%0 Journal Article
%T Emails From the Boss¡ªCurse or Blessing? Relations Between Communication Channels, Leader Evaluation, and Employees¡¯ Attitudes
%A Alexander Kirchner
%A Alina Hernandez Bark
%A Rolf van Dick
%A Sebastian Stegmann
%A Stephan Braun
%J International Journal of Business Communication
%@ 2329-4892
%D 2019
%R 10.1177/2329488415597516
%X The present research investigates if and how a more digitally centered communication between supervisors and employees satisfies employees¡¯ needs regarding the communication with their supervisors and influences employees¡¯ attitudes toward the supervisor and the job. In a cross-sectional online study, 261 employees rated their supervisors¡¯ actual and ideal use of different communication channels (i.e., telephone, face-to-face, email) regarding quality and quantity. Employees¡¯ job satisfaction and their perceptions of their supervisors¡¯ effectiveness and team identification were measured as dependent variables. Employees perceived face-to-face communication to be of higher quality than telephone and email communication, and they indicated a preference for more face-to-face communication with their supervisors than they actually had. Moreover, the perceived quality of communication, especially via face-to-face, was strongly and positively related to the dependent variables. These results provide insights into potential problems of increasing e-leadership in organizations. We conclude with recommendations to reduce these problems
%K e-leadership
%K leadership
%K communication
%K face-to-face
%K email
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2329488415597516