Strategic Thinking about Employee Communication Behavior (ECB) in Public Relations: Testing the Models of Megaphoning and Scouting Effects in Korea

TLDR

Employees are key strategic constituencies in public relations, yet their communication behavior has received limited research attention. This study aims to conceptualize and develop measurable constructs of employee communication behavior to support theory and strategic planning in PR. The authors posited symmetrical internal communication and employee‑organization relationships as antecedents and surveyed 300 Korean employees across various organizations. They identified megaphoning and scouting as distinct facets of employee communication behavior and introduced microboundary spanning as a new concept derived from these facets.

Abstract

In public relations, employees are regarded as one of the most important strategic constituencies because they interact with external publics on a daily basis. However, employees' communication behavior (ECB) has not been extensively researched in public relations. The purpose of this research was to conceptualize and develop concrete measurements of ECB that can help theoretical development and strategic planning in public relations. In particular, the study identified two unique aspects of ECB—megaphoning and scouting—that refer to employees' voluntary efforts to collect and circulate strategic information externally and internally. In addition, a new concept, microboundary spanning, based on the two aspects of ECB is conceptualized. In this study, symmetrical internal communication and employee-organization relationships were posited as antecedent variables to the proposed ECB variables. A survey research was conducted with 300 employees in different types of organizations in Korea.