Corporate Communication: Getting away from the structured and planned approach to an emergent postmodern approach

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.