| This field study of 327 professional staff nurses at a mid-Atlantic teaching hospital investigated the effects of satisfaction with organizational communication on job satisfaction and job performance.;The "Comm Sat-Outcomes Research Model" was developed as a conceptual framework for explaining how communication satisfaction differentially affects job satisfaction and job performance.;All nurses completed individual communication/job satisfaction questionnaires. Communication questions were adapted from Downs and Hazen's (1977) Communication Satisfaction Questionnaire, which incorporates eight communication dimensions (communication with supervisor, communication with subordinates, personal feedback, communication climate, organizational perspective, organizational integration, horizontal communication and media quality). A ninth dimension (communication with top management) was developed for use in this study. Job satisfaction questions were adapted from the Job Description Index (JDI). Nursing managers completed job performance evaluation questionnaires for each nurse reporting to them. Data was collected initially on-site; follow-up was by mail. The response rate was 66 percent.;A series of Pearson correlation, stepwise multiple regression and canonical correlation analyses were performed on the data. Communication satisfaction-job satisfaction correlations in this study were compared via Kendall's coefficient of concordance to results from previous communication studies.;Results provided persuasive evidence that satisfaction with different types of organizational communication significantly affects employee job satisfaction and job performance. The findings largely supported the Research Model.;Several conclusions were drawn: (1) communication satisfaction is more strongly related to job satisfaction than job performance, yet a positive communication-job performance relationship does exist, (2) the same dimensions of communication satisfaction (communication with supervisor, personal feedback and communication climate) are the most influential contributors to both job satisfaction and job performance, 3) communication with top management, beyond the immediate supervisor-subordinate communication, substantially affects an individual's job satisfaction and has some impact on his/her performance, and (4) correlation findings were generally consistent with previous communication satisfaction studies. |
