The Impact of Supervisory Communication Apprehension on Subordinates’ Job Performance: An Empirical Study in Pakistan

Abstract

The impact of supervisory communication apprehension (SCA) on subordinates' job performance was investigated in this study. We also examined the impact of task-related uncertainty in mediating the relationship between SCA and subordinate work performance, as well as the role of information-seeking behavior in moderating the relationship between task-related uncertainty and subordinate job performance. A sample of subordinates and their supervisors from public and private sector enterprises in Pakistan were used in the study. The concept of communication apprehension is not limited to a single organization or industry, and the conditions suggest that apprehensive supervisors are likely to exist in different organizations and industries in Pakistan, including banks, telecommunications, and development sector organizations. Company directors and leaders of human resources departments were contacted to reach out to possible respondents. SmartPLS software was used to evaluate the data using a structural equation modeling technique which is commonly used in explanatory studies (Atta et al., 2021). We found evidence to support ideas predicting the association between SCA and subordinate job performance, as well as the mediating role of task-related ambiguity in the relationship. Furthermore, the findings show that information-seeking activity has a moderating effect on the link between task-related ambiguity and subordinate job performance. This is one of the first studies to look at major mediating and moderating mechanisms in the link between SCA and subordinate job performance.