An investigation of possible dysfunctional effects of the leader/member exhange among assistants with long tenure

The purpose for this study was to examine the possible dysfunctional effects of negotiating latitude on members of the in-group over long periods of tenure with the same supervisor. The present study was a field study in which 63 nonacademic business and finance employees participated. Selected managers and directors nominated subordinates under their direct supervision a priori for four experimental groups. These groups complied to a two by two design involving in- or out-group status and long or short tenure with the supervisor. The leaders were asked to match "assistants" and "regular workers" for similar tenure. The managers and directors also evaluated each nominated employee's performance. The nominated subordinates were asked to complete a survey. The survey contained measures of validity which were used to ascertain if the group members possessed characteristics similar to those found in previous research (job scope, psychological states, leader/member exchange, subordinates' ratings of their leader's exchange behaviors) as well as measures of effect which were used to detect possible dysfunctional effects of prolonged status in the in-group (job satisfaction, role ambiguity, role conflict, role confusion, burnout, overload, strain, job involvement, and self and leader rated performance). The format of this survey was in a "then-now" design for the purpose of examining a retrospective approach to within-person change. The results of the study suggested that in- and out-group members could be distinguished based on the measures of validity. In relation to the measures of effect, the results indicated that members of the in-group with long tenure did not experience higher levels of strain, overload, role ambiguity/conflict/confusion or burnout than the other groups as a function of their prolonged status. However, weak evidence was found for in-group members with long tenure reporting less satisfaction with growth and responsibility and ratings of their leader/ member exchange on their "now" responses than in-group members with short tenure. These results are discussed in terms of theoretical and practical contributions to the leader/member exchange literature.