Functional responsibility for internal communication management and its integration in contemporary businesses

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ieva Zaumane ◽  
Maira Leščevica
Keyword(s):  
Public Relations ◽  
Business Strategy ◽  
Internal Communication ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Communication Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Goals ◽  
Essential Question ◽  
Strategic Implementation ◽  
Strategic Goals

Purpose Despite the proven link between internal communication and more effective business results, only a few attempts have been made to answer the essential question of who is responsible for managing internal communication in an organisation. This paper aims to examine the presence of internal communication management (ICM) practices in companies in Latvia and launch a new discussion on who should manage internal communication in a modern company to support business strategy and development. Design/methodology/approach In the first phase of the study, a survey was conducted in three business sectors in Latvia involved in managing and implementing the internal communications function. Using the multiple case study method, the second phase of the study examined in-depth, ICM and the implementation practices in four different Latvian companies. In total, 13 in-depth interviews were conducted within 4 companies, and thematic analysis was used to analyse the material gained from the interviews. Findings The target companies and relevant professionals from different fields have divergent opinions about who should manage the internal communication function. From the research across four companies, it was concluded that internal communication was implemented in a fragmented manner. There was a weak understanding of the meaning and goal of internal communication. The potential of effective internal communication in reaching strategic goals has not been realised. Responsibility for ICM is often limited to the reactive performance of public relations departments, human resources or marketing specialists. The companies clearly did not have a defined scope of responsibilities for managing internal communication amongst the different parts of their organisations. It can be concluded that company managers should pay attention to how internal communication is conducted, clearly delegate this function to a manager and define the expected results that meet the company’s strategic goals. The results of this research can be used to inform recommendations for integrating the ICM function. Originality/value Only a few research papers have discussed responsibility for internal communication functions. This research particularly fills this gap and emphasises the need to assign responsibility for an organisation’s ICM function as it is the core factor in strategic implementation and input related to business goals.

The value of thinking inside out

2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 46-48
Author(s):  
Dick Martin
Keyword(s):  
Public Relations ◽  
Business Strategy ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Internal Communication ◽  
Strategy Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Employee Communications ◽  
Internal Communications ◽  
Inside Out ◽  
Personal Viewpoint

Purpose – To explore the value of internal communication in strategic planning. Design/methodology/approach – Personal viewpoint. Findings – Effective internal communications is an important element in the development and implementation of business strategy. Research by the institute for Public Relations has revealed best-in-class practices in employee communications. Originality/value – Personal viewpoint based on research by the Institute of Public Relations.

Internal communication education in universities of applied sciences in the Netherlands

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bram Hendrawan ◽  
Marjon Elshof ◽  
Lisanne Verkuil
Keyword(s):  
Applied Sciences ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Public Relations ◽  
Professional Associations ◽  
Internal Communication ◽  
The State ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Academic Knowledge ◽  
Universities Of Applied Sciences

PurposeA growing body of scholarly research focuses on internal communication (IC), which, over the past decade, has become an important specialisation within the field of communication. However, little scholarly attention has been paid to IC education, resulting in a lack of academic knowledge about the state of IC education. This paper focuses on investigating IC education in communication studies curricula at Dutch universities of applied sciences.Design/methodology/approachUsing a combination of content analysis of IC modules in Bachelor of Communication programmes (n = 19) and qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews with IC educators (n = 8), this article sheds lights on the contours of IC education and its relationship with practice.FindingsEducation has become an integral part of the IC profession in the Netherlands. The analysis shows that while the modules address some important topics found in the literature on IC, there are some gaps. In regard to knowledge topics, the modules reflect broader trends in IC by addressing important topics like change management, internal branding and digitalisation. However, there is a gap in the competencies in the modules and what is considered important in the literature.Practical implicationsThe findings can help educators improve the quality of their curriculum. For IC practitioners, professional associations in particular, this paper provides insight into the state of education of future IC professionalsOriginality/valueStudies that look at the education of communication professionals have focused mainly on the field of public relations. This paper reports on the first empirical study to investigate the state of IC education in the context of higher education.

