Employee Perceptions of Supervisor Communication Competence and Associations with Supervisor Credibility

Supervisor communication competence was used to predict employee perceptions of supervisor credibility. In the study participants working in various industries completed measures of communication competence and credibility about their direct supervisor. Effective and appropriate communication were positively related to perceptions of credibility (competence, goodwill, and trustworthiness). Regression analyses indicated an interaction effect between effective and appropriate communication for each of the three credibility outcomes, where high amounts of effective and appropriate communication produced the highest credibility outcomes. Effective communication was the best predictor of competence, whereas appropriate communication was the best predictor of goodwill and trustworthiness.