Vanemuise teatri sisekommunikatsioon etendust ettevalmistavas ja teenindavas osakonnas

Abstract

Internal Communications of performance preparation and supporting unit at Theatre Vanemuine. Communication plays a big part in an organisation’s everyday routine. Regardless of the fact that a theatre is a cultural organisation that employs creative staff with a creative approach to everyday activities, communication has an important role to play to ensure a target oriented functioning of the organisation. Current thesis explores the communicational strengths and shortcomings in the preparation and service department of the productions at theatre Vanemuine, while also introducing the specific nature of a cultural organisation. The main questions of the thesis were: what are the most common and preferred channels for internal communication? What kind of information channels are missed at the theatre? Does the staff receive sufficient information relevant for their work and what kind of information do they lack? The research aimed to discover if and what are the strengths and shortcomings in Vanemuine’s internal communication, in order to define necessary activities for improving the everyday workflow. Key words: internal communication, culture, theatre, specific nature of cultural organisations. The research in this thesis includes qualitative and quantitative methods. Quantitative research includes a survey based on a written questionnaire and qualitative research includes short follow-up interviews based on one question from the questionnaire. The thesis also aims to describe the specific nature of a theatre as a cultural- art organisation based on theoretical research; according to my data research in this capacity has not yet been conducted in Estonia in terms of a BA thesis on internal communication. The theoretical part of this research provides the framework for the specifics of communication, internal communication, management and specific nature of cultural organisations. The theoretical framework is based on various authors, among them research by Denis McQuail, R. Waynes Pace, Don F. Faules, Edmund Leach, James E. Gruning, Maaja Vadi, Raivo Palmaru, Halliki Harro, Pervez Ghaur, Ian Palmer, Michael W Kramer, Eikhof, Haunchild, David A. Crespy et al. The present research confirms the theoretical viewpoints according to which creative organisations prefer informal communication and the employees of a cultural organisation have to work in a somewhat conflicting situation, where on one hand they should be offered a free and creative environment for creative functioning and on the other hand the organisation as a whole needs systemized approach to ensure that the creative input reaches the audience in accordance with the general targets and timetable of the organisation. The research showed that in general the information flow at Vanemuine is satisfactory and there are no substantial shortcomings. Observations and suggestions made in the process of the research about additional information needs have direct practical value in order to improve theatre’s workflow. The present research pointed out that several information channels are currently duplicated which ensures the theatre good probability of efficient communication even in cases of prompt changes in work plans. Results confirms the viewpoints of various experts according to which the management of a creative organisation greatly assumes informal and sensitive skills of communication and the wish to implement such approach as creative people strongly react to any attempt to force them into frames and regulations. As Vanemuine is the largest theatre in Estonia and this research only focused on the staff of the technical departments, there is great potential for further studies of internal communication at Vanemuine and other theatres. Theatre as an organisation is a valuable and interesting source for research.