Sophia Charlotte Volk | University of Zurich, Switzerland (original) (raw)

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Papers by Sophia Charlotte Volk

Public Relations Review

Higher education institutions (HEIs) are major players in public science communication. However, ... more Higher education institutions (HEIs) are major players in public science communication. However, only a few studies have investigated HEI communication practitioners, who play an important role in shaping universities' public relations and outreach communication. Building on the assumption that HEI communicators differ in their role conceptions, as well as professional and educational backgrounds, we surveyed 189 communicators from all 42 HEIs in Switzerland. Using segmentation analysis, we identified four types of communicators—(1) the leading all-rounder, (2) the generalist, (3) the science mediator, and (4) the service partner—who differ in their role conceptions, but also in their professional characteristics and organizational contexts.

Routledge eBooks, Apr 26, 2023

Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks, Dec 13, 2022

Measurement and evaluation (M&E) is the cornerstone of strategic communication: Whether a... more Measurement and evaluation (M&E) is the cornerstone of strategic communication: Whether and how the purposeful use of communication contributes to realizing the mission, strategy or particular objectives of an organization, builds on and is assessed through M&E. The relevance of the M&E debate has significantly increased over the course of recent decades as budgets in various areas of strategic communication have continued to grow. This has increased the pressure to develop evidence-based strategy and tactics and provide 'hard proof' of how communication contributes to organisational goals. This chapter reviews the state of the debate by introducing foundational M&E concepts as well as an integrated framework for M&E in strategic communication. Based on this framework, this chapter discusses the state of the art in M&E methods and tools, and develops critical perspectives and future directions for research and practice in this important strategic communication domain.

Studies in Communication Sciences

Over the past decades, higher education institutions (HEIs) across the world have institutionaliz... more Over the past decades, higher education institutions (HEIs) across the world have institutionalized communication departments and played an increasingly important role in communicating science to the public. While a growing body of research has analyzed the practices and structures of central communication departments in HEIs, little is known about developments over time. This study examines perceived changes in HEI communication along different analytical dimensions and across HEI types. Conceptually, neo-institutional theory is used to derive the factors that foster this change, specifically the new public management reforms and the accompanying coercive, normative, and mimetic pressures on HEIs. The empirical study is based on a survey of 196 members of HEI leadership in Switzerland. The results show that, according to organizational leaders, HEI communication has diversified and intensified considerably over the last five to ten years. It has also become – albeit to a somewhat l...

MedienJournal, 2022

Millennials im Berufsfeld Public Relations (PR) und Kommunikationsmanagement wurden bislang kaum ... more Millennials im Berufsfeld Public Relations (PR) und Kommunikationsmanagement wurden bislang kaum untersucht, obwohl sie in den kommenden Jahren die größte Gruppe der Arbeitnehmer*innen und Führungskräfte darstellen werden. Bisherige Studien deuten darauf hin, dass die Grenzen zwischen Privat- und Berufsleben zunehmend verschwimmen. Dies kann sowohl zu Beeinträchtigungen (Work-Family-Interference oder Family-Work-Interference) als auch zu Bereicherungen (Work- Family-Enhancement oder Family-Work-Enhancement) des Privatlebens und des Berufslebens führen. Dieser Beitrag stellt Ergebnisse einer Online-Befragung von 160 Kommunikator*innen im Alter von 24 bis 36 Jahren vor, welche sich dem Zusammenspiel der privaten und beruflichen Rolle sowie Zufriedenheit und Stress im Job widmet. Die Studie zeigt, dass die wahrgenommene Beeinträchtigung des Privatlebens durch den Job signifikant mit Stress und hohen beruflichen Anforderungen zusammenhängt, die Befragten aber überraschend wenig Stress e...

