Effective communication is critical for leaders to influence and create an impact within and outside organizations. Despite this, questions are raised regarding the efficacy & effectiveness of organizational leaders in conducting meaningful communication & conversations with their teams. Often, organizations are unsure of the specific leadership communication attributes and their outcomes at the individual, team and organizational levels. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of leaders’ communication on the feelings and thoughts of subordinates and to identify attributes for a possible measure of ‘effective leadership communication’. On the basis of ‘communicative leadership’ theorization by Johansson et al. (2014), primary data was collected from employees’ across organizations. The study reveals gaps in the leader’s communication competence and suggests a need for more meaningful conversation with subordinates. The study proposes a tool for leadership communication assessment comprising two factors: transforming thoughts and transforming individuals.
ArendtJ. F., VerdorferA. P., & KuglerK. G. (2019). Mindfulness and leadership: Communication as a behavioral correlate of leader mindfulness and its effect on follower satisfaction. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 667. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00667
2.
AvolioB. J., BassB. M., & JungD. I. (1999). Re-examining the components of transformational and transactional leadership using the multifactor leadership. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 72(4), 441–462.
3.
AwamlehR., & GardnerW. L. (1999). Perceptions of leader charisma and effectiveness: The effects of vision content, delivery, and organizational performance. The Leadership Quarterly, 10(3), 345–373. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1048-9843(99)00022-3
4.
BargeJ. K., & FairhurstG. T. (2008). Living leadership: A systemic constructionist approach. Leadership, 4(3), 227–251.
5.
BassB. M., & AvolioB. J. (1992). Transformational leadership development: Manual for the multifactor leadership questionnaire. Consulting Psychologist Press.
6.
BassB. M., & BassR. (2008). Handbook of leadership: Theory, research, and application. Free Press.
7.
BergmanS. (2020). When communication professionals become trainers: A new role. Journal of Communication Management, 24(2), 85–102. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCOM-07-2019-0103
8.
BersonA. S., & StieglitzR. G. (2013). Leadership conversations: Challenging high potential managers to become great leaders. John Wiley & Sons.
9.
BrownO., Paz-AparicioC., & RevillaA. J. (2019). Leader's communication style, LMX and organizational commitment: A study of employee perceptions in Peru. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 40(2), 230–258.
10.
BrymanA. (2011). Mission accomplished? Research methods in the first five years of leadership. Leadership, 7(1), 73–83.
11.
ChaikenS., LibermanA., & EaglyA. H. (1989). Heuristic and systematic information processing within and beyond the persuasion context. In J. S. Uleman, & J. A. Bargh (Eds.), Unintended thought (pp. 212–252). Guilford Press.
12.
ChhokarJ. S. (2004). Leadership and culture in India: The GLOBE research project. http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.198.9461
13.
ClutterbuckD., & HirstS. (2002). Leadership communication: A status report. Journal of communication Management, 6(4), 351–354.
14.
CrevaniL., LindgrenM., & PackendorffJ. (2007). Shared leadership: A post-heroic perspective on leadership as a collective construction. International Journal of Leadership Studies, 3(1), 40–67.
DastmalchianA., RezacD., SteinkeC., ImerP., BayraktarS., & MuzykaD. (2020). Connectorship: A new frontier for engaged leadership. Organizational Dynamics. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orgdyn.2019.02.007
17.
De VriesR. E., Bakker-PieperA., & OostenveldW. (2010). Leadership = communication? The relations of leaders' communication styles with leadership styles, knowledge sharing and leadership outcomes. Journal of Business and Psychology, 25(3), 367–380.
18.
FairhurstG. T. (2001). Dualisms in leadership research. In F. M. Jablin, & L. L. Putnam (Eds.), The new handbook of organizational communication: Advances in theory, research, and methods (pp. 379–439). SAGE Publications.
19.
FairhurstG.T., & ConnaughtonS. L. (2014). Leadership: A communicative perspective. Leadership, 10(1), 7–35.
20.
FisherD., & FreyN. (2014). Using teacher learning walks to improve instruction. Principal Leadership, 14(5), 58–61.
21.
FreseM., BeimelS., & SchoenbornS. (2003). Action training for charismatic leadership: Two evaluations of studies of a commercial training module on inspirational communication of a vision. Personnel Psychology, 56(3), 671–697. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2003.tb00754.x
22.
FreudS. (1913). Totem and taboo: Some points of agreement between the mental lives of savages and neurotics. Norton.
23.
FreudS. (1922). Group psychology and the analysis of the ego (J. Strachey Trans.). Hogarth Press and the Institute of Psycho-analysis.
24.
Gallup Consulting. (2008). Employee engagement: What's your engagement ratio?http://mvonederland.nl/system/files/media/gallup_2008_pdf
25.
GambleT. K., & GambleM. (2013). Communication works (XI ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
26.
