Investigating employer branding with mediation of trust and moderation of social media branding

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

Drawing on Edgar Schein’s cultural model and the social identity theory, this study attempts to establish an empirical relationship between organizational culture and employer brand with mediation of organizational trust and moderation of employer social media branding.

METHODS:

The study, being quantitative in nature, used survey method to collect data from 106 employees of public sector universities of Pakistan. A conceptual framework was developed where we tested direct relationship between culture and brand using linear regression. The mediating role of trust and moderation of social media branding were tested with Jamovi statistics.

RESULTS:

The results suggest that organizational culture has a significant positive relationship with employer brand. Moreover, organizational trust mediates this relationship and employer social media branding emerged as a moderator.

CONCLUSION:

The study has multidimensional theoretical and practical contributions. It recommends that organizations should use multi-layered culture as an essential tool to develop and improve their employer brand, which can prove a source of attracting quality talent in the modern talent intensive market. This way, organizations can prove themselves as the best places to work. Further, organizations can strengthen their employer brand by improving the trust level between management and employees, and they can harness the matchless power of modern social media for their employer branding activities.

Keywords

Organizational culture employer brand organizational trust employer social media branding

Mr. Faisal Qamar is an Assistant Professor-Business Administration at Sukkur IBA University. Main research interests include leadership, organizational behavior, employee well-being and HRM practices. ORCID ID: 0000-0003-4916-8229

Dr. Shuaib Ahmed is an Assistant Professor of HRM/OB at Sukkur IBA University. He holds Ph.D. in HRM and OB from IAE Aix-Marseille University, France. Main research interests include psychology, organizational behavior, and HRM practices. ORCID ID: 0000-0003-0849-8942

1 Introduction

Employer branding has merited significant interest in recent times [1, 2]. The growing competition and scarcity of talented workforce pose a significant threat to business, pushing global managers to chalk out non-traditional ways to tackle such challenges. Given the importance of employer branding for creating a unique employer identity and retaining and attracting quality talent, it is among managers’ key strategic priorities today [3, 4]. Employer branding is the firm’s set of activities and efforts targeted toward internal and external audiences to promote its image as a unique and desirable employer [5]. Based on employee value proposition, it is an organization’s intangible asset by which the organization positions itself in the eyes of current and prospective employees. It is a technique employers use to create, maintain, and project their image as ideal workplaces for attracting the best talent. Literature indicates it is a derivative of organizational culture [6] because culture shapes employer brand through behavioral elements [7]. In addition, employer brand is incorporated as a part of culture, whereas, brand and culture can influence each other [5].

We define culture as sum total of ways the organization presents itself, including various trends, norms, values, beliefs, behavioral patterns, and practices shared collectively by all its members and transmitted to the newcomers [8]. Culture works as a force comprising various elements (Ahmed et al., 2014). It includes organization’s efforts for tackling external forces, problems and exigencies and dealing with internal problems over time [10]. Literature indicates that organizational culture has a substantial role in creating a quality employer brand; various organizational practices embedded in the culture project employer as an ideal place for work [11]. Culture and brand have significant importance for attracting quality talent and achieving organizational objectives [12]. Prior studies indicate that organizational culture may lead to negative or positive outcomes. Negative culture might lead to stress, burnout, anxiety and psychological disorders among employees [13], whereas, positive organizational culture leads to positive outcomes like, job satisfaction [14], innovativeness [15] and employee performance [16]. Positive culture may cause organizational trust [17] and can ultimately lead to employer brand as a result [5, 18]. Organizational trust is a vital component for understanding employer brand [19, 20]. Trust is gaining increased attention nowadays [19], and is one of the most critical factors contributing to business and brand development [21]. Literature indicates it may be used as a mediating variable [22 –24] because organizational trust as an outcome of organizational culture [25] can result in employer brand. Moreover, employees show higher buy-in when they feel valued and connected to the organization through trust relationship. Organizations need to be customer-focused and employee-focused and must value internal branding and external branding [6].