How symmetrical employee communication leads to employee engagement and positive employee communication behaviors

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Minjeong Kang ◽  
Minjung Sung
Keyword(s):  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Turnover Intention ◽  
Relationship Management ◽  
Internal Communication ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Employee Communication ◽  
Communication Management ◽  
Communication Behaviors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Symmetrical Communication

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how a company’s symmetrical internal communication efforts could influence its employees’ perception of relationship outcomes with the company and the subsequent employee communication behaviors about the company to others and their turnover intention. Additionally, the mediation effects of employee-organization relationship (EOR) quality between symmetrical internal communication and employee engagement were tested. Design/methodology/approach The study collected the data from a survey of randomly selected 438 individuals who work as sales representatives of the case organization. Respondents were randomly selected through stratified sampling. For the overall statistical procedure, this study adopted the two-step structural equation modeling: on the basis of the final measurement model analysis from confirmatory factor analysis, the proposed structural model was tested using latent variables. Findings The findings of this research clearly demonstrate: employee/internal communication management is linked with employee engagement; employee engagement enhances supportive employee communication behaviors and reduces turnover intention. Also, the mediation results show strong mediation of EORs on the effects of symmetrical internal communication on employee engagement. Research limitations/implications Employees’ communication behaviors such as megaphoning and scouting have special strategic values to organizations. With information seeking, selecting, forwarding, and sharing behaviors of employees, organizations may obtain more valuable information than through formal procedures and channels. Professional literature has long been supporting the importance of fostering positive employee communication behaviors (ECBs), suggesting that WOM and information from the employees deemed as most trustworthy by the external publics. ECBs about their organizations may be viewed as a testament of the quality of EOR. This study results show that employee engagement plays a key role in creating positive ECBs. Practical implications Pragmatically, as noted in the findings, symmetrical communication is an important factor that leads to positive ECB. To facilitate employees’ favorable communication regarding an organization, therefore, the organization needs to practice a two-way, employee-centered symmetrical communication system in its everyday communication management. Communication managers are advised to nurture internal communication practices that listen to the employees and invite their participation in addition to providing complete and fair information to employees. Second, by showing the significant positive influence of EOR on employee engagement and ECB, the finding of the study suggests that strategic relationship management with internal publics affect overall management effectiveness. Hence, organizational managers need to adopt various relationship cultivation strategies in their communication with employees, which have been previously proposed by several studies. Originality/value The findings of the study demonstrated that the effects of employee relationship management and symmetrical internal communication indeed exist beyond ECBs to the actual managerial outcomes. The findings also suggest a three-stage model of employee communication management: employee/internal communication management antecedents; employee engagement; and supportive outcomes of effective employee communication programs, such as supportive/extra ECBs.

Lobbying: a critical dimension of business strategy

2015 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clifford D. Scott
Keyword(s):  
Public Relations ◽  
Business Strategy ◽  
Critical Dimension ◽  
Criminal Code ◽  
Full Spectrum ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Empirical Estimates ◽  
The Us ◽  
Us Government ◽  
The Usa

Purpose – This paper aims to prepare executives to pilot a US lobbying effort within the bounds of the US Federal law. Lobbying law may be thought of as the “regulation of regulation”, as it defines the ground rules for those wishing to have a direct impact upon all other regulatory systems. The article outlines what the US lobbying law requires, what it forbids and, perhaps most important, what the law does NOT regulate. Design/methodology/approach – The paper takes the full spectrum of US laws and regulations relevant to lobbying – including the Internal Revenue Service Code (tax code), the Federal Election Campaign Act, the Ethics in Government Act, the internal rules of both the House and Senate, the US Criminal Code and the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act – and organizes them into a single 2 × 2 matrix, explaining what all parties must do as well as what they must not do. Via this approach, the rules that govern the “marketplace” for lobbying in the USA are explained. The competition to shape US government policy transpires within this marketplace. Findings – Few activities the executive may engage in carry the potential payback of a well-executed lobbying campaign: empirical estimates range to returns on investment in the thousands of per cent. But the uninitiated may easily step over the line and invite both legal and public relations (PR) nightmares. Practical implications – Effective lobbying can afford a corporation or industry a lasting competitive advantage. Every well-rounded business strategy should include such a component, and every well-rounded executive should be capable of performing in this arena. A solid grounding in the legal matrix forming the boundaries of this activity is a prerequisite for effective performance. Originality/value – The paper organizes and outlines lobbying law in a fashion digestible by executives without legal training. It is of value to anyone wishing to engage in lobbying activities targeted at the US Government.