GilesS. (2016). The most important leadership competencies, according to leaders around the world. https://hbr.org/2016/03/the-most-important-leadership-competencies-according-to-leaders-around-the-world
27.
GlaserJ. E. (2013). Conversational intelligence: How great leaders build trust and get extraordinary results. https://www.conversationalintelligence.com/images/pdf/Sums-Conversational-Intelligence.pdf
28.
GraenG. B., & &Uhl-BienM. (1995). Relationship-based approach to leadership: Development of leader-member exchange (LMX) theory of leadership over 25 years: Applying a multi-level multi-domain perspective. The Leadership Quarterly, 6(2), 219–247.
29.
GronnP. (2002). Distributed leadership as a unit of analysis. The Leadership Quarterly, 13, 423–451. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1048-9843(02)00120-0
30.
GroysbergB., & SlindM. (2012a). Leadership is a conversation: Talking with employees, rather than to them, can promote operational flexibility, employee engagement, and tight strategic alignment. Harvard Business Journal, 90(6), 76–85.
31.
GroysbergB., & SlindM. (2012b). Talk, Inc.: How trusted leaders use conversation to power their organizations. Harvard Business Press.
32.
HairJ. F., TathamR. L., & AndersonR. E. (2010). Multivariate data analysis. Prentice Hall.
33.
HartogD.N., & VerburgR. M. (1997). Charisma and rhetoric: Communicative techniques of international business leaders. The Leadership Quarterly, 8(4), 355–391. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1048-9843(97)90020-5
34.
IslamT., AhmadU. N. U. B., & AhmedI. (2013). Organizational learning culture and leader-member exchange quality: The way to enhance organizational commitment and reduce turnover intentions. The Learning Organization.
35.
JianG. (2019). Transforming the present moment through conversation and narrative: Toward a hermeneutic leadership theory. Communication Theory, 29(1), 86–106.
36.
JianG., & DalisayF. (2015). Conversation at work: The effects of leader-member conversational quality. Communication Research, 44(2), 177–197. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650214565924
37.
JianG., ShiX., & DalisayF. (2014). Leader–member conversational quality: Scale development and validation through three studies. Management Communication Quarterly, 28(3), 375–403. https://doi.org/10.1177/0893318914533201
38.
JohanssonC. (2015). Empowering employees through communicative leadership. In G. Goncalves, I. Somerville, & A. Melo (Eds.), Organizational and strategic communication research: Communication for empowerment (pp. 85–110). LabCom.
39.
JohanssonC., MillerV. D., & HamrinS. (2011). Communicative leadership: Theories, concepts, and central communication behaviors. Mittuniversitetet. https://www.slideshare.net/SolangeHamrin/demicom-com-lead-rapport
40.
JohanssonC., MillerV. D., & HamrinS. (2014). Conceptualizing communicative leadership: A framework for analysing and developing leaders' communication competence. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 19(2), 147–165.
41.
KarkR. (2012). The Oxford handbook of positive organizational scholarship. Oxford University Press.
42.
Ketchum Leadership Communication Monitor. (2014). Ketchum leadership communication monitor (Ketchum public relations). http://www.ketchum.com/leadershipcommunication-monitor-2014
43.
KirkpatrickS. A., & LockeE. A. (1996). Direct and indirect effects of three core charismatic leadership components on performance and attitudes. Journal of Applied Psychology, 81, 36–51. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.81.1.36
44.
KramerM. W., & CrespyD. A. (2011). Communicating collaborative leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 22(5), 1024–1037.
45.
LandryL. (2019, November 14). 8 essential leadership communication skills: HBS online. https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/leadership-communication
46.
Le BonG. (1960[1895]). The crowd: A study of the popular mind (La psychologie des foules). Viking Press.
47.
McCannJ. (2014). Harness the power. 10 principles for mastering conversational leadership. Smart Business Cleveland. http://www.sbnonline.com/article/jim-mccann-ten-principle-for-mastering-conversation-leadership
48.
McCartneyW. W., & CampbellC. R. (2006). Leadership, management, and derailment: A model of individual success and failure. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 27(3), 190–202. https://doi.org/10.1108/01437730610657712
49.
MenL. R., & RobinsonK. L. (2018). It's about how employees feel! examining the impact of emotional culture on employee–organization relationships. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 23(4), 470–491.
50.
MintzbergH. (1973). The nature of managerial work. Harper Collins College.
51.
MoldoveanuM., & NarayandasD. (2019). The future of leadership development. Harvard Business Review, 97(2), 40–48.
52.
NewmanS. A., & FordR. C. (2021). Five steps to leading your team in the virtual COVID-19 workplace. Organizational Dynamics, 50(1), 100802.
53.
NorthouseP. G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and practice (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.
54.
PallantJ. (2007). SPSS survival manual. Open University Press
55.
