A reliable and valid measurement scale for assessing internal crisis communication

Abstract

Purpose There appears to be a growing concern over the lack of scales for measuring internal crisis communication (ICC) in the course of an organizational crisis. Noting this compelling evidence, an analysis of results from earlier exploratory studies demonstrated a strong need for a sound scale with adequate psychometric properties. On that account, the purpose of this paper is to develop a valid scale for ICC. Design/methodology/approach This study examined the conceptualization and operationalization of ICC based on a comprehensive literature search. The in-depth interviews consist of 12 key informants with a sample size of 251 respondents for scale development and testing wherein all data items were evaluated and validated by 13 expert reviewers. Findings The results were measured during a crisis situation and provided rationale and initial psychometric properties of ICC. Exploratory and confirmatory analyses have provided evidence that ICC scale has achieved a valid and reliable factor structure. Practical implications Therefore, practitioners such as policy makers, government, researchers and crisis managers can adopt this scale of assessment to enhance a more accurate ICC; in this regard, provide useful implications to help minimize risks as they happen, thereupon find a better way to manage crisis situations. Originality/value This study contributes to the subject area and builds the existing literature by developing 11 items for ICC. The research provides a starting point for empirical investigation on important factors of influence on organizational internal stakeholders.

A question of quality: perceptions of internal communication during the Covid-19 pandemic in Germany

“…In line with previous research (e.g. Adamu and Mohamad, 2019), the present study found that high-quality internal crisis communication increases EOR. More specifically, the findings imply that the quality of communication in times of crisis can enhance employers' perceived trustworthiness and improve employees' commitment and job satisfaction.…”

“…(2) The study once again empirically demonstrated the advantages of high-quality internal communication for EOR (e.g. Adamu and Mohamad, 2019). We also clarified that the perceived quality of internal communication is a fruitful predictor of employees' attitudes toward their employer, which highlights the importance of internal communication for organizations.…”

“…For this purpose, we distilled Rawlins' prominent transparency scale ( 2008) down to its individual constructs (substantial information, participative communication, accountability and secrecy) to obtain detailed information on which factors specifically improve the perceived quality of internal communication. Furthermore, we assumed that high-quality internal crisis communication has positive effects on EOR (Adamu and Mohamad, 2019;Men and Stacks, 2014). We also explored the impact of high-quality internal crisis communication on perceived trustworthiness, commitment and satisfaction.…”

Effects of organizational conflict history and employees' situational perceptions of COVID-19 on negative megaphoning and turnover intention

“…Frandsen and Johansen, 2011), there has been a rise of research studies on internal crisis communication in the past decade, all of which points to the importance of distinguishing employees from other stakeholders in crisis communication due to their different information roles and needs (e.g. Frandsen and Johansen, 2011;Adamu and Mohamad, 2019).…”

“…Internal crisis communication is critical in creating shared crisis awareness in organizations and to prevent misalignment between employee and organizational understandings and behaviors toward the crisis situations (Jin et al, 2018;Kim, 2018). Employees should be involved in the communication and actions of the organizations because they can and should be major actors in developing a culture of early problem detection and to help organizations better handle the crises (Adamu and Mohamad, 2019). Crises are also a time of transformation during which JCOM 25,3 organizational actions and employee reactions can create and transform organizational culture (Strandberg and Vigsø, 2016).…”