Oral communication capabilities of purchasing managers: Measurement and typology

As supply chain management (SCM) becomes increasingly important, the sharing of information and oral communication has also increased in significance. This has resulted in the need for an instrument to measure managers' oral communication capabilities. The main objectives of this paper are to identify the dimensions of the oral communication capability and to develop an instrument to measure this capability. To achieve these goals, a survey was conducted among German and Spanish buyers and supply managers. The results indicate that the oral communication capability construct has a second-order structure with three dimensions: The ability to pass on information, the ability to persuade and the ability to listen and understand. Based on these results, the Oral Communication Capability Self-test (OCCS) was developed. This study also investigates the typology of purchasing managers based on their oral communication capabilities.