Strategic Internal Communication Research Articles

Exploring the potential of internal communication and employee relations for effective staff performance in Nigeria customs service

Organizations in the modern, global environment have moved away from traditional methods of communication and toward creating all-encompassing plans that revolve around the engagement and motivation of their workforce. This change highlights the critical function of strategic internal communication, a still-emerging but increasingly important field of study and practice in the business sector. The modern workplace sees a change in the roles that employees play, with workers taking on more and more duties that were previously related to public relations. Understanding this shift in PR practice requires an understanding of role expectations, as norms and expectations have a significant impact on communication behavior and, in turn, organizational performance. To interpret the data in this context, a content analysis of secondary data was conducted. This made it possible to assess the body of knowledge in order to determine its applicability, consistency, replication, and rebuttal. The study makes the case that paramilitary organizations, like the Nigeria Customs Service, have internal communication procedures that are different from those of traditional corporate organizational structures. Given the agency’s diverse responsibilities in income generation, trade facilitation, and the abolition of smuggling, this discrepancy is especially noticeable. The study shows that the relationship between internal communication and employees’ job performance was mediated by employee participation and job satisfaction.

Mitigating Organizational Conspiracy Beliefs Through Strategic Internal Communication and Employee–Organization Relationships (EOR) in the Workplace

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to explore how strategic internal communication and the quality of employee – organization relationship (EOR) can reduce organizational conspiracy beliefs among employees and thus prevent the negative outcomes thereof in the workplace. Using a national survey (N = 810) of full-time employees in the United States, this study found that high-quality EOR based on two-way symmetrical communication with employees is likely to reduce the potential for conspiracy theories and, in turn, for turnover intentions in the workplace. This finding provides meaningful insight into how internal communication managers can mitigate negative employee outcomes that are closely associated with organizational conspiracy theories in the workplace, namely by practicing strategic internal communication and developing high-quality EOR. This study theoretically advances conspiracy theory research by offering a theoretical explanation for belief systems of conspiracy theories that also considers strategic internal communication and the quality of EOR.

Internal Communication and Employee Relations Management for Effective Staff Performance in Nigeria Customs Service

In the contemporary global landscape, organizations have transitioned from conventional approaches to communication towards developing comprehensive communication strategies that center around employee motivation and engagement. This shift emphasizes the pivotal role of strategic internal communication, a relatively nascent but increasingly vital subject of study and application in the business world. The contemporary corporate environment observes a shift in employee roles, with employees increasingly undertaking responsibilities traditionally associated with public relations. Expectations of roles are pivotal in comprehending this transformation in PR practice, as expectations and norms greatly influence communication behavior and, consequently, organizational performance. Within this context, a content analysis of secondary data was done for the interpretation of the data. This allowed for the evaluation of existing knowledge for the purpose of relevance, consistency, replication and refutation. The paper argues that internal communication practices within paramilitary agencies, such as the Nigeria Customs Service, diverge from conventional corporate organizational models. This divergence is particularly pronounced given the agency's multifaceted role in revenue generation, the suppression of smuggling, trade facilitation, and other functions. The paper concludes that employee participation and job satisfaction played the mediating role in the relation between internal communication and job performance of the employees.

Collective Responsibility in the Workplace and its Effects on COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance Among Employees: The Role of Strategic Internal Communication

Businesses, as one of the largest units in society, are expected to be socially responsible and become vaccine advocate to help with recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Building upon this expectation, this study takes an internal communication perspective to explore the role of organizations in motivating employees to stand in solidarity and adopt prosocial behavior (i.e., vaccination against COVID-19 in this study) in the fight against the pandemic. Specifically, we propose a psychological model that pictures how organizational informing and listening can facilitate employee attitude toward vaccination by realizing their collective responsibility to protect others at work via communal relationships with the organizations. The findings of this study contribute to ethical practices of organizational communication by revealing the under-explored role of organizations in addressing vaccine hesitance and resistance during the current pandemic.

