Communication is inextricably linked with the process of organisational change (Lewis, 1999). However, managers report that communication of organisational change is challenging, particularly with the advent of continuously changing organisations (Buchanan, Claydon & Doyle, 1999). Continuously changing organisations are those that seek to be more flexible, more innovative and more responsive to the dynamic external environment. One of the problems associated with continuous change is the resultant impact of successive downsizings, re-engineering efforts and culture changes on employee receptivity to change. Despite the unquestioning adoption of continuous change efforts (Zorn, Christensen, & Cheney, 1999) there is a paucity of research on communication during this type of change. This thesis addresses this knowledge gap by situating the research within a continuous change context. The primary research question is 'how do change communication models impact on employee receptivity to change within a continuous change context', and this question considers issues pertaining to how accurately previous change communication models reflect and explain what occurs within change processes. This topic is examined within two case-study organisations through the use of multiple methods. The analysis occurs through an interpretive framework and utilises Langley's (1999) alternate templates as a strategy to manage the process based research. A model of change communication during continuous change is presented, with the central constructs of the model being monologic change communication, dialogic change communication and the background talk of change. Further, Van de Ven and Poole's (1995) Process Theories of Change are extended to consider the sequencing of the three constructs. The findings suggest that the sequencing of the dominant change communication models is informed by an alignment of individual communication competences and change communication expectations.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of La Verne, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 223-234).

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of La Verne, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 223-234).

The communication of anthropogenic climate change presents many challenges, for communicators, scientists, policymakers and publics alike. Particularly difficult is the issue of uncertainty, which can include ambiguity around the phenomenon of climate change, the possible impacts of this, and the timeframe within which such impacts will be seen. Previous research has established that audiences are often averse to uncertainty, and will disregard or ignore messages that contain it. This raises a theoretical and practical question of how best to manage uncertainty in climate change communication in order to maintain audience engagement. This question was the focus of this PhD research. Specifically, the aim of this thesis was to explore the process of climate change communication from the perspectives of the scientists, communicators, and the recipient. I achieved this research goal by utilising a mixed methods design. I firstly interviewed the originators (i.e., scientists) and professional communicators of climate change information to explore the process from their side (Chapter 2). This revealed a number of themes connecting to the different ways scientists and communicators understand the process of communication (e.g., as information exchange versus relationship building), the challenges of climate change communication and uncertainty in particular, and the (appropriate) role of scientists when communicating with the public about climate change. Next, in a series of studies I experimentally explored how audiences respond to variations in the informational content of climate change messages (such as the level of uncertainty) and the role of different communicative styles in further shaping audience engagement (Chapter 3). Broadly, the results of these studies suggest that while uncertainty can undermine audience engagement with climate change communications, the negative effects of uncertainty are buffered when the communicator is perceived to be high in morality and/ or when they use an open communication style. Interestingly, these effects of communication style were particularly evident among women, whereas men tended to react against this. Together, these studies show how relational factors (e.g., communication styles and perceptions of communication sources) can moderate the impact of informational content on audience responses. Finally, I ended this programme of research by looking in more detail at how audiences perceive a real scientific organisation engaged in climate change communication and the bases of their beliefs about organisation competence and morality (Chapter 4). This study combined qualitative and quantitative data to delve deeper into some of the insights gained in the experimental work, and to reconnect this to the real-world organisation context I began with. This study again showed how perceptions of communicator morality moderate responses to uncertainty, but also provide useful insights into the different origins of perceptions of morality and competence. Chapter 5 concludes by summarising the research presented in this thesis, discussing its strengths, limitations and ways forward. Here, I also consider the theoretical, methodological and practical implications of the thesis’ research findings. Briefly, it is argued that addressing the scientific uncertainties of climate change may not necessarily mean altering the form of information itself. Rather, modifying the language peripheral to the information that contains uncertainty, attending to the ways in which audiences perceive the sources of uncertainty, and considering variations amongst publics, may help to engage in effective communication around the complex issue of climate change.

Master of Science / Department of Communications and Agricultural Education / Lauri M. Baker / The purpose of this study was to explore the frames and messages, issue salience, and communication preferences agricultural producers in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas use and accept related to climate change and the impacts of a changing climate. It was of additional interest to explore the climate-change beliefs and preferred agricultural media sources for climate and climate change information. Specific research objectives to guide the study were RO1: describe the level of issue salience agricultural producers have related to climate change; RO2: investigate frames and messages agricultural producers prefer in reference to the scientifically designated phenomena of climate change and impacts; and RO3: identify the agricultural media and information channels agricultural producers use for climate change. Based on findings in previous research, one hypothesis was developed: H1: agricultural producers in the Southern Plains Regional Climate Hub area will be located within the audience segment groups of the concerned and the cautious as identified in the Six America’s (2012) study. An Internet survey was distributed to producers in Kansas, which was open from March 3 to March 14, 2016, with 158 responses to the survey. Agenda-Setting Theory served as the basis for the study including the tenants of issue salience and framing in relation to climate change. The study found that the majority (n = 158, 64.92%) of producers believed that climate change was occurring, however, the causes were still contested. The study identified that higher levels of risk perception and education level were linked to belief in anthropogenic climate change (ACC). Primarily, the study found that loss framing was most effective in communicating the impacts of climate change. Terminology and distance framing were less important in message framing. Regional and university publications were cited most frequently by producers as sources of climate and climate-change information and overall use of agricultural media publications was linked to higher levels of belief in ACC. Users of business reports and TV had the highest mean climate-change belief; non-users had the lowest. Audience segments aligned with cautious and concerned Six America’s (2013) audience segment group, which indicated a shift towards accepting climate change among agricultural producers.

