Leadership Style and Leniency Bias in Evaluation of Employees' Performance

The relationship between leadership style and leniency in merit rating of subordinates was examined in this study. The sample of 35 superiors were in an industrial plant in Israel. The subjects completed the leadership Opinion Questionnaire and assessed their subordinates on the company's standard performance appraisal form of 15 evaluation items. Initiating structure was strongly related to leniency in evaluation of subordinates and in particular to the appraisal of task-related items. Consideration was related only to the appraisal of task-related items. The results are discussed in terms of their implications to development of management and evaluation of performance.