Effects of supervisory style and experientially based frames of reference on organizational alcoholism programs

Theoretical works concerning the influence of personal characteristics of work supervisors on their referral of subordinates to organizational alcoholism programs are reviewed. These works hypothesize two barriers to such referrals: supervisory style and experientially based frames of reference. The effects of these behavioral and attitudinal characteristics on supervisors' perceptions of subordinates' work readjustment are analyzed with a sample of 84 supervisors who had utilized the Federal Employee Alcoholism Policy (FEAP). Zero-order hypothesis tests illustrated that supervisory style, operationalized by the Least Preferred Co-worker Measure, was inversely related to perceived readjustment. Hence interpersonally oriented and more cognitively complex supervisors were less likely to perceive improvement. Experientially based frames of reference were operationalized by the Attitude toward the Recovering Alcoholic Scale and the Attitudes toward FEAP Scale. Only the latter was a significant influence, with high policy evaluation being positively associated with perceived readjustment. Multivariate analysis illustrated a significant main effect only for attitudes toward the alcoholism policy. These findings are discussed in terms of a need to reappraise the influence of supervisory style on referral to organizational alcoholism programs and the potential positive effects of organizational engineering on the success of such programs.