Student

The Relationship between Behavior and Value Assessments of Leader/Managers by their Coworkers in Organizations

Margaret Ann Cowen Ph.D. (1998) United States International University

The problem.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between observed behavior and the values attributed to it.

Method.

This exploratory field study used SYMLOG, an integrated field theory of social psychology, as both a theoretical foundation and a measurement system. The isomorphic properties of the three-dimensional, factor-analytic model make possible comparison of behaviors and values using one framework. Each domain can be measured with a 26-item rating list. Data, drawn from an extant data base, consisted of sets of five to seven SYMLOG behavior and value assessments by coworkers of 350 leader/managers. A correlational analysis was applied to test hypotheses about the association between the 26-item behavior and value profiles. Paired t-tests were used to test hypotheses comparing the dimension scores. Stepwise regression was used to determine the contribution of the 26 behavior items to the association between the behavior and value profiles.

Results.

A systematic relationship between rated behavior and rated values was confirmed. The correlation between the response set profiles for behaviors and values was.85. Proximity to the sample mean behavior profile accounted for 14 percent of the variance between a subject's behavior and value profiles. Interrater agreement in behavior ratings accounted for 21 percent of the variance between a subject's behavior and value profiles. Ten of the 26 items were found to relate systematically to the association between rated behavior and rated values: five were positively related, and five were negatively related. The negative item set had a greater influence on the association than the positive item set.