Combining dialogue and technology: Digital media and organization-public dialogue from the perspective of multinationals in Spain and Latin America

Abstract

Introduction: This article analyzes how multinational corporations in Spain and Latin America perceive the impact of digital technologies on the dialogue with their publics and if they think that communication consultants can help bridge the gap between academic normativity and professional practices in this field. Methodology: Since this is a relatively unexplored research perspective, in which creating specific analytical categories is still necessary, 22 in-depth interviews were conducted with senior executives of multinational corporations in 9 countries in the Ibero-American ambit. Results: These companies perceive the impact of digital technologies on the organization-publics dialogue in a predominantly positive way, despite the fact that most of the recent academic studies imply an “unfulfilled dialogic promise” of the new media. This research also reveals the coexistence of two dialogue definitions and three roles assigned to the consulting firms regarding this topic. Discussions and conclusions: This research revealed “pragmatic dissonance” in organizations; on the one hand, dialogue is presented as a search for mutual understanding, but in practice any communicative exchange is deemed as dialogical. In addition, this research offers analytical categories for future studies about this topic.