PettyR. E., & CacioppoJ. T. (1984). The effects of involvement on responses to argument quantity and quality: Central and peripheral routes to persuasion. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 46(1), 69–81.
56.
PopliS., & RizviI. (2015). Exploring the relationship between service orientation, employee engagement and perceived leadership style: a study of managers in the private service sector organizations in India. Journal of Services Marketing, 29(1), 59–70. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-06-2013-0151
57.
PopliS., & RizviI. A. (2016). Drivers of employee engagement: The role of leadership style. Global Business Review, 17(4), 965–979.
58.
RiggioR. E., RiggioH. R., SalinasC., & ColeE. J. (2003). The role of social and emotional communication skills in leader emergence and effectiveness. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 7, 83–103.
59.
RubenB. D. (2005). Linking communication scholarship and professional practice in colleges and universities. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 33, 294–304.
60.
RubenB. D., & GigliottiR. A. (2016). Leadership as social influence: An expanded view of leadership communication theory and practice. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 23(4), 467–479.
61.
Salas-VallinaA., SimoneC., & Fernández-GuerreroR. (2020). The human side of leadership: Inspirational leadership effects on follower characteristics and happiness at work (HAW). Journal of Business Research, 107, 162–171.
62.
SchwarzO. (2011). Who moved my conversation? Instant messaging, intertextuality and new regimes of intimacy and truth. Media, Culture and Society, 33(1), 71–87.
63.
ShamirB., ArthurM. B., & HouseR. J. (1994). The rhetoric of charismatic leadership: A theoretical extension, a case study, and implications for research. The Leadership Quarterly, 5(1), 25–42.
64.
SongJ. H., KolbJ. A., LeeU. H., & KimH. K. (2012). Role of transformational leadership in effective organizational knowledge creation practices: Mediating effects of employees' work engagement. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 23(1), 65–101.
65.
StephensonC. (2011). How leadership has changed. Ivey Business Journal, 75(4), 16–17.
66.
TabachnickB. G., & FidellL. S. (2007). Using multivariate statistics. Allyn & Bacon.
67.
TengbladS. (2006). Is there a 'new managerial work'? A comparison with Henry Mintzberg's classic study 30 years later. Journal of Management Studies, 43(7), 1437–1461.
68.
ThayerL. (1988). Leadership/communication: A critical review and a modest proposal. In G. M. Goldhaber, & G. A. Barnett (Eds.), Handbook of organizational communication (pp. 231–263). Ablex.
69.
ThayerL. (2003). Communication: Sine qua non of the behavioural sciences. In BuddR. W., & RubenB. D. (Eds.), Approaches to human communication (2nd ed., pp. 7–31). Spartan-Hayden.
70.
TourishD. (2014). Leadership, more or less? A processual, communication perspective on the role of agency in leadership theory. Leadership, 10(1), 79–98. https://doi.org/10.1177/1742715013509030
71.
TowlerA. J. (2003). Effects of charismatic influence training on attitudes, behavior, and performance. Personnel Psychology, 56(2), 363–381. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2003.tb00154.x
72.
Uhl-BienM. (2006). Relational leadership theory: Exploring the social processes of leadership and organizing. The Leadership Quarterly, 17(6), 654–676.
73.
Uhl-BienM., MarionR., & McKelveyB. (2007). Complexity leadership theory: Shifting leadership from the industrial age to the knowledge era. The Leadership Quarterly, 18(4), 298–318.
74.
Vincent-HoperS., MuserC., & JanneckM. (2012). Transformational leadership, work engagement, and occupational success. Career Development International, 17(7), 663–682.
75.
WalumbwaF. O., & SchaubroeckJ. (2009). Leader personality traits and employee voice behavior: Mediating roles of ethical leadership and work group psychological safety. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94(5), 1275.
76.
WatsonJ. (2021, April 07). Communication effectiveness skills for business leaders. https://accruemarketing.com/communication-effectiveness/
77.
WatzlawickP., & BeavinJ. (1967). Some formal aspects of communication. American Behavioral Scientist, 10(8), 4–8.
78.
WatzlawickP., BavelasJ. B., & JacksonD. D. (2011). Pragmatics of human communication: A study of interactional patterns, pathologies and paradoxes. WW Norton & Company.
79.
WeberM. (1946[1921]). The sociology of charismatic authority. In H. H. Gert & C. W. Mills (Trans. & Eds.), From Max Weber: Essay in sociology (pp. 245–252). Oxford University Press.
80.
WyattW. (2006). Effective communication: A leading indicator of financial performance. Watson Wyatt Worldwide.
81.
YuanB. J., LinM. B., ShiehJ. H., & LiK. P. (2012). Transforming employee engagement into long-term customer relationships: Evidence from information technology salespeople in Taiwan. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 40(9), 1549–1553.
82.
YuklG. (2012). Effective leadership behavior: What we know and what questions need more attention. Academy of Management Perspectives, 26(4), 66–85.
