Pepperdine University Pepperdine Digital Commons Theses and Dissertations 2018 How do mid-level leaders communicate with white collar workers in a multi-national setting? Susan Al-Shammari Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/etd Recommended Citation Al-Shammari, Susan, "How do mid-level leaders communicate with white collar workers in a multi-national setting?" (2018). Theses and Dissertations. 955. https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/etd/955 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by Pepperdine Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Pepperdine Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]. Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology HOW DO MID-LEVEL LEADERS COMMUNICATE WITH WHITE COLLAR WORKERS IN A MULTI-NATIONAL SETTING? A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership by Susan Al-Shammari June, 2018 James Rocco DellaNeve, Ed.D. ‒ Dissertation Chairperson This dissertation, written by Susan Al-Shammari under the guidance of a Faculty Committee and approved by its members, has been submitted to and accepted by the Graduate Faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION Doctoral Committee: James Rocco DellaNeve, Ed.D., Chairperson Eric Hamilton, Ph.D. Maria Brahme, Ed.D. © Copyright by Susan Al-Shammari (2018) All Rights Reserved TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................... vi LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................................... viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .............................................................................................................. x VITA .............................................................................................................................................. xi ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................. xii Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 Background of the Study .................................................................................................... 1 Problem Statement .............................................................................................................. 3 Statement of Purpose .......................................................................................................... 4 Importance of the Study ...................................................................................................... 4 Definition of Terms............................................................................................................. 5 Theoretical Framework ....................................................................................................... 8 Research Questions ........................................................................................................... 14 Limitations ........................................................................................................................ 14 Delimitations ..................................................................................................................... 14 Assumptions ...................................................................................................................... 15 Organization of the Study ................................................................................................. 15 Chapter 2: Review of the Literature .............................................................................................. 16 Historical Background and Context of the Issue .............................................................. 16 The Workforce at Saudi Aramco ...................................................................................... 17 Theoretical Framework for the Study ............................................................................... 17 Communication and Satisfaction ...................................................................................... 28 Communication and Job Satisfaction................................................................................ 30 Communication Satisfaction and Demographic Variables ............................................... 30 Communication Accommodation Theory......................................................................... 35 Goleman’s Six Leadership Styles ..................................................................................... 41 Individualistic Versus Collectivistic Cultures .................................................................. 46 Leadership and Multiculturalism ...................................................................................... 53 Summary ........................................................................................................................... 57 Chapter 3: Methodology ............................................................................................................... 65 Restatement of Study Purpose .......................................................................................... 65 Restatement of Research Questions .................................................................................. 65 Page Overview of Chapter Content and Organization .............................................................. 66 Setting ............................................................................................................................... 66 Population, Sampling Procedures, and Sample ................................................................ 66 Data Collection Procedures ............................................................................................... 70 Human Subject Considerations ......................................................................................... 71 Instrumentation ................................................................................................................. 72 Approval of the Data Collection Procedures .................................................................... 76 Data Management ............................................................................................................. 76 Data Analysis .................................................................................................................... 77 Chapter 4: Results ......................................................................................................................... 78 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 78 Answering the Research Questions .................................................................................. 81 Chapter 5: Conclusions and Recommendations ........................................................................... 93 How the Results of This Study Compare to the Review of Literature ............................. 93 Education .......................................................................................................................... 94 Income............................................................................................................................... 95 Age .................................................................................................................................... 97 Gender ............................................................................................................................... 98 Duration of Employment .................................................................................................. 99 Nationality....................................................................................................................... 100 Language ......................................................................................................................... 102 Arabic Styles of Persuasion ............................................................................................ 103 Supervisor Excellence ..................................................................................................... 104 Conclusions and Recommendations for Future Practice and Future Study .................... 106 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................... 108 APPENDIX A: The Demographic Questionnaire ...................................................................... 123 APPENDIX B: The Consent Form ............................................................................................. 125 APPENDIX C: The Communication Satisfaction Questionnaire ............................................... 126 APPENDIX D: The 7 Dimensions of the Communication Satisfaction Questionnaire by Question .............................................................................................. 129 APPENDIX E: IRB Approval ...................................................................................................