Engaging Startup Employees via Charismatic Leadership Communication: The Importance of Communicating “Vision, Passion, and Care”

This study explores how startup leadership communication influences employee outcomes. Specifically, drawing upon interdisciplinary insight from public relations, leadership, and managerial psychology, this study tests how startup CEO charismatic leadership communication, which is characterized by envisioning, energizing, and enabling behaviors help nurture quality employee relationships with the startup and engage startup employees. Employees’ psychological need satisfaction was examined as a potential mediator in this process. This study sets its context in mainland China where startups are rapidly developing alongside increased governmental policy and financial support encouraging innovation. Through a quantitative survey of 1,027 Chinese startup employees from a variety of industries in China, this study showed that startup leader charismatic communication meets employee psychological need for autonomy, competence, and relatedness, which ultimately contributes to quality employee-startup relationships and employee engagement. This study provides important theoretical implications for public relations, internal communication and management scholars and offer practical insights for entrepreneurs and startup leaders on how to utilize strategic communication to engage startup employees.

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Cultivating Relationships with Startup Employees: The Role of Entrepreneurs’ Leadership Communication

Management Communication Quarterly ◽

10.1177/08933189211017918 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 089331892110179

Author(s):

Linjuan Rita Men ◽

Zifei Fay Chen ◽

Yi Grace Ji

Keyword(s):

Public Relations ◽

Social Identity Theory ◽

Organizational Identification ◽

Online Survey ◽

Mainland China ◽

Need Satisfaction ◽

Theoretical Understanding ◽

Psychological Need ◽

Motivating Language ◽

Psychological Need Satisfaction

This study examines how CEOs’ use of motivating language influences employee relationships within startup organizations. Informed by self-determination theory and social identity theory, the study proposes psychological need satisfaction and organizational identification as mechanisms accounting for the influence of startup leaders’ use of motivating language on employee relational outcomes. Through an online survey of 1,027 startup employees across various industries in Mainland China, the study found that startup CEO use of motivating language positively influenced employee-startup relationships both directly and indirectly through enhanced psychological need satisfaction and organizational identification from startup employees. This study advances theoretical understanding of executive leader public relations functions and their role as important communication agents in the unique Chinese startup context. Further, this research tested the explanatory boundaries of motivating language theory and provides practical insights for startup leaders, communication practitioners, and entrepreneurs regarding how to develop long-term and quality relationships with startup employees.

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Leadership Communication, Internal Marketing, and Employee Engagement

Advances in Linguistics and Communication Studies - Handbook of Research on Effective Communication, Leadership, and Conflict Resolution ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-9970-0.ch017 ◽

2016 ◽

pp. 311-329

Author(s):

Karen E. Mishra ◽

Aneil K. Mishra ◽

Khaner Walker

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Public Relations ◽

Employee Engagement ◽

Internal Marketing ◽

Internal Communication ◽

Leadership Communication ◽

Marketing Social ◽

Communication Practices ◽

Brand Ambassadors ◽

Internal Communications

This chapter examines the internal communication practices of Lenovo, a $39 billion Fortune Global 500 technology company, and the world's largest PC vendor. In particular, this study examines how this company uses social media as a form of internal marketing to foster employee engagement. Internal communications (or internal marketing) is generally led by marketing or PR professionals with expertise in human resources, public relations, marketing, social media, and/or employee engagement. One new way that companies are extending internal communication is by developing the use of their company intranets. Intranets can support an organization by sharing accurate leadership communication and company information on a timely basis to develop trust with employees and encourage them to act as brand ambassadors. This chapter describes how Lenovo has developed and uses its Lenovo Central intranet to engage employees in its mission and vision.

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Using Social Media in the Workplace

Integrating Social Media into Business Practice, Applications, Management, and Models - Advances in E-Business Research ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-6182-0.ch008 ◽

2014 ◽

pp. 146-161 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Karen Mishra ◽

Khaner Walker ◽

Aneil Mishra

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Public Relations ◽

Human Resources ◽

Employee Engagement ◽

Internal Communication ◽

Marketing Social ◽

Communication Practices ◽

Internal Communications ◽

Relations Marketing

This chapter examines the internal communication practices of Lenovo, a $34 billion Fortune Global 500 technology company, and the world's second-largest PC vendor. In particular, this study examines how this company uses social media as a method of internal communications in fostering employee engagement. Internal communications is generally led by marketing or PR professionals with expertise in human resources, public relations, marketing, social media, and/or employee engagement. One new way that companies are extending internal communication is by developing the use of their company intranets. Intranets can support an organization by sharing accurate company information on a timely basis. This chapter describes how Lenovo has developed and uses its Lenovo Central intranet to engage employees in its mission and vision.

