Meneroka Pengaruh Komunikasi Kepemimpinan terhadap Kepuasan Kerja dalam kalangan Kakitangan di Institusi Pengajian Tinggi Swasta Malaysia

Abstract

This exploratory study investigates the influence of leadership communication on staff members’ job satisfaction at a private institution of higher learning in Malaysia, in a multicultural setting. The turnover rate among academics in Malaysia is increasing extensively and leadership communication was identified as one of the factors that contribute to poor job satisfaction at the workplace. Good leadership communication is able to create trust and understanding that would inspire people towards the goals of the organization and improve job satisfaction of an organization’s staff members. Theoretically, transformational leadership theory discusses that a leader with effective leadership communication skills could contribute to a positive working culture or environment that motivates staff members to progress in their career. However, it was found that leadership communication between leaders and subordinates was not fully explored in a multicultural perspective. A qualitative methodology was utilized in order to gain insights into the influence of leadership communication on job satisfaction from selected academics’ perspectives. Data were collected through a series of intensive interviews with 22 informants. Based on the findings, three themes emerged; leadership communication practices, the expectation towards leadership communication, and staff members’ feedback towards leadership communication. The findings of this study contribute to a new dimension of leadership communication from a multi-cultural context, specifically from the context of academicians at higher learning institutes. Furthermore, it was discovered that leadership communication affected job satisfaction among academic staffs. A good leadership communication is able to create a positive environment for effective communication among staff members in the organization. Keywords: Superior-subordinate, leadership communication, organisation, transformational leadership communication, job satisfaction.