Supervisor-Subordinate Friendships: the Effects of Promotion on Peer Relationships.

Abstract

Research shows that friendships at work are important because of job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and job performance (Sias, 2005). While friendships can and do start between people at different levels of authority (Boyd and Taylor, 1998), their relationships are often strained when the power difference becomes salient (Sias, 2004). This study focuses on the different communication tactics used to negotiate the supervisor?subordinate friendship, specifically when the supervisor was once the subordinate?s peer before a promotion occurred.