An Examination of the Relationship between Internal Communication and
Employees' Engagement.
The moderating role of Emotional Intelligence.
Konstantina Stergiopoulou 11107537
University Of Amsterdam ‘Master’s Thesis’
‘Graduate School of Communication’ ‘Master's program Communication Science.'
Supervisor: Ms Fam te Poel Date of Completion: 03/02/2017
Abstract
This thesis project explores the relationship between internal communication as perceived by employees and employees' engagement. Also, employees' emotional intelligence is reviewed, to assess whether it positively moderates the above relationship. Participants were recruited from Greek organizations and data were obtained in a quantitative way with the use of an online questionnaire. Results revealed that an effective assertive communication style and a high communication quality of the direct supervisor positively correlate with employees' engagement. Additionally, opposed to what was expected, for employees with lower levels of emotional intelligence the relationship between internal communication and employees' engagement, was stronger. Nevertheless, individuals with higher emotional intelligence scores were more engaged to their job role. Theoretically, this thesis project contributed to internal communication literature, by confirming the positive relation between
communication style and quality towards employees’ engagement. Practically, emotional intelligence can be evaluated and developed. Training where employees will develop their EI skills through interactive techniques is suggested. Enhanced EI levels may result in a
stronger relationship between internal communication and employees’ engagement.
An Examination of the Relationship between Internal Communication and Employees' Engagement.
The moderating role of Emotional Intelligence.
Internal communication has been recognized as an important independent domain of organizations (Verčič, Verčič, & Sriramesh, 2012). Previous studies supported that internal communication is one of the top five responsibility areas of public relations and
communication management (Verčič et al., 2012). Along, internal communication was defined as ‘a new top management priority’ (Dolphin, 2005, p. 171). It is considered to increase organizational effectiveness (Grunig, Grunig & Ehling, 1992) as it can create positive internal relationships between senior managers and employees. These positive relationships between the members of the organization enhance employees’ understanding of the organization, employees’ commitment and identification (Ruck & Welch, 2012). Previous research revealed that internal communication contributes to employees’ motivation, and thus creates value for the company (Verčič et al., 2012). However, when internal communication is poor, it can threaten the organization by establishing counter-productivity among
employees (Ruck & Welch, 2012).
Apart from internal communication, a second crucial element that affects
organizational effectiveness, innovation, and competitiveness, is employees’ engagement with their work (Welch, 2011). Nowadays, it has been stated that employees' engagement is decreasing and employees are feeling less engaged to their job role (Richman, 2006). The question arising is, ‘'How can organizations increase employees' engagement?''. Literature provides the answer by supporting that business should take care of their employees and enhance their trust towards the organization through communication practices (Carroll, 2006). Mishra, Boyton & Mishra (2014) further argued, that a high level of internal
communication primes employees' trust and commitment towards the organization, which can, in turn, lead to employees' engagement.
In addition to internal communication and employees’ engagement, organizational effectiveness is also related to psychological presence when executing organizational tasks (Kahn, 1990). It demands of employees being constantly, cognitively, physically, and emotionally present while working (Kahn, 1990). When employees are emotionally present, they further develop their emotional intelligence skills. These skills promote employees to forcefully work for the organization and foster organizational progress (Jorfi, Yaccob & Shan, 2011). Apart from working sufficiently, emotional intelligence has an essential role in managing peoples' relationships while working together (Lopes, 2016). It is argued that emotional intelligence positively affects the quality of communication, as people with higher emotional intelligence understand and relate better to others (Jorfi, Jorfi, Fauzy, Yaccob & Nor, 2014). Subsequently, it is concluded that in an organizational framework,
communication between employees and managers may be more efficient, when emotional intelligence is relatively high. Since emotional intelligence enables employees to have better relationships with their supervisors, it also empowers employees’ engagement (Wong & Law, 2002).
Henceforth, based on the above arguments the following research question is formed. RQ: ‘’To what extent does internal communication effectiveness between the direct
supervisor and the employees positively correlate with employees’ job engagement and how does emotional intelligence influence this relationship?''
This paper will review the concepts of communication effectiveness in organizations, and employees’ engagement with the purpose to shed more light on the relationship between those two factors that increase organizational effectiveness. Since communication is a two-way process of exchanging information, internal communication takes place between top
managers and employees. Alongside, employees’ engagement is fostered by internal communication (Mishra et al., 2014). In essence, the more support employees will receive from their supervisors, the more secure and engaged employees will be towards the
organization and their job (Menguc, Auh, Fisher & Haddad, 2013). Hence, by examining the relationship between these two elements, fundamental aspects that can improve
communication practices and foster employees’ engagement will be inferred. These essential points can be used in the workplace and more specifically by managers to proliferate
successful organizational outcomes.
Furthermore, the goal is to introduce emotional intelligence and examine its influence on the relationship between internal communication effectiveness and employees'
engagement. The aim is to illumine their association and identify whether emotional
intelligence plays a role in this relationship and if it does whether it positively or negatively influences the relation between internal communication and employees' engagement. According to prior findings (Jorfi & Jorfi, 2011), people with a higher score of emotional intelligence are likely to communicate in a better manner, and usually not only completing their tasks successfully but also being engaged to them. On the other hand, individuals with lower levels of emotional intelligence may face difficulties in communication with others and are less likely to be engaged in their job tasks. What makes this relationship even more compelling are the practical implications. If it will be proven that the relationship between internal communication and employees’ engagement is stronger for people with higher levels of emotional intelligence, how can managers develop employees’ low emotional intelligence skills? This study will provide suggestions to managers on how to promote emotional
intelligence in the workplace to make stronger the relation between internal communication and engagement.
