The purpose of this study was to clarify the process by which managers of organizations acquire supportive
leadership over their subordinates. Semi-structured interviews of 11 managers from companies
and government administrative offices were conducted, and as a result of analyzing the verbatim records
of the interviews using the Modified Grounded Theory Approach (a qualitative data analysis method), 40
concepts were generated, which were organized into five categories and 16 sub-categories. In the first
category, “initial experiences,” the interviewees gained experience acting as leaders at home, school, and
so forth, and challenged adults, for instance, through acts of rebellion against teachers. In the second category,
“initial experiences as adults,” the interviewees worked diligently with the support of their bosses
and learned how to do their jobs in their own ways. In the third category, “initial experiences as managers,”
while the interviewees pursued their ideals as managers using input from their bosses, they experienced
failure. However, thanks to inputs from others around them, they made fresh achievements and acquired
the mind-set of managers; by gaining successful experiences, they transitioned to the fourth
category, “approaching maturity as managers.” They gained confidence in their work as managers by
looking back and reflecting on their careers, and thus arrived at the fifth category, “acquiring supportive
leadership.” It was apparent that they went through a process of gaining comprehensive confidence, exceeding
the bounds of work, as they began to exert supportive leadership over their subordinates. These
results suggest that feedback from others, an attitude of taking on adversity, and looking back and reflecting
on the past are significant factors in the acquisition of supportive leadership skills.
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