PSYCHOLOGY MASTER'S THESIS ABSTRACT

Conrad Rodriguez

Industrial/Organizational
August 1993
 

Problem Solving Team Communication Style and Participant Satisfaction

    This research examined effects of a moderator’s communication style on participant satisfaction in a Quality Circle (QC).  Overall satisfaction with the QC meeting was correlated with overall satisfaction with the moderator’s communication style.  Satisfaction ratings of groups led by moderators with differing communicator styles were compared: low friendly style vs. high friendly style and low contentious style vs. high contentious style.

    A modified version of Norton’s Communicator Style measure assessed 10 moderators’ communication styles; an original questionnaire measured satisfaction levels of 70 group members.
    Participants who were more satisfied with their moderator’s communication style were more satisfied with the group (p < .01); (b) members of groups whose moderators had a high contentious communicator style did not have lower satisfaction than those whose moderators had a low contentious communicator style (p < .05); and (c) members of groups whose moderators had a high friendly communicator style reported higher satisfactions than those whose moderator had a low friendly communicator style (p < .01).

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