JournalTOCs

International Journal of Business Communication
Journal Prestige (SJR): 0.866

Citation Impact (citeScore): 2
Number of Followers: 11

Hybrid journal (It can contain Open Access articles)
ISSN (Print) 2329-4884 - ISSN (Online) 2329-4892
Published by Sage Publications

[1174 journals]

Book Review: Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We
Don’t Know by Malcolm Gladwell
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  Authors: Janel Bloch
  Pages: 450 - 453
  Abstract: International Journal of Business Communication, Volume 59, Issue 3, Page 450-453, July 2022.
  
  Citation: International Journal of Business Communication
  PubDate: 2022-05-24T07:09:07Z
  DOI: 10.1177/23294884221096973
  Issue No: Vol. 59, No. 3 (2022)
One Earth, One Humanity Versus the Virus: Examining the Global COVID-19
Social Partnership Communication Networks on Social Media
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  Authors: Wenlin Liu, Aimei Yang, Jieun Shin, Yiqi Li, Jingyi Sun, Yan Qu, Lichen Zhen, Hye Min Kim, Chuqing Dong
  Abstract: International Journal of Business Communication, Ahead of Print.
  The COVID-19 pandemic has posed severe challenges that require collaborative efforts from multi-sector organizations. Guided by an institutional theory framework that considers how both organizational fields and national level contexts affect organizations’ social partnership communication, the current study examines the COVID-19-related social partnership communication network on social media. The cross-national study using semantic network analysis and exponential random graph models (ERGMs) first maps the meaning of COVID-19 social partnership network, and then investigates the role of organizational fields and a country’s political system, economic system, educational system, and cultural system on the formation of interorganizational communication ties surrounding the relief efforts of COVID-19. Results reveal the importance of the political system—such as the presence of populist government, economic disparity, and uncertainty avoidance cultural orientation in shaping the social media-based social partnership communication network. In addition, NGOs from multiple issue areas are actively engaged in the network, whereas corporations from manufacturing and financial industries are active players.
  Citation: International Journal of Business Communication
  PubDate: 2022-07-28T06:01:05Z
  DOI: 10.1177/23294884221114393
Reducing Anxiety Through Workplace Communication During COVID-19: Who,
What, When, and How
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  Authors: Avi Kay, Livia Levine, Ephraim Shapiro
  Abstract: International Journal of Business Communication, Ahead of Print.
  Organizational communication is particularly important during times of uncertainty and turmoil, such as the first few weeks of COVID-19 in the United States. This paper explores the who, what, when, and how of organizational communication during this time, looking at how these factors affected satisfaction with communication and anxiety among a sample of working adults. Through path analysis the paper suggests that having the direct manager communicate, communicating personal messages of support, communicating daily, and communicating via text media are related to higher levels of satisfaction with communication, and in turn with lower levels of anxiety. Individual traits of the employee are also discussed, including the need for affiliation as a moderator on the relationship between communication satisfaction and anxiety. Finally, suggestions are presented regarding how organizations can best leverage communication in novel and uncertain situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
  Citation: International Journal of Business Communication
  PubDate: 2022-07-08T09:57:54Z
  DOI: 10.1177/23294884221105580
Do Mixed Emotions Matter in a Crisis' The Impact of Expressing Sadness
and Sympathy on Organizational Reputation and Forgiveness
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  Authors: James Ndone
  Abstract: International Journal of Business Communication, Ahead of Print.
  This study seeks to advance the literature in emotional crisis communication by comparing the effects of single emotional message framing to mixed emotional message framing in organizational crisis on organizational reputation and forgiveness. Through an online four (emotional message framing: control vs. negative emotion [sadness] vs. positive emotion [sympathy] vs. mixed-valence emotions [both sadness + sympathy]) by two (crisis type: preventable vs. victim crisis) between-groups experiment, this study investigated the effects of mixed-valence emotions, where the CEO expressed both positive and negative discrete emotions (N = 424). Additionally, the current study sought to test the mediating effects of perceived sincerity and empathy toward the CEO on the relationship between the crisis type and message framing on both organizational reputation and forgiveness. The findings show that, during a preventable crisis, expressing mixed emotions results in a more positive organizational reputation and organizational forgiveness than expressing single emotions (sadness or sympathy). Also, both empathy toward the CEO and perceived sincerity mediated the relationship between a preventable crisis and organizational reputation as well as forgiveness. Both practical and theoretical implications of this study are discussed.
  Citation: International Journal of Business Communication
  PubDate: 2022-07-01T07:16:16Z
  DOI: 10.1177/23294884221106999
Should I Speak Up' How Supervisory Communication, Team Culture, and
Team Relationships Determine Employees’ Voice Behavior
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  Authors: Cen April Yue, Patrick Thelen, Aniisu K. Verghese
  Abstract: International Journal of Business Communication, Ahead of Print.
  The extent to which employees convey or withhold useful information has important implications for organizational effectiveness. Nevertheless, employee voice is under-researched in the public relations literature. Grounded in social exchange theory and internal communication literature, the current study addressed this research gap by arguing that leaders’ communication style plays a pivotal role in employee voice behavior. Drawing data from the U.S. (N = 441) and India (N = 354), this study tests a normative model linking leaders’ motivating language, team culture, employee-team relationships, and employees’ voice behavior. Notably, in both samples, motivating language was positively related to a healthy team culture, which in turn, is positively associated with employees’ relationship quality with their working unit, and ultimately, employees’ voice. The Indian sample showed similar patterns as the U.S. sample, except that there was no direct relationship between leader motivating language and employee voice for the Indian sample.
