Shaping Corporate Character Through Symmetrical Communication: The Effects on Employee-Organization Relationships

Abstract

This study investigates how corporate character is shaped by organizational symmetrical communication and its effects on the quality of employee-organization relationships. Results of an online survey with 314 working adults in the United States showed that symmetrical internal communication plays an important role in defining the organization’s positive character of agreeableness (i.e., warmth, empathy, and integrity), enterprise (i.e., modernity, adventure, and boldness), and competence (i.e., conscientiousness, drive). Symmetrical internal communication positively influences the quality of employee-organization relationships. The ruthless corporate character showed significant negative effects on employee trust, control mutuality, commitment, and satisfaction. The theoretical and managerial implications of the study are discussed.

Keywords

corporate character symmetrical communication employee-organization relationships relational outcomes

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Aaker

J. L.

(1997). Dimensions of brand personality. Journal of Marketing Research, 34, 347-356.

Arthur W. Page Society. (2012). Building belief: A new model for activating corporate character and authentic advocacy. Retrieved from http://www.awpagesociety.com/insights/building-belief/#sthash.Y80O6iQq.dpuf

Beldona

Wysong

(2007). Putting the brand back into store brands: an exploratory examination of store brands and brand personality. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 16, 226-235.

Berger

(2008) Employee/organizational communications. Retrieved from http://www.instituteforpr.org/topics/employee-organizational-communications/

Broom

G. M.

Casey

Ritchey

(1997). Toward a concept and theory of relationships. Journal of Public Relations Research, 9, 83-93.

Broom

G. M.

Casey

Ritchey

(2000). Concepts and theory of organization-public relationships. In Ledingham

J. A.

Bruning

S. D.

(Eds.), Public relations as relationship management: A relational approach to the study and practice of public relations (pp. 3-22). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Brown

T. J.

Dacin

P. A.

Pratt

M. G.

Whetten

D. A.

(2006). Identity, intended image, construed image, and reputation: An interdisciplinary framework and suggested terminology. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 34, 99-106.

Bruning

S. D.

Dials

Shirka

(2008). Using dialogue to build organization-public relationships, engage publics, and positively affect organizational outcomes. Public Relations Review, 34, 25-31.

Bruning

S. D.

Ledingham

J. A.

(1999). Relationships between organizations and publics: Development of a multi-dimension organization-public relationship scale. Public Relations Review, 25, 157-170.

10.

Byrne

B. M.

(2010). Structural equation modeling with AMOS: Basic concepts, applications, and programming (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Taylor and Francis Group.

11.

Cacioppo

J. T.

Berntson

G. G.

(1994). Relationship between attitudes and evaluative space: A critical review, with emphasis on the separability of positive and negative substrates. Psychological Bulletin, 115, 401-423.

12.

Cho

Auger

G. A.

(2013). Exploring determinants of relationship quality between students and their academic department: Perceived relationship investment, student empowerment, and student-faculty interaction. Journalism & Mass Communication Educator, 68, 255-268.

13.

Chun

Davies

(2006). The influence of corporate character on customers and employees: Exploring similarities and differences. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 34, 138-146.

14.

Coombs

W. T.

Holladay

S. J.

(2001). An extended examination of the crisis situations: A fusion of relational management and symbolic approaches. Journal of Public Relations Research, 13, 321-340.

15.

Davies

Chun

Silva

R. V.

Roper

(2001). The personification metaphor as a measurement approach for corporate reputation, Corporate Reputation Review, 4, 113-127.

16.

Davies

Chun

Silva

R. V.

Roper

(2004). A corporate character scale to assess employee and customer views of organization reputation, Corporate Reputation Review, 7, 125-146.

17.

Dhanesh

G. S.

(2012). The view from within: Internal publics and CSR. Journal of Communication Management, 16(1), 39-58.

18.

Dozier

D. M.

Grunig

L. A.

Grunig

J. E.

(1995). Manager’s guide to excellence in public relations and communication management. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

19.

Fombrun

C. J.

van Riel

C. B. M.

(2004). Fame & fortune. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

20.

Gotsi

Wilson

A. M.

(2001). Corporate reputation: Seeking a definition. Corporate Communications, 6, 24-30.

21.

