The Role of Internal Communication in Start-ups: State of Research and Practical Approaches

IF 2.3 Q1 COMMUNICATION

International Journal of Strategic Communication Pub Date : 2022-03-15 DOI:10.1080/1553118X.2021.2023544

Cornelia Wolf, A. Godulla, L. Beck, Lea Neubert

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引用次数: 2

Abstract

ABSTRACT Start-ups differ from established organizations in having limited routines and undergoing constant change that shapes their communicative structures. Although they are dependent on successful internal communication, its importance as a strategic discipline seems underestimated in practice. In addition, research on internal communication in start-ups has so far only focused on several sub-areas. In this article, internal communication is, in a first step, defined as a subdiscipline of strategic communication and elaborated on from the perspective of the Four Flows Model in order to allow a holistic view on internal communication. Secondly, we ask what role is attributed to strategic internal communication in start-ups across different stages of development in academic research and practice. Answers are provided through a multi-method design consisting of a systematic literature review in the fields of strategic communication, business management, and entrepreneurship, and 12 guided interviews with representatives of start-ups. Although both literature and interviewees identify internal communication as crucial to the success of start-ups, it mainly results from routine and is rarely strategically derived or evaluated. This study provides a more detailed insight into the role of strategic communication in start-ups, to which further studies can refer in order to fill the research gaps discussed.

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内部沟通在初创企业中的作用：研究现状和实践方法

初创企业与老牌组织的不同之处在于，它们的日常活动有限，并且不断发生变化，从而形成了它们的沟通结构。尽管它们依赖于成功的内部沟通，但在实践中，它作为一门战略学科的重要性似乎被低估了。此外，到目前为止，对初创企业内部沟通的研究只集中在几个子领域。在本文中，内部沟通首先被定义为战略沟通的一个分支学科，并从四流模型的角度进行了阐述，以便对内部沟通有一个全面的看法。其次，我们询问在学术研究和实践的不同发展阶段，初创企业的战略内部沟通发挥了什么作用。答案是通过多方法设计提供的，包括战略沟通、企业管理和创业领域的系统文献综述，以及对初创企业代表的12次指导性访谈。尽管文献和受访者都认为内部沟通对初创企业的成功至关重要，但它主要源于日常活动，很少从战略上得到或评估。这项研究对战略沟通在初创企业中的作用提供了更详细的见解，可以参考进一步的研究来填补所讨论的研究空白。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

International Journal of Strategic Communication Social Sciences-Sociology and Political Science

CiteScore

3.40

自引率

0.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： The International Journal of Strategic Communication examines the philosophical, theoretical, and applied nature of strategic communication, which is “the purposeful use of communication by an organization to fulfill its mission.” IJSC provides a foundation for the study of strategic communication from diverse disciplines, including corporate and managerial communication, organizational communication, public relations, marketing communication, advertising, political and health communication, social marketing, international relations, public diplomacy, and other specialized communication areas. The IJSC is the singular forum for multidisciplinary inquiry of this nature.