Walking the talk: An exploratory examination of executive leadership communication at startups in China

References

• Abimbola, T. (2001). Branding as competitive strategy for demand management in SMEs. Journal of Research in Marketing and Entrepreneurship, 3 97–106. doi:10.1108/14715200180001480
   Google Scholar
• Aldoory, L., & Toth, E. (2004). Leadership and gender in public relations: Perceived effectiveness of transformational and transactional leadership styles. Journal of Public Relations Research, 16, 157–183. doi:10.1207/s1532754xjprr1602_2
   Google Scholar
• Arthur W. Page Society. (2007). The authentic enterprise. Retrieved from http://www.awpagesociety.com/attachments/3a0b6883e9cd57a51ec481f7434d865257fb3403/store/a4c3778018d29f14c8a05dfe064774cc47a05a56e60b8f8af8ec985035c8/2007AuthenticEnterprise.pdf
   Google Scholar
• Avery, G. C. (2005). Leadership for sustainable futures: Achieving success in a competitive world. Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar.
   Google Scholar
• Awamleh, R., & Gardner, W. L. (1999). Perceptions of leader charisma and effectiveness: The effects of vision content, delivery, and organizational performance. Leadership Quarterly, 70, 345–373. doi:10.1016/S1048-9843(99)00022-3
   Google Scholar
• Balkin, J. M. (1999). How mass media stimulate political transparency. Cultural Values, 3, 393–413. doi:10.1080/14797589909367175
   Google Scholar
• Baron, J. N., & Hannan, M. T. (2002). Organizational blueprints for success in high-tech startups: Lessons from the Stanford project on emerging companies. California Management Review, 44(3), 8–36. doi:10.2307/41166130
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Bass, B. M., & Avolio, B. J. (1997). Full range leadership development: Manual for multifactor leadership questionnaire. Palo Alto, CA: Mind Garden, Inc.
   Google Scholar
• Berg, B. L. (2007). Qualitative research methods for the social sciences (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
   Google Scholar
• Berger, B. (2008). Employee/organizational communications. Institute for Public Relations. Retrieved from: http://www.instituteforpr.org/topics/employee-organizational-communications/
   Google Scholar
• Berger, B., & Meng, J. (2014). Public relations leaders as sensemakers: A global study of leadership in public relations and communication management. New York, NY: Routledge.
   Google Scholar
• Bresciani, S., & Eppler, M. (2010). Brand new ventures? Insights on startups’ branding practices. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 19, 356–366. doi:10.1108/10610421011068595
   Google Scholar
• Cameron, G. T., & McCollum, T. (1993). Competing corporate cultures: A multi-method, cultural analysis of the role of internal communication. Journal of Public Relations Research, 5, 217–250. doi:10.1207/s1532754xjprr0504_01
   Google Scholar
• Carter, R. F. (1965). Communication and affective relations. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 42, 203. doi:10.1177/107769906504200204
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Chaffee, S. H., & McLeod, J. M. (1968). Sensitization in panel design: A coorientational experiment. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 45, 661-669. doi:10.1177/107769906804500406
   Google Scholar
• Chiles, A. M., & Zorn, T. E. (1995). Empowerment in organizations: Employees’ perceptions of the influences on empowerment. Journal of Applied Communication, 23, 1–25. doi:10.1080/00909889509365411
   Google Scholar
• Christensen, L. T., & Langer, R. (2009). Public Relations and the strategic use of transparency. Consistency, hypocrisy, and corporate change. In R. Heath, E. Toth, & D. Waymer (Eds.), Rhetorical and critical approaches to public relations II (pp. 127–153). New York, NY: Routledge.
