The Effects of Supervisor and Subordinate Age on Objective Performance and Subjective Performance Ratings

Abstract

The effects of subordinate and supervisor age on objective and subjective performance ratings were examined in a field study covering the period from 1980 through 1986. Archival data on sales representatives and their supervisors were collected from the southern United States region of a large corporation. Results revealed that older employees performed better according to objective measures as well as on subjective performance ratings. Findings also demonstrated that subordinates of older supervisors achieved higher levels of objective performance than did subordinates of younger supervisors. Recommendations are discussed for theory development and experimental studies to resolve some of the inconsistencies in the literature.