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High Power Distance Enhances Employees' Preference for Likable Managers: A Resource Dependency Perspective
Cong Wei1, Xiaomin Sun1, Jia Liu2
1School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing Key Lab of Applied Experimental Psychology Beijing, China.
Frontiers in Psychology
|January 26, 2017
Summary
Manager likability matters, especially in high power distance cultures. Employees prefer likable managers, but this preference is strongest when employees depend heavily on their manager for resources.
Area of Science:
- Organizational Behavior
- Cross-Cultural Psychology
- Management Studies
Background:
- Employee perceptions of manager likability are under-researched, with inconsistent findings.
- Power distance, a cultural and individual value, may influence preferences for manager traits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of manager likability on employee preferences.
- To examine the moderating role of power distance (cultural and individual) on these preferences.
- To explore the influence of resource dependence as a boundary condition.
Main Methods:
- Two studies utilized a manager selection task under zero-acquaintance conditions.
- Study 1 compared students from high (China) and low (Denmark) power distance cultures.
- Study 2 examined individual power distance orientation and resource dependence levels in Chinese employees.
Main Results:
- Cultural power distance moderated preferences: high power distance cultures showed a stronger preference for likable managers.
- Individual power distance orientation also played a role, with high power distance individuals preferring likable managers.
- The effect of individual power distance was significant only under high resource dependence conditions.
Conclusions:
- Manager likability is a significant factor in employee preferences, moderated by power distance.
- The findings highlight the importance of cultural and individual differences in understanding workplace dynamics.
- Resource dependence moderates the preference for likable managers, suggesting context-specific importance.