**8. Concluding remarks**

This article has investigated the creation of common understanding for a social inclusion change project through partnership-wide meetings organized as dialogue. The investigation was conducted within the theoretical frames of strategic communication and dialogue and by use of an exemplary analysis of a partnership-wide dialogue for social inclusion. The analytical framework was rooted in dialogue analysis. The empirical data for the exemplary analysis consisted of observational data from a case study of a CSSP.

In the article, we argue that the study of strategic communication encompasses more than goals, means and outcomes at a macro-organizational level solely conducted by manager agent on behalf of a principal entity. In addition, the study of strategic communication must also be conducted at a meso- and micro-level with the purpose of for instance understanding how to gain support towards social change and new organizational practices through the creation of common understanding at an interpersonal level. Thus, it is important to map the three levels.

Our findings confirm previous research demonstrating how management actors create understanding by use of certain strategies [63–65]. It adds to this research by proposing a novel dialogical approach to the study of CSSPs and by identifying strategies in partnership-wide dialogues used by managers in private and public sector organizations. As such, we claim that it is possible to argue for the existence of and the notion of strategic, intentional and purposeful communication at a micro-, meso- and macro-level, namely in relation to the in-situ enactment of partnership-wide dialogue. Overall, the research contributes to uncovering the social world articulated in partnership communication of social issues. In addition, from a practical perspective, our analytical findings indicate that managers in private and public sector organizations participating in CSSPs need to