©prentice hall 2006 chapter four supportive leadership behavior 4-1

©Prentice Hall 2006

CHAPTER FOUR

SUPPORTIVELEADERSHIPBEHAVIOR

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Learning Objectives

Describe supportive leadership as an effective leadership behavior.

Explain why supportive leadership is important for individual followers and groups.

Describe some of the skills, traits, and sources of power a leader needs to develop to be an effective supportive leader.

Discuss some of the skills needed for effective listening, which is part of supportive leadership.

Describe several impacts leader supportiveness has on follower psychological reactions and behaviors.

After reading this chapter, you should be able to do the following:

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Learning Objectives (cont.)

Identify organizational situations where supportive leadership is especially effective.

Identify situations where supportive leadership is probably not effective.

Discuss how leaders can modify situations to increase the effectiveness of their supportive behaviors.

Understand how leaders can modify followers’ tasks to substitute for some supportiveness and still maintain positive follower attitudes and performance.

After reading this chapter, you should be able to do the following:

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Supportive Leadership

Showing concern for the status, well-being and needs of followers; demonstrating a kind, considerate and understanding attitude regarding followers’ problems; and fostering followers’ professional development.

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Types of Supportive Leadership Behaviors

SUPPORTIVELEADERSHIPBEHAVIORS

Being friendly,informative, and

encouraging

Being friendly,informative, and

encouraging

Being considerateand

understanding

Being considerateand

understanding

Being sympatheticto others’problems

Being sympatheticto others’problems

Helping followersdevelop abilities

and careers

Helping followersdevelop abilities

and careers

Showing trust and

respect

Showing trust and

respect

Showingconcern for

follower needs

Showingconcern for

follower needs

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Examples of Supportive Leadership

A military officer showed ongoing concern and respect for subordinate differences in cultural or racial values, life styles, and mores.

A supervisor was alert to personal problems of subordinates and, once aware of the problems, made a concerted effort to help the subordinate solve them.

A leader made a conscious effort to encourage and provide “air time” for everyone during staff meetings and to distribute privileges or choice task assignments equitably.

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Supportive & Nonsupportive Communication

• Problem-oriented

• Descriptive

• Words & actions consistent

• Encouraging

• Specific

• Interactive (listening)

• Person-oriented (naming)

• Evaluative

• Incongruent words and actions

• Puts people down

• General–Vague

• One-way (telling)

Supportive Nonsupportive

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Skills, Traits and Sources of Power for Effective Supportive Leadership

SUPPORTIVELEADERSHIPBEHAVIORS

RewardPower

RewardPower

InterpersonalSkills

InterpersonalSkills

Referent Power

Referent Power

CommunicationSkills

CommunicationSkills

ExpertPower

ExpertPower

Technical &ProfessionalCompetence

Technical &ProfessionalCompetence

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Facilitating and Limiting Conditions for Supportive Leadership

Organization and follower characteristics Style preferences of the leader's

superior The organizational mission or culture Followers preferences for supportive

leader behavior Cultural preferences for supportive

leader behavior

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Supportiveness and Followers’ Behavior

One approach advocates that a leader should use interpersonal support as a reward. This approach is closely aligned with behavioral

psychology and is based on the operant conditioning model of learning associated with B. F. Skinner. The rationale is that the leader should show most concern and provide greatest encouragement for the best performers.

One important issue for leaders is whether they should provide more interpersonal support to some subordinates than others. To be effective, a leader needs to adapt to different subordinates.

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Supportiveness and Followers’ Behavior (cont.)

Tommy LaSorda, past manager of the Los Angles Dodgers, represents the approach which says that leaders should provide supportiveness as needed by individual followers rather than as a reward for high performance.

His supportiveness can be a “facilitating condition” stimulating improved follower performance.

Using supportiveness as positive reinforcement does not address the needs of followers whose performance is less than desired. These employees may need a concerned and encouraging leader to provide them with the confidence necessary to improve their performance.

