Two-way Symmetrical Communication Research Articles

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.

Predicting Public Cooperation with Face Covering at the Early Phases of COVID-19: Building Public Trust, Confidence, Knowledge Through Governmental Two-Way Symmetrical Communication

ABSTRACT Despite the agreement on the importance of two-way communication during governmental response to pandemics, few studies provided empirical evidence to support the effectiveness of such communication strategy in times of a public health crisis. Integrating the concept of two-way symmetrical communication and the Trust, Confidence, and Cooperation model (the TCC model), this study investigates how strategic communication practices, in particular two-way symmetrical communication, is related to public’s perceived trust and confidence in governments (i.e., CDC in this study), and how these perceptions may affect decisions to comply with the preventive behaviors (i.e., face covering in this study), while taking the moderating role of knowledge into consideration. An online survey was conducted with 502 participants who were living in the United States in early April 2020. The findings showed that two-way symmetrical communication may increase public trust and confidence in governments, and improve individuals’ knowledge about the pandemic, which all subsequently leads to compliance with recommended behaviors. The results contribute to the theoretical understanding of pandemic communication and provide implications for practitioners in pandemic management, suggesting that health institutions should adopt two-way symmetrical communication practices in respond to public health emergencies.

Waiting for the punch(line): the circuit of culture and internal public relations at Netflix

PurposeThis study is concerned with the dynamics of the internal communications at Netflix following the release of The Closer and the public debate that followed, testing Netflix's long-standing reputation for promoting diverse content and supporting a progressive organizational culture.Design/methodology/approachUsing the circuit of culture (CoC) as a theoretical framework, this study applies a case study approach to analyze internal communication and strategic public relations in addressing this crisis.FindingsThis study's findings illustrate that by failing to interpret two of the five moments of the CoC, production and identity, Netflix negated the very values that constitute its brand. These findings have implications for how public relations' long-standing focus on two-way symmetrical communication is problematic, especially in the workplace.Originality/valueThe findings situate how the exertion of power within an organization, particularly in moments of identity and production, problematize the role of two-way symmetrical communication within an organization in crisis.

The Antecedents of Facebook Brand Page Engagement in Public Relations

Social media has increased the integration of marketing and PR. Consequently, due to this transition, businesses increasingly value customer relations above transactional marketing through social media brand pages communication. However, according to recent research, a practical problem has been identified: despite the significance of social media in marketing and communication, there is a lack of understanding among PR practitioners about how to successfully and strategically communicate via social media. PR practitioners still use social media asymmetrically and as promotional or advertising tools rather than for forming relationships with the public, which creates a lack of engagement. Secondly, a recent empirical study showed that humanise interaction can create customer and brand engagement through social media brand pages. Hence, recent public relations and social media-related research did not focus on humanised interaction influencing people to engage on brands’ social media Facebook pages. Thirdly, consumer brand engagement on social media was researched for several years. Furthermore, recent research conceptualised consumer engagement and brand engagement and called it social media brand engagement. Hence, social media brand engagement does not conceptualise or analyse humanised interaction and two-way symmetrical communication in computer-mediated communication in public relations related literature. Moreover, it is unclear how humanise interaction to create customer engagement through social media brand pages. This study aims to fill the research gap by providing a clear picture of how humanising interaction (as an antecedent) creates brand engagement and how to maintain a two-way communication strategy (as an antecedent) to maintain effective communication and build relationships. To answer these questions, this study conceptualises and develops a research framework where conversational human voice from relational maintenance theory and two-way symmetrical communication from excellence theory are taken as the antecedents of social media brand engagement.

Metaphorical application of the concept ‘paradigm’ to the public relations domain

The aim of this conceptual analysis of Kuhn’s paradigm theory was to explore whetherthe concept of paradigm could be applied to the public relations domain—specificallywith regard to concepts such as dominant paradigm, paradigm debate, paradigm struggleand scientific revolution. Based on the findings, the author suggests that the first three models of public relationsare the theory that represents the origins of public relations as a (social) science; thatthe dominant paradigm of normal science practice in public relations is persuasion; andthat alternative paradigms debated are about inter alia professionalism, ethicalperformance, conflict, chaos and pluralism. Furthermore, an important paradigm debateis currently taking place between eminent US scholars (relationships) and Europeanscholars (reflection). However, the real paradigm struggle is seen to be betweenpersuasion and two-way symmetrical communication (regarded by some as a strugglebetween symbolic and behavioural relationships). The author’s conclusion is that publicrelations is currently suffering an identity crisis which could, with a number of alternativeparadigms available, lead to a scientific revolution in the discipline.