   Google Scholar
• Clampitt, P. G. (2001). Communicating for managerial effectiveness (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
   Google Scholar
• Colbert, A. E., Kristof-Brown, A. L., Bradley, B. H., & Barrick, M. R. (2008). CEO transformational leadership: The role of goal importance congruence in top management teams. Academy of Management Journal, 51, 81–96. doi:10.5465/AMJ.2008.30717744
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Crescenzo, S. (2011). Internal employee communications media. In T. Gillis (Ed.), The IABC handbook of organizational communication (2nd ed., pp. 219–230). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
   Google Scholar
• Daft, R. L., & Lengel, R. H. (1984). Information richness: A new approach to managerial information processing and organizational design. In B. Staw & L. L. Cummings (Eds.), Research in organizational behavior (Vol. 6, pp. 191–233). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
   Google Scholar
• De Vries, R. E., Bakker-Pieper, A., & Oostenveld, W. (2009). Leadership = communication? The relations of leaders’ communication styles with leadership styles, knowledge sharing and leadership outcomes. Journal of Business Psychology, 25, 367–380. doi:10.1007/s10869-009-9140-2
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Fairhurst, G. T. (2009). Discursive leadership: In conversation with leadership psychology. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
   Google Scholar
• Fairhurst, G. T., & Connaughton, S. (2014). Leadership communication. In L. L. Putnam & D. K. Mumby (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of organizational communication: Advances in theory, research, and methods (3rd ed., pp. 401–424). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
   Google Scholar
• Fanelli, A., & Misangyi, V. F. (2006). Bringing out charisma: CEO charisma and external stakeholders. Academy of Management Review, 31, 1049–1061. doi:10.5465/AMR.2006.22528170
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Finlay, L. (2002). Negotiating the swamp: The opportunity and challenge of reflexivity in research practice. Qualitative Research, 2, 209–230. doi:10.1177/146879410200200205
   Google Scholar
• Freeman, D., & Siegfried, R. L. (2015). Entrepreneurial leadership in the context of company startup and growth. Journal of Leadership Studies, 8(4), 35–39. doi:10.1002/jls.21351
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Friedl, J., & Verčič, A. T. (2011). Media preferences of digital natives’ internal communication: A pilot study. Public Relations Review, 37, 84–86. doi:10.1016/j.pubrev.2010.12.004
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Garbett, T. (1988). How to build a corporation’s identity and project its image. Lexington, MA: Lexington.
   Google Scholar
• Garten, J. (2001). The mind of the CEO. London, UK: Penguin Books.
   Google Scholar
• Gillis, T. (2006). Internal communication media. In T. Gillis (Ed.), The IABC handbook of organizational communication (pp. 257–267). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
   Google Scholar
• Grbich, C. (2007). Qualitative data analysis: An introduction. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
   Google Scholar
• Groysberg, B., & Slind, M. (2011). Talk, Inc. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press.
   Google Scholar
• Grubbs, L. (1984). Chief executive officer communication in the American corporate environment. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. University of Texas at Austin. Austin, TX.
   Google Scholar
• Grunig, J. E. (2006). Furnishing the edifice: Ongoing research on public relations as a strategic management function. Journal of Public Relations Research, 18, 151–176. doi:10.1207/s1532754xjprr1802_5
   Google Scholar
• Grunig, L. A. (1993). Image and substance: From symbolic to behavioral relationships. Public Relations Review, 19, 121–139. doi:10.1016/0363-8111(93)90003-U
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Grunig, L. A., Grunig, J. E., & Dozier, D. (2002). Excellent public relations and effective organizations: A study of communication management in three countries. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
   Google Scholar
• Hansen, M. H., & Svarverud, R. (2010). iChina: The rise of the individual in modern Chinese society. Copenhagen, Denmark: Nordic Institute of Asian Studies.
