Resumen de Communication for excellence in private universities as hybrid organizations

Mariana Sueldo, Joan Cuenca Fontbona

• This work seeks to examine the role of excellence in communication as an essential element of overall organizational excellence. Features of organizational, academic and communication excellence are systematized into a comprehensive framework empirically explored in three private universities of Argentina, Spain and Lithuania. These excellent institutions are considered hybrid organizations having a dual purpose: the inherent mission attributed to a university and the particular corporate purpose of a private enterprise. The empirical work follows a multiple case study design with combined methods for data collection: pilot survey (quantitative analysis), expert interviews and in-depth interviews (thematic content analysis of qualitative data). Survey responses illustrate elements of institutional excellence and communication management endorsed by Alumni from the three universities. Communication experts (17 from the 3 countries) highlight critical factors for strategic status of communication function. Interviewees (56) endorse achieved academic quality and relational capital. Yet, the institutionalization of communication as strategic managerial function remains a challenge, as does the systematic evaluation of consistent communication work which directly and indirectly impacts institutional excellence.