This study examines how internal social media communication strategies influence employees’ in-role and extra-role social media engagement. Based on social identity theory and conservation of resources theory, we investigated the effects of two types of internal social media communication strategies—organization-oriented and employee-oriented—on employees’ social media engagement. A survey of 429 U.S. employees showed that organization-oriented strategies enhanced employees’ organizational identification, which further motivates employees’ in-role and extra-role social media behaviors. Employee-oriented strategies also fostered employees’ social media engagement by strengthening their organizational identification and evoking positive emotions when using social media. These findings provide significant theoretical and practical implications for strategic internal communication and social media strategies.
BladerS. L.PatilS.PackerD. J. (2017). Organizational identification and workplace behavior: More than meets the eye. Research in Organizational Behavior, 37, 19–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.riob.2017.09.001
4.
BritoM. (2018). Participation marketing: Unleashing employees to participate and become brand storytellers. Kogan Page Publishers.
5.
CaoX.GuoX.VogelD.ZhangX. (2016). Exploring the influence of social media on employee work performance. Internet Research, 26(2), 529–545. https://doi.org/10.1108/IntR-11-2014-0299
6.
ChansukreeP.SagarikD.ChoW. (2022). Public employee use of social media at work: Competency, collaboration, and communication of workplace policy. Public Personnel Management, 51(3), 330–354. https://doi.org/10.1177/00910260221098737
7.
CheY.ZhuJ.HuangH. (2022). How does employee–organization relationship affect work engagement and work well-being of knowledge based employees?Frontiers in Psychology, 13, Article 814324. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.814324
8.
ChenX.WeiS. (2020). The impact of social media use for communication and social exchange relationship on employee performance. Journal of Knowledge Management, 24(6), 1289–1314. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-04-2019-0167
EwingM.MenL. R.O’NeilJ. (2019). Using social media to engage employees: Insights from internal communication managers. International Journal of Strategic Communication, 13(2), 110–132. https://doi.org/10.1080/1553118X.2019.1575830
11.
FrederiksenA. (2017). Job satisfaction and employee turnover: A firm-level perspective. German Journal of Human Resource Management, 31(2), 132–161. https://doi.org/10.1177/2397002216683885
12.
FredricksonB. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56(3), Article 218. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.56.3.218
13.
FredricksonB. L.TugadeM. M.WaughC. E.LarkinG. R. (2003). What good are positive emotions in crisis? A prospective study of resilience and emotions following the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11th, 2001. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(2), Article 365. https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.84.2.365
14.
FusiF.ZhangF. (2020). Social media communication in the workplace: Evidence from public employees’ networks. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 40(2), 245–271. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734371X18804016
15.
GhaniB.MalikM. A. R. (2023). Social media and employee voice: A comprehensive literature review. Behaviour & Information Technology, 42(14), 2407–2427. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929X.2022.2126329
16.
GongZ.SchoolerJ. W.WangY.TaoM. (2018). Research on the relationship between positive emotions, psychological capital and job burnout in enterprises’ employees: Based on the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. Canadian Social Science, 14(5), 42–48. https://doi.org/10.3968/10383
17.
HaddudA.DuggerJ. C.GillP. (2016). Exploring the impact of internal social media usage on employee engagement. Journal of social media for Organizations, 3(1), 1–23.
18.
HobfollS. E. (1989). Conservation of resources: A new attempt at conceptualizing stress. American psychologist, 44(3), Article 513. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.44.3.513
19.
HollandP.CooperB. K.HeckerR. (2016). Use of social media at work: A new form of employee voice?The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 27(21), 2621–2634. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2016.1227867
20.
HuL. T.BentlerP. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 6(1), 1–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705519909540118
21.
HuangJ.BaptistaJ.GalliersR. D. (2013). Reconceptualizing rhetorical practices in organizations: The impact of social media on internal communications. Information & Management, 50(2–3), 112–124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2012.11.003
22.
JaakkolaM.LemmettyS.CollinK.YlönenM.AntikainenT. (2024). Organizational learning starting points and presuppositions: A case study from a hospital’s surgical department. The Learning Organization, 31(3), 337–357. https://doi.org/10.1108/TLO-12-2022-0160
23.
JhambD.KampaniN.AryaV. (2022). Embracing the employee orientation: Does customer relationship matter in brand building?Benchmarking: An International Journal, 29(2), 411–433. https://doi.org/10.1108/BIJ-12-2020-0614
24.
