Can We Talk? Improving Employee Contextual Performance Using Motivating Language and Feedback Orientation

2021 ◽  
pp. 232948842110387
Author(s):  
Emily Elsner Twesme ◽  
Jon M. Werner ◽  
Aditya Simha
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Performance Feedback ◽  
Contextual Performance ◽  
National Sample ◽  
Language Theory ◽  
Feedback Orientation ◽  
Significant Relationships ◽  
Motivating Language ◽  
Motivating Language Theory ◽  
The Relationship

This study sought to determine whether motivating language theory and feedback orientation theory connect, and if so, whether or not this impacts employee contextual performance in the workplace. Survey data was collected from 458 individuals (142 undergraduate students, and a national sample of 316 employees). Statistically significant relationships were observed between motivating language and feedback orientation, between motivating language and contextual performance, and between feedback orientation and contextual performance. Feedback orientation was found to moderate the relationship between motivating language and contextual performance. Implications and generalizability of these theories to other settings are presented.

Motivating language and employee outcomes: a multinational investigation

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cau Ngoc Nguyen ◽  
Wei Ning ◽  
Albi Alikaj ◽  
Quoc Nam Tran
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Job Performance ◽  
Turnover Intention ◽  
Language Theory ◽  
Employee Outcomes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Three Samples ◽  
Motivating Language ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Motivating Language Theory

Purpose This study aims to examine the impact of managerial use of motivating language on employee absenteeism, turnover intention, job satisfaction and job performance for employees from three nations: India, the USA and Vietnam. Design/methodology/approach Data is collected from 614 employees working in India, the USA and Vietnam. A variance-based partial least squares structural equation modeling technique is used to test the hypotheses. In addition, a statistical test is used to examine the statistical differences in the results across the three nations. Findings The findings are consistent with the motivating language theory, in that managerial use of motivating language can be an effective strategy in motivating employees. Specifically, motivating language is found to significantly decrease employee absenteeism and turnover intention, as well as significantly increase job satisfaction and performance across the three nations. The effect sizes indicate that, across all samples, motivating language has a medium effect for all employee outcomes, except absenteeism, which is shown to have a small effect size. Moreover, the results indicate that employees in different cultures perceive and interpret the leader’s use of motivating language in different ways. Whereas motivating language may receive greater success in promoting workers’ job performance in eastern cultures, it is also more effective in retaining employees in western cultures. Originality/value The study adds to the literature in three major ways. First, it provides evidence for two understudied relationships: motivating language and absenteeism and motivating language and turnover intention. Second, it assesses the generalizability of the motivating language theory by investigating data from India, the USA and Vietnam. Finally, this paper offers a statistical comparison of the three samples to analyze how the relationship between motivating language and worker outcomes differ among the three samples.

Communication

2016 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
William T. Holmes ◽  
Michele A. Parker
Keyword(s):  
Title I ◽  
Oral Language ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Communication Theory ◽  
Language Theory ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Leadership Communication ◽  
Behavioral Integrity ◽  
Motivating Language ◽  
Motivating Language Theory

Motivating language theory (Sullivan, 1988) is a leadership communication theory focused on the strategic use of leader oral language. Walk and talk alignment is a main pillar of motivating language theory. As such, within the field of educational leadership, we hypothesize that behavioral integrity and credibility are required in order for motivating language to occur. In this study, a survey was administered to teachers, from 2011 to 2014, at a Title I elementary school to gauge the motivating language use of the principal. We empirically tested the ability of behavioral integrity (Simons, 1999, 2008) and credibility (McCroskey & Teven, 1999) to predict the principal’s motivating language use. There were statistically significant correlations between behavioral integrity and motivating language, credibility and motivating language, and between behavioral integrity and credibility. In each year, behavioral integrity and credibility contributed significantly to the predication of the principal’s motivating language use. Behavioral integrity and credibility are integral to a leader’s use of motivating language. We discuss the results and implications for employees and organizations, along with ideas for future research.

scholarly journals Fostering Employee Trust via Effective Supervisory Communication during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Through the Lens of Motivating Language Theory

2021 ◽  
pp. 232948842110204
Author(s):  
Linjuan Rita Men ◽  
Yufan Sunny Qin ◽  
Jie Jin
Keyword(s):  
Meaning Making ◽  
Need Satisfaction ◽  
Language Theory ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Leadership Communication ◽  
Psychological Need ◽  
Employee Trust ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Motivating Language ◽  
Motivating Language Theory

This study examines how supervisory leadership communication during the COVID-19 pandemic fostered employee trust through the lens of motivating language theory. Drawing insight from self-determination theory, this study also reveals the mediating effects of employees’ psychological need satisfaction for competence and relatedness in this process, which help explain how supervisory leadership communication influences employee trust. Through an online survey of 393 full-time employees from various organizations in the U.S., results showed that supervisory use of meaning-making (0.15), empathetic (0.60), and direction-giving language (0.27) during the pandemic all showed significant positive effects on employee trust toward leadership and the organization directly, and indirectly through satisfying employees’ psychological need for competence and relatedness. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

Motivating language theory: antecedent variables – critical to both the success of leaders and organizations

