Adult children’s goals as predictors of communication satisfaction with their parent: The moderating roles of inferences of the parent’s goals and future time perspective of the parent

Adult children ( N = 245, MAge = 50.55 years, 62.0% women, 80.0% European American) reported on their own prosocial goals during typical interactions with their parent, inferences of their parent’s prosocial goals, assessment of their parent’s future, and general communication satisfaction in their relationship with their parent. Prosocial goals were considered as social support goals and relationship protection goals. The study examined how children’s own prosocial goals predicted children’s general communication satisfaction, as well as how children’s inferences of their parent’s goals and future time perspective of their parent moderated these associations. The associations between children’s own goals and children’s communication satisfaction were positive (1) when children inferred that their parent held the same goals and perceived their parent’s future as restricted, or (2) when children inferred that their parent held relatively low levels of the goals and perceived their parent’s future as expansive. The study illuminates the contingencies under which children’s goals predict children’s general communication satisfaction.

Internal communication satisfaction and employee engagement as determinants of the employer brand

PurposeThis study aims to contribute to the understanding of internal communication and its connections to engagement and employer brands. The authors wanted to test the relationship between the three variables and explore if employees' perception of employer brands is affected by internal communication satisfaction and engagement. Creating a desirable employer brand can have significant benefits for organizations, such as higher employee satisfaction, employee engagement and retention. It is crucial to have a clear grasp of how the determinants of these relationships affect each other.Design/methodology/approachA total of 1,805 employees participated in a large communication survey that measured internal communication satisfaction, employee engagement and perception of employer brand (operationalized as employer attractiveness). To test the relationship between variables, the authors used multiple regression analysis.FindingsThe results show internal communication satisfaction and employee engagement as significant predictors of employer brand. All of the internal communication satisfaction dimensions and two out of three employee engagement dimensions have been identified as determinants of at least two employer attractiveness dimensions.Research limitations/implicationsLimitations include using a cross-sectional dataset, which reduces the possibility of determining causality, using self-reports and a common source bias.Originality/valueThe authors added to the body of knowledge by analyzing the effects of workplace attitudes on attitudes toward the organization. The authors found that both internal communication satisfaction and employee engagement significantly shape the perception of employer brands.

THE ROLE OF COMMUNICATION IN ENHANCING EMPLOYEES ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to determine the role of communication in enhancing employees organizational commitment. The general objective of the study involves examining the impact of communication satisfaction, communication climate, relationship with superiors, organization integration, media quality, horizontal and informal communication channels, organizational perspective, relationship with other employees, personal feedback and the flow of informationon employees organizational commitment.Design/methodology/approach –The study utilized quantitative research methodology toinvestigatethe reason why employeescommunicate with their superiors and subordinates, the role of communication, their satisfaction and commitment towards their organization. Data was collected using a survey of structured questionnaire. The data analysis was conducted through descriptive statistical analysis by using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Demographic data such as gender, age, academic degree, experience years, and the management level were analyzed by using frequency distributions and Percentages with the results presented in charts and tables. Inferential statistics were obtained by carrying out correlation and regressions analyses, to test for the correlations between the variables and their influence on employees organizational commitment.Findings and conclusions of the study - The results of the study revealed that communication satisfaction has a significant positive correlation withorganizational commitment, communication climate was also positively correlated to commitment, organization integration and perspective was highly and positively correlated to employees commitment whilepersonal feedback, horizontal and informal communication channels, and relationship with superiors was minimally positively related to employees organizational commitment. Additionally, the regression analysis indicate thatcommunication dimensions, internal communication and organizational integration are closely associated with employees organizational commitment. Therefore, nine (9) hypotheses were developed and tested accordingly to conclude that communication has a significant and direct impact on employees organizational commitment. Furthermore, the main implication of this study is associated with the fact that, organizations could use the findings of this study to develop communication practices and channels that encourage commitment within the organization which might translate to increased innovation, productivity, opportunity, collaboration, and effective commitment. The study also shows that employees organizational commitment can be improved through job enhancement together with matching the individuals values to those of the organization rather than, finding ways and means of improving job satisfaction through different strategies that involves improving the standard of the supervision, decentralization of power and counseling.

The impact of buyer–supplier communication on production ramp-up performance

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how communication with suppliers influences performance during production ramp-up. Often, time, cost or quality targets are missed in production ramp-ups while the number and frequency of ramp-ups is further increasing. The goal of this paper is thus to contribute a better understanding if and to which extend communication content or communication relationship is affecting ramp-up performance. Design/methodology/approach The research uses data from a dyadic survey (N = 160) in the German automotive industry. The data set comprises responses from buyers and suppliers. Constructs, namely, information and relationship quality, as well as communication satisfaction, are measured. The effect of communication is evaluated referring to cost, quality and time dimensions of performance. The analysis is applied with structural equation modeling methodology. This research is complemented by a multigroup analysis (MGA) especially comparing buyer and supplier respondent groups. Findings The results indicate that communication satisfaction positively influences ramp-up performance and that information quality is of higher relevance than relationship quality. Briefly, information exchange (what information to transfer) is more important than relationship management (how to transfer information). This finding contrasts previous literature focusing on relationship factors in communication settings. Furthermore, findings from MGA sustain the findings, because effects are also analyzed from a supplier’s or buyer’s viewpoint. Overall, the findings imply that supplier communication in production ramp-up must of course provide a high level of information quality. However, to optimize ramp-up performance also a high level of relationship quality is required. Research limitations/implications This study featured data from the German automotive industry from buyer’s and supplier’s perspective. This limits its generalizability, yet provides opportunities to test the findings through longitudinal studies, potentially gathering data from other sectors. Practical implications This research recommends managers deliver high information quality to improve communication satisfaction. Hence, this survey provides support for business communication o enhance ramp-up performance to achieve success in buyer–supplier relations. Originality/value Besides the original dyadic database, this research addresses production ramp-up as a very dynamic process. Plans and forecasts change often, thus supplier communication takes place in a stress situation. Then, communicators might overstate information quality and lose sight of relationship quality. The study contributes to this field of research and postulates that (automatic, autonomous) data exchange requires behavioral and relational support. The findings are useful for companies in stress situation (e.g. also a pandemic supply crisis) and will avoid that the optimization of information exchange disregards the relationship aspect.

Why trainees evaluate the same trainer differently? Examining a dual-process model of training effectiveness

Purpose It is commonly observed in trainings that all trainees do not get satisfied with the performance of the trainer. The usual way to increase the satisfaction of trainees is a stress on improving task communication of the trainer. It is based on the assumption that effective task communication essentially fosters training effectiveness. This study aims to provide preliminary evidence that effective task communication can also obstruct training effectiveness besides promoting it. To achieve this objective, the authors hypothesized a dual-process model of training effectiveness based on uncertainty reduction theory. Design/methodology/approach This was a field study in which the authors collected time-lagged data from seven trainings. The trainings were designed to impart technical knowledge of multilevel analyses to professional social science researchers. Confirmatory factor analysis for ordinal indicators was used to test the measurement properties of the model and scales. Structural equation modeling for ordinal indicators was used to test hypotheses. Findings This study provided evidence of an overall positive effect of the trainer’s task communication on the trainee’s communication satisfaction. A complex mediation analysis also revealed the existence of two opposite psychological processes. While the first process transmitted the positive effect of task communication to communication satisfaction, the other process diminished this positive effect. Implications for the theory and practice of training are discussed. Originality/value Training scholars and practitioners universally believe that an effective task communication of trainers essentially promotes training effectiveness. This study has provided empirical evidence that this assumption is an incomplete picture of a complex reality that requires further investigation.