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and the firm which collaborated in the study.2 Other reports in preparation deal with the generality of the factorial composition of performance measures, with the predictability of alternative performance measures, and with the empirical testing of alternative models for predicting the performance of individuals and organizations.

THIS study is concerned with the proposition that the nature of superior-subordinate relationships in an organization, as perceived or evaluated by subordinates, affects the job performance of subordinates, whether the latter are considered as a group or as individuals. This rather widely accepted proposition was tested using four more specific hypotheses which were derived from it, and which involve certain aspects of superiorsubordinate interaction, as specified in the paper. The objectives were to test the hypothesized relationships between these variables and subordinate performance, and to examine the generality of these relationships. The ProblemImplicit in the managerial practices and training programs of many firms is the belief that high performance will accompany the application of certain "good" human relations principles. This belief appears to be held as a very general proposition applicable to all organizations, to all sub-units within an organization, to individuals within an organization, and to all important aspects of performance. The belief is encouraged by many research findings showing that some variables representative of "good" human relations practice are in fact positively and significantly related to performance. A This work has received financial support from three sources: The Faculty Research Fund of the Rackham School of Graduate Studies, The University of Michigan; the Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations, The University of Michigan and Wayne State University; and the firm which collaborated in the study. 'The senior author is now at Rutgers-The State University. 357 358 PERSONNEL PSYCHOLOGY