Organizational communication: Development of internal strategic competitive advantage

Abstract

Many organizations are experimenting with structures (new organization forms) that are designed to facilitate empowered cross-functional communication. The challenge is to become more efficient or competitive by reducing barriers to communication and to eliminate boundaries which impede the understanding of end-to-end workflows and better performance on strategic goals. Horizontal organization processes such as cross-functional teamwork and empowered decision making at lower organization levels are based on more participative management styles (new management technologies). This paper builds a theoretical model and provides propositions showing how knowledge creation and communication are the foundations of the new organization forms. An organization's capability for creating and communicating knowledge is seen as a resource which can create global strategic competitive advantage. A longitudinal research program is proposed to study the progress of experiments by organizations utilizing the new organization forms and management technologies (NFMT). © 1996 by the Association for Business Communication.