Managing Illegitimate Task Requests Through Explanation and Acknowledgment: A Discursive Leadership Approach

Abstract

This study explored how discursive framing can mitigate an illegitimate task request-a request from a supervisor that extends beyond the appropriate parameters of the role. Using hypothetical vignettes in an experimental design, we examined how including an acknowledgment and/or explanation when making an illegitimate task request mitigated perceptions of illegitimacy and anger. Results indicate that acknowledgments mitigated perceptions of illegitimacy whereas explanations mitigated anger. Furthermore, the combination of acknowledgments and explanations had the strongest effects on reducing perceived illegitimacy and anger. We conclude with practical recommendations.

Appreciation and Illegitimate Tasks as Predictors of Affective Well-being: Disentangling Within- and Between-Person Effects

“…If assigning illegitimate tasks is unavoidable (after all, organizational necessities may demand it), supervisors should show respect by acknowledging that a task may be considered illegitimate by the employee and by explaining why they assign the task nevertheless ("I know this is not your job, but…"). Corresponding to interactional fairness (Bies, 2015;Tyler, 2012), such explanations may "legitimize" the task assignment and thus avoid, or at least alleviate, its potential negative impact as recently shown in a study by Minei et al (2018). Second, supervisors (and others in the organization), should realize the importance of appreciating others and their achievements.…”

“…Di Fabio and Peiro (2018) have applied this concept to Human Capital Sustainable Leadership. By avoiding illegitimate tasks or, if that is not possible, offering acknowledgment and explanations (Minei et al, 2018), and thus preventing, or mitigating, offenses to the self, and by signaling appreciation, and thus acknowledging employees and their contributions, leaders as well as other organizational members can contribute to decent work. Furthermore, avoiding threats to, and offering affirmation of, the self implies respecting people's dignity (Semmer et al, 2007), which relates to justice (Miller, 2001) and to organizational ethics (Sekera et al, 2014;Meier et al, 2013).…”

Challenging the Discourse of Leadership as Knowledge: Knowing and Not Knowing

“…Third, while we have explored only the lived experiences of leaders, Collinson (2005) and Cunliffe and Eriksen (2011) remind us that leaders and followers are co-constituted and that the discursive acts of colleagues, leaders, and followers must be incorporated to provide a richer context. In the future, interactions between leaders and followers could be analyzed (Minei et al, 2018) for their construction of knowing-not knowing. Fourth, another limitation of our study is that we have not investigated distinctions between leaders and managers.…”

“…Others have found that leaders use discursive tactics to mitigate perceptions of violating expectations of appropriate leadership behavior. For instance, Minei et al (2018) found that leaders used discursive tactics of “acknowledgment” and “explanation” when making an illegitimate task request to their followers in order to reduce the perceived illegitimacy of the request. Liu’s (2010) discursive analysis of leaders’ media texts revealed a typology of tactics used by leaders and others as a way of recovering from mistakes.…”

Beyond Mistreatment at the Relationship Level: Abusive Supervision and Illegitimate Tasks

“…Rather, tasks become illegitimate in a specific context. Previous research has shown that supervisors' framing (e.g., acknowledgment) may mitigate employees' perceptions of illegitimacy [43]. Such framing effects may also occur in the context of abusive supervision.…”