Search

Purpose: As an important group of internal stakeholders, communication professionals carry the responsibilities to communicate with multiple groups of audience and foster trusted and satisfied relationships, both internally and externally. However, while busy with taking care of various stakeholders, the trust–satisfaction perception of communication professionals is underrated. Therefore, this paper aims to shift the investigation of the trust–satisfaction relationship from general employees to this unique group of communicators. By incorporating three key factors in an institutional environment (i.e. job engagement, leadership performance and organizational culture and support), the authors further investigate the moderated mediating effects of those factors on the trust–satisfaction relationship. Design/methodology/approach: A national online survey of communication professionals working and living in the USA was designed to test the trust–satisfaction relationship. Surveyed communication professionals were asked to evaluate their own perceptions on various institutional factors. A conceptual moderated multiple-mediation structural model was proposed and tested to identify the impact of a complicated institutional environment on the perceived trust–satisfaction relationship. Findings: Results confirmed a strong positive impact of trust in organization on communication professionals' perceived job satisfaction. Results also confirmed the mediating effects of job engagement and communication leaders' performance on such a trust–satisfaction relationship. The authors' moderated mediation analysis indicated the important role of organizational culture in this complicated institutional environment and its indirect impact on the trust–satisfaction relationship. Originality/value: The research explored several important factors within a complicated institutional environment and their potential impact on trust–satisfaction relationship. More significantly, the authors focused on one unique group of internal stakeholders, communication professionals, by analyzing how these institutional factors affect their very own perceptions. Even though communication professionals carry the responsibilities of acting as the communication and strategy facilitators on behalf of their organization, their perceptions on trust and satisfaction are equally important and deserve more attention. Results of our research promote the understanding of the complicated mechanisms within corporate communication for an enhanced trust–satisfaction relationship between communication professionals and their organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • A supportive organizational culture is critical to enhance PR professionals' overall job satisfaction. • Leadership performance significantly influences PR professionals' engagement, trust in organization and job satisfaction. • PR professionals' work engagement and trust in organization generate a joint mediating effect on their job satisfaction. • Work engagement is a strong predictor of job satisfaction through its direct influence on trust. Abstract The study examines the impact of critical organizational factors (organizational culture and excellent leader performance) on public relations professionals' overall job satisfaction by focusing on testing the joint mediating effects work engagement and trust could generate. A national online survey of 838 public relations professionals working in a variety of organizations was used as the empirical data to test the relationships in a proposed conceptual model. Results confirmed the strong impact organizational culture and leader performance could have on public relations professionals' work engagement, trust, and job satisfaction. More importantly, results revealed the significant joint mediating effects of engagement and trust on professionals' job satisfaction, when supportive organizational culture and excellent leader performance were achieved. The study concludes with research and practical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synopsis This study uses a model of excellent public relations leadership to examine gender differences in perceptions of professional leadership among Russian public relations practitioners. Analysis of a quantitative survey and qualitative interviews indicate that Russian women place greater importance on leadership than Russian men. However, female practitioners seem hesitant or unable to take a leadership role due to a perfect storm of gender effects: existing societal and professional gender stereotypes, male-dominated societal and organizational culture, and lack of support from educational programs and professional associations, among others. While experiencing this perfect storm, female professionals assumed a traditional gender role rather than a professional leadership role. In addition, those women who were top leaders in organizations did not necessarily desire leadership nor saw themselves as leaders in the communication field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]