Amplifying Leadership Excellence: Active Listening in the Workplace.

By: Dr Jorge Del-Bosque

Active listening skills are integral to successful leadership, a fact that is frequently validated by research. According to Kluger and Zaidel's ⁽¹⁾ findings, those individuals perceived to be good listeners are often seen as embodying key leadership qualities. Indeed, the workplace thrives on effective communication. Recognizing this, successful managers consistently prioritize listening and responding in a non-judgmental manner, as evidenced by a study on the Journal of Business Ethics ⁽²⁾. Numerous studies have subsequently surfaced, highlighting the positive impacts of active or empathetic listening and manager’s listening behaviour (MLB) at the workplace, ranging from fostering inclusion to promoting creativity and engagement.

Trust and Intrinsic Motivation

A significant advantage of active listening lies in building trust. Managerial active listening has been proven to foster trust and collaboration between managers and employees ⁽³⁾. It's a powerful tool that, when wielded appropriately, can significantly bolster morale. The crux of this lies in the fact that when team members feel genuinely heard, it catalyzes the development of a more open and trusting workplace culture.

Further, perceived listening leads to an increased sense of supportiveness, trust, and intrinsic motivation amongst team members ⁽⁴⁾. This not only boosts the individual's self-esteem but also encourages a cohesive team environment.

Inclusion

Beyond fostering trust, active listening also plays a pivotal role in increasing inclusion and support. To employees, manager’s listening behaviour (MLB) signifies their inclusion in the organization's decision-making process. Hollander's landmark book “Inclusive Leadership: The Essential Leader-Follower Relationship” ⁽⁵⁾ confirms that when managers listen to their opinions, employees not only feel included but also experience a sense of being supported within the organization.

Engagement

The importance of active listening is further underscored when considering employee engagement. Employees are demonstrably more likely to engage and contribute when they feel that their opinions are not only heard but valued. A study by Jhonson and Kristinson ⁽⁶⁾ identified a significant positive correlation between supervisors’ active-empathetic listening and employee work engagement. The authors even suggest that organizations should consider training their supervisors in active-empathetic listening as a part of a broader strategy to increase employees’ engagement at work. Their findings suggest that supervisors skilled in active-empathetic listening can positively influence their employees’ accomplishments, enthusiasm, involvement at work, and emotional energy.

Creativity

Lastly, the power of active listening extends into the realm of creativity. According to a study about how listening affects creative thinking ⁽⁷⁾, simply by listening, supervisors can make their employees feel psychologically safe. This sense of safety can lead to heightened levels of creativity amongst employees, further underscoring the importance of active listening in leadership and management.

In conclusion, the development of active listening skills among managers and leaders is not just a nice-to-have, but a critical component in building trust, fostering inclusion, increasing engagement, and promoting creativity in the workplace. By investing in these skills, organizations can create a more positive and productive work environment for all.

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References:

• (1) Kluger, A. N., & Zaidel, K. (2013). Are listeners perceived as leaders?. International Journal of Listening, 27(2), 73-84.
• (2) Lloyd, K. J., Boer, D., Keller, J. W., & Voelpel, S. (2015). Is my boss really listening to me? The impact of perceived supervisor listening on emotional exhaustion, turnover intention, and organizational citizenship behavior. Journal of Business Ethics, 130, 509-524.
• (3) Mineyama, S., Tsutsumi, A., Takao, S., Nishiuchi, K., & Kawakami, N. (2007). Supervisors' attitudes and skills for active listening with regard to working conditions and psychological stress reactions among subordinate workers. Journal of occupational health, 49(2), 81-87.
• (4) Stine, M., Thompson, T., & Cusella, L. (1995). The impact of organizational structure and supervisory listening indicators on subordinate support, trust, intrinsic motivation, and performance. International Journal of Listening, 9(1), 84-105.
• (5) Hollander, E. (2012). Inclusive leadership: The essential leader-follower relationship. Routledge.
• (6) Jonsdottir, I. J., & Kristinsson, K. (2020). Supervisors’ active-empathetic listening as an important antecedent of work engagement. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(21), 7976.
• (7) Castro, D. R., Anseel, F., Kluger, A. N., Lloyd, K. J., & Turjeman-Levi, Y. (2018). Mere listening effect on creativity and the mediating role of psychological safety. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 12(4), 489.

Author Profile: Dr Jorge Del-Bosque is the founder of Nanu, a startup on a mission to improve people and workplaces using Human-Centered AI. He holds a PhD in Computational Linguistics and an MSc in Management and Organisational Innovation from Queen Mary University of London. Throughout his 8-year career in the Learning & Development sector, he developed online training and development programmes for top financial, tech and manufacturing companies. He is a three-time finalist in the World Triathlon Championship Series.