Present study applies Edger Schein’s multi-layered approach of viewing culture [26] as Hogan and Coote [27] reported that Schein’s cultural model is an organizationally effective tool. Schein’s model offers comprehensive applications and has gained substantial scholarly attention over the years; please see [28] and [29]. Considering Schein’s view of layered-culture, our study argues that positive organizational culture nurtures employer brand through the mechanism of organizational trust and moderation of employer social media branding. Social media can make projections, showcase organizational culture and buffer the relationship between organizational culture and employer brand. For the last decade, social networking sites have been on the rise and integrated into business operations. It has opened novel and creative trends for doing business; a firm’s active, responsive, and continuous presence on social media can prove a game-changer [30]. Keeping in with the literature and future research directions, the mediating role of organizational trust and buffering role of employer social media branding between multi-layered organizational culture and employer brand have not been studied (to the best of researcher’s knowledge) as Tanwar and Kumar [31] highlighted that more holistic model of employer brand may be developed by introducing various mediators and moderators. The mediating mechanism of organizational trust between different organizational cultural contexts has been studied i.e., job satisfaction, performance, and turnover intentions [32]; [23] and [33]. However, literature recommends employing various organizational variables such as organizational trust as a mediator between organizational culture and employer brand in different organizational branding contexts [5 , 34]. Therefore, the study aims to fill this research gap by using mediating and moderating variables in the relationship between organizational culture and employer brand.

Further, literature evidences that research on employer brand is not only limited to service and manufacturing businesses, because many authors have investigated it for universities and higher education institutes (HEIs) [1 , 5]. These studies have come up with conceptualizations, various attributes and determinants of employer brand for HEIs. Others have studied culture and brand in various contexts of HEIs [35, 36]. But empirical work on public sector universities in Pakistan, where multi-layered culture [26] integrated with social identity assumption [37] is proposed as an employer brand building tool is either too rare or not conducted earlier. Further to this, according to Hogan and Coote [27] despite higher practical value and intuitive appeal of Schein’s model, empirical work related to it is very rare. Given above, present study offers an empirical test of Schein’s model based purely on its original propositions, i.e., artifacts, values and basic assumptions as core dimensions of culture.Based on these arguments, present study addresses existing research gap as it presents multi-layered culture as a strategic tool for employer branding to attract quality faculty and staff.

We argue that present study has potential to address various managerial issues in the realm of HRM, especially those related to talent attraction and retention generally in all organizations and particularly in public sector universities. Strengthening organizational culture at three different layers, as opposed to single-layered approach and collective role of these layers for fostering trust is itself a unique means introduced by this study for instrumenting quality employer brand. This study argues: 1. HR Managers can critically evaluate and improve culture from all dimensions, i.e., artifacts, values and assumptions as highlighted by Schein [26], 2. They can gauge the existing level of employee trust in management and further boost it for a better brand identity as suggested by Backhaus and Tikoo [5]. In view of social identity theory, it will motivate people to be proudly identified with the organization as highlighted by App et al. [38], and 3. They can integrate social media into routine operations as a major channel for connecting with potential recruits and can use it as a carrier of employer brand image. Hence, this study suggests a unique way of attracting and retaining talent by designing a mechanism for HR managers, especially in public sector universities of Pakistan. Managers can materialize cultural dimensions for building trust and brand; whereas, social media can work as a brand development mechanism.

Present study has following research objectives:

To investigate whether multi-layered organizational culture positively affects employer brand in the context of higher education institutes.

To determine if organizational trust mediates the nexus between organizational culture and employer brand.

To test whether employer social media branding moderates the relationship of organizational culture and employer brand.

