Promoting the Sustainable Development of Enterprises: Unraveling the Dual Impact of Informal Communication on Employee Affect and Problem-Solving Capabilities

In the contemporary business environment, fostering sustainable development within enterprises necessitates a nuanced understanding of the multifaceted impacts of workplace dynamics, particularly informal communication. This study delves into how informal communication, a pervasive yet underexplored aspect, influences employee emotional well-being and problem-solving capabilities—critical components for sustainable organizational growth. Leveraging theories of interaction rituals and conservation of resources, we employed a three-wave survey and structural equation modeling to dissect the complex relationships between informal communication, work-related rumination, and their subsequent effects on employee performance outcomes. Our findings illuminate that informal communication serves a dual role: it enhances interpersonal harmony, thereby reducing affective rumination, but it also detracts from work-related flow, adversely affecting problem-solving pondering. Furthermore, the ability to focus attention emerged as a significant moderating factor, amplifying or mitigating the effects of informal communication on work-related outcomes. The study contributes to the extant literature by highlighting the nuanced, double-edged-sword nature of informal communication within the context of promoting employee well-being. It underscores the necessity for managers to strategically balance fostering a supportive communication climate against maintaining optimal productivity. Our research proposes actionable strategies for leveraging informal communication as a tool for enhancing work-place well-being and sustaining future organizational growth, offering a new perspective on managing informal interactions to bolster both individual and organizational resilience.