NOWHERE TO GO BUT UP: INVESTIGATING PSYCHOLOGICAL OWNERSHIP AS A MEDIATOR BETWEEN UPWARD COMMUNICATION AND WORK ENGAGEMENT ACROSS SECTORS

Abstract

Although communication is a necessary and inherent aspect of organizational life, organizations often fail to create climates that support the flow of both supportive and constructive communication between employees and their supervisors. Upward communication promotes autonomy and trust in leadership and allows employees to be engaged in their work. Previous research suggests that when employees are satisfied with the upward communication, they are better able to develop promotive psychological ownership. Research also suggests, however, that satisfaction with upward communication differs across the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. Results from 205 private, public, and nonprofit sector employees showed that psychological ownership partially mediated the relationship between upward communication and work engagement. Results also showed no differences among the sectors in terms of satisfaction with upward communication, psychological ownership, or engagement. In the private and public sector samples, however, psychological ownership fully mediated the relationship between upward communication and engagement, whereas in the nonprofit sector sample, only partial mediation was found. This study represents one of the few investigations into upward communication as a driver of these constructs. Future research should focus on validating methods to measure upward communication and identify aspects of organizational culture that encourage or hinder a satisfactory upward communication climate.