2 Literature review and hypothesis

2.1 Organizational culture

Organizational culture (OC) has been widely studied and researched over the years in the arenas of Strategic Management and Organizational Behavior [23]. Organizations have unique cultures defining their distinctive identities [39]. OC is dynamic in nature, it is being created and changed by our actions and interactions [40]. Literature indicates there are various perspectives and approaches in understanding culture; this is why various dimensions, models and definitions of culture can be found [27, 41]. For present study, we consider Edgar Schein’s model of organizational culture [26] as a potential mechanism for understanding OC. Schein proposes simultaneous existence of OC at three levels, i.e., Artifacts (surface level/visible), Values (lying below artifacts) and Basic Assumptions (at the core) [42].

Cultural artifacts are the outermost components of OC and include processes, human behaviors, structures revolving around human interactions and practices; may be related to hiring, firing and development [43]. Artifacts are the physical, tangible, audible and visible things, apparently available in the organization and usually part of the work environment [42]. Values form the mid-level layer of OC and are of intrinsic worth to the organization; these include philosophies, perceptual patterns, standard behavioral patterns and the ways by which social interactions are carried out in the organizations. Values are vital components, critical success factors and crucial behaviors contributing to the OC. When people reflect and exhibit positive values like positivity, professionalism and socialization, it leads the organization towards achieving its desired goals and outcomes [41]. Basic assumptions are at the core and perform as key to understanding (and changing) the OC [42]. Assumptions, being the deepest layer of OC, are taken for granted beliefs prevailing in the minds of organizational members. Schein categorizes them into assumptions of truth, time, space, human nature, and individuals relationships [40].

According to Edgar Schein, strong organizational cultures are those where group membership reflects homogeneity and stability and where shared experiences of the group members have larger length and high intensity [44]. Biswas and Suar [45] further stressed that the organizations investing in developing strong cultures can use it as a competitive edge if the organization can project itself as an employer of choice; it is the role culture can play towards creating a strong employer brand.

2.2 Employer brand

Ambler and Barrow [18] were the first to introduce the concept of employer brand (EB) in the domain of HRM. They defined it as a package comprising economic, psychological and functional benefits for employees. They argued that companies with implicit EB (inherently focused brand building approach) can maintain higher employee retention and attract quality potential employees. According to Backhaus and Tikoo [5] EB works in two streams-internal and external branding. Internal branding efforts are directed towards existing employees which perform the function of identity management and lead towards employee loyalty and ultimate productivity. External branding is targeted at potential hires and it works for organizational image management and results in employer attraction. Lissaneddine et al. [1] argued that EB involves a three-phase process. First, employers develop employee value proposition (EVP); second, they externally market that EVP to potential hires, and finally, they market the brand internally by incorporating it as a part of culture and deliver the commitments made to the existing employees [5, 7]. EB is a strategic tool and given the prevailing situation of so-called war for talent, it is high time for organizations to utilize it for standing out from rival firms [2]. EB inarguably involves purposeful efforts for presenting a positive and attractive organizational image to existing and potential employees. It is undoubtedly one of the powerful mechanisms for gaining competitive edge [34].

Among various approaches to study and understand EB, many studies have identified the role of social identity theory in developing EB [3, 46]. Social identity theory is a social psychology theory first introduced by Tajfel and his companions [37, 47]. Social identity theory proposes that an individual develops self-concept or personal identity through the affiliation or membership with social group that satisfies the individual’s self-esteem needs [46]. The more worth one perceives for that social group, the more he/she will be willing to associate with that group in terms of shifting his/her individual identity to that of the group’s identity [48] and from an employee’s viewpoint that social group is the organization, whereas, the specific type of social identification is the Organizational Identification (OI) [5]. App et al. [38] and Backhaus and Tikoo [5] discussed the role of social identity theory for developing EB. They linked both by proposing that the employees’ self-concept depends on their relationship or association with their organizations and is highly affected by the organization’s public image or overall reputation. EB enhances the employee’s self-identity when the organization has a stronger brand and positive public image because employees compare their EB with other less strong brands, which improves their self-concept.

