Exploring manager-subordinate dyads: The moderating effect of supervisory support on the relationship between work locus of control and job involvement

Nunns, Christopher G.; Argirys, Loukia Article Exploring manager-subordinate dyads: The moderating effect of supervisory support on the relationship between work locus of control and job involvement South African Journal of Business Management Provided in Cooperation with: University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB), Bellville, South Africa Suggested Citation: Nunns, Christopher G.; Argirys, Loukia (1992) : Exploring manager-subordinate dyads: The moderating effect of supervisory support on the relationship between work locus of control and job involvement, South African Journal of Business Management, ISSN 2078-5976, African Online Scientific Information Systems (AOSIS), Cape Town, Vol. 23, Iss. 2, pp. 40-45, https://doi.org/10.4102/sajbm.v23i2.884 This Version is available at: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/218082 Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen: Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden. 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If the documents have been made available under an Open Content Licence (especially Creative Commons Licences), you may exercise further usage rights as specified in the indicated licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 40 S.-Afr.Tydsb.BedryfsLI 992J3Q Exploring manager-subor�inate dyads: Tbe·,moderating effect _of �upervisory sup. port on the relationship between work locus of control and Job involvement Christopher G. Nunns* and Loukia Argirys Depmment of Psychology, University of the Witwatersrand. P.O. Wits 2050, Republic of South Africa Received 30 Septanber 1991 ,· accepted 19 February 1992 In this article the moderating effect of supervisory support on the relationship between work locus of conttol and job involvement is investiga&ed. Seventy non-managa-ial banking a-nployees constituted the sample. Using the statistical technique of Moderaled Multiple Regression. results_ indi� � high su�iscry support enhances jo� ����t of employees with an external locus of control onentabon. High IUpeIVJ.SOI)' support was found IO mhibit .)Ob m volvement of employees with an inta-nal locus of conttol orientation. Limitations of the results are discussed, as are implications for leadership research and practice. In hierdie arlibl is ondersoek ingesrel na die modererende effek van roesighoudende ondersteuning op die verhouding tussen Iokus van konttole in werlcsverband, en wa-Icsbettolclcenheid. Die sreekproef bet bestaan uit sewentig werlc nemers in die banlcbedryf, onder bestuursvlalc. Resultate van die statistiese tegniek 'Modererende Yeelvuldige Regres sie', het aangetoon hoe roesighoudende onda-steuning werknemers met 'n eksteme lokus van kontrole se werksbetrok kenheid verhoog. Daar is egrer ook bevind dat roesighoudende ondersteuning die werlcsbetrolclcenheid van werknemers met 'n inrerne lolcus van kontrole, inperlc. Beperlcinge van die resultate word bespreek, asook die implikasies van leierslcap in die pralctyk en vir toekomstige navorsing op die gebied. *To whom conespondence should be addressed. Considering lhe overall job salisfaction of lhe Brilish con stabulary, Gilbert and Sullivan (1879) state that, 'lhe police man· s lot is not a happy one'. Indeed, the same can fre quently be said of the South African manager. Pressurised from above for greater productivity and from below for better wages and working conditions, the manager has an unenviable task. Research into the intricacies of managerial leadership in South African organizations represent one way to attempt to alleviate this situation. Leadership has been described as one of the most o served, yet least understood phenomena in existence (C gill, 1986). However, effective leadership is a key factor for the successful fuoctioning of an organization (Cogill, 1986; Vroom, 1983). Poor leadership is often given as a reason for inadequate organi7.ational performance, and effective leadership for numerous organizational successes (Cogill, 1986). Indeed, Vroom contends that • Any knowledge which the behavioral sciences can conlribute to the aid in the identification and enhaoce ment of leadership in organized human endeavour would be of immense societal value' (1983: 1528). Consequently a good understanding of the phenomenon of leadership is ultimately of great importance to enhanced organizational funclioning at the micro-level, and sustained,' enhanced economic growth at the mac�level. The critical shortage of managerial personnel in the South African in dustrial environment (see Chalmen, 1986) provides strong �I and snctical justification for pursuing new and unproved approaches towards organi7Jltional leadership within South Africa. A new and promising approach to leadership study is � Graen's _Leader-Member-Exchange (LMX) theory (Dienesch & Laden, 1986; Vecchio, 1985). Indeed, a measuring insttument designed for the LMX model was found to be psychometrically satisfactory for two South African middle manager samples (N's = 243 & 181) and one sample (N = 54) of Black, South African industrial worlcers (Nunns, Ballantine, Burns, & King, 1990). An in teresting aspect of this approach is that the LMX theory stresses the importance of focusing on the individual dyadic relationships between supervisors or managers (termed 'leaders'), and each of their subordinates (termed 'mem bers') (Vecchio & Gobdel, 1984). Thus, in terms of dais approach, lhe unit of analysis is the manager-subordinate dyad Other contemporary theories of leadership focus primarily on the manager's behaviour (e.g., McGregor's Theory Y, Blake & Mouton's Managerial Grid, Fiedler's Contingeocy Theory, and Hersey & Blaochard's Situational Leadership Theory), and typically prescribe a 'gentnl leadership style' approach, appropriate f<r all situations (Gist, 1987). What these theories tend to ignore is the continuous reciprocal influence between manager and su ordinate which Graen & Scandura (1987) describe as a rolo making process. Such reciprocal influence results in a unique relationship (tenned an 'exchange') between a man ager and each subordinate, characterized in terms of a relatively high or low quality. Thus in terms of the LMX theory, effective managerial leadership is expressed as an integrative effort between manager and subordinate. cha racterized by high mutual trust, interaction, support and the provision of both f onnal and inf onnal rewards (i.e., high quality exchange) (Dienesch & Liden, 1986). Conversely, ineffective leadership is characterized by low levels of trust, interaction, support and reward (i.e., a low quality ex· change) (Dienesch & Liden, 1986). In short, effective man agerial leadership is described as being consistent with a participative or democratic management approach, rather than an autocratic approach. Indeed, a recent survey con ducted with twenty groups of black, blue-collar workers (N = 128) revealed that the workers want to be included in the