The effects of leader listening on subordinate attitudes [Ressource électronique] : a cross-cultural experimental study / Nawal Es-Sabahi

Doctor of philosophy : Hofstra University : 2015

Bibliogr. p. 78-84

The impact of leaders' listening style on subordinates' satisfaction, engagement, and trust was studied experimentally across three different cultures: the US, France, and Morocco. In this 2 (constructive listening style vs. destructive listening style) X 3 (US, France, and Morocco) between-subjects design, the manipulation of listening styles was used with trained leaders who exhibited both constructive and destructive listening styles in three different countries. The leader from each country had a face-to-face conversation with the participants; the latter then completed a questionnaire measuring their satisfaction with the leader, their engagement, and their trust in that leader. Across countries, the results suggest that leaders' listening style affects subordinates' attitudes such that subordinates' trust is greater when leaders exhibit constructive than destructive listening. The effects of leaders' constructive listening style resulted in significantly higher subordinate trust in the US and France than in Morocco whereas the effects of leaders' destructive listening style resulted in significantly lower trust in the US and France than in Morocco. The effect of leaders' listening style on subordinates' attitudinal engagement was significant in France but not in the US and Morocco, whereas the effect of leaders' listening style on subordinates' satisfaction was significant in the US but not in France and Morocco. In addition, expectations of the leader's constructive listening in the US and France were higher than in Morocco while expectations of the leader's destructive listening were higher in Morocco than in the US and France.