Interdependence and Power Between Managers and Employees: A Study of the Leader Relationship

The dependence of managers and employees upon each other can affect their influence and power. Forty-six managers and employees in a hospital were interviewed with the critical incident method. Cooperative, in contrast to competitive, interdependence was found to contribute to exchange and productivity. Managers and employees used common tasks, a shared purpose, the need to exchange resources, and positivefeelings to conclude their goals were cooperative. Cooperative interaction was found to result in efficient completion of tasks, improved productivity, and confidence thatfuture collaboration would be successful.