The Role of Communication and Employee Engagement in Promoting Inclusion in the Workplace: A Case Study in the Creative Industry
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
This research examines the role of communication and employee engagement in promoting inclusion in the workplace, with a specific focus on the creative industry. The study utilizes a case study approach to gain insights into the strategies and practices employed by organizations in fostering an inclusive work environment. The research objectives are twofold: first, to explore the communication channels and mechanisms utilized by organizations to promote inclusion, and second, to investigate the impact of employee engagement on fostering a culture of inclusion. A mixed-methods approach is employed, combining qualitative interviews with employees and management, as well as quantitative surveys to gather comprehensive data. The findings of the study highlight the crucial role of communication in promoting inclusion. Organizations within the creative industry employ diverse communication channels, such as town hall meetings, intranet platforms, and diversity training programs, to facilitate open dialogue and exchange of ideas. Effective communication practices contribute to enhanced employee understanding, collaboration, and mutual respect, thereby fostering an inclusive work environment. Furthermore, the study reveals that employee engagement plays a pivotal role in promoting inclusion. Engaged employees exhibit higher levels of commitment, motivation, and willingness to embrace diversity. They actively contribute to the creation of an inclusive culture by participating in diversity initiatives, providing feedback, and advocating for inclusive practices. The implications of this research that organizations in the creative industry should prioritize effective communication strategies and employee engagement to foster inclusion. By creating an inclusive work environment, organizations can harness the benefits of diversity, such as increased creativity, innovation, and employee satisfaction.
Downloads
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
You are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format for any purpose, even commercially.
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
- The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.
Under the following terms:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit , provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made . You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
Notices:
You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation .
No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material.
How to Cite
References
Arif, S., Johnston, K. A., Lane, A., & Beatson, A. (2023). A strategic employee attribute scale: Mediating role of internal communication and employee engagement. Public Relations Review, 49(2). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2023.102320
Chang, S. H. (2022). Eliciting Brand Loyalty with Elements of Customer Experience: A Case Study on the Creative Life Industry. Sustainability (Switzerland), 14(18). https://doi.org/10.3390/su141811547
Chaudhry, I. S., Paquibut, R. Y., & Tunio, M. N. (2021). Do workforce diversity, inclusion practices, & organizational characteristics contribute to organizational innovation? Evidence from the U.A.E. Cogent Business and Management, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2021.1947549
Dhanesh, G. S., & Picherit-Duthler, G. (2021). Remote internal crisis communication (RICC)–role of internal communication in predicting employee engagement during remote work in a crisis. Journal of Public Relations Research, 33(5). https://doi.org/10.1080/1062726X.2021.2011286
DR. MUZAMMEL SHAH, DR. MUZAMMEL SHAH, & DR. MUZAMMEL SHAH. (2021). Impact of Organizational Communication Strength on Employee Engagement: The Mediating Role of Perceived Supervisor Support and Moderating Role of Organizational Trust. Journal of Business & Tourism, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.34260/jbt.v5i1.130
Duthler, G., & Dhanesh, G. S. (2018). The role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and internal CSR communication in predicting employee engagement: Perspectives from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Public Relations Review, 44(4). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2018.04.001
Einwiller, S., Ruppel, C., & Stranzl, J. (2021). Achieving employee support during the COVID-19 pandemic – the role of relational and informational crisis communication in Austrian organizations. Journal of Communication Management, 25(3). https://doi.org/10.1108/JCOM-10-2020-0107
Gemma, N. (2023). Reconceptualising ‘reasonable adjustments’ for the successful employment of autistic women. Disability and Society, 38(6). https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2021.1971065
Gewurtz, R. E., Harlos, K., Tompa, E., Oldfield, M., Lysaght, R., Moll, S., Kirsh, B., Sultan-Taïeb, H., Cook, K., & Rueda, S. (2022). Retaining and supporting employees with mental illness through inclusive organizations: lessons from five Canadian case studies. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, 41(3). https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-06-2020-0174
Ghazi, E. L., & Goede, M. (2019). Creative industries: a case study of Isfahan, Iran. International Journal of Social Economics, 46(2). https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSE-09-2017-0409
Grosser, T. J., Sterling, C. M., Piplani, R. S., Cullen-Lester, K. L., & Floyd, T. M. (2023). A social network perspective on workplace inclusion: The role of network closure, network centrality, and need for affiliation. Human Resource Management, 62(4). https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.22131
Herbert, J., Ferri, L., Hernandez, B., Zamarripa, I., Hofer, K., Fazeli, M. S., Shnitsar, I., & Abdallah, K. (2023). Personality diversity in the workplace: A systematic literature review on introversion. Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health, 38(2). https://doi.org/10.1080/15555240.2023.2192504
Imam, H., Sahi, A., & Farasat, M. (2023). The roles of supervisor support, employee engagement and internal communication in performance: a social exchange perspective. Corporate Communications, 28(3). https://doi.org/10.1108/CCIJ-08-2022-0102
Kang, M., & Sung, M. (2017). How symmetrical employee communication leads to employee engagement and positive employee communication behaviors: The mediation of employee-organization relationships. Journal of Communication Management, 21(1). https://doi.org/10.1108/JCOM-04-2016-0026
Kharel, S. (2020). Tourism entrepreneurs awareness level of knowledge management for promoting visit Nepal 2020 in Kathmandu, Nepal. Human Relations, 3(1).
Komodromos, M. (2020). Examining the role of internal communication and employee engagement in Cyprus-based medium-sized organisations in times of challenging strategic changes. Journal for Global Business Advancement, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1504/JGBA.2020.109153
Kumar, P. L., & Das, D. V. T. (2019). A Study on Role of Intra Communication on Employee Engagement in BSNL , Hyderabad Telecom District. Indian Journal of Applied Research, 9(2).
