How support‐related managerial behaviors influence employees

Purpose The purpose of the current study is to test a model of the psychological processes that mediate the impact of managerial supportive and unsupportive behaviors on employees' job‐related attitudes and strain. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected using a cross‐sectional, online survey of employees working in a human services organization who were asked about their managers' support and attitudes toward various aspects of their jobs. The employees included direct service providers, agency administrators, and managers. Findings Structural equation modeling revealed that perceived job autonomy and perceived manager sentiment explained the relationship between managerial behaviors and job satisfaction, job strain, and turnover intentions. Although job self‐efficacy was significantly related to both supportive and unsupportive managerial behaviors, it did not explain the relationship between managers' support‐related behaviors and the outcomes of interest. Research limitations/implications Since these data are based on self‐reports, common method bias may have inflated the relationships among the variables. Also, ratings of supervisor behaviors and work‐related perceptions may have been confounded with other unmeasured individual differences, such as neuroticism, and optimism. In addition, the generalizability of the theoretical model is unknown because it was tested in one organization. Practical implications Managerial and leadership development programs can draw on the study findings about particular managerial behaviors that are linked to employees' perceptions of control and to their managers' sentiments about them, which in turn influence how they feel about their jobs and organizations. Originality/value Three original contributions of the study are that: it capitalizes on a detailed, inductively‐derived behavioral measure of managerial support; it examines the effects of both supportive and unsupportive managerial behaviors; and it responds to the call for studies investigating the mechanisms whereby support influences job‐related attitudes and strain.