**4. Framework for analysis**

In line with the general view of the study of organizational/strategic communication [55], our model consists of three levels of analysis: context, structure and process. First, as our focus is on talk as a change management tool, we distinguish between the organizational context (i.e. the CSSP for social change) and the communicative context (i.e. strategic/change communication). Next, the selection of theories and areas studied shows dialogue as both a formal structure and a discursive practice. We believe that only by encompassing both of these fundamental sides of dialogue, it is possible to actually analyze and use dialogue as a change management tool. Formally defined, dialogue becomes an idealistic concept, seldom found in its pure form but more in 'combinations' or mixed forms in real contexts. Context is an important part of our framework in that dialogue depends on situational

characteristics related to both the organizational and the communicative context, not least *goal-orientation*.

The specific approach we take is to base the analysis of our partnership-wide dialogue on central notions or concepts and definitions gathered from each of the theoretical areas outlined above. On this basis, we establish a number of parameters and elements which allow us to analyze partnership dialogue as a concept which will allow managers in CSSPs to deliberately and effectively choose and carry out certain communicative (inter)actions, e.g. turn-taking, in order to obtain common understanding and legitimation in relation to internal and external stakeholders (**Table 1**).

The field of change management and strategic communication has for example also contributed with concepts such as perspective or motivation for using dialogue [e.g. effectiveness, organizational learning etc.], purpose [e.g. social purpose, problem solution, negotiation etc.], organizational levels of analysis [e.g. dyadic, group, wide-organizational, and extra-organizational, including the concept of multiple, interrelated levels of analysis]. From dialogue theory we have borrowed a formal structure and elements such as turns, adjacency pairs and beginning, middle and end. Other important elements are related to the relationship: who has taken the initiative, who holds the floor, who has the power and so forth. Politeness/Face-Threatening Act is a central concept here. These elements can be used/combined in different ways, i.e. discursive practice, and in principle there is a *script* for each situation.


#### **Table 1.**

*Levels of analysis and elements of dialogic organization-wide meeting talk.*

#### *How to Do CSR with Dialogic Meeting Talk: A Conceptual Framework for Managing Change… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.94345*

In our analysis, we use central concepts from our above framework to examine the specific ways in which dialogue is carried out strategically at the text and talk level, focusing on various ways of organizing the talk to create a sense of common understanding. In specific, we will show how the various moves applied strategically by CSSP management can vary in intensity, insofar as some moves of building common understanding may be stronger than others. By applying a dialogue structure, we want to show that management navigates between the heterogeneous texts and talks expressed within the organization and the texts and talks expressed at the partnership level.
