University of Twente Student Theses
Does a good corporate reputation heal all wounds? : Corporate reputation and its' effects on communication climate in conflict situations
Press, Moritz (2021) Does a good corporate reputation heal all wounds? : Corporate reputation and its' effects on communication climate in conflict situations.
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| Abstract: | Objective: In this study, the effect of a projected corporate reputation and internal (conflict) communication on the evaluation of the communication climate was investigated. More specifically, it was investigated whether a positive projected reputation provides an organization with buffering capabilities when organizational outsiders witness interpersonal conflict. Thus, the study aimed at answering the following research question: What is the effect of a projected corporate reputation and internal (conflict) communication on the evaluation of the communication climate? Method: In order to derive at an answer for the research question, a 2 x 2 (projected reputation: positive projected reputation & negative projected reputation x internal (conflict) communication: conflict scenario & no-conflict scenario) experimental design was used. Thereby, it was researched how a projected reputation and internal (conflict) communication affect the perception of the organizational communication climate. Data of 119 respondents was included in the analysis. It was tested whether a positive projected reputation more positively influenced the evaluation of the communication climate as opposed to a negative projected reputation. Further, it was tested whether an interpersonal conflict situation in a workplace environment negatively influenced the evaluation of the communication climate as opposed to a non-conflict situation. Lastly, it was tested whether an interaction effect exists between a projected reputation and internal (conflict) communication. Results: The results showed significant main effects of projected reputation as well as internal (conflict) communication on the dependent variables. More specifically, projected reputation showed significant effects on organizational identification and information exchange whereas internal (conflict) communication showed significant effects on job satisfaction trust relationship with the leader as well as information exchange. Even though, both main effects showed significant results, no significant interaction effect between the independent variables was found. Conclusion: This study provides more insights on how a projected corporate reputation and internal (conflict) communication influence the evaluation of an organization’s communication climate. In particular, the study revealed that internal conflict induces a less positive evaluation of the communication climate. This finding implies that organizational leaders should establish an organizational climate in which interpersonal conflict is minimized since it negatively influences how the organization is perceived by external parties. However, future research needs to investigate whether a positive reputation can compensate the effects of interpersonal conflict, since this study did not find support for this relationship. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Bachelor) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 05 communication studies |
| Programme: | Communication Studies BSc (56615) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/87853 |
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