Effects of leader behaviors on service employee role perceptions, fairness perceptions, and performance

Leaders play an important role in communicating role expectations, and in supporting and facilitating effective performance. Their behaviors may be critical to their ability to effectively facilitate high-level performance.; Leaders face particular challenges in service environments such as call centers, where employee job effectiveness is influenced by the quality of interactions with customers. Call centers commonly use monitoring practices, and yet the effects of these practices are not understood. Monitoring along with other leader behaviors may convey information to employees about role expectations. The clarity, effectiveness, and perceived fairness of these role messages may depend in part on the combination of behaviors leaders elect to use.; This study applied role theory and justice theory to predict interactive effects of leader monitoring and other behaviors on employee role perceptions and fairness perceptions. Monitoring and three other behaviors were predicted to interactively influence role ambiguity, role accuracy and fairness perceptions. These perceptions in turn were predicted to influence performance and turnover intentions.; A web-based survey was conducted in a customer service call center. The survey inquired about leader behaviors, employee perceptions, turnover intent and performance. Results supported some of the predictions. Leader monitoring and recognition interacted in their relationship with role ambiguity. A joint relationship between monitoring x empowerment and perceived fairness was mediated by role ambiguity. Role ambiguity was negatively related to fairness perceptions. Perceived fairness was positively related to performance and negatively related to turnover intent. No relationships were revealed involving role accuracy.; Results of the study indicate that effects of monitoring are conditional upon other leader behaviors, specifically those that empower employees and recognize their performance. The two interactive combinations of leader behaviors had different effects on employee role ambiguity and on perceptions of leader fairness.; Results of the study also contributed to a deeper understanding of fairness perceptions and the importance of adequate role-related information. Employees who reported experiencing greater role clarity (less role ambiguity) indicated greater perceptions of leader fairness. The results demonstrate the utility of role theory and organizational justice theory for developing predictions and gaining insights into effective leadership behaviors in customer service environments.