Grunig

J. E.

(1992). Symmetrical systems of internal communication. In Grunig

(Ed.), Excellence in public relations and communication management (pp. 531-576). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

22.

Grunig

J. E.

(2006). Furnishing the edifice: Ongoing research on public relations as a strategic management function. Journal of Public Relations Research, 18, 151-176.

23.

Grunig

J. E.

(2009). Paradigms of global public relations in an age of digitalisation. PRism, 6(2). Retrieved from http://praxis.massey.ac.nz/prism_on-line_journ.html

24.

Grunig

J. E.

Grunig

L. A.

(1992). Models of public relations and communications. In Grunig

(Ed.), Excellence in public relations and communication management (pp. 285-326). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

25.

Grunig

J. E.

Grunig

L. A.

(2011). Characteristics of excellent communications. In Gillis

(Ed.). The IABC handbook of organizational communication (2nd ed., pp. 3-14). Hoboken, NJ: Jossey-Bass.

26.

Grunig

J. E.

Huang

Y. H.

(2000). From organizational effectiveness to relationship indicators: Antecedents of relationships, public relations strategies, and relationship outcomes. In Ledingham

J. A.

Bruning

S. D.

(Eds.), Public relations as relationship management: A relational approach to the study and practice of public relations (pp. 23-54). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

27.

Grunig

L. A.

Grunig

J. E.

Dozier

(2002). Excellent public relations and effective organizations: A study of communication management in three countries. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

28.

Hon

L. C.

Grunig

J. E.

(1999). Guidelines for measuring relationships in public relations. Gainesville, FL: Institute for Public Relations, Commission on PR Measurement and Evaluation.

29.

Huang

Y. H.

(2001). OPRA: A cross-cultural, multiple-item scale for measuring organization-public Relationships. Journal of Public Relations Research, 13, 61-90.

30.

Huang

Y. H.

(2004). Is symmetrical communication ethical and effective? Journal of Business Ethics, 53, 333-352.

31.

Hung

C. J. F.

(2006). Toward the theory of relationship management in public relations: How to cultivate quality relationship? In Toth

E. L.

(Ed.), The future of excellence in public relations and communication management (pp. 443-476). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

32.

Ingenhoff

Fuhrer

(2010). Positioning and differentiation by using brand personality attributes: Do mission and vision statements contribute to building a unique corporate identity? Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 15(1), 83-10.

33.

Shim

(2005). Paradigm shift of employee communication: The effect of management communication on trusting relationships. Public Relations Review, 31, 277-280.

34.

Keller

K. L.

Richey

(2006). The importance of corporate brand personality traits to a successful 21st century business. Brand Management, 14, 74-81.

35.

E. J.

Hon

L. C.

(2007). Testing the linkage among the organization-public relationship and attitude and behavioral intensions. Journal of Public Relations Research, 19, 1-23.

36.

Kim

Chan-Olmsted

S. M.

(2005). Comparative effects of organization-public Relationships and product-related attributes on brand attitude. Journal of Marketing Communications, 11, 145-170.

37.

Kim

Rhee

(2011). Strategic thinking about employee communication behavior (ECB) in public relations: Testing the models of megaphoning and scouting effects in Korea. Journal of Public Relations Research, 23, 243-268.

38.

Kline

R. B.

(2005). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Guilford Press.

39.

Leffingwell

R. J.

(1980). Social sciences commentary: Corporate personality, a measure of public relations effectiveness. Public Relations Quarterly, 25(3), 26.

40.

Levey

A. B.

Martin

(1975). Classical conditioning of human “evaluative” responses. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 13, 221-226.

41.

Louis

Lombart

(2010). Impact of brand personality on three major relational consequences (trust, attachment, and commitment to the brand. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 19, 114-130.

42.

Men

L. R.

(2011). How employee empowerment influences organization-employee relationships in China. Public Relations Review, 37, 435-437.

43.

Men

L. R.

(2014). Why leadership matters to internal communication: Linking transformational leadership, symmetrical communication, and employee outcomes. Journal of Public Relations Research, 26(3), 256-279.

44.

Men

L. R.

Bowen

(2017). Excellence in Internal Communication Management. Business Expert Press. New York.

45.

