Impact of Internal Branding on Employee Engagement: An Empirical Study Conducted among Medical Staff’s Brand Supporting Behaviour in Indian Hospitals

Abstract

Building an internal brand is a critical function of service organizations today. The employee's attitude and behaviour must represent the organization's brand, values and culture. Internal branding is highly relevant in healthcare, where it includes a range of strategies aimed at employees to help them deliver the desired service to patients. This empirical research paper focuses on the impact of internal branding dimensions on employee engagement among medical staff in select Indian hospitals. The analysis of the data collected from a sample of 176 respondents using structured questionnaires show that internal branding dimensions such as internal communication, HR processes during internal branding, brand focused training and leadership assist in engaging the medical staff while providing healthcare services. Considering social exchange theory (SET) as the theoretical foundation, the research indicates that medical staff show high level of engagement when hospitals implement internal branding programs.