2.3 Organizational culture and employer brand

There are strong bonds between the OC and EB. Culture is a binding and pushing force that encourages people to come to the workplace as their second home. In any culture, people exhibit shared values each day, contribute their best to achieve business goals, and build and maintain employer image as a great place to work [6]. According to Biswas and Suar [45] the current era has witnessed the most intensive talent war. The competition of attracting a quality workforce and using it as a competitive edge is at its peak. It can be achieved only by propagating employee-centric OC leading towards the customer-centric organization that contributes to becoming a top-class EB. Today, service organizations emphasize more on cultural context, and that culture reinforces the employees to think, feel, act and react towards the customers and the brand in a patterned or programmed manner, as if their OC is leading them to reflect their EB [49].

Kucherov and Zavyalova [50] empirically compared companies with EB and companies without EB. The study concluded that organizations need to adopt the best HRM and HRD practices (as part of culture) to become employers of choice. Organizations need to foster a culture that promotes a strong EVP to present themselves as best-fit places to work. Keino et al. [11] examined the impact of OC on EB through various HRM practices. The study concluded that when organizations create and foster positive core values and develop a culture where employees are encouraged to perform at their best, OC will positively contribute to EB. Bendaraviciene [51] conducted comprehensive research on Lithuania’s public and private higher education institutes and developed organizational attractiveness extraction scale (OAES). The study concluded that organizational culture was an overarching dimension of best workplaces and is an important contributor to the employer brand development for higher education institutes. Azam and Qureshi [52] recently conducted an exploratory study to examine factors of employer brand image for higher education institutes (HEIs) in Pakistan. The findings suggested that organizational culture is among the core factors defining EB in HEIs of Pakistan. So, the research evidence supports our proposition that OC develops and enhances EB. Therefore, we hypothesize the following:

Organizational culture positively impacts employer brand.

2.4 Organizational trust as mediator

Organizational Trust (OT) is among the vital components driving organizational success [53]. According to Mollering et al. [54] trust was introduced in the organizational domains through the theory of economic organization and governance. OT is the organization’s perceived trustworthiness because employees expect trust and respect at work [55]. It is the overall evaluation of the organization by its members in terms of confidence that organization will align its words and actions and will not harm them [56]. OT comprises of three components, i.e., integrity, dependability and competence [57]. In view of Bustamante [19] OT serves as an essential catalyst for deriving employee satisfaction and helps organization achieve the status of employer of choice because people are attracted to those organizations where OT is high. OT is one of the crucial factors that OC influences. In order to improve employee satisfaction and achieve better organizational results, understanding the relationship between OC and OT is very important because various types of OC influence the trust of employees in the top management in public sector organizations [25].

Literature indicates empirical work related to the mediation effect of OT like [32, 45], whereas, the pioneering work and later reviews on EB like, [5, 36]. Ambler and Barrow [18] also argue that OT is a significant component in the EB building process. Moreover, according to Bendaraviciene [51], for developing attractive employer brands in higher education industry, building organizational trust is crucial for HEIs. So, based on research evidence that OT can mediate the relationship between OC and EB, we hypothesize the following:

OT mediates the relationship between OC and EB.

2.5 Employer social media branding as moderator

Social media is among the top managerial agendas today and has strategic importance for 21^st century businesses [1]. As digital transformation offers a great deal of opportunities for organizations, it is an emerging source of competitive advantage [58]. In a recent empirical study Hitt et al. [59] concluded that an organization’s use of social media can play instrumental role for building attractive EB and can enhance the brand’s perception. Wolf et al. [60] examined the effect of social media on EB and concluded that social networking sites like, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube have significant potential to promote employer image as an attractive brand. In a study on hospital by Carpentier et al. [61], it was observed that use and visits of hospital’s social media pages can positively influence various EB dimensions. Those nurses who visited the hospital’s social media pages were attracted more towards the hospital and perceived the hospital as a better place to work.

Further, for attracting millennials who are going to dominate 21^st century workforce [62] the traditional branding and sourcing mechanisms might not work effectively. So employers need to make a better use of web communications and internet-based resources to attract the desired potential employees [63]. Recent work of Lissaneddine et al. [1] highlights that social networking sites have powerful impact on EB. Hence, today’s organizations need to attach due importance and pay attention to e-reputation (electronic reputation) for their long-term survival. Sivertzen et al. [36] undertook empirical research on three higher education institutes of Norway; the study findings suggested that HEIs should make social media an integral part of their employer branding strategy because of its instrumental role to attract quality human resources. Literature indicates moderation effect of social media in various branding contexts, please see [64, 65] and [31]. So, based on the support of literature that employer social media branding (ESMB) can moderate the relationship between OC and EB, we hypothesize the following:

ESMB moderates the relationship between OC and EB.

3 Methodology

3.1 Participants and procedure

The study data were collected from faculty and staff members of public sector universities located in Sukkur and Kandhkot cities of Pakistan. That region was chosen because Sukkur is the emerging educational hub connecting other parts of the country and universities operating there (although few in number) are publicly viewed as reputable organizations from the perspectives of quality education and employment opportunities. Simple random sampling was followed for this study. The selection criteria were the participants’ years of experience in the industry (i.e., 2 years or above) and their know-how of social media as an employer branding tool (Users of LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, etc.). The authors met few participants in-person and gathered cell numbers of other participants through various sources. It was formally informed that participation in the study is voluntary. Many of them showed interest to take part in our research because to them research problem was quite appealing and interesting. We formally communicated the research purpose and procedure to conduct the study to the participants and assured them to maintain confidentiality of their identity and information. The questionnaires were sent via whatsapp and in other cases link of google form was sent. Total 278 invites were sent, out of which 106 survey questionnaires were returned. The response rate was around 40%. The final sample included 95 (90%) males and 11 females (10%) with years of experience upto three years (13%) and above three years (87%). Majority of participants [83] had permanent jobs (78%), whereas, remaining 23 were contractual and others (22%). Majority of participants [83] were married (78%) and remaining 23 were single (22%).

3.2 Measures

English version of questionnaire was used. Valid and reliable scales were adapted for all the constructs, while demographic items were added. The study items were rated on a 5-point Likert scale from “1 = Strongly Disagree to 5 = Strongly Agree. Construct-wise details are provided below:

3.2.1 Organizational culture

Three separate scales were used for three dimensions of culture with minor adaptation. Overall scale reliability for “Organizational Culture” was (α=0.74). Artifacts were measured on a 10-item scale [43]. Sample item is “The structure is highly centralized”. Basic Assumptions were measured on an 8-item scale [66]. Sample item is “Subordinates do not expect detailed instructions from superiors”. Organizational Values were measured on an 11-item scale [67]. Sample item is “My organization encourages creativity and new ways of doing things”.

3.2.2 Organizational trust

Organizational Trust was measured on a 12-item scale [68]. Sample item is “I feel that our management will keep its words”. Scale reliability was (α=0.81)

3.2.3 Employer brand

Employer Brand was measured on a 24-item scale [69]. Sample item is “At workplace, we have diverse tasks”. Scale reliability was (α=0.93)

3.2.4 Employer social media branding

Employer Social Media Branding was measured on an 8-item scale [70], whereas one item was from another scale [36]. Sample item is “My organization’s profile on social media caught my attention”. Scale reliability was (α=0.88).

3.2.5 Control variables

Employee characteristics of gender, years of experience, status of employment and marital status were control variables, as these factors could affect employer brand as indicated by Saini and Jawahar [71].

4 Data analysis and results

4.1 Descriptives and correlations

Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation were calculated for study constructs. Table 1 presents correlations, means, and standard deviations.

Results in Table 1 suggest that all variables have statistically significant correlations (** shows the significance), i.e., 0.620**, 0.434**, 0.309**, 0.598**, 0.398 and 0.261**.