Internal Communication Effectiveness
Communication is ‘'an evolutionary, culturally dependent process of sharing information and creating relationships in environments designed for manageable,
cooperative, goal-oriented behavior'' (Wilson, Goodall, & Waagen, 1986, p.23). In these designed environments, organizations are included. Thus, in organizations information is shared and relationships are created. Communication in organizations, internal
communication, is the distribution of information to all members coordinated in the most efficient way possible (Kent & Saffer, 2014). Previous research revealed that internal communication in organizations enhances organizational effectiveness since it can form and reinforce internal relationships by enabling communication between the members of a team (Welch, 2011). Hence, communication is vital for the organization's survival and
effectiveness.
The types of internal communication can vary. There is a range of formal and informal communication types between the members of a company; friendly chat, official corporate communication to all employees from the senior manager, formal communication between employees, project group communication between staff and between line
management (Welch, 2011). The current study focuses on the relationship between
employees and their direct supervisor. According to Uusi-Ruava and Nurkka (2010), there is not much empirical evidence regarding what employees consider vital in the internal
communication process. Therefore, this project will focus on employees’ perspective rather than the managerial. More explicitly, it will be examined how employees perceive the way that their direct supervisor communicates with them regarding work-related issues.
In the previous section, internal communication was stated to be an important factor for organizational success. Along the same line, employees' engagement is considered to be the key to an organization's success and its advantage (Sacks, 2006).
Despite the different definitions that exist, in the internal communication literature, employees' engagement is defined as ‘'feeling a strong emotional bond to their employer, recommending it to others and committing time and effort to help the organization succeed'' (Quirke, 2008, p.102). Additionally, Hewitt Associates (2009, p. 1), defined employees engagement as ‘'the degree of an employee's emotional and intellectual commitment to the organization and its success''. For this project, the definition of Schaufeli and Salanova (2007) will be used, supporting that highly engaged employees are consuming high levels of energy and identification with their work. Moreover, according to Kahn (1990, p.694) ‘‘Engaged people are physically involved in their tasks, cognitively alert, and connected to others''. Being involved consists of demonstrating individuality, such as presenting thoughts, feelings, and values (Kahn, 1990).
Employees that are strongly related to their job are psychologically present, they feel attentive, connected, integrated, and focus on their role performances (Kahn, 1990). People that have a greater feeling of work commitment are more concentrated and dedicated to their job function. Additionally, engaged employees handle their job-related tasks better than employees that are not engaged, and they contribute to organizational success (Menguc et al., 2013). For this reason, employees' engagement demands strong understanding, not only from internal communication practitioners but also from every organizational member, to create strategies that will foster engagement.
Internal Communication and employees' engagement were defined above as two distinct constructs that enhance organizational effectiveness. In the attempt of focusing and examining the relationship between those two concepts, previous research has revealed a positive association between internal communication and employee's job engagement (Karanges, Johnston, Beatson & Lings, 2015).
More explicitly, it was noticed that the front-line supervisor has a crucial role in employees' engagement (Sant, 2006). According to Sant (2006), employees are feeling more engaged when they are receiving greater support from their supervisors. Alongside, Welch and Jackson (2007) argued that the manager has a key role in sharing reliable and open communications with employees, as it can promote a sense of belonging and commitment. Additionally, communication between managers and employees intensifies trust between them and thus leads to greater employee engagement with the company (Mishra et al., 2014, p.185).
Moving to more nuanced examinations, regarding the way employees understand the communication with their direct supervisor, this study will demonstrate how employees perceive the assertive and responsive communication style and the quality of their direct supervisor in their communication process, as being effective or not. According to Men (2005), limited research exists on the communication effectiveness of the upper supervisors’ communication style towards employees and the job outcomes that this relationship can form.
In the current study, communication style will be defined as ''a construct developed to illustrate different skills an individual applies in initiating, adapting and responding to
interpersonal communication'' (Men, 2005, p. 463), and it is composed of two dimensions: assertiveness and responsiveness (Men, 2005). Assertiveness refers to people who can speak up for themselves whether to make a request or express a feeling, and it centers on
competitive (Men, 2005). Therefore, when employees perceive their managers as being assertive, by means that their supervisor is capable of effectively initiating and maintaining strong relationships with them, they may experience a greater commitment and job
engagement, and a bond between them is created (Men, 2005). This bond leads to develop trust between them, a feeling that turns employees to be more engaged to their job (Mishra et al., 2014). Based on the above arguments, the following hypothesis is formed.
H1: “The perception of effective assertive communication style of the direct supervisor towards employees will be positively related to employees’ job engagement.”
Additionally, responsive communicators are characterized by sensitivity towards others, as being good listeners, empathetic, warm, understanding, considering the feelings of others, and recognizing their needs (Men, 2005). When employees sense their supervisor's as being responsive, they are more committed. Through responsiveness, thoughts and feelings are exchanged between the supervisor and the employee. Therefore, these feelings and values drive employees to be more devoted and engaged in their job role (Kahn, 1990). Based on this, the following hypothesis is assumed.
H2: “The perception of effective responsive communication style of the direct supervisor towards employees will be positively related to employee's job engagement.”
With regards to the communication style of the direct manager, employees’
communication needs in an organization, will also be scrutinized. Based on previous research on organizational processes (Chen, Silverthorne & Hung, 2006; Ruck & Welch, 2011), it was discovered that managers were ignoring organizational communication practices and they were mainly focusing on the channels selected and not on the content itself. Therefore, the current research will observe, whether employees are satisfied with the communication content provided by their direct supervisor, whether the quality of the communication
perceived, is worthwhile and satisfactory. The quality will be recognized as high when the immediate supervisor provides information that the employee seeks.
