Supervisor Security Provision: Correlates and Related Mechanisms

Attachment security in relationships is associated with several positive outcomes. Recently, researchers have applied attachment theory to employee-supervisor relationships. Two studies examined associations of supervisors' provision of attachment-related security with work-related outcomes and related underlying mechanisms. Participants completed measures of their supervisors' security provisions and of their own job satisfaction, organizational commitment, burnout, and performance. Supervisors' security provisions were associated with positive work-related outcomes, which were mediated by closeness behaviors (Study 1; N = 150, M age = 33.3 yr., SD = 9.6). These associations were also mediated by employees' sense of meaning at work when the supervisor was of the same sex (Study 2; N = 120, M age = 26.5 yr., SD = 5.0). Findings supported attachment-related dynamics in employee-supervisor relationships and suggested psychological mechanisms underlying these effects.