Pub Date : 2022-06-07DOI: 10.1177/23294884221100800
Rebecca M. Chory, Lisa A. Mainiero, Sean M. Horan
The purpose of this study was to empirically answer the longstanding question regarding industry differences in reactions to workplace romance. Departing from prior research designs, and employing the largest workplace romance sample to date, close to 1,000 adults in major US cities reported their workplace romance experiences and beliefs through an internet survey. Beliefs about workplace romance’s career reputation effects, workplace romance occurrence, and comfort with workplace romance differed by industry, with Healthcare, Education, Administration, and Other Professional industries appearing to represent the most conservative workplaces, and Finance, Trade, and Sales; STEM; and Blue-Collar and Manual Labor industries the most liberal. Industry also interacted with employee sex, management status, and age to affect workplace romance outcomes. Furthermore, workplace romances were seen as more damaging to women’s than men’s careers. Results suggest that human resources professionals should develop workplace romance policies that match the norms and values of their workplaces. A “one-size-fits-all” policy will be ineffective and, in some industries, may be construed as infringing on privacy. Workplace romance’s effect on career reputations depends on the participant’s industry, management status, age, and gender, underscoring the need for awareness of cultural influences on evaluations of employee sexuality. This study empirically demonstrates, for the first time, that industry is associated with beliefs about workplace romance’s career reputation effects. Findings for Blue-Collar and Manual Labor work, previously overlooked, suggest particularly intriguing connections among masculinity, sexuality, aggression, and reputation effects.
{"title":"Workplace Romance and Career Reputation Effects across Industries","authors":"Rebecca M. Chory, Lisa A. Mainiero, Sean M. Horan","doi":"10.1177/23294884221100800","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/23294884221100800","url":null,"abstract":"The purpose of this study was to empirically answer the longstanding question regarding industry differences in reactions to workplace romance. Departing from prior research designs, and employing the largest workplace romance sample to date, close to 1,000 adults in major US cities reported their workplace romance experiences and beliefs through an internet survey. Beliefs about workplace romance’s career reputation effects, workplace romance occurrence, and comfort with workplace romance differed by industry, with Healthcare, Education, Administration, and Other Professional industries appearing to represent the most conservative workplaces, and Finance, Trade, and Sales; STEM; and Blue-Collar and Manual Labor industries the most liberal. Industry also interacted with employee sex, management status, and age to affect workplace romance outcomes. Furthermore, workplace romances were seen as more damaging to women’s than men’s careers. Results suggest that human resources professionals should develop workplace romance policies that match the norms and values of their workplaces. A “one-size-fits-all” policy will be ineffective and, in some industries, may be construed as infringing on privacy. Workplace romance’s effect on career reputations depends on the participant’s industry, management status, age, and gender, underscoring the need for awareness of cultural influences on evaluations of employee sexuality. This study empirically demonstrates, for the first time, that industry is associated with beliefs about workplace romance’s career reputation effects. Findings for Blue-Collar and Manual Labor work, previously overlooked, suggest particularly intriguing connections among masculinity, sexuality, aggression, and reputation effects.","PeriodicalId":45593,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Business Communication","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2022-06-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47894279","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-05-23DOI: 10.1177/23294884221096673
Stephanie A. Smith, Cameron W. Piercy, Yaguang Zhu
Using the framework of uncertainty management theory (UMT), this study qualitatively explores the extent to which entry-level job seekers engage in online information seeking, or cybervetting, about employers, why they do it, and how cybervetting influences their subsequent communication. We conducted 19 focus groups, involving 100 participants across three universities, to capture the rich experiences of early-career job seekers. Findings offer evidence of cybervetting from the perspective of a potential employee, exploring how information-seeking foregrounds the modern employee-employer relationship. The findings indicate that many job seekers use social media and employee-generated review websites as an initial mode of communication to find organizational information that helps to manage their uncertainty and anxiety, prepare for interviews, engage with their existing interpersonal networks because of information they find online, and to aid in their decision-making about joining organizations. In line with UMT, many participants also use cognitive and behavioral alternatives to information seeking to manage their uncertainty.