How Transparent Internal Communication From CEO, Supervisors, and Peers Leads to Employee Advocacy

The purpose of this study is to examine the role of transparent internal communication from multiple communication entities within organizations—CEO, supervisors, and peers—in employees’ internal and external advocacy, respectively, with a consideration of the two mediators: employee-organization relationship (EOR) and employee empowerment. Results of an online survey with 403 full-time employees in the United States suggested that transparent communication from direct supervisors was positively related to employee advocacy via heightened EOR and empowerment. In addition, positive associations between CEOs’ transparent communication and employees’ external and internal advocacy via a favorable EOR were found, while transparent peer communication was positively related to employee advocacy through empowerment. Theoretical and practical implications for strategic internal communication are discussed.

Strategic internal communication for effective internal employer branding

PurposeAlthough internal communication is perceived as one of the crucial elements for favorable internal evaluation of an employer brand (EB), the importance of internal communication for EB advocacy has been insufficiently theoretically problematized and related empirical evidence is almost non-existent. In this paper, the relationship between employees' satisfaction with internal communication and their perceptions of their employers' attractiveness is explored.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire-based field research study was conducted on a sample of 3,457 Croatian employees. The Internal Communication Satisfaction Questionnaire (ICSQ) (Tkalac Verčič et al., 2009) and the Employer Attractiveness (EmpAt) Scale (Berthon et al., 2005) were used for assessing internal communication satisfaction (ICS) and employer attractiveness (EA).FindingsFindings reveal that respondents' overall satisfaction with internal communication in their organizations is significantly positively related with the overall attractiveness they assign to their employers, that all explored ICS dimensions are significant for the overall EA, and that each ICS dimension is significant for at least one EA dimension. The most relevant ICS dimensions for EA are “satisfaction with feedback” and “satisfaction with communication climate”.Originality/valueA conducted large sample study is among the first quantitative empirical studies that proved that employees who are satisfied with internal communication are likely to see their employers as attractive. Moreover, findings point toward internal communication endeavors which add more value to developing an attractive internal EB.

Communicating affirmative action in three South African organisations

Problems associated with the management of communication (in the broadest sense ofthe word) are a recurring theme in both Corporate Communication Management andHuman Resource Management literature and in research on the implementation ofaffirmative action1 as part of the Employment Equity Act2 in the South African context.Therefore, the following research question was formulated: “How do South Africanorganisations manage communication about affirmative action (against the backdropof employment equity3)?”.This article provides an overview of some dimensions of an exploratory qualitative studythat investigated this research question. The ever-increasing strategic importance oforganisational performance regarding the EEA highlights the need for research in thisarea. This study is one of only a few empirical studies in the field of CorporateCommunication with the emphasis on topics related to the management of communicationin this specific transformational context.Since this study focused on aspects that had not been researched previously (or verifiedempirically), an exploratory approach had to be followed, with the purpose of gaugingpossible current trends related to the management of communication about AA in aselection of South African organisations. A case study comparison of three organisationsyielded the following results on four sub-questions derived from the overarching researchquestion. The organisations researched (1) comply with their legal duty to inform andconsult with stakeholders about the process of EE as stipulated in the Code of GoodPractice for the EEA (Department of Labour, 1999); (2) the management of EE is viewedas a transformational change process, as opposed to a once-off incident; (3) the
 management of communication in this context is viewed as a critical success factor, buta disparity exists between the emphasis placed on strategic external and internalcommunication efforts; and (4) leaders at all hierarchical levels have differentcommunication responsibilities in relation to this transformational process.Based on the results of this study, the major recommendation for the management ofaffirmative action communication pertains to the need to address the perceived gapbetween internal and external communication efforts. Since strategic internalcommunication is not only viewed as critical for the dissemination of information, butalso as the vehicle through which transformation is facilitated, the value thereof shouldnot be underestimated.

