MORALE AS RELATED TO PERCEPTIONS OF LEADER BEHAVIOR

RESEARCH WAS CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE THE RELATION OF THE MORALE OF GEORGIA COOPERATIVE EXTENSION AGENTS AND THEIR PERCEPTIONS OF THE LEADER BEHAVIOR OF THEIR IMMEDIATE SUPERVISOR, THE COUNTY AGENT CHAIRMAN. COUNTY AGENT CHAIRMEN WHO WERE FAVORABLY PERCEIVED BY EXTENSION AGENTS IN PERSONAL INTERACTIONS WERE ALSO PERCEIVED AS BEING EFFECTIVE IN PLANNING AND DIRECTING ORGANIZATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT. ALTHOUGH EVALUATIONS WERE FAVORABLE ON BOTH SCALES, COUNTY EXTENSION AGENTS WERE MORE CRITICAL OF THEIR COUNTY AGENT CHAIRMAN WITH RESPECT TO THE INITIATING STRUCTURE VARIABLE THAN FOR THE CONSIDERATION VARIABLE. AGENTS MAY FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE TO CRITICIZE THE MORE IMPERSONAL ELEMENTS OF THE WORK, AND ARE RELUCTANT TO CRITICIZE THE CHAIRMAN AS A PERSON BECAUSE OF DIFFICULTY IN SEPARATING THE CHAIRMAN AS A COLLEAGUE AND FRIEND FROM HIS ROLE AS INSTITUTIONAL LEADER. PERHAPS COUNTY AGENT CHAIRMEN ARE MORE ATTENTIVE TO CONSIDERATION BEHAVIOR OR INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS THAN TO TASK-ORIENTED OR INITIATING STRUCTURE BEHAVIOR.