Using readership research to study employee views

John Pavltk, John Vastyan and MaJ. M i c h a e l F. M a h e r

Using Readership Research To Study Employee Views A readership survey reveals that medical center employees with a higher level of organizational integration often place more emphasis on reading the employee newsletter to survey system functions and the employee social network. Consequently, readingfor those reasons increases readership of two content types: organizational news, a "hard" news dimension, and social-relations content, a "soft" news dimension. John Pavlik is associatedirectorfor research and technology studies at Gannett Centerfor Media Studies at Columbia University in New York. John Vastyan is at Godfrey Public Relations in Lancaster, PA. Maj. Michael F. Maher is with the Department of the Army Headquarters, 8th Infantry Division (Mechanized) APO New York 09111.

E f f e c t i v e l y communicating with internal publics is of continuing concern to public relations practitioners. Once viewed as a one-way process from management down to employees, recent research reveals the need for a more two-way perspective. Grunig (1985), for example, challenges the traditional management assumption that employee communication can increase job satisfaction. Using data from more than 1,000personal interviews with employees at the Maryland State Department of Education, he shows that organizational structure may be a much more important factor than employee communication in determining job satisfaction. Consequently, many employee communicators are redesigning their internal media in an effort to better meet the needs of their internal publics. One such effort is underway at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, a major research and treatment facility in central Pennsylvania. The present study examines why employees read Vital Signs, the employee newsletter at the Hershey Medical Center. The results of this study are intended to not only benefit the body of knowledge about employee communications, but also to help in the redesign of Vital Signs. 50

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Readership Stttwey Theoretical Model

Pavlik, Nwosu and Ettel (1982) introduce a uses and gratifications approach to the study of employee newsletter readership. This approach is especially well suited to such an investigation because it looks at why employees read company newsletters. Netteberg (1984) similarly takes a uses and gratifications approach to evaluate the effectiveness of a church publication in reaching its target public. Fundamental to the uses and gratifications approach is the key assumption that audience members actively use the media (Katz, Blumler and Gurevitch, 1974). Rather than viewing the audience as passively receiving media messages, this approach sees audience members as often purposely using the media (Jeffres, 1975). Although the validity of this assumption for media use in general is in some doubt (e.g., Grunig questions how actively most people "use" television (1979)),its applicability to the readership of an employeenewsletter seems clear. First, reading requires more effort than watching an electronic entertainment medium such as television. Second, audience members have a high level of control over their readership of a newsletter (e.g., they can decide when and where to read the newsletter). Third, and perhaps most importantly, employee newsletters contain information related to the reader's place of work--information that can have a direct effect on the reader, unlike much television content. As Grunig (p.60: 1982) also points out, an issue that directly involves someone is likely to motivate h e r / h i m to "seek out--or at least to process--information related to the issue." Our intention here is to examine the purposes employees have for reading an organizational newsletter. Rather than examining the traditional management uses of company newsletters, such as building goodwill or developing a homogeneous social network among employees, we will look at employee reasons for reading company newsletters. Pavlik et al.'s (1982) pilot survey of 95 Honeywell employees suggests at least two main reasons for reading a company newsletter: 1) to survey the system functions of that organization, and 2) to survey the sociability network of that organization. We will also look at how these reasons are influenced by the social and psychological situation of the audience member. A growing body of research indicates that much media use is situational (Grunig, 1976). Pavlik et al.'s (1982) study indicates that an employee's level of organizational integration can influence her/his newsletter readership. Organizational and management researchers have long identified integration as an important variable in the study of employee behavior. We define integration as an "outward-looking" perspective in which the employee believes his/her goals will be met best by directing his/her efforts toward the success of the organization. Pavlik et al.'s (1982) research suggests there maybe at least two forms Summer 1990

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Public Rein!ions Review of integration. One appears to be directly related to an employee's career, a functional integration. This embraces both a psychoIogical and structural dimension. The second is related to the social network that exists at a place of employment, a social integration. We believe that useful indicators of the psychological aspects of functional integration include the perceived importance of career advancement and working at an organization. An employee's position in the decision-making hierarchy of that organization reflects the structural aspect of functional integration. Indicators of social integration include the length of an employee's tenure at that organization, as well as her/his plans to remain at that organization. An important implication of the uses and gratifications approach is that purposive media use will lead to differential patterns of media exposure. We are proposing that the importance of different reasons for reading a company newsletter will lead to greater readership of certain types of newsletter content. These content types include primarily organizational news (i.e., "hard" news about the organization, such as management changes, new products or services) and employee social-relations content (i.e., "soft" news about the organization, such as employee or departmental features) (Grunig, 1977; Pavlik et al., 1982). A third content type, workrelated news, is rare in most newsletters and will not be considered in this

study. Our overall theoreticalmodel is presented in figure I.