The role of strategic internal communication in empowering female employees to cope with workplace gender discrimination

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore how the excellent practice of public relations concerning strategic internal communication may help empower female employees to cope with workplace gender discrimination. It constructs and empirically tests a theoretical model that investigates the role of transparent internal communication on diversity and inclusion in shaping female employees' sense of empowerment, and that empowerment may affect how they cope with such problems in the workplace.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey was conducted with 402 full-time female employees in large-sized organizations in the United States. Structural equation models were conducted to test the proposed measurement model and hypothesized model.FindingsThe findings of this study offer support for the proposed model that featuring transparent internal communication regarding workplace gender discrimination increases female employees' empowerment to tackle the problems, which in turn encourages them to adopt problem-focused coping and participate in collective coping behaviors.Research limitations/implicationsExcellent internal communication not only facilitates organization-employee relationships as prior research widely demonstrated, but, according to the findings of this study, also creates a sense of empowerment among female employees, which encourage them to proactively address workplace gender discrimination issue.Practical implicationsOrganizations should practice transparent communication regarding diversity and inclusion, ensuring employees receive sufficient information, clear guidelines, and opportunities to voice as well as aim to develop empowerment interventions that help employees address discrimination issues in the workplace.Originality/valueTo the best of the author's knowledge, this study is among the first empirical studies that present the importance of strategic internal communication, particularly transparent communication, in facilitating gender equality in the workplace.

The Influence of Diversity-Oriented Leadership on Employee’s Engagement Through Strategic Internal Communication During the Covid-19 Outbreak as An Intervention Variable

This study aims to analyze the influence of diversity-oriented leadership on employee engagement through strategic internal communication during covid-19 outbreak as an intervention variable at BPJS Ketenagakerjaan Surakarta. The respondents in this study were 61 actives employees at BPJS Ketenagakerjaan Surakarta. Statistical tools used in this study are Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) by Smart PLS application. Results signify that diversity-oriented leadership has no significant influence on employee’s engagement and it has positive significant influence on strategic internal communication. Strategic internal communication has positive significant influence on employee’s engagement. Diversity-oriented leadership has positive significant influence on employee’s engagement through strategic internal communication during the covid-19 outbreak as an intervention variable.

Welcoming Newcomers in Start-Ups: Challenges for Strategic Internal Communication

ABSTRACT Start-ups operating under conditions of uncertainty and limited resources face several challenges for strategic internal communication. Meanwhile, their efforts in welcoming newcomers are of vital importance for the achievement of organisational success. This study investigates what the start-up context means for strategic organisational entry communication. Following a review of research at the intersection of HRM and entrepreneurship with implications for strategic entry communication, entrepreneurs and newcomers in six start-ups were interviewed. A thematic analysis resulted in the identification of three themes of challenges for strategic communication connected to welcoming newcomers in start-ups, namely: Aspects related to the overall organisational context and situation, aspects related to newcomers’ job content and design, and finally entrepreneurs’ communication skills, knowledge, and time resources. The discussion shows implications of the start-up context for strategic organisational entry communication as regards opportunities for strategic communication, as well as the content and form of the strategic entry communication. The study contributes to the body of knowledge on strategic communication in start-ups by drawing on research from the intersection of HRM and entrepreneurship, as well as generating new empirical insights highlighting challenges to strategic internal communication in start-ups, especially for the purpose of welcoming newcomers.

The Role of Internal Communication in Start-ups: State of Research and Practical Approaches

ABSTRACT Start-ups differ from established organizations in having limited routines and undergoing constant change that shapes their communicative structures. Although they are dependent on successful internal communication, its importance as a strategic discipline seems underestimated in practice. In addition, research on internal communication in start-ups has so far only focused on several sub-areas. In this article, internal communication is, in a first step, defined as a subdiscipline of strategic communication and elaborated on from the perspective of the Four Flows Model in order to allow a holistic view on internal communication. Secondly, we ask what role is attributed to strategic internal communication in start-ups across different stages of development in academic research and practice. Answers are provided through a multi-method design consisting of a systematic literature review in the fields of strategic communication, business management, and entrepreneurship, and 12 guided interviews with representatives of start-ups. Although both literature and interviewees identify internal communication as crucial to the success of start-ups, it mainly results from routine and is rarely strategically derived or evaluated. This study provides a more detailed insight into the role of strategic communication in start-ups, to which further studies can refer in order to fill the research gaps discussed.

