| A construction foreman's inability to properly supervise his workers is thought to be a cause of the declining cost effectiveness of the construction industry. It may be, however, that there are characteristics about construction carpenters and their work environment that negate the ability of the foreman to influence satisfaction and performance. These characteristics are popularly described as "Substitutes for Leadership." "Substitutes for Leadership" Theory was originally proposed by Steven Kerr in 1977 and has since generated substantial interest among leadership researchers. Leadership in construction however, has been virtually ignored.;This thesis identified thirteen potential substitutes in the construction work environment and developed self-reported measures for them. Leader behaviors, satisfactions, performance, and role ambiguity and conflict items were also identified and adapted for use in a questionnaire. The subject population of 8,826 carpenters was the membership of a carpenters' district council for a major Midwestern metropolitan area. A total of 1,316 usable questionnaires were returned by journeyman or apprentices.;Factor analysis, reliability analysis, correlation analysis and analysis of variance were all used to identify relationships that were entered into a stepwise multiple regression procedure. Many relationships were found indicating the existence of "Substitutes for Leadership" in the unionized carpentry environment. A substitute strength classification procedure identified four levels of substitution: (1) "Very Strong"; (2) "Strong"; (3) "Moderate"; and (4) "Weak". Of the fourteen hypotheses proposed, six were supported, three could not be tested and five were rejected.;The two most powerful "Substitutes for Leadership" in construction carpentry were Ability, Experience, Training, and Knowledge (AETK) and Closely-knit Cohesive Work Crews (COHES). AETK had strong and very strong substitution effects on the self-reported performance comparison and performance evaluation measures used. COHES had a moderate substitution effect on a number of the satisfaction measures used. Regression coefficients for each of the 324 equations conducted are presented. Areas of future research for leadership in construction are identified and discussed. |