{"title":"Exploring Early-Career Job Seekers’ Online Uncertainty Management","authors":"Stephanie A. Smith, Cameron W. Piercy, Yaguang Zhu","doi":"10.1177/23294884221096673","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/23294884221096673","url":null,"abstract":"Using the framework of uncertainty management theory (UMT), this study qualitatively explores the extent to which entry-level job seekers engage in online information seeking, or cybervetting, about employers, why they do it, and how cybervetting influences their subsequent communication. We conducted 19 focus groups, involving 100 participants across three universities, to capture the rich experiences of early-career job seekers. Findings offer evidence of cybervetting from the perspective of a potential employee, exploring how information-seeking foregrounds the modern employee-employer relationship. The findings indicate that many job seekers use social media and employee-generated review websites as an initial mode of communication to find organizational information that helps to manage their uncertainty and anxiety, prepare for interviews, engage with their existing interpersonal networks because of information they find online, and to aid in their decision-making about joining organizations. In line with UMT, many participants also use cognitive and behavioral alternatives to information seeking to manage their uncertainty.","PeriodicalId":45593,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Business Communication","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2022-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42874483","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-05-13DOI: 10.1177/23294884221091275
R. Gans, M. Zhan
Despite well-recognized organizational benefits when speaking up is normative employee behavior, employees often remain reluctant to speak up in organizational settings. To date, strategies to promote speaking up have largely focused on policy and environmental factors, with scant attention paid to development of successful promotional messages. To explore message strategies for promoting speaking up, we randomly assigned participants (N = 615) to four different message conditions and measured their voice intentions. Persuasive strategies incorporating storytelling were more effective in promoting speaking up than strategies without the storytelling component, with narrative transportation as a mediating factor. Transportation effects were inversely correlated with need for cognition and work engagement, suggesting the utility of story-based message strategies for impacting employees most likely to resist speaking up. This study contributes to the field as one of the first to connect the mechanisms of narrative persuasion to the effectiveness of storytelling in organizational communication.
{"title":"A Story About Speaking Up: Mediation Effects of Narrative Persuasion on Organizational Voice Intentions","authors":"R. Gans, M. Zhan","doi":"10.1177/23294884221091275","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/23294884221091275","url":null,"abstract":"Despite well-recognized organizational benefits when speaking up is normative employee behavior, employees often remain reluctant to speak up in organizational settings. To date, strategies to promote speaking up have largely focused on policy and environmental factors, with scant attention paid to development of successful promotional messages. To explore message strategies for promoting speaking up, we randomly assigned participants (N = 615) to four different message conditions and measured their voice intentions. Persuasive strategies incorporating storytelling were more effective in promoting speaking up than strategies without the storytelling component, with narrative transportation as a mediating factor. Transportation effects were inversely correlated with need for cognition and work engagement, suggesting the utility of story-based message strategies for impacting employees most likely to resist speaking up. This study contributes to the field as one of the first to connect the mechanisms of narrative persuasion to the effectiveness of storytelling in organizational communication.","PeriodicalId":45593,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Business Communication","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2022-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44580395","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Through the guidance of construal level theory, this paper tested a model in which supervisor computer-mediated immediate behaviors indirectly increased subordinates’ relational maintenance communication at work and decreased their self-censoring behaviors in the presence of their supervisor. The influence of supervisor computer-mediated immediate behaviors was mediated through the affective construal variable of job satisfaction and the psychological construal variable of perceived immediacy. Results indicate that even in the virtual workplace, strategic use of supervisor communicative behaviors can promote healthy workplace communication practices for subordinates.
