When Managers Decide Not to Decide Autocratically. An Investigation of Leader-Member Exchange and DecisionInfluence

Results of a cross-sectional research study that attempts to identify the antecedents of decision influence in managerial dyads are reported. Data were collected from a large U.S. manufacturing organization, and LMX and decision influence were measured from both subordinate and superior points of view. Results indicate that important antecedents of Decision Influence are the quality of leader-member exchange (LMX) and the subordinate's performance level. This research constitutes a U.S. replication of the interaction pattern of LMX and subordinate performance on career outcomes that have been documented in Japanese work organizations. These Japanese findings are extended by the inclusion of both superior and subordinate points of view. It was found that superiors show a noncompensatory model regarding decision influence: The subordinate must possess high performance and exchange skills. In contrast, subordinates show a compensatory model in which higher performance can compensate for lower LMXs.