Figure 1

Theoretical Model

Independent Variable Level of Organizational Integration

5~

Intervening Variable j

Importance of Organizational Surveillance

Dependent Variable j Level of Newsletter Readership

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Readership Survey Hypotheses Based on the preceding discussion, we propose the following testable hypotheses: HI: The higher the functional integration--structural or psychological---of an employee, the greater her/his perceived importance of surveying the system functions at that organization. H2: The higher the social integration of an employee, the greater her/ his perceived importance of surveying the sociability network at that organization. H3: The greater the importance of surveying the system functions at an organization, the greater the readership of organizational news. H4: The greater the importance of surveying the sociability network, the greater the readership of organizational social-relations content. Methodology To collect our data, we conducted a newsletter content analysis and a mail readership survey of employees at the Hershey Medical Center. The content analysis includes a dozen issues of the eight-page tabloid published during the twelve months prior to the survey. We used this analysis to develop a set of content categories for use in the readership survey questionnaire. Content categories include personnel announcements, news updates, features on patients, employees and social events, articles about health issues, new medical techniques, special programs, and medical center research activities, services and general news. The population for the survey was defined as all Hershey Medical Center employees, a total of about 3,300. We selected a sample of about 1,000, or roughly one-third of the total employee population. This was as large a sample as possible, given the financial resources available. Individual employees were selected randomly by computer. Using a repeated mailing technique (for those who did not respond to the original mailing), we obtained a total of 386 usable questionnaires; representing a 38.6% response rate. Although this response rate suggests a potential for selection bias, we feel this threat is minimal. First, the demographic characteristics of the sample are representative of the total employee population. For example, the sample is quite similar to the general employee population with regard to gender, length of employment and education (Marks, 1987). Second, the purpose of this study--to examine relationships rather Summer 1990

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Public Relations Review than estimate population parameters frees us from much of the concern about selection bias. T h e questionnaire consists of three main parts. First, we measured readership patterns. We asked employees about both their overall newsletter readership as well as readership of individual category types. Readership was measured on a five-point scale, with one representing readership in every issue, and five for never reading. The next section assessed the importance of different reasons for reading the newsletter. We used a tenpoint scale (with one being not important, ten very important). The final section solicited background information on the characteristics of each employee. All data were analyzed using SPSSx (1985). Descriptive Findings Employees surveyed tend to place great importance on working and career advancement at the Hershey Medical Center (on a 10-point scale, respective averages are 8.8 and 7.7). Average length of employment at the medical center is seven years, although a third (36%) have been there fewer than four years. Respondents say they plan to spend 12 more years working at the medical center, on average. Respondents come from a complete cross-section of medical center positions. Some are high in the decision-making hierarchy (14% are department chairs, faculty or directors), while some are in the middle (12.2% are residents, assistant directors, managers or coordinators), and the majority are low (74 % are staffnurses, clerical or technical service employees). The most important reasons for reading the newsletter are to find out what is going on at the university hospital or college of medicine (mean=7.8), and to learn about health issues and research (mean=7.6). Because it is interesting and enjoyable reading (mean=6.9) and to keep track of management changes (mean =6.4) are slightly less important. To improve one's advancement possibilities and to keep track of friends (mean=5.9) are the least important reasons for reading Vital Signs. Overall readership of the newsletter is fairly high, with more than two-thirds (67.6%) reading most or every issue of Vital Signs. This is confirmed through a second overall readership measure, which reveals a similar portion (65.3%) read the most recent issue of Vital Signs. When employees do read Vital Signs, ab out a third (31.6% ) read most of the articles, while the balance (68.4%) scan the newsletter. Pictures are the most regularly "read" item in Vital Signs (half look at them in every issue), which is consistent with other readership research (Pavlik et al., 1982). News about the medical center and employee benefits are read at a slightly lower level of regularity (one-third read them in every issue). Articles about medical center services, general health or medical techniques and research, and personnel announcements are read a little less 5~

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Readership Stawcy often (one-fourth read them in every issue). Features on social events and activities, employees and departments capture the attention of readers somewhat less often (one-fifth read them in every issue). Least read are news updates, patient features, and articles about the Pennsylvania State University (the medical center and college of medicine are a part of PSU) and special programs (one in six read them in every issue). We used a factor analysis to determine the extent to which the data would confirm our expectation of two main content types. This analysis was conducted using principal components extraction and varimax rotation. The results are presented in table one. This analysis did in fact reveal two main content areas according to frequency of readership. Most individual items loaded heavily fi.e., greater than .50) on one factor only. Two items (features on patients and departments) loaded heavily on both factors, but had a larger loading on factor one (as expected).

