Reframing Internal Communication: Cross-Cultural Links to Engagement and Life Satisfaction

This study investigates whether internal communication satisfaction (ICS) operates consistently across cultural contexts and how it connects organizational and technological conditions to employee engagement (EE) and life satisfaction (LS). Guided by Social Exchange Theory and the Media Affordances Perspective, we tested a process model in Croatia, Italy, Slovenia, and the United Kingdom ( N = 1,458). ICS was examined as an outcome of perceived organizational support (POS), psychological contract fulfillment (PCF), and digital communication acceptance (DCA), and as a predictor of EE and LS. We further hypothesized cultural moderation, expecting stronger POS–ICS links in hierarchical societies and stronger ICS–EE effects in individualistic contexts. Using a three-wave survey and country-level regressions, results show that all modeled paths are statistically significant, though only two of five cultural hypotheses are supported. POS relates more strongly to ICS in high power distance contexts, while ICS relates more strongly to EE in individualistic settings.