Optimizing employee engagement with internal communication: A social exchange perspective

Emma Ruth Karanges, Amanda Beatson, Kim Johnston and Ian Lings

jbm - Journal of Business Market Management, 2014, vol. 7, issue 2, 329-353

Abstract: Employee engagement is linked to higher productivity, lower attrition, and improved organizational reputations resulting in increased focus and resourcing by managers to foster an engaged workforce. While drivers of employee engagement have been identified as perceived support, job characteristics, and value congruence, internal communication is theoretically suggested to be a key influence in both the process and maintenance of employee engagement efforts. However, understanding the mechanisms by which internal communication influences employee engagement has emerged as a key question in the literature. The purpose of this research is to investigate whether social factors, namely perceived support and identification, play a mediating role in the relationship between internal communication and engagement. To test the theoretical model, data are collected from 200 non-executive employees using an online self-administered survey. The study applies linear and mediated regression to the model and finds that organizations and supervisors should focus internal communication efforts toward building greater perceptions of support and stronger identification among employees in order to foster optimal levels of engagement.

Keywords: Employee engagement; Internal communication; Identification; Perceived support; Social exchange theory; Social identity theory; Workplace relationships (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/100002/1/790378361.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:zbw:fubjbm:100002

Access Statistics for this article

jbm - Journal of Business Market Management is currently edited by Michael Kleinaltenkamp

More articles in jbm - Journal of Business Market Management from Free University Berlin, Marketing Department
Bibliographic data for series maintained by ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics ().