Self-Other (Dis-)Agreement of Managers’ Leadership Behaviors in the Mining Industry: Relationships with Managers’ and Subordinates’ Health and Job Satisfaction

Abstract Research indicates that managers’ leadership behaviors are associated with both subordinates’ and managers’ health and job satisfaction. The aim of this study is to explore the (dis-)agreements between managers’ self-ratings of their own leadership behaviors and their superior managers’ and subordinates’ ratings of the managers’ leadership behaviors, as well as how (dis-)agreements therein affect the managers’ and subordinates’ health and job satisfaction, in the mining industry. Data was collected using surveys distributed to managers, their superior managers, and their subordinates within a mining company. The ratings were analyzed using descriptive-, correlation-, and logistic regression analyses. Findings are that subordinates rated their managers’ leadership behaviors significantly lower than the two manager groups did. Correlation analysis showed that a larger disagreement between the managers’ and subordinates’ ratings for four leadership behavior indices was significantly negatively associated with subordinates’ health and job satisfaction, but not the managers’. Results were partially supported by logistic regression analyses when controlling for background variables. The findings point at the importance of self-other agreement regarding leadership behaviors, as well as how disagreement of ratings between managers and their subordinates are associated with these groups’ health and job satisfaction. The use of self-other feedback tools can be a driver for change, primarily by offering managers valuable insights into how their leadership behaviors are perceived. These insights can prompt reflective processes involving work environment experts, superior managers, and subordinate groups, thereby forming a foundation for the development of actionable improvement plans.