PARTICIPATION IN SUPERVISOR ASSESSMENT - RESULTS ON FACTORS INFLUENCING THE RETURN OF WRITTEN SURVEYS

This paper deals with the specific question of participation in writte n surveys to assess supervisors. First, a review of the different infl uences on participation in surveys is given. Then, the results of a st udy based on the data from two companies are presented. Findings and h ypotheses on participation, which are founded on measurements of subje ctive attitudes, are examined in this paper on the basis of return rat es, the actual participation, as an indicator for the acceptance of su pervisor assessment. In the center of interest are the analyses of the return rate in relation to structural aspects of the leadership situa tion and in relation to the assessment of leadership behavior, the res ults of the supervisor assessment itself. The results concerning the s tructural aspects hierarchy and span of control, to which no specific differences in leadership behavior were found, show the following tend encies: The higher the position, the higher the return rate. The small er the span of control, the higher the return rate. Regarding the cons equences of leadership behavior, the findings show that particular asp ects of behavior that indicate active encouragement and support of sub ordinates in their tasks and in their personal development are related to the return rate. Overall the results confirm the assumption that a n open and constructive feedback culture is an important precondition for a high participation in surveys of supervisor assessment.