Managers 26

2) The Concept of Competence 32

3) Concepts of Leadership Competency Elements 47

4) Concepts of Leadership Trust and Leadership Support 55

5) The Concept of Job Performance 60

2. Linear Studies 68

Ⅲ. Research Methodology 72

1. Assumptions and Models 72

1) Research Questions 72

2) Research Hypotheses 75

3) Research Models 90

2. Samples and Procedures 92

1) Sample 92

2) Procedures 93

3. Definition of Core Concepts of Variables 94

4. Operationalized Definitions and Measurements 96

1) Operationalized Definition and Measurement of Leadership Competencies 96

2) Operationalized Definition and Measurement of Leadership Trust 102

3) Leadership Support Operationalized Definition and Measurement 103

4) Operationalized Definition and Measurement of Job Performance 105

Ⅳ. Analyzing the Results 109

1. Research Sample 109

2. Exploratory Factor Analysis 111

3. Validation Factors and Aggregate Effects Analysis 116

4. Reliability Analysis 120

5. Descriptive Statistics and Variable Correlation 124

6. VIF Test 125

7. Mediating Effects 126

1) The Mediating Effect of Leadership Trust between Leadership Competence and Task Performance 126

2) The Mediating Effect of Leadership Trust between Leadership Competence and Peripheral Performance 129

3) The Mediating Effect of Leadership Trust between Leadership Competence and Innovation Performance 131

4) Summary of Mediating Effects 133

8. Moderating Effects 134

1) The Moderating Effect of Leadership Support between Leadership and Task Performance 134

2) Moderating Effects of Leadership Support between Leadership and Peripheral Performance 136

3) Moderating Effects of Leadership Support between Leadership and Innovation Performance 138

4) Moderating Effects of Leadership Support Between Interpersonal Communication Skills and Task Performance 139

5) The Moderating Effect of Leadership Support Between Interpersonal Communication Skills and Peripheral Performance 140

6) Moderating Effects of Leadership Support between Interpersonal Communication Skills and Innovation Performance 142

7) Moderating Effects of Leadership Support Between Professional Competence and Task Performance 143

8) Moderating Effects of Leadership Support between Professional Competence and Peripheral Performance 145

9) Moderating Effects of Leadership Support between Professional Competence and Innovation Performance 147

10) Summary of Moderating Effects 148

9. Path Analysis 149

Ⅴ. Discussion 153

1. Conclusions 153

2. Theoretical Implications 160

3. Practical Implications 161

4. Limitations and Future Prospects 162

REFERENCES 166

APPENDIX Survey Questionnaire 200

List of Tables

Table 2-1. Concepts of Middle Managers 32

Table 2-2. Concepts of Competence 36

Table 2-3. Summary of Competency Elements for Middle Managers 39

Table 2-4. Leadership Competency Categories Table 47

Table 2-5. Concepts of Leadership 49

Table 2-6. Concepts of Interpersonal Communication Skills 51

Table 2-7. Concept of Professional Competence 54

Table 2-8. Concepts of Leadership Trust 56

Table 2-9. Concepts of Leadership Support 59

Table 2-10. Concepts of Mission Performance 62

Table 2-11. Concepts of Peripheral Performance 64

Table 2-12. Concepts of Innovation Performance 67

Table 2-13. Linear Connections Studies 70

Table 3-1. Leadership Competency Scale 100

Table 3-2. Leadership Trust Scale 103

Table 3-3. Leadership Support Scale 104

Table 3-4. Job Performance Scale 106

Table 4-1. Demographic Variables Sample Information 110

Table 4-2. Exploratory Factor Test Results 112

Table 4-3. Validating Factors and Aggregate Effects Test Results 117

Table 4-4. Results of Confidence Analysis 121

Table 4-5. Descriptive Statistics and Variable Correlation Analysis 125

Table 4-6. Covariance Diagnostic Results (VIF Values) 126

Table 4-7. A Test of the Mediating Effect of Leadership Trust on the Connections between Leadership Competence and Task Performance 128

Table 4-8. Calibration Results for the Mediating Effect of Leadership Trust between Leadership Competence and Task Performance 129

Table 4-9. A Test of the Mediating Effect of Leadership Trust between Leadership Competence and Peripheral Performance 130

Table 4-10. Results of the Calibration of the Mediating Effect of Leadership Trust between Leadership Competence and Peripheral Performance 131

Table 4-11. A Test of the Mediating Effect of Leadership Trust between Leadership Competence and Innovation Performance 132

Table 4-12. Results of the Calibration of the Mediating Effect of Leadership Trust between Leadership Competence and Innovation Performance 133

Table 4-13. Summary of Regulatory Effects 134

Table 4-14. A Test of the Moderating Effect of Leadership Support on the Connections between Leadership and Task Performance 135

Table 4-15. Tests of the Moderating Effect of Leadership Support on the Connections between Leadership and Peripheral Performance 137

Table 4-16. Test of the Moderating Effect of Leadership Support between Leadership and Innovation Performance 138

