Search results

Since employees are considered to be one of the most important sources for innovation, the purpose of this study is to create a change management framework for implementing an innovation culture by means of internal communication.

First, an interdisciplinary model was derived from research and existing literature. It was then tested in a case study with qualitative expert interviews and a quantitative online survey among all employees of a sample firm.

Instead of a linear change, as implied by the theoretical model, different identification levels existed simultaneously within the firm's culture. A typology summed up the corresponding perceptions of the innovation culture: innovation culture, innovation pioneers, mediocrity, standstill, and refusal. Significant correlations between identification and internal media (r=0.405), as well as identification and action (r=0.158) underlined the importance of internal communication.

This study only explores the topic from a communication science perspective. However, examining its link to other important factors like organisational structure would provide further insight. Also, research in different countries and fields is needed, since the results of this case study cannot be considered representative.

The goal of communication managers should be to lead employees through the phases of identification by specifically targeting their identification levels and using the appropriate media to address the findings.

The developed framework helps as a management tool for assessing how employees perceive messages of an innovation philosophy and internal media. By linking the internal, innovation, and change communication, it identifies new essential aspects for creating a communication mix and specifically communicating with the target‐group.

The purpose of this paper is to explore employees’ perceptions of enablers and barriers to engage in multi-vocal dialogues about ideas (ideation) on internal social media (ISM) within a context of corporate communication.

This exploratory study is based on four data sets: online observations of employee ideation on ISM from 2011 to 2018, semi-structured interviews and informal conversations with two managers (2015–2016), archival material, and semi-structured interviews with 14 employees (2017–2018) in a large, knowledge-intensive Danish organization.

The study identified various enablers and barriers to engagement related to psychological engagement conditions of meaningfulness, safety and availability. Managers’ communication role or importance of innovation, as well as tensions, e.g. obligation vs option to ideate or employee influence vs no influence, were identified as enabling or constraining employee engagement in ideation on ISM.

Broadening interviews to include employees who decided not to participate in online ideation would increase insights and nuance this study’s results.

Managers need to be aware of the psychological engagement conditions and balance identified enablers, barriers and tensions by acknowledging communication reciprocity on ISM. Not only employees, but also managers, are dialogue partners in employee ideation on ISM.

The study is one of the first to explore enablers of and barriers to psychological engagement conditions in a context central to corporate communication, namely internal innovation communication on ISM, and to study ideation from a coworker perspective.

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how internal communication can be used to manage change in culture to achieve innovation in the workplace.

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and recommendations.

Competitive advantage means exploiting the genius of the workforce. Managers in some firms do listen to their staff and follow up their ideas, and this may be encouraged by a common culture and by some communication methods. Theoretical research into internal communication, innovation communication and change processes has been combined to form an experimental framework of innovative change. This has been applied, as a case study, to a pharmaceutical firm. It combines qualitative interview techniques to identify the corporate culture with a quantitative e‐mail questionnaire survey of employees. Results indicate the link between communication and innovation.

Managers can test whether their internal communications are effectively selling their business philosophy to staff.

Staff whose creativity is encouraged are prouder of their company and of its success.

This review introduces a survey technique that can be developed to show how innovative culture can be evaluated and managed.

Surveys existing literature pertaining to the role of communication and information in generating innovation in organizations, aiming to organize innovation literature, coupled with information and communication in organizations, around critical innovation factors in the various phases of the information process, and asking, principally, what critical innovation factors, coupled with information and communication, exist in the various phases of an innovation process? Finally, systematizes the literature in a model displaying CIF in relation to the above question.

This article explores how internal communication impacts happiness at work and intrapreneurship through the dimensions of communication climate and communication in meetings.

Literature analysis and quantitative empirical data collection are used to achieve this study's purpose. The study employed a non-experimental, cross-sectional, explanatory design. A questionnaire of closed-ended questions was used, adapted from validated scales for measuring constructs, and apply to 156 employees of industrial, service and commercial companies in the Northeast of Mexico. The analysis techniques used included exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modelling.

