How communicative leadership influences co-workers' health - a quality management perspective

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to describe leaders' views on how Communicative Leadership influences co-worker health by comparing their opinions with the health-related values within Quality Management. Design/methodology/approach - A multinational manufacturing organization that has been working with Communicative Leadership for several years was investigated. Twenty-one managers trained in Communicative Leadership were interviewed and asked about their views on how their communication influences both the well-being of their co-workers and the working environment. Various communication behaviors and communication methodologies emerged from the interviews and were then analyzed versus the health-related Quality Management dimensions. Findings - The result shows concrete communication behavior and methodologies that influence co-worker well-being and the working environment positively and negatively. Another result is a description of the prerequisites for managers to be able to communicate in a way that influences co-worker well-being and the working environment. The analysis of the communication behaviors and communication methodologies versus the health-related Quality Management values shows that several of the health-related Quality Management dimensions were present. Research limitations/implications - A limitation of this research is that it is just managers' view that has been investigated and analyzed. Practical implications - Managers acting and behaving in accordance with the communicative behaviors and methodologies described in the results can influence co-worker health and the working environment in a positive way. The level of awareness of the prerequisites could help managers to influence co-worker well-being and create a good working environment. Originality/value - The connection between Communicative Leadership and health-related Quality Management values is rarely made. This research can contribute to greater understanding in both areas.