Table 4-17. Test of the Moderating Effect of Leadership Support between Interpersonal Communication Skills and Task Performance 140

Table 4-18. Test of the Moderating Effect of Leadership Support between Interpersonal Communication Skills and Task Performance 141

Table 4-19. Test of the Moderating Effect of Leadership Support Between Interpersonal Communication Skills and Innovation Performance 143

Table 4-20. A Test of the Moderating Effect of Leadership Support between Professional Competence and Task Performance 144

Table 4-21. A Test of the Moderating Effect of Leadership Support on the Connections between Professional Competence and Peripheral Performance 146

Table 4-22. Test of Moderating Effect of Leadership Support between Professional Competence and Innovation Performance 147

Table 4-23. Summary of Moderating Effects 148

Table 4-24. Summary of Path Analysis 151

Table 5-1. Summary of Hypothesis Testing Results 154

List of Figures

Figure 3-1. Research Model 91

 The organizational structure of multinational trade companies is tending to become more networked and flattened due to the rapid advancement of information technology and the ongoing changes in international forms. This transformation of the enterprise's leadership is also a result of the organizational structure change, and middle managers' competency requirements are continuously being raised. As the information era arrived, enterprise middle managers found themselves both responsible for transmitting information and knowledge from higher to lower levels and unable to process the vast amounts of data and knowledge required to make sound decisions.In addition to playing an increasingly important role in helping businesses achieve core competitiveness, middle managers are also receiving attention from a variety of academic disciplines, including economics, management, and other areas. Thus, a number of international trade enterprises must deal with the issue of survival and development in the increasingly complex global business environment in order to improve middle managers' competence as the starting point, to make middle managers' performance clear as the guide, and to increase the core competitiveness of international trade enterprises as the goal. In order to achieve this, this paper reviews the literature on middle manager competence both domestically and internationally. It does this by establishing a leadership competence research model and delving deeply into the impact of middle managers' leadership competence on work performance, as well as the importance of leadership support and trust in international trade enterprises.

First, the structural characteristics of leadership competence in this study were identified, and the leadership competence scale in the Chinese context was constructed, based on the combing of the ideas and elements of middle managers' competence. According to the study, there are three components that make up leadership competency: professional competence, interpersonal communication competence, and leadership. The reliability of the key variable scales in the model was assessed.

Second, it was confirmed that leadership competency has an impact on work performance. By using the classical scale to divide job performance into three dimensions — task performance, peripheral performance, and innovative performance—and by testing the validity and reliability of the classical scale using 380 questionnaires from middle managers of Chinese enterprises, it was determined that the determination of the dimensions of job performance was reasonable. Nine action routes may be created when there is a one-to-one correlation between the three dimensions of leadership competence and work performance. All of these action paths passed the test and demonstrated the beneficial impact that leadership competence has on job performance.

Third, it was confirmed that leadership trust had a moderating role in the connections between job performance and leadership competencies. The moderating connections of professional competence, interpersonal communication skills, and work performance was mediated by leadership trust. Leadership behaviors and competencies are more often associated than independent. The study's data analysis results provide additional evidence that the connections between middle managers' leadership behaviors and competence is the same, and that the development of leadership behaviors will be aided by high levels of competence. The results of the mediation effects of professional competence, leadership competence, and interpersonal communication skills on task performance and innovation performance were partially mediated, fully mediated, and partially mediated, respectively, while the mediation effects on peripheral performance were not significant. Leadership trust demonstrated differential mediation effects when leadership competence acted on task performance and innovation.

Lastly, it was established that leadership support had a moderating effect on the connections between work performance and leadership competency. The moderating effects of leadership support varied depending on the connections between work performance and leadership competency. While the moderating effects between the other five paths of the function of leadership competence on job performance were not significant, the moderating effects of leadership support were between task performance and leadership, between interpersonal communication competence and peripheral performance, between professional competence and peripheral performance, and between leadership and innovation performance. When adding leadership support as a moderating variable, the favorable effects of professional and interpersonal communication competence on peripheral performance are mitigated. Leadership support has the highest moderating influence between leadership and innovation performance.

In conclusion, this work contributes to the field of leadership competence research, and the conclusions have important theoretical and applied implications. Theoretically, by studying the concept and dimensions of leadership competence, researchers support studies on the viability and efficacy of leadership competence and behavior, which contributes to the advancement of contemporary competence and leadership theories. Additionally, by studying the intermediate and outcome variables of leadership competence, researchers enhance studies on the theory of social exchange connectionss and the factors that influence job performance. The research material of social exchange connections theory and the influencing factors of job performance are further enhanced by the examination of the intermediate and outcome variables of leadership ability. Practically speaking, businesses can use the effective leadership competency research model to comprehend the viability and efficacy of middle managers' leadership behaviors and assist in the selection of qualified middle managers. Additionally, by developing effective training programs, businesses can effectively enhance the leadership competency of middle managers and support the achievement of their sustainable development goals.