Strategic communication in contexts of high sustainability pressure

Balancing purposefulness, transparency and participation in pursuit of organizational legitimacy

Bibliographic Data

ID21696053
AuthorsHelle Kryger Aggerholm (0000-0002-1384-3686, Trøndelag Forskning og Utvikling (Norway)), Christa Thomsen (0000-0001-8027-1553, Aarhus University)
Year2024
Volume28
Issue1
Pages58-73
Publication date2024-03-18
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Communication Management (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1363-254X • E-ISSN: 1478-0852
PublisherEmerald (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1108/jcom-12-2022-0131
OpenAlexW4391170025
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited42

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to: (1) identify strategies to (re)establish organizational legitimacy which dominates the literature; (2) propose and empirically illustrate an analytical framework that establishes the linkages between the dimensions of purposefulness, transparency and participation identified in this literature review as important resources in the creation of organizational legitimacy. Design/methodology/approach Based on a review of the academic literature, we propose a three-dimensional conceptual framework for understanding and studying strategic communication in contexts of high sustainability pressure. The empirical material we use for illustration is the letters from the chief executive officer (CEO) and the chairman published in the integrated annual report of a Danish company that is well known for its focus on sustainability. Findings The analysis shows that all three dimensions, i.e. purposefulness, transparency and participation, are present in this data, which the authors find supportive of the theoretical argument that strategic communication needs to encompass all three concepts in order to appear legitimate in contexts of high sustainability pressure. Originality/value In recent years, there has been an increased focus on strategic communication of sustainability. However, there is still a lack of general consensus of what is understood by strategic communication in contexts of high sustainability pressure. Overlapping concepts and dimensions make operationalization difficult. This, for example, is a problem for corporations who are increasingly asked by their stakeholders to account for their sustainability activities and engage in conversations of strategic significance to their sustainability goals

Business · Legitimacy · Political science · Process management · Public relations · Sustainability · Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting · Law · Management and Organizational Studies · Public Relations and Crisis Communication

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