Organizational Communication
Research and teaching in the unit of Organizational Communication focuses on the social and communicative practices through which organizations, communities, and societies are managed and organized.
Our research and teaching are based on an understanding of organizational communication as a multifaceted managerial and social activity that needs to be studied from a multi- or interdisciplinary perspective. Communication is used in organizations not only to convey ideas and represent objects of knowledge. It is also used strategically and performatively to construct realities and to make things happen. A better understanding of the dynamics and complexities of organizational communication thus bears relevance not only for communications and management professionals, but also policy makers and other practitioners in the broader field of organizational communication, strategic management, and business-society –relations.
Research activity in the unit of Organizational Communication focuses on diverse questions of organizational discourse and sensemaking in contemporary business and societal contexts. Theoretically, the aim is to advance knowledge particularly in the fields of business-society -relations, (discursive) institutional work, organizational legitimacy, organizational power, and strategy-as-practice.
Our central research areas include:
Arts management, creativity, creative leadership
Business-society relations, CSR, communicative institutionalism
Gender and feminist studies, Equality, diversity & inclusion
Organizational routines and practices
Strategy communication, strategy-as-discourse, discourse studies
Our research has been published in the leading journals of our multidisciplinary field, such as Academy of Management Learning & Education, Gender, Work & Organization, Human Relations, Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of Management Studies, Long Range Planning, Organization, Organization Science, Organization Studies, Strategic Organization, and Work, Employment and Society.
Please see the personal profiles of our faculty members at the Aalto research portal for details.
Our faculty members serve in the editorial boards of Academy of Management Learning and Education, Human Relations, Journal of Business Ethics, Organization Science, and Work, Employment and Society.
The unit also hosts a Research Council of Finland funded project (ADVOCACY, 2024-2028).
We also present our research in short video formats aimed at practitioner audiences. If you are interested, you can explore these videos here:
/en/school-of-business/organizational-communication-research-in-practice-short-videos
The unit also offers comprehensive research training in organizational communication, as a major and area of specialization in the Aalto Doctoral Program in Business, Economics and Finance. The interdisciplinary research profile of the unit gives doctoral researchers the academic freedom to pursue interesting projects that defy disciplinary boundaries, within the broad field of organizational communication and management studies. More information: Doctoral studies in Organizational Communication.
Research and teaching in the unit of Organizational Communication focuses on the social and communicative practices through which organizations, communities, and societies are managed and organized.
Short research videos from the Organizational Communication unit at Aalto University, aimed at wider and practitioner audiences.
The Organizational Communication unit of Aalto University offers comprehensive research training in qualitative research in organizational communication. We give doctoral researchers the academic freedom to pursue interesting projects that defy disciplinary boundaries, within the broad field of organizational communication and management studies.
Aalto early-career research community exploring art and creativity in organizations and society