{"title":"Supervisor Computer-Mediated Immediate Behaviors: Fostering Subordinate Communication","authors":"Stephanie Kelly, Ayanna Dawkins, Kenneth T. Rocker, Shonai Someshwar, Travis Penny","doi":"10.1177/23294884221085724","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/23294884221085724","url":null,"abstract":"Through the guidance of construal level theory, this paper tested a model in which supervisor computer-mediated immediate behaviors indirectly increased subordinates’ relational maintenance communication at work and decreased their self-censoring behaviors in the presence of their supervisor. The influence of supervisor computer-mediated immediate behaviors was mediated through the affective construal variable of job satisfaction and the psychological construal variable of perceived immediacy. Results indicate that even in the virtual workplace, strategic use of supervisor communicative behaviors can promote healthy workplace communication practices for subordinates.","PeriodicalId":45593,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Business Communication","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2022-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48114337","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-03-26DOI: 10.1177/23294884221093127
J. Mayfield, M. Mayfield
{"title":"Erratum to Business Communication Lessons in Agility: Introduction to the Special Issue on the COVID-19 Pandemic","authors":"J. Mayfield, M. Mayfield","doi":"10.1177/23294884221093127","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/23294884221093127","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":45593,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Business Communication","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2022-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42981370","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-03-26DOI: 10.1177/23294884221077813
J. Mayfield, M. Mayfield
This introduction explains our vision, inclusion criteria, and mission for a curated issue about business communication and COVID-19. We focus on the big picture of communication agility lessons from a VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity) environment. We also present a definition and a typology of agile business communication, largely drawn from the papers in this collection. These manuscripts investigate COVID-19 organizational communication measures and related strategies plus their outcomes across diverse stakeholders in multiple countries. Drawing from these contributions and other research, we conclude by outlining an agile business communication research agenda. Finally we inaugurate a new IJBC column, Spotlight on a Thought Leader in Business Communication.
{"title":"Business Communication Lessons in Agility: Introduction to the Special Issue on the COVID-19 Pandemic","authors":"J. Mayfield, M. Mayfield","doi":"10.1177/23294884221077813","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/23294884221077813","url":null,"abstract":"This introduction explains our vision, inclusion criteria, and mission for a curated issue about business communication and COVID-19. We focus on the big picture of communication agility lessons from a VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity) environment. We also present a definition and a typology of agile business communication, largely drawn from the papers in this collection. These manuscripts investigate COVID-19 organizational communication measures and related strategies plus their outcomes across diverse stakeholders in multiple countries. Drawing from these contributions and other research, we conclude by outlining an agile business communication research agenda. Finally we inaugurate a new IJBC column, Spotlight on a Thought Leader in Business Communication.","PeriodicalId":45593,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Business Communication","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2022-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43041924","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-03-26DOI: 10.1177/23294884221082462
Kim Sydow Campbell
{"title":"Spotlight on a Thought Leader in Business Communication: Ronald E. Dulek, Ph.D.","authors":"Kim Sydow Campbell","doi":"10.1177/23294884221082462","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/23294884221082462","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":45593,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Business Communication","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2022-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49331839","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-03-11DOI: 10.1177/23294884221080933
Luke A. Langlinais, Heath A. Howard, Jeffery D. Houghton
Perceptions of trustworthiness are an established antecedent of interpersonal trust. However, the trust and communication literatures provide fewer insights into possible proactive tools for positively influencing trustworthiness. Interpersonal communication dominance is a skill used to influence another individual in an interpersonal relationship. Using social information processing theory, we hypothesize and test a parallel mediation model specifying that the three dimensions of trustworthiness (i.e., perceived ability, perceived benevolence, and perceived integrity) mediate the relationship between interpersonal communication dominance and interpersonal trust. The results show significant indirect effects for interpersonal communication dominance on interpersonal trust through perceived benevolence and perceived integrity but not through perceived ability. Our findings suggest that using interpersonal communication dominance to increase perceptions of benevolence and integrity may be an important communicative tool for positively influencing interpersonal trust.
