Rethinking Internal Communication Measurement

The focus of the project is on understanding different contexts for internal communication and the relationship to commitment and a sense of belonging that contribute towards employee engagement.

Kevin RuckKSRuck@uclan.ac.ukwww.exploringinternalcommunication.com

Employee engagement

“A workplace approach designed to ensure that employees are committed to their organisation’s goals and values, motivated to contribute to organisational success, and are able at the same time to enhance their own sense of well-being”

Internal Communication

Welch and Jackson (2007)

MacLeod and Clarke (2009)

“The strategic management of interactions and relationships between stakeholders within organisations across a number of interrelated dimensions including, internal line manager communication, internal team peer communication, internal project peer communication and internal corporate communication”

Cognitive polyphasia

Internal communication theory

•Transmission model dominates; little attention paid to content, upward feedback, involvement, uncertainty and employee engagement

Communication theory

•Low adaptation of contemporary PR theory, for example, critical and rhetorical theory

PR Theory

•Suitability of channel for message rarely assessed

•Internal social media and collaboration rarely considered

Medium theory

Dimension Level Direction Participants Content1. Internal line management communication

Line managers / Supervisors

Predominantly two-way

Line managers-employees

Employees' rolesPersonal impact e.g. appraisal discussions, team briefings

2. Internal team peer communication

Team colleagues

Two-way Employee-employee

Team information e.g. team task discussions

3. Internal project peer communication

Project group colleagues

Two-way Employee-employee

Project informatione.g. project issues

4. Internal corporate communication

Strategic managers / top management

Predominantly one-way

Strategic managers-all employees

Organisational / corporate issues e.g. goals, objectives, new developments, activities and achievements

Dimensions of internal communicationWelch and Jackson (2007)

Employee engagement theory

•Characterised by the beginnings of practitioner interest and the term employee engagement came into use, widely credited as being coined by consultancy firm Gallup in 1999.

Wave 1: 1990s

•Robinson et al., (2004) defined the concept as a positive employee attitude towards the organisation and its values, involving awareness of business context, and work to improve job and organisational effectiveness.

Wave 2: 2000-5

•Saks (2006) extended the employee engagement concept to encompass both job engagement and organisation engagement. Saks's work is significant because it tackles the question of the status of the concept.

Wave 3: 2006-10

In his original study that outlines the basis for employee engagement, Kahn (1990, p. 693), defines it as, “…the harnessing of organization members’ selves to their work roles; in engagement, people employ and express themselves physically, cognitively and emotionally during role performances”.

Welch (2011)

Work engagement

A focus either on the individual role or the work activity with both approaches

incorporating behavioural-energetic (vigor), emotional (dedication) and cognitive

(absorption) dimensions.Schaufeli and Bakker (2004)

In the academic literature [engagement] has been defined as a distinct and unique construct that consists of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral

components that are associated with individual role performance.Saks (2006)

Organisational engagement

The amount of cognitive, emotional, and physical resources that an individual is prepared to devote in the performance of one's work roles is contingent on the economic and socioemotional resources received from the organization.Saks (2006)

Saks found (2006, p. 612) that, “…there is a meaningful distinction between job and organization engagement” and “organization engagement was a much stronger predictor of all the outcomes than job engagement”.

Millward and Postmes (2010, p. 335) conclude from an academic study involving business managers in the UK that “The fact that identification with the superordinate grouping of “the organisation” was particularly relevant to performance is important for theoretical, empirical and pragmatic reasons”.

Wieseke et al found (2009) that found the higher the level of organisational identity of sales managers the greater the sales quota achievement.

The academic argument for organisational engagement

LEADERSHIP

Provides a

strong strategic

narrative.

COM

MU

NIC

ATIO

N

Engagement

ENGAGING

MANAGERS

Facilitate and

empower.

VOICE views are

sought out;

opinions count.

INTEGRITY

Behaviour is

consistent with

stated values.

MacLeod and Clarke (2009)

Feeling well informed

Manager commitment

Opportunities for upward feedback

(Truss et al., 2006, p. xi)

Three components of employee engagement

Feeling really well informed.

ProfessionalTimely, clear, accurate, pertinent, consistent, sincere, concise, business-like. Reinforces believable values and narrative.

Propaganda

Content is biased and does not reflect reality.

Reinforced by managers who show commitment to the

organisation.

Marques (2010)

Level v Credibility of Information

Informed Doubters (1%)Fully/fairly well informed but lack of belief in information received

Informed Believers (47%)Fully/fairly well informed and believe information communicated

Uninformed Doubters (11%)Little/no information and lack of belief in information received

Uninformed Believers (13%)Little information but believe that received

Fence sitters (28%)

Low/med High

Believe information communicated

Low/med

High

Feel informed

Truss et al (2006)

Upward feedback

Advanced

Based on people feeling well informed in the first place, face to face, actions taken as a result or reasons why action not taken provided.

