Topic: Organizational Communication
Author(s), Title and Publication
Muchinsky, P. M. (1977). Organizational Communication: Relationships to Organizational Climate and Job Satisfaction. Academy of Management Journal, 20(4), 592-607.
Summary
This foundational study examined the relationship of organizational communication to organizational climate and job satisfaction. Employees (n=695) of a large public utility participated in a survey that measured their perceived organizational climate (i.e., how communication occurs and the context for it), job satisfaction (e.g., satisfaction with work, supervision, pay, promotion, and co-workers etc.), and perceptions of organizational communication (e.g., trust, desire for interaction, accuracy, mobility, and so forth).
Results indicated that certain dimensions of organizational communication were highly related to both organizational climate and job satisfaction. Specifically, in an organization where the supervisors trust their employees and deliver accurate and adequate information to employees, employees are more likely to be satisfied with their job, think more positively about the organizational management and interpersonal relationships within the organization (i.e., organizational climate), and identify more with the organization (i.e., organizational identification). The results also suggested that employees who are less satisfied with their job might primarily communicate with co-workers, while those who have higher job satisfaction are more likely to communicate with their supervisors more often.
Implications for Practice
To improve employees’ job satisfaction, supervisors can build greater trust with their employees, provide them with a continuous and accurate flow of information, and encourage interactive communication within the work unit and organization.
Location of Article
The article is available online at: http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/255359?uid=3739520&uid=2129&uid=2134&uid=367896791&uid=2&uid=70&uid=3&uid=367896781&uid=3739256&uid=60&sid=21101673911621 (read online for free, free registration needed)
