Perceptions of leadership effectiveness of traditional and participative organizations and supervisors.

The present study assessed the effects of hierarchical (traditional) and participative organizational structures, and autocratic (traditional) and participative styles of supervisory leadership, on perceptions of job satisfaction, the quality of the relationship between the supervisor and employees, and productivity and overall success, in a hypothetical manufacturing organization. One hundred and seventy-two students at the University of Windsor responded to a questionnaire. The questionnaire depicted four scenarios in which the supervisor was portrayed to lead either autocratically or participatively, and the organizational structure was portrayed as either hierarchical or participative. As hypothesized, the results revealed that participative as opposed to traditional supervisors and work environments were perceived to engender higher job satisfaction and success. Also, the quality of employees' relationship with the supervisor was perceived to be higher when the supervisor led in a participative as opposed to a traditional style. Contrary to expectations, perceptions of success were not higher for traditional organizations, nor for traditional leaders. An unexpected finding was that the supervisor's leadership style was viewed as more important than the structure of the working environment for perceptions of the quality of the relationship between the supervisor and employees, for perceptions of employees' job satisfaction, and for perceptions of organizational success. Contrary to predictions, the compatibility of the leadership style of the supervisor and the structure of the work environment was not perceived to be important for productivity and overall success.Dept. of Psychology. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis1995 .S54. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 34-06, page: 2491. Adviser: Durhane Wong-Rieger. Thesis (M.A.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 1995.