Superior–subordinate communication: The state of the art.

Abstract

Based on a review of the literature, empirical research in the area of superiorsubordinate communication is classified into nine topical categories and critically examined. Inspection of this literature suggests that researchers have focused the majority of their attention on studying (a) the effects of power and status on superior-subordinate communication, (b) trust as a moderator of superior-subordinate communication, and (c) semantic-information distance as a source of misunderstanding in superior-subordinate communication. It is concluded that future research should increasingly be developmental and longitudinal in nature and should take into greater consideration the effects situational variables have on communication in the superior-subordinate dyad.Status hierarchy is inherent in the nature of purposeful organizations. As Redding (1972) observes, within organizations "there are 'superiors' and 'subordinates'-even though these terms may not be expressly used, and even though there may exist fluid arrangements whereby superior and subordinates roles may be reversible" (p. 18). How superiors and subordinates interact and communicate to achieve both personal and organizational goals has been an object of investigation by social scientists for most of the 20th century. Empirical research examining superior-subordinate communication is diverse, is strewn across a multitude of disciplines, lacks coherent organization and classification, and in general, has not received sufficient review and interpretation as a body of literature. The present article attempts to alleviate this confusion by reviewing, classifying, interpreting, and providing directions for future research in the area of organizational communication that is loosely termed superior-subordinate communication.

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

“…Therefore, given the importance of the role of communication in leadership, it is not surprising that a great deal of attention has been paid to the search for a common communication style among effective leaders (Jablin, 1979). Interpersonal leader-subordinate communication is one of the major areas of organisational communication and proper communication and understanding must be clearly denoted between leaders and subordinates (Schwandt & Marquardt, 2000a).…”

“…They believe that leaders with high levels of consideration are more likely to be concerned about interpersonal relations and emphasizing communication with subordinates than leaders who follow initiating structural style (Jablin, 1979;Redding, 1972). In fact, communication between management and staff should be reciprocal and "two-way," and therefore building more "two-way" communication and involvement by the members will result in greater support from management (McCabe & Garavan, 2008).…”

Talking nets: A multiagent connectionist approach to communication and trust between individuals.

“…For instance, researchers explored the role and efficiency of information routing in centralized and hierarchical networks as opposed to more decentralized networks (Jablin, 1979(Jablin, , 1987Leavitt, 1951;Mackenzie, 1976;Shaw, 1964Shaw, , 1978. It was found that as soon as tasks become more complex and multifaceted, groups tend to gravitate naturally to more decentralized networks (Brown & Miller, 2000;Shaw, 1978).…”

Perbezaan Faktor Demografi ke Atas Komunikasi Pegawai-Subordinat, Kualiti Jalinan Hubungan, Tekanan Kerja dan Kepuasan Komunikasi di Jabatan Penjara Malaysia

“…Sehubungan itu, kajian ini dilakukan bertujuan untuk meneliti implikasi perbezaan faktor demografi terhadap pemboleh ubah lain yang terdapat dalam organisasi iaitu Jabatan Penjara. PERBEZAAN (Jablin 1979). Kajian-kajian terkini berkaitan dengan kesan kepelbagaian demografi masih menunjukkan bukti yang tidak meyakinkan (Joshi, Liao & Roh 2011).…”