Status Matters: The Asymmetric Effects of Supervisor–Subordinate Disability Incongruence and Climate for Inclusion

Abstract

Growing workforce diversity increases the likelihood that supervisors and subordinates will differ along demographic lines, a situation that has important implications for their relationship quality and individual outcomes. In a sample of 1,253 employees from 54 work-units, we investigate the effects of differences in disability status between supervisors and subordinates on leader-member-exchange (LMX) quality and subsequent performance ratings, and find that incongruence in general is related to lower LMX quality and lower performance. In addition, we propose and find an asymmetrical effect of disability incongruence, such that LMX quality is worse in dyads in which the supervisor has a disability than in dyads in which the subordinate has a disability. Furthermore, we investigate the moderating role of unit-level climate for inclusion on this relationship and find support for a buffering effect of inclusive climates on the negative incongruence-LMX relationship for scenarios in which the supervisor, but not the subordinate, has a disability. We build relevant theory for the relational demography, disability, LMX, and organizational climate literatures by predicting these effects on the basis of status mechanisms. These findings have important practical implications, as they provide companies with a feasible way to manage their diverse workforce. ABSTRACTGrowing workforce diversity increases the likelihood that supervisors and subordinates will differ along demographic lines, a situation that has important implications for their relationship quality and individual outcomes. In a sample of 1,253 employees from 54 work-units, we investigate the effects of differences in disability status between supervisors and subordinates on leader-member-exchange (LMX) quality and subsequent performance ratings, and find that incongruence in general is related to lower LMX quality and lower performance. In addition, we propose and find an asymmetrical effect of disability incongruence, such that LMX quality is worse in dyads in which the supervisor has a disability than in dyads in which the subordinate has a disability. Furthermore, we investigate the moderating role of unit-level climate for inclusion on this relationship and find support for a buffering effect of inclusive climates on the negative incongruence-LMX relationship for scenarios in which the supervisor, but not the subordinate, has a disability. We build relevant theory for the relational demography, disability, LMX, and organizational climate literatures by predicting these effects on the basis of status mechanisms.These findings have important practical implications, as they provide companies with a feasible way to manage their diverse workforce.

Thriving of employees with disabilities: The roles of job self‐efficacy, inclusion, and team‐learning climate

“…Internal experiences of PWD differ from reported observations of others, so a direct study of disabled employee perspectives is of importance in future research and practice (Santuzzi & Waltz, ). We thus responded to researchers' calls for more in‐depth inquiry into PWD in the workplace, to increase knowledge on how to benefit from disability diversity in the workforce (Colella & Bruyère, ; Dwertmann & Boehm, ).…”

“…News reports indicated some firms in China would rather be fined by the government than recruit PWD (Qiao, ). Given the ubiquity of stigmatization and discrimination against PWD, there is a continuous call for the integration of PWD in the workplace, so organizations can benefit from a more diverse workforce (Colella & Bruyère, ; Dwertmann & Boehm, ). Since most of the current studies on disability were conducted in the United States, there is a limited understanding of integrating PWD into the workplace in other parts of the world (Colella, Hebl, & King, ).…”

An Examination of Leadership Theories in Business and Sport Achievement Contexts

“…Omilion-Hodges and Baker (2017) defined LMX as the quality of the relationship between leaders and members. Dwertmann and Boehm (2016) performed a study with 1,253 participants and concluded that disability can contribute to the quality of the leader-member dyadic relationship. The differentiating factor of this theory as compared to others is that it specifically focused on the exchange in the leader-follower relationship (Northouse, 2016) whereas previous theories focused on one person in the relationship.…”

What is the relationship between diversity and performance? A study about the relationship between the proportion of people with disabilities in the productivity of Brazilian firms

“…Richard (2000) shows that greater racial diversity has no direct relationship with performance, but, in firms that adopt growth strategies, the relationship is positive. Further, Avery (2011), Guillaume et al (2013), Garnero et al (2014) and Dwertmann and Boehm (2016) show that, in organizations with a more inclusive organizational climate, diversity is positively related to performance.…”

“…The frailty of relationships, at times marred by stigma and prejudice (Dwertmann & Boehm, 2016), and the lack of specialized institutions and of accessible physical structures are just a few of the issues at play in PwD insertion in the job market (Carvalho-Freitas & Marques, 2007 This study seeks to contribute to this discussion by investigating the relationship between the proportion of PwD and productivity in Brazilian firms. Since PwD are affected by negative perceptions of their contributions as a labor force (Stone & Collela, 1996, Dwertmann & Boehm, 2016, this study may offer information revealing possible and undesirable prejudice concerning PwD insertion in the job market. Thus, this study tests hypotheses that seek to evaluate the impact of the proportion of PwD on firm productivity in Brazil.…”