Sims, Jr., H. P. & Szilagy, A. D. (1975). "Leader Reward Behavior and Subordinate Satisfaction and Performance." Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, v14, no. 3, pp. 426-438.


The study found that in a hospital environment, leader reward behavior was factorable into two components - positive reward behavior and punitive reward behavior. The relationships between each component of leader reward behavior and subordinate satisfaction and performance were studied across 4 main classifications of occupational skills - administrative, technical, professional, and service. Consistent positive relationships across the 4 skill groups were found between positive reward behavior and subordinate satisfaction. The relationships between punitive reward behavior and subordinate satisfaction and performance were different, however, among the 4 skill groups. It was proposed that variations in the findings from skill group to skill group may be due in part to the nature of the task performed by each group.