Study the relationship between Managers communication skills and staff s Organizational Commitment

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1 Study the relationship between Managers communication skills and staff s Organizational Commitment Negin Memari Department of Business Management, Islamic Azad University, Sanandaj branch, IRAN Omid Mahdieh Department of Management and Information Science, University of Medical Sciences,Tehran, IRAN Ahmad Barati Marnani Department of Management and Information Science, University of Medical Sciences,Tehran, IRAN Abstract Effective interaction is a key element in the success of managers. Communication makes the bones of the organization and results in its solidarity and unity. The burden of establishing good relationship is on the managers; thus, they need to get aware of the quality and quantity of the relationships, and know how to create effective interaction. On the other hand, if commitment becomes a key factor in the organization, we will notice that the staff project more responsibility toward the company and they feel a sense of belonging and satisfaction which will lead to fewer number of absences and less little work and tension among them as well. This research aims at studying the relationship between managers communication skills and staff s organizational commitment. The populations of the study are the staff of all the branches of Melli Bank in Sanandaj. Ordinary random sampling is used and a sample of 156 applicants is enquired through questionnaires. The results of the data analysis indicate that there exists a significant relationship between interactive skills of the managers and organizational commitment of the employees Key words: Communication, Communication skills, Organizational commitment, Managers, Staff. Introduction The increasing complexity of the society, the development in science and technology and the expansion of organizations and people needs necessitates using efficient managers for effective running of an organization. Regarding this issue, although theoreticians think of the presence of various skills as necessary, they consider proficiency in interactive skills as the most vital element in all levels of management which lays the foundations for the success of managers; lack of such skill results in the decrease of the possibility of manager s success and subsequently the organization. With the help of the interactive skills, managers can do their organizational duty by paving the way for attracting cooperation, developing relationships, transferring their intended meanings to their colleagues and thus, preventing misunderstandings. Also, the ability to influence the employees and creating motivation within them demand the exploitation of interactive skills. Actually, the key to a healthy working relationship in an organization is the manager s good and effective interaction with the staff of that organization (Kebriaee & Heidari,2006).. For achieving their goals and being successful, organizations are in need of highly capable employees. The condition for this important issue necessitates the use of employees who commit themselves to the organization and its objectives; successful managers need to be aware of appropriate ways to maintain the amount of the staff s commitment to the organization in an optimal level. It is crystal clear that knowing about the factors influencing organizational commitment,the ways to its progress and also implementing them can lead to the staff s sense of COPY RIGHT 2013 Institute of Interdisciplinary Business Research 198

2 commitment and satisfaction and improve the level of organizational capability and its effectiveness as a result (Safarnia, 2011). Communication Communication means all the verbal, written, behavioral and kinetic activities which are used to transfer an intended meaning or concept in order to influence others. Berlo defines communication as a dynamic process which is consistent, irreversible, interactive and conditional. It is dynamic because it is constantly changing from one phase to another. If people s attitudes, expectations and feelings change, the nature of their communication will change as well. Communication is a consistent process since it never stops. We all train the thought and received information during sleep ours and dreaming. Our brain is active all the time and we are frequently making communication. Communication is irreversible because a message when sent, we cannot make it neutral anymore. It is interactive for we are frequently in contact with others and ourselves. We show reaction in response to others speech and actions. Therefore, a cycle of actions and reaction become a basis for our communicative activities (Amirsheibani et al, 2002). Communication skills These are the skills that enable people to involve in inter-personal interaction and cause the process of communication (Keshtkaran et al, 2011). According to Yuksel-Sahin (2005), communication skills are the learnt behaviors which enable the person to communicate in a satisfactory way; they cause to elicit positive reactions from others and make social life easier (Yuksel-Sahin, 2005). Communication skills are tools for removing the obstacles in making effective communication (Moller, 2010). Managers should have necessary skills for conducting successful organizational strategies at hand and for interacting with the staff and giving them effective answers. One of the crucial skills in managing human resources is effective communication. The manager s capability depends on his ability to communicate with his employees. In case he does this function perfectly, there will be fewer delays in doing their jobs among the staff, less misunderstanding, fewer obstacles and more harmony will exist in different control affairs. The shortage of communication skills will end in less probability for the success of the manager and his organization as a result (Keshtkaran et al, 2011). Different types of communication skills for managers are classified below: Verbal and non-verbal skill Verbal skill is defined as drawing on conscious verbal symbols in order to encourage others to do the job. It is important in that it is one of the most effective human tools to control and understand the environment around them. It is emphasized when a manager is sending a message, he needs to use language, as much as possible, in a way that reduces misunderstanding to the least and considers all its aspects; that s why proficiency in communication is an essential point for a manager, and he needs to try to speak clearly and understandable to all without having ambiguity (Mortazavi & Mehraban, 2002). Non-verbal communication consists of all communications that causes relationship among humans but does not include correspondence or verbal communication. Sometimes, they transfer more meaning than words alone. They include human body parts like movements, COPY RIGHT 2013 Institute of Interdisciplinary Business Research 199