Along with the professionalization of the communication function, the job profile of the Chief Co... more Along with the professionalization of the communication function, the job profile of the Chief Communication Officer (CCO) has changed dramatically over the past decades. Communication leaders are no longer responsible for managing media relations and boosting the public profile of their CEO. They monitor public opinion building around the clock, manage globally spread communication teams, and run agile departments in a digitalized environment. CCOs increasingly act as consultants to top management in corporate strategy processes and as supporters of all business functions. This development is manifested in new success profiles and incentive FIVE FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS In order to develop a consistent story of value creating communication, several aspects were explored during the research project. These aspects are related to each other and include the new roles of the communication executive, core contributions of the communication department, and new prerequisite for steering communications strategically. The following five fundamental questions seemed to be most pressing: 4 COMMUNICATION INSIGHTS-ISSUE 3 2. How do communication departments contribute to success? Studies reveal that top executives and internal business partners, e.g. leaders of other departments, rate communication departments quite often by the success of single campaigns and events. They often lack a comprehensive understanding of the strategic contributions to organizational success. Communicators, on the other hand, often report success in terms of media outputs, outreach of online communications, or other operational activities. They rarely document the department's critical impact on reflecting and adjusting corporate strategies. Against this background, it is essential to make a distinction between different strategic and operational contributions to corporate success. Reflecting on strategic contributions counteracts the tendency of communications to be reduced to an operational support function. The newly developed Communications Contributions Framework illustrates four core contributions of communication departments to corporate success. It is useful to systematize assigned tasks into strategic and operational dimensions-a popular approach in management. This allows prioritizing communication goals and allocating budgets in a systematic manner. It facilitates the collaboration with top management and other departments, and helps to leverage the full potential of corporate communications. (p. 16-20) 3. What are the core values generated by communication? The communication industry has not yet arrived at a commonly agreed-upon understanding of how communication creates value for organizations. Looking into academic research is no help because various research traditions provide different theoretical answers. They are seldom combined or recognized by each other. Thus, an interdisciplinary reflection of the multi-faceted dimensions of communicative value proved necessary. It helped us to develop a holistic understanding of the overarching impact of communications. The Communication Value Circle describes value creation through communication in 12 dimensions derived from four generic corporate goals. It can be used as a tool to identify and structure communication goals at the level of business impact, and to match every goal with a set of performance indicators. By setting the same priorities, the Communication Value Circle establishes prerequisites for aligning the communication strategy with the overarching corporate strategy. (p. 22-27) 4. How can communication be aligned with corporate strategy? The importance of aligning communication goals with overarching business goals has been acknowledged consistently. Yet, strategic alignment remains the most enduring challenge for the profession. In fact, today's communication goals are seldom linked to corporate strategy. Established management tools for ensuring alignment are missing. Processes differ widely across companies. In order to interact with top management on an equal footing, communication departments have to demonstrate that their strategy is in line with corporate strategy. To advance the debate, the conceptual foundations of alignment and the process of linking communication to strategy in daily practice were explored during the research project. The Alignment Process visualizes how to link communication goals to overarching corporate goals. Our research findings contribute to a better understanding of the concept of alignment-from alignment to strategy, to culture, identity or people-and highlights the need to communicate corporate strategy in order to ensure a consistent orientation of employees. (p. 28-31) 5. How can communications be managed and steered? Growing communication needs pose new challenges for communication executives who have to fulfill manifold managerial responsibilities. These range from coordinating and steering teams and resources to integrating and orchestrating all communication activities of the organization. In times of restructuring and cost-cutting, the effective management and organizational setup of communication departments becomes even more crucial. Various management tools can be adapted to evaluate process efficiency, optimize internal workflows, foster communication activities and measure impact. However, only few are used in communications, and a comprehensive overview is missing. The Toolbox for Strategic Communication Management provides an overview of established management tools and communication tools for analyzing, planning, executing, and evaluating communications. It can be used to strategically steer and manage communications. (p. 35-40) FURTHER READINGS Communication Insights Issue 1 "Was bringt das alles?" provides a comprehensive overview of the most important concepts for measuring and evaluating communications (German only). Issue 2 "Wohin geht die Reise?" focuses on changing conditions for communications through digitalization, globalization and individualization, with a special emphasis on Big Data (German only).

Journal of Science Communication

The public communication of higher education institutions (HEIs) has gained importance both in pr... more The public communication of higher education institutions (HEIs) has gained importance both in practice and research and can serve different goals. Many scholars argue that HEI communication departments mainly aim to promote their organization and are less concerned with broader societal goals and normative principles of communication. Since these assumptions have not yet been explored empirically, we surveyed 203 communication practitioners from all 42 Swiss HEIs on their role conceptions and the quality criteria used in their communication departments. Our results show no general dominance of organizational over societal goals and revealed few differences between different types of HEIs.

Handbuch Unternehmenskommunikation, 2022

Handbuch der Public Relations, 2021

Studies in International, Transnational and Global Communications, 2021

Toolbox Kommunikationsmanagement, 2019