The document summarizes a literature review on internal communications. It covers four main topics: employee engagement, leadership and management communication, internal marketing and branding, and technology-enabled communications. For each topic, it defines key concepts, discusses research findings on benefits and drivers, and provides examples. It concludes by recommending directions for further research, such as the relationship between internal branding and employee engagement, measuring the ROI of social media applications, and using blended internal communications to boost engagement.

1. James Kinneer
Laurel Highlands Communications Conference
September 23, 2010

2. • Method
– Systematic review of peer reviewed literature
– Databases used included: Academic Search Complete,
Business Source Premier, Communications and Mass
Media Complete and Google Scholar
– Search parameters focused on articles from 2005 to
2010, additional resources identified from references
of relevant sources
– Search terms: employee engagement, internal
communication, employee communication,
organizational communication, corporate
communication

3. • Summary of the Literature
– Employee Engagement
– Leadership and Management Communication
– Internal Marketing and Branding
– Technology Enabled Communications
• Directions for Further Research

4. • Summary of the Literature
– Employee Engagement
– Leadership and Management Communication
– Internal Marketing and Branding
– Technology Enabled Communications
• Directions for Further Research

5. • Summary of the Literature
– Employee Engagement
– Leadership and Management Communication
– Internal Marketing and Branding
– Technology Enabled Communications
• Directions for Further Research

6. • Employee Engagement
– Definition
– Benefits
– Key Drivers
– Role of Internal Communications

7. • Employee Engagement
– Definition
A positive cognitive, emotional and behavioral
state directed toward organizational outcomes
(Shuck and Wollard 2009).

8. • Employee Engagement
– Benefits
Engaged employees are more productive,
profitable and deliver higher levels of customer
service with higher levels of retention and lower
absenteeism and accident rates (Fleming, 2009).

9. • Employee Engagement
– Role of Internal Communication
Employee communication facilitates employee
engagement (Dorey & Garcia, 2007).

10. • Employee Engagement
– Key Drivers
A number of factors contribute to employee
engagement including workplace culture,
managerial style, trust, leadership and corporate
reputation (Lockwood, 2007).

11. • Summary of the Literature
– Employee Engagement
– Leadership and Management Communication
– Internal Marketing and Branding
– Technology Enabled Communications
• Directions for Further Research

12. • Leadership and Management Communication
– Senior Leadership Credibility
– Strategic Direction
– Manager Effectiveness
– Importance of Personal Connection

13. • Leadership and Management Communication
– Senior Leadership Credibility
Internal communications is the protector of
leadership credibility and must help to reinforce a
consistent management message (Dorey & Garcia,
2007).

14. • Leadership and Management Communication
– Strategic Direction
Employees want the organization’s strategy to be
effectively communicated to them so they can
contribute to the corporate strategy and help the
organization succeed (Matthews, 2010).

15. • Leadership and Management Communication
– Manager Effectiveness
Effective organizations make communication a
formal part of the line manager’s role and provide
line managers with communication training
(Alexander, Lindsay-Smith & Joerin, 2009).

16. • Leadership and Management Communication
– Importance of Personal Connection
Face-to-face opportunities for information
exchange and dialogue are critical to effective
internal communications (Alexander, Linsday
Smith & Joerin, 2009).

17. • Research on Leadership and Communication
Study Findings
Whitworth & Riccomi (2005) Direct correlation between managerial
communication effectiveness and job
satisfaction.
Matlock (2008) Supervisor communication
competence is a strong predictor of
employee job satisfaction.
Harris &Maceli (2010) CEO communication more important
than manager communication during
a time of significant change.

18. • Summary of the Literature
– Employee Engagement
– Leadership and Management Communication
– Internal Marketing and Branding
– Technology Enabled Communications
• Directions for Further Research

19. • Internal Marketing and Branding
– Definitions
• Internal Marketing
• Internal Branding
– Research on Job Satisfaction and Organizational
Commitment

20. • Internal Marketing and Branding
– Definitions
• Internal Marketing
• Internal Branding
– Research on Job Satisfaction and Organizational
Commitment

21. • Internal Marketing and Branding
– Definitions
• Internal Marketing
Management philosophy of promoting
the firm and its policies to employees as
if they are the (internal) customers of the
firm.

22. • Internal Marketing and Branding
– Definitions
• Internal Branding
Internal Branding is the set of strategic
processes that align and empower
employees to deliver the appropriate
customer experience in a consistent
fashion.

23. • Internal Marketing and Branding
– Definitions
• Internal Marketing
• Internal Branding
– Research on Job Satisfaction and Organizational
Commitment

24. • Research on Job Satisfaction and Internal Marketing
Study Findings
Turkoz & Akyol (2008) Studied internal marketing in hotel
industry and found positive
relationship between internal
marketing, job satisfaction and hotel
performance.
Sihombin and Gustam (2007) Research internal marketing in a
university setting and found internal
marketing to be a predictor of
organizational commitment.
Shiu & Yu (2009) Found positive relationship of internal
marketing to organizational culture
and job performance.

25. • Summary of the Literature
– Employee Engagement
– Leadership and Management Communication
– Internal Marketing and Branding
– Technology Enabled Communications
• Directions for Further Research

26. • Technology Enabled Communications
– Intranets
– Social Media

27. • Intranets
Intranets are the foundation for internal
communication, especially in large or global
organizations (Alexander, Lindsay-Smith &
Joerin, 2009).

28. • Social Media Applications
– Instant Messaging
– Blogs
– Podcasts
– Webcast
– Wikis

29. • Summary of the Literature
– Employee Engagement
– Leadership and Management Communication
– Internal Marketing and Branding
– Technology Enabled Communications
• Directions for Further Research

30. • Directions for Further Research
– Internal Branding and Employee Engagement
– ROI of Social Media Applications
– Use of Blended Internal Communications and
Employee Engagement

31. References
• Alexander, J., Lindsay-Smith, S. & Joerin. C. (2009). On the quest for world-class internal communication.
Strategic Communication Management, 13(4), 32- 35.
• Dorely, J. & Garcia, H.F. (2007). Reputation Management: The key to successful public relations and
corporate communication. New York: Taylor & Francis Routledge.
• Fleming, J. (2009). From Gallup: Why engagement is essential. Strategic Communication Management,
13(4), 7.
• Harris, E.G, & Maceli, K. (2010). The role of communication in nursing job satisfaction and performance
following a significant change in leadership: Implications for health care management. Proceedings of the
Annual Meeting of Collegiate Marketing Educators, 146-153.
• Shuck, M. B., & Wollard, K. K. (2009). A historical perspective of employee engagement: An emerging
definition. In M. S. Plakhotnik, S. M. Nielsen, & D. M. Pane (Eds.), Proceedings of the Eighth Annual College
of Education & GSN Research Conference (pp. 133-139). Miami: Florida International University.
http://coeweb.fiu.edu/research_conference/
• Shiu, Y., & Yu, T. (2010). Internal marketing, organisational culture, job satisfaction, and organisational
performance in non-life insurance. Service Industries Journal, 30(6), 793-809.
• Turkoz, I. & Akyol, A. (2008). Internal Marketing and Hotel Performance. International Journal of Tourism
and Hospitality Research, 19(1), 149-154.
• Whitworth, B. & Riccomini, B. (2005). Management communication: Unlocking higher employee
performance. Communication World, 18-22.

32. • References (please refer to proceedings for a
complete listing of references)
• Contact Information
James Kinneer, MA, SPHR
Doctoral Candidate
Department of Communications Media
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
121 Stouffer Hall
Indiana, PA 15705
j.w.kinneer@iup.edu