Dyadic Duration and the Performance‐Satisfaction Relationship: A Contextual Perspective 1

This study examined dyadic duration as a contextual variable affecting the relationship between subordinate performance and job satisfaction. Dyadic duration, the length of time a subordinate has been directed by the same immediate superior, was expected to enhance the performance‐satisfaction relationship in dyads of shorter duration and neutralize this relationship in dyads of longer duration. As anticipated, in shorter duration dyads, performance was found to be positively associated with satisfaction with the nature of work, characteristics of supervision, and characteristics of coworkers. For dyads of longer duration, an unexpected inverse relationship was found between performance and all of these same variables. Overall, these results suggest that considering dyadic duration as a contextual variable offers a unique perspective on the relationship between subordinates' performance and job satisfaction.