Does internal communication to generate trust always increase commitment? A study at Micron Technology
Corporate Communications: An International Journal
ISSN: 1356-3289
Article publication date: 28 January 2014
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to investigate the relationship between employee trust towards the company and their commitment to it. For this reason, this study questioned if certain levels of trust presented in each department at Micron Technology Italy were interrelated with the levels of commitment.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey at Micron Technology Italy was conducted. Of the 1,580 employees who received the questionnaire, 892 responses were collected, resulting in a 56.46 per cent response rate.
Findings
The research findings show that for departments where trust values are below 6.8, the commitment level follows the trust value: there is a positive relation between these two factors. However, departments where employee trust reaches values higher than 6.8 are not reciprocated by a proportional commitment level that tends to reach a “satisfaction point”.
Research limitations/implications
The results are only partially coherent with previous studies. Further research is needed to determine whether these reports hold true under different situations/companies.
Practical implications
Since commitment does not seem to be continuously increasing, after a certain point it is not cost-effective for the company to implement communication strategies aimed at increasing employee trust in a non-targeted way. The need for customized communication strategies emerges as does the importance of understanding internal communication as integrated with other human resource management levers.
Originality/value
This paper offers an original contribution to the ongoing discussion concerning employee engagement. Employees' trust does not always lead to employee commitment behaviors inside the organization.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank the following people who have contributed in different and important ways in the preparation of this paper: Alessandra Mazzei, Associate Professor of Corporate Communication at IULM University (Milan, Italy), for reviewing and providing feedback on the paper; Alyson Outen, Internal Communication Manager at Micron Technology, in reviewing this paper and project sponsorship; Domenico Amicarella, Sr. Organizational Development Specialist at Micron Technology Italy, for the design and development of the survey; Felice Russo, Data Mining Manager at Micron Technology Italy, for the statistical analysis support; and Raimondo Castellucci, Director, Global HR design at Micron Technology for reviewing and providing feedback on the paper.
Citation
Togna, G. (2014), "Does internal communication to generate trust always increase commitment? A study at Micron Technology", Corporate Communications: An International Journal, Vol. 19 No. 1, pp. 64-81. https://doi.org/10.1108/CCIJ-07-2012-0046
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited