Artz, B. M., Goodall, Amanda and Oswald, Andrew J. (2017) Boss competence and worker well-being. Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 70 (2). pp. 419-450. doi:10.1177/0019793916650451

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Abstract

Nearly all workers have a supervisor or “boss.” Yet little is known about how bosses influence the quality of employees’ lives. This study offers new evidence. First, the authors find that a boss’s technical competence is the single strongest predictor of a worker’s job satisfaction. Second, they demonstrate using longitudinal data, after controlling for fixed-effects, that even if a worker stays in the same job and workplace, a rise in the competence of a supervisor is associated with an improvement in the worker’s well-being. Third, the authors report a variety of robustness checks, including tentative instrumental variable results. These findings, which draw on U.S. and British data, contribute to an emerging literature on the role of “expert leaders” in organizations.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor
Divisions:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Economics
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Middle managers, Leadership, Job satisfaction , Happiness
Journal or Publication Title:	Industrial and Labor Relations Review
Publisher:	Sage Publications Ltd.
ISSN:	0019-7939
Official Date:	1 March 2017
Dates:	Date Event 1 March 2017 Published 16 May 2016 Available 1 September 2015 Accepted
Volume:	70
Number:	2
Page Range:	pp. 419-450
DOI:	10.1177/0019793916650451
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Publication Status:	Published
Access rights to Published version:	Restricted or Subscription Access

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