Silo Thinking is Out, Fortress Invaded: Running a Communication Programme at a Business School

This chapter argues that in today’s complex, globalised and technologised world, business and communication cannot remain in their separate silos – neither in academia nor in practice. The chapter approaches the topic with the help of a case and discusses how communication studies have invaded the fortress of the Aalto University School of Business, Finland. The development of an international Master’s Programme in Corporate Communication was informed by three major research projects in particular, which focused on internal communication practices of multinational companies and the perceptions of communication professionals on the knowledge and skills required of future communicators. Although Corporate Communication studies have been accommodated by the business school fortress for over 10 years, the time has not been without multidisciplinary challenges.