Traditional conceptualizations of leader-worker oral communication have been
unidimensional among management theorists (Yukl, 1989). Despite urgings by
academics and managers for more research, little investigation has been con
ducted into the specific roles that language plays in strategically transmitting
leader behavior. In response, recent leadership theory has called for more
sophisticated models to explain leader-worker communication processes, their
relationships with desirable outcomes, and potential areas for improvement
(Conger, 1991; Daft & Wiginton, 1979; Fairhurst & Chandler, 1989; Jablin, 1985;
Jablin & Krone, 1994; Scandura & Graen, 1984; Sullivan, 1988; Waldron, 1991).
The present study addresses this need in two ways: first by developing the
motivating language scale, and then by testing it for reliability and validity.
This scale is based on motivating language theory (MLT) (Sullivan, 1988),
which proposes that strategic managerial application of all three speech acts
will have a significant and positive effect on employee performance and process
outcomes. Research implications and future directions are also discussed.
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