Interorganizational Communication

Abstract

Interorganizational communication describes the structures, forms, and processes created by the exchange of messages and the co‐creation of meaning among organizations and their stakeholders. Research in this area has its roots in the study of organizational interlocks and boundary spanners and, more recently, in the field of communication, especially when conceptualized as networks. Several theories have been used to explain the emergence of interorganizational communication. Traditional theories have focused on economic and sociological explanations. More recent theories have given primacy to communication based mechanisms. Interorganizational communication encompasses four distinct types of relations: affinity, flow, representational, and semantic. Most research to date has focused on affinity interorganizational communication, or the socially constructed relationships between organizations in which communication is implicitly assumed to facilitate the creation of shared meaning and coordination of organizational activities. The prospects for advancing research and theory in interorganizational communication depend upon attending to these types of relations.

Whisper down, up and between the lanes: Exclusionary policies and their limits of control in times of irregularized migration

“…While research on the state body's limiting factors is helpful to understand inherent discrepancies, and partly acknowledges how action is based on partial knowledge and information (Mau et al ), it has so far paid only little attention to the role of communication and the sharing or transmission of knowledge and information. However, practices of communication between all agents in the state apparatus (see Shumate et al ), including their strategic use, is crucial to fully grasp state inherent limiting mechanisms. It allows for understanding of how street‐level agents transfer and work with information.…”

“…Research on inter‐organizational communication examines messages between all agents and acknowledges how the transmission and formation of messages are influenced by common norms, goals and cultures of different bureaucratic agencies (Shumate et al ). Combining this approach with the study of street‐level practices advances understanding of how the information transferred, including law and policy guidelines often understood as rational and directly implementable, are shaped by all state‐level actors.…”

“…So far the information gap in communication (see Rogala and Bialowas ) can account for the incompleteness of information transmission. The discrepancy between the original message and the content the recipient receives has been explained with psychological, external and internal organizational reasons, even physical ones (see Shumate et al ).…”

“…There are more layers to explore, such as inter‐organizational processes of information dispersal. Information distortion not only happens along the hierarchical line of public administration, between the street level, superiors and political leaders but also between organizations (see Rogala and Bialowas ; Shumate et al ) and within units of the same hierarchical rank. In contrast to hearing something through the ‘grapevine’, the information transferred is not necessarily based on rumours, but delivered through formal channels and still acted upon as in the game of ‘whispering’.…”

Use and Affordances of ICTs in Interorganizational Collaboration: An Exploratory Study of ICTs in Nonprofit Partnerships

“…This line of research investigates structures, forms, and processes of organizational partnerships within a single sector (e.g., nonprofit, business, or government) or across sectors (see Popp, Milward, MacKean, Casebeer, & Lindstrom, 2014). Specifically, structures may include “information communication technology (ICT) used to maintain collaborations” (Shumate, Atouba, Cooper, & Pilny, 2017, p. 1).…”