We’ve long known that being liked, and feeling affection from the liked person in return, is powerful stuff. Liking is an important source of power – chances are that when you think of the last few favors you did for someone at work, part of your motivation was simply that you liked the other person and wanted them to be happy.

We also know that liking isn’t automatic, and that it simply isn’t natural to like everyone equally. Despite their desire to remain unbiased and fair, the widely accepted theory of Leader-Member Exchange indicates that most leaders have “in groups” and “out groups” among their subordinates, and that the feelings are usually mutual. In any work group, there are some who like, respect, and feel strong loyalty to the supervisor, while other workers don’t share the depth and breadth of those feelings towards the leader.

To further explore this phenomenon, two researchers set out to determine if there are particular kinds of behaviors that people who perceive themselves to be in the leader’s “in-group” are more likely to perform. They started with the understanding that people who have strong feelings of liking, respect, and loyalty towards the leader also identify with that leader, and so are more likely to mimic that leader’s behaviors when interacting with other subordinates. For example, let’s say Jack has an in-group relationship with Jill, his supervisor. If he sees Jill going out of her way to welcome new employees to the company, Jack is likely to make this a priority too.

Specifically, the researchers wondered if in-group members were more likely than out-group members to perform particular kinds of tasks in the workplace…and they found that there was, indeed, a significant difference. People who felt part of the in-group were more likely to mimic leader’s behaviors when those behaviors were person-based – in other words, focused on making people feel more comfortable in the workplace or encouraging employees to do their best. Interestingly, however, they found no difference between the groups when it came to task-oriented behaviors, or those things that allowed work to be completed in a timely and reliable manner. This involves giving information or instruction to co-workers, and coordinating work flow amongst organizational members and departments using current protocols.

So liking for the leader matters most when interpersonal relationships are the focus of employee behaviors. It seems that employees really do prioritize making positive relationships with others when they themselves feel the benefit from a positive interpersonal relationship with their supervisors. In a way, these employees “pay it forward” – when they enjoy good personal relationships with the boss, they try to engender good relationships amongst co-workers too.

So for day-to-day work to be done, where little more than efficiency and correct work is required, interpersonal relationships between the supervisor and his/her subordinates may not be all that important. Even for a boss no one really likes, the basic work of the organization can be accomplished. But for companies who care about things like culture and employee engagement, personal relationships with supervisors matter. Companies would do well, then, to ensure that the people promoted to management positions are likeable. Moreover, managers should recognize that their employees will treat others as they are treated by their manager. Since previous research has found that this phenomenon extends to customers as well as co-workers, managers need to ensure not only that they are competent, but that they are modeling positive and respectful interpersonal relationships.

Michel, J. W., & Tews, M. J. (2016). Does Leader-Member Exchange accentuate the relationship between leader behaviors and organizational citizenship behaviors? Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 23, 13-26.