University Internal Communication in the Digital Era: Finding a Systemic Approach

In the fast changing conditions of the external environment imposed by the globalisation and global digitalisation, as well as the recent COVID19 pandemic, universities worldwide have at a greater extent to rely on something seemingly more sustainable than the world outside – they have to rely on their internal environment, with its sustainability directly depending on their internal communication (IC). The paper is conceptual in nature and presents the author’s concept of the university’s sustainable development primarily depending on its internal processes and the university internal communication (UIC) being the core of the university’s sustainable development. The employed methodology is based on a systemic approach and includes an extensive literature review observing and analysing the prior research on the given topic, and component modelling. The applied methodology aimed to reduce bias and provide a more comprehensive body of knowledge on the current developments in UIC in the digitalised environments, and produced systematic research results. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview and synthesis of ideas regarding IC development of the organisation in the era of digitalisation, which are discussed in the literature. While focusing primarily on IC in business organisations, many of the ideas presented in the reviewed research papers, about the increasingly digitalised (ICs) developed in business organisations, are relevant to universities’ development as well. As part and a result of this integration, a model of UIC is presented, which highlights the specificity of university internal environment distinguishing universities from other types of organisations. The paper argues that the digitalised internal environment should contribute to employees’ inclusion in the UIC at all levels of the university. Finally, the article lays ground for further development of UIC theory and discusses the necessary developments in research on IC in general and UIC in particular among both researchers and practitioners.