For this reason, the second dimension of communication that will be analyzed is the communication quality of direct supervisor, defined as “the satisfaction of an individual with various aspects of communication in interpersonal, group, and organizational contexts” (Men, 2005, p. 464). Alongside, Downs and Down (1989, p.60) defined communication quality as “whether an interaction was perceived to be of high or low quality, poor or excellent, correct or incorrect, worthless or worthwhile, as well as satisfactory or unsatisfactory."
Based on Welch (2011), good internal communication quality leads to greater job engagement. In contrast, bad communication quality can act as a barrier to engagement and result in disengagement. Since employees are seeking for clear and precise communication from their supervisors (Welch, 2011), the role of the direct supervisor to provide rich communication content to employees is critical. Receiving a complete and satisfactory communication content, employees understand better how their role fits with the
organizational vision and are more attentive, connected and engaged to their job function (Saks, 2006). Likewise, Watson (2008-2009) found in his survey report that internal
communication and more specifically communication from managers is one of the strategies that engage employees the most.
Based on the above arguments, hypothesis three is carried.
H3: “The perception of effective communication quality of the direct supervisor towards employees will be positively related to employee’s job engagement.”
Emotional Intelligence
As mentioned above, effective internal communication and employees' engagement in organizations, foster organizational effectiveness. Nowadays, in the corporate field managers
consider not only practical factors that develop effectiveness in organizations but also psychological traits and states that employees may have. A phycological trait construct that may influence organizational effectiveness is emotional intelligence (EI). Enhanced levels of emotional intelligence could make stronger the relationship between internal communication and employees' engagement. Henceforward, employees who have higher scores of EI are expected to have a stronger experience of the relationship between internal communication and engagement.
Before examining whether for employees with higher levels of EI this relationship will be stronger, it is important to outline EI. Defining EI is complicated as it is a vague concept and researchers give different definitions focusing on distinct skills (Shipley, Jackson & Segrest, 2010). Different approaches of EI have been reviewed, and three major conceptual models of EI have been recognized. Salovey and Mayer (1997), described EI as the skill that someone has to perceive, use, understand and manage emotions. The Goleman model (1998) described EI as ‘’a wide array of competencies and skills that drive managerial
performance’’. Finally, the Bar-On (2006) model represents a cross-section of interrelated emotional and social competencies, skills and facilitators.
In this thesis project, the definition of Bar-On (2006) will be utilized, that depicts people with higher levels of EI to be able to recognize, understand and express their emotions and their feelings. Also of being capable of manage, change, adapt, and solve problems of a personal and interpersonal nature and finally, of being able to generate a positive effect and being self-motivated.
Emotional intelligence, Internal Communication, and Employees’ Job Engagement
Emotional intelligence was introduced in the organizational framework to raise awareness to managers and staff to specific competencies needed in the workplace (Jorfi &
Jorfi, 2011). Emotional awareness and regulation can play a crucial role in affecting the quality of interactions (Shipley et al., 2010). Communication between the chief manager and employees is an interaction within the working place. This interaction can affect employees’ engagement and employees’ work-related outcomes in general. Linking EI and based on previous research, it is confirmed that employees with higher levels of EI have the ability to focus on emotional regulation, master their interactions with others and cope with job stress in a more efficient way (Min, 2014; Wong & Law, 2002). Additionally, affective
commitment is vital for social interaction, arguing that positive emotions are associated with success in the workplace (Welch, 2011).
Studies have deciphered that people with higher EI can better connect and
communicate with others (Jofri & Jofri, 2011). Furthermore, the ability to regulate and create positive emotions enables a better relationship with coworkers and supervisors. These
positive emotional states of the employees can also lead to affection towards the work
environment. Hence positive emotions towards the job make employees more engaged to the organization (Welch, 2011). Additionally, Wong and Law (2002) stated that employees with higher EI experience more positive emotions that will conclude to greater commitment and job engagement to the organization.
Therefore, based on the arguments mentioned above regarding the positive
relationship between internal communication and employees' engagement and their link to EI, it is supported that EI will moderate this relationship and hence, will may be stronger for people with higher levels of EI.
More specifically, as mentioned above, an assertive supervisor tries to initiate and maintain relationships with employees (Men 2005). Since people with high EI can master their feelings and their interactions and they can connect and communicate better with other people (Jofri & Jofri, 2011), they may perceive the assertive communication style of their
upper supervisor as being more efficient. Therefore, the relationship between assertive communication and employees' engagement may be stronger for people with higher levels of EI. Based on this, hypothesis four is formed.
H4: “The perception of effective assertive communication style of the direct supervisor towards employees will have a stronger association with employees’ job engagement when employees have higher levels of emotional intelligence.”
Moreover, a responsive communicator is sensitive, understanding and empathetic towards employees (Men 2005) who, by sensing the feelings and values of their direct supervisor, are being more devoted and engaged to their work (Kahn, 1990). So, people with higher EI may experience stronger this relationship, as they can have and grasp more positive emotions (Welch, 2011). Based on this, the following hypothesis is carried.
H5: “The perception of effective responsive communication style of the direct supervisor towards employees will have a stronger association with employees’ job engagement when employees have higher levels of emotional intelligence.”
Finally, a reliable communication quality of the direct supervisor towards employees' has a crucial role in employees' engagement. As mentioned before, an effective
communication quality leads to greater employees' engagement (Saks, 2006). So people for with higher EI this relationship may be stronger as they can possess a better understanding of communication (Jofri & Jofri, 2011). Based on this, hypothesis six is formed.
H6: “The perception of effective communication quality of the direct supervisor towards employees will have a stronger association with employees’ job engagement when employees have higher levels of emotional intelligence.”
Model
Emotional
+
Intelligence
+
Internal Communication Employees’
Effectiveness Engagement
Method Participants and Design
For the purpose of this study, to examine the relationship between internal
communication and employees’ engagement along with the moderating role of emotional intelligence, an online cross-sectional questionnaire was designed.
