Direct and indirect effects of supervisor communication on organizational commitment

Abstract

PurposeIn an attempt to gain insight in the contribution of organizational communication to work perceptions, this paper investigates both direct and indirect relationships between supervisor communication and employees' affective organizational commitment. Regarding the indirect relationships, individual perceptions of person‐organization fit and organizational efficacy were included in the model as mediators.Design/methodology/approachA survey from a Dutch provider of telecommunication services (n=456) is analyzed on the relationships between communication, commitment and the proposed mediators, using regression analysis and a confirmatory structural equation model.FindingsBoth person‐organization fit and organizational efficacy were found to partly mediate the main effects of communication and affective commitment. Following the test of mediation of fit and efficacy one by one, a test of the two mediators simultaneously in a confirmatory structural equation model led to a fitting model without any modifications. Further, the most important aspects of communication between manager and employee turns out to be the feedback from the manager, followed by the notion of the manager listening to the employee.Research implications/limitationsGiven that the analyses are based on self‐report in one organization, these results have to be handled cautiously.Practical implicationsSupervisor communication strengthens commitment via a clear view of which values are important, which goals are to be achieved, and how efficacious the organization has been in the past.Originality/valueThe results show how communication – through the managers who are seen to represent the organization – can influence employees' perception of an organization's values and capabilities.

High Performance Human Resource Practices, Identification with Organizational Values and Goals, and Service-Oriented Organizational Citizenship Behavior: A Review of Literature and Proposed Model

“…de Ridder (2004)in his study of 791 employees from various organization in the Netherlands demonstrated that communication produces greater employee commitment. According to Van Vuuren, De Jong, and Seydel (2007),when an organization makes an attempt to provide sufficient information to its employees regarding the organization's vision, goals, and strategies, employees will feel that they are being valued, respected, and trusted by the organization. Furthermore, Van Vuuren et al (2007) advocated that communication helps sharpen employees' view of the things that the organization cherishes.…”

“…According to Van Vuuren, De Jong, and Seydel (2007),when an organization makes an attempt to provide sufficient information to its employees regarding the organization's vision, goals, and strategies, employees will feel that they are being valued, respected, and trusted by the organization. Furthermore, Van Vuuren et al (2007) advocated that communication helps sharpen employees' view of the things that the organization cherishes. As a result, employees' sense of identification with the organizational values will be enhanced.…”

Effect of Supervisor-Subordinate Communication and Leadership Style on Organizational Commitment of Nurses in Health Care Setting

“…Participation in decision-making, the adequacy of information and open communication were all positively related to organisational commitment (Putti, Aryee, & Phua, 1990;Vuuren, de Jong, & Seydel, 2007).…”

Administrators’ Roles in Training Programs and Training Transfer

“…This support can guide employees in applying what they have learned in the training program after they return to work in the workplace. Secondly, communication is generally seen as administrators delivering the information about training content and procedures to employees, explaining the advantages of attending training programs and giving performance feedback to employees who have attended training programs (Chiaburu & Tekleab, 2005;Ismail & Bongogoh, 2007;Vuuren et al, 2007;Ismail et al, 2009). …”

“…For example, the ability of administrators to adequately provide material and moral support, openly communicate the advantages and prospects of training programs, and properly implement voluntary and mandatory assignments may increase trainee motivations to apply what they have learned when returning to the workplace (Saks & Belcourt, 2006;Vuuren et al, 2007;Dawley et al, 2008). Extant studies about training administration have been conducted using different samples in different organizational contexts like perceptions of 207 trainees in an organization in United States , 193 trainees in the engineering group of a manufacturing organization in United States , 10 Korean HR practitioners in Korea (Lim, 2000), 184 employees belonging to 18 banks in Northern Taiwan (Tsai & Tai, 2002), 150 members of a large training and development society in Canada (Saks & Belcourt, 2006), 456 employees in telecommunication services in Dutch (Vuuren et al, 2007), and 346 employees from a manufacturing facility in US (Dawley et al, 2008).…”