How dialogic internal communication fosters employees’ safety behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic

As employees return to the workplace amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring safety and health at work remains a top priority for organizations. Grounded in dialogic theory and protection motivation theory, this study examines how dialogic communication, as a type of strategic internal communication, can encourage employees to engage in safety behaviors in the workplace during the COVID-19 pandemic via heightened efficacy and perceived threat. An online survey of full-time employees of different industries returning to the workplace during the COVID-19 pandemic is conducted. Results suggest that the communal relationship of employees with their organization, influenced by dialogic internal communication, fosters their efficacy and perceived threat of COVID-19 in the workplace, which in turn increases their safety behaviors. Theoretical and practical implications for public relations and internal communication studies are discussed.

Employees’ Communicative Behaviors in Response to Emotional Exhaustion: The Moderating Role of Transparent Communication

ABSTRACT On the basis of the literature across various strategic communication disciplines, including organizational communication, business, and public relations, this study examined the role of employees’ emotional exhaustion in the workplace in influencing their communicative behaviors. Moreover, this study identified the effective communication strategy to such exhausted employees. Results of an online survey among full-time employees in the U.S. showed that employees who experience emotional exhaustion at work are less likely to have a favorable employee–organization relationship (EOR), resulting in less advocative behavior and more adversarial behavior toward the organization. As a moderator, transparent internal communication played a significant role in mitigating the negative effect of emotional exhaustion on EOR and advocative behavior. However, transparent communication did not have a significant moderating effect between EOR and employees’ adversarial behavior. Theoretical and practical implications for strategic internal communication are discussed.

The Role of Symmetrical Internal Communication in Improving Employee Experiences and Organizational Identification During COVID-19 Pandemic-Induced Organizational Change

Integrating strategic internal communication research with organizational change literature and organizational support theory, this study proposes a theoretical model to understand the influence of symmetrical internal communication on employees’ cognitive and affective experiences and organizational identification in a COVID-19 pandemic-induced change situation. A quantitative online survey was conducted with 490 full-time employees in the United States in mid-April 2020. Results indicate that symmetrical internal communication during organizational change contributes to employees’ perceptions of change communication quality. In addition, symmetrical internal communication, along with perceived quality of change communication, enhances employees’ perceptions of organizational support and positive emotions during organizational change, which in turn leads to stronger organizational identification. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

Dynamics of millennial employees' communicative behaviors in the workplace: the role of inclusive leadership and symmetrical organizational communication

PurposeWith a focus on millennial employees, this study investigates how employees engage in two types of employees' communicative behaviors (ECBs), that is, their voluntary communicative efforts to acquire and circulate tasks and managerial information (i.e. scouting) and to share and discuss positive and negative aspects of their organization with internal members (i.e. internal megaphoning). Through the lens of social exchange theory (SET) and symmetrical communication model, this study examines the effects of inclusive leadership and internal communication on active information behaviors of employees within their companies.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey was conducted with fulltime millennial employees working across various industry sectors in the US.FindingsSymmetrical internal communication influenced by inclusive leadership enhances employees' scouting behavior as well as positive internal megaphoning behavior. Positive and negative internal megaphoning with supervisors increases the scouting behavior of employees, whereas negative internal megaphoning with peers does not have a significant effect.Originality/valueThis study is among the first attempts to examine the effectiveness of leadership and strategic internal communication on millennial employees' diverse types of communicative behaviors.

An Interdisciplinary Approach to the Design and Implementation of a University-oriented Internal Communications Strategy for a Bachelor of General Studies Degree Program

Leading an interdisciplinary program change is challenging. Effectively communicating those changes across a University brings additional challenges associated with organizational and cultural differences across administrative and academic units. This design-based research study used exploratory sequential mixed methods to develop a strategic internal communication plan for a new Bachelor of General Studies degree. Data included interviews with four university administrators and faculty who were involved in the development of the BGS degree program followed by a survey completed by 161 staff and faculty advisors and administrators outside of the program. Interview and survey results were interpreted using sociocultural learning, co-orientation theory, and a two-way symmetrical model of communication. Findings emphasize the importance of cultural differences across administrative and academic units: collectivism (community), professionalism (cooperation and trust), balanced power-distance (student-centered learning balanced with the expertise and authority of the faculty), pragmatism (practical results and blunt pragmatic communication style), and a results-oriented approach. The results were used to design an internal marketing plan that promotes sociocultural learning across cultural differences within the university and reciprocal exchange of information among undergraduate faculty and advisors.

