Communication competence improves organizational effectiveness: How communicative leaders influence employee attitudes, well-being and performance

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a theoretical framework around the concept of communicative leadership.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper puts forward a tentative definition, identifies four main communication behaviours used by leaders and draws on both quantitative and qualitative research traditions to develop eight principles of communicative leadership.

Findings

Communication is such a basic skill – everyone starts communicating pretty much when they first enter the world. And it’s hard to imagine any sort of leadership that doesn’t rely on communication. So why ask for leaders and managers with “good communication skills”? Is it really necessary to be “communicative” to be effective as a leader? What makes a communicative leader – and why does it matter?

Practical implications

The paper proposes a definition of a “communicative leader” that can be empirically tested in future studies.

Social implications

The paper observes that actively engaging followers in discussion, decision-making and problem-solving can have a big impact on attitude and performance.

Originality/value

The paper brings together findings from earlier research on leaders’ communication behaviour to create an integrated theoretical framework.

Citation

(2014), "Communication competence improves organizational effectiveness: How communicative leaders influence employee attitudes, well-being and performance", Strategic Direction, Vol. 30 No. 8, pp. 28-31. https://doi.org/10.1108/SD-08-2014-0097