In the descriptive analysis of the data, the authors find that 57.7% of the sample is satisfied with the communication climate, 28.85% moderately satisfied, and 13.47% dissatisfied. Regarding the levels of happiness at work, high (71.15%), medium (21.15%) and low (7.7%) levels were found. In intrapreneurship, high (67.31%), medium (26.92%) and low (5.77%) levels were found. The exploratory factorial analysis showed that the instrument was adequate for measuring the variables. Good correlations were also found between the items that make up each variable. Finally, the relationship between internal communication, measured by the dimensions of communicative climate and communication in meetings, and happiness at work was verified using the structural equation technique. The latter has a positive impact on intrapreneurship.

This article has some theoretical and methodological limitations like any other academic work. They would be interesting to address in future research. In this way, it is possible to empirical examine the variables of intrapreneurship, internal communication and happiness (Ravina-Ripoll et al., 2021c). The first is the study's cross-sectional design and data collection by a non-probabilistic sample, carried out in a single source. Both aspects mean that our study is not free of corresponding biases; this may result in the findings of the present work not being statistically correct. The second derives from the absence in the literature of structural equation modelling studies that analyse the constructs that make up the object of this academic work in a multidimensional way. However, although an influence I show between the variables, it is recommended to take the data with discretion. There is still a need for more empirical evidence to support these relationships before generalised results can be presumed. Despite the remarkable progress made in recent years in the literature on the three dimensions of this article, few scientific studies examine inferentially how internal communication and intra-entrepreneurship influence employees' happiness at work in today's digital society. The authors of this academic work consider it attractive for future research to address the analysis of internal communication strategic management models. It is a robust driver of intra-entrepreneurship and employee happiness in organisations (Galván-Vela et al., 2022a). In conclusion, from this heuristic perspective, companies can improve, on the one hand, their competitive position in the market. Their managers must cultivate an organisational culture that emphasises internal communication as a catalyst for innovation, employee loyalty, and productive efficiency. On the other hand, companies will be able to invigorate their corporate image to face the significant challenges in the globalised economy, thus to become sustainable, humane, ecological intra-entrepreneurial corporations (Galván-Vela et al., 2021a). It may lead to a more social, inclusive, prosperous and egalitarian ecosystem. In this way, it makes the culture of organisations around the pillars of happiness management, social marketing and the Sustainable Development Goals shine (Galván-Coronil et al., 2021).

This section does not attempt to argue that internal communication and intrapreneurship constitute two intangible resources that improve organisations' productivity and collective happiness (Lee and Kim, 2022). However, it is necessary to clarify that the results achieved in this academic study show two fundamental aspects. The first is to invite managers of companies in the post-Covid-19 era to cultivate a culture based on happiness management. It makes internal communication a fast vehicle that exponentially boosts intrapreneurship, among other things (Castillo-Abdul et al., 2021). To this end, their strategic management models must carry out a diametrical shift in their innovation and internal communication actions. On the one hand, it allows for building loyalty among their creative talent. It does this by creating an organisational climate that encourages interpersonal relationships, the spirit of teamwork, collaborative participation, and disruptive thinking (Thelen and Formanchuk, 2022). On the other hand, promoting an ethical, assertive and empathetic leadership style proactively stimulates the commitment, trust and passion for the work of all members of the company (Men and Yue, 2019). The second is to emphasise implementing a constructive, friendly and positive intra-organisational language. In this way, it is dynamising the collective happiness of its human capital through the figure of the Chief Happiness (Jiménez-Marín et al., 2021b).

Intrapreneurship, internal communication and happiness at work are topics of great interest in academic agendas in recent years. It is basically because these three dimensions, individually or jointly, have positive effects on the productivity of organisations. However, no research flow evidences our theoretical model proposed in this article. Therefore, there is a need for future studies that advance the literature in the area of business. In this way, we will have more data on how these constructs affect the life of organisations in the post-Covid 19 eras.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between digital transformational leadership (DTL) and innovation capability (IIC) in multinational (MNC) firms’ settings. The current study emphasises the mediating-moderating impact of symmetrical internal communication (SIC) and trust in leadership (TIL) in further shaping this relationship.