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Fostering Employee Trust via Effective Supervisory Communication during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Through the Lens of Motivating Language Theory

International Journal of Business Communication ◽

10.1177/23294884211020491 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 232948842110204

Author(s):

Linjuan Rita Men ◽

Yufan Sunny Qin ◽

Jie Jin

Keyword(s):

Meaning Making ◽

Need Satisfaction ◽

Language Theory ◽

Full Time ◽

Leadership Communication ◽

Psychological Need ◽

Employee Trust ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Motivating Language ◽

Motivating Language Theory

This study examines how supervisory leadership communication during the COVID-19 pandemic fostered employee trust through the lens of motivating language theory. Drawing insight from self-determination theory, this study also reveals the mediating effects of employees’ psychological need satisfaction for competence and relatedness in this process, which help explain how supervisory leadership communication influences employee trust. Through an online survey of 393 full-time employees from various organizations in the U.S., results showed that supervisory use of meaning-making (0.15), empathetic (0.60), and direction-giving language (0.27) during the pandemic all showed significant positive effects on employee trust toward leadership and the organization directly, and indirectly through satisfying employees’ psychological need for competence and relatedness. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

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Using Innovative Internal Communication to Enhance Employee Engagement

Advances in Human Resources Management and Organizational Development - Handbook of Research on Strategic Communication, Leadership, and Conflict Management in Modern Organizations ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-8516-9.ch022 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 445-468 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Karen Mishra ◽

Aneil K. Mishra ◽

Khaner Walker

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Public Relations ◽

Human Resources ◽

Employee Engagement ◽

Mobile App ◽

Internal Communication ◽

Marketing Social ◽

Communication Practices ◽

Use Of Social Media ◽

Internal Communications

This chapter examines the innovative internal communication practices of Lenovo, a $45 billion Fortune Global 500 technology company. In particular, this study examines how this company uses internal communication to promote collaboration and engagement across dispersed employees' teams. Internal communications (or internal marketing) is generally led by marketing or PR professionals with expertise in human resources, public relations, marketing, social media, and/or employee engagement. One new way that companies are extending internal communication is by extending its use of digital communication. Lenovo has been a leader in the use of social media at work and is now innovating its communications to include a mobile app. This chapter describes how Lenovo has developed both its intranet and its new mobile app and how innovative internal communication can promote engagement and collaboration.

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From Public Relations to Strategic Communication in Sweden: The Emergence of a Transboundary Field of Knowledge

Nordicom Review ◽

10.2478/nor-2014-0019 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 35 (2) ◽

pp. 123-138 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Jesper Falkheimer ◽

Mats Heide

Keyword(s):

Public Relations ◽

Secondary Data ◽

Strategic Communication ◽

Internal Communication ◽

Management Theory ◽

Contemporary Society ◽

The Public ◽

Communication Processes ◽

Public Relations Education ◽

Better Than

Abstract In this conceptual article, we argue that strategic communication is a transboundary concept that captures, better than public relations does, the complex phenomenon of an organization's targeted communication processes in contemporary society. The aim of the article is twofold. First, the purpose is to describe and reflect the development and institutionalization of public relations education and research in Sweden. Second, based on the transboundary changes we see in industry, education and research, we argue that strategic communication is a conceptual and holistic framework that is more valid and relevant than public relations. Moreover, we suggest that strategic communication also integrates organizational (internal) communication as well as aspects of management theory and marketing, thus allowing us to understand, explain and criticize contemporary communication processes both inside organizations and between organizations and the surrounding society. The article is mainly based on secondary data about the public relations industry, earlier research and a mapping of public relations education and research in Sweden.

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Organisational and Strategic Communication: Editorial Introduction

Comunicação e Sociedade ◽

10.17231/comsoc.26(2014).2022 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 26 ◽

pp. 14-20

Author(s):

Teresa Ruão ◽

Margarida Kunsch

Keyword(s):

Public Relations ◽

Strategic Communication ◽

Scientific Field ◽

Internal Communication ◽

Corporate Communication ◽

Broad Sense ◽

Editorial Introduction ◽

Organisational Communication ◽

Traditional Research ◽

Institutional Communication

The study of communication in organisations – in a broad sense, and without source scientific field restrictions (which included traditional research into Organisational Communication, Public Relations, Institutional Communication, Internal Communication, Advertising, Promotion or Corporate Communication, among others)...

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Challenge Demands, Hindrance Demands, and Psychological Need Satisfaction

Journal of Personnel Psychology ◽

10.1027/1866-5888/a000122 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 14 (2) ◽

pp. 70-79 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Simon L. Albrecht

Keyword(s):

Work Engagement ◽

Job Demands ◽

Self Determination Theory ◽

Structural Equations ◽

Need Satisfaction ◽

Self Determination ◽

Job Resources ◽

Mediating Effects ◽

Psychological Need ◽

Practical Implications

The job demands-resources (JD-R) model provides a well-validated account of how job resources and job demands influence work engagement, burnout, and their constituent dimensions. The present study aimed to extend previous research by including challenge demands not widely examined in the context of the JD-R. Furthermore, and extending self-determination theory, the research also aimed to investigate the potential mediating effects that employees’ need satisfaction as regards their need for autonomy, need for belongingness, need for competence, and need for achievement, as components of a higher order needs construct, may have on the relationships between job demands and engagement. Structural equations modeling across two independent samples generally supported the proposed relationships. Further research opportunities, practical implications, and study limitations are discussed.

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