TABLE 1

Factor Loadings on Two Types of Content Categories Factor 1

Social Activities Social Events Employee Features Pictures Special Programs Dept. Features News Updates Patient Features Medical Techniques Research Medical Services General Health Issues PSU Employee Benefits General News

.91 .81 .76 .71 .68 .61 .56 .55 .26 .13 .46 .38 .34 .40 .48

Factor 2

.18 .35 .34 .25 .39 .55 .45 .50 .82 .81 .72 .70 .68 .65 .59

Note: Factor analysis was performed using principal components extraction and varimax rotation, which converged in three iterations.

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Publlc Relations Rc'vlc'w Factor one reflects social-relations content, a "soft" news dimension including eight items. The items are features on patients, individual employees and departments, pictures, news updates and articles on special programs and employee social events and activities. Factor two reflects organizational news, a "hard" news dimension including seven items. The items are articles on general health issues, medical techniques, PSU, medical center services, research, news at the medical center and employee benefits. To test the hypotheses of the study, we constructed additive scales combining the individual items within each factor. Both scales are highly reliable, with Chronbach's alpha =.91 for organizational news, and alpha =.92 for social-relations content (range for alpha is -1.0 to + 1.0, with +1.0 perfect reliability). We also constructed additive scales for the other variables in the hypotheses. Reading to survey the sociability network consists of two items: reading to keep track of friends and because it is enjoyable. Reading to survey the system functions consists of four items: reading to find out what's going on at the the medical center, to improve one's advancement possibilities, to follow management changes and to monitor health issues. These scales have fairly high reliability (Chronbach's alpha for the sociability scale =.68; for the system surveillance scale, .78). The measures of integration also use additive scales. Social integration is reflected in two items: years worked at the medical center, and years one plans to remain an employee at the medical center. This scale is fairly low in reliability (alpha =.22), probably due to the fact that employees who have worked at the medical center a great number of years may be nearing retirement and may no t plan on remaining a medical center employee much longer, even though they are highly socially integrated. Psychological functional integration consists of two items: importance of career advancement and importance of working at the medical center (alpha =.42). Reliability again is fairly low, relative to the surveillance scales, but is acceptable. The low reliability of the integration measures suggests the need for improved measures in future research. Structural functional integration is reflected in a single item, position in the decision-making hierarchy. Analysis

The findings provide somewhat mixed support for the four hypotheses of the study (see table two). Hypothesis one, that functional integration will be positively related to reading to survey the system functions at the medical center, is partially confirmed. Pearson correlations reported in table two reveal that one aspect of functional integration--the psychological dimensionmis positively related to this readership reason. Further, this 56

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Readership Survey relationship is even stronger when we control for social integration through a partial correlation analysis. Thus, there is some evidence that functional integration leads an employee to place greater importance on reading the newsletter to survey orgarfizational system functions. TABLE 2 Tests of Hypotheses HI: Functional Integration (Psychological)

r=+.37

Survey System Functions

Controlling for Social Integration

r=+.41

Survey System Functions

Functional Integration (Structural)

r=-.22

Survey System Functions

r=+.16

Survey Social Network

r=§

Survey Social Network

r=+.60

Readership of Organizational News

Controlling for Integration r=+.30 Readership of Social Content

Readership of Organizational News

H2: Social Integration Controlling for Functional Integration H3: Survey System Functions

H4:

Survey Social Network

r=+.64

Readership of Social Relations Content

Controlling for Integration, r=+.32 Readership of Organizational News

Readership of Social Relations Content

Note: All correlations significant at <.05 level.

