Perceptions of Effective Listeners: A Management Study

Abstract

Listening is a vital management skill. To find out more about how managers’ listening is perceived in an organizational context, researchers administered a questionnaire to 144 managers and 827 of their subordinates in 6 hospitality organizations. Managers were asked to rate 26 of their own listening behaviors using a 7-point scale. Subordinates were asked to indicate their perceptions of their managers’ listening behavior on each of the same 26 items. Profiles are presented of those managers who were perceived as particularly “good” or particularly “poor” listeners according to the ratings given them by their subordinates. Characteristics of those employees who gave their managers the highest and lowest ratings are also described. This information contributes to a better understanding of how managers’ listening is perceived in organizational contexts.