2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 13-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
William T. Holmes
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
Critical Factor ◽  
Organizational Outcomes ◽  
Language Theory ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Motivating Language ◽  
Antecedent Variable ◽  
Motivating Language Theory ◽  
New Research

Purpose The purpose of this conceptual paper is twofold, i.e. first, to elevate an assumption of Motivating Language Theory (MLT) – walk and talk congruence – to the level of antecedent variable serving as a prerequisite to the implementation of Motivating Language (ML) and second, to explore the components of walk and talk congruence (Behavioral Integrity and Credibility) to understand how they are vital in the establishment of trust at the organizational level which is the key lever for ML to be strategically implemented. Design/methodology/approach The approach is cross-disciplinary, as it utilized MLT from the field of business; applied in the field of education with research from educational researchers; and for the purpose of utilization by organizations, leaders, and scholars from all fields. Findings The findings are leadership communication matters and is how leadership gets done, ML makes a difference to employees and organizations, trust is a critical factor in organizational success, Credibility is all that stands between a leader’s believability or not, and Behavioral Intergrity is the key determiner in walk and talk alignment. Researchlimitations/implications The implications for researchers are new research opportunities in the ML field. Practicalimplications The implications for practitioners are clear in terms of how to maximize leader effectiveness and organizational trust/citizenship, increase employee and organizational outcomes and drive leadership development. Originality/value The value of this paper is to both the practitioner and scholar in terms of application and deepening of the field.

Effects of Leader Motivating Language on Employee Task and Contextual Performance: The Mediating Role of Feedback Quality

2019 ◽  
Vol 123 (6) ◽  
pp. 2501-2518
Author(s):  
Yue Guo ◽  
Bin Ling
Keyword(s):  
Task Performance ◽  
Contextual Performance ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Motivating Language ◽  
Feedback Quality ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Psychological Mechanism ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
And Task

This research examined the relationships between leader motivating language and employee task and contextual performance using the psychological mechanism of feedback quality. We obtained a sample of 237 supervisor–subordinate dyads. Our research findings showed that feedback quality had a positive mediating role in the relationship between leader motivating language and contextual performance. The relationship between leader motivating language and task performance was statistically significant; however, feedback quality had little effect in mediating the direct relationship between leader motivating language and task performance.

Motivating Language Intensity: A Study of Wyoming Superintendents Motivating Language Use as Perceived by Their Principals

2019 ◽  
pp. 232948841986852 ◽  
Author(s):  
William T. Holmes ◽  
Michele A. Parker
Keyword(s):  
Language Use ◽  
Organizational Outcomes ◽  
Communication Satisfaction ◽  
Language Theory ◽  
Leader Effectiveness ◽  
Intensity Score ◽  
Motivating Language ◽  
Motivating Language Theory ◽  
K 12

The purpose of this study was to extend the field of motivating language theory (MLT) by providing a conceptual framework and methodology for determining low-ML and high-ML leader levels. This quantitative study, specifically, studied the Motivating Language of Wyoming K-12 superintendents operating in the role of CEOs as perceived by their principals. The results of this study found that Wyoming Superintendents with high-ML levels positively influencing employee outcomes in the areas of communication satisfaction, communication competence as well as organizational outcomes in the area of leader effectiveness. Finally, because of this study, two nascent ideas of leaders and leadership within the context of MLT have emerged: (a) the ML Intensity Score Composition and (b) the 3-D MLT Typology Matrix.

Start with why: and answer with motivating language

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
William T. “Toby” Holmes
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Learning ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Language Theory ◽  
Development Model ◽  
Double Loop ◽  
Learning And Development ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Motivating Language ◽  
Conceptual Paper ◽  
Motivating Language Theory

Purpose The purpose of this conceptual paper is to increase the leadership and organizational effectiveness concepts presented by Simon Sinek in his 2009 book “Start with Why” by connecting them to Motivating Language Theory and presenting the integrated framework within a double-loop organizational and developmental learning model. Design/methodology/approach The approach of this conceptual paper is to link Sinek’s concepts WHY/HOW/WHAT with Motivating Language Theory’s constructs Meaning-Making Language/Empathetic Language/Direction-Giving Language to support deeper implementation as well as maximize implementation of WHY/HOW/WHAT through implementation of the higher-level variable Motivating Language. Additionally, this conceptual paper expands upon Sinek’s discussion of process and outcomes through the illustration of a double-loop organizational learning and development model that highlights data-driven decision-making, working from the inside-out organizational processes, and the connection between outcomes and reflection to improve organizational work. Findings The findings of this conceptual paper are motivating language theory can enhance and extend Sinek’s organizational and leadership assertions, and the creation of a double-loop organizational learning and development model provides greater clarity and insight to Sinek’s initial concepts presented in Start with Why. These findings provide practitioners greater tools and resources for implementation in the field as well as continue to provide scholars with an ongoing thread of connections and applications of Motivating Language Theory. Originality/value The originality of this conceptual paper builds off Sinek’s assertion that communication is vital to leaders and organizations by giving it context and specificity in the form of a well-established leadership and organizational communication theory.

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