An Examination of Street-Level Bureaucrats’ Discretion and the Moderating Role of Supervisory Support: Evidence from the Field

This study aims to provide a deeper understanding of the relationship between the discretion of street-level bureaucrats and their willingness to implement as well as between discretion and client meaningfulness by testing street-level bureaucrat theory in a different context. The effect of discretion on willingness to implement and client meaningfulness may differ due to perceived supervisory support. Data from 241 bureaucrats (labor inspectors) in the Malaysian Ministry of Human Resources indicated that discretion significantly influences bureaucrats’ willingness to implement and client meaningfulness. Critically, the moderating role of perceived supervisory support augmented only the positive impact of discretion on client meaningfulness; for example, this relationship is more significant among bureaucrats who perceive high supervisory support. This study sheds new light on the notable role of supervisory support in ensuring that discretion enhances client meaningfulness and willingness to implement.

Women in higher education: A brief report on stress during COVID-19

Higher education institutions have evolved into a more stressful environment. Women have been experiencing higher levels of stress than their male counterparts. With higher education adopting to the onset of the pandemic, this brief report studied women’s perceived stress in relation to perceived organizational and supervisory support, and age during times of crisis. In an era of social distancing, quarantines, and lockdowns, the findings suggest that women’s perceived stress is negatively related to age, perceived organizational support, and perceived supervisory support. Society as we once knew it pre-pandemic will never be the same. Higher education is inevitably going to have to manage the aftermath, a new normal that can only be as effective as the employees that help keep the organization running.

Supervisor monitoring and subordinate work attitudes: a need satisfaction and supervisory support perspective

PurposeDrawing on self-determination theory and organizational support theory, the present study explored how two styles of supervisor monitoring, namely, interactional and observational, differently impact job satisfaction and affective organizational commitment of subordinates. In addition, the mediating roles of psychological need satisfaction from the supervisor and perceived supervisory support were also investigated.Design/methodology/approachResponses were collected from 183 full-time employees through a web-based survey, and data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).FindingsResults indicate that interactional monitoring positively influences psychological need satisfaction from the supervisor and perceived supervisory support, while observational monitoring negatively influences psychological need satisfaction from the supervisor and perceived supervisory support. Psychological need satisfaction from the supervisor fully mediates the relationship between interactional monitoring and affective organizational commitment, while perceptions of supervisory support partially mediate the relationship between the two monitoring styles and job satisfaction.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings of the study need to be interpreted with caution as causality could not be inferred due to the cross-sectional nature of the study.Practical implicationsSupervisors are advised to adopt an interactional style of monitoring, as it favorably influences the work attitudes of subordinates.Originality/valueThe present study is one of the few works that have examined the differential impact of supervisor monitoring styles on subordinates' work outcomes.

Effects of Supervisor-Subordinates Relations on Subordinates’ Commitment Behaviour in Ghana

This study examined the effects of subordinates’ perception of supervisor favouritism on subordinates’ commitment to their organizations in the Ghanaian context. A cross-sectional survey was employed to study 296 employees comprising supervisors and subordinates in two organizations (public and private). Results from t-test, analysis of variance, Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient and hierarchical multiple regression showed: (a) no significant difference in the amount of perceived supervisory support; (b) that perceived favouritism based on ethnicity had a greater tendency to influence supervisor-subordinate exchanges and also the amount of perceived supervisory support; and (c) that subordinates who received more supervisory support were highly committed. There was an inverse relationship between perceived favouritism and organizational commitment of subordinates. Surprisingly, subordinates who perceived favouritism did not show a higher tendency to quit their organizations but rather continued to stay. The organizations could benefit greatly if the lower turnover intents are translated into practical work outputs but that, of course, will involve reducing perceived favouritism to the barest minimum. Suggestions for future research are made. Keywords: Supervisor-subordinates relations; Organizational commitment; Ethnicity