3 facial expressions and physical actions either conscious or unconscious ones.(griffin,2004) Listening skill and feedback According to many psychologists and researchers in the field of communication, listening can be thought of as the most important skill that can lead to intimacy, success and powerful relationships. As long as we listen carefully, we can understand our colleague, staff and our boss better and harmonize with them (Khanifar et al, 2009). Feedback is describes as a way that leads us toward the goal; any sort of answer given to people that can actually guide them toward the goal is called feedback. Most of the problems and weaknesses that exist in the functions of managers are due to the lack of appropriate leadership and supervision and not providing right feedback on time. The staff not only needs to know what they are supposed to do, they also need to get aware of how well they have done their job. In addition to helping the staff know how to do their job properly, feedback, as a control policy, can also provide the condition for corrective actions in case the job needs to be done as it was arranged and preplanned before. The more feedback provided on the job, more probable it is to achieve the goals. Furthermore, it can play as a motivational role in the employees (Doaee & Mortazavi,2005). Writing skill Although writing demands a lot of time and energy, managers, surprisingly, prefer writing to verbal communication. It is because, writing provides many strategic benefits such as being economic, effective, correct and accurate and also, maintaining formality for the managers. Writing is economical in that it is cheaper than phone calls or far journeys; furthermore, it is productive and working since the managers can work independently and use selected vocabulary for the writing. Accuracy and correctness are other features of writing; writing makes checking the words more possible than verbal speech and organizes the messages. Accuracy and correctness remove the possible ambiguities and make sure that the text is clear to the point; they also, influence productivity and economy. Finally, writing provides certain documents that can be reached later for double checking and remembrance (Hynez, 2008). Electronic skill According to Messmer (1999), technology makes communication faster for the staff and more frequent; also it can help communication to take place with more people (Arn et al, 2002). Today, computer technology has developed communications in organizations; this type of communication can include: electronic mail, instant messages, intranet, extranet and video conferencing (Robbins, 1996). COPY RIGHT 2013 Institute of Interdisciplinary Business Research 200

4 Intercultural skills Even in optimal circumstances, establishing an effective communication is really difficult. Cultural factors may lead to problematic communications. Coding and decoding processes of the messages within the framework of signals depends upon the cultural background of the people, and they are not the same for every one as a result. The more cultural differences exist between the sender and receiver of a message, the more difference will occur in the intended meaning of words and behaviors. People of various cultural backgrounds interpret and judge the subjects differently and act in a different way subsequently (Robbins, 2006). The concept of organizational commitment Organizational commitment is mental stability of force that necessitates the staff of an organization to act in line with the aims of that organization and remain loyal to it. The related literature review on the concept of organizational commitment shows three different views of this issue. The first one is the theory of calculating the side harms by Backer (1960), which is applied widely on studies related to organizational commitment. This theory refers to any valuable thing in which an employee has invested time, money, energy etc, and will vanish in case of the employee s leaving the organization. Second is the psychological view that considers organizational commitment consisting of three elements which are: 1. Familiarity with the goals and values of the organization 2. Having a tendency toward helping the organization to achieve its goals 3. Having a willingness to stay in the organization The last view is a relative one which defines commitment in relation to some behaviors of people in which they relate commitment to themselves after conducting some conscious, certain and obvious behaviors (Shahqoli et. al, 2011). The dimensions of organizational commitment The most perfect study on organizational commitment dimensions was carried out by Allen and May. They were the pioneers of multi-dimensional approach. Emotional, continuous and normative dimensions are three parts of organizational commitment which forms them. Affective Commitment It is referred to the staff s emotional dependence on the company, affiliating themselves with it and cooperating with it. Affective Commitment shows that the employees are emotionally dependent upon the organization (Chang et.al,2011). Continuous commitment It is related to the costs of leaving the organization by the employee. Lorance and William stated that this kind of commitment not only shows the employee s dependence on the COPY RIGHT 2013 Institute of Interdisciplinary Business Research 201

