Perceived Punishment and Reward Values Assigned to Supervisor Actions.

Abstract : The study investigated employee perceptions about the reward or punishment values inherent in a variety of supervisor actions. Actions viewed as most rewarding were generally actions which possessed: (a) public visibility, (b) tangibility, (c) implied esteem, and (d) long-term implications. Analyses of action viewed as punishing or aversive involved the following characteristics: (a) personal punishment reflecting informal acts with short-term consequences, (b) tangibility, (c) visibility, and (d) withholding of resources and information. Visibility appeared to be most strongly related to perceived severity. In contrast with suggestions in the literature (cf. Leon, 1981) substantial levels of agreement among raters were found for aversive as well as rewarding actions. Also reviewed are characteristics of leader actions that received mixed ratings from respondents. (Author)