The influence of gender and age on supervisor/subordinate relationships: An examination of the congruency between subordinates\u27 communicator style expectations and experiences and the relationship on subordinate satisfaction with supervision

Since Chester Barnard (1938) introduced the notion of the inseparableness of communication and organizational functioning, researchers have explored this concern from a multitude of perspectives including the supervisor/subordinate relationship. This study examined the supervisor/subordinate dyad from the perspectives of all possible gender and age combinations. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) with a 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 factorial design was employed to measure the effects of supervisor gender, supervisor age, subordinate gender, and subordinate age, on a modified Norton\u27s Communicator Style Measure (CSM--1983) for the congruency/ incongruency of subordinates\u27 communicator style expectations and experiences with their supervisors. The purpose of this study also was to investigate whether that congruency/incongruency of communicator style expectations and experiences related to subordinates\u27 satisfaction with supervision, depending on the gender and age combinations (16 cells) of the dyads, as a group and individually. The participants (N = 176) of this field study were adult male and female subordinates representing a variety of organizations. A modified version of the CSM (Norton, 1983) was used to access subordinates\u27 perceptions of communicator style expectations and experiences with their supervisors. Satisfaction with Supervision was measured using the Job Descriptive Index (Smith, Kendall, and Hulin, 1969). The results revealed no significance in either the four main effects or in the four-way interaction. Significance was found in both three-way and two-way interactions. Overall, seven of Norton\u27s CSM measures related to congruency/incongruency and nine of them related to subordinate satisfaction with supervision. Within the multiple regression, neither gender nor age significantly related to subordinate satisfaction with supervision. The dissertation concluded with limitations of the study and suggestions for future research