Quantitative and qualitative examination of propositions concerning supervisor–subordinate convergence in descriptions of leader–member exchange (LMX) quality

Two studies were conducted to quantitatively and qualitatively examine supervisor–subordinate differences in perceptions concerning the quality of their LMX relationship. The results provided strong support for a lack of construct convergence between these two perspectives. Specifically, the findings suggest that leaders tend to focus more on task-oriented subdimensions and tend to give them greater weight when evaluating LMX relationships. However, subordinates are more oriented toward the social aspects of the relationship and perceive them as more important. This differential pattern was found to be generalizable across gender, race, and industry types.