Spatial effects in leadership: Suggestive evidence of interaction between consideration, initiating structure and leader's interpersonal distance from subordinates

Abstract

Purpose and Method of Study: The purpose of study is to examine the effects of personal space invasion and the leader behaviors of consideration and initiating structure on subordinate job related characteristics of satisfaction, performance, and anxiety. Using a 2 x 2 x 2 matrix design, scenarios were developed to convey high and low manipulations of the three independent variables. A sample composed of one hundred sixty personnel management students were instructed to answer questionnaires relating their feelings about the leader's supervisory style.

Findings and Conclusions: Several significant relationships were found: (1) consideration has a positive effect on job satisfaction, (2) initiating structure has a positive effect on job performance, (3) consideration is negatively related to anxiety, (4) initiating structure is positively related to anxiety, and (5) spatial invasion has a negative effect on anxiety. A three-way interaction was also found between the variables predicting job satisfaction. The results support the theory that spatial invasion interacts with leader behaviors. Better methods of conveying manipulations are needed to improve future research findings.