Positive affective tone as an underlying mechanism between leader's motivating language and career outcomes

Abstract

Purpose

Recent evidence suggests that leaders' communication is central to an organization's success. The purpose of the current research is to examine how the leader's motivating language (direction giving, empathetic and meaning-making) translates into positive career outcomes through the mechanism of positive affective tone.

Design/methodology/approach

A three-wave time-lagged research design was applied to collect data (N = 320) from employees of the telecom sector of Pakistan.

Findings

Employing structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis, the study results indicate that high levels of leader's motivating language (direction giving and meaning-making) result in positive affective tone in employees, which further creates career motivation (career insight, career resilience and career identity) and career satisfaction. In contrast, positive affective tone does not mediate between empathetic language and career motivation (career insight, career resilience and career identity) and career satisfaction relationship.

Research limitations/implications

The present study's findings explicate the unique effects and mechanism through which leaders motivating language becomes influential in reaping its benefits for followers' career outcomes. More research is warranted to examine other attitudinal and behavioral outcomes of leaders motivating language. This study research prepares future researchers to investigate other mediators and moderators in the leaders motivating language–career outcomes relationship. The authors recommend further implications of the study's findings for research and practice in the domain of leadership, affect and careers.

Originality/value

The current study opens up a new perspective in leaders motivating language literature by examining the underlying mechanism of positive affective tone.

Citation

Syed, F., Naseer, S., Bashir, F. and Fatima, T. (2022), "Positive affective tone as an underlying mechanism between leader's motivating language and career outcomes", Management Decision, Vol. 60 No. 11, pp. 3019-3041. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-07-2020-0904