5 organization, it also shows his awareness of the costs of leaving the organization (Chang et.al, 2011). Normative commitment This is the third dimension of organizational commitment which shows a feeling of having a duty to cooperate with the organization. People who have a high degree of normative commitment think that they have to stay in the organization (Ansari et. al, 2010). Organizational commitment process Oreilly and Chatman (1986) have stated three steps for establishing organizational commitment in their studies: 1. Acceptance: at this phase, the person accepts other ones impact on him so that he receives some benefits like more payment. 2. Identification: the employee, at this level, accepts others influence or impacts on him to reach a good and satisfactory relationship. Commitment, here, means establishing a good relationship with the company since it is interesting. 3. Internalization: this is the last step in which the person identifies the values of the organization with those of themselves and creates an internal motivation. In another word, the values of the organization and those of the employee are adaptable (Khanifar, et.al, 2009). Research Framework Verbal and non-verbal skill Listening skill and feedback Writing skill Managers communication skills Organizational commitment Affective Commitmen t Continuous Commitmen t Electronic skill Normative Commitment Intercultural skills COPY RIGHT 2013 Institute of Interdisciplinary Business Research 202

6 Research hypotheses Main hypothesis: there is a significant relationship between communication skills of the managers of Melli Bank, Sanandaj, Iran and organizational commitment of the staff. Secondary hypotheses 1. There is a significant relationship between the verbal and non-verbal communication skills of the managers and organizational commitment of the staff. 2. There is a significant relationship between the listening skills and feedbacks of the manager with the commitment of the staff toward the company. 3. There is a significant relationship between the writing skills of the managers and organizational commitments of the employees. 4. There is a significant relationship between electronic skills of the managers with the organization commitments of the staff. 5. There is a significant relationship between the intercultural skills of the managers and the employees organizational commitment. Population of the research The statistical population of the research includes all the staffs working in different branches of Melli Bank, Sanandaj, Iran, and at the time of the study 263 people were counted. Based on Cochran formula, a sample of 156 subjects was considered for which 160 questionnaires were distributed among the staff. Due to the good cooperation of the employees, all the 160 questionnaires were returned and 156 of them were chosen for analyzing. It is to notify the study applies simple random sampling method. Data gathering instrument Questionnaires were the tool for gathering data in this study. The questionnaire consisted of three parts. The first section included their personal backgrounds information such as age, gender, education, work experience and their job in the organization. The second part of the questionnaire was created to assess communication skills of the managers, and it consisted of 25 statements which were to be ranked based on Likert scale from absolutely unimportant to absolutely important. Finally, the last section considered the organizational commitment of the staff for which the 24-statement questionnaire made by Allen and May (1990) was applied; the way to answer this on was also based on Likert scale ranging from absolutely agree to absolutely disagree. To achieve reliability and validity of the questionnaire, the statistical measure of Cronbach s Alpha as well as the advice of experts on this field was sought. COPY RIGHT 2013 Institute of Interdisciplinary Business Research 203

7 The results of hypothesis test Pierson's correlation coefficient test is used for hypothesis test and the obtained results are shown in table 1. As shown, there is a meaningful relation between managers communication skills and staff s organizational commitment. Hypothesis There is a significant relationship between communication skills of the managers of Melli Bank, Sanandaj, Iran and organizational commitment of the staff. There is a significant relationship between the verbal and non-verbal communication skills of the managers and organizational commitment of the staff. There is a significant relationship between the listening skills and feedbacks of the manager with the commitment of the staff toward the company. There is a significant relationship between the writing skills of the managers and organizational commitments of the employees. There is a significant relationship between electronic skills of the managers with the organization commitments of the staff. There is a significant relationship between the intercultural skills of the managers and the employees organizational commitment. Pierson's correlation Sig N Confirmation or refusal of a hypothesis Confirmation Confirmation Confirmation Confirmation Confirmation Confirmation Results and Discussion The main hypothesis: Based on Pierson correlation coefficient, since the significant level is lower than 0.05, thus the first hypothesis (H1 ) which was the main hypothesis of the study is accepted, i.e. there is a relationship between managers communication skills with organizational commitment of the staff. The result of this study is in line with the studies of Mathieu and Zajac (1990) that have summarized the initial factors for making a commitment, the interdependent factors of commitment and the consequences of organizational commitment in their review of more than two hundred studies. They came to the conclusion that the effective factors on organizational commitment are divided into five categories: influential personal features on organizational commitment, the condition of organizational role and commitment, job characteristics and organizational commitment, organizational features and organizational commitment and finally, the interaction of the group with the leader (Mortazavi and Mehraban, 2004). Secondary hypothesis 1: According to Pierson correlation coefficient, since the significant level is lower than 0.05, therefore this hypothesis which maintains that there is a relationship between managers verbal and non-verbal communication skill and the staff s organizational commitment is accepted. In his study, Gorton (1994) indicated that asking, speaking and listening skills are the main features of powerful managers. COPY RIGHT 2013 Institute of Interdisciplinary Business Research 204

