Ask, but You Might not Receive: Unanswered Supervisor Support Scale Development and a Daily Diary Study

Abstract

Supervisor support is widely studied in the organizational literature, yet existing measures tend to exclusively focus on either the provision or the seeking of support, while overlooking instances where employees seek support but do not receive it – an experience termed unanswered supervisor support (USS). In Study 1 (N = 312 employees), we developed a measure of the experience of USS and examined its reliability and validity. In Study 2, we provided further support for the measure and, using a diary methodology, examined daily fluctuations in the experience and consequences of USS. Drawing from self-determination theory, we expected that need satisfaction and frustration would mediate the effects of USS on emotional exhaustion, perceived leadership effectiveness, and helping behavior. For five workdays, 199 employees completed a survey at the end of each workday. As predicted, on days when employees experienced USS, they had greater need frustration and emotional exhaustion. They also had lower need satisfaction and perceived their supervisor as a less effective leader. The association between USS and emotional exhaustion was mediated by need frustration – in particular, frustration of the needs for competence and relatedness. Further analyses showed that relatedness frustration mediated the effects of USS on employees’ perceptions of their leader’s effectiveness. The experience of USS in daily work life has implications for employees’ well-being and the way they perceive their supervisor. Thus, employees, supervisors, and organizations need to be aware of the impact of USS and how to prevent and manage its occurrence.