Participants were recruited from different companies and organizations located in Greece. A total of 197 employees participated in the online cross-sectional survey. Before starting filling in the questionnaire, participants, by answering two questions, had to ensure that they agreed in taking part in the research project and that they were working in a
company. In case a respondent did not agree or did not work, an auto response was activated, and the respondent was immediately directed to the end of the questionnaire. From the 197 people who filled in the questionnaire, 197 agreed on participating in the research as well as confirming working in an organization. Considering dropouts, 194 participants in total completed the survey. The mean age of the participants was 31.98 (SD= 0.65), and 43% were men. The sample was highly educated as 48% of the participants were holding a Master’s degree, 13% a Bachelor’s, 13% were holding a degree from a Greek Technological Institute (TEI), 8% were holding a Ph.D. degree, 4% graduated from high school, and only 0.5%
graduated from another institute. Finally, the mean working hours per week was 41.66 (SD= 9.78), and the mean years working in the company was 4.29 (SD= 4.01).
Sampling
A convenience sample was chosen, and Greek companies were conveniently selected to participate in this research project. Henceforth, businesses located in Greece were elected asking for their permission to recruit their employees to fill in the questionnaire.
Approximately, 20 companies were chosen in order to acquire a representative number of responses (N=200). Companies were contacted by the researcher by sending an email to the central secretary of the organization, which was obtained from their website. First, companies were informed about the purpose of the research project, and second, they were requested to give their permission in participating in the project by recruiting their employees, to fill in the questionnaire. From the 20 companies that were contacted, 12 agreed on participating. These companies distributed the questionnaire, which was sent to them via email (through an online link) to the organization, for their employees to fill it in. The researcher did not have access to employee contact information. Also, sampling criteria were included. Respondents had to work in a Greek company and speak Greek.
Procedure
For the purpose of this research, data were collected in a quantitative way with the use of an online questionnaire (see Appendix, also translated in English). The questionnaire was constructed in Qualtrics, in Greek. Although respondents were recruited from organizations, the anonymity of the responses was ensured. Additionally, it was guaranteed that companies would not have access to the results, as the project was designed for this thesis paper,
supported by the University of Amsterdam. Moreover, participants could withdraw from the survey anytime, if wanted.
To guarantee that respondents will perceive the questions of the questionnaire as being consistent, a pre-test was conducted on the 6th of December 2016. Twenty respondents (10% of the estimated sample size) agreed in filling in the questionnaire. Participants were collected from the personal network of the researcher. For the purpose of the pre-test, participants were selected in a non-random manner, to secure that criteria, of working in a company and speaking Greek, were fulfilled. The pre-test was carried to ensure that the questionnaire was requiring the estimated time (less than five minutes) to be filled in and that the questions will be clear to the participants. After the pre-test, data collection started on the 7th of December 2016, and the questionnaire was deactivated on the 4th of January 2017. Taking into consideration the budget, self-completion questionnaires were sent to the companies via email by providing an online link, which was spread to their employees. On the 2nd of January 2017, to avoid survey fatigue, a reminder was sent to the central secretaries of the companies participating in the survey, to notify their employees that the survey will be deactivated in two days.
The questionnaire was composed of open-ended and closed questions. First, an introductory message was explaining the purpose of the study, and participants answered two questions, ensuring that they agreed in taking part in the research and that they were working in a company. Next, participants answered questions related to descriptive information which were mainly closed except for some that were asking about the age of the participants, the number of hours working per week and years working in the company, which were open-ended. After, closed-questions related to the central concepts were presented (internal communication, employees engagement, and EI). Finally, participants were thanked for
participating in the survey, and the contact information of the researcher was provided in case more information regarding the study was needed.
Measures
The independent variable, communication effectiveness between direct supervisor and employees, refers to the way that employees perceive the communication assertive and responsive style and quality of their supervisor’s communication style. Participants indicated their level of agreement on 15 statements presented on the questionnaire regarding the communication style and quality of their direct supervisor. Respondents answered on a seven-point Likert scale from (1) totally disagree to (7) totally agree. Based on the scale of Richmond and McCroskey (1990), ten items with the highest factor loading, related to communication assertive and responsive style of the direct supervisor, were selected. A principal axis factor analysis was conducted including these ten items, with varimax rotation. The analysis was executed to obtain eigenvalues for each factor. Two factors had eigenvalues above Kaiser’s criterion of one, and the total variance explained was 76.92%. The scree plot confirmed a two-factor solution, by presenting a point of inflection retaining two factors. The first factor showed communication responsiveness and the second communication
assertiveness. Reliability of the items was relatively high, confirming internal consistency and enabling computing two different variables by including the items of communication assertiveness (α= .77; Μ= 25.14, SD= 1.21) and responsiveness (α= .95; Μ= 5.03, SD= 1.57).
Additionally, communication quality was assessed by using the scale of Downs and Down (1989), which included five items. Respondents answered on a seven-point Likert scale from (1) totally disagree to (7) totally agree. Moving forward a principal axis factor analysis with a varimax rotation was conducted, including the five items related to
was over Kaiser’s criterion of one, explaining 87.11% of the variance. The scree plot justified on the point of inflection, the existence of one factor, namely communication quality.
Examining the reliability of the items, Cronbach's α reported a high reliability of
communication quality, which allowed to create a new variable including the five items (α= .96; Μ= 5.05, SD= 1.52).
