On considering the meaning of managed communication: Or why employees resist ‘excellent’ communication Available to Purchase

This paper argues that much communication management literature and practice is biased because it fails to take acount of the organisational cultural context in which communication takes place. As a result, culture's influence on the understanding and behaviours of members of organisations is overlooked, which leads to managed communication activities that are often misinterpreted, resisted or rejected by employees. The paper contends that when organisational communication is analysed through a number of different perspectives (which include both traditional and cultural), then a more comprehensive understanding of the complexity of communication is gained. A multiperspective analytical approach of this nature sensitises researchers and managers to other points of view, helps to expand problem definitions, reveals a wide range of influences affecting communication activities, and helps to prevent stereotypical thinking about communication in organisations. To illustrate this approach, the paper presents a longitudinal case study of managed communication in a television company. Practical strategies for managers are then offered.