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Abstract:
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If management is communication, giving the different perceptions of how one can fathom the
concept of communication a closer look becomes interesting in the context of change management
and change communication in a local government reform. Denmark has recently
gone through a widescale local government reform changing the number of municipalities
from 271 to 98. During this reform focus has been on management and communication, and
this is thus the focus of this thesis. The overall focus lies on the main concepts: communication,
change and organisation.
The point of departure for the thesis is a description of the different perceptions of communication.
Hereafter two frequently used and representative means of communication in regards
to change management literature are analyzed using Michel Foucault’s concept of governmentality.
The analysis shows that these two management approaches use a hermeneutic perception
of communication and the challenges this entails.
This analysis is followed by a similar analysis of how the leaders of Silkeborg municipality
have used this approach to communicate their new mission, vision and set of values for the
post‐reform municipality. The aim of the two analyses is to shed light on how management
literature is shaping the ways to govern by its perception of communication and how this is
seen in practice.
Thirdly the thesis shows another and radically different approach to communication in the
field of management; Niklas Luhmann’s perception of communication. The aim is to show that
by perceiving communication from this perspective, other areas of management becomes important
and this insight might give municipal leaders other means to tackle the challenge that
is communicating a fusion.
The conclusion is that using a hermeneutic approach to communication, you assume that
communication is possible and doable, and that you can communicate a message from the top
and downwards in an organisation and thus change the behaviour of others. By using Niklas
Luhmann’s perspective you can prepare yourself as a leader to the possibility that your message
might not come across the way you wanted it to, and perhaps does not come across at all.
Management in this perspective comes down to creating room for decision‐making and basis
for adoption of communication. |