The dependent variable, employees’ engagement, was measured by using the scale of Sacks (2006). Six questions were answered by the respondents on a seven-point Likert scale from (1) totally disagree to (7) totally agree. A principal axis factor analysis with a varimax rotation was conducted to verify that the items load on one factor. Since eigenvalues were obtained for each factor, only one factor loaded above Kaiser’s criterion of one, explaining 66.85% of the variance. Scree plot also confirmed one-factor solution above the point of inflection, employees’ engagement. Chronbach’s α test was run, to review the levels of internal consistency of the new scale. As the reliability was high, a new variable, employees' engagement, was created (α= .87; Μ= 4.66, SD= 1.40).
As for the moderator variable, emotional intelligence was assessed by using five items from the Bar-on-Model (Bar-on, 2006). Only five items were selected, as previous findings suggest that these five indicators are the most powerful to predict performance at the
workplace (Bar-On, 2006, p.16). Thus, five questions were answered by the respondents on a seven-point Likert scale, from (1) totally disagree to (7) totally agree. A principal axis factor analysis with varimax rotation was conducted including the five items related to emotional intelligence. An initial analysis was run to examine the eigenvalues of each factor. One factor loaded above Kaiser's criterion of one, emotional intelligence. Scree plot also validated the existence of one component as only one factor loaded before the point of inflection,
reliability of the items (α= .90; Μ= 5.23, SD= 1.33), which allowed creating a new variable including the five items regarding emotional intelligence.
For the analysis of the results, demographics were analyzed to take them into
consideration as control variables. Gender (Μ= 1.57, SD= 0.04), age (Μ= 31.98, SD= 0.61), educational level (Μ= 3.45, SD= 0.07), working hours per week (Μ= 41.66, SD= 0.70), and years working in the company (Μ= 4.25, SD= 0.29) were examined. All the variables except gender were included in the analysis as covariates.
Results
In the attempt to determine whether effective internal communication is positively related to employees' engagement in organizations, a Linear Multiple Regression was performed. Hypotheses one, two and three were tested by including communication assertiveness, responsiveness, and quality as independent variables to examine the relationship between the outcome variable, employees’ engagement.
To obtain a better outline of the relationships between the variables, correlations are presented in Table 1. Examining the correlation table, educational level, years working in the company, working hours per week and age were selected and added to the analyses as
covariates. These variables were taken into consideration when testing the hypothesis, since a significant correlation between the dependent variable employees' engagement, independent variables, communication assertiveness, responsiveness, and quality, and the moderator variable, emotional intelligence, exists.
Table 1
Pearson Correlations for Descriptive statistics and Employees’ Engagement, Assertiveness, Responsiveness and Quality
Gender Educational Years working Working Hours Age Assertive Responsive Quality Employees’ EI Level in the Company per week Engagement
Correlation Educational Level .090 1 Years working -.081 .313** 1 in the Company Working Hours -.056 .291** .223** 1 per week Age -.074 .467** .655** .301** 1 Assertive .052 .392** .212** .150* .265** 1 Responsive -.001 .382** .229** .173** .244** .843** 1 Quality .032 .397** .209** .205** .266** .817** .890** 1 Employees’ .057 .466** .172* .236** .269** .743** .703** .735* 1 Engagement EI .006 .370** .213* .259** 231** .725** .722** .745** .873** 1 Note N= 194 *p < .05 **p < .01.
Multiple regression analysis with communication assertiveness, responsiveness, and quality as independent variables, educational level, years working in the company, working hours per week and age as covariates, and employees' engagement as the dependent variable, showed that the model as a whole was significant, F(3, 186)= 73.37, p < .001. The regression model can be used to examine the relation between internal communication and employees’ engagement, as the strength of the relation was large: 62% of the variance in employees' engagement can be related to the assertive and responsive communication style and the quality of the communication of the direct supervisor (R2 = .62). Assertiveness, b* = 0.44, t = 5.00, p < .001, 95% CI [0.30, 0.71], and quality, b* = 0.33, t = 3.20, p < .002, 95% CI [0.12, 0.50], had a significant, moderately strong relation to employees’ engagement. The results were in line with the hypothesis, and hence hypotheses one and three are accepted. With a unit increase in perceived communication assertive style of the direct supervisor, employees' engagement increases by 0.51. Alongside, with a unit increase in perceived communication quality of the direct supervisor, employees' engagement increases by 0.31. On the other hand, responsiveness, b*= -0.01, t = -0.10, p < .917, 95% CI [-0.21, 0.19], did not have a significant relation to employees' engagement, which leads to the conclusion that hypothesis two cannot
be accepted. For all these relations, other independent variables were held constant. As for the covariates, no significant association existed (Table 2).
Table 2
REGRESSION MODEL TO PREDICT EMPLOYEES’ENGAGEMENT (N=194)
Variables b* SE B 95%CI Constant Assertiveness 0.44* .102 0.30, 0.71 Responsiveness -.0.01 .100 -0.21, 0.19 Quality 0.36* .099 0.12, 0.50 Educational Level 0.08 .188 -0.76, 0.60 Hours working in 0.09 .113 -0.01, 0.42 the company Years working -0.07 .119 -0.38, 0.08 Age 0.57 .129 -0.13, 0.37 Note *p < .001
To further analyze the data and hypotheses four, five and six, PROCESS analyses by Andrew Hayes, was used to assess the influence of emotional intelligence on the relationship between communication effectiveness of direct supervisors and employees’ engagement.
For all the moderation analyses, model 1 of the program with 1.000 bootstrap samples, was selected to estimate the bias-corrected bootstrap confidence intervals. Also, in all the moderation analysis covariates variables were included.
