Leadership Behavior as a Health-Promoting Resource for Workers in Low-Skilled Jobs and the Moderating Role of Power Distance Orientation

Abstract

In this study, the authors analyze leadership behaviors as potential health-promoting resources for low-skilled workers in a highly culturally diverse work setting. The authors hypothesize that subordinates' and supervisors' individual power distance orientations will moderate the effect of subordinates' perceptions of leadership behavior and the subsequent effects on their well-being. Multilevel modeling is used to analyze a sample of data from 474 low-skilled employees (50% immigrants) and 35 direct supervisors from three German companies. Supporting the hypotheses, social support, task-related communication, and positive feedback, as expressions of esteem, are found to positively impact subordinates' well-being, but individual consideration shows no significant effects. Furthermore, results confirm that supervisors' power distance orientation moderates employees' perceptions about supervisors' positive feedback and the subsequent well-being effects. The moderating effect fails to hold for employees' power distance orientation. Results indicate that supervisors can most effectively promote the health of low-skilled workers by showing esteem through positive feedback, but if the supervisor has high individual power distance orientation, the effect is attenuated.

Changes in Leadership Behaviors Predict Changes in Job Satisfaction and Well-Being in Low-Skilled Workers

“…In a qualitative study with low-skilled workers and first-level supervisors, Winkler, Busch, and Duresso (2013) found that social support, positive feedback, and task-related communication by supervisors were concrete behaviors that were able to improve the job satisfaction and well-being of employees in low-skilled jobs. This finding was subsequently confirmed in a cross-sectional study on low-skilled workers and their supervisors (Winkler, Busch, Clasen, & Vowinkel, 2014).…”

“…Various dimensions of communication-in particular, job-relevant communication from a superiorare positively associated with subordinate job satisfaction and negatively related to subordinate burnout (Kim & Lee, 2009;Miles et al, 1996). Finally, positive feedback by supervisor has been found to relate positively to low-skilled worker's well-being (Winkler et al, 2013;Winkler et al, 2014). A supervisor who communicates positive feedback to the individual employee enhances self-esteem as important aspect of wellbeing of the employee (Ashford & Cummings, 1985;Kelloway, Weigand, McKee, & Das, 2012).…”

Leader Behavior as a Determinant of Health at Work: Specification and Evidence of Five Key Pathways

“…Their diary study shows, amongst other things, that person-level servant leadership (controlling for day-level emotional dissonance) has a positive impact on day-level ego depletion and need for recovery. In a similar vein, both Stocker et al (2014) and Winkler et al (2014) show that when leaders provide social support, task-related communication, and appreciative feedback (in the form of simple praise and gratitude) this has a positive impact on employees' well-being -even for workers in low-skilled jobs working on poorly designed tasks. Gregersen et al (2014) go further to investigate the question of which specific forms of leader behavior are most effective in promoting well-being and preventing burnout.…”

“…The latter would be useful to explore because (depending on one's metatheoretical orientation) it would seem plausible that factors such as personality or shared social identity can partly determine whether specific supervisor behaviours (passive, constructive or destructive) serve to help or harm the health of employees (see Benolil & Somech, 2014). Indeed, speaking to such possibilities, Winkler et al (2014) report intriguing interactions between the power distance of supervisors and employees which suggest that issues of leader-subordinate fit have a bearing on health outcomes.…”

Why do employees follow their superiors’ instructions? Identification of the reasons to comply with superiors’ will in a group of Polish employees

“…However, many organizations seem to neglect the contribution of the managers to employees' stress, and stress-related illnesses [1]. Therefore, managers are recommended to raise the awareness of the influence their leadership style exerts on employees' health [24].…”