BasicSurveys, suggestion schemes, email boxes.

Reinforced by managers who are

open to critical feedback.

Downward v Upward Communication

Informed Non-Communicators (6%)Fully/fairly well informed but little opportunity to feed information upwards

Informed Communicators (32%)Fully/fairly well informed and have opportunity for upward communicationTHIS GROUP IS HIGHLY ENGAGED

Uninformed Non-Communicators (18%)Little/no information and lack of opportunity for upward feedback

Uninformed Believers (5%)Little information but have opportunity to feed information upwards

Fence sitters (39%)

Low/med High

Have opportunity for upward communication

Low/med

High

Feel informed

Truss et al (2006)

Research to date

A review of twelve leading academic and consultancy studies representing 10,928 respondents.

Satisfaction with organisational information ranges from 53% to 64%.

However, questions about satisfaction with content are rarely asked and it is worth noting that employees do, naturally, expect channels to be used appropriately for the information provided.

60% of employees understand where the organisation is headed, though this is undermined by senior manager clarity (48%) and minimal senior management involvement in telling the story (54%).

Ruck and Welch (2012)

Emphasis on process and volume rather than understanding

Shortcomings in establishing theory in internal communication have often led to a

predominance of the assessment of channels used, or volume of information generated (the what); essentially process explanations rather than the content of the communication itself, how well it is

provided, or understanding.

How internal communication resources are allocated

Ruck and Trainor (2011)

Ruck and Welch (2012)

Strategy

Support

Identification

Role

Performance

VoiceMy organisation provides plenty of support for people.

I identify with the organisation’s values and am an advocate of what it does.

I know what my job responsibilities are and how they contribute to the team

and organisation.

I know how I am doing and have good development

opportunities.

I have regular opportunities to have a say and what I say

is taken seriously.

I am well informed about what is going on and what is planned and my line manager is

committed to the organisation.

Ruck and Welch (2012)

Conceptual model of employee questions to be addressed through line manager and corporate internal communication.

Organisation Communication questionnaire combines internal communication questions and employee engagement questions

First survey due to start in May at a UK government department shared services office with around 1200 employees

Six further organisations to participate in June/July (a bank, an insurance company, a housing association, two local authorities, and a public sector organisation)

Correlation analysis for transfer report in September

Research design: phase one

Communication content – graded questions and one open question

Communication methods – graded questions and one open question

Communication satisfaction – graded questions Leader and manager communication – graded questions Fellow employee communication – graded questions Employee engagement – graded questions

The questionnaire

Regression analysis Multiple case study analysis, literal replication Focus groups Semi-structured interviews

Research design: phase two (2013)

References

Kahn, W. A. (1990) Psychological conditions of personal engagement and disengagement at work. Academy of Management Journal. Vol. 33 No. 4 pp. 692-724.

MacLeod, D., and Clarke, N.

(2009) Engaging for Success: enhancing performance through employee engagement, A Report to Government, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, www.bis.gov.uk

Marques, J. (2010). Enhancing the quality of organisational communication: A presentation of reflection-based criteria. Journal of Communication Management,14(1), 47–58.

Millward, L., and Postmes, T. (2010). Who we are affects how we do: The financial benefits of organisational identification. British Journal of Management, 21, 327–339.

Robinson, D., Perryman, S., Hayday, S. (2004) The drivers of employee engagement. Brighton. Institute for Employment Studies.

Ruck. K. and Trainor, S. (2011) Communicating for Engagement, Report for Chartered Institute of Public Relations, Maidstone. PR Academy.

Ruck, K. and Welch, M. (2012) Valuing Internal Communication: Management and Employee Perspectives, Public Relations Review, 38, 204-302

Saks, A.M. (2006) Antecedents and consequences of employee engagement, Journal Of Managerial Psychology, Vol.21. No. 7, pages 600-619.

Schaufeli, W. B. and Bakker, A. B. (2010) Defining and measuring work engagement: Bringing clarity to the concept. In Bakker, A.B. and Leiter, M.P. eds. Work Engagement, A Handbook of Essential Theory and Research, Hove: Psychology Press

Truss,C., Soane, E., Edwards, C., Wisdom, K., Croll, A., and Burnett,J.

(2006) Working Life: Employee Attitudes and Engagement 2006, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Welch, M . (2011) The evolution of the employee engagement concept: Communication implications. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 16(4), 328–346.

Welch, M., & Jackson, P. R. (2007). Rethinking internal communication: A stakeholder approach. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 12(2), 177–198.

Wieseke, J., Ahearne, M., Lam, S., and Dick, R.

(2009). The role of leaders in internal marketing. Journal of Marketing, 73(2), 123–145.