Examining the role of internal communication and employee engagement in Cyprus-based medium-sized organisations in times of challenging strategic changes

Abstract

In response to the 2013 financial crisis in Cyprus, employers made uninformed decisions to downsize and restructure as techniques for maximising profit and decreasing cost. The employers did not consider the change management issues associated with change. The purpose of conducting this study is to: a) examine the employees' perceptions to determine whether there exists any relationship between internal communication and employee engagement in medium-size organisations during challenging economic conditions; b) determine the impact of internal communication on the employees' engagement. Using the purposive sampling technique, 343 participants were recruited. In this qualitative study, a thematic analysis of the interview responses was conducted to help in retrieving insightful information from the collected data. Applying pattern coding facilitated in proving that the hypotheses should be accepted. The findings of the study were that the top management in medium-sized organisations should use effective internal communication and employee engagement to support strategic change.

Employee engagement during COVID-19 in Malaysia

“…Keating ( 2015 ) discovered that effective communication fosters staff engagement and commitment, which are associated with increased profitability, productivity, and customer satisfaction. According to previous research, employees will feel more engaged when they can communicate face-to-face with management (Komodromos, 2020 ). Ideally, organizations should provide appropriate channels for communicating with employees so that information can be communicated swiftly and immediately, particularly in the event of a pandemic.…”

“…Interacting regularly without verbal or other forms of communication is almost impossible. Communication is the process of exchanging information between an organization's management and its employees; this is also known as internal communication, employee communication, staff communication, and internal public relations (Komodromos, 2020 ). Communication in an organization can affect the organization's performance, and if it is well-planned, it will increase employee satisfaction, facilitate information flow, and foster consensus (Martinez and Fernandez Hurtado, 2018 ).…”

“…Communication in an organization can affect the organization's performance, and if it is well-planned, it will increase employee satisfaction, facilitate information flow, and foster consensus (Martinez and Fernandez Hurtado, 2018 ). A well-planned and well-managed communication strategy can assist the management in establishing rapport with employees (Komodromos, 2020 ). Internal communication is essential for fostering and sustaining high employee engagement (Siddiqui and Sahar, 2019 ).…”

“…Moreover, communication skills are necessary for change-oriented leaders who want to express their influence in the most effective and meaningful manner possible when promoting organizational change (Othman et al, 2017 ). In recent years, communication within organizations and employee engagement have evolved in accordance with the modern information age, which is characterized by major technological breakthroughs and globalization (Komodromos, 2020 ). A study conducted by Eskelinen et al ( 2017 ), based on the concepts of employee communication in an organization and employee engagement, concludes that organizations that utilize employee engagement techniques are able to increase employee motivation, promote communication, and foster agreement during problem solving.…”

Managing Strategic Changes in Personnel Resistance to Open Innovation in Companies

“…The active-passive simulation strategy of strategic changes involves the use of measures to accumulate, study, and implement usual successful management actions and market-proven practices of strategic change (prepared simulation) to ensure the anticipatory nature of strategic management [42].…”