Building organizational resilience through strategic internal communication and organization–employee relationships

ABSTRACT This study explores the impacts of internal strategic communication and relationship management with employees for organizational resilience in effective internal crisis communication, thereby filling a gap in crisis communication research. Specifically, it provides empirical evidence for how organizational resilience in a crisis can be achieved through strategic internal communication and relationship building with employees. A nationwide survey (N = 830) was conducted among full-time employees in the United States. The results revealed the important mediating role of organization–employee relationships (OER) between resilience and its antecedent, demonstrating that OER is a strong underlying factor in understanding how two-way symmetrical communication indirectly impacts organizational resilience. Thus, this study extends the scope of current crisis communication theories to emphasize managerial efforts directed at organizational resilience. Practical insights for developing organizational resilience include managers investing in two-way symmetrical communication and positive employee relationships before a crisis occurs.

The Role of Strategic Internal Communication in Workplace Discrimination: A Perspective of Racial Minority Employees

ABSTRACT While numerous organizations have undertaken initiatives to reduce workplace discrimination owing to racial/ethnic backgrounds, racial inequalities in the workplace continue to persist. Providing an inclusive and open work environment has become an important task for organizations. Given that strategic communication management plays an important role in relationship cultivation and management, this study examines the role of strategic internal communication efforts in influencing racial and ethnic minority employees’ perceived work relations. Specifically, this study tests how different aspects of workplace discrimination perceptions – experienced versus observed – are related to transparent internal communication, perceived organizational justice, and employee-organization relationship (EOR). As one of the few empirical studies that examine the role of strategic internal communication in workplace discrimination, this research shows that communicating with employees in a transparent manner can reduce discrimination perceptions, enhance perceived organizational justice, and ultimately establish stronger EORs. While workplace discrimination continues to be a considerable challenge to overcome, this study demonstrates the vital strategic communicative actions that organizations can take to create supportive environments that can mitigate and prevent race-based workplace discrimination.

Enhancing employees’ knowledge sharing through diversity-oriented leadership and strategic internal communication during the COVID-19 outbreak

PurposeThis study aims to examine the effects of diversity-oriented leadership and strategic internal communication on employees’ knowledge-sharing behavior during a crisis situation, coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in particular. Integrating knowledge sharing research with internal crisis communication literature as well as self-determination theory, the mediating roles of employees’ intrinsic needs satisfaction are also identified.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey was conducted with 490 full-time employees in the USA across industry sectors during the COVID-19 outbreak.FindingsResults suggest that diversity-oriented leadership contributes to transparent internal communication during a crisis and increases employees’ satisfaction of autonomy, competence and relatedness needs. Transparent internal communication also increases employees’ intrinsic needs satisfaction, which in turn fosters their job engagement and knowledge-sharing behavior during the crisis.Originality/valueThis study is one of the earliest studies to demonstrate the effectiveness of diversity-oriented leadership and strategic internal crisis communication in enhancing employees’ knowledge-sharing behavior, especially in the context of COVID-19.

Cultivating employee creativity through strategic internal communication: The role of leadership, symmetry, and feedback seeking behaviors

Using a survey of 405 full-time employees, this study examined how organizations’ internal communication influenced by leadership communication at the supervisory- and senior-levels impacts employee creativity and how employees’ feedback-seeking behaviors mediate these relationships. The results suggest that leadership communication at the supervisory and senior levels positively influence symmetrical internal communication system. The analysis also shows that symmetrical internal communication and leadership communication cause employees to seek more feedback from different interpersonal sources including supervisors, coworkers, and peers in other departments, which in turn enhances creativity. This paper concludes with a discussion of the theoretical and practical implications of these findings for public relations and internal communication.