Subordinate imitation of supervisor behavior: The role of modeling in organizational socialization

Abstract

Social Learning Theory predictions regarding imitation of work behavior models with specific social characteristics were tested. Data were collected from 141 pairs of lower-level supervisors (subordinates) and their direct superiors in seven organizations. All participants described their own supervisory leadership style, and subordinates also described the competence, reward power, and success within the organization of their superiors, their own self-esteem, and the behavior reward contingencies of their organizations. Results provided support for the Social Learning Theory predictions. The degree of behavior similarity displayed by subordinates and their direct superiors was positively correlated with subordinates' perceptions of their superiors' success and competence. However, behavior similarity was unrelated to perceptions of superior reward power. Further analyses indicated that the correlations between perceived superior characteristics and behavior similarity were significantly moderated by subordinate self-esteem and that behavior reward expectancies could be considered to be intervening variables only when analyzing the influence of model success. Results are discussed in terms of a cognitive motivational framework for analyzing socialization processes.