Abstract:
Within the views of Newtonian science, and the classical ontology of management,
organisations are operated according to deterministic modes. This worldview implies
that structures determine the information needed and that perceptions must be managed
by feeding the 'right' information and withholding information that might lead to
disorder and chaos. The formal planned approaches to strategic management have
forced managers to be structured when communicating organisational goals and
strategic issues. Current public relations theory in terms of management and corporate
communication strategy is very much in line with the general strategic management
views of structured planning and decision-making.
A more recent approach to corporate communication has developed because of the fact
that fast changing environments demand more contingent methods. This has moved
organisations to postmodern approaches such as those described through the chaos and
complexity theory.
This paper suggests a new approach to corporate communication strategy in line with
these postmodern theories. It argues for a more participative approach with high ethical
and moral meaning creation through action science and research rather than the
structured approaches suggested by current corporate communication theorists. This
approach ensures a positive reputation for the organisation through socially responsible
change processes that have relational influences into a larger societal community
structure.
