Collaboration between Management and Communication Professionals: Emergence of Communication Strategies in Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs)

Laukötter, Esther, Stahl, Janne

Abstract

The outstanding majority of companies in Germany are small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It issurprising that the communication activities of SMEs have scarcely been scientifically researched. The closecollaboration between management and communication professionals plays a crucial role for communication in this typeof company. Our focus is on the communication strategies. We seek to answer the question of how and under whatconditions managing directors and communication professionals in SMEs negotiate with each other to determine whetherand to what extent a communication strategy is pursued. The study comprises qualitative guided interviews carried outwith staff members from six SMEs. The respective managing directors and communication professionals in thesecompanies were interviewed, which resulted in a total of twelve interviews. The results of the study offer, for the firsttime, the opportunity to systematize factors that shed light on the collaboration between management and communicationprofessionals regarding the emergence of strategic communication work in this type of company. By affording space inthe interviews to the perspectives of both decision makers, the study can fully identify which levers of collaboration mustbe pulled to encourage a professionalized approach to handling communication activities in SMEs.