All About Your Supervisor!

   As part of my requirements for obtaining a Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology at the University at Albany, I need to conduct research for my dissertation and would be very grateful if you could spend short time filling out a survey for a study entitled “All About Your Supervisor”. The survey contains questions about your supervisor, your attitudes towards your work, and some other information about yourself. This should take about 20-30 minutes to complete and should be done and should be done in such a way that it doesn’t interfere with your work tasks. Participation in this study is completely voluntary. Your responses will be strictly confidential._____________________________________________________________________________________________________________       Your responses will be identified by a participant number which is not tied to your name. All information obtained in this study is strictly confidential unless disclosure is required by law. In addition, the Institutional Review Board and University may inspect these records. We do not anticipate any risk in your participation other than you may become uncomfortable answering some of the questions. You may choose to stop participating at any time and you do not have to answer every question. Although you may not receive direct benefit from your participation, others may ultimately benefit from the knowledge obtained from this research. I ask that you answer as accurately and frankly as possible, because your responses will better help us understand human psychology in the workplace.
     If you have any questions about the study, please ask me, Ellen Weissblum, doctoral student (A.B.D.), [email protected], 518 258-0555, or Dr. Sylvia Roch, Associate Professor of Psychology at the University at Albany, [email protected], 442-5962. If you have any questions concerning your rights as a research participant that have not been answered by the investigator or if you wish to report any concerns about the study, you may contact the University at Albany Office of Regulatory Research Compliance at 518-442-9050, 800-365-9139 or [email protected].
  This project has been approved by the University at Albany Institutional Review Board. Approval of this project only signifies that the procedures adequately protect the rights and welfare of the participants. Please note that absolute confidentiality cannot be guaranteed due to the limited protections of Internet access. Please be sure to close your browser when finished so no one will be able to see what you have been doing.
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  Thank you for your consideration! If you are 18 years of age or older,understand the statements above, and freely consent to participate in the study, click on the "I Agree" checkbox to begin the survey.

I agree

In person visit by researcher(s)

When filling out this survey, please think of the specific supervisor you currently have or had in the past, at a paying job, who best fits the following description:

This supervisor treated me with dignity

This supervisor treated me with respect

This supervisor refrained from improper remarks and comments

This supervisor treated me politely

This should be a supervisor you remember well. It is okay if the supervisor you are thinking of does not fit this description perfectly. If you cannot think of a supervisor you have had who fits this description at all, you can just use your current supervisor.

When filling out this survey, please think of the specific supervisor you currently have or had in the past, at a paying job, who best fits the following description:

This supervisor treated me with very little dignity

This supervisor treated me with very little respect

This supervisor made improper remarks and comments

This supervisor was rude to me

Currently or Less than one year ago

At least one year but less than 2 years ago

At least 2 years but less than 5 years ago

At least 5 years but less than 10 years ago

10 years ago or more

At least one year but less than 2 years

At least 2 years but less than 5 years

At least 5 years but less than 10 years

At least one year but less than 2 years

At least 2 years but less than 5 years

At least 5 years but less than 10 years

Other non-government business/industry

Below is a list of statements which may be used in describing behaviors that supervisors in work organizations can direct toward their subordinates. First carefully read each descriptive statement, thinking in terms of the supervisor you have chosen to use to complete the survey. Then decide to what extent you agree that the supervisor you are thinking of could do this to you. Select the choice which most closely represents how you feel.

This supervisor could...

12. Increase my pay level

13. Make me feel valued

14. Give me undesirable job assignments

15. Make me feel like he/she approves of me

16. Make me feel that I have commitments to meet

17. Make me feel personally accepted

18. Make me feel important

19. Give me good technical suggestions

20. Make my work difficult for me

21. Share with me his/her considerable experience and/or training

22. Make things unpleasant here

23. Make being at work distasteful

24. Influence my getting a pay raise

25. Make me feel like I should satisfy my job requirements

26. Provide me with sound job-related advice

27. Provide me with special benefits

28. Influence my getting a promotion

29. Give me the feeling that I have responsibilities to fulfill

30. Provide me with the needed technical knowledge

31. Make me recognize that I have tasks to accomplish

First carefully read each descriptive statement, thinking in terms of the supervisor you have chosen to use to complete the survey. Then select the choice on the right which most closely represents how much you agree or disagree with each statement regarding that supervisor.

32. This supervisor treats me in a polite manner.

33. This supervisor treats me with dignity.

34. This supervisor treats me with respect.

35. This supervisor refrains from improper remarks or comments.

36. This supervisor does not tell others private information about me.

37. This supervisor is rude to me.

38. This supervisor sometimes lies to me.

I know that in the past this supervisor has …

39. Helped get someone fired

40. Helped get someone transferred to a less desirable position

41. The way this person acts if he or she wants another person to do something makes you say “No” inwardly.

42. The way this person acts if he or she wants another person to do something elicits in you the feeling that you don’t want to give in one inch

43. The way this person acts makes you disagree, regardless of whether he or she is right or wrong

44. This supervisor has a lot of knowledge relevant to the job

45. This supervisor is one of the more knowledgeable people around the office

46. This supervisor is well-liked around the office

47. This supervisor is a mentor or role-model to people around the office

48. This supervisor has helped someone get a raise or bonus

49. This supervisor has helped someone get a promotion

50. This supervisor can give someone more desirable work assignments

51. This supervisor has traveled to the moon several times

Please rate in working for the supervisor you are thinking of, how much did or do you feel...

52. liked and accepted

53. imposed upon

54. told what to do

55. criticized

56. left with a choice about what to do

57. identified with

58. free to do what you want

59. disapproved of

60. respected in the right to make your own decision

61. empathized with

62. made to look bad

63. like you could choose whether or not to carry out the request

64. made to feel bad about yourself

65. thought highly of

66. I followed this supervisor's orders.

67. I preferred not to comply with the directives of this supervisor.

68. I liked to do what this supervisor suggests.

69. I followed the work-procedures set up by this supervisor.

70. I preferred not to comply with this supervisor's instructions

71. I complied with this supervisor’s wishes.

72. I preferred to follow the work-procedures set up by this supervisor.

73. I did what this supervisor suggested.

74. I complied with the instructions of this supervisor.

75. I didn't like to follow this supervisor's orders.

76. I liked it when this supervisor treated me in a rude manner.

Well below average, in the bottom 25%

Moderately below average, in the bottom 40%

Moderately above average, in the top 40%

Well above average, in the top 25%

Some (less than half)

More than half of them

A great deal of power

Absolute or nearly absolute power

Neither well nor badly

I have all or almost all of the power in this relationship

I have somewhat more power than the supervisor

The supervisor and I have about an equal amount of power

The supervisor has somewhat more power than me

The supervisor has all or almost all of the power in this relationship

Below are a series of statements with which you may either agree or disagree. For each statement, please indicate the degree of your agreement\disagreement. Once again, remember that your first responses are usually the most accurate

82. Some groups of people are simply not the equals of others.

83 To get ahead in life, it is sometimes necessary to step on others.

84. Some people are just inferior to others.

85. Increased economic equality.

86. It is important that we treat other countries as equals.

87. If people were treated more equally we would have fewer problems in this country.

88. Some people are just more worthy than others.

89. Increased social equality.

90. All humans should be treated equally.

91. This country would be better off if we cared less about how equal all people were.

92. Some people are just more deserving than others.

93. Equality.

94. It is not a problem if some people have more of a chance in life than others.

95. I make all my own clothes and shoes

96. In an ideal world, all nations would be equal.

The most polite supervisor I have had

The most rude supervisor I have had

I am just using my current supervisor