Communication-Related Abilities and Upward Mobility.

Abstract

This article reports the results from a four-year investigation of the relationships among four measures of social cognitive and communication abilities-cognitive differentiation, self-monitoring, perspective-taking, and persuasive ability-and the relationships of these measures to job leveland upward mobility in a large &st Coast insurance company. The data revealed significant relationships among all combinations of the communication-related abilities. Each was signijkantly related to job level, and three of the four were significontry related to upward mobility.Stepwise multiple-regression analyses revealed that, of the four communication-related abilities, cognitive differentiation accountedfor the most variance inpredicting job level and upward mobility. The findings suggest that communication abilities are important to the success of individuals in organizations. Persons with more developed abilities tended to be found at higher levels in the organizational hierarchy and tended to be promoted more often than persons with less developed abilities.There is little disagreement about the importance of communication in work situations. Indeed, without communication there would be no organization. Communication is the vehicle through which a new employee becomes socialized, a subordinate takes instructions, a supervisor gives instructions, a salesperson completes a transaction with a customer, or an employee interacts with other employees in social situations. Roles are defined, enacted, and coordinated through the Beverly Davenport Sypher (Ph.D., University of Michigan, 198 I) is assistant professor in the

The value of virtue in the upper echelons: A multisource examination of executive character strengths and performance

“…Managers' tacit knowledge was shown to be the best single predictor of effectiveness in two managerial simulations (Sternberg, Wagner, & Okagaki, 1993). Prior empirical research demonstrates that people who possess greater ability to integrate perspectives are more likely to receive higher performance ratings in project leadership tasks (Green, 2004) and be promoted based on previous successful performance (Sypher & Zorn, 1986). Mumford, Friedrich, Caughron, and Antes (2009) suggested that perspective provides executives with greater information and cognitive ability to effectively perform five key executive tasks: environmental scanning, case analysis, forecasting, idea generation, and planning.…”

Structure of interpersonal construct systems: One system or many?

“…Burleson (1987) cited more than 40 studies that support this relationship. Other constructivist studies have shown that construct systems become more differentiated with age and are characterized by a change from concrete to abstract (Scarlett, Press, & Crockett, 1971), that females' construct systems are generally more complex than males' (Delia, Clark, & Switzer, 1974), that persons with complex systems are better able to integrate inconsistent information and behavior (Nidorf & Crockett, 1965), that cognitively complex persons are better able to take others' perspectives in social situations (Hale & Delia, 1976), that cognitively complex persons are not as dependent as cognitively simple persons on simplifying cognitive schemas when trying to understand social situations (Delia & Crockett, 1973), and that persons with more complex systems are more likely than those with less complex systems to be upwardly mobile in organizational settings (B. D. Sypher & Zorn, 1986).…”

Interpersonal constructs and communicative ability in a police environment: A preliminary investigation

“…The simplest explanation is that social cognitive dispositions are negatively influenced by participation on the police force. Perhaps, however, highly developed perceivers have been promoted (perhaps due to their skill at communication; see Sypher & Zorn, 1986), or they decide to not participate in police work, either by quitting or by never being interested in the first place. In our path diagram we have placed length of service ahead of social cognition in the causal chain, but one can rather easily envision other arrangements.…”

“…First, persons with highly developed construct systems may be less likely to choose to become police officers. Second, Sypher and Zorn (1986) have shown that individuals with more developed construct systems are more upwardly mobile in organizational contexts. Since our subject population consists solely of line officers, it is conceivable that the persons with more developed construct systems have been promoted to administrative positions.…”

“…Sypher and Zorn (1986) have demonstrated clear relations between construct system development, person-centered communication, and upward mobility in corporate settings. Person-centered communication has also been related to more effective leadership in organizational contexts (Husband, 1981).…”