“F*ck off Google”: protest against Google Campus Berlin

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 669-688
Author(s):  
Martin Paul Fritze ◽  
Gertraud Maria Gänser-Stickler ◽  
Sarah Türk ◽  
Yingshuai Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Public Relations ◽  
Strategic Management ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Consumer Research ◽  
Business Strategy ◽  
Stakeholder Analysis ◽  
Psychological Ownership ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Academic Level ◽  
Trade Offs

Theoretical basis This case applies a stakeholder analysis to examine the trade-offs between the firm’s strategy and the interests of different stakeholder groups. A PESTEL analysis supports an evaluation of the firm’s situation. Consumer behavior theories on psychological ownership and territoriality offer a framework for analyzing the conflicts that arise from the inhabitants’ protests. Research methodology This case relies on secondary sources, including news reports, social media sites and company websites. This case has been classroom tested with undergraduate students in a strategic management course in January 2019 at the University of Cologne, Germany. Case overview/synopsis In November 2016, Google announced its intentions to rent a building in the Kreuzberg district of Berlin to open a Google Campus, a business incubator for tech start-ups that would offer entrepreneurs support, workshops and access to networks. Following the announcement, dissatisfied local communities organized protests, in which leaders complained that “It is extremely violent and arrogant of this mega-corporation, whose business model is based on mass surveillance and which speculates like crazy, to set up shop here” (Business Times, 2018). Berlin’s Government supported the Google Campus plan; inhabitants rejected it with fierce and persistent protests. In face of this challenge, was it still possible for Google to continue its plans in Berlin? Complexity academic level This case qualifies for use in strategic management classes at undergraduate and MBA levels. Its focus aligns well with stakeholder analyses, PESTEL analyses and business strategy. In addition, for courses on organizational communications or public relations, this case provides a way to explore the relationship between Google and its stakeholders, especially protesters, in detail. Moreover, this case is well suited for consumer research and public policy courses (e.g., transformative consumer research) centered on discussions of territoriality.

The dimensionality of corporate communication management (CCM)

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bahtiar Mohamad ◽  
Bang Nguyen ◽  
TC Melewar ◽  
Rossella Gambetti
Keyword(s):  
Public Relations ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Operational Definition ◽  
Corporate Communication ◽  
Corporate Management ◽  
Corporate Communications ◽  
Measurement Scales ◽  
Communication Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Advertising

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the conceptualisation of corporate communication management (CCM) and its dimensionality from the practitioners’ perspectives. It proposes to validate an operational definition and dimensions of the CCM construct, which have not been identified in the literature. Design/methodology/approach The initial concepts are based on academic literature and followed by 12 face-to-face interviews with corporate communication practitioners and consultants from Malaysia to confirm the practicality of each dimension. QSR Nvivo Version 9.0 software is used to analyse the qualitative data. Then, the data are classified through deductive content analysis based on key words or themes. Findings The diverse perspectives are shown from the practitioners and consultants on the dimensionality of CCM. Most of the interviewees suggest that CCM dimensions include corporate advertising, corporate affairs, investor relations and employee communication within the corporate communication and other departments. They also found the public relations and media relations are clearly under corporate communications manager’s supervision. This research confirms the concept of CCM and its dimensionality to operationalise the CCM construct. The CCM dimensions also offer opportunities for further research to develop the measurement scales. Originality/value This research contributes to the clarification on the subject matter by developing clear concepts of the CCM and by offering insights about the role of the CCM dimensions, which help managers to more successfully incorporate the CCM dimension into the corporate management strategy. This paper also examines the concept of CCM and confirms its dimensionality, which helps in developing the CCM measurement for further quantitative research.

Commentary: The Role of Internal Communication in Fostering Employee Advocacy: An Exploratory Study

2020 ◽  
pp. 232948842097583
Author(s):  
Patrick D. Thelen ◽  
Linjuan Rita Men
Keyword(s):  
Public Relations ◽  
Job Attitudes ◽  
Internal Communication ◽  
Corporate Communication ◽  
Communication Management ◽  
Management Communication ◽  
The Public ◽  
Person Organization Fit ◽  
Type Of Behavior

Employee advocacy has become a buzzword that has captured the interest of organizations. Despite the increased attention, employee advocacy is an understudied topic in the public relations literature. Hence, the purpose of this study was to fill a gap in public relations research on employee advocacy by examining internal communicators’ thoughts on how they can influence this type of behavior. Through interviews with 25 practitioners, the results indicated that the drivers of employee advocacy could be divided into three factors: individual (i.e., emotions, job attitudes, person-organization, fit, personality, and instrumental value), group (i.e., leader-member relationship and group cohesion), and organizational (i.e., organizational culture, top management, communication management, and socialization). Additionally, internal communication can influence employee advocacy through corporate communication strategies (i.e., openness and transparency, positivity, legitimacy and empowerment, and recognition) and employee advocacy management factors (i.e., understand business objectives, policies and guidelines, facilitation, interesting and meaningful content, and collaboration).

