Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Studying internal communication in a complex world: Towards an emergent co-worker perspective

Heide, Mats LU orcid and Simonsson, Charlotte LU orcid (2012) In Public Relations Review
Abstract
Internal communication is often regarded as a management tool that can be organized and used to improve organizational results. This traditional, and simplistic view is problematic since organizational reality is becoming more and more complex and fluid. The aim of this article is to propose an emergent co-worker perspective that can increase our understanding of internal communication in times of changes and crises. Although the two fields of change and crisis research have developed quite isolated from each other, it is possible to discern a meta-theoretical convergence and there is a great potential for cross-fertilization. The emergent perspective presented here is linked to an idea of communication as constituting and of changes and... (More)
Internal communication is often regarded as a management tool that can be organized and used to improve organizational results. This traditional, and simplistic view is problematic since organizational reality is becoming more and more complex and fluid. The aim of this article is to propose an emergent co-worker perspective that can increase our understanding of internal communication in times of changes and crises. Although the two fields of change and crisis research have developed quite isolated from each other, it is possible to discern a meta-theoretical convergence and there is a great potential for cross-fertilization. The emergent perspective presented here is linked to an idea of communication as constituting and of changes and crises as dynamic, continuous phenomena. Furthermore local micro-processes, improvisation, sensemaking and co-worker communication is put in the center rather than management plans and top-down communication. In the article, specific attention is given to post-heroic leadership and social media as two aspects especially interesting from an emergent co-worker perspective. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
submitted
subject
keywords
internal communication, change communication, crisis communication, co-workers, leadership, social media
in
Public Relations Review
publisher
Elsevier
ISSN
0363-8111
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
e4f19cce-b510-4309-a6c6-0a5d9c0807b6 (old id 2155608)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 13:52:02
date last changed
2018-11-21 20:20:41
@article{e4f19cce-b510-4309-a6c6-0a5d9c0807b6,
  abstract     = {{Internal communication is often regarded as a management tool that can be organized and used to improve organizational results. This traditional, and simplistic view is problematic since organizational reality is becoming more and more complex and fluid. The aim of this article is to propose an emergent co-worker perspective that can increase our understanding of internal communication in times of changes and crises. Although the two fields of change and crisis research have developed quite isolated from each other, it is possible to discern a meta-theoretical convergence and there is a great potential for cross-fertilization. The emergent perspective presented here is linked to an idea of communication as constituting and of changes and crises as dynamic, continuous phenomena. Furthermore local micro-processes, improvisation, sensemaking and co-worker communication is put in the center rather than management plans and top-down communication. In the article, specific attention is given to post-heroic leadership and social media as two aspects especially interesting from an emergent co-worker perspective.}},
  author       = {{Heide, Mats and Simonsson, Charlotte}},
  issn         = {{0363-8111}},
  keywords     = {{internal communication; change communication; crisis communication; co-workers; leadership; social media}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Public Relations Review}},
  title        = {{Studying internal communication in a complex world: Towards an emergent co-worker perspective}},
  year         = {{2012}},
}