   Google Scholar
• Hofstede, G., & Hofstede, G. J. (2005). Cultures and organizations: Software of the mind. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
   Google Scholar
• House, R. J., Hangers, P. J., Javidan, J., Dorfman, P. W., & Gupta, V. (2004). Leadership, culture, and organizations: The GLOBLE study of 62 societies. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
   Google Scholar
• Hulett, J. E. (1945). The Kenny Healing Cult: Preliminary analysis of leadership and patterns of interaction. American Sociological Review, 10, 364–372. doi:10.2307/2085582
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Hutton, J. G., Goodman, M. B., Alexander, J. B., & Genest, C. M. (2001). Reputation management: The new face of corporate public relations? Public Relations Review, 27, 247–261. doi:10.1016/S0363-8111(01)00085-6
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Jameson, D. A. (2014). Crossing public-private and personal-professional boundaries: How changes in technology may affect CEOs’ communication business. Business and Professional Community Quarterly, 77, 7–30. doi:10.1177/2329490613517133
   Google Scholar
• Jin, Y. (2010). Emotional leadership as a key dimension of public relations leadership: National survey of public relations leaders. Journal of Public Relations Research, 22, 159–181. doi:10.1080/10627261003601622
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Kang, J. H., Solomon, G. T., & Choi, D. Y. (2015). CEOs’ leadership style and managers’ innovative behavior: Investigation of intervening effects in an entrepreneurial context. Journal of Management Studies, 52, 531–554. doi:10.1111/joms.12125
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Kantabutra, S. (2008). What do we know about vision? Journal of Applied Business Research, 24, 127–138. doi:10.19030/jabr.v24i2.1359
   Google Scholar
• Kantola, A. (2014). Mediatization of power: Corporate CEOs in flexible capitalism. Nordicom Review, 35(2), 29–41. doi:10.2478/nor-2014-0013
   Google Scholar
• Keyton, J. (2014). Organizational culture: Creating meaning and influence. In L. L. Putnam & D. K. Mumby (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of organizational communication: Advances in theory, research, and methods (pp. 549–568). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
   Google Scholar
• Li, K. (2016, March 5). Report on the work of the government: Delivered at the fourth session of the 12th National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China on March 5, 2016. (2016). Wall Street Journal, Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/NPC2016_WorkReport_English.pdf
   Google Scholar
• Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic Inquiry. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
   Google Scholar
• Lipiäinen, H. S. M., Karjaluoto, H. E., & Nevalainen, M. (2014). Digital channels in the internal communication of a multinational corporation. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 19, 275–286. doi:10.1108/CCIJ-07-2012-0050
   Google Scholar
• MacVicar, D., & Throne, D. (1992). Managing high-tech start-ups. Boston, MA: Butterworth-Heinemann.
   Google Scholar
• Mayfield, J., & Mayfield, M. (2017). Leadership communication: Reflecting, engaging, and innovating. International Journal of Business Communication, 54, 3–11. doi:10.1177/2329488416675446
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• McCracken, G. D. (1988). The long interview. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
   Google Scholar
• Men, L. R. (2011). How employee empowerment influences organization–Employee relationship in China. Public Relations Review, 37, 435–437. doi:10.1016/j.pubrev.2011.08.008
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Men, L. R. (2014a). Why leadership matters to internal communication: Linking transformational leadership, symmetrical communication, and employee outcomes. Journal of Public Relations Research, 26, 256–279. doi:10.1080/1062726X.2014.908719
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Men, L. R. (2014b). Strategic internal communication: Transformational leadership, communication channels, and employee satisfaction. Management Communication Quarterly, 28, 264–284. doi:10.1177/0893318914524536
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Men, L. R. (2015). The internal communication role of the chief executive officer: Communication channels, style, and effectiveness. Public Relations Review, 41, 461–471. doi:10.1016/j.pubrev.2015.06.021
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Men, L. R., & Bowen, S. A. (2017). Excellence in internal communication management. New York, NY: Business Expert Press.
   Google Scholar
• Men, L. R., & Hung, C. J. F. (2012). Exploring the roles of organization-public relationships in strategic management: Towards an integrated model. International Journal of Strategic Communication, 6, 151–173. doi:10.1080/1553118X.2011.605778
   Google Scholar
• Men, L. R., Ji, Y. G., & Chen, Z. F. (2017). Dialogues with entrepreneurs in China: How start-up companies cultivate relationships with strategic publics. Journal of Public Relations Research, 29, 90–113. doi:10.1080/1062726X.2017.1329736
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Men, L. R., & Jiang, H. (2016). Cultivating quality employee-organization relationships: The interplay among organizational leadership, culture, and communication. International Journal of Strategic Communication, 10, 462–479. doi:10.1080/1553118X.2016.1226172
   Google Scholar
• Men, L. R., & Stacks, D. (2014). The effects of authentic leadership on strategic internal communication and employee-organization relationships. Journal of Public Relations Research, 26, 301–324. doi:10.1080/1062726X.2014.908720
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Men, L. R., & Tsai, W. H. S. (2012). How companies cultivate relationships with publics on social network sites: Evidence from China and the United States. Public Relations Review, 38, 723–730. doi:10.1016/j.pubrev.2011.10.006
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Men, L. R., Yang, A., Song, B., & Kiousis, S. (2017, March). Government-public relationship cultivation in the digital era: The impact of public engagement and political leadership communication on social media. Paper presented at the 20th International Public Relations Research Conference, Miami, FL.
