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Abstract
Employees have multiple ways of communicating job dissatisfaction, directly or indirectly, to their supervisors. This study assessed the relationship between dissatisfaction and the type of communication responses used to address dissatisfaction with working conditions, as moderated by leader-member exchange.
Participants (N = 136) were employees at a job placement center. On average, participants had been in their positions for 4 years and with their supervisor less than 2 years.
Findings indicated that LMX was a strong predictor of dissatisfaction for the dependent variables of loyalty and exit. In fact, participants were more likely to support their supervisor (loyalty) when dissatisfaction was high. Participants who were not in a high LMX relationship with their supervisors were susceptible to searching for a position outside the organization (exit). These findings imply that further experimental research is needed to fully comprehend the impact of LMX on dissatisfaction.
