Leader/Subordinate Interpersonal Relationships
Introduction and Review of Literature
In order to live a healthy and productive life, an individual must be able to establish satisfying - self-confirming - interpersonal relationships (Cooley, 1956; Turner, 1971; Swensen, 1973). This requires that the individual be able to define his or her relationships with others in ways which are mutual and complementary. That means both people have similar and positive expectations for their behavior together.
The research indicates that people often have difficulty defining their interpersonal relationships on the job in a mutual and complementary manner. Differing expectations for behavior in job relationships frequently result in absenteeism, accidents, grievances, resignations, and dismissals (Maier, 1973). Studies by the federal government have shown that more than 90 percent of the people who leave their jobs do so not because of a lack of technical competence but because of their inability to get along with their work associates. Hencley (1973) notes that incongruence in expectations of leader behavior held by subordinates has a negative impact on subordinate confidence in the leader, subordinate satisfaction, subordinate effectiveness and attitudes toward the work situation. Recent research by Chubb and Moe (1988) suggests such incongruence is far more likely to be prevalent in public than private schools. Value differences and misinterpretations between leaders and subordinates can seriously damage the effectiveness of the leader, according to Hencley. This situation is aggravated when the leader's perception of his or her own behavior is different from that of his or her subordinates. Seemingly confirming these conclusions is a substantial amount of research which has shown that variations between the kinds of power subordinates perceive their leaders using in varying situations and what subordinates consider appropri...