Syftet med den aktuella studien är att se om kommunikatörer i offentlig sektor arbetar strategiskt med kommunikation och på så sätt bidrar till den egna organisationens måluppfyllelse och effektivitet.  Frågeställningarna är: Arbetar kommunikationsfunktioner och kommunikatörer inom kommuner, landsting och myndigheter strategiskt med kommunikation? Är strategiska arbetsuppgifter prioriterade och är kommunikationsfunktionerna bra på att utföra dessa uppgifter? Har kommunikationsfunktionerna och kommunikationsansvariga de förutsättningar som krävs för att de ska kunna arbeta strategiskt med kommunikation? Den teoretiska ramen utgörs av en sammanfattning av litteratur och tidigare forskning om stra­teg­isk kommunikation, organisationers mål och kommunikation samt av kommunikations­funk­tioner och professionen. För studien valdes en kvantitativ metod, en surveyundersökning. Två versioner av en enkät togs fram och skickades via e-post till organisations­chefer respektive kommunikationsansvariga vid samtliga av Sveriges kommuner, landsting och myndigheter. Totalt skickades 1 082 enkäter, bortfallet var 2 procent och svarsfrekvensen 65 procent. Resultaten visar att organisationschefer och kommunikationsansvariga anser att kommunikation bidrar till målen. Kommunikationsansvariga anser också att de och deras funktioner arbetar strategiskt med kommunikation och att deras ledningar förväntar sig det av dem. Sett till detta skulle svaren på de inledande frågeställningarna vara att kommunikationsfunktioner och kommunikatörer i offentlig sektor arbetar strategiskt med kommunikation, och att de har bra förutsättningar att göra det. Riktigt så enkelt är det dock inte. Övriga resultat i studien ger en annan och mer diversifierad bild. Dessa resultat visar till exempel att: Kommunikatör är fortfarande ingen profession. Yrket saknar en samlad kunskapsbas, högre akademisk utbildning och avgränsningar mot andra yrken. Så gott som alla offentliga organisationer har insett värdet av att ha kommunikatörer. Samtidigt är kommunikationsfunktionerna ofta stabsfunktioner med lite resurser. Kommunikatörer är inte delaktiga i beslutsfattande i någon större utsträckning. De flesta kommunikationsfunktioner har de strategiska arbetsuppgifterna. De är dock inte så prioriterade och kommunikationsfunktionerna är inte så bra på att utföra dem. Mer produktionsinriktade uppgifter är högre prioriterade, liksom uppgifter som har med bilden av organisationen att göra. Att planera kommunikation och att vara ett stöd till andra i organisationen är strategiska uppgifter som är prioriterade och som kommunikationsfunktionerna är bra på. Utvärdera och följa upp kommunikationsinsatser är en uppgift som inte är så prioriterad och som kommunikationsfunktionerna inte heller är särskilt bra på att utföra. Det är flera som inte har de strategiska uppgifterna kopplade till omvärlden. Uppgifterna bedöms inte heller som så viktiga och kommunikationsfunktionera är inte särskilt bra på att utföra dem. / The aim of this study is to see if Swedish organizations are working strategically with communication and thus contributes to the organization’s achievements and efficiency. A quantitative methods were used, a survey. Two versions of a questionnaire was created and sent via email to the organization’s managers and communication managers in all of Sweden’s municipalities, county councils and government agencies. The results show that organizational managers and communications managers believe that communication contributes to the goals. Communications managers also believe that they and their functions are working strategically with communication and that the management expect them to. Based on this the answers to the initial questions would be that communicators in the public sector is working strategically with communication, and that they have good conditions to do so. But it isn’t that simple. Other results provide a different and more diverse picture. These results are, for example: Communicator is still not a profession. It lacks a comprehensive knowledge base, higher academic qualifications and boundaries against other professions. Almost all public organizations have realized the value of having communicators. But the functions often have little resources. Communicators are not involved in decision-making in any significant way. Most communication functions have the strategic tasks. However, they are not a priority and communication functions are not so good at performing them. More production-oriented tasks have higher priority, as well tasks related to the image of the organization. Planning communication and to be a support to others in the organization are strategic tasks that are prioritized and that the communication functions are good at. Evaluate and follow up communication efforts as well as tasks linked to the outside world are not prioritized and the communication functions are not particularly good at performing them. There are also functions that do not have the strategic tasks linked to the outside world.

Developing internal communication in fast-changing organizations is a current topic, which seems to exercise the minds of corporate people in different positions. Well-functioning internal communication and business success seem to be strongly linked. It motivates people, and only people who are motivated and enthusiastic about their work are able to perform well in their jobs and to secure the success of their employers. The purpose of this study was to increase the understanding of internal communications and how employees perceive it in fast-changing organizations. An understanding of internal communication and its development was searched by concentrating in selected essential internal communication areas in organizations, internal corporate communication function and internal communication channels. The focus was on fast-changing organizations due to the fact that the development of internal communication does not usually go hand in hand with other organization development and business growth but tends to drag behind. The theoretical framework was formed of internal communication in general, internal communication development, internal communication in fast-changing organizations, internal communication in different organizational areas, internal corporate communicationas a function and internal communication channels. The most valid internal communication areas were selected to be management communication, team and supervisor communication and interdepartmental communication. The theoretical framework presented the dilemmas and characteristics that can occur among the issue of internal communication development. In order to achieve the determined objectives, a quantitative study was conducted. The survey named “Internal communications at the company x” with three different forms of questions was carried out in the case company. The topic was scrutinized from theperspective of a case company and aimed to find out employees’ perceptions. The web-based survey focused on the selected issues concerning internal communication and its development. Questionnaires were sent out to the employees of the case company’s European organization and 94 responses were received. The collected data was analyzed against the theoretical framework, and with the help of analysis conclusions and managerial implications regarding this study were drawn. It was discovered that by developing these internal communication areas together, fast-changing organizations succeed better in internal communication and consequently in other operations. In fast-changing organizations, careful attention needs to be paid especially to the amount of management, supervisor and interdepartmental communication. Communication especially about company situation and financial and sales situation should be increased. Employees value open, systematic, clear and well-organized communication. Development of interdepartmental communication processes is vital in order to improve knowledge sharing across the company and consequently business performance. It is essential that all members of work community understand their responsibility to communicate. Internal corporate communications function should teach that and provide good communication tools for all employees, especially intranet, e-mail and possibilities to face to face meetings and versatile feedback sessions. Efforts to equalize communication between locations, departments and teams need to be taken.