Kuznetsova, Y., & Bento, J. P. C. (2018). Workplace adaptations promoting the inclusion of persons with disabilities in mainstream employment: A case-study on employers’ responses in Norway. Social Inclusion, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.17645/si.v6i2.1332
Lee, Y. (2023). ICT use, internal communication satisfaction, and engagement of working-from-home employees: The moderating role of affiliative tendency. Computers in Human Behavior, 138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2022.107472
Mazzei, A., Butera, A., & Quaratino, L. (2019). Employee communication for engaging workplaces. Journal of Business Strategy, 40(6). https://doi.org/10.1108/JBS-03-2019-0053
Mbhele, S., & De Beer, E. (2022). Achieving employee engagement through effective internal communication. Communicare: Journal for Communication Sciences in Southern Africa, 40(2). https://doi.org/10.36615/jcssa.v40i2.1315
Mroczek-żulicka, A. (2018). Creative and artistic recreation1 and a creative approach to recreation organization: A case study of wi-ma creative industries establishments. Turyzm/Tourism, 28(1). https://doi.org/10.18778/0867-5856.28.1.15
Mutha, P., & Srivastava, M. (2023). Decoding leadership to leverage employee engagement in virtual teams. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 31(3). https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-07-2021-2856
Ng, E. S., Rajendran, D., & Waheduzzaman, W. (2023). Promoting workplace inclusion and self-efficacy among skilled migrant workers in Australia. International Journal of Manpower, 44(2). https://doi.org/10.1108/IJM-01-2022-0044
Nguyen, C. M. A., & Ha, M. T. (2023). The interplay between internal communication, employee engagement, job satisfaction, and employee loyalty in higher education institutions in Vietnam. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-01806-8
Nguyen, P. V., Nguyen, L. T., Van Doan, K. N., & Tran, H. Q. (2021). Enhancing emotional engagement through relational contracts, management receptiveness, and employee commitment as a stimulus for job satisfaction and job performance in the public sector. Equilibrium. Quarterly Journal of Economics and Economic Policy, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.24136/eq.2021.008
Popescu, D. I., Ceptureanu, S. I., Alexandru, A., & Ceptureanu, E. G. (2019). Relationships between knowledge absorptive capacity, innovation performance and information technology. case study: The Romanian creative industries SMEs. Studies in Informatics and Control, 28(4). https://doi.org/10.24846/v28i4y201910
Radomska, J., Wołczek, P., Sołoducho-Pelc, L., & Silva, S. (2019). The impact of trust on the approach to management-A case study of creative industries. Sustainability (Switzerland), 11(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/su11030816
Salder, J. (2023). Embeddedness, values and entrepreneur decision-making: Evidence from the creative industries. International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 24(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/14657503221082586
Santoso, Nobertus R., Sulistyaningtyas, I. D., & Pratama, B. P. (2022). Transformational Leadership During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Strengthening Employee Engagement Through Internal Communication. Journal of Communication Inquiry. https://doi.org/10.1177/01968599221095182
Santoso, Nobertus Ribut, Sulistyaningtyas, I. D., & Pratama, B. P. (2023). Employee engagement and trust relationships during COVID-19 pandemic: the expanded role of internal communication. Communication and Society, 36(2). https://doi.org/10.15581/003.36.2.187-204
Shen, C., Zhang, X., & Li, X. (2023). The development of global creative centers from a regional perspective: A case study of Milan’s creative industries. PLoS ONE, 18(4 April). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0281937
Sicilia, M., & Palazón, M. (2023). Developing customer engagement through communication consistency and channel coordination. Spanish Journal of Marketing - ESIC, 27(2). https://doi.org/10.1108/SJME-02-2022-0022
Stephens, N. M., Rivera, L. A., & Townsend, S. S. M. (2020). The cycle of workplace bias and how to interrupt it. Research in Organizational Behavior, 40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.riob.2021.100137
Stirpe, L., Profili, S., & Sammarra, A. (2022). Satisfaction with HR practices and employee performance: A moderated mediation model of engagement and health. European Management Journal, 40(2). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2021.06.003
Stranzl, J., Ruppel, C., & Einwiller, S. (2021). Examining the Role of Transparent Organizational Communication for Employees’ Job Engagement and Disengagement during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Austria. Journal of International Crisis and Risk Communication Research, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.30658/jicrcr.4.2.4
ter Hoeven, C. L., & van Zoonen, W. (2023). Helping Others and Feeling Engaged in the Context of Workplace Flexibility: The Importance of Communication Control. International Journal of Business Communication, 60(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/2329488419898799
van Zoonen, W., & Banghart, S. (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). https://doi.org/10.1093/jcmc/zmy014
Varriale, L., Briganti, P., Volpe, T., & Minucci, G. (2023). Digital technologies for promoting the inclusion of workers with disabilities: A brief investigation. ITM Web of Conferences, 51. https://doi.org/10.1051/itmconf/20235103001
Wirawan, H., Samad, M. A., & Khairil, M. (2023). Investigating the effect of abusive supervision on work engagement through the role of employee creativity: the moderating effect of interpersonal communication competence. Human Resource Development International. https://doi.org/10.1080/13678868.2023.2193809
Yang, L., Murad, M., Mirza, F., Chaudhary, N. I., & Saeed, M. (2022). Shadow of cyber ostracism over remote environment: Implication on remote work challenges, virtual work environment and employee mental well-being during a Covid-19 pandemic. Acta Psychologica, 225. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2022.103552