Leadership styles, mentoring functions received, and job-related stress

368 J. J. SOSIK AND V. M. GODSHALK
component behaviors that are concerned with both task and people. For instance, mentoring
may involve both task-oriented clarifying behaviors and people-oriented developing behaviors
(Yukl, 1994). However, path±goal theory (House, 1996) suggests that people-oriented behaviors
are more appropriate than task-oriented behaviors for enhancing the development and job
satisfaction of lower echelon employees (e.g., prote ge s).
Mintzberg (1973) identi®ed participating in developmental activities (e.g., mentoring) as a key
leader role. Prior research (e.g., Kram, 1985; Noe, 1988) indicates that mentors provide both
psychosocial support and career development functions to prote ge s. As noted above, psychosocial
support functions parallel leadership behaviors identi®ed by Yukl (1990) such as supporting,
motivating and inspiring, and developing. Career development functions parallel leadership
behaviors identi®ed by Yukl (1990) such as clarifying roles and objectives, developing, and
networking. While some mentoring functions (e.g., protection) may not parallel leadership
behavior and some leadership behaviors (e.g., team building) may not parallel mentoring functions,
Table 1 suggests some conceptual overlap between leadership and mentoring. However,
conceptual distinctions between leader behaviors and mentoring functions shown in Table 1 are
in line with evidence of empirical distinctiveness between the constructs found in research cited
above. Given that Table 1 highlights both similarities and di€erences between leader behaviors
and mentoring functions and mentors may display leader behaviors (Gladstone, 1988), we
concluded that leadership behaviors displayed by a mentor may in¯uence prote ge perceptions of
mentoring functions received.
Theoretical background
Manning et al.'s (1996) simpli®ed model of work stress, adapted from Matteson and Ivancevich
(1982), provides the general theoretical framework for this study. According to Manning et al.
(1996), personal (e.g., prote ge age) and external (e.g., mentor's leadership behavior) sources of
stress in¯uence stress as experienced, which in turn can a€ect potential outcomes (e.g., physical,
psychological, organizational factors). In addition, having social support (e.g., mentoring
functions received) can reduce stress as experienced and moderate the in¯uence of external
sources of stress on stress as experienced (Manning et al., 1996; Parker and DeCotiis, 1983). The
present study focuses on examining in¯uences of external sources of stress (mentor's leadership
behavior) and social support (prote ge perception of mentoring functions received) on job-related
stress as experienced by the prote ge .
Based upon Manning et al.'s (1996) model of work stress, we proposed the general framework
shown in Figure 1, to predict the relationships of mentor leadership style with prote ge job-related
stress, directly and via mentoring functions received by prote ge . Figure 1 illustrates several key
relationships. First, mentor leadership style is seen as being associated with both prote ge receipt of
mentoring functions and job-related stress. Second, prote ge receipt of mentoring functions will
in¯uence the level of prote ge job-related stress. Third, as suggested by Manning et al. (1996),
prote ge receipt of mentoring functions will moderate the relationship between mentor transformational
leadership behavior and prote ge job-related stress. These relationships are described in
detail below.
To link leadership styles to mentoring functions received and job-related stress, we draw
upon literature on the transformational±transactional leadership paradigm which has received
extensive theoretical and empirical attention (e.g., Bass, 1985; Bennis, 1989; Bryman, 1992;
Copyright # 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. J. Organiz. Behav. 21, 365±390 (2000)