Why does listening matter inside the organization? The impact of internal listening on employee-organization relationships

ABSTRACT This study examined whether and how listening in the internal communication context may influence the quality of employee-organization relationships. This study proposed employee psychological need satisfaction as the potential underlying mechanism that mediates the relationship between internal listening and employee relational outcomes. An online survey was conducted with 443 employees across various industries in the United States. The key findings of this study showed that employee perceptions of internal organizational listening were positively associated with employees’ perceived relationships with their organization. In addition, employee psychological need satisfaction positively mediated the effects of both organizational and supervisory listening on the quality of employee-organization relationships. This study advances the theorizing of listening from an internal communication perspective and contributes to the growing body of knowledge in relationship management.