Marknadiseringen av Försvarsmaktens kommunikation. Ett strategiskt maktmedel i en tid av förändring

Abstract

Title: The Marketization of Swedish Armed Forces’ Communication: A Strategic Source of Influence in Times of Change

Previous research shows that the Swedish Armed Forces’ communication is dominated by market communication, and that this may impact on how the organization is anchored in society. By adopting a neo-institutional perspective to the study of agency communication, this article aims to deepen the analysis of the Armed Forces’ communication. Our analysis, based on interviews and official documents, demonstrates both risks and opportunities with marketization of the Armed Forces’ communication. On the one hand, market communication may lead to the neglect of alternative values and images of the Armed Forces. Also, the rushed changes in communication strategies identified risk providing an image of a complex organization that is difficult to comprehend, which may undermine the Armed Forces’ legitimacy. On the other hand, the Armed Forces’ enhanced role as an employer and comprehensive use of social media has led to more transparency and to the fostering of values corresponding to values in society at large. How the Armed Forces, its leadership, management, and communicators relate to these opportunities and risks will be crucial for the organization’s future legitimacy.