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Situational Factors that Enhance Supportive Leadership

SITUATIONAL FACTORSTHAT ENHANCE THEEFFECTIVENESS OF SUPPORTIVENESS

SITUATIONAL FACTORSTHAT ENHANCE THEEFFECTIVENESS OF SUPPORTIVENESS

FOLLOWERCHARACTERISTICS

FOLLOWERCHARACTERISTICS

TASKCHARACTERISTICS

TASKCHARACTERISTICS

• low self-confidence• low self-esteem• insecurity• expectation that leader will be supportive• high growth needs

• low self-confidence• low self-esteem• insecurity• expectation that leader will be supportive• high growth needs

• dissatisfying• stressful• highly structured• requires creativity• requires learning

• dissatisfying• stressful• highly structured• requires creativity• requires learning

ORGANIZATIONAL & GROUPCHARACTERISTICS

ORGANIZATIONAL & GROUPCHARACTERISTICS

• external conflict• newly formed group• cohesive group with shared beliefs in leader• formal plans, goals & procedures• mission emphasizing human services• authoritarian superior

• external conflict• newly formed group• cohesive group with shared beliefs in leader• formal plans, goals & procedures• mission emphasizing human services• authoritarian superior

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Situational Factors that Neutralize Supportive Leadership

SITUATIONALFACTORS THAT

NEUTRALIZE THEEFFECTIVENESS OFSUPPORTIVENESS

SITUATIONALFACTORS THAT

NEUTRALIZE THEEFFECTIVENESS OFSUPPORTIVENESS

Large Sizeof Group

Large Sizeof Group

High LevelJob

High LevelJob

DogmaticFollowers

DogmaticFollowers

Broad TaskScope

Broad TaskScope

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Situational Factors That Substitute for Supportive Leadership

SITUATIONAL FACTORSTHAT SUBSTITUTE FOR

SUPPORTIVENESS

SITUATIONAL FACTORSTHAT SUBSTITUTE FOR

SUPPORTIVENESS

FEEDBACK DIRECTLY

FROM TASK•Rapid

•Specific•Accurate

FEEDBACK DIRECTLY

FROM TASK•Rapid

•Specific•Accurate

HIGH DEGREE OF IMPORTANCE PLACED ON ORGANIZATIONAL

REWARDS•Pay raises

• Promotions

HIGH DEGREE OF IMPORTANCE PLACED ON ORGANIZATIONAL

REWARDS•Pay raises

• Promotions

INTRINSICALLYSATISYING TASK

•Interesting• Gratifying

• Meaningful

INTRINSICALLYSATISYING TASK

•Interesting• Gratifying

• Meaningful

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Process Model of the Supportive Leadership Process

LEADER SUPPORTIVENESS• Concerned, trusting, & respectful of followers• Considerate, understanding attitude• Friendly, encouraging, & communicative• Fostering follower development

FOLLOWER/GROUPPSYCHOLOGICAL REACTIONS• Satisfaction of esteem & acceptance

needs • Satisfaction with work & supervisor• Overall job satisfaction• Organizational commitment• Less stress & burnout• Group harmony & cohesion

FOLLOWER BEHAVIORSAND OUTCOMES• Lower turnover, tardiness, absenteeism,

& grievance rates• Increased individual & group

performance

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SITUATIONAL FACTORS INCREASING LEADEREFFECTIVENESS Enhancers• Dissatisfying or stressful job• Low follower self-

confidence, insecurity, or self esteem

• Follower expectations or high growth needs

• Structured work task• Complex creative task• External group conflict• New or cohesive group• Organization formalization• Organization mission• Authoritarian supervisor

Substitutes• Importance placed on

organizational rewards• Intrinsically satisfying tasks• Task feedback

SITUATIONAL FACTORS DECREASING LEADER EFFECTIVENESS

Neutralizers • Dogmatic followers• Large size of group


Applying the Model of Supportive Leadership

1. Are followers faced with high amounts of job stress, danger, or insecurity?

2. Do followers’ lack self-confidence or have low self-esteem?

3. Is followers’ group experiencing much external conflict, excessive rules and regulations, or highly authoritarian upper-level management?

4. Does followers’ group have a human service function?

If “yes” to one or more of these questions, then leaders’ supportive behaviors will probably be effective.

1. DIAGNOSING THE SITUATION

Leaders also act to:

•Alleviate stressors, insecurities, and conflicts facing followers

•Modify followers’ situations to increase intrinsic satisfaction and task feedback

•Manipulate the reward system to improve follower attitudes and performance

3. MODIFYING FOLLOWERS AND/OR SITUATIONS

Leader demonstrates supportive behaviors with followers by:

• Showing concern

• Being sympathetic, considerate, and understanding

• Being friendly and informative

• Encouraging two-way communication

• Showing trust and respect

• Providing for career development

2. PROVIDING SUPPORTIVE LEADERSHIP

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©prentice hall 2006 chapter four supportive leadership behavior 4-1

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