Distinguishing the two concepts present in the title seems to be a current imperative. There are five communication principles that frame this dimension in a consequent organizational strategy.
1. The primacy of secrecy is not accepted in organizational cultures that favor commitment in general or, more specifically, employee participation in results.
These advanced forms of participation, whether they translate into corporate cooperative systems (Nordic countries), or actions managed by unions (Germanic countries), or, finally, in remuneration systems based on the commitment of “mutual gain” (culture of Japanese), all of them determine co-management strategies based on transparency.
The economic interests of the parties involved in an organization, although contradictory, need to be the object of high trust, belying the adage, usually cited in this regard, according to which “the secret is the soul of the business”.
The act of hiding economic interests, within the scope of a communicational narrative, when the principle of communication would be the mutual gain between the parties, falls under the principle of propaganda.
2. It is essential to create a narrative that respects the facts in articulation with the management of its own history and identity. Only from these emerges a mobilizing organizational project.
This principle is embodied in respect for the organization's own identity based on care for the history and geography of the action, with scrupulous respect for the living space and the history of the other (customers, supplier partners, creditors or competitors).
Ignoring, or wanting to hide these questions of an identity or geographical-historical character, leads to the fall to the principle of propaganda.
3. A third issue has to do with the need to “live” with competition, in the name of efficiency and creativity in the business environment (Schumpeterian model).
The competitor is an adversary with whom one is in competition, he is not an enemy to be demonized, especially when such a strategy only serves to deceive himself about the need to find internal solutions in order to win.
Intending to prevent the business environment from being based on maintaining effective competition is a matter of advertising.
4. Develop a narrative according to which business normality consists of the avoidance of conflicts, so that, in case of problems in the labor relationship, the managements (companies or unions) tend to reverse the reality of the “role” of aggressor and the “role” of luck” of being attacked.
Now, if the principles of true communication are based on the praise of fair competition, it is the superiority of a business environment without “wars”, without aggressors or victims, but of adversaries that compete with each other.
To claim an idea of business peace supported by the idea of a monopoly without confrontations and without aggressive “bad” entrepreneurs, is based on the principle of propaganda.
5. Finally, communication depends on the possibility of an evolution of points of view through the fair and contradictory confrontation of ideas, following the judicial practice of the search for the truth, through the adversarial process.
Programming a monopolization of the debate, simply preventing the other side from expressing its points of view, takes communication to the field of propaganda.
Author Albino Lopes is director of the undergraduate and master's courses in Human Resource Management at ISMAT
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