Perceived power as a mediator of management communication style and employee satisfaction: A preliminary investigation

Differential usage of the five bases of power as conceptualized by French and Raven (1968) were examined to determine which base(s) of power mediated the Management Communication Style (MCS) of a supervisor. In addition, the supervisor's communication of each type of power was examined for relationships with employee satisfaction. Two samples are employed, one a group of 250 public‐school teachers and the other a group of 171 managers representing banking, service industries, and a product‐based organization. Results indicate that both samples associated the communication of coercive power with a “boss‐centered,” tell‐type MCS and negative job satisfaction. Both samples responded positively to increased use of referent and expert power. Reward power seems to have little positive impact for either sample. Lastly, legitimate power had a negative impact on MCS for the management sample.