Lunds universitet/Institutionen för strategisk kommunikation
Abstract
This master thesis is a qualitative analysis of leaders' choice and usage of internal blogs and the impact it has on leadership within Ericsson. Leaders choose to use the internal blogs because they are informal, personal channels of communication that can reach out directly to many employees and create credibility. Internal blogs are used to communicate job-related information in a personal way, for instance by the technique of framing. The internal blogs are used to influence, lead, and to create transparency and dialogue. However, very little dialogue is currently visible on the leaders' internal blogs. The leaders’ choice and usage of internal blogs is enabled and constrained by structural conditions*. Several consequences due to the usage of internal blogs are identified. These include a demand to be personal, a potential for increased interpretative prerogative, and greater control over what is being communicated. Recommendations on how leaders can use internal blogs to strategically communicate with employees are presented
