Status Incongruence In Supervisor Subordinate Dyads: The Effects On Subordinate Job Satisfaction and Creative Performance

Abstract

Extant research on status incongruence has begun to explore the resultingtensions it may engender between supervisor and subordinate, yet it excludes therole of other demographic factors beyond age which influence status perceptions.We draw on role congruity theory to examine how organizational culture influenceswhether supervisor-subordinate dyadic status incongruence has a negative orpositive impact on subordinate job satisfaction and creative performance. We findthat status incongruence reduces job satisfaction when supervisor-subordinate dyadswork in a hierarchical organizational culture (i.e. low clan organizational culture),and job satisfaction increases for supervisor-subordinate dyads that work in a clanorganizational culture (i.e. high clan organizational culture). Furthermore, theseeffects on job satisfaction ultimately impacted subordinate creative job performance,supporting a moderated-mediation model. Implications for future research on statusincongruence are discussed.