Mats Heide

Professor in strategic communication with a Ph.D. in Media and communication studies. Heide is currently involved in various research projects, primarily within the area of communicative organizations, professionalization of communication professionals, internal crisis communication and change communication. 

Background

In 2002 I received my Ph.D. at the Department of Sociology, Department of Media and Communication Studies at Lund University. The aim of my dissertation was to study if and how intranets was interpreted and used as medium for communication and learning. Thus, I studied organizational learning and ICT (Information and Communication Technology), or with another term knowledge management, from a communicative perspective. The theoretical points of departure in the dissertation was the sensemaking theory by Karl E. Weick, the social cultural perspective on learning by Lev Vygotsky, and the theory on communities of practices by Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger. In 2008 I was promoted to Associate Professor and in 2012 I was promoted to Professor at Lund University. 

Area of Research

My research interests are primarily in the area of strategic communication. Within this area I have mainly focused on organizational communication and the mutual dependent relationship between organizational communication and public relations. More specifically, I have written texts concerning fields such as: communicative organizations, the professionalization of communication professionals, internal crisis communication, crisis communication, communication in change processes, and internal social media..

Selection of recent projects

• Communicative organizations | 2014–2018
  This project is funded by The Swedish Communication Association and the City of Helsingborg and the ten organizations that were studied. See more about the project.
• Internal crisis communication | 2011–2013
  The project was funded by The Swedish Agency for Contingency Management.
• New media, new forms of organizing: Leadership and learning in a new media landscape | Spring 2011
  Funded by the Faculty of Social Sciences, Lund university.
• Network communication – a new model for work with critical dependent conditions in society | 2010
  This project was funded by Samrådsgruppen at The Municipality of Helsingborg.
• Strategies of publics for Dunkers Kulturhus, Helsingborg | Spring 2009
  A minor project for Helsingborg’s centre for the arts – Dunkers Kulturhus, Helsingborg.
• The region of Helsingborg as a brand: Knowledge platform and communication strategy | January–March 2008
  A minor project for the municipality of Helsingborg, Sweden.
• Communication in change processes | 2006–2007
  In this project, funded by The Knowledge Foundation, the aim is to study change processes from a communicative perspective within three companies: Astra Zeneca, Eon and SCA. The goal of the project is to develop applied knowledge of success factors for effective communication.
• Crisis communication with persons with a foreign background: A study of authorities’ crisis management | 2006–2007
  This research project, funded by the Swedish Emergency Management Agency, was conducted by Mats Heide and Jesper Falkheimer. The aim of the study is to produce new knowledge and strategies to authorities regarding crisis communication to multicultural groups, especially those whose culture and media use differ from traditional structures in Sweden.

Teaching

At present I am teaching at both undergraduate and postgraduate courses, e.g. Strategic communication in crisis and change, Organizational communication and Master’s thesis where I act as supervisor and examiner. In 2017 I was awarded the title Excellent Teaching Practitioner (ETP) from the Faculty of Social Sciences’ Teaching Academy, Lund university.