Anna-Lena Oberhofer received first prize in the Franz Bogner Science Award for PR for her master’s thesis on polyphony in internal communication.
Anna-Lena Oberhofer is a graduate of the Master’s program in Communication Management at FHWien der WKW. In her master’s thesis “Polyphony in Internal Communication in the Context of Integrated Communication: A Qualitative Study of the Tension Between Consistency and Inconsistency in Internal Communication,” she examines the challenges of internal communication in the age of globalization and digitalization and, based on qualitative interviews with communication managers from large Austrian companies, provides insights for successful implementation. She received first prize in the Franz Bogner Science Award for PR from the PRVA for her master’s thesis. She was supervised by Sieglinde Martin, head of study program and head of the Department of Communication.
The growing importance of polyphony in the “VUCA” world
In her theoretical analysis and qualitative empirical study, Anna-Lena Oberhofer distills three key challenges for internal communication:
- The “VUCA world” (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity)
- Digitalization (information overload and increasing speed)
- The blurring of boundaries between internal and external communication
Her eleven expert interviews provided approaches for successful internal communication that take these developments into account:
- Consistency, uniformity, coordination, and close cooperation within the company
- Participation, freedom of expression and exchange
- Empowering employees through internal social media platforms & LinkedIn
- Surveys to take expectations and feedback into account
- Wide range of training courses offered by human resources development departments
The analysis of the results also showed that the approach of employees as corporate influencers, which is generally considered a theoretical solution for implementing polyphony, is not yet being applied in the companies surveyed.
She was inspired to choose the topic of her master’s thesis by the lecture “Criticism and Future of Integrated Communication” in her first semester. This lecture dealt with polyphony in connection with music – she has been playing the guitar since childhood!
>> Read the Master’s thesis (German)
Enrolling in a master’s program with a bachelor’s degree in a different field
Anna-Lena Oberhofer discovered her interest in communication during the “Public Communication” extension curriculum while pursuing her bachelor’s degree in Romance languages and French. After graduating, Anna-Lena Oberhofer searched specifically for possible master’s programs in communication and came across the program at FHWien der WKW.
As a newcomer to the field, the program provided the perfect foundation for her current job as a communications assistant at Green Energy Lab. Here, she promotes sustainability in innovative energy and heating solutions and is responsible for external communications with the relevant target groups, including energy suppliers, technology providers, research institutions, and multipliers.
The lecture content on digital communication was particularly useful for her job. In addition, the business field projects helped her to strengthen her teamwork skills and prepare for collaboration in a professional environment.
>> More information about the Master’s program Communication Management