Business Managers/Executives/Administrators
OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to extend the research regarding the influence of leadership on a subordinate and his/her perceptions of perceived organizational support.
METHODOLOGY The population consisted of all MBA students at a private Florida university and 127 participated by completing the Leadership Practices Inventory and the Survey of Perceived Organizational Support (Eisenberger, Huntington, Hutchinson & Sowa, 1986). The majority of the respondents were female (55%), who had completed some graduate courses, most between the ages of 20-39 (76%), working for private companies (47%), and serving in managerial positions (50%).
KEY FINDINGS The rank order for the five leadership practices was Modeling, Encouraging, Challenging, Enabling, and Inspiring. All five leadership practices were significantly correlated with perceived organizational support. As the author notes: “The leadership practices studied were influential in the employees’ perceptions of support from the organization. These leadership practices were found to be critical to employees’ perceived support” (p. 74)…. Kouzes and Posner’s leadership practices can serve as a guide for aspiring leaders in order to improve organizational effectiveness. If leaders do not engage in these five leadership practices, it may cost the organization in terms of performance” (p. 81).