The Constitutive Role of Communication in a Science-Based Organisation

Kirjoittajat

• Pekka Aula Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia

Abstrakti

Science communication scholarship has often emphasised dissemination, dialogue, and public engagement. This article examines how communication is framed as part of the institutional architecture of a science-based organisation. Using the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters as a theory-informed case, it analyses formal, strategic, and public-facing documents through scholarship on the communicative constitution of organisations, strategic communication, neutral reputation, and science–policy boundary work. The analysis identifies four interrelated functions of communication: constituting institutional identity, aligning mission and practice, sustaining credible independence, and mediating between science and decision-making. The article analyses institutional self-descriptions rather than organisational performance.