Fredric M. Jablin

An exploratory study of vocational organizational communication socialization

This study was concerned with determining if people develop perceptions of the communication behaviors of organizational/occupational roles during the process of vocational socialization. Specifically, this research attempted to discover (as reported by a cross‐sectional sample of 311 teachers) what occupations students talk and read about in school, the types of “communicator styles” students attribute in class discussions and assigned readings to persons fulfilling these roles, and whether these attributions vary as students progress from elementary school to high school. In general, the findings of the investigation are supportive of the notion that class discussions and assigned readings in school may be an important source of communication‐related vocational information for individuals during their childhood and adolescent years.

A Cross-Cultural Investigation of Exit, Voice, Loyalty and Neglect as Responses to Dissatisfying Job Conditions

This study examined the generalizability of the theory of exit, voice, loyalty and neglect to Koreans (n=100), and made multiple cross-cultural comparisons between Korean respondents and natives of the United States (n=80) and Japan (n=45) with respect to their communicative responses to dissatisfying work conditions. Findings supported the applicability of the theory to Korean workers. In addition, cross-cultural comparisons indicated more similarities between the responses of natives of the United States and Korea than between those of the Japanese and Koreans, thus bringing into question the notion that because East Asian countries share elements of a common sociocultural heritage the communication behaviors of workers in these countries will be the same.

Message-Response and “Openness” in Superior-Subordinate Communication

This study summarizes a field experiment analyzing relationships among “openness” of superior-subordinate communication, and attitudes toward five basic types of message-responses occurring in a dyad: confirmation, disagreement, accedence, repudiation and disconfirmation. Results indicated that regardless of perceived climate of “openness” of communication, subordinates (subjects) predicted (and preferred) that a superior respond to an unfavorable message from a subordinate more often with a confirming or disagreeing response, than with an acceding, or repudiating, or disconfirming response. However, dependent upon the degree of perceived “openness” or “closedness” of the communication relationship with the superior, subordinates evaluated the appropriateness of these responses differently. Moreover, the object (superior or subordinate) of the subordinates initial message was found to play an important role in determining the superiors and subordinates later responses. Subjects also predicted that a su...

Effects of question type, orientation, and sequencing in the employment screening interview 1

Actual employment screening interviews at a university placement center were audio/video‐taped and analyzed to determine the relationships between types of interviewers’ questions (primary/secondary, open/closed), the sequencing of these questions, applicants’ question‐response durations, and actual interview outcomes (offering/not offering applicants second interviews). Results suggest applicants’ responses to open‐ended and secondary questions are longer in duration than responses to closed‐ended and primary questions. In addition, findings show that the kinds of questions recruiters asked applicants did not differ significantly between interviews where second interview offers were eventually made as compared to those where no offers were forthcoming. However, results did indicate that there are significant differences in the kinds of questions interviewers ask during different segments or phases of screening interviews.

Verbal correlates of interviewer empathic listening and employment interview outcomes

The audio and videotapes of actual employment screening interviews conducted at a university placement center were analyzed in order to determine the relationships among certain interviewer verbal behaviors, applicants’ perceptions of their interviewers as empathic listeners, and actual interview outcomes (receiving/not receiving a second interview offer). Analyses revealed the frequency with which interviewers made interruptive statements to be significantly and negatively associated with applicants’ perceptions of empathic listening. However, screening interviews from which second interview offers were eventually made were not differentiated either by applicants’ empathie listening perceptions or interviewers’ empathie listening behaviors from interviews from which no offers were forthcoming.

Interviewer and Applicant Questioning Behavior in Employment Interviews.

Although questions represent one of the primary means of information exchange in the employment interview, empirical research exploring interview questioning has been an infrequent object of review and interpretation. This article attempts to alleviate this situation by providing a cross-disciplinary review and analysis of research related to interviewer and applicant questioning processes in the employment interview. Toward this end, our literature analysis is organized into three primary sections: (a) constraints and antecedent factors associated with asking questions in the interview; (b) characteristics of interview questions; and (c) the consequences or outcomes of questioning. Within each of these sections findings pertaining to interviewer and applicant question usage are described and critiqued. Subsequently, we discuss pragmatic implications for interview practice that can be extrapolated from our analysis of the literature. Finally, in the last section we present a number of conclusions concerning the “state of the art” of research exploring questioning in the employment interview, and we suggest directions for future research in the area.

Communication-Related Sense-Making and Adjustment during Job Transfers

Sense-making research has generally focused on how newcomers adjust to organizations. This study examined how sense-making facilitates employee adjustment when employees experience geographic transfers, a form of nonentry transition. Based on a longitudinal study of 91 transferees, the authors found that transferees did experience unmet expectations during their transitions. In particular, their unmet expectations for organizational support and community were associated with negative adjustment beyond that explained by their initial expectations and background characteristics. However, employees who were better able to make sense (develop knowledge) of appropriate forms of task communication in their new environments tended to experience more positive adjustment than did those who developed less knowledge.

Retirement preparation programs and organizational communication

This research explored how organizations use retirement preparation programs to help employees anticipate their disengagement from the communication environment of work and develop realistic expectations of post‐retirement communication changes they may experience. In addition, the study attempted to assess the nature, functions, and goals of organizational communication between retired employees and their former organizations (and their members). In order to achieve the above objectives a survey was sent to representatives of Fortune 100 organizations to determine their organizations’ policies, procedures, and philosophies with respect to the above issues.