The contribution of prudential practice to the institutionalisation of communication.

Abstract

The article analyses the aspects of credibility and legitimacy of communication professionals in organisations using the framework of neo-institutional theories (DiMaggio et Powell, 1991; North, 2005; Scott, 2001). The objective of this paper is to investigate whether these aspects enable us to draw a parallel between the profession known as ’prudential practice’ (Champy, 2011), which deals with the management of complex, unique problems of uncertain nature that defy formalization (Champy, 2014), and the profession practiced by communication professionals within organisations. Forty-five Belgian communicators with at least 5 years of experience confided their professional experiences through the life story methodology (Bertaux, 1997). Through successive levels of data analysis, this article sheds light on the reality of the organisational context, the career paths of these professionals, and the narratives they construct. The study underscores the role of professionalisation, which empowers communicators to enhance their potential for effectiveness (Sharpe, 2000; Sinaga et Callison, 2008) by optimising their deliberative thinking. Their prudence emphasizes their strong commitment to the organisation (Champy, 2014; Maas et Domenget, 2018).