Men

L. R.

Hung

C. J. F.

(2012). Exploring the roles of organization-public relationships in strategic management: Towards an integrated model. International Journal of Strategic Communication, 6(2), 151-173.

46.

Men

L. R.

Stacks

D. W.

(2014). The effects of authentic leadership on strategic internal communication and employee-organization relationships. Journal of Public Relations Research, 26(4), 301-324.

47.

Moore

(2005). Corporate character: Modern virtue ethics and the virtuous corporation. Business Ethics Quarterly, 15, 659-685.

48.

Murray

White

(2005). CEOs’ views on reputation management. Journal of Communication Management, 9, 348-358.

49.

Wang

(2011). Anxiety and uncertainty management in an intercultural setting: The impact on organization-public relationships. Journal of Public Relations Research, 23, 269-301.

50.

Pillai

Schreisheim

C. A.

Williams

E. S.

(1999). Fairness perceptions and trust as mediators for transformational and transactional leadership: A two-sample study? Journal of Management, 25, 897-933.

51.

Rawlins

(2008). Measuring the relationship between organizational transparency and employee trust. Public Relations Journal, 2, 1-21.

52.

Rozin

Royzman

E. B.

(2001). Negativity bias, negativity dominance, and contagion. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 5, 296-320.

53.

Schwartz

H. S.

(1987). On the psychodynamics of organizational totalitarianism. Journal of Management, 13, 41-54.

54.

Seltzer

Zhang

(2011). Toward a model of political organization-public relationships: Antecedent and cultivation strategy influence on citizens’ relationships with political parties. Journal of Public Relations Research, 23, 24-45.

55.

Sha

B.-L.

(2009). Exploring the connection between organizational identity and public relations behaviors: How symmetry trumps conservation in engendering organizational identification. Journal of Public Relations Research, 21, 295-317.

56.

Shen

Kim

J.-N.

(2012). The authentic enterprise: Another buzzword, or a true driver of quality relationships? Journal of Public Relations Research, 24, 371-389.

57.

Silva

R. V. D.

Alwi

S. F. S.

(2006). Cognitive, affective attributes and conative, behavioural responses in retail corporate branding. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 15, 293-305.

58.

Smidts

Pruyn

A. T. H.

van Riel

C. B. M.

(2001). The impact of employee communication and perceived external prestige on organizational identification. Academy of Management Journal, 49, 1051-1062.

59.

Stacks

D. W.

Dodd

M. D.

Men

L. R.

(2013). Corporate reputation measurement and evaluation. In Carroll

C. E.

(Ed.), The handbook of communication and corporate reputation (pp. 561-573). Oxford, England: Blackwell. doi:10.1002/9781118335529.ch44

60.

Sung

K. H.

Kim

(2014). I want to be your friend: The effects of organizations’ interpersonal approaches on social networking sites. Journal of Public Relations Research, 26, 235-255.

61.

Sung

Kim

(2010). Effects of brand personality on brand trust and brand affect. Psychology & Marketing, 27, 639-661.

62.

Sung

Tinkham

(2005). Brand personality structures in the United States and Korea: Common and culture-specific factors. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 15, 334-350.

63.

Tolstoy

L. N.

(1998). Anna Karenina ( Maude

Maude

, Trans.). Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. (Original work published 1875)

64.

van Riel

C. B. M.

Fombrun

C. J

. (2007). Essentials of corporate communication. London, England: Routledge.

65.

Verčič

A. T.

Verčič

(2007). Reputation as matching identities and images: Extending Davies and Chun’s (2002) research on gaps between the internal and external perceptions of the corporate brand. Journal of Marketing Communications, 13, 277-290.

66.

Wang

Yang

Liu

(2009). The impacts of brand personality and congruity on purchase intention: Evidence from the Chinese mainland’s automobile market. Journal of Global Marketing, 22, 99-215.

67.

Yang

(2007). An integrated model for organization-public relational outcomes, organizational reputation, and their antecedents. Journal of Public Relations Research, 19, 91-121.

68.

Yang

Grunig

J. E.

(2005). The effects of organization-public relationship outcomes on cognitive representations of organizations and overall evaluations of organizational performance. Journal of Communication Management, 9, 305-325.