Table 1
Descriptive statistics and correlations

Constructs 1 2 3 4

1 Employer Brand – – – –

2 Organizational Trust 0.620 – – –

3 Employer Social Media Branding (ESMB) 0.434 0.309 – –

4 Organizational Culture 0.598 0.261 0.398 –

5 Mean 3.6 3.2 3.6 3.1

6 Standard Deviation 0.584 0.530 0.651 0.357

Constructs	1	2	3	4
1	Employer Brand	–	–	–	–
2	Organizational Trust	0.620**	–	–	–
3	Employer Social Media Branding (ESMB)	0.434**	0.309**	–	–
4	Organizational Culture	0.598**	0.261**	0.398**	–
5	Mean	3.6	3.2	3.6	3.1
6	Standard Deviation	0.584	0.530	0.651	0.357

**Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).

4.2 Direct relationship

For testing the direct relationship between OC and EB, linear regression was performed. Table 2 shows regression results.

In Table 2 the values of F and t are significant at.000 which shows that our model is a good fit for testing the proposed relationship. Adjusted R Square value of 0.351 shows that OC explains 35% variation in EB. Therefore, our hypothesis H1 for direct relationship between OC and EB is supported.

Table 2
Regression analysis

R Square Adjusted R Square Std. Error of the Estimate F t Sig.

0.358 0.351 0.47460 53.501 7.314 0.000^b

R Square	Adjusted R Square	Std. Error of the Estimate	F	t	Sig.
0.358	0.351	0.47460	53.501	7.314	0.000^b

4.3 Mediation effect

For testing mediation effect of OT between OC and EB, Jamovi statistics was used. Table 3 shows the mediation estimates. Preacher & Hayes [72] bootstrapping method was used and the mediation hypothesis was tested with 5000 bootstraps.

Table 3
Mediation estimates

Effect Estimate SE Z P

Indirect 0.210 0.0872 2.40 0.016

Direct 0.789 0.1132 6.97 <0.001

Total 0.999 0.1371 7.29 <0.001

Path Estimates

Estimate SE Z P

Organizational Culture ⟶ Organizational Trust 0.375 0.1473 2.54 0.011

Organizational Trust ⟶ Employer Brand 0.560 0.0759 7.37 <0.001

Organizational Culture ⟶ Employer Brand 0.789 0.1132 6.97 <0.001

Effect	Estimate	SE	Z	P
Indirect	0.210	0.0872	2.40	0.016
Direct	0.789	0.1132	6.97	<0.001
Total	0.999	0.1371	7.29	<0.001
Path Estimates
			Estimate	SE	Z	P
Organizational Culture	⟶	Organizational Trust	0.375	0.1473	2.54	0.011
Organizational Trust	⟶	Employer Brand	0.560	0.0759	7.37	<0.001
Organizational Culture	⟶	Employer Brand	0.789	0.1132	6.97	<0.001

The results of mediation estimates in Table 3 show that there is statistically significant mediation effect of OT, because for indirect effect the Z value of 2.4 is significant i.e., its p value of 0.016 < 0.05, which supports our H2.

4.4 Moderation effect

Moderation effect of ESMB between OC and EB was also tested through Jamovi statistics. Table 4 shows the moderation estimates.

Table 4
Moderation estimates

Estimate SE Z P

Organizational Culture 0.742 0.1406 5.28 <0.001

EB Social Media (ESMB) 0.163 0.0699 2.34 0.019

Organizational Culture * EB Social Media –0.246 0.1069 –2.30 0.022

Simple Slope Estimates

Estimate SE Z P

Average 0.740 0.142 5.21 <0.001

Low (-1SD) 0.900 0.129 7.00 <0.001

High (+1SD) 0.580 0.184 3.16 0.002

	Estimate	SE	Z	P
Organizational Culture	0.742	0.1406	5.28	<0.001
EB Social Media (ESMB)	0.163	0.0699	2.34	0.019
Organizational Culture * EB Social Media	–0.246	0.1069	–2.30	0.022
Simple Slope Estimates
	Estimate	SE	Z	P
Average	0.740	0.142	5.21	<0.001
Low (-1SD)	0.900	0.129	7.00	<0.001
High (+1SD)	0.580	0.184	3.16	0.002

