Purpose Informal communication is a central but often overlooked aspect of organizational life. While its functions and outcomes are well documented, less is known about the situational contexts and patterns through which informal conversations unfold. Drawing on social affordances, Social Exchange Theory, and Social Identity Theory, this study examines how physical and social environments shape everyday workplace interactions. Design/methodology/approach Using a seven-day quantitative diary study, 209 employees documented 958 informal conversations, reporting topics, duration, location, participants and perceptions. Findings With the help of multilevel latent class analysis we identified six recurring communication situations that differ systematically in group size, duration, spatial context and topics: extended exchanges, canteen conversations, team talks, break banters, desk dialogs and chit-chats. Findings show that informal communication follows recurring patterns, reflecting the interplay of social relationships and environmental affordances. Originality/value By developing a situational typology, this study advances our understanding of how informal conversations are embedded in everyday organizational life and provides a framework for examining their role in coordination, social cohesion, and employee well-being.
Purpose In this research, the relationship between work-related social media use and organizational gossip is analyzed, with perceived digital transparency as the mediator and digital competence as the moderator. Design/methodology/approach Based on the social cognitive theory combined with the communication visibility perspective, data from 412 employees within the aviation industry were collected. To examine the direct, indirect, and conditional relationships among variables, a series of regression-based methods was applied to test the moderated mediation model. Findings There was a negative relationship between work-related social media use and organizational gossip. The relationship was partially mediated by perceived digital transparency, indicating that work-related social media use was associated with stronger employee perceptions that organizational information communicated via digital platforms was sufficiently disclosed, clear, accurate, and accessible. Moreover, digital competence strengthened the negative relationship between perceived digital transparency and organizational gossip. Research limitations/implications This study has the limitation of a cross-sectional research design that does not allow making causal inferences. Practical implications It is recommended that organizations develop transparent digital communication systems and invest in digital competence development to reduce employees’ reliance on unofficial evaluative communication. Social implications Enhancing transparency and digital competence may foster ethical communication climates and strengthen trust in digitally mediated organizations. Originality/value This study aims to present an integrated social cognitive approach to digitally mediated workplace communication by integrating social cognitive theory with the communication visibility perspective. It distinguishes between platform-level affordances (visibility, persistence, retrievability, and attribution) and employees’ perceptions of informational transparency.
Purpose Amid stakeholder skepticism and organizations' reliance on static, informational posts, this study aims to assess which configurations of message source (corporate vs. non-governmental organization (NGO)) and co-creation cues (high vs. low) stimulate source credibility, consumer engagement, and electronic word of mouth (e-WOM) in corporate social responsibility communication (CSR-C) on social media (SM), grounded in stakeholder theory. Design/methodology/approach A 2 × 2 between-subjects factorial experiment was conducted with 406 active Facebook users in India. Data were analyzed using two-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and partial least squares structural equation modeling multigroup analysis. Findings High co-creation cues significantly increased source credibility, consumer engagement, and e-WOM, diminishing the independent effect of message source. NGO-attributed posts produced higher e-WOM than corporate posts, but only under high co-creation. Consumer engagement partially mediated the effect of source credibility on e-WOM. Practical implications Practitioners should prioritize participatory message design (high co-creation cues) over source attribution, and treat NGO partnerships as effective for e-WOM only when posts invite participation. Originality/value This is among the first studies to assess which message source and co-creation cues jointly shape CSR-C outcomes on SM. It shows that co-creation cues, not source identity, are the primary driver, identifies consumer engagement as the mechanism linking credibility to e-WOM, and locates these effects in the under-examined Indian mandated-CSR context.
Purpose This study examines how AI adoption in public relations (PR) unfolds in the Arab region and positions that experience against global industry discourses, with attention to the linguistic and cultural conditions that shape adoption trajectories. Design/methodology/approach Guided by Diffusion of Innovations (DoI) and the Technology–Organization–Environment (TOE) framework, the study combines 20 semi-structured interviews with senior Arab-region practitioners, association leaders and academics across six countries with a directed content analysis of professional guidelines and industry reports of global, cross-regional and regional scope. Findings Adoption is early-stage and selective, concentrated in content assistance, media intelligence and reputation monitoring, driven by efficiency gains and client expectations and inhibited by skills gaps, limited Arabic-language tooling and unclear governance. International discourses converge on augmentation under norms for disclosure, oversight and capability building, while ethical risks are compounded in Arab settings by cultural–linguistic fit and uneven institutional support. Research limitations/implications Interview evidence is concentrated in the Arab region and drawn from a senior, purposively selected sample; cross-regional comparison rests on documentary sources. Practical implications Editorial review should be organized as a staged production sequence; training should target the specific sociolinguistic labour the technology cannot perform; and localization should be approached as an organizational process rather than a tool feature. Global PR associations should incorporate sociolinguistic review as a named component of human-in-the-loop protocols. Social implications Framing sociolinguistic compatibility as organizational work makes visible the human labour behind AI outputs in underserved languages. This supports more equitable AI integration across linguistic communities and strengthens the case for investment in Arabic-language AI capability, protecting culturally attuned communication in Arab public spheres. Originality/value The study contributes a structured comparative positioning of adoption trajectories and a DoI–TOE extension that models how organizational investments produce sociolinguistic compatibility under technological constraints, identifying levers for responsible, context-responsive AI integration in PR.
Purpose The 2015 and 2022 European refugee crises sparked vivid societal debates about how to deal with migration. While Germany played a central role as a main host state, German companies have only slowly started to enter the issue arena on migration. This study investigates how DAX-listed companies framed refugees during both crises by analyzing public statements by CEOs and board members, and examining the alignment between these positions and corresponding CSR initiatives to see whether they walked their talk. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative framing analysis identified the corporate framing of refugees. The sample included 124 statements from corporate influencers, i.e. CEOs and board members, drawn from direct quotes in traditional and social media in 2015 and 2022. CSR activities were identified through refugee-related initiatives reported in annual and sustainability reports (N = 50). Findings The findings reveal a shift and increase in framing between the two crises: in 2015, refugees were primarily discussed in the context of economic considerations, whereas in 2022, more corporate voices entered the debate, expressing greater empathy. The study also uncovers that corporations largely walked their talk, as corporate actions were adapted to match communication strategies in each period. Originality/value This research contributes to communication management research and practice by exploring corporate political advocacy in the complex and controversial issue arena of migration, placing corporations both as independent but powerful voices and as adaptable to fit prevailing public sentiment.