JiangH.LuoY. (2020). Driving employee engagement through CSR communication and employee perceived motives: The role of CSR-related social media engagement and job engagement. International Journal of Business Communication, 61(2), 287–313. https://doi.org/10.1177/2329488420960528
25.
JinY.van der MeerT. G.LeeY. I.LuX. (2020). The effects of corrective communication and employee backup on the effectiveness of fighting crisis misinformation. Public Relations Review, 46(3), Article 101910. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2020.101910
LazarusR. S. (1991). Emotion and adaptation (Vol. 557). Oxford University Press.
28.
LeeY., (2020). Toward a communality with employees: The role of CSR types and internal reputation. Corporate Reputation Review, 23(1), 13–23. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41299-019-00069-x
29.
LeeY.ChoS. Y.SunR.LiC. (2021). Public responses to employee posts on social media: the effects of message valence, message content, and employer reputation. Internet Research, 31(3), 1040–1060. https://doi.org/10.1108/INTR-05-2020-0240
30.
LeeY.KimK. H. (2021). Enhancing employee advocacy on social media: The value of internal relationship management approach. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 26(2), 311–327. https://doi.org/10.1108/CCIJ-05-2020-0088
31.
LiJ. Y.SunR.TaoW.LeeY. (2021). Employee coping with organizational change in the face of a pandemic: The role of transparent internal communication. Public Relations Review, 47(1), Article 101984. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2020.101984
32.
LuL.LuA. C. C.GursoyD.NealeN. R. (2016). Work engagement, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions: A comparison between supervisors and line-level employees. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 28(4), 737–761. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-07-2014-0360
33.
MacnamaraJ.ZerfassA. (2012). Social media communication in organizations: The challenges of balancing openness, strategy, and management. International Journal of Strategic Communication, 6(4), 287–308. https://doi.org/10.1080/1553118X.2012.711402
34.
MaelF.AshforthB. E. (1992). Alumni and their alma mater: A partial test of the reformulated model of organizational identification. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 13(2), 103–123. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.4030130202
35.
MenL. R.O’NeilJ.EwingM. (2020). Examining the effects of internal social media usage on employee engagement. Public Relations Review, 46(2), Article 101880. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2020.101880
36.
MenL. R.YueC. A. (2019). Creating a positive emotional culture: Effect of internal communication and impact on employee supportive behaviors. Public Relations Review, 45(3), Article 101764. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2019.03.001
37.
MilanovićV.Radosavljević-NjegićK. (2019). The impact of internal communication and employees’ identification with the organization on motivation. Zbornik Matice srpske za drustvene nauke, 170, 213–227. https://doi.org/10.2298/ZMSDN1970213M
38.
MorrisonE. W. (2014). Employee voice and silence. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 1(1), 173–197.
39.
NguyenP. T.SandersK.SchwarzG. M.RaffertyA. E. (2022). The linkage between cognitive diversity and team innovation: Exploring the roles of team humor styles and team emotional intelligence via the conservation of resources theory. Organizational Psychology Review, 12(4), 428–452. https://doi.org/10.1177/20413866221114847
40.
PereiraL.PatrícioV.SempiternoM.da CostaR. L.DiasÁ.AntónioN. (2021). How to build pride in the workplace?Social Sciences, 10(3), Article 104. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci10030104
41.
PlakoyiannakiE.TzokasN.DimitratosP.SarenM. (2008). How critical is employee orientation for customer relationship management? Insights from a case study. Journal of Management Studies, 45(2), 268–293. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6486.2007.00740.x
42.
PlowmanK. D.WilsonC. (2018). Strategy and tactics in strategic communication: Examining their intersection with social media use. International Journal of Strategic Communication, 12(2), 125–144. https://doi.org/10.1080/1553118X.2018.1428979
SchaarschmidtM.WalshG. (2020). Social media-driven antecedents and consequences of employees’ awareness of their impact on corporate reputation. Journal of Business Research, 117, 718–726. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.11.027
45.
SmithB. G.StumbergerN.GuildJ.DuganA. (2017). What’s at stake? An analysis of employee social media engagement and the influence of power and social stake. Public Relations Review, 43(5), 978–988. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2017.04.010
46.