The researchers adopted three-wave data consisting of responses from 323 cross-border team members working in MNC firms. A moderated-mediation model was tested using Hynes’ Process Macro and IBM Amos.

The empirical findings underscore a positive relationship between DTL and IIC and the mediation by SIC. Furthermore, the researchers also identified a moderated mediation relationship of TIL.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the moderated mediation relationship among DTL, SIC, IIC and TIL using the complexity leadership theory perspective.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze how the presence of communication and knowledge flows influences the creation of a work context that supports innovation, and how this relationship is moderated by labor externalization.

To study these relationships, the authors use a sample of 249 workers from five organizations. The different hypotheses proposed are contrasted using hierarchical regression analysis.

The results obtained show the authors that, when communication flows exist, workers’ orientation to innovation is greater; likewise, knowledge transfer influences workers’ innovative attitude positively. However, the results are different when externalization of workers acts as a moderating variable.

The firm's management should make decisions and foster the production of information flows between employees, as the results obtained indicate that communication and knowledge transfer encourage employee attitudes and behavior favorable to innovation.

The main contribution of this study is to provide new empirical evidence on the influence of communication and knowledge flows on workers’ orientation to innovation. The authors also analyze how these relationships are affected by the presence of externalization. The evidence obtained in this study permits to deduce what actions foster or inhibit organizations in creating a work context that supports innovation and thus encourages the generation of innovation.

A large‐scale random sample is used to empirically examine the relationships between adoption of computer‐aided design (CAD) and five organisational characteristics that are likely to affect the probability of a firm adopting an information technology. The organisational characteristics tested are bureaucratic control, internal communication, external communication, organisational innovation, and the firm’s size. Results indicate that bureaucratic control, internal communication, and external communication do affect the likelihood of a firm adopting CAD but organisational innovation and organisational size do not. These results suggest there are differences and similarities between the organisational influences associated with classic adoption models developed with emerging technologies and the organisational influences associated with CAD adoption and possibly other mature information technologies.

The chapter develops a typology of eight different expected employee communication roles based on literature in public relations (PR), corporate communication and related fields. As PR professionals are increasingly taking on a coaching and training role, and communication technology has made employees more visible and approachable, employees more and more take on active roles in the communication with external publics. While PR professionals’ roles are conceptualized fairly well, no framework exists that describes the many communication roles that employees play in contemporary organizations. In the chapter, it is found that employees externally (1) embody, (2) promote, and (3) defend the organization. In addition, employees use communication to (4) scout for information and insights about environmental changes, and (5) build and maintain relationships with stakeholders. Internally, employees use communication to (6) make sense of information, (7) initiate and stimulate innovation, and (8) criticize organizational behaviour and decisions. The typology highlights that employees increasingly fulfil the tactic communication roles as producers and executers of corporate communication as social media have made them more visible and approachable. The communication roles require considerable tactical skills and resources on the part of employees, which they may not always possess sufficiently. PR professionals can play a coaching role in terms of helping employees frame content and communicate in a manner appropriate for the organization, the context and the media. The chapter can help PR professionals and scholars understand the changed role of PR professionals, as well as the changed relationships between organizations and their environment, in the context of dissolving organizational boundaries.

This study aims to identify the main barriers and drivers that influence the role of communication in open innovation (OI) activities, and how these can support and enhance the innovative capacity of companies in the automotive industry. In order to get this, we carry out in an assembly plant of an automotive firm.

An action research study is carried out with the participation of the researchers, the Innovation and Communication managers of the assembly plant and four external stakeholders who have participated in OI dynamics carried out by the company.

It is observed that collaborative practices are integrated within the culture of the assembly plant. This is carried out according to the specific needs of the company, which limits the specificity of the stakeholders with which it collaborates. In terms of communication, the proposed functions are evidenced in practice. However, it is advisable to systematize these functions and to acquire, in the case of communication professionals, specific skills to support the integration of open practices.