Testing hypothesis four, whether EI is a significant positive moderator on the relationship between perceived communication assertiveness and employees’ engagement, the model as a whole was significant, F(7, 186) = 106.67, p< .001. The effect size was large
as 81% of the variance can be explained, R2 = .81. Assertiveness, b= 0.20, t(186)= 0.06,
p<.005, 95% CI [.091, .317], was significantly related to employees’ engagement, by means of every unit increase in perceived assertive communication style, employees’ engagement increases by 0.20. Additionally, emotional intelligence, b= 0.63, t(186)= 0.06, p<.001, 95% CI [.520, .740], was also significantly related to employees’ engagement and for every unit increase in employee’s emotional intelligence, employee’s engagement increases by 0.63. Analyses furthermore presented a significant interaction effect, b= -0.10, t(186)= 0.45, p<.029, 95% CI [-.198, -.010]. Simple slope analysis (Figure 1), revealed a significant positive conditional effect on assertive communication style of the direct supervisor and employees' engagement for respondents with low levels of EI, i.e. 1 SD below the mean of the moderator b= 0.30, t(186)= 0.07, p<.001, 95% CI [.166, .450], but not for respondents with high levels of EI (1 SD above the mean of the moderator), b= 0.11, t(186)= 0.07, p<.1385, 95% CI [-.034, .244].
Figure 1. Interaction effect between assertiveness and emotional intelligence on employees’ engagement.
Taking into consideration the covariates, only educational level had a significant association b= 0.22, t(186)= 0.11, p<.047, 95% CI [.003, .433]. Although the model and the interaction effect were significant, hypothesis four cannot be confirmed, as only for people
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Low Quality High Quality
E m p loye es' E n gage m en t Low EI High EI
with lower levels of EI, the relationship between perceived communication assertiveness and engagement becomes stronger.
Analyzing hypothesis five and testing if EI has a positive influence on perceived communication responsiveness and employees' engagement, the model as a whole was significant, F(7, 186) = 110.81, p< .001. The effect size was large, and 80% of the variance was explained, R2 = .80. Responsiveness, b= 0.13, t(186)= 0.06, p<.036, 95% CI [.009, .254],
was significantly related to employees’ engagement, in essence of every unit increase in perceived responsive communication style, employees’ engagement increases by 0.13 Additionally, emotional intelligence, b=0.66, t(186)= 0.06, p<.001, 95% CI [.531, .796], was significantly related to employees’ engagement, and for every unit increase in employee’s emotional intelligence, employee’s engagement increases by 0.66. Moreover, analyses showed a significant interaction effect b= -0.13, t(186)= 0.04, p<.003, 95% CI [-.211, -.074]. Simple slope analysis (Figure 2), revealed a positive conditional effect on communication responsiveness and employees' engagement for respondents with low levels of EI, i.e. 1 SD below the mean of the moderator, b= 0.26, t(186)= 0.06, p<.001, 95% CI [.115, .413], but not for respondents with high levels of EI (1 SD above the mean of the moderator), b= 0.00, t(186)= 0.07, p<.954, 95% CI [-.139, .147]. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Low Responsiveness High Responsiveness
E m plo y ee s' E ng a g em ent Low EI High EI
Figure 2. Interaction effect between responsiveness and emotional intelligence on employees' engagement
As for the covariate variables, only age presented a significant association, b= 0.14, t(186)= 0.07, p<.047, 95% CI [.002, .274]. The results revealed a significant interaction effect, however, opposite of what was expected. The results showed that for people with lower emotional intelligence the relationship between perceived communication
responsiveness and employees’ engagement would be stronger. Hence, hypothesis five must be rejected.
Testing hypothesis six, if EI is a positive moderator on the relationship between perceived communication quality and employees' engagement, the model as a whole was significant, F(7, 186) = 97.45, p < .001. The effect size was large, and 80% of the variance was explained, R2 = .80. Quality, b= 0.15, t(186)= 0.06, p<.028, 95% CI [.037, .289], was significantly related to employees’ engagement, by means of every unit increase in perceived quality of communication, employees’ engagement increases by 0.15. Also, emotional intelligence, b= 0.66, t(186)= 0.06, p<.001, 95% CI [.536, .787], was significantly related to employees’ engagement and for every unit increase in employee’s emotional intelligence, employee’s engagement also increases by 0.66. Additionally, analyses presented a significant interaction effect b= -0.10, t(186)= 0.05, p<.030, 95% CI [-.202, -.010]. Simple slope
analysis (Figure 3), revealed a positive conditional significant effect on communication quality and employees' engagement for people with low levels of EI, i.e. 1 SD below the mean of the moderator b= 0.25, t(186)= 0.08, p<.002 95% CI [.107, .411]. On the other hand, for respondents with a high level of EI, there was no significant effect (1 SD above the mean of the moderator). b= 0.05, t(186)= 0.08, p<.510, 95% CI [-.102, .206]. The interaction effect was significant but opposite to what was expected.The results showed that for people with lower emotional intelligence the relationship between perceived communication quality and
employees’ engagement was stronger. Hence, hypothesis five must be rejected. Analyzing the covariates in the model, there was no significant association.
Figure 3. Interaction effect between quality and emotional intelligence on employees’ engagement.
Conclusion and Discussion
The goal of this study was to assess the relationship between perceived internal communication in organizations and employees’ engagement. Additionally, the aim of the current project was to link emotional intelligence in organizational effectiveness, by creating a model where EI acts as a moderator on the relationship between internal communication and employees’ engagement.
First, it was supposed that perceived effective assertive communication style of the direct supervisor would be positively associated with employees' engagement. The
hypothesis was accepted, and results were in line with previous research (Mishra et al., 2014; Welch & Jackson 2007; Sant, 2006). Employees who perceive the assertive communication style of their direct supervisor as being efficient, they experience a greater job engagement. An assertive communicator is portrayed by composing characteristics that are mainly masculine and is able to create and maintain strong relationships with the employees (Men,
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Low Quality High Quality
E m p loye es' E n gage m en t Low EI High EI
2005). These features may be recognized by employees as being fruitful in their relationship, and hence they are positively affecting their job engagement (Men, 2005; Welch & Jackson 2007). These characteristics of the direct supervisor may promote employees' trust for the organization and increase their job engagement since assertive supervisors can act as leaders and provide security and stability to employees (Mueller & Lee 2002).
