Active Employee Communication Roles in Organizations: A Framework for Understanding and Discussing Communication Role Expectations

Figures & data

Table 1. A typology of employee communication roles (derived from Madsen & Verhoeven, 2019)

Communication role	Definition	Example of roles and concepts from the literature
The embodier	Displaying organizational characteristics and values by embodying organizational traits through their communication and behavior while doing their job	Brand ambassador, brand builder, organizational citizen behavior, ‘living the brand’, responsible corporate citizen
The promotor	Strengthening corporate reputation by communicating positive messages about the organization	Brand ambassador, brand builder, employee advocate
The defender	Defending the organization against bad news or criticism from external stakeholders	Faith-holder, brand defender, crisis communicator
The relationship builder	Initiating, maintaining and improving stakeholder relations	Boundary spanner, employer branding, CSR communicator, corporate employee volunteer
The scout	Gathering environmental information about organizational, societal and technological developments	Scouting, organizational listening, knowledge sharer, knowledge broker
The sensemaker	Organizing organizational and environmental information into comprehensible meanings/frames	Sense maker, narrator, storyteller, change agent
The innovator	Proactively coming up with new ideas and initiating organizational change	Entrepreneur, idea developer, innovator, cocreator, decision maker
The critic	Addressing shortcomings in the organization (either internally or externally), by raising their voice to upper management, colleagues, social media or the press	Whistleblowing, employee voice, dissenter, hate holder, moral work climate

Madsen, V. T., & Verhoeven, J. W. M. (2019). The big idea of employees as strategic communicators in public relation. In Frandsen, F., Johansen, W., Tench, R., & Romenti, S. (Eds.), Big ideas in public relations research and practice. Emerald Publishing Limited (Vol. 4, (Advances in Public Relations and Communication Management, pp. 143–162). Emerald Publishing Limited, Bingley. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1108/S2398-391420190000004011

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