A Research in the Effects of Active Listening on Corporate Mental Health Training

Abstract

A Research in the Effects of Active Listening on Corporate Mental Health Training: Shinya Kubota, et al. Department of Mental Health, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental Health—The effects of mental health training for corporate administrators, using Active Listening (Experiential Listening) as a major method was investigated. Sixty subjects took part in the mental health training program which consisted of 2 two‐day workshops (a total of 30 hr). The workshop program consisted of a lecture on stress, techniques of relaxation, the practice of Active Listening, and sharing of personal communication experiences in the workplace. Questionnaires which measured the Type A behavior pattern and the effects of Active Listening were collected in the first and last training sessions. The results showed significant differences in the degree of listening in the workplace in six of 27 items in the listening questionnaire and significant differences in three of seven items in the Type A questionnaire. Active Listening training seems to promote the attitudes of “listening genuinely” or “listening seriously” to workers. The practice of better listening may decrease the characteristics of the Type A behavior pattern such as “being busy” or “making others busy.” The mental health method focusing on Active Listening is discussed as a useful training technique for corporate mental health.

Development of an Evidence‐based Guideline for Supervisor Training in Promoting Mental Health: Literature Review

“…Of those, seven controlled studies that met the inclusion criteria were selected [5][6][7][8][9][10][11] (Tables 1 and 2). For the discussion of the content and types of training, five additional studies were included 1,[12][13][14][15][16] .…”

“…Lectures and active listening practice have been incorporated in various programs 5,6,9) . Active listening training to improve supervisors' attitudes of support for their subordinates, by listening to their concerns and mental health problems, has reportedly improved the attitudes of supervisors toward their subordinates 12,13) . The effectiveness of a 30-hour program was demonstrated 12) , and the effect of a 1-day program consisting of role playing and group discussions was subsequently demonstrated 13) .…”

“…Active listening training to improve supervisors' attitudes of support for their subordinates, by listening to their concerns and mental health problems, has reportedly improved the attitudes of supervisors toward their subordinates 12,13) . The effectiveness of a 30-hour program was demonstrated 12) , and the effect of a 1-day program consisting of role playing and group discussions was subsequently demonstrated 13) . Although a direct effect assessment of active listening training has not been performed, it has been demonstrated that workers under supervisors with good attitudes and listening skills have better psychological stress reactions compared with other workers 1) .…”

Active Listening Attitude Scale (ALAS): Reliability and Validity in a Nationwide Sample of Greek Educators

“…Consequently, as shown by the literature's descriptive and experimental research, the interest in active listening has spanned different fields, from marital relationship interventions [18][19][20], to counseling [21,22] and mediation [23], doctor-patient relationships [24,25], nurse-patient relationships [26,27] and even crisis management, such as hostage negotiations [28]. A vast majority of publications for more than 50 years has focused on the corporate world [12,[29][30][31][32] and on the effects of managers' active listening training on workers' mental health [16,17,32,33].…”

Active Empathic Listening Scale (AELS): Reliability and Validity in a Nationwide Sample of Greek Educators

“…Active listening was originally researched in studies investigating counselors' techniques (Rogers and Farson 1979;Meier and Davis 1993;Egan 1998;Levitt 2002). Subsequently, it was investigated in other health-related professions offering support and assistance (Brown et al 2002;Gilbert 2004;Edwards et al 2006;Fassaert et al 2007;Boudreau et al 2009;Santos and Torres 2012;Wloszczak-Szubzda and Jarosz 2012), as well as in the sales and corporate sectors (Kubota et al 2004;Rautalinko and Lisper 2004;Flynn et al 2008;Nishiuchi et al 2007;Ramsey and Sohi 1997;Kubota et al 1997). As a result, there have been studies which have focused on the development of scales assessing active listening mainly in management (e.g., Mishima et al 2000) and medical services (e.g., Fassaert et al 2007) contexts.…”