CHAPTER FOUR
SUPPORTIVE
LEADERSHIP
BEHAVIOR
©Prentice Hall 2006
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Learning Objectives
After reading this chapter, you should be able to
do the following:





Describe supportive leadership as an effective
leadership behavior.
Explain why supportive leadership is important for
individual followers and groups.
Describe some of the skills, traits, and sources of
power a leader needs to develop to be an effective
supportive leader.
Discuss some of the skills needed for effective
listening, which is part of supportive leadership.
Describe several impacts leader supportiveness has
on follower psychological reactions and behaviors.
©Prentice Hall 2006
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Learning Objectives (cont.)
After reading this chapter, you should be able to
do the following:




Identify organizational situations where supportive
leadership is especially effective.
Identify situations where supportive leadership is
probably not effective.
Discuss how leaders can modify situations to increase
the effectiveness of their supportive behaviors.
Understand how leaders can modify followers’ tasks to
substitute for some supportiveness and still maintain
positive follower attitudes and performance.
©Prentice Hall 2006
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Supportive Leadership
Showing concern for the status,
well-being and needs of followers;
demonstrating a kind, considerate
and understanding attitude
regarding followers’ problems;
and fostering followers’
professional development.
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Types of Supportive
Leadership Behaviors
Being considerate
and
understanding
Helping followers
develop abilities
and careers
Showing
concern for
follower needs
SUPPORTIVE
LEADERSHIP
BEHAVIORS
Being friendly,
informative, and
encouraging
Being sympathetic
to others’
problems
Showing trust
and
respect
©Prentice Hall 2006
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Examples of
Supportive Leadership
A military officer showed ongoing concern and
respect for subordinate differences in cultural or
racial values, life styles, and mores.
 A supervisor was alert to personal problems of
subordinates and, once aware of the problems,
made a concerted effort to help the subordinate
solve them.
 A leader made a conscious effort to encourage
and provide “air time” for everyone during staff
meetings and to distribute privileges or choice
task assignments equitably.

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Supportive & Nonsupportive
Communication
Supportive
Nonsupportive
• Problem-oriented
• Person-oriented (naming)
• Descriptive
• Evaluative
• Words & actions
consistent
• Incongruent words and
actions
• Encouraging
• Puts people down
• Specific
• General–Vague
• Interactive (listening)
• One-way (telling)
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Skills, Traits and Sources of Power for
Effective Supportive Leadership
Communication
Skills
Interpersonal
Skills
Technical &
Professional
Competence
SUPPORTIVE
LEADERSHIP
BEHAVIORS
Reward
Power
Expert
Power
Referent
Power
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Facilitating and Limiting Conditions
for Supportive Leadership
Organization and follower
characteristics




Style preferences of the leader's
superior
The organizational mission or culture
Followers preferences for supportive
leader behavior
Cultural preferences for supportive
leader behavior
©Prentice Hall 2006
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Supportiveness and
Followers’ Behavior
One important issue for leaders is whether they should provide
more interpersonal support to some subordinates than others.
To be effective, a leader needs to adapt to different
subordinates.

One approach advocates that a leader should use
interpersonal support as a reward.
 This approach is closely aligned with behavioral
psychology and is based on the operant conditioning
model of learning associated with B. F. Skinner. The
rationale is that the leader should show most
concern and provide greatest encouragement for the
best performers.
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Supportiveness and
Followers’ Behavior (cont.)
Using supportiveness as positive reinforcement does not
address the needs of followers whose performance is less
than desired. These employees may need a concerned and
encouraging leader to provide them with the confidence
necessary to improve their performance.


Tommy LaSorda, past manager of the Los Angles
Dodgers, represents the approach which says that
leaders should provide supportiveness as needed by
individual followers rather than as a reward for high
performance.
His supportiveness can be a “facilitating condition”
stimulating improved follower performance.
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Situational Factors that Enhance
Supportive Leadership
TASK
CHARACTERISTICS
FOLLOWER
CHARACTERISTICS
•
•
•
•
low self-confidence
low self-esteem
insecurity
expectation that leader
will be supportive
• high growth needs
SITUATIONAL FACTORS
THAT ENHANCE THE
EFFECTIVENESS OF
SUPPORTIVENESS
•
•
•
•
•
dissatisfying
stressful
highly structured
requires creativity
requires learning
ORGANIZATIONAL & GROUP
CHARACTERISTICS
•
•
•
•
•
•
external conflict
newly formed group
cohesive group with shared beliefs in leader
formal plans, goals & procedures
mission emphasizing human services
authoritarian superior
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Situational Factors that Neutralize
Supportive Leadership
Dogmatic
Followers
Large Size
of Group
SITUATIONAL
FACTORS THAT
NEUTRALIZE THE
EFFECTIVENESS OF
SUPPORTIVENESS
Broad Task
Scope
High Level
Job
©Prentice Hall 2006
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Situational Factors That Substitute for
Supportive Leadership
INTRINSICALLY
SATISYING TASK
•Interesting
• Gratifying
• Meaningful
SITUATIONAL FACTORS
THAT SUBSTITUTE FOR
SUPPORTIVENESS
FEEDBACK
DIRECTLY
FROM TASK
•Rapid
•Specific
•Accurate
HIGH DEGREE OF IMPORTANCE
PLACED ON ORGANIZATIONAL
REWARDS
•Pay raises
• Promotions
©Prentice Hall 2006
4-14
Process Model of the
Supportive Leadership Process
LEADER SUPPORTIVENESS
SITUATIONAL FACTORS
INCREASING LEADER
EFFECTIVENESS
Enhancers
• Dissatisfying or stressful
job
• Low follower selfconfidence, insecurity, or
self esteem
• Follower expectations or
high growth needs
• Structured work task
• Complex creative task
• External group conflict
• New or cohesive group
• Organization formalization
• Organization mission
• Authoritarian supervisor
Substitutes
• Importance placed on
organizational rewards
• Intrinsically satisfying tasks
• Task feedback
• Concerned, trusting, & respectful of
followers
• Considerate, understanding attitude
• Friendly, encouraging, & communicative
• Fostering follower development
SITUATIONAL FACTORS
DECREASING LEADER
EFFECTIVENESS
Neutralizers
• Dogmatic followers
• Large size of group
FOLLOWER/GROUP
PSYCHOLOGICAL REACTIONS
• Satisfaction of esteem & acceptance
needs
• Satisfaction with work & supervisor
• Overall job satisfaction
• Organizational commitment
• Less stress & burnout
• Group harmony & cohesion
FOLLOWER BEHAVIORS
AND OUTCOMES
• Lower turnover, tardiness, absenteeism,
& grievance rates
• Increased individual & group
performance
©Prentice Hall 2006
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Applying the Model of
Supportive Leadership
1. DIAGNOSING THE SITUATION
1. Are followers faced with high amounts of job stress, danger, or insecurity?
2. Do followers’ lack self-confidence or have low self-esteem?
3. Is followers’ group experiencing much external conflict, excessive rules and
regulations, or highly authoritarian upper-level management?
4. Does followers’ group have a human service function?
If “yes” to one or more of these questions, then leaders’ supportive behaviors will
probably be effective.
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
2. PROVIDING SUPPORTIVE
LEADERSHIP
Leader demonstrates supportive
behaviors with followers by:
• Showing concern
• Being sympathetic, considerate, and
understanding
• Being friendly and informative
• Encouraging two-way communication
• Showing trust and respect
• Providing for career development
©Prentice Hall 2006
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