A Meta‑analytic Systematic Review and Theory of the Efects of Perceived Listening on Work Outcomes
Abstract
The quality of listening in interpersonal contexts was hypothesized to improve a variety of work outcomes. However, research
of this general hypothesis is dispersed across multiple disciplines and mostly atheoretical. We propose that perceived listening improves job performance through its efects on afect, cognition, and relationship quality. To test our theory, we
conducted a registered systematic review and multiple meta-analyses, using three-level meta-analysis models, based on 664
efect sizes and 400,020 observations. Our results suggest a strong positive correlation between perceived listening and work
outcomes, r = .39, 95%CI=[.36, .43], 휌 = .44, with the efect on relationship quality, r =.51, being stronger than the efect
on performance, r =.36. These fndings partially support our theory, indicating that perceived listening may enhance job
performance by improving relationship quality. However, 75% of the literature relied on self-reports raising concerns about
discriminant validity. Despite this limitation, removing data solely based on self-reports still produced substantial estimates
of the association between listening and work outcomes (e.g., listening and job performance, r = .21, 95%CI=[.13, .29], 휌
= .23). Our meta-analyses suggest further research into (a) the relationship between listening and job knowledge, (b) measures assessing poor listening behaviors, (c) the incremental validity of listening in predicting listeners’ and speakers’ job
performance, and (d) listening as a means to improve relationships at work.
Advancing Primed Goal Research in Organizational Behavior
Xiao Chen, Gary P. Latham, Ronald F. Piccolo, Guy Itzchakov
Goal Setting
In this rejoinder, we address three issues discussed in the commentaries on our lead article: possible ethical issues in goal priming in organizational settings, whether goal priming is restricted to routine behaviors, and the relationship of goal priming with self-fulling prophecies and an organization’s climate. Finally, our data were examined by an independent researcher who tested for publication bias.
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Downstream Consequences of Perceived Partner Responsiveness in Social Life
Harry T. Reis, Guy Itzchakov, Karisa Y. Lee, and Yan Ruan
Responsiveness
Extensive research has documented people’s desire for social partners who are responsive to their needs and preferences, and that when they perceive that others have been responsive, they and their relationships typically thrive. For these reasons, perceived partner responsiveness is well-positioned as a core organizing theme for the study of sociability in general, and close relationships in particular. Research has less often addressed the downstream consequences of perceived partner responsiveness for cognitive and affective processes. This gap in research is important because relationships provide a central focus and theme for many, if not most, of the behaviors studied by social psychologists. This chapter begins with an overview of the construct of perceived partner responsiveness and its centrality to relationships. We then review programs of research demonstrating how perceived partner responsiveness influences three core social-psychological processes: self-enhancing social cognitions, attitude structure, and emotion regulation. The chapter concludes with a brief overview of how deeper incorporation of relationship processes can enhance the informativeness and completeness of social psychological theories.
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