Concise Introduction to Organizational Listening: Making Communication Meaningful (Elgar Concise Introductions) - Hardcover

Macnamara, Jim

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 103538468X ISBN 13: 9781035384686

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2026

Synopsis

Our Elgar Concise Introductions are inspiring and considered. They explain the key principles in business and are expertly written by some of the world’s leading scholars. The aims of the series are two-fold: to pinpoint essential concepts of business and management, and to offer insights that stimulate critical thinking.

A pioneer in the study of organizational listening, Jim Macnamara synthesizes his extensive research and knowledge surrounding the field in this Concise Introduction. Exploring how organizations including government departments and agencies, corporations, non-government organizations and institutions listen to their constituents and stakeholders, he highlights the essential role of listening in public communication.

Chapters summarize the theoretical foundation of organizational listening and present practical recommendations to address its challenges and opportunities. Macnamara demonstrates the tangible benefits of effective organizational listening and suggests how to adopt an 'architecture of listening' method to improve communication in organizations.

Key Features:

• Provides a clear and accessible overview of the field
• Presents key methods of effective organizational listening
• Identifies case studies of crises resulting from not listening
• Includes findings from over 30 recent studies and author’s own research
• Analyses fundamental principles and guidelines – the 'seven canons of listening'

The Concise Introduction to Organizational Listening is a valuable resource for scholars and students of communication, business and management, public relations and communication, politics and public policy and marketing. Its practical guidance will also benefit practitioners, public policy advisers and consultants working in communication, government and policy development.

About this title

About the Author

Jim Macnamara, Distinguished Professor of Public Communication, School of Communication, University of Technology Sydney, Australia

Edition details

• Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 103538468X
• ISBN 13: 9781035384686
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 204