The ripple effects of leadership's motivating language: Cultivating employee support for corporate social advocacy and organizational trust

This study investigates the ripple effects of leader motivating language on employee support for Corporate Social Advocacy (CSA), drawing upon motivating language theory and social exchange theory. We hypothesize that leaders' utilization of motivating language, comprising direction-giving, empathetic, and meaning-making communication, within overall internal communications cultivates strong employee-organization identification, subsequently leading to increased employee advocative intentions, positive megaphoning (word of mouth) intentions, and organizational trust. A nationwide survey of 474 full-time employees demonstrated that leaders’ motivating language directly influences employee identification and, indirectly through identification, their support for CSA initiatives. Furthermore, motivating language directly impacts advocacy intentions, megaphoning intentions, and trust, suggesting that the overall use of motivating language can transcend its effects beyond employees' immediate work areas, extending into the realm of companies' social initiatives, such as corporate social advocacy.