Abstract

In this study, a research model was designed and verified in order to determine whether the communication styles of public library managers affect employees’ empowerment, job satisfaction, and life satisfaction. A survey was conducted among employees of four public libraries in the Gyeonggi region and 24 libraries in Seoul, and 229 valid responses were analyzed. The analysis revealed that authoritative communication style influenced employees’ job satisfaction, while social communication style influenced their empowerment. Additionally, employees’ empowerment impacted their job satisfaction, which in turn affected their life satisfaction. This implies that job satisfaction and life satisfaction of the employees can be achieved after communication and empowerment were well established within the organization. This study is meaningful in suggesting an effective management direction for strengthening the essence and foundation of public libraries by examining the theoretical significance and implications of the research result. This study also suggested that in the future, another research should be conducted based on a variety of characteristics by integrating the different communication styles of researchers.