The Swedish way : How can employees be included in internal communication during a crisis?

Abstract: This thesis is focused on internal crisis communication during the Covid-19 pandemic at the medical faculty of a major Swedish university (MSU). This thesis aims to examine how the use of internal communication channels at MSU contributed to including employees in internal crisis communication during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our research questions are “How did the organization utilize internal communication channels during the COVID-19 pandemic?”, “What did the employees feel was especially challenging during the COVID-19 pandemic with respect to the internal communication in the organization?” and “How did the employees perceive that the internal communication channels during the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to inclusion? “. Through semi-structured interviews with a convenience sample of eight employees, empirical data was collected and codified using the direct qualitative content analysis approach and applied to the Triage and Assessment System Model and the Contingency Theory of strategic conflict. The methodology is constructivist with a critical epistemology. The cultural environment of an organization utilizing a Scandinavian management style during the crisis highlights the extreme shift in the need and desire for a more apex-driven informational directive approach during the crisis. Our findings suggest that improving value-added feedback channels throughout the organization can increase employee inclusion in crisis communication. Employee inclusion could be further increased by developing a professional development curriculum and establishing clear policies and guidelines.