Mats Heide

Speaking of change: Three communication approaches in studies of organizational change

AbstractPurpose – The purpose of the present review of communication approaches to organizational changeis to identify and further develop the range of perspectives available in the literature and to present aframework on communication and change that could underpin future research.Design/methodology/approach – Research on communication, narratives, stories and discourse,which have mapped new terrain in the study of organizational change, is reviewed and discussed.Findings – The authors conclude that despite the vast academic and popular change literature,communication approaches to change still remain underdeveloped and communication scholars are,with few exceptions, remarkably absent in the field. Three challenges for the future are proposed, thatresearchers of communication and organizational change need to consider.Originality/value – This paper provides a comprehensive literature review in the field ofcommunication during organizational change. By integrating these studies in a new framework ofcommunication as tool, process and social transformation, the authors offer a new foundation fortheory building in this area. Further development and integration of these three differentcommunication approaches is suggested, which would offer better conditions for research and practiceto embrace the complex processes of organizational change.Keywords Organizational change, Communication, Change management, Emergent strategyPaper type Literature review

Putting co-workers in the limelight: New challenges for communication professionals

Coworkers have received remarkably little attention in research and in practice within the field of strategic communication. The heroic view of leadership has nourished a view of coworkers as passive recipients rather than active and influential communicators. The first aim of this article is to illuminate how coworkership can be described and understood from a communication perspective. A greater focus on coworkers in strategic communication research will give a better understanding of the complex relationship between communication and organizing as coworker interpretations and actions constitute an organization. A second aim is to discuss new challenges for communication professionals resulting from coworkership. When communication professionals also support coworker communication processes, they will be perceived as a natural part of basic organizational processes. This conceptual paper emanates from the CCO (Communication Constitutes Organizing) perspective as a general meta-theory. We argue that coworkers must be put in the limelight since changes in organizational life have resulted in new demands on coworker communication practices and skills – not only in relation to their manager, but also in relation to colleagues and in relation to their employer as ambassadors. The article concludes with a discussion about five challenges for communication professionals.

Developing internal crisis communication: New roles and practices of communication professionals

Purpose – The article has two major purposes. The first purpose is to examine the roles and practices of communication professionals in relation to internal aspects of crisis communication. The second is to suggest new roles and practices for communication professionals that will enable a strategic approach to internal crisis communication. This article is based on empirical material from a larger three-year research project that focuses on internal crisis communication at a university hospital (UH) in Sweden. Design/methodology/approach – This article is based on empirical material from a larger, three-year research project that focuses on internal crisis communication at a university hospital (UH). For the purpose of this article the authors have mainly analysed transcripts of 24 semi-structured interviews that lasted 1-1.5 hours each. The authors chose to interview both communication professionals and other key persons/crisis managers in order to have the role and practices of communication professiona...

Struggling with internal crisis communication: A balancing act between paradoxical tensions

The aim of this article is to elucidate the complexity of internal crisis communication by identifying and discussing different paradoxical tensions embedded within a large, complex, multi-professional organization. This article is based on a qualitative case study of a university hospital. Internal dimensions of crisis management have long been neglected within the field of crisis communication research. In the first part of the article, two theoretical approaches are presented – the functionalist and social constructionist which are based on different ontological and epistemological assumptions. We take a social constructionist perspective on crisis communication, which focuses on aspects such as complexity, sensemaking, and symmetrical relations. In the first part, we also give a brief overview of the small, but growing research into internal crisis communication. In the second part of the article, five different paradoxical tensions are identified and discussed: (1) episodic–emergent, (2) centralized–decentralized, (3) professional–organizational, (4) planning–improvisation, and (5) external–internal. While the complexity of internal crisis communication demands a both-and perspective, we have found a tendency to a simplistic either-or thinking. In the concluding discussions, several explanations of the one-sided polarization within the tensions are offered. Furthermore, we discuss various ways of responding to paradoxical tensions. Metacommunication is presented as important in order to increase organization members’ understanding and thereby facilitate a more reflexive and broader approach to crisis management.

Trust and Brand Recovery Campaigns in Crisis: Findus Nordic and the Horsemeat Scandal

The aim of this study is to describe and analyze a transboundary crisis, focusing on crisis communication from the perspective of an involved major corporation. More concretely, the intent is to increase understanding of how Findus Nordic in Sweden managed the crisis communication response and repair of its trust and corporate brand during and after the horsemeat scandal in 2013. The case study is based on a theoretical framework that consists of three theories or concepts: transboundary crisis, image repair strategy, and rhetorical arena. Findus Nordic followed its corporate values and applied a consistent image repair strategy: denial and blame shifting towards the supplier Comigel in an extremely multivocal arena. This strategy was supplemented with responsibility evasion. Towards the end of the public crisis, Findus Nordic used the crisis as an opportunity to recover their position and started a campaign that had a positive impact on trust and the corporate brand. The launch of the campaign was very fast and might have been dangerous. However, according to the analysis, the success of the campaign may be explained as a consequence of its sensemaking and auto-communicative approach.

