Workplace Relation

Distinction between Workplace Relationships and Other Relationships

Workplace relationships differ in two fundamental ways from other adult relationships. The first difference is that these relationships involve a background of structure, with role expectations about who may issue commands, what actions should follow, and how individuals are expected to spend their days. This structure can impose limits on the development, form, and expression of relationships. No matter how much coworkers might enjoy each others company, structural boundaries may inhibit the development of the relationship.

The second difference is that the relationships tend to be semi voluntary, at best. Workers generally do not have the opportunity to select their supervisors, their coworkers on a project team, or the occupants of the offices, cubicles, or desks adjacent to theirs. As a consequence, employees must adjust to, accommodate, and try to find redeeming value in people with whom they would not otherwise choose to associate.

Superior-Subordinate Relationships

The owner/supervisoremployee/subordinate relationship is a relatively new invention in human history and shares some features with other hierarchical relationships, such as parent-child and leadersubordinate. In the parent-child relationship, the parent is normatively expected to focus simultaneously on the well-being of the family as a whole, and on the nurturance and growth of the individual child. In the tribal leadersubordinate relationship, such as that of the regent-vassal, the leader has certain obligations, and the subordinate has certain rights, but the well-being and even life of the subordinate can be sacrificed during combat or religious rituals.

Business owners and managers differ in the extent to which they adopt a parental or regal attitude in their efforts to enhance the performance and retain the loyalty of their employees. Subordinates also differ in the extent to which they expect nurturance versus military-style commands from their supervisors.

Bosses and supervisors who are appropriately structured, supportive, fair, and clear in their communication tend to have the most effective employees, who are loyal to the organization. This effect runs throughout the organization, in that leader leader exchanges affect leadermember exchanges. The more positive the exchanges between leaders, the better the leadersubordinate relationships are, and the more positive the subordinates are about the organization. However, when bosses and [Page 1699]supervisors do not behave in an ideal fashion or, worse, when they are dictatorial, incompetent, or play favorites, they can wreak havoc upon their employees.

In a study conducted by Michael Cunningham and his colleagues, with a sample of 112 employees, as many as two thirds of managers are seen by their employees as either incompetent or interpersonally unskilled and are the main source of stress for those workers. Although most people in the workforce simply accommodate to the poor behavior, or change jobs, some react to feeling overcontrolled and unjustly treated by becoming psychologically or physically aggressive toward their supervisors. This is a primary contributor to the rare, but serious, problem of workplace violence.

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