Subordinate–manager communication in different sex dyads: Consequences for job satisfaction

Abstract

The study examined how male and female managers, and their male and female subordinates, perceive the nature of their communication with each other, and the consequences of these perceptions upon the subordinates' levels of job satisfaction. A total of 273 middle managers, and one of their subordinates, completed a structured questionnaire that investigated their communication with each other in terms of frequency and initiation (quantity), levels of recognition and self‐disclosure (quality), and levels of dominance by managers. Across dyads, managers did not differ in their perceptions of their communication with their subordinates, generally believing that they communicated more often and with more recognition than subordinates. Some of the largest differences in perceptions occurred with task‐oriented female managers and their subordinates. Female subordinates who had male or female managers judged fewer opportunities for communication with their managers, and less recognition of their opinions and opportunities for self‐disclosure. Where regression analyses were significant, subordinates with higher levels of job satisfaction reported more communication and a higher quality of communication with their managers. Congruence scores based on subordinates' and managers' reports about their communication with each other were not strong predictors of subordinate job satisfaction.