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Public Relations l~cvlcw Position in the decision-making hierarchy--a measure of the structural aspect of function integration--is inversely related to reading the newsletter to survey system functions at the medical center. This result, although somewhat unexpected, makes sense. Those higher in the hierarchy no doubt have access to other information sources (e.g., many are department chairs or faculty). Persons lower in the hierarchy are likely to see the newsletter as one of their primary "official" sources of information about the medical center. Table two presents modest support for the second hypothesis. This small correlation indicates that social integration is weakly related to reading the newsletter to survey the sociability network at the medical center. This relationship is even weaker, although statistically significant, when we control for functional integration. Table two also shows that hypothesis three is moderately supported by our correlational analysis. Reading to survey the organizational system functions is strongly related to readership of organizational news. Further, this relationship continues to be fairly strong when certain other factors are controlled for through partial correlation analysis. First, because readership of organizational news and social relations content are highly intercorrelated (r=.78), we controlled for the social news readership dimension. This reduced the correlation between system function reasons and organizational news to r=.32. As well, because they were moderately correlated with organizational news readership, we controlled for three other factors---reading to keep track of the social network, social integration and functional integration. Controlling for these factors, as well as the soft news dimension, produced a correlation of r=.29 between system function reasons and organizational news readership. This finding indicates that employees who place more importance on reading the newsletter to survey system functions do have higher readership of organizational news. The fourth hypothesis states that placing greater importance on surveying the sociability network is related to greater readership of social-relations content. Data reported in table two support this hypothesis. First, there is a significant direct correlation (r=.64) between these two variables. Controlling for social integration, readership of organizational news, reading to survey the system functions and functional integration reduce but do not eliminate the correlations between the two variables in this hypothesis. Conclusions

Correlational analysis indicates moderate support for each of the hypotheses of the study. Higher functional integration, as reflected in the psychological dimensions of this concept, is related to greater importance of reading to survey system functions. Higher social integration is slightly 58

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Readership Survey related to reading to survey the organizational social network. Consequently, greater importance of reading to survey the system functions is moderately related to readership of organizational news, even when several other factors are controlled. Similarly, greater importance of reading to survey the social network is related to reading social-relations content, also when controls are used. These results are somewhat consistent with earlier research by Pavlik et ai.(1982) in which level of career aspirations was significantly correlated with reading a company newsletter to survey system functions, while position in the decision-making hierarchy was not related to this purpose. They suggested that career aspirations may reflect a psychological dimension of integration, while decision-making position a structural dimension. Our results tend to support such a conclusion. Although, we would argue that both reflect an overall functional integration. Further, our results suggest that those high in the decision-making hierarchy look to sources other than an employee newsletter for much of this information. Moreover, they may often be the sources for the newsletter staff writers. Thus, the evidence presented in this paper provides moderate support for the theoretical notion that organizational integration leads to purposive newsletter readership, and that purposes lead to differential readership patterns. It also helps confirm the value of a uses and gratifications approach to the study of employee newsletter readership research. From a practical point of view, our findings have a number of implications for employee communicators. First, these findings suggest that since employees do have content preferences, it is useful to target stories and other types of content at specific employee publics. Perhaps more importantly, those publics can be effectively defined in terms of their integration in the organization. One way to do this is by designing organizational news items to best meet the needs of those employees with high career aspirations or who place a great deal of importance on working at that organization. These employees are especially interested in changes in management, how they can improve their advancement possibilities and surveying the organization in general. They are also likely to be interested in topical areas of high relevance to that organization's industry. For example, highly integrated employees at the Hershey Medical Center are especially interested in finding out about developments in health care. References

Grunig, J.E.(1976), "Communication Behaviors Occurring in Decision and Nondecision Situations." Public Relations Rev/ew,2(2), 252-263. Grunig, J.E.(1977), "Evaluating Employee Communications in a Research Operation." Public Rdations Rev/ew,3(4), 61-82. Smnmer 1990

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l ~ b l i c Relations Review Grunig, J.E.(1979), "Time Budgets, Level of Involvement and use of the Mass Media." Journalism Quarterly, 55(1), 109-18. Grunig, J.E.(1982), "Developing Economic Education Programs for the Press." Public Relations Rev/ew, 8(3), 43-62. Grunig, J.E.(1985), "A Structural Reconceptualization of the Organizational Communication Audit, with Application to a State Department of Education." Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association, Honolulu. Jeffres, L.(1975), "Functions of Media Behaviors." Communication Research, 2, 136-162. Katz, E., J.Blumler and J. Gurevitch (1974), The Uses of Mass Communication. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage. Marks, S.(1987), internal memo, Hershey Medical Center. Netteberg, K.(1984), "Evaluating Change: A Church Publication Studies its Readers." Public Relations Rev/ew, 10(2), 63-71. Pavlik, J., I. Nwosu, D. Ettel (1982), "Why Employees Read Company Newsletters." Public Relations Rev/ew, 8 (3), 23-33. SPSSx Manual (1983), Chicago, IL: McGraw-Hill Book Co.

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