european journal of social sciences issn: 1450-2267 - EuroJournals

European Journal of Social Sciences – Volume 5, Number 3 (2007)
Leader-Member Exchange and Perception of Psychological Climate as Supportive
of Innovation
In this study it is also hypothesized that leader-member exchange (LMX) can influence innovative
behavior through its influence on how individuals perceive the climate. According to Ashforth (1985);
Glick (1988); Schneider and Reichers (1983), an individuals' perception of the psychological climate at
his work place will be strongly influenced by his co-workers and leaders. Kozlowski and Doherty
(1989) have suggested that because supervisors are the representatives of management actions, policies
and procedures, subordinates tend to generalize their perceptions of supervisors to their organizations
at large. Thus subordinates with a high-quality relationship with their supervisors will perceive their
organization as providing greater autonomy and supportiveness compared to those having a lowquality
relationship. Studies by Koxlowski and Doherty(1989); Dunegan et. al.(1992), have provided
empirical support for a positive relationship between LMX quality and climate perception. Several
theorists suggest that managers may play a key role in this endeavor. Kanter (1988) and James et. al.
(1990), for example, maintain that managers are a primary source for the signals from which
subordinates construct perceptions of their work group’s climate. Since employee perceptions of
climate conditions have been strongly linked with innovation initiation, adoption, and implementation
it is important to understanding how leader/subordinate relationships influence those perceptions.
Hypothesis 1: The quality of leader-member exchange between an individual and his or her supervisor
is positively related to the degree to which the individual perceives dimensions of climate as supportive
of innovation.
Leader Role Expectation and Perception of Psychological Climate as Supportive of
Innovation
In many instances, management may have certain expectations of subordinates. These expectations
may make it difficult for subordinates to negotiate through the processes suggested by LMX theory.
The role of the subordinate may be rigidly prescribed by the organization or by the routine work they
are expected to perform. The manager may have inflexible expectations for a particular role, or lack
interest or may not have enough imagination (Graen and Scandura, 1987). The expectations that
supervisors have for their subordinates (referred to as the Pygmalion effect) may have impact on the
subordinates behavior (Livingstone, 1984).
Since managers' expectation of subordinates' behavior is communicated through their own
behavior, Eden (1984) theorized that, the subordinates perception of their managers' behavior will be
generalized to the organization. When managers expect their subordinates to be innovative, the
subordinates will perceive the organization as encouraging innovation. Thus:
Hypothesis 2: The degree to which a supervisor expects a subordinate to be innovative is positively
related to the degree to which the subordinates perceive dimensions of climate as supportive of
innovation
Individual's Problem - Solving Style and Perception of the Psychological Climate
as Supportive of Innovation
Studies by Kirton (1976), Barron and Harrington (1981) and Jabri (1991) have focused on the
dimensions of cognitive style as possible antecedents of cognitive behavior. This suggests that the
problem-solving style of individuals (systematic problem-solving style and intuitive problem solving
style) could be related to their perception of the psychological climate as supportive of innovation.
There are two specific approaches to problem-solving suggested by Wedley and Field (1984) looks at
problem -solving in terms of a continuous series of analytical steps .However according to Nutt (1984),
steps may be skipped or combined.
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