While informational communication influences employees' acceptance of managerial decisions, relational communication exerts most influence on affective commitment, which is the strongest driver of job engagement. This shows that relationship-oriented communication that demonstrates appreciation and allows for participation is particularly important during a crisis, over and above delivering relevant information to employees quickly and reliably.
The article appeared open access (thanks to a voucher by Vienna University) in the Journal of Communication Management. doi.org/10.1108/JCOM-10-2020-0107
