Communicative Indices of Employee Performance With New Technology

Abstract

The relationship between employee performance and communicative abilities was investigated in a field study of 128 claims adjusters from two insurance company offices. The study examines the relationships between communicator competence, listening ability, and frequency of task-related talk and employee performance with new technology. Comparisons are also made with individual levels of past productivity. Multiple regression analysis reveals significant positive relationships between each of the communication variables and employee productivity with new technology. Post hoc analyses reveal that two of the communication factors (communicator competence and frequency of task-related talk), and general level of past task productivity are significant predictors of two additional performance measures: (a) the productivity decrease that occurred during the first week in which the new technology was used and (b) the speed with which the employees returned to their average previous productivity levels using the new technology.