Public Sector Communication and Dialogue

Dialogue is a multifaceted reality which partially explains both why the concept has been so ubiquitous in scholarship from a variety of perspectives and also, we will argue, why it currently lacks a theoretical and empirical cutting edge. Notwithstanding its multifaceted nature, dialogue can ultimately be said to refer to the interpersonal communication interactions between human beings. In focusing the analysis on dialogue, several authors underline the importance of considering and widening the theoretical framework to take into account features such as “value, ethics, relation, reflexivity, mutually engaged performance, community, and responsibility” (Anderson et al., 2004, 1). These areas connect to key contemporary societal and political concerns about the rise of citizen disenchantment with the mainstream political class and increased support for populist political actors who speak a language citizens understand (see Aalberg et al., 2016). Engaging in meaningful citizen dialogue and conversation, and understanding what this consists of, is part of the growing shift on the part of governments to recognizing the need for an “architecture of listening” (Macnamara, 2016) in the public sector. The purpose of this chapter is to examine past thinking, current knowledge and future challenges for public sector communication in relation to dialogue. The chapter will first examine the concept of dialogue as defined by a variety of subject disciplines but more particularly within the public relations field where the notion has been more thoroughly explored. This will set the scene for an account of the disciplinary context, methods, models and chief research findings for this area of analysis as well as the theoretical relevance of the topic to public sector communication. The chapter will then examine the practical implications for public sector managers. The chapter concludes with an examination of the principal challenges and questions for future research for this field.