Constructive Roles of Organizational Two-Way Symmetrical Communication: Workplace Pseudo-Information Gatekeeping

Misinformation, misunderstanding, and rumors are not foreign to organizations. The cost of pseudo-information can be critical for the organization in terms of profit, stakeholder relationships, and reputation. For those reasons, organizations should make efforts to detect and prevent the spread of pseudo-information. This piece of research proposes and finds support in a model to gatekeep pseudo-information in the workplace, in which two-way symmetrical communication is an essential element for the model, predicting employees’ gatekeeping behaviors, and mediating the relationship between quality of the employee–organization relationship and gatekeeping behaviors. Then, the cultivation of relationships with the employees and the adherence to two-way symmetrical communication are cost-effective methods for the organization. Loyal and satisfied employees voluntarily debunk and combat pseudo-information.

Putting Interfaith Dialogue on the Public Diplomacy Radar: Goals, Power, Strategies, and the Influence of Worldviews

Putting Interfaith Dialogue on the Public Diplomacy RadarGoals, Power, Strategies, and the Influence of Worldviews Juyan Zhang (bio) introduction Since the 1893 World’s Parliament of Religions, interfaith dialogue has gained traction in world affairs. It has become a domestic concern for countries with different religious faiths and the need to promote inter-faith understanding and harmonious coexistence.1 It has become a diplomatic instrument as states increasingly realize the role of religion in shaping international relations.2 The beginning of the twenty-first century saw even more interest in interfaith dialogue. Rapid growth of communication technology and increased international migration have brought people of different religions into closer contact.3 States have tapped religion as a source of soft power, and religious organizations have actively expanded their influence in the world arena. At the same time, religious hostilities are on the rise.4 Research has shown that interfaith dialogue can contribute to personal, relational, and structural changes.5 On the micro level, members of interfaith groups experience relational, personal, and transformative learning.6 On the macro level, interfaith dialogue brings about positive changes to global affairs. For example, after the Second Vatican Council made positive statements about other religions and recognized the unity of humankind,7 the Roman Catholic Church redefined its position by focusing on religious freedom, poverty, engagement with various cultures, and nuclear disarmament.8 Against such a backdrop, nation states have shown increasing interest in using interfaith dialogue for diplomacy. In the post-September 11 world, policymakers have recognized that religion continues to be a strong source of personal motivation and that foreign policy and security analysis need to incorporate an understanding of religion.9 Accordingly, faith-based diplomacy has been recognized as an essential area of expertise.10 [End Page 216] congruence between public diplomacy and interfaith dialogue Interfaith dialogue at the international level shares significant similarities with public diplomacy. Public diplomacy is defined as a relationship management function that promotes strategic people-to-people communication to establish a sustaining relationship.11 Similarly, interfaith dialogue is “an intentional encounter between individuals who adhere to differing religious beliefs and practices in an effort to foster respect and cooperation among these groups through organized dialogue.”12 Public diplomacy is regarded as a dialogical form of international political communication aimed at creating mutually beneficial relations.13 Similarly, interfaith dialogue is regarded as one of the most important political instruments for reaching across borders and building bridges of peace and hope.14 There is also significant congruence between public diplomacy and interfaith dialogue in terms of the changes they bring about. Neufeldt observed three approaches regarding how change occurs through inter-faith dialogue. The theological approach aims at understanding each other’s doctrines, worldviews, and personal experiences. The political approach aims at generating social coexistence and legitimizing or delegitimizing a political process or actor. The peacebuilding approach aims at developing a joint platform for conflict resolution.15 Among the three approaches, the theological approach matches cultural diplomacy, which refers to long-term public diplomacy that promotes understanding of a nation’s culture; the political approach matches engagement diplomacy, which aims at creating shared resources and fashioning a common language;16 and the peacebuilding approach matches conflict resolution in public diplomacy. Such congruence makes it possible to examine how interfaith dialogue fits into public diplomacy. dialogue as two-way symmetrical communication Interfaith dialogue is often portrayed as an effort to foster respect, cooperation, tolerance, and collaboration. Real-world dialogue, however, is a more complicated process. An organization may engage in sham dialogue and have no intention of conceding,17 while well-intentioned dialogue may generate no results. James E. Grunig’s excellence theory, the most influential theory in the field of public relations, can greatly inform our understanding of the dynamics of interfaith dialogue. The theory’s [End Page 217] notion of two-way symmetrical communication has been equated with dialogue.18 In the two-way symmetrical model, organizations use communication to adjust their ideas and behavior to those of others. Grunig argues that the model represents the most ethical and effective public relations. Critics argue that the model is unrealistic because organizations hire public relations people not as...

