| Abstract [eng] |
The main aim of this dissertation is to identify how strategic institutional communication management contributes to institutional excellence in private entrepreneurial universities, considered as the archetype of contemporary hybrid HEIs. In order to make relevant scientific and managerial contributions, empirical research has been conducted in three private entrepreneurial universities that display some of the identified features of institutional excellence and excellent communication management. The empirical findings shed light on: 1) the importance of the interrelation and integration of the neuralgic trinomial mission-strategy-strategic communication in HEIs; 2) the recommended blended profile for the Communication Director (Dircom) in private entrepreneurial universities, with a declared preference for a communication practitioner and scholar (PhD holder) with full-right membership in the Highest Governance Body of the institution; 3) the coordination of external-internal communications to ensure transversal synergy with clearly established patterns and channels; 4) the urgency of stakeholder mapping and balanced stakeholder engagement in the mission fulfilment; 5) the significance of regular assessment of institutional communication management in accordance to the institutional mission and stakeholder expectations; 6) the suitability of the management-by-mission model for mission-based institutional excellence and the synergetic conciliation of competing institutional logics (Cardona & Rey, 2008); (Marimon, Mas-Machuca, & Rey, 2016); (Rodríguez-Ponce & Pedraja-Rejas, 2015). Theoretical and empirical insights allow to conclude that excellent universities who manage their institutional communication integrally and strategically, may display the features attributed to excellent organizations (Zerfaß et al., 2014); (Vercic & Zerfass, 2016);(Zerfass et al., 2017). Excellent institutions should aspire to have excellent mission-driven communication in order to make institutional excellence visible and sustainable. |
