Kommunikasjon er ikke en del av puslespillet – det er puslespillet: ledelseskommunikasjon fra et kompleksitetsperspektiv

Abstract

This chapter explores management communication, which is an important corner of the strategic communication discipline. Management communication denote communication from managers to internal and external target groups where the goal typically is to create visions and establish trust in the management. Yet, how we understand and approach management communication depends on how we conceptualize what an organization is. We argue that the field of management communication rests on a positivistic theoretical foundation inspired by scientific management and system theory thinking. In these perspectives, managers can “stand outside” the systems they have designed themselves, and point to parts and pieces that should be changed or adjusted in a certain way. However, if we look at organizations from the perspective of complexity theory, organisations and managers’ communication are understood as ordinary everyday actions, interactions, and processes, and it is thus impossible to extract the manager from this interaction. We therefore propose an alternative approach to management communication that is based on complexity theory. By employing a complexity theory approach to management communication, management should be exercised to influence communication themes that nurture the experience of people’s belonging and identity for the organization. From a complexity approach, management communication is formulations of initiatives and emerging themes that are perceived as meaningful by the organization.

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