Toward Symmetry: An Assessment of Stockholder Communication Practices in South Africa

Investor Relations (IR) has gained prominence globally and is now considered to be a major contributor to corporate value. For companies to thrive in the global environment, they need to build and maintain mutually beneficial relationships with their primary stakeholder, the stockholder. Consequently, scholars have argued that for IR to maximize its benefit to companies, the profession needs to shift from one-way asymmetrical communication to two-way symmetrical communication with stockholders. Although scholars have recommended this shift, there is a paucity of studies that have explored whether two-way symmetrical communication has been embraced in IR practice. Using the two-way symmetrical model of communication as its framework, and a qualitative methodology consisting of in depth interviews, documents analysis, and qualitative content analysis, this paper assessed how Investor Relations professionals in South Africa use communication to maintain relationships with stockholders. The findings of the study show that most IR professionals in South Africa are using what we term a bridged approach, consisting of one-way and two-way symmetrical communication, to maintain relationships with stockholders. Evidence gleaned from the study further indicates that the nature of communication between IR practitioners and stockholders has broadened beyond financial issues to include engagement on non-financial issues. These findings do not only show the existence of a paradigm shift in IR practice in South Africa, they also suggest the need by IR as a field to maintain constant dialogue with Public Relations theory.

TÜRK KAHVESİ MARKALARININ DİJİTAL HALKLA İLİŞKİLER BAĞLAMINDA SOSYAL MEDYA KULLANIMI

Brands frequently use social media as a digital public relations tool, as they contribute to promotional activities by supporting image and corporate identity. The aim of there search is to reveal its contribution to beverage culture from past to present in terms of two-way symmetrical communication and to evaluate the general status of the Instagram shares of Turkish Coffee brands. 70 shares of 3 Turkish Coffee brands with the highest number of followers as of 10.08.2021 were analyzed by content analysis method on their official Instagram pages. It has been concluded that the shares of Turkish coffee brands do not reach enough impact and can not use digital public relations tools effectively.

Achieving employee engagement through effective internal communication

Internal communication is a prerequisite for organisational success as it underpins organisational effectiveness. Previous research (Albrecht, 2010; Andrew & Sofian, 2012; Hayase, 2009; Mamdoo, 2012; Markos & Sridevi, 2010; Meng & Berger, 2012; Ruck & Welch, 2012; Welch & Jackson, 2007; Welch, 2011) has linked this process to employee engagement, which generally refers to “a positive fulfilling, work-related state of mind that is characterised by vigour, dedication and absorption.” To illustrate how employee engagement can be achieved through internal communication, a quantitative research approach was used to obtain data from a sample of 300 respondents identified by means of systematic random sampling from a population of 1 322 employees from the case organisation. The findings point to the critical role played by internal communication in the achievement of employee engagement and specifically investigated the relationship between employee engagement and constructs such as: participative organisationalculture; supportive communication climate; participative leadership communication; quality and reliability of information; two-way asymmetrical communication and two-way symmetrical communication.

The impacts of CEO leadership behaviors on employees' affective commitment and scouting behavior: the mediating role of symmetrical internal communication

PurposeThis study aimed to examine how senior leadership influences corporate communication and employees' attitudinal and behavioral outcomes. Using two-way symmetrical communication model in public relations and leadership theory, it investigated the effects of CEOs' task- and relationship-oriented leadership on symmetrical internal communication, employees' organizational commitment and communicative behaviors.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey was conducted with 417 full-time employees working in various industries in the United States.FindingsThe results showed that CEOs' relationship-oriented leadership significantly influenced symmetrical internal communication, which, in turn, increased affective commitment and employees' scouting behavior. CEOs' task-oriented communication had no significant effect on symmetrical communication.Originality/valueThis study advances theoretical understanding of two-way symmetrical communication in relation to senior leadership and provides practical insights for corporate leaders and public relations practitioners regarding how to improve employee outcomes through CEOs' strategic leadership and internal communication practices.

