Supportive Leadership Behavior Types of Supportive

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Supportive Leadership Behavior
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Types of Supportive Leadership Behavior
Showing concern for followers needs
Being considerate and understanding
Supportive Leadership Behaviors
Being friendly, informative, and encouraging
Helping followers develop abilities and careers
Being sympathetic to others problems
Showing trust and respect
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Why Supportive Leadership is Effective

• Supportive leadership behavior works because
• They satisfy peoples needs to be liked and
  appreciated by others, to be respected as capable
  and valuable, and to be continually improving
  and
• Supportiveness helps keep a group together by
  promoting cohesion among members and keeping
  individuals from becoming alienated

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Can Supportive Behavior ever be Ineffective?

• Yes!
• A short story
• A leader must be careful how supportive behavior
  is used and tailor the approach to the needs and
  concerns of followers.

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How to Be Supportive Skills and Power Bases
Interpersonal Skills
Technical and professional competence
Communication Skills
Skills, Traits, and Sources of Power
Expert Power
Reward Power
Referent Power
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How to Be Supportive Skills and Power Bases
Interpersonal Skills
Technical and professional competence
Communication Skills
Skills, Traits, and Sources of Power
Expert Power
Reward Power
Referent Power
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Where are Supportive Behaviors Likely to be
Employed?

• When superior is supportive
• Organizational mission
• Human services
• Work with volunteers
• High involvement, high commitment cultures

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Supportive Behaviors Around the World

• Britain - sharing of information and welcoming
  follower suggestions
• Japan Hong Kong - interactions with group in
  and out of work
• U.S. - Open door policies, management by walking
  around

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Who should receive supportive behavior?

• Propositions
• a) The leader should show the most concern, be
  most considerate, and provide the greatest
  encouragement for the best performers because
  positive behavior should be reinforced.
• b) Interpersonal support should be provided to
  followers as needed regardless of performance.

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Impact of Supportive Leadership

• Follower Benefits
• Satisfaction with work, job supervisor
• Increased commitment
• Reduced stress
• Increased self-confidence
• Increased performance

• Organizational Benefits
• Increased cohesiveness harmony
• Lower turnover, absenteeism, lateness, grievances
• Increased cooperation
• Increased productivity

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Situations Where Supportiveness may or may not be
Effective

• 1) Followers are under high stress while trying
  to complete a dangerous task.
• 2) Followers are new to the job and are unsure of
  their abilities and positions.
• 3) Followers are small group of counselors in a
  student services dept. of a state university.
• 4) Followers are very opinionated and stubborn in
  their point of view.
• 5) Followers are a large group (over 30) who work
  at widely varying tasks at different locations.
• 6) Tasks require creativity and new learning with
  much competition and possible conflict with other
  groups.
• 7) Work involves designing testing computer
  programs. Personnel is highly trained and
  competent and obtain a great deal of satisfaction
  from their work

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Situational Factors that Increase Effectiveness
of Supportive Leadership

• Follower Characteristics
• Low self-confidence
• Low self-esteem
• Insecurity
• Expectation that leader will be supportive
• High growth needs

• Organizational and Group Characteristics
• External Conflict
• Newly formed group
• Cohesive group with shared beliefs in leader
• Formal plans, goals, and procedures
• Mission emphasizing human services
• Authoritarian superior

Situational Factors

• Task Characteristics
• Dissatisfying
• Stressful
• Highly structured
• Requires creativity
• Requires learning

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Situational Factors that Decrease Effectiveness
Large Group
Dogmatic Followers
Factors that Decrease Effectiveness
High Level Job
Broad Task Scope
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Situational Factors that Replace the Need for
Supportive Leadership

• Feedback from Task
• Rapid
• Specific
• Accurate

• Intrinsically satisfying task
• Interesting
• Gratifying
• Meaningful

Situational Factors

• High importance placed on organizational rewards
• Pay Raises
• Promotions

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Leadership Process Model for Supportive Leadership
Leader Supportiveness
Enhancers of Supportiveness
Neutralizers of Supportiveness
Follower Psychological Reactions
Replacements for Supportiveness
Follower Behavioral Outcomes
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Leader Supportiveness

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

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Enhancers of Supportiveness

• ENHANCERS OF SUPPORTIVENESS
• Dissatisfying or stressful job
• Low follower self-confidence, insecurity, or self
  esteem
• Follower expectations of high growth needs
• Structured work tasks
• Complex creative task
• External group conflict
• New or cohesive group
• Organizational mission
• Authoritarian superior

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Neutralizers of Supportiveness

• Neutralizers of Supportiveness
• Dogmatic followers
• Large group
• Broad task scope
• High job level

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Follower Psychological Reactions

• Follower Psychological Reactions
• Satisfaction of esteem and acceptance of need
• Satisfaction with work and supervisor
• Overall job satisfaction
• Organizational commitment
• Lower perceived stress and burnout
• Group harmony and cohesion

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Follower Behavioral Outcomes

• Follower Behavioral Outcomes
• Lower Turnover, tardiness, absenteeism, and
  grievance rates
• Increased individual and group performance

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Replacements for Supportive Leadership

• Replacements for Supportive Leadership
• Importance placed on organizational rewards
• Intrinsically satisfying tasks
• Task feedback

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Applying the Model of Supportive Leadership
1) Diagnosing the Situation
2) Providing Supportive Leadership
3) Modify Followers and/or Situations
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Diagnosing the Situation

• 1) Diagnosing the Situation
• Are followers faced with high amounts of job
  stress, danger, or insecurity?
• Do followers lack self-confidence or have low
  self-esteem?
• Is followers group experiencing much external
  conflict, excessive rules and regulations, or
  high authoritarian upper level management?
• Does followers group have a human services
  function?
• If yes to one or more, then leaders supportive
  behavior will probably be effective.

• 1) Diagnosing the Situation
• Are followers faced with high amounts of job
  stress, danger, or insecurity?
• Do followers lack self-confidence or have low
  self-esteem?
• Is followers group experiencing much external
  conflict, excessive rules and regulations, or
  high authoritarian upper level management?
• Does followers group have a human services
  function?
• If yes to one or more, then leaders supportive
  behavior will probably be effective.

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Providing Supportive Leadership

• 2) Providing Supportive Leadership
• Leader demonstrates supportive behaviors with
  followers by
• Showing concern
• Being sympathetic, considerate, and understanding
• Encouraging two-way communication
• Being friendly and informative
• Showing trust and respect
• Providing for career development

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Modifying Followers and/or Situations

• 3)Modifying Followers and/or situations
• 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