Vanemuise teatri sisekommunikatsioon etendust ettevalmistavas ja teenindavas osakonnas
Date
2012
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Tartu Ülikool
Abstract
Internal Communications of performance preparation and supporting unit at Theatre
Vanemuine.
Communication plays a big part in an organisation’s everyday routine. Regardless of the fact
that a theatre is a cultural organisation that employs creative staff with a creative approach to
everyday activities, communication has an important role to play to ensure a target oriented
functioning of the organisation. Current thesis explores the communicational strengths and
shortcomings in the preparation and service department of the productions at theatre
Vanemuine, while also introducing the specific nature of a cultural organisation.
The main questions of the thesis were: what are the most common and preferred channels for
internal communication? What kind of information channels are missed at the theatre? Does
the staff receive sufficient information relevant for their work and what kind of information
do they lack? The research aimed to discover if and what are the strengths and shortcomings
in Vanemuine’s internal communication, in order to define necessary activities for improving
the everyday workflow.
Key words: internal communication, culture, theatre, specific nature of cultural organisations.
The research in this thesis includes qualitative and quantitative methods. Quantitative research
includes a survey based on a written questionnaire and qualitative research includes short
follow-up interviews based on one question from the questionnaire. The thesis also aims to
describe the specific nature of a theatre as a cultural- art organisation based on theoretical
research; according to my data research in this capacity has not yet been conducted in Estonia
in terms of a BA thesis on internal communication.
The theoretical part of this research provides the framework for the specifics of
communication, internal communication, management and specific nature of cultural
organisations. The theoretical framework is based on various authors, among them research
by Denis McQuail, R. Waynes Pace, Don F. Faules, Edmund Leach, James E. Gruning, Maaja
Vadi, Raivo Palmaru, Halliki Harro, Pervez Ghaur, Ian Palmer, Michael W Kramer, Eikhof,
Haunchild, David A. Crespy et al.
The present research confirms the theoretical viewpoints according to which creative
organisations prefer informal communication and the employees of a cultural organisation
have to work in a somewhat conflicting situation, where on one hand they should be offered a
free and creative environment for creative functioning and on the other hand the organisation
as a whole needs systemized approach to ensure that the creative input reaches the audience in
accordance with the general targets and timetable of the organisation. The research showed
that in general the information flow at Vanemuine is satisfactory and there are no substantial
shortcomings. Observations and suggestions made in the process of the research about
additional information needs have direct practical value in order to improve theatre’s
workflow. The present research pointed out that several information channels are currently
duplicated which ensures the theatre good probability of efficient communication even in
cases of prompt changes in work plans.
Results confirms the viewpoints of various experts according to which the management of a
creative organisation greatly assumes informal and sensitive skills of communication and the
wish to implement such approach as creative people strongly react to any attempt to force
them into frames and regulations.
As Vanemuine is the largest theatre in Estonia and this research only focused on the staff of
the technical departments, there is great potential for further studies of internal
communication at Vanemuine and other theatres. Theatre as an organisation is a valuable and
interesting source for research.