Date of Award

12-1981

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Department

Educational Leadership

First Advisor

Dr. Uldis Smidchens

Second Advisor

Dr. Donald Weaver

Third Advisor

Dr. Charles T. Brown

Abstract

The study examined the leadership behavior of community mental health centers' program supervisors in Michigan as perceived by program supervisors and their immediate superordinates and immediate subordinates. Consideration and initiating structure were the leadership behaviors examined in the study. Consideration and initiating structure were the leadership behaviors examined in the study. Consideration was defined as: "behavior indicative of friendship, mutual trust, respect, and warmth in the relationship between the leader and the members of the staff." Initiating structure was defined as: "the leader's behavior in delineating the relationship between himself and members of the work-group and in endeavoring to establish well-defined patterns of organization, channels of communication, and methods of procedure" (Halpin, 1973, p. 1).

The population for the study consisted of community mental health centers in Michigan. The sample for the study was 10 community mental health centers in Michigan. The Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire (LBDQ) was the instrument used for the study. The method used to obtain data was mailed questionnaires. One hundred and seventy-seven questionnaires were mailed to program supervisors and their immediate superordinates and immediate subordinates in 10 community mental health centers in Michigan. There was a 72% return rate. The research hypotheses were tested through the use of one-way analyses of variance. A .05 level of significance for making Type I error was used.

It was concluded that there were differences in perceptions of leadership behavior of program supervisors between younger and older groups of superordinates, and that there were differences in perceptions of leadership behavior of program supervisors between groups of subordinates with different years of employment in agency. However, no other hypotheses were supported. Therefore, the major conclusion of the study was that, generally, differences in perceptions of program supervisors among program supervisors, superordinates, and subordinates were not identified in Michigan community mental health centers. It was also concluded that if there are differences in program supervisors', superordinates', and subordinates' perceptions of leadership behavior among characteristics of program supervisors, superordinates, and subordinates, they are not substantial.

Access Setting

Dissertation-Open Access

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