Conceptualizing and Validating Organizational Communication Patterns and Their Associations with Employee Outcomes

Abstract

Using Ritchie and Fitzpatrick’s conceptualization of family communication patterns, we developed a scale of communication patterns within an organizational context. Three studies (total N = 877) were conducted to develop the new measurement and demonstrate its psychometric properties. The item generation (Study 1) and the exploratory factor analysis (Study 2) revealed that conformity had both positive and negative dimensions. The confirmatory factor analysis (Study 3) demonstrated the strength of the factor structure for the two dimensions of conformity and the conversation orientation. Results indicated that positive conformity and conversation orientations were positively related to constructive employee outcomes (e.g., organizational commitment and employee engagement) and negatively related to detrimental employee outcomes (e.g., turnover intentions and burnout). The negative conformity orientation demonstrated the opposite relationship to employee outcomes. Finally, regression analyses indicated that interaction effects occurred between the conformity dimensions and the conversation orientation for several employee outcomes.