Strategic Communication for Innovation & Adaptation

Advanced

The participants:
• analyze communicative structures, narratives and stakeholder logics in transformation and innovation processes.
• evaluate communication strategies with regard to their effect on organizational resilience, innovation and readiness for change.
• develop target-group-appropriate communicative solution approaches for complex, high-risk or conflict-laden sustainability and innovation processes.
• reflect on communicative dysfunctions and derive measures to improve organizational resilience.
• design consistent communication requirements for change, innovation and transformation projects in the energy and sustainability context.

Basics of marketing & communication at bachelor level

- Fundamentals of strategic communication in change and innovation processes
- Communication as a driver of organizational resilience
- Narratives, storylines and framing in transformation contexts
- Stakeholder and actor communication in the energy & sustainability field
- Communication in crises, uncertainties and conflicts
- The psychology and dynamics of resistance & acceptance
- Communication requirements in innovation and change projects

- Hohenauer, F. (2025). Toolbox Innovation Communication: Breakthroughs with Skillful Communication: Strategic Models and Methods That Will Help Innovation Succeed. Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-46542-1
- O’Rourke, J. S., & Smith, J. A. (2023). Strategic crisis communication. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003322849
- Weder, F. (Ed.). (2025). Strategic sustainability communication: Principles, perspectives, and potential (1st ed. 2025). Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-89486-2

Portfolio assessment

English

5

Lectures, discussions, exercises, case studies, group work

1