Role Development Processes

Role development process

How relationships and roles form between supervisors and subordinates through communication. Example: A boss and assistant developing mutual understanding of work habits.

George Graen and colleagues

Researchers who created the Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) theory to explain how leader–subordinate relationships evolve over time.

Leader-Member Exchange Theory (LMX)

A theory showing how leaders form different types of relationships—close and trusting (“in-group”) or distant and formal (“out-group”). Example: A manager who gives extra tasks and mentoring to trusted team members.

LMX three phases

Role taking, role making, and role routinization describe how the leader–member relationship develops.

Role-taking phase

Leader gives tasks to see the subordinate’s skills. Example: A manager testing a new hire with simple projects.

Role-making phase

Leader and subordinate negotiate expectations and build trust. Example: An employee suggesting new ideas that the boss adopts.

Role-routinization phase

Roles and relationships become stable and predictable. Example: A seasoned employee who knows exactly how to meet the boss’s expectations.

In-group

Employees who have high trust, strong communication, and greater responsibility with leaders. Example: A senior worker often asked to handle key clients.

Out-group

Employees who have limited interaction and perform only basic job tasks. Example: A new employee who follows assigned tasks without much leader input.

Beyond the leadership dyad

Recognizes that leadership relationships also involve peers and teams, not just one-on-one connections. Example: Team collaboration shaping work relationships beyond just the boss.