   Google Scholar
• Meng, J. (2009, May). Excellent leadership in public relations: An integrating conceptual framework. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the International Communication Association, Chicago, IL.
   Google Scholar
• Meng, J., Berger, B. K., Gower, K. K., & Heyman, W. C. (2012). A test of excellent leadership in public relations: Key qualities, valuable sources, and distinctive leadership perceptions. Journal of Public Relations Research, 24, 18–36. doi:10.1080/1062726X.2012.626132
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Molleda, J. C. (2010). Authenticity and the construct’s dimensions in public relations and communication research. Journal of Communication Management, 14, 223–236. doi:10.1108/13632541011064508
   Google Scholar
• Mueller, S., Volery, T., & von Siemens, B. (2012). What do entrepreneurs actually do? An observational study of entrepreneurs’ everyday behavior in the start-up and growth stages. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 36, 995–1017. doi:10.1111/j.1540-6520.2012.00538.x
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• O’Reilly, C. A., Caldwell, D. F., Chatman, J. A., & Doerr, B. (2014). The promise and problems of organizational culture: CEO personality, culture, and firm performance. Group & Organization Management, 39, 595–625. doi:10.1177/1059601114550713
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• O’Reilly, C. A., Chatman, J., & Caldwell, D. F. (1991). People and organizational culture: A profile comparisons approach to assessing person-organization fit. Academy of Management Journal, 34, 497–516. doi:10.2307/256404
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Park, D., & Berger, B. K. (2004). The presentation of CEOs in the press, 1990-2000: Increasing salience, positive valuence, and a focus on competency and personal dimensions of image. Journal of Public Relations Research, 16, 93–125. doi:10.1207/s1532754xjprr1601_4
   Google Scholar
• Patton, M. Q. (1990). Qualitative evaluation and research methods. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
   Google Scholar
• Peterson, S. J., Walumbwa, F. O., Byron, K., & Myrowitz, J. (2009). CEO positive psychological traits, transformational leadership, and firm performance in high-technology start-up and established firms. Journal of Management, 35, 348–368. doi:10.1177/0149206307312512
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Petkova, A. P., Rindova, V. P., & Gupta, A. K. (2008). How can new ventures build reputation? An exploratory study. Corporate Reputation Review, 11, 320–344. doi:10.1057/crr.2008.27
   Google Scholar
• Pincus, J. D., Rayfield, R. E., & Cozzens, M. D. (1991). The Chief Executive Officer’s internal communication role: A benchmark program of research. Journal of Public Relations Research, 3, 1–35. doi:10.1207/s1532754xjprr0301-4_1
   Google Scholar
• Rawlins, B. (2009). Give the emperor a mirror: Toward developing a stakeholder measurement of organizational transparency. Journal of Public Relations Research, 21, 71–99. doi:10.1080/10627260802153421
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Resick, C. J., Whitman, D. S., Weingarden, S. M., & Hiller, N. J. (2009). The bright-side and the dark-side of CEO personality: Examining core self-evaluations, narcissism, transformational leadership, and strategic influence. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94, 1365. doi:10.1037/a0016238
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Ritchie, J., & Lewis, J. (2003). Qualitative research practice: A guide for social science students and researchers. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
   Google Scholar
• Rode, V., & Vallaster, C. (2005). Corporate branding for start-ups: The crucial role of entrepreneurs. Corporate Reputation Review, 8, 121–135. doi:10.1057/palgrave.crr.1540244
   Google Scholar
• Saini, S., & Plowman, K. (2007). Effective communications in growing pre-IPO start-ups. Journal of Promotion Management, 13, 203–232. doi:10.1080/10496490802308547
   Google Scholar
• Scandura, T. A., & Pellegrini, E. K. (2008). Trust and leader-member exchange: A closer look at relational vulnerability. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 15, 101–110. doi:10.1177/1548051808320986
   Google Scholar
• Schein, E. H. (2004). Organizational culture and leadership (3rd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
