Author(s), Title and Publication
Walden, J., Jung, E. H., & Westerman, C. K. (2017). Employee communication, job engagement, and organizational commitment: A study of members of the Millennial Generation. Journal of Public Relations Research, 29(2/3), 73-89. doi: 10.1080/1062726X.2017.1329737
Summary
The authors developed and tested a model in which job engagement mediates the relationship between three facets of employee communication (information flow, information adequacy, and interaction supportiveness) and organizational commitment. Job engagement was defined as a state of immersion in work such that employees demonstrate enthusiasm for completing individual tasks while maintaining a deeply felt connection to their job role. Information flow is defined as the open exchange of ideas, issues, and opinions; information adequacy involves the degree to which employees believe they are receiving a necessary amount of information; and interaction supportiveness refers to the level of support that one party believes they have from another party. This study explores these issues through an online survey that included 539 members of the Millennial Generation (those born between 1982 and 2004) in the United States.
The model developed by the authors was supported. Specifically, the study’s three employee communication elements were all predictors of engagement, which in turn, related to organizational commitment. Information adequacy appeared to have the strongest relationship with engagement, followed by interaction supportiveness and information flow. Information adequacy was also a stronger direct predictor of commitment than information flow or support. Furthermore, an argument is made in light of the study’s findings that engagement and commitment work in concert to strengthen employee-organization relationships overall.
Implications for Practice
Organizations should (1) provide ongoing feedback to employees about individual and organizational issues to foster engagement, (2) ensure that the overall system of communication within an organization leads to an adequate flow of information, and (3) focus on employees’ individual communication needs to strengthen their commitment to the organization and set the stage for longer-term behavioral intentions.
Location of Article
This article is available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1062726X.2017.1329737 (abstract free, purchase full article)
