Impact of Leadership Motivating Language in CSA: Fostering Employee Support Through Psychological Meaningfulness and Perceived Company-CSA Value Alignment

This study examines how leaders’ strategic use of motivating language, direction-giving, empathetic, and meaning-making, encourages employee support for Corporate Social Advocacy (CSA). Grounded in Motivating Language Theory and the Theory of Engagement, we argue that such communication enhances employees’ psychological meaningfulness of CSA and their perceived value alignment between the initiative and the organization. These perceptions serve as psychological mechanisms linking leadership communication to employees’ advocacy intentions, positive megaphoning, and organizational trust. An online survey of U.S. full-time employees revealed that all three language types increased perceived psychological meaningfulness, while only empathetic and meaning-making language strengthened perceived value alignment after accounting for employees’ personal issue attitudes. Both psychological meaningfulness and value alignment significantly predicted employees’ supportive responses. The findings highlight the distinct contributions of motivating language dimensions and emphasize their strategic importance for fostering employee engagement and internal support for organizational advocacy efforts.