Assessing constructive supervisor behavior: Development and evaluation of a brief follower-rated scale

Abstract

Followers are thought to be keenly attuned to supervisor behaviors because these can affect their learning, well-being, and performance at work. However, a practical and empirically tested measure of constructive supervisor behaviors that are valued by followers is not available in the literature. We develop a Constructive Supervisor Behavior Scale (CSBS) that is suitable for human resource development purposes and we assess its psychometric properties across three studies. In Study 1, exploratory factor analysis is conducted on data collected from employees in New Zealand and the United States (N = 333). This resulted in a four-factor structure comprising ethical conduct, networking, clarifying, and recognizing behaviors. In Study 2, confirmatory factor analyses are used to assess the four-factor structure of the CSBS on New Zealand-based employees (N = 250). In Study 3, the convergent and discriminant validity of the CSBS are examined on office-based employees in the United States (N = 342); additional measurement invariance analyses are conducted with the New Zealand and U.S. samples.