The results in Table 4 show that there is statistically significant moderation effect of ESMB, which supports our H3. The values of Z = –2.3 for interaction of ESMB between the OC and EB is significant i.e. its p value of 0.022 is < 0.05, which confirms the moderation effect. However, the negative value of Z shows that the relationship will be negative in the long run. Further, Fig. 1 shows high and low moderation of ESMB between OC and EB.

Fig. 1

Moderation effect.

5 Discussion

Given the dynamic business environment characterized by global economic crises, pandemics and unpredictable labor markets, there is growing interest to identify and design business solutions which can ensure organizational sustainability [73, 74]. For achieving sustainability, attracting, developing and retaining quality human resources is crucial [75]. In the context of attracting and maintaining quality human resources, the value of organizational culture [76] and employer brand [77] cannot be underestimated in the global digital markets of 21st century. Therefore, this study tried to develop and empirically test a holistic model for understanding the link between these key organizational factors given their critical role in talent attraction and management, alongwith stressing the significance of organizational trust and social media branding.

Based on data analysis and results, it was found that all the proposed hypotheses were supported and study objectives were achieved. Positive and significant relationships were found among the study variables, i.e., OC, EB, OT and ESMB. Organizational culture was found to positively impact employer brand, which led towards acceptance of H1. Study of Bendaraviciene [51] stressed the significance of organizational culture for employer brand building in HEIs. Similarly, Azam and Qureshi [52] concluded that organizational culture is among the core factors for developing EB in HEIs of Pakistan; Keino et al. [11] also concluded that culture positively impacts organizational brand. Our study results are consistent with results of these mentioned earlier studies. The mediation effect of organizational trust was also found to be statistically significant between organizational culture and employer brand. Therefore, H2 was also accepted. The importance of understanding trust in relation to employer brand was recommended by Bustamante [19] and Kashyap & Ragnekar [32]; present study findings are aligned with their recommendations. Moderator Employer Social Media Branding was also found to show statistically significant interaction between organizational culture and employer brand; which supported our H3. The importance of social media in the context of employer branding effectiveness was highlighted by Mehta and Sharma [78] and Micik & Micudova [63], whereas, Sivertzen et al. [36] concluded that in higher education industry, social media can contribute to develop attractive employer brands for HEIs. Our study results are in line with their findings.

As Hogan and Coote [27] reported, literature evidences minimal empirical work for testing Schein’s multi-layered model. So, this study is a step towards reminding its importance as a value-creating model and this work serves as a significant addition to the empirically tested studies. For employer brand, social identity theory’s perspective was used by earlier authors for understanding, creating, developing and improving employer brand, like [5 , 79] and [46]. Our study results are consistent with their findings that it can perform a key role in associating individual identities to broader organizational identity, shaping up the brand.

5.1 Conclusion and recommendations

Present study established that improving culture at three levels, i.e., artifacts, values and basic assumptions, can play a significant role for developing EB, resultantly, organizations will be in a better position to attract and retain quality talent. Moreover, when culture is reflected and fostered at all three levels, it develops OT, which ultimately contributes to brand; making employer an ideal place to work in the eyes of existing and potential workforce. The present study also stresses that social media can effectively communicate brand strengths and exert a higher impact on establishing and improving the employer brand process. This study has contributions to the existing body of knowledge from theoretical aspects and also offers various managerial implications.