{"title":"Trust Me: Interpersonal Communication Dominance as a Tool for Influencing Interpersonal Trust Between Coworkers","authors":"Luke A. Langlinais, Heath A. Howard, Jeffery D. Houghton","doi":"10.1177/23294884221080933","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/23294884221080933","url":null,"abstract":"Perceptions of trustworthiness are an established antecedent of interpersonal trust. However, the trust and communication literatures provide fewer insights into possible proactive tools for positively influencing trustworthiness. Interpersonal communication dominance is a skill used to influence another individual in an interpersonal relationship. Using social information processing theory, we hypothesize and test a parallel mediation model specifying that the three dimensions of trustworthiness (i.e., perceived ability, perceived benevolence, and perceived integrity) mediate the relationship between interpersonal communication dominance and interpersonal trust. The results show significant indirect effects for interpersonal communication dominance on interpersonal trust through perceived benevolence and perceived integrity but not through perceived ability. Our findings suggest that using interpersonal communication dominance to increase perceptions of benevolence and integrity may be an important communicative tool for positively influencing interpersonal trust.","PeriodicalId":45593,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Business Communication","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2022-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43358518","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-03-08DOI: 10.1177/23294884221081838
Y. Qin, L. Men
This study examines whether and how internal communication at different levels (i.e., corporate symmetrical communication and supportive peer communication) interact to influence employee psychological well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study also reveals the mediating effects of employee organizational trust in this process, which helps explain how internal communication influences employee psychological well-being. An online survey was conducted with 393 employees across various industries in the United States. The key findings showed that supportive peer communication was positively associated with employee mental wellness. In addition, increased organizational trust positively mediated the effects of both corporate symmetrical communication and supportive peer communication on employee psychological well-being. This study advances understanding of employee psychological well-being by examining the impact of internal communication. The results of this study also provide practical implications regarding how to promote employee psychological wellness by creating an effective internal communication environment at both corporate and peer levels to cultivate employee organizational trust.
{"title":"Exploring the Impact of Internal Communication on Employee Psychological Well-Being During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Mediating Role of Employee Organizational Trust","authors":"Y. Qin, L. Men","doi":"10.1177/23294884221081838","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/23294884221081838","url":null,"abstract":"This study examines whether and how internal communication at different levels (i.e., corporate symmetrical communication and supportive peer communication) interact to influence employee psychological well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study also reveals the mediating effects of employee organizational trust in this process, which helps explain how internal communication influences employee psychological well-being. An online survey was conducted with 393 employees across various industries in the United States. The key findings showed that supportive peer communication was positively associated with employee mental wellness. In addition, increased organizational trust positively mediated the effects of both corporate symmetrical communication and supportive peer communication on employee psychological well-being. This study advances understanding of employee psychological well-being by examining the impact of internal communication. The results of this study also provide practical implications regarding how to promote employee psychological wellness by creating an effective internal communication environment at both corporate and peer levels to cultivate employee organizational trust.","PeriodicalId":45593,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Business Communication","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2022-03-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47261950","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-01-06DOI: 10.1177/23294884211069966
Stephen Taylor, Jane Simpson, Claire Hardy
The aim of this systematic review was to develop a thematic synthesis of existing qualitative studies to explore the use of humor in employee-to-employee workplace communication and provide a greater understanding of this area of research through the experiences of employees. A number of databases were searched using key terms and papers were selected using pre-specified criteria. The thematic synthesis approach of Thomas and Harden was used to review the final 23 papers. The findings from the thematic synthesis resulted in four temporal themes that described how humor was utilized during an employee’s organizational transition: (1) initiation into organizational humor, (2) joining a “tribe”—in-groups and out-groups, (3) exerting influence—humor as power, and (4) using the safety valve—humor to relieve tension. The temporal themes described in this study crossed organizational and cultural divides, where humor formed an essential part of work-based dialog.
{"title":"The Use of Humor in Employee-to-Employee Workplace Communication: A Systematic Review With Thematic Synthesis","authors":"Stephen Taylor, Jane Simpson, Claire Hardy","doi":"10.1177/23294884211069966","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/23294884211069966","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The aim of this systematic review was to develop a thematic synthesis of existing qualitative studies to explore the use of humor in employee-to-employee workplace communication and provide a greater understanding of this area of research through the experiences of employees. A number of databases were searched using key terms and papers were selected using pre-specified criteria. The thematic synthesis approach of Thomas and Harden was used to review the final 23 papers. The findings from the thematic synthesis resulted in four temporal themes that described how humor was utilized during an employee’s organizational transition: (1) initiation into organizational humor, (2) joining a “tribe”—in-groups and out-groups, (3) exerting influence—humor as power, and (4) using the safety valve—humor to relieve tension. The temporal themes described in this study crossed organizational and cultural divides, where humor formed an essential part of work-based dialog.</p>","PeriodicalId":45593,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Business Communication","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2022-01-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138527471","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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