Just Paying Attention: Communication for Organizational Attention

Abstract

The main premises in this article are that organizational attention is inherently communicative, and can be nurtured through communication interventions. Two communication practices that reflect organizational attention—information allocation and dialogue—can be nurtured through organizational structures and interventions. Increasing opportunities for dialogue across organizational functions is critical to improve collective attention. Prior research and empirical data are presented to assert that a long-term orientation is also imperative to develop attention through communication practices such as information allocation and dialogue.

The Storytelling External Stakeholder: How Non-Profit Organizations in Supportive Housing Can Help Ensure That Externals Stakeholder Stories End in Connection

“…An essential part of a just culture is what Gómez (2015) would recognize as organizational attention. Just cultures collect all information and intelligence needed to make good business decisions (Heffernan, 2015).…”

“…"Organizational attention" is the driver of this ideal because, as suggested above, listening to external stakeholders potentially results in better products and/or services, and ultimately a more successful enterprise. Gómez (2015) defines organizational attention as the identification of all threats and opportunities found within and outside of a firm. The opposite of this, Gómez adds, is "organizational myopia", or overlooking certain stories and failures.…”

Communicating Through a Pandemic: Insights on Crisis Communication from Steel Authority of India Limited, Rourkela Steel Plant

“…Communicating effectively with all stakeholders was a major concern. Gaining organizational attention is important as the collective identification of immediate and non-immediate threats (Gómez, 2018) holds the key to smoothen the functional processes of any organization. With time, 'organisations have adopted technology-driven solutions, where managers communicate time-critical information via multiple channels including but not limited to email, intranet, video conferencing, and other tools' (Sanders et al, 2020).…”

The Storytelling External Stakeholder: How Non-Profit Organizations in Supportive Housing Can Help Ensure That Externals Stakeholder Stories End in Connection

“…This paper, then, will explore the importance of organizational attention, i.e. mechanisms that ensure that an organization identifies all of its threats and opportunities (Gómez, 2015). By encouraging and listening to the stories of stakeholders-in this instance, interface stakeholders 3organizations may build better relationships with those whom they serve.…”

“…Ignoring the stories of external stakeholders creates an atmosphere of disconnection and is tantamount to turning a blind eye to unmet market needs. This paper proposes a framework in which a three-pronged linkage between "stakeholder engagement", "intersectionality" (Crenshaw, 1991), and "organizational attention" (Gómez, 2015) informs an organization's understanding of external stakeholders' "exit" and "voice" behaviours (Hirschman, 1970)-and ultimately helps to ensure that the stories of external stakeholders end in connection. The findings of this study reveal that the subjunctive mood may typically be used to tell stories of disconnection, but more research is needed to determine this.…”