Evaluating a shared decision-making intervention regarding dialysis modality: development and validation of self-assessment items for patients with chronic kidney disease

BackgroundShared decision-making is a two-way symmetrical communication process in which clinicians and patients work together to achieve the best outcome. This study aimed to develop self-assessment items as a decision aid for choosing a dialysis modality in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and to assess the construct validity of the newly developed items. MethodsFive focus group interviews were performed to extract specific self-assessment items regarding patient values in choosing a dialysis modality. After survey items were refined, a survey of 330 patients, consisting of 152 hemodialysis (HD) and 178 peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients, was performed to validate the self-assessment items.ResultsThe self-assessment for the decision aid was refined to 35 items. The structure of the final items appeared to have three dimensions of factors; health, lifestyle, and dialysis environment. The health factor consisted of 12 subscales (α = 0.724), the lifestyle factor contained 11 subscales (α = 0.624), and the dialysis environment factor was represented by 12 subscales (α = 0.694). A structural equation model analysis showed that the relationship between the decision aid factors (health, lifestyle, and dialysis environment), patients’ CKD perception, and cognition of shared decision-making differed between HD patients and PD patients.ConclusionWe developed and validated self-assessment items as part of a decision aid to help patients with CKD. This attempt may assist CKD patients in making informed and shared decisions closely aligned with their values when considering dialysis modality.

The Relationship Between Stakeholders and Corporate Reputation in the Education Industry

This paper analyses the relationship between Stakeholders and Corporate Reputation in the Education Industry. Through the qualitative research methodology of surveys, responses from stakeholders of different levels in the education industry has been analysed. More specifically, the areas of corporate reputation analysed were stakeholders’ management, stakeholder communication, Integrating Stakeholder Management and Communication to become Stakeholder Engagement, corporate reputation, image and identity and reputation and trust. From the analysed survey, it was found that engagement through actions of the organisations towards its stakeholders creates value and trust as two-way symmetrical communication for greater decision making.

CYBER GOVERNMENT PUBLIC RELATIONS MANAGEMENT IN STRENGTHENING THE IMAGE OF THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY BOARD AND NATIONAL COMMUNICATION (WANTIKNAS)

This study aims: to determine the implementation of cyber Public Relations Wantiknas in strengthening the organization's image, and to determine the role and function of optimal cyber Public Relations management. The theory used is communication management theory Public Relations, Cyber Public Relations, two-way symmetrical communication, computer mediated communication theory, and image theory. The research method used is a case study. The results of the study show that WANTIKNAS has not implemented PR's management optimally which has an impact on the lack of management of cyber public relations, besides that limited human resources and not positioned in a strategic role in WANTIKNAS's internal become obstacles to the implementation of PR's activities in the delivery of information.

쌍방향 균형 커뮤니케이션으로서 공유된 의사결정 시스템 구축을 위한 탐색적 연구 : 신장투석환자의 커뮤니케이션 중심 분석

본 연구는 의료현장에서 공유된 의사결정의 개념을 검토하고 쌍방향 균형 커뮤니케이션으로서 공유의사결정 시스템 구축에 영향을 미치는 의사-환자 간 커뮤니케이션 영향 요인을 검토하는데 목적이 있다. 이를 위해 공유의사결정이 필요한 질병 이슈로서 만성콩팥병을 선정하고 만성콩팥병으로 인해 신장투석을 받고 있는 환자 20명을 대상으로 FGI를 진행했다. 투석유형별 환자의 커뮤니케이션 차이, 투석 유형별 환자가 인지하는 의사-환자간 커뮤니케이션 영향요소 그리고 공유된 의사결정과정에 대한 투석유형별 환자가 인지하는 의사-환자 간 커뮤니케이션을 알아보고자 환자의 일상생활과 관련된 요인, 심리적 요인과 정서적 요인, 혜택과 장애요인과 커뮤니케이션 성향을 질문했다. 인터뷰 결과, 위험인식, 불확실성인식, 커뮤니케이션행동(정보성향), 시간활용과 의사에 대한 태도에서 투석유형별 환자의 차이가 나타났다. 혈액투석환자는 투석방법과 관련된 불확실성, 불편함과 관련된 위험요소를 피하거나 최소화하기 위해 혈액투석방법을 선택하는 경향을 보인 반면, 복막투석환자는 투석방법이 지닌 상대적인 장점과 이점에 기대어 투석방법을 결정하는 경향을 보였다. 혈액투석환자들은 병원에서 의료진에 의한 치료관리에 대한 신뢰 및 안도감을 나타낸 것으로 보아 의료상황에서 직면할 수 있는 불확실성에 대한 반감이 복막투석환자에 비해 상대적으로 높으며 불확실성을 인내하기 보다는 회피하는 것으로 나타났다. 혈액투석환자는 건강 관련 정보를 찾음으로써 치료과정에 적극적으로 개입하고자 하는 정도가 복막투석환자에 비해 상대적으로 낮은 것으로 나타났다. 또한 시간활용이라는 부분은 투석환자에게 있어 큰 중요도가 있는 부분이었다. 혈액투석 환자와 복막투석환자 모두 의사에 대한 높은 신뢰를 보였으나 의사를 만날 기회가 잦은 혈액투석환자에 있어 의사는 인생동반자의 의미로, 복막투석환자에게는 일상을 관리해주는 역할 인식이 더 부각되었다. 환자들은 공통적으로 투석방법 결정을 위한 충분한 상담시간의 부족, 주치의가 제공하는 정보의 양적, 질적 한계, 그리고 의료진 외에 투석관련 정보를 얻을 수 있는 경로부재를 커뮤니케이션 한계로 꼽았다. 본 연구는 의사 환자간 균형적 커뮤니케이션을 바탕으로 공유의사결정의 의미를 연계하고 의료 현장에서 실질적으로 이루어질 수 있는 환자중심의 커뮤니케이션 촉진을 위한 청사진을 제공했다는 데에 학문적인 의미가 있다. 향후에는 의료현장에서 공유의사결정이 필요한 다양한 이슈에 본 논의를 적용함으로써 의사와 환자 그리고 사회가 함께하는 이루어가는 균형적 커뮤니케이션 실천에 대한 노력이 확대되어야 할 것이다.

Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility in mining industries

The mining sector plays a fundamental role in the global economy since it provides vital raw materials and energy for a large number of industries but mining activities are commonly criticized due to the effects on workers’ health and local communities, and are seen as a threat to society in general. For these reasons, companies have to deal with the compatibility between the productive activity and the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Under this context, this paper aims to examine CSR communication in the mining sector on Twitter and identify the main topics of CSR and the main participants in the creation of content. A software framework has been developed in order to manage big text data in the study of CSR and sentiment computational content analysis to classify the tweets as positive, negative or neutral. Twitter was chosen since it is one of the three most commonly used social network sites by mining companies for information sharing and stakeholder engagement. The data collection period was from February 2019 to December 2019 and it resulted in 2,000,000 Twitter posts. The results show the CSR debate is increasingly growing in developing countries and in countries with a bad reputation of environmental and health mining conditions. The debate is mainly centered on the impact of mining industries on the land, and many stakeholders advocate for more environmental responsibility since they consider that mining activities are still controversial.Also, results reveal that the mining sector should improve the CSR disclosure and adopt a stakeholder engagement strategy grounded in the corporate stakeholder relationship perspective, the two-way symmetrical communication, and the dialogic theory of public relations. Social network sites such as Twitter can lead to positive outcomes for companies since they are not only a way to advertise what the company does with regards to CSR, but also to receive input from other for their CSR activities.

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.

From the Employee Perspective: Organizations’ Administration of Internal Social Media and the Relationship between Social Media Engagement and Relationship Cultivation

This study examined communication strategies used by organizations to encourage employee participation on internal social media and analyzed whether employees’ internal social media usage engenders increased transparency and relational outcomes from the employee perspective. Specifically, researchers proposed and tested a conceptual model that links perceived organizational communication strategies (i.e., strategic information dissemination, two-way symmetrical communication), employee internal social media usage, perceived organizational transparency, and employee-organization relationships. Through an online survey of 1,150 employees from various organizations in the United States that had adopted internal social media, results showed that strategic information dissemination and two-way symmetrical communication both encouraged employees’ use of internal social media, which in turn, led to employees’ perception of organizational transparency and quality relationship outcomes with the organization. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Peran Hubungan Masyarakat Dalam Mewujudkan Transparansi Daerah

This article describe the role of public relations in building local government transparancy. As transparancy concerned with the provision of appropriate, necessary, and relevant information to stakeholders when needed and upon demand; so the role of public relation in local government is ensure that the provision is fulfilled. Public relations in local government in doing so can adopt the concept of two-way symmetrical communication between local government is built based on the interest of stakeholders and the local government itself. In enhancing its roles, public relations in local government should enhance its organizational and individual capacity.

Dynamics of Symmetrical Communication Within Organizations: The Impacts of Channel Usage of CEO, Managers, and Peers

Focusing on channels used by members of the organization in different positions, this study aims to examine the antecedents of two-way symmetrical communication in an organization. Using two-way symmetrical communication model and media richness theory as theoretical frameworks, this study investigates what communication channels (e.g., face-to-face, e-mail, print media, social media, etc.) within an organization are effective at communicating with peers, managers, and CEO of a company, respectively. Results of an online survey conducted with 407 full-time employees in large-sized corporations in the United States showed that communication channels usage by different sources had distinct impacts on employees’ perceived symmetrical communication as well as the organization-employee relationship. Face-to-face meetings and videoconferencing are shown to be significant for symmetrical communication practices with managers and peers, while other communication channels (e.g., print media, e-mail) turned out to be more significantly related to symmetrical communication practiced by CEO. Theoretical and practical implications for corporate communication are discussed.