  Citation: International Journal of Business Communication
  PubDate: 2022-06-22T10:04:41Z
  DOI: 10.1177/23294884221104794
Expressing Demands or Offers: How to Promote Volunteering Using Visual and
Verbal Appeals
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  Authors: Fabienne Bünzli, Martin J. Eppler, Katarina Stanoevska-Slabeva, Alena Hofer
  Abstract: International Journal of Business Communication, Ahead of Print.
  Due to an increased competition for volunteers, nonprofit organizations have intensified efforts to recruit members as volunteers. But how to effectively persuade members to volunteer using visual communication' Research suggests that images are most persuasive when they demand something from the viewer. A demand is expressed through the depiction of a person who directly gazes at the viewer, whereas an offer is expressed through the depiction of a face with an averted gaze. Demands and offers can also be expressed verbally. A verbal demand is articulated through commands, whereas a verbal offer is conveyed through statements. This study examines whether NPOs should address their members using demands or offers and whether correspondence between image and text increases persuasion. An experiment among 205 members of a Swiss NPO finds that direct gaze images are most effective. However, image-text matching increases persuasion for campaigns that feature an averted gaze image.
  Citation: International Journal of Business Communication
  PubDate: 2022-06-10T04:59:24Z
  DOI: 10.1177/23294884221104799
Workplace Romance and Career Reputation Effects across Industries
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  Authors: Rebecca M. Chory, Lisa Mainiero, Sean M. Horan
  Abstract: International Journal of Business Communication, Ahead of Print.
  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.
  Citation: International Journal of Business Communication
  PubDate: 2022-06-07T12:37:11Z
  DOI: 10.1177/23294884221100800
Exploring Early-Career Job Seekers’ Online Uncertainty Management
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  Authors: Stephanie A. Smith, Cameron Piercy, Yaguang Zhu
  Abstract: International Journal of Business Communication, Ahead of Print.
  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.
  Citation: International Journal of Business Communication
  PubDate: 2022-05-24T04:51:10Z
  DOI: 10.1177/23294884221096673
A Story About Speaking Up: Mediation Effects of Narrative Persuasion on
Organizational Voice Intentions
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  Authors: Roger Gans, Mengqi Zhan
  Abstract: International Journal of Business Communication, Ahead of Print.
  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.
  Citation: International Journal of Business Communication
  PubDate: 2022-05-13T07:12:02Z
  DOI: 10.1177/23294884221091275
Supervisor Computer-Mediated Immediate Behaviors: Fostering Subordinate
Communication
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  Authors: Stephanie Kelly, Ayanna Dawkins, Kenneth T. Rocker, Shonai Someshwar, Travis Penny
  Abstract: International Journal of Business Communication, Ahead of Print.
  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.
  Citation: International Journal of Business Communication
  PubDate: 2022-04-02T08:09:09Z
  DOI: 10.1177/23294884221085724
Trust Me: Interpersonal Communication Dominance as a Tool for Influencing
Interpersonal Trust Between Coworkers
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  Authors: Luke A. Langlinais, Heath A. Howard, Jeffery D. Houghton
  Abstract: International Journal of Business Communication, Ahead of Print.
  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.
  Citation: International Journal of Business Communication
  PubDate: 2022-03-12T06:58:28Z
  DOI: 10.1177/23294884221080933
Exploring the Impact of Internal Communication on Employee Psychological
Well-Being During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Mediating Role of Employee
Organizational Trust
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  Authors: Yufan Sunny Qin, Linjuan Rita Men
  Abstract: International Journal of Business Communication, Ahead of Print.
  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.
  Citation: International Journal of Business Communication
  PubDate: 2022-03-08T09:34:04Z
  DOI: 10.1177/23294884221081838
The Use of Humor in Employee-to-Employee Workplace Communication: A
Systematic Review With Thematic Synthesis
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  Authors: Stephen Taylor, Jane Simpson, Claire Hardy
  Abstract: International Journal of Business Communication, Ahead of Print.
  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.
  Citation: International Journal of Business Communication
  PubDate: 2022-01-06T08:24:44Z
  DOI: 10.1177/23294884211069966
Relationship Cultivation via Social Media During the COVID-19 Pandemic:
Evidence From China and the U.S
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  Authors: Qiongyao Huang, Benjamin J. Lynn, Chuqing Dong, Shijun Ni, Linjuan Rita Men
  Abstract: International Journal of Business Communication, Ahead of Print.
  This study explored the relationship cultivation and social media strategies companies used to cultivate relationships with their publics in two culturally distinct markets of China and the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic. A quantitative content analysis of Weibo (n = 756) and Twitter (n = 645) posts from Fortune 500 companies in China (n = 30) and the U.S. (n = 30) respectively was conducted to examine the effects of their relational efforts on public engagement. Results showed that certain relationship cultivation strategies and use of social media functions effectively increased public engagement in both China and the U.S., although on different levels. Both Chinese and U.S. companies most frequently adopted the strategy of openness. While the openness strategy was most effective at raising engagement levels in the U.S., publics of Chinese companies became more engaged when companies used the access strategy. Also, publics of Chinese companies showed higher levels of engagement and more positive emotions toward companies’ social media messages than their U.S. counterparts. The findings advance our understanding of organization-public relationships in a worldwide disaster setting, with insights informing the global public relations theory and practices.
  Citation: International Journal of Business Communication
  PubDate: 2022-01-06T06:24:00Z
  DOI: 10.1177/23294884211067805