SoensE.ClaeysA. S. (2021). Can organizations guide employees’ social media behavior? The benefits of incentive rather than restrictive social media guidelines. Journal of Communication Management, 25(4), 454–471. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCOM-02-2021-0017
SunR.LiJ. Y. Q.LeeY.TaoW. (2023). The role of symmetrical internal communication in improving employee experiences and organizational identification during COVID-19 pandemic-induced organizational change. International Journal of Business Communication, 60(4), 1398–1426. https://doi.org/10.1177/23294884211050628
49.
TajfelH.TurnerJ. (1979). An integrative theory of intergroup conflict. In WilliamsJ. A.WorchelS. (Eds.), The social psychology of intergroup relations (pp. 33–47). Wadsworth.
50.
TerpeningE.LiC.LittletonA. (2016). Social media employee advocacy: Tapping into the power of an engaged social workforce. Altimeter@ Prophet.
51.
ThomasT. (2020). Employee advocacy as a marketing strategy to power brand promotion: An employee perspective. Marketing and Management of Innovations, 2, 167–181. https://doi.org/10.21272/mmi.2020.2-12
52.
TsarenkoY.LeoC.HermanH. M. (2018). When and why do social resources influence employee advocacy? The role of personal investment and perceived recognition. Journal of Business Research, 82, 260–268. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2017.09.001
53.
Van LoonN. M.VandenabeeleW.LeisinkP. (2017). Clarifying the relationship between public service motivation and in-role and extra-role behaviors: The relative contributions of person-job and person-organization fit. The American Review of Public Administration, 47(6), 699–713. https://doi.org/10.1177/0275074015617547
54.
van ProoijenA. M.WirtzC.EllemersN. (2024). Organizational antecedents of employee ambassadorship on social network sites. European Journal of Social Psychology, 54(6), 1378–1392. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.3094
55.
van ZoonenW.BanghartS. (2018). Talking engagement into being: A three-wave panel study linking boundary management preferences, work communication on social media, and employee engagement. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 23(5), 278–293. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcmc/zmy014
56.
van ZoonenW.TreemJ. W. (2019). The role of organizational identification and the desire to succeed in employees’ use of personal twitter accounts for work. Computers in Human Behavior, 100, 26–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2019.06.008
57.
VenciuteD.KaraliusL.ReardonJ.AuruskevicieneV. (2023). The impact of employees’ social media advocacy on attitudes toward the brand: The mediating role of parasocial relationships. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 32(8), 1374–1387. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-12-2022-4253
58.
VeyM. A.CampbellJ. P. (2004). In-role or extra-role organizational citizenship behavior: Which are we measuring?Human performance, 17(1), 119–135. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327043HUP1701_6
59.
Vigoda-GadotE. (2006). Compulsory citizenship behavior: Theorizing some dark sides of the good soldier syndrome in organizations. Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, 36(1), 77–93. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-5914.2006.00297.x
60.
WaldenJ. A.Kingsley WestermanC. Y. (2018). Strengthening the tie: Creating exchange relationships that encourage employee advocacy as an organizational citizenship behavior. Management Communication Quarterly, 32(4), 593–611. https://doi.org/10.1177/0893318918783612
61.
WangY.ChengY.GonzenbachW. J. (2022). Toward an employee communication mediation model: Exploring the effects of social media engagement on employee–organization relationships and advocacy. International Journal of Communication, 16, Article 23.
62.
YueC. A. (2025). Creating organizational authenticity and identification: Effect of leaders’ motivating language and impact on employee advocacy. International Journal of Business Communication, 62(2), 234–257. https://doi.org/10.1177/23294884211035116
63.
YueC. A.MenL. R.FergusonM. A. (2021). Examining the effects of internal communication and emotional culture on employees’ organizational identification. International Journal of Business Communication, 58(2), 169–195. https://doi.org/10.1177/2329488420914066
64.
ZhangF.LiuY.WeiT. (2021). Psychological capital and job satisfaction among Chinese residents: A moderated mediation of organizational identification and income level. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, Article 719230. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.719230
65.
ZhaoX.LiuC.YangY.SadiqW. (2009). Aligning collaborative business processes—An organization-oriented perspective. IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics-Part A: Systems and Humans, 39(6), 1152–1164. https://doi.org/10.1109/TSMCA.2009.2027130
