Increasingly, organizations and their public relations professionals are recognizing the importance of strengthening internal communication with employees. Internal communication is important for building a culture of transparency between management and employees, and it can engage employees in the organization’s priorities. This exploratory study uses findings from interviews with public relations executives to explore the growing role that internal communication plays in employee engagement. Executives employ a variety of communication methods, including face-to-face communication, to communicate with employees. The executives’ chosen communication strategies aim to build trust and engagement with employees. In doing so, public relations executives find themselves in an expanded role of fostering employee engagement.
Several factors that explain differences in the downsizing strategies utilized in organizations are examined in this study of 91 organizations in the automotive industry. Specifically, mutual trust within a top management team is positively associated with a strategy based on organization redesign. Mutual trust between members of an organization and its key customers and suppliers is positively associated with a strategy based on systemic change. Moreover, these two strategies are positively associated with performance outcomes in the areas of cost reduction and quality improvement.
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