From Public Relations to Strategic Communication in Sweden: The Emergence of a Transboundary Field of Knowledge

Abstract In this conceptual article, we argue that strategic communication is a transboundary concept that captures, better than public relations does, the complex phenomenon of an organizations targeted communication processes in contemporary society. The aim of the article is twofold. First, the purpose is to describe and reflect the development and institutionalization of public relations education and research in Sweden. Second, based on the transboundary changes we see in industry, education and research, we argue that strategic communication is a conceptual and holistic framework that is more valid and relevant than public relations. Moreover, we suggest that strategic communication also integrates organizational (internal) communication as well as aspects of management theory and marketing, thus allowing us to understand, explain and criticize contemporary communication processes both inside organizations and between organizations and the surrounding society. The article is mainly based on secondary data about the public relations industry, earlier research and a mapping of public relations education and research in Sweden.

Doing the Right Things or Doing Things Right? : Paradoxes and Swedish Communication Professionals’ Roles and Challenges

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine and analyze the prevailing form of rationality that governs the challenges, goals and roles of communication professionals. The authors will also explore alternative forms of rationality and discuss what these would imply. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on survey results from The European Communication Monitor (ECM) and qualitative interviews with communication managers in Sweden. First, the authors present the ECM data and the Swedish interview material, i.e. the authors depict the practitioners’ perceptions of what they understand as important work tasks and roles. The interviews focus on the actual practices of linking communication goals to business goals. Second, the results are challenged from a reflexive perspective, using theories from the paradox turn and questioning the “taken-for-granted thinking” in corporate communications. Findings – The ECM data show that the main challenge in practice is “linking business strategy and communication.” The Swedish respondents stand out when it comes to “building and maintaining trust” since this is considered to be almost as important. The qualitative interview study strengthens the results in the ECM. The interviewees seem to do their work according to the traditional management agenda – i.e. they break down overall business goals and translate these to measurable communication goals. The results are reflected upon using paradox theory. Two paradoxes are discussed: between managerialism and professionalism, and strategic generalists and operational specialists. Research limitations/implications – The study is based on survey data that have been collected through a convenience sample, and the interview study is a pilot study. Practical implications – The paper focuses conflicts between normative practitioner ideals and reality, and helps practitioners to reflect upon mainstream thinking. Originality/value – Based on the empirical findings in the ECM, the interviews and the theoretical framework, the authors conclude that if the idea of The Communicative Organization is to be fruitfully realized, it is necessary to depart from a multi-dimensional rationality and question ideas that are taken for granted. The use of paradox theory and concepts such as functional stupidity is rather original in corporate communication research. Additional research could further explore paradoxes in order to spark dialogue, which may undermine one-dimensional thinking and functional stupidity.

Internal Crisis Communication – The Future of Crisis Management

The aim of the chapter is to discuss internal crisis communication and why it is important to pay more attention to co-workers and internal aspects of crisis management. Both crisis management research and practice have a lot to win by taking the internal perspective seriously. The chapter starts with a discussion about the need of more meta-theoretical reflections in order to develop the field of crisis management. Two contrasting traditions are presented and discussed – the modern and the postmodern tradition. Within the modern tradition rationality and control is emphasized. Crisis situations are here managed as fire emergency responses and thus managed in a reactive way. The postmodern tradition is based in social constructionism, meaning that people’s perception and sensemaking of a situation is put in the center. According to this tradition there exists no objective reality, only enacted realities. Postmodern scholars are skeptical to standard solutions in crisis management, and organizational crisis are seen as normal phases in a natural on-going evolution. From a postmodern perspective co-workers are the most important resource in crisis management. They have many sensitive tentacles and therefore excellent qualifications to early detect weak signals of changes that might lead to a crisis. Further, during a crisis it is important to also focus the co-workers and not solely communicate with external groups. Co-workers need early to receive information about the crisis, but first and foremost occasions to discuss and get help to make sense of the situation. After a crisis internal communication is fundamental for the reflection and development of new understandings, routines, knowledge and actions. Internal crisis communication will become even more important in the future with a fast, complex and ever-changing reality where co-workership and internal focus is key to success. Internal audiences are as, if not more, important than external audiences during a crisis, and yet those who aren’t actually on the crisis response team often receive the least consideration when the stuff hits the fan (Bernstein 1999, p. 20).

Expanding the Scope of Strategic Communication : Towards a Holistic Understanding of Organizational Complexity

ABSTRACT The purpose of this article is to contribute to the discussion concerning the present position and future directions of strategic communication by looking into the past and offering some proposals and a vision of how to develop and advance the field further. Research in strategic communication has mostly focused on communication professionals working in communication departments or agencies as primary agents of communication. However, this reflects a limited comprehension of organizations. The article addresses the need to focus not only on communicators, but also on managers and coworkers as key actors when trying to understand and theorize the practice of strategic communication.

Revisiting a Social Constructionist Approach to Crisis Communication: Investigating Contemporary Crises in China

ABSTRACT The current study provides a social constructionist approach to crisis communication in the Chinese context. Crisis communication is viewed as a form of strategic communication, involving multiple stakeholders in situations that are dependent on context, space and time. This approach provides a much-needed path for investigating and understanding crisis communication practices in contemporary China. The distinct Chinese context for crisis communication, with both an authoritarian government structure and a digital transformation of society, challenges theories originally developed in the Western countries. To address this issue, this study proposes a three-theme analytical framework to examine crisis communication practices in the Chinese context: (1) an audience (or stakeholder) orientation—focusing sense-making, (2) a proactive and interactive approach—focusing communication, and (3) a community—focused approach—focusing a long-range precrisis perspective.