Communication and leader-member exchange : a South African case study

Abstract

This study partially replicated similar research conducted by Yrle, Hartman & Galle (2002:262) and Yrle, Hartman & Galle (2003:95-96) in the United States (US), which examined the correlations between communication style and leader-member exchange (LMX) in the South African context. It also took into consideration the potential impact of aspects such as gender, demographics and diversity on supervisor-subordinate LMX and communication considering the uniqueness of the South African environment. The research was conducted among supervisors and their subordinates at a South African government department. Forty-nine supervisors and subordinates, effectively representing 27 organisational dyads, were able to participate in this study. It yielded some interesting results, the most important of which is that the Pearson correlation coefficient statistical analysis supported the proposition that there is a correlation between LMX and communication in dyadic relationships.