The Novak Leadership Institute sponsors academic research into organization communication and leadership.

Willett, J. F., LaGree, D., Shin, H., Houston, J. B., & Duffy, M. (2023). The Role of Leader Communication in Fostering Respectful Workplace Culture and Increasing Employee Engagement and Well-Being. International Journal of Business Communication. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/23294884231195614

Although communication is commonly recognized as an indispensable element of leadership, less is known about how leadership communication interacts with workplace respect to affect employee outcomes. This study found that leadership communication was not associated with employee engagement and well-being; however, it was positively related to respectful engagement (generalized respect extended to employees because they are part of the organization) and autonomous respect (individualized respect that recognizes specific achievements). Leadership communication was negatively associated with occupational resilience, while employee engagement and well-being were positively associated with occupational resilience, respectful engagement, and autonomous respect. Our findings indicate that leadership communication contributes to a respectful workplace culture that then positively affects employee engagement and well-being.

LaGree, D., Houston, B., Duffy, M., & Shin, H. (2023). The Effect of Respect: Respectful Communication at Work Drives Resiliency, Engagement, and Job Satisfaction among Early Career Employees. International Journal of Business Communication, 60(3), 844–864. https://doi.org/10.1177/23294884211016529

This study sought to understand how workplace respect affects young employees ages 21-34 across a dozen industries. The authors considered two types of respect—“respectful engagement,” which describes an overall work culture of civility and respect, and “autonomous respect,” which refers to an employee’s feeling that they are respected for their specific standards and actions. They found that young workers who perceived a respectful work culture reported feeling better able to overcome workplace challenges, and they had higher levels of job satisfaction, loyalty, and engagement.

This study was recognized with the 2021 award for Outstanding Article in the International Journal of Business Communication.

Ndone, J., Warner, B., & Duffy, M. E. (2022). Emotional Crisis Communication: The Effects of CEO’s Expression of Guilt and Anger on Organizational Reputation. International Journal of Strategic Communication, 16(5), 685–699. https://doi.org/10.1080/1553118X.2022.2085574 

This study tested the role of expressions of anger and guilt in crisis communication response strategies and found that the context of a severe crisis calls for expressions of guilt, regardless of the response strategy chosen by an organization. The authors conclude that companies in severe crisis should express remorse even if they deny culpability. “People want to hear remorse even if the company is innocent of wrongdoing simply because, in a severe crisis, expressing remorse shows some humanity.” 

Eunjin (Anna) Kim, Margaret Duffy & Esther Thorson (2021) Under the Influence: Social Media Influencers’ Impact on Response to Corporate Reputation Advertising, Journal of Advertising, 50:2, 119-138, DOI: 10.1080/00913367.2020.1868026

Social media influencers (SMIs) are now a significant element in organizations’ marketing mix. However, there has been little attention paid to how SMIs might change the way people process a commercial specifically designed to enhance corporate reputation. The authors conducted three studies to understand influencer impacts on how people respond to commercials designed to enhance corporate reputation. The first study showed that when a commercial was introduced by an influencer, message attitudes and perceived corporate reputation were more positive as compared to the commercial presented by itself. The second revealed that disclosure of sponsorship of the SMI’s message removed the positive effects, while the third study showed that a narrative or story introduction by the SMI increased perceptions of corporate reputation.