Supervisor–Subordinate Communication

Abstract

Supervisor–subordinate communication is one of the most studied areas of organizational communication dating back to the founding of the field. A large body of research has identified some of the important characteristics of supervisor–subordinate communication including differences between effective and ineffective supervisors. Effective supervisors are more communication minded, open to listening to their subordinates, and more likely to persuade rather than coerce their subordinates to complete work. More recent research suggests that supervisors treat subordinates differentially. They have partnership or in‐group relationships with some subordinates with whom they share information freely, consult on decision making, and have personal or informal relationships; with other subordinates they have overseer or out‐group relationships in which they have formal relationships primarily focused on work issues. A recent trend in supervisor–subordinate communication studies is to examine how supervisors manage dialectical tensions such as the need for structure and the need for flexibility.