Building organizational resilience through strategic internal communication and organization-employee relationships

This study explores the impacts of internal strategic communication and relationship management with employees for organizational resilience in effective internal crisis communication, thereby filling a gap in crisis communication research. Specifically, it provides empirical evidence for how organizational resilience in a crisis can be achieved through strategic internal communication and relationship building with employees. A nationwide survey (N = 830) was conducted among full-time employees in the United States. The results revealed the important mediating role of organization-employee relationships (OER) between resilience and its antecedent, demonstrating that OER is a strong underlying factor in understanding how two-way symmetrical communication indirectly impacts organizational resilience. Thus, this study extends the scope of current crisis communication theories to emphasize managerial efforts directed at organizational resilience. Practical insights for developing organizational resilience include managers investing in two-way symmetrical communication and positive employee relationships before a crisis occurs.

Automated summary

This study highlights the significance of organizational resilience through strategic internal communication and positive employee relationships in crisis situations. The findings emphasize the important mediating role of organization-employee relationships in understanding how two-way symmetrical communication indirectly impacts organizational resilience.