The Influence of Supervisor Temperament on Subordinate Job Satisfaction and Perceptions of Supervisor Sociocommunicative Orientation and Approachability

Abstract

The goal of this study was to re-examine McCroskey, Valencic, and Richmond's findings about the impact of a teacher's temperament on her or his students by examining the findings in a different context, the supervisor-subordinate relationship in organizational settings. This study measured a supervisor's temperament to see if it affected a subordinate's job satisfaction, motivation, and perceptions of supervisor credibility, sociocommunicative style, and approachability. Results indicated a positive relationship between supervisor psychoticism and subordinate job satisfaction and motivation, while supervisor extraversion and neuroticism negatively related to subordinate job satisfaction and motivation. Furthermore, results indicated a positive relationship between supervisor extraversion and subordinate perceptions of supervisor responsiveness, and a negative relationship between supervisor neuroticism and psychoticism and subordinate perceptions of supervisor responsiveness. Overall, a supervisor's temperament was shown to affect subordinate perceptions of supervisor communicative behavior.

Keywords:

• Approachability
• Communibiology
• Credibility Organizational Communication
• Job Satisfaction
• Motivation
• Sociocommunicative Style
• Supervisor-Subordinate Communication

Notes

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This paper marks the debut paper for Heidi Porter and Crissy Hoskinson, both of whom are undergraduate students at Ohio University-Eastern.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Heidi Porter

Heidi Porter (BS, Ohio University-Eastern) is a teacher at the Olney Friends School in Barnesville, OH.

Jason S. Wrench

Jason S. Wrench (EdD, West Virginia University, 2002) is an assistant professor in the School of Communication Studies at Ohio University-Eastern.

Crissy Hoskinson

Crissy Hoskinson is an undergraduate at Ohio University-Eastern.