5.2 Theoretical contributions

Various theoretical contributions in the domains of HRM and OB can be counted. First, it proposed a comprehensive framework, not conceptualized before (to the best of researcher’s knowledge) linking four key organizational areas (i.e., OC, EB, OT and ESMB). Unfolding the concept of multiple layers of culture as a brand-building tool against a single-layered approach is also a rare phenomenon found in earlier literature. Second, it used integration of Edgar Schein’s model and social identity theory to propose the relationship between the predictor (OC) and outcome variable (EB). Third, mediation of OT could not be found in the literature (as per researcher’s knowledge) between OC and EB; thus, it’s a novel proposition. Fourth, ESMB as a moderator between OC and EB is also a unique proposition (as per researcher’s knowledge).

5.3 Practical implications

From managerial implications perspective, we argue that study findings can be applied in the domain of HRM for enriching talent attraction and retention process in present digital era; generally in all organizations and particularly in public sector universities. Firstly, we propose that public sector universities can develop their brand as an employer of choice when they improve culture at all three levels (layers), i.e., artifacts, values and assumptions as highlighted by Schein’s studies [40] and [26]. Rectors, vice chancellors, departmental heads and HR managers at various organizational levels can play instrumental role to achieve this broader objective, i.e., starting from university head down the line to the functional heads, faculty, operational-level staff, managers and supervisors. i.e., improving artifacts, the first layer, like, infrastructure, apparent look, visible communication, process flows, will create a positive impact on visitors and new customers. Similarly, second layer, like, strengthening and creating a strong value-driven culture (shared values for greater good) with alignment between organization’s stated and practiced values will improve the confidence of organizational members. Then, third layer, by adopting and propagating assumptions that are ethical and professional, and are based on considering interest of all the stakeholders will help improve and maintain organizational identity as highlighted by [5]. Stressing this multi-layered cultural engineering also links our proposition of social identity theory’s brand building mechanism; because in such cultures, employees show higher tendency to associate their individual identities with organizational identity, thus shaping brand image. Secondly, for better brand building, improving OT among organizational members is immensely important. University heads, departmental heads and senior managers need to fulfill commitments made to their team members and at the same time they need to communicate the importance of trust at every organizational platform, including, meetings, conferences, gatherings, and workshops. Finally, public sector universities/HEIs can use social media platforms, like, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, for communicating their brand strengths, as these digital mediums have high potency to improve the EB, i.e., in terms of its coverage and visibility. A well-devised and thoughtfully designed employer social media branding strategy may help public sector universities/HEIs to project themselves as ideal employers, thus, larger talented pool of potential employees may be attracted.

5.4 Limitations

For present study, the choice of industry and geographical area may be counted as limitations. As the study participants were from only one industry and country i.e., Public Sector Universities of Pakistan, therefore, results may not represent general phenomena/perspective. Approach of conducting research may be another limitation. As the study used quantitative approach with structured instrument, it may not consider the participants’ detailed accounts, open responses and emotional reactions related to the research questions/area. Finally, researcher’s personal biases as well as participants’ self-report biases may challenge the objectivity of research findings.

5.5 Areas for further research

Future researchers may test this model in cross-cultural, cross-organizational contexts, and for other service and manufacturing industries. Multi-method approach may be used in future for reaching at better outcomes, i.e., quali-quanti. The model may be modified as per changing trends in future in the domain of employer branding and more variables may be added. Other variables, like perceived organizational support, psychological capital, organizational citizenship behaviour, corporate social responsibility, millennial workforce, etc. may be studied in connection with culture and brand. Further, integration of competing values framework, institutional theory and signalling theory (brands) are few of other theoretical underpinnings which may be studied in the similar context in future.

Footnotes

Acknowledgments

The authors have no acknowledgments.

Author contributions

CONCEPTION: Faisal Qamar.

METHODOLOGY: Shuaib Ahmed.

DATA COLLECTION: Faisal Qamar.

INTERPRETATION OR ANALYSIS OF DATA: Shuaib Ahmed and Faisal Qamar.

PREPARATION OF THE MANUSCRIPT: Shuaib Ahmed and Faisal Qamar.

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