8 Research has shown that interpersonal relationship is so important that non-verbal signals convey more than 90 percent of sense meaning (Rahimi and Qorbani, 2004). Secondary hypothesis 2: On the basis of Pierson correlation coefficient, since the significant level is lower than 0.05, the hypothesis of the study which indicated a relationship between listening and feedback skills of the manager and organizational commitment of the employees is accepted. Alen and Blackburn (1989) believe that the art of listening well in the working life enhances the quality of managers communication with the staff and enables them to draw the affection, empathy and cooperation of the colleagues and resulting in warmheartedness among them. Careful listening decreases the misunderstandings and tensions in the communication; as a result, it provides the condition for the managers to penetrate in the hearts of employees and increase their commitment to their job in order to achieve their personal and organizational goals in a better way. Tracy, Dusen and Robinson (1978), believe that being skillful at giving feedback to the staff ends in solid and close communication and improves interaction, motivation and organizational commitment (Mortazavi and Mehraban, 2004). Secondary hypothesis 3: With regard to Pierson correlation coefficient, since the significant value is lower than 0.05, the hypothesis that there exists a relationship between managers writing skill and employees organizational commitment is accepted. Managers spent considerable amount of their time on writing with others. The results of a study carried out among 60 managers of a steel factory in the U.S showed that 70 percent of the managers spent about 8-14 hours a week on writing activities (Hargie, et. al, 2004). Therefore it can be concluded that managers skill at written communication is one of the crucial sills at establishing successful communication. Secondary hypothesis 4: According to Pierson correlation coefficient, since the significant value is lower than 0.05, the fourth secondary hypothesis of the research regarding the existence of a relationship between electronic skills of the managers and organizational commitment of the staff is accepted. The results of this hypothesis reveal the fact that organizations, nowadays, are facing rapid changes; they can use information technology to improve and enhance the productivity and also satisfaction among the employees. Secondary hypothesis 5: Based on Pierson correlation coefficient, since the significant level is lower than 0.05, this last hypothesis of the study is also accepted, i.e. there is a relationship between managers intercultural skills and employees organizational commitment. Knowing about the staff s tradition, customs, beliefs, religious and social values as well as their cultural, ethnic and social sensitivities, also knowing about the meaning of non-verbal communications and different meanings of words in different cultures can help the manager in maintaining a powerful communication; thus, consequently he can be influential in the organizational commitment of the staff. COPY RIGHT 2013 Institute of Interdisciplinary Business Research 205

9 Implications of the study As it is not possible to enhance the level of managers communication skills without predetermined programs at high levels of the organization, it is recommended that in the annual plans of an organization which are revealed in the form of annual budget, certain programs also be included in the form of enhancement of managers communication skills; creating training programs in the field of communication is a basic need of the organizations of today. In arranging educational programs, although theoretical education seems to be important, the practical aspect of the trainings is more vital in order to be effective. On entering any organization, managers bring a level of communication skill with them which have achieved it outside the organization; thus, it seems that one of the important elements that must be assessed in employment is the communication level of job applicants. Considering this issue results in the awareness of the importance of this skill for those who wish to enter the organization; they need to try hard to enhance it before gaining acceptance and even after it. It is recommended to the managers of organizations to create a sense of belonging to the organization among the staff and thus enhance their level of the commitment to that place; one of the important ways of achieving this goal is educating the staff and themselves about communication skill. Through successful communication with the staff, managers can extend the feeling of being important among the employees and thus more motivation within them for working better and showing more commitment. The presence of challenging and enriched jobs can also improve the motivation of the staff and cause them to stay in the company; it is possible with the help of communication especially managers careful listening to the staff to see what kind of job they are more interested and capable in. Developing emotional ties among the employees and involving them more in the aims of the organization can lead to the increase of their commitment to organization. Limitations Since the population of this study is the staff of a particular bank, the results cannot be extended to the staff working in other organizations. Not considering moderator variables like organization culture, praise management, etc can be counted as another limitation of the study. COPY RIGHT 2013 Institute of Interdisciplinary Business Research 206

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