   Google Scholar
• Seltzer, T., & Zhang, W. (2011). Debating healthcare reform: How political parties’ issue-specific communication influences citizens’ perceptions of organization-public relationships. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 88(4), 753–770. doi:10.1177/107769901108800405
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Sha, B.-L. (2016). Editor’s essay. Journal of Public Relations Research, 28, 123–126. doi:10.1080/1062726X.2016.1243429
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Sheer, V. C. (2011). Teenagers’ use of MSN features, discussion topics, and online friendship development: The impact of media richness and communication control. Communication Quarterly, 59, 82–103. doi:10.1080/01463373.2010.525702
   Google Scholar
• Sriram, P. (2014, April). The art of leadership communication: 6 rules for effective communication. Leadership Excellence. Retrieved October 10, 2016, from http://www.hr.com/en/magazines/leadership_excellence_essentials/april_2014_leadership/the-art-of-leadership-communication-6-rules-for-ef_hubbvic4.html
   Google Scholar
• Transparency International Secretariat. (July 11, 2016). Emerging market companies show low levels of transparency, allowing corruption to thrive. Retrieved from http://www.transparency.org/news/pressrelease/emerging_market_companies_show_low_levels_of_transparency_allowing_corrupti
   Google Scholar
• Tsai, W.-H. S., & Men, L. R. (2016). Social CEOs: The effects of CEOs’ communication styles and parasocial interaction on social networking sites. New Media & Society, 19, 1848–1867. doi:10.1177/1461444816643922
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Waldmann, D. A., Ramirez, G. G., House, R. J., & Puranam, P. (2001). Does leadership matter? CEO leadership attributes and profitability under conditions of perceived environmental uncertainty. Academy of Management Journal, 44, 134–143. doi:10.2307/3069341
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008, February). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure. Journal of Management, 34, 89–126. doi:10.1177/0149206307308913
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Werder, K. P., & Holtzhausen, D. (2009). An analysis of the influence of public relations department leadership style on public relations strategy use and effectiveness. Journal of Public Relations Research, 21, 404–427. doi:10.1080/10627260902966391
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Whalen, M., Khin-Maung-Gyi, F., & Smithwick, D. (2004). Leadership style and values charts the course for an entrepreneurial journey. Journal of Organizational Excellence, 23(2), 43–50. doi:10.1002/npr.20004
   Google Scholar
• White, C., Vanc, A., & Stafford, G. (2010). Internal communication, information satisfaction, and sense of community: The effect of personal influence. Journal of Public Relations Research, 21, 65–84. doi:10.1080/10627260903170985
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Whitworth, B. (2011). Internal communication. In T. Gillis (Ed.), The IABC handbook of organizational communication (2nd ed., pp. 205–214). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
   Google Scholar
• Wu, J. (2014). How WeChat, the most popular social network in China, cultivates wellbeing. Scholarly Commons, Retrieved September 10, from http://repository.upenn.edu/mapp_capstone/65
   Google Scholar
• Xinhua. (2015, June 17). China’s startups boom as money pours in. China Daily. Retrieved from http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2015-06/17/content_21034744.htm
   Google Scholar
• Yukl, G. (2006). Leadership in organizations (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
   Google Scholar
• Yukl, G., & Van Fleet, D. D. (1992). Theory and research on leadership in organizations. In M. D. Dunnette & L. M. Hough (Eds.), Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology (Vol. 3, pp. 147–197). Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.
   Google Scholar
• Zaleznik, A. (2004). Managers and leaders: Are they different? Harvard Business Review, January 2004 issue. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2004/01/managers-and-leaders-are-they-different
   Google Scholar
• Zhang, L. (2015, June 9). China’s startup boom: 7 new firms every minute. China.org. Retrieved October 24, 2015, from http://www.china.org.cn/business/2015-06/09/content_35775291.htm
   Google Scholar