Situational dependence of internal communication channels

Tkalac Verčič, Ana (author), Verčič, Dejan (author), Gerdina, Sinja (author)

This study examined the effectiveness of face-to-face and digital channels in internal communication within a large telecommunications company from the perspectives of media richness and affordance. In three experiments, the two types of channels were compared in terms of satisfaction, engagement, emotional and mental fatigue, and retention in contexts in which the topic of communication was emotionally neutral ("healthy eating habits in the workplace") or negative ("unhealthy eating habits observed among employees"). In the neutral context, face-to-face communication fostered engagement with the message and information retention, consis- tent with its ability to offer richness and immediacy that can enhance impact on the listener. Conversely, video-based digital communication outperformed face-to-face communication in the negative context by reducing emotional intensity and enhancing retention, emphasizing the importance of emotional detachment in effective communication. These findings highlight that the effectiveness of a given channel of internal communication depends on the situation and that face-to-face communication may not always be the most effective channel for emotionally negative situations. Our work demonstrates the need to adopt the employee’s perspective when theorizing and implementing internal communication strategies.

• Language: English
• Keywords: digital communication, hybrid workplaces, internal communication, media affordances perspective, media richness theory
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FDV - Faculty of Social Sciences
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: 11 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 51, issue 4, [article no.] 102608
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-175009
• UDC: 005.57:004
• ISSN on article: 1873-4537
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pubrev.2025.102608
• COBISS.SI-ID: 252933891
• Publication date in RUL: 13.10.2025

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Public relations review
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 1873-4537
• COBISS.SI-ID: 33818205

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
• Description: A creative commons license that bans commercial use, but the users don’t have to license their derivative works on the same terms.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: digitalne komunikacije

Projects

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: J5-4584
• Name: KAKO DIGITALIZACIJA INTERNEGA KOMUNICIRANJA VPLIVA NA ZAVZETOST ZAPOSLENIH IN POSLEDIČNO NA NJIHOVO ZAZNAVANJE KAKOVOSTI ŽIVLJENJA

• Funder: HRZZ - Croatian Science Foundation
• Funding programme: Slovenian-Croatian Bilateral Projects
• Project number: IPS-2022-02-4542
• Name: How digitalization of internal communication affects internal communication satisfaction, employee engagement and consequently perceived life satisfaction