This thesis is aiming at finding a solution for the manufacturing company IRO AB inUlricehamn, Sweden to communicate the changes that are made in processes and products ofthe company to its Chinese subsidiary company IWTC. The company wants to have a systemthrough which any change and improvement happened at one company is communicated toanother one in order to exercise the same changes at parallel processes that are running at bothcompanies. To solve their problem and to find an effective solution, first current situationregarding change processes at the company is examined to make sure that all changes andimprovements made at the company are registered in a structured way. Then differentcommunication channels existed between two companies is reviewed to find out thepossibilities and capacities of the company. This thesis focuses on using the ERP system as acommunication tool at both companies IRO AB and IWTC through which all the changes canbe registered and communicated in an effective, fast way. This capacity in ERP systems isfound out through a comprehensive study of this concept and its characteristics that has beendone in this research.

<p>Aim: The aim of this essay is to study the communication strategy that the company SATS developed before taking over the company e2. The following questions are to be answered: - what was the planned communication strategy before taking over the company e2? - did SATS follow their original plan when implementing this strategy? – Which strengths and weaknesses of the communication strategy can be identified based on opinions of the employees?</p><p>Material/Method: Together with literature and document studies, a qualitative method has been used and seven personal interviews have been conducted. One informant was selected due to professional position; the other six respondents were former employees of the affected company e2.</p><p>Main results: The main results from the study show that the company SATS did in fact follow their plan very accurately with only some minor changes such as an earlier started education program and exclusion of an initially planned evaluation activity. Communication about the takeover of e2 to employees was quick and clear. This can be seen as strength of the strategy. The employees were positive to all of the activities that involved personal contact and face to face meetings. However the employees were negative to the limited possibilities for contribution of opinions and also to the lack of a thorough evaluation of the communication activities.</p>

Aim: The aim of this essay is to study the communication strategy that the company SATS developed before taking over the company e2. The following questions are to be answered: - what was the planned communication strategy before taking over the company e2? - did SATS follow their original plan when implementing this strategy? – Which strengths and weaknesses of the communication strategy can be identified based on opinions of the employees? Material/Method: Together with literature and document studies, a qualitative method has been used and seven personal interviews have been conducted. One informant was selected due to professional position; the other six respondents were former employees of the affected company e2. Main results: The main results from the study show that the company SATS did in fact follow their plan very accurately with only some minor changes such as an earlier started education program and exclusion of an initially planned evaluation activity. Communication about the takeover of e2 to employees was quick and clear. This can be seen as strength of the strategy. The employees were positive to all of the activities that involved personal contact and face to face meetings. However the employees were negative to the limited possibilities for contribution of opinions and also to the lack of a thorough evaluation of the communication activities.

The area of Järvafältet in the northern parts of Stockholm is one of the many large-scale investments into Swedish residency executed in the 60’s and 70’s, and which got the name Miljonprogrammet. Not until today these buildings have been restored, and frustration has been brewing in these areas for some time. Järvadialogen is the name of a communication program connected to the housing restoration in the area of Husby, which is a part of Järvafältet, and functions as a promotional and informational dialogue between residents in the area and those responsible for the communication program. The cultural diversity in the area of Husby is significant, and with theories on intercultural communication, change communication and power we study the performed communicative process and the manner in which it is received. How is the communication program Järvadialogen shaped and performed, and how are the messages sent received and interpreted? This following study looks at how the communication program Järvadialogen is designed and carried out, as well as how the communication is received. It questions what happens to the opinions? and by performing an extensive text analysis complemented by personal interviews along with group interviews the study explores both sender and receiver perspectives. Methods and theories bring to light the importance of building a relationship among sender and receiver, power relations and change communication. Cultural aspects are evaluated and criticized in regards to communication performance, and more specifically this study shows that the existing frustration in connection to the communication program in Husby is not a result of miscommunication, but of a sense of exclusion, which originates in socio- and economic differences. / Dagens Sverige präglas av en ökad mångfald där samhällsdebatten allt oftare behandlar frågor om integration, segregation och utanförskap. I samband med upprustningen av miljonprogrammen, Järvalyftet, Vision Järva 2030, har Järvadialogen uppkommit som kommunikationsinsats. Kritik har dock riktats mot kommunikationsarbetet relaterat till upprustningen av Järvaområdet. Vi vill därför analysera hur förändringen kommunicerats till de boende på Järva i relation till upprustningsprojektet Järvalyftet. Vår studies frågeställning är: Hur har Järvadialogens kommunikationsgenomförande sett ut och mottagits bland boende i Husby? Med hjälp av teorier inom interkulturell kommunikation och strategisk kommunikation analyserar vi textmaterial som distribuerats i olika forum med koppling till dialogen, samt analyserar genomförda intervjuer med boende och ansvariga för Järvadialogen. Resultatet av detta har blivit en studie i hur ett dialogarbete i en förändringsprocess sett ut och upplevts, samt hur man arbetat med det i detta mångkulturella Husby. Slutligen ser vi att den kritik som riktats mot Järvadialogen som kommunikationsinsats inte har sin grund i bristande kommunikationsarbete, ett aktivt relationsarbete har skett med fokus på lokalförankring i området. Vi ser snarare att det bristande kommunikationsarbete kommer från ansvariga politiker då många boende idag vänder sig till Svenska Bostäder för att få svar på exempelvis frågor gällande skolan och brottslighet i området. Återkoppling från politikerhåll avseende samhällsfrågor och hur de åtgärdas har varit bristfällig och därför bidragande faktor till den kritik Järvadialogen fått.

Thesis (M.A.) - Carleton University, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 126-128). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.