Although studies exist that analyze OI in the automotive process, none have focused on how communication may help reinforce it. In addition, this study shows how communication may play a significant role in an assembly plant where research and development activities may not be important. Thus, the contribution of this study is twofold. On the one hand, it enriches the literature on OI; on the other hand, it proposes policies to improve the performance of OI practices by involving communication at all stages.

A gestão da inovação aberta (IA) sob uma perspectiva comunicativa tem sido um tema pouco estudado. Entretanto, estudos anteriores revelam que a comunicação poderia contribuir para a integração da dinâmica aberta, preparando as organizações para sua adoção. Por meio de um estudo realizado em uma montadora de veículos da indústria automotiva, temos por objetivo identificar as principais barreiras e os fatores determinantes que influenciam o papel da comunicação nas atividades de inovação aberta e como eles podem apoiar e melhorar a capacidade inovadora das empresas na indústria automotiva.

Um estudo de pesquisa-ação é realizado com a participação dos pesquisadores, dos gerentes de inovação e comunicação da montadora e representantes de quatro entidades externas que participaram da dinâmica de OI realizada pela empresa. As perspectivas destas partes interesadas sobre o papel que a comunicação tem e poderia ter na gestão da inovação na indústria nos permitem desenvolver uma nova proposta de comunicação com cinco funções comunicativas que poderão ajudar as empresas a lidar com os desafios da inovação aberta.

Observa-se que as práticas colaborativas estão integradas dentro da cultura organizacional da montadora. Em termos de colaboração, isto é realizado de acordo com as necessidades específicas da matriz, o que somado ao contexto da montadora limita o número e a especificidade das partes interessadas com as quais ela colabora. Em termos de comunicação, as funções propostas são evidenciadas na prática. Entretanto, é possível identificar a necessidade de formalizar e sistematizar estas funções e adquirir, no caso dos profissionais de comunicação, habilidades específicas para apoiar a integração de práticas abertas propostas pela IA.

Embora existam estudos que analisam a IA no processo automotivo, nenhum deles se concentrou em como a comunicação pode ajudar a reforçá-la. Além disso, mostramos como a comunicação pode desempenhar um papel significativo em uma montadora onde as atividades de pesquisa e desenvolvimento podem não ser importantes. Portanto, a contribuição deste estudo é dupla. Por um lado, enriquece a literatura sobre IA e, por outro lado, propõe políticas para melhorar o desempenho das práticas de IA, envolvendo a comunicação em todas as etapas.

Identificar las principales barreras y facilitadores que influyen en el papel de la comunicación en las actividades de innovación abierta en el contexto específico de una planta de ensamblaje en la industria de automoción.

Se lleva a cabo un estudio de investigación de acción, en el que investigadores y profesionales emprenden un proyecto en una planta de ensamblaje de automóviles. Ambos definen objetivos duales, y se describen las etapas de la metodología de investigación en acción. Dentro de este estudios, la recolección de información se realiza a través de entrevistas semiestructuradas.

Se observa que las prácticas colaborativas se integran dentro de la cultura de la planta ensambladora. Esto se lleva a cabo de acuerdo con las necesidades específicas de la empresa, lo que limita la especificidad de los grupos de interés con los que colabora. En términos de comunicación, las funciones propuestas se evidencian en la práctica. Sin embargo, es recomendable sistematizar estas funciones y adquirir, en el caso de los profesionales de la comunicación, habilidades específicas para apoyar la integración de prácticas abiertas.

Aunque existen estudios que analizan la IA en automoción, el doble análisis de la comunicación y la planta de ensamblaje es original dentro del ámbito de esta literatura. La creación de un marco de referencia propio para este contexto puede ayudar a las empresas a determinar los aspectos claves para que la IA tenga una mayor relevancia en este tipo de plantas. Cabe destacar también que la utilización de la metodología de investigación en acción aporta un valor añadido y originalidad, en cuanto que fomenta las relaciones colaborativas empresa-universidad.