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A Social Learning Perspective on the Trickle-Down of Psychological Empowerment from Supervisor to Subordinate

Abstract. Because of its relevance for organizations and their employees, psychological empowerment (PE) has received a great deal of attention in research and practice. Supervisors play an important role in the promotion of subordinates’ PE. In the present article, and on the basis of social learning theory, we examine how the supervisor’s perceived and self-reported PE influence the subordinate’s PE. The results of two multi-wave studies involving more than 1,000 participants suggest that the supervisor’s perceived PE can predict the subordinate’s PE. The supervisor’s self-reported PE did not affect the subordinate’s PE: PE does not seem to trickle down from supervisor to subordinate. The relationship between the supervisor’s perceived PE and the subordinate’s PE was stronger when trust in the supervisor was higher. Supervisors who want to promote subordinates’ PE through modeling should therefore ensure that they are perceived as psychologically empowered and invest in relationships of trust with their subordinates.