上司地位知觉对下属默契的影响——反馈寻求行为和观点采择的作用

The Effect of Perceived Supervisory Status on Subordinates' Moqi——The Roles of Feedback Seeking Behavior and Perspective Taking

文以主动性动机模型为基础,探讨了上司地位知觉对下属默契的影响及其内部机制。通过对186名企业员工的调查分析发现,上司地位知觉对下属默契有显著的正向影响;反馈寻求行为在此过程中起部分中介作用;此外,下属的观点采择能力调节了反馈寻求行为与下属默契间的正向关系。

In the daily work of organization, we often find that some employees are able to complete the task well without supervisor＇s explicit and directional guidance. Such phenomenon can be explained by the existence of moqi which refers to a state between two parties, whereby one party implies something and the other party senses and understands it tacitly. When this concept is applied in the relationship between supervisors and subordinates, it is known as subordinates＇ moqi, which emphasizes subordinates＇ tacit understanding of their supervisor＇s work-related expectations, requirements, intentions, and desires. To date, empirical study has suggested that subordinates＇ moqi could be affected by subordinates＇ feedback seeking behavior. However, we consider that there may exist a distal antecedent of subordinates＇ moqi based on proaetive motivation model. Thus, we propose a moderated mediation model wherein perceived supervisory status predicts subordinates＇ moqi via feedback seeking behavior, and perspective taking serves as the second stage moderator. Several hypotheses are posited： （1） Subordinates＇ perceived supervisory status is positively related to moqi; （2） Feedback seeking behavior mediates the relationship between perceived supervisory status and moqi; （3） The feedback seeking behavior - subordinates＇ moqi relationship and the indirect effect of feedback seeking behavior are contingent upon the level of perspective taking. A field study was conducted to test our hypotheses. We collected the data from part-time graduate students at a university located in Guangzhou, China. They were all full-time employees. To avoid the common-method bias, the survey data were collected at three time points, separated by two weeks. At Time 1, students were asked to report their perceived supervisory status and demographic information. Two weeks later （Time 2）, they were asked to rate their feedback seeking behavior and perspective taking ability. Two weeks after Time 2 （Time 3）, they were again asked to report their moqi. The final sample consisted of 186 part-time graduate students. Then, we adopted a series of regression analysis and drew four conclusions： （1） Subordinates＇ perceived supervisory status was positively related to subordinates＇ moqi; （2） Feedback seeking behavior partially mediated the relationship between perceived supervisory status and subordinates＇ moqi; （3） Perspective taking moderated the relationship between feedback seeking behavior and subordinates＇ moqi, such that this positive relationship as well as the indirect effect of feedback seeking behavior was stronger when subordinates＇ perspective taking was high. In the end, some theoretical and applied implications were suggested. First, our study explored the antecedent of subordinate＇s moqi and its underlying mechanism, which enriched the empirical research on subordinates＇ moqi. Second, through exploring the mediating role of feedback seeking behavior, this study provided empirical evidences for previous studies with further findings. Third, by revealing the moderating role of perspective taking, we enriched the moderating mechanism in the relationship between feedback seeking behavior and subordinates＇ moqi. Moreover, there are also some enlightenment to practice. On one hand, managers should strive to improve their own work and management skills in order to gain more resources and attention to the organization. On the other hand, organizations should attach importance to cultivate and improve employees＇ ability of perspective taking. Finally, limitations and future directions are discussed.