Matters of demographic similarity and dissimilarity in supervisor-subordinate relationships and workplace attitudes

Drawing upon similarity-attraction theory, self-categorization theory and leader-member exchange theory, this study investigates how dyadic relational demography affects the manner in which supervisors and subordinates evaluate relationships and key organizational outcomes (i.e., job satisfaction, affective commitment, in-role and extra-role performance). Responses are from a matched set of 28 managers and their 175 employees in a Malaysian organization. Results reveal that of five relational demographic variables examined, the strongest and most consistent are ethnic and gender similarities. Ethnicity and gender similarity in supervisor-subordinate relationships have a positive association with subordinate perceptions on leader-member exchange quality. Similar patterns are found on supervisor perceptions on leader-member exchange quality for ethnicity and gender similarity. Ethnicity and gender similarity in supervisor-subordinate relationships have a positive association with job satisfaction, commitment to work group, in-role performance and out-role performance. We discuss the implications of these findings within the context of Malaysian cultural norms. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.