Communication or action? Strategies fostering ethical organizational conduct and relational outcomes

• Main Authors: KIM, Soojin, KRISHNA, Arunima
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2017
• Subjects: bridging; buffering; conflict avoidance; ethical organizational conduct; relational improvement; Business and Corporate Communications; Business Law, Public Responsibility, and Ethics
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lkcsb_research_all/17; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1022&context=lkcsb_research_all
• Institution: Singapore Management University

This study investigated the relationships between two public relations strategies, bridging and buffering, and their impact on ethical organizational conduct and relational outcomes. Bridging is a relationship-centric, action-based strategy for problem-solving while buffering is an organization-centric, messaging-based strategy for impression management. In explaining the impact of these two strategies on organizational outcomes, this study examined the role of ethical organizational conduct as a mediator between bridging, buffering, and two relational outcomes. Based on a survey of 105 organizations in Korea, a positive association between bridging strategy and ethical organizational conduct was found, along with paths to relational improvement and conflict avoidance with strategic constituencies. No association was found between buffering strategy and ethical organizational conduct.