Secondly, it was assumed that perceived effective responsive communication style of the direct supervisor would be positively associated with employees' engagement.
Nevertheless, results showed that there is no significant association between these two variables. The hypothesis was rejected since a responsive communication style of the direct supervisor does not foster employees' engagement. These outcomes are opposing to previous research (Kahn, 1990; Welch & Jackson 2007). Differing from an assertive communicator, a responsive communicator is warm, empathetic and is described to compose characteristics that are mainly feminine (Men, 2015). These characteristics that a supervisor composes were not perceived from employees as effectual features to lead them to a greater commitment and engagement. A possible interpretation of these results is that these features may not
correspond with those that a leader has, and thus they do not offer to employees safety trust and solidity that lead to commitment and job engagement (Mueller & Lee 2002).
Third, examining whether perceived high quality of communication of the direct supervisor is positively related to employees' engagement, results revealed a clear relation between the quality of the communication and employees' engagement, and thus hypothesis is accepted. When the quality of the communication is perceived as high and satisfactory, employees are more gratified, dedicated and engaged to the organization. These results correspond to previous findings that supported that high quality of communication is positively related to employees' job engagement (Saks, 2006; Watson, 2008-2009; Welch, 2011).
Examining the moderating role of emotional intelligence it was expected that high levels of EI would have a more positive influence on the relationship between internal communication and employees' engagement, comparing to low levels of EI. Opposing to previous findings (Jofri & Jofri, 2011; Welch, 2011; Wong & Law 2002), hypotheses three, four and five could not be confirmed. Results revealed that people with lower levels of EI perceived the relationship between assertive, responsive communication style and quality of their direct supervisor towards engagement as being stronger.
First, regarding the influence of EI on the relationship between assertive
communication and engagement, an assertive supervisor, is characterized by dominance and aggressiveness (Men, 2005). These characteristics may create an inadequate relationship between supervisors and employees since an aggressive behavior can result in
counterproductivity and lack of trust (Welch, 2011). Enhanced EI skills enable employees to manage their emotions and motivate themselves in a more efficient manner, than an assertive supervisor (Mishra, 2012). On the other hand, individuals with lower levels of EI not only are not that effective in communicating and understanding their interlocutor (Jofri & Jofri, 2011) but also they can not motivate themselves as successful as employees with high EI scores. Therefore, they may perceived the relationship between assertive communication of direct supervisor and employee’s engagement stronger, as an assertive communicator can motivate them and foster job engagement.
Second, regarding the influence of EI on the relationship between responsive communication and engagement, although hypothesis two confirmed that communication responsiveness is not direct related to engagement, for people with lower levels of EI, this relationship positively exists. Since enhanced EI enables employees to manage their stress and motivate themselves (Min, 2014), a responsive communicator is not needed to foster engagement. On the other hand, individuals with lower EI do not easily have control over
their relationships and their job stress (Min, 2014). A responsive communicator is capable of understanding other needs and feelings (Men, 2005). These characteristics may help a responsive communicator to relief others stress, and more specifically people with low EI. Thus, employees with lower EI scores, who may need a responsive supervisor to motivate them, perceived the relationship between a responsive communication style of their direct supervisor and engagement as being stronger.
Third, regarding communication quality and employees engagement. Previous
research supported that high quality of communication results to a greater engagement (Saks, 2006). Individuals with higher levels of EI demand higher levels of communication (Jofri & Jofri, 2011). The higher scores of EI people have, the more demanding in the quality of communication they will be. Consequently, individuals with higher EI concentrations did not perceive the relationship between the quality of communication and employees' engagement as stronger, because they were may be seeking a higher quality of information, that would lead to a greater job engagement. On the other hand, since employees with lower EI scores are not capable of effectively observing and controlling the communication processes, they also do not request higher levels of communication (Jofri & Jofri, 2011). As a result, they may perceive the communication quality of their direct supervisor as high and satisfactory. A high quality of communication leads to engagement (Saks, 2006). Thus, employees with lower EI concentrations sense the relationship between communication quality of the direct supervisor and employees' engagement as stronger.
Nevertheless, findings confirmed the strength of internal communication and employees' engagement and raised the importance of exercising internal communication practices in organizations. The current project contributes to research by examining different communication styles that can foster engagement in organizations. Additionally, although findings presented an alternative influence of emotional intelligence in organizations, results
indicated its significant contribution to organizational effectiveness. Despite employees with higher EI scores did not perceive the relation between internal communication and
engagement as stronger, results revealed that they were more engaged to their job role. In essence, enhanced EI drives employees to have a greater job engagement. Employees with higher levels of EI are more committed and concentrated in their job function, and thus they contribute more to organizational success. In contrast, employees with lower EI scores were less engaged in their job, meaning that there is still an area for further enhancement.
Scientific and Practical Implications
Implications for internal communication scholars and practitioners can be derived from the results. First, theoretically, this thesis project contributed to internal communication literature, by confirming the positive relation between communication style and quality towards employees’ engagement. Previous research has mainly focused on how
organizational leaders communicate with employees. The current project focused on direct supervisors communication style and quality, who are not always in leading positions, but they can influence internal communication practices and organizational effectiveness. Therefore, the importance of effectively exercising internal communication on different organizational levels was enhanced. Moreover, this study added to previous literature, and stressed the important role of EI in social interactions and specifically in the workplace, by linking EI to the relationship between internal communication and employees’ engagement.
Secondly, from a managerial perspective, communication practitioners must educate organizational members by creating communication training, on what to communicate to employees and how regarding their communication style and quality. Since it was proven that effective internal communication is positively correlated with employees' engagement,
organizational success. Additionally, EI must be evaluated and developed. Training where employees will interact and relate to each other will help employees to develop their EI skills. Through this interaction, employees will learn how to express their feelings, understand other people, and communicate in a better manner. Enhanced EI levels may result in a better internal communication and a greater job engagement. Thus, when all the members of an organization develop their EI skills the relationship between internal communication and employees’ engagement may become stronger since the communication style and quality would be more effective and would result in a greater engagement.
Limitations
Limitations of the research project can be subjected. The first limitation can be derived from the sample of the study. Since a non-probability convenience sampling was selected, the generalization of the findings is difficult (Bryman, 2012) and potential bias of the findings may have occurred. Hence, a bigger and heterogeneous sample will enhance the external validity of the findings. Furthermore, the scales used in the questionnaire were translated from English into Greek by the researcher. Although terms were translated
accurately and precisely, languages do not have words with the exact same meaning. Thus, a possible wrong translation may have occurred, that could affect the validity of the answers. Finally, regarding EI, the survey was based on self-report measures that contained only five items as the strongest indicators to predict performance at the workplace. Selecting only five items to measure EI may cause less accurate results regarding employees EI levels.
Future Research
Additional empirical research is suggested. Apart from generating a larger and more representative sample, it would be advisable to measure EI with self-report measures that will
contain the 133 items of the Bar-On model and not only the strongest five that were selected to predict performance at the workplace. Thus, EI score levels will be more accurate.
Additionally, it would be advisable to specifically investigate the levels of EI at all segments of an organization, from the first employee to the upper leader, to examine whether EI is positively related to engagement and job successful outcomes. Last but not least, the current research by examining the relation of internal communication towards employees’
engagement passes on the torch to future research to examine more antecedents that can lead to job engagement. These antecedents that can also be combined with internal
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Appendix Questionnaire (Greek)
Greek Questionnaire translated into English
Dear participant,
My name is Konstantina Stergiopoulou, and I am a graduate student at the University of Amsterdam. For my Master Thesis, I am examing the role of internal communication and employees' job engagement in organizations.
Before you continue, we ask for your consent in participating in this survey study. Please read the following information and indicate whether you agree to participate:
The following questionnaire will require approximately less than five minutes, and working in an organization is required to participate. Anonymity of your responses is ensured.
If you have questions regarding the research or you would like to have more information about the study, I will be available at konstantina.stergiopoulou@student.uva.nl
If you have any concern related to research you can communicate with the Research
Departement of the University of Amsterdam, and more specifically the Ethical Department. ASCoR secretariat, Ethics Committee, University of Amsterdam, Kloveniersburgwai 48, 1012 CX Amsterdam; 020-525 3680; ascor-secr-fmg@uva.nl
Sincerely,
I have been informed about the study, and I have been given the opportunity to ask questions about the study.
I agree to participate in this study I don’t agree to participate in this study
1. I am currently working in an Organisation-Company (Yes-No) 2. What is your sex? (Female- Male)
3. How old are you? (Open-ended)
4. What is the highest degree you have completed? (High school, Technical School, Bachelor's degree, Master's degree, Ph.D., Other)
5. How many years have you been working in this company (open-ended) 6. How many hours do you usually work per week? (Open-ended)
In this section, you will be asked to answer questions regarding the way you perceive the communication style and quality of your direct supervisor. Please note that this survey is being conducted for the purposes of my Master Thesis. It is not associated with your company and anonymity of responses is guaranteed.
[7 point Likert scale from Strongly disagree-Disagree-Somewhat disagree-Neither agree nor disagree-Somewhat agree-Agree-Strongly agree]
7. I believe that my direct supervisor is dominant. 8. I believe that my direct supervisor is competitive 9. I believe that my direct supervisor is forceful
10. I believe that my direct supervisor is assertive
11. I believe that my direct supervisor has a strong personality 12. I believe that my direct supervisor is sincere
13. I believe that my direct supervisor is sympathetic 14. I believe that my direct supervisor is helpful
15. I believe that my direct supervisor is sensitive to others needs 16. I believe that my direct supervisor is eager to smooth hurt feelings
17. I believe that the quality of communication with my direct supervisor is high/low 18. I believe that the quality of communication with my direct supervisor is
excellent/poor
19. I believe that the quality of communication with my direct supervisor is worthwhile/worthless
20. I believe that the quality of communication with my direct supervisor is satisfactory /unsatisfactory
21. I believe that the quality of communication with my direct supervisor is correct /incorrect
In this section, you will be asked questions regarding your attitude while working in the company
[7 point Likert scale from Strongly disagree-Disagree-Somewhat disagree-Neither agree nor disagree-Somewhat agree-Agree-Strongly agree]
22. I really ‘'throw'' myself into my job
24. This job is all consuming. I am totally into it
25. My mind often wanders, and I think of the other things when doing my job 26. I am highly engaged in this job
In this section, you will be asked to indicate your emotional awareness in general.
[7 point Likert scale from Strongly disagree-Disagree-Somewhat disagree-Neither agree nor disagree-Somewhat agree-Agree-Strongly agree]
27. I have the ability to be aware of and accept oneself
28. I have the ability to be aware of others feelings, concerns, and needs 29. I have the ability to manage emotions
30. I have the ability to be realistic and put things in correct perspective 31. I have the ability to have a positive disposition
This is the end of the survey.
If you have questions regarding the research or you would like to have more information about the study, I will be available at konstantina.stergiopoulou@student.uva.nl