“I thought they’d do more”: conflicting expectations of crowdfunding communication

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-141
Author(s):  
Abbey B. Levenshus ◽  
Laura L. Lemon ◽  
Courtney Childers ◽  
Moonhee Cho
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Program Effectiveness ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Internal Communication ◽  
Project Leader ◽  
Public Higher Education ◽  
Communication Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Internal Stakeholders

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the comprehensive, ongoing role of communication in an enterprise crowdfunding context, which has been largely overlooked. Design/methodology/approach A large public higher education institution in the Southeastern USA was chosen as the case study unit to illuminate an enterprise-wide crowdfunding program using a proprietary, in-house platform, compared to commercial sites like Kickstarter that do not let organizational leaders strategically plan and manage the platform and its communication functions. Such autonomy provides a richer landscape for studying organizational members’ communication and communication management related to an enterprise crowdfunding program. Findings The case study identified communication-related challenges to the fundraising program’s success such as limited project leader and funding recipients’ commitment to communicate with their social networks about the projects. Internal communication and conflicting expectations, largely ignored in current crowdfunding research, were seen as critical to program effectiveness. Originality/value This study adds scholarly and practical depth to knowledge of enterprise crowdfunding, a relatively new phenomenon in nonprofit and higher education fundraising. While not generalizable to all settings, findings can offer transferable guidance for organizations seeking to engage internal stakeholders related to new and innovative fundraising programs that require their active buy-in and participation.

An attributional analysis of corporate reporting in crisis situations

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 422-435 ◽  
Author(s):  
Falk Tennert
Keyword(s):  
Public Relations ◽  
Attribution Theory ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Communication Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Attributions Of Responsibility ◽  
Corporate Reporting ◽  
The Media ◽  
Crisis Situations

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to use an attributional approach to examine press coverage in Germany dealing with Toyota’s 2010 global product recall due to purportedly defective brakes. The research focuses on the attributions of cause and responsibility and, thereby, the practices of media-brokered selection and interpretation of events. Design/methodology/approach – The methodology used is a quantitative content analysis of selected German print media. Corporate reporting is analysed with the help of attribution theory approaches from the field of psychology, which, when applied to public relations themes, thereby enables the identification of latent and manifest risk factors that emerge from the perceived responsibility of the media. Findings – Causal attributions are an essential aspect of coverage in acute crisis situations. The key findings show a dominance of internal attributions of responsibility in which the media interprets the crisis as self inflicted and ascribes a high level of fault on the company. Exonerating attributions according to a self-serving bias find little resonance in the coverage. The responsibility attributed to Toyota by the media coverage to a sustained damage to the company’s reputation. Originality/value – The study demonstrates that attribution theory can be productively applied to questions of communication management. This approach enables an analysis of attribution discourse as well as the potential long-term effects on the company’s reputation. Thus, the original value of this study lies in the psychological foundation of organisational risk and opportunity.

Examining effects of internal public relations practices on organizational social capital in the Korean context

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 100-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daewook Kim
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Public Relations ◽  
Communication Strategies ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Research Participant ◽  
Internal Communication ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Social Capital ◽  
Research Assistants

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how internal public relations practices (e.g. internal communication and relationship management strategies) enhance employees’ organizational social capital in the Korean context by examining the mediation roles of employee-organization relationships. Design/methodology/approach The researcher then recruited 23 field research assistants to collect data from 23 organizations in South Korea. For the purpose of this study, the researcher trained each of the research assistants, kept the confidentiality of each research participant, and used common methods of data collection. After this training process, the research assistants distributed an online link and encouraged employees in 23 organizations to participate in this survey. From these 23 organizations, 287 participants completed the survey. However, the authors had to delete 11 invalid responses. Consequently, the authors used a total of 276 responses to analyze the data. Findings The results of this study showed that two-way and symmetrical internal communication strategies were associated positively with employee-organization relationships and organizational social capital. Additionally, satisfaction and control mutuality had mediating effects on the relations between internal communication strategies and organizational social capital. Originality/value These results contribute to expanding the functions of internal public relations practices into organizational social capital.

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