european journal of social sciences issn: 1450-2267 - EuroJournals
european journal of social sciences issn: 1450-2267 - EuroJournals
european journal of social sciences issn: 1450-2267 - EuroJournals
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European Journal <strong>of</strong> Social Sciences – Volume 5, Number 3 (2007)<br />
Leader-Member Exchange and Perception <strong>of</strong> Psychological Climate as Supportive<br />
<strong>of</strong> Innovation<br />
In this study it is also hypothesized that leader-member exchange (LMX) can influence innovative<br />
behavior through its influence on how individuals perceive the climate. According to Ashforth (1985);<br />
Glick (1988); Schneider and Reichers (1983), an individuals' perception <strong>of</strong> the psychological climate at<br />
his work place will be strongly influenced by his co-workers and leaders. Kozlowski and Doherty<br />
(1989) have suggested that because supervisors are the representatives <strong>of</strong> management actions, policies<br />
and procedures, subordinates tend to generalize their perceptions <strong>of</strong> supervisors to their organizations<br />
at large. Thus subordinates with a high-quality relationship with their supervisors will perceive their<br />
organization as providing greater autonomy and supportiveness compared to those having a lowquality<br />
relationship. Studies by Koxlowski and Doherty(1989); Dunegan et. al.(1992), have provided<br />
empirical support for a positive relationship between LMX quality and climate perception. Several<br />
theorists suggest that managers may play a key role in this endeavor. Kanter (1988) and James et. al.<br />
(1990), for example, maintain that managers are a primary source for the signals from which<br />
subordinates construct perceptions <strong>of</strong> their work group’s climate. Since employee perceptions <strong>of</strong><br />
climate conditions have been strongly linked with innovation initiation, adoption, and implementation<br />
it is important to understanding how leader/subordinate relationships influence those perceptions.<br />
Hypothesis 1: The quality <strong>of</strong> leader-member exchange between an individual and his or her supervisor<br />
is positively related to the degree to which the individual perceives dimensions <strong>of</strong> climate as supportive<br />
<strong>of</strong> innovation.<br />
Leader Role Expectation and Perception <strong>of</strong> Psychological Climate as Supportive <strong>of</strong><br />
Innovation<br />
In many instances, management may have certain expectations <strong>of</strong> subordinates. These expectations<br />
may make it difficult for subordinates to negotiate through the processes suggested by LMX theory.<br />
The role <strong>of</strong> the subordinate may be rigidly prescribed by the organization or by the routine work they<br />
are expected to perform. The manager may have inflexible expectations for a particular role, or lack<br />
interest or may not have enough imagination (Graen and Scandura, 1987). The expectations that<br />
supervisors have for their subordinates (referred to as the Pygmalion effect) may have impact on the<br />
subordinates behavior (Livingstone, 1984).<br />
Since managers' expectation <strong>of</strong> subordinates' behavior is communicated through their own<br />
behavior, Eden (1984) theorized that, the subordinates perception <strong>of</strong> their managers' behavior will be<br />
generalized to the organization. When managers expect their subordinates to be innovative, the<br />
subordinates will perceive the organization as encouraging innovation. Thus:<br />
Hypothesis 2: The degree to which a supervisor expects a subordinate to be innovative is positively<br />
related to the degree to which the subordinates perceive dimensions <strong>of</strong> climate as supportive <strong>of</strong><br />
innovation<br />
Individual's Problem - Solving Style and Perception <strong>of</strong> the Psychological Climate<br />
as Supportive <strong>of</strong> Innovation<br />
Studies by Kirton (1976), Barron and Harrington (1981) and Jabri (1991) have focused on the<br />
dimensions <strong>of</strong> cognitive style as possible antecedents <strong>of</strong> cognitive behavior. This suggests that the<br />
problem-solving style <strong>of</strong> individuals (systematic problem-solving style and intuitive problem solving<br />
style) could be related to their perception <strong>of</strong> the psychological climate as supportive <strong>of</strong> innovation.<br />
There are two specific approaches to problem-solving suggested by Wedley and Field (1984) looks at<br />
problem -solving in terms <strong>of</strong> a continuous series <strong>of</strong> analytical steps .However according to Nutt (1984),<br />
steps may be skipped or combined.<br />
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