The Pelz Effect: Leadership Influence on Employee Attitudes
This paper reviews Lynn Anderson's 1990 study, "Extension of the Pelz Effect," published in Basic and Applied Social Psychology. The paper examines how organizational leadership behavior — both upward and downward — shapes employee attitudes, satisfaction, and perceived workplace control. Anderson surveyed 195 nurses at a large urban hospital and 201 clerical employees at a major utility, measuring outcomes across satisfaction, role constraint, pay, promotions, and feelings of organizational control. The analysis demonstrates that leaders who wield upward influence can more effectively support subordinates, raising satisfaction and functional workplace behaviors. The paper concludes that the Pelz Effect has lasting implications for how leadership sets the tone and direction within any organization.
- Introduction to the Pelz Effect: Overview of leadership theory and the Pelz Effect
- Overview of Anderson's Study Design: Anderson's research goals and theoretical framework
- Sampling Methods and Participant Demographics: Nurse and clerical employee sample characteristics
- Key Findings and Survey Results: Satisfaction and control statistics for both groups
- Implications of the Pelz Effect for Organizations: How leadership influence shapes workplace behavior
- Conclusion: Summary of Pelz Effect's lasting organizational impact
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper anchors every claim in direct quotations from Anderson (1990), allowing the source material to speak clearly while the student provides contextual framing.
- It follows a logical progression from theory introduction, through methodology, to findings and implications, making the argument easy to follow.
- Concrete statistics (e.g., 95% nurse satisfaction, 90% upward influence for utility employees) ground the discussion in measurable evidence rather than vague generalizations.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates effective use of extended quotation with interpretive framing. Rather than paraphrasing all source material, the student selects passages that convey both the theoretical foundation and the empirical conclusions of the original study, then explains their significance in plain language. This technique is particularly useful in article review assignments, where the goal is to accurately represent and analyze an existing study.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a brief introduction to leadership theory and the Pelz Effect, then introduces the specific study under review. Subsequent sections address study design, sampling methodology, quantitative findings for each employee group, and Anderson's broader conclusions. A short closing paragraph synthesizes the takeaway about leadership's organizational influence. The structure mirrors a standard article summary format appropriate for undergraduate social science coursework.
Introduction to the Pelz Effect
One of the biggest challenges facing any organization is effective leadership. The actions of leaders have a direct impact on their ability to motivate others and encourage higher performance. A variety of theories have been introduced to connect with superiors and subordinates on different levels, yet this variety can create confusion about which techniques will have the greatest impact. The Pelz Effect holds that the actions taken by leadership influence the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors embraced by everyone in the organization. To fully understand what is taking place requires careful focus on the study conducted by Lynn Anderson and the lasting effects it reveals. This will be accomplished by reviewing Anderson's scholarly study and its implications, together illustrating how the practices embraced by leadership shape the entire organization (Anderson, 1990).
Overview of Anderson's Study Design
The article under review is "Extension of the Pelz Effect" by Lynn Anderson (1990). The study examines the influence of leadership on both the upper and lower ends of any organization. To achieve these objectives, Anderson surveyed 195 nurses and 201 clerical employees inside a major utility. The study focused on how leadership affects organizational dynamics and the attitudes and behaviors of employees.
Anderson (1990) explains the theoretical foundation of the Pelz Effect as follows:
"Research on the Pelz Effect has been exciting and important because it demonstrates that a combination of upward and downward leader behaviors provides a crucial 'linking pin' between group members and the organization. Hence, a member's or a group's embeddedness within the organization can be affected by the group leader's own influence within the organization. Pelz provided an instrumental explanation for the effects of a leader's organizational influence. He stated that a leader's supportive, helpful behavior toward group members would raise the members' satisfaction only when the leader had enough influence 'to deliver actual benefits for employees.' Influential leaders have greater access to organizational resources and stronger voices in departmental decisions made by their own superiors. Hence, group members realize that there will be strong organizational support behind their leader's offers of help and guidance, and this realization enhances members' satisfaction." (Anderson, 1990, pp. 20–22)
This passage establishes the basic foundation for understanding how Pelz developed a theory that shows the way attitudes and behaviors influence both sides of an organization.
Sampling Methods and Participant Demographics
Anderson's study sought to understand the influence of the Pelz Effect on individuals from two different segments of the workforce: nurses and clerical staff. The sample was drawn from a health care organization and a major utility. The core aim was to understand the impacts by examining how employees responded to the actions of organizational leadership. This was accomplished by focusing on three areas under the Spheres of Control Tests: control of self, interaction with others, and political events and institutions. These dimensions created a platform for researchers to objectively analyze results and assess their long-term impacts (Anderson, 1990).
The first sample consisted of 195 nurses at a large urban hospital. All respondents were female, with an average age of 37 years and an average tenure of 9.24 years at the facility. Questionnaires were mailed to the nurses. The second sample consisted of 201 service employees at a major utility, of whom 95% were female, with an average tenure of 8.64 years. These participants were interviewed face-to-face at their workplace on company time (Anderson, 1990).
Conclusion
Anderson's research demonstrates that the Pelz Effect has a significant and lasting impact on superiors and subordinates alike across a variety of organizational contexts. The study provides the first empirical demonstration that the effect extends beyond satisfaction to include employees' feelings of control within the workplace — a variable with direct consequences for performance, self-management, and overall job satisfaction. These findings are valuable for understanding how leadership behavior shapes organizational culture and for informing the development of more effective leadership practices.
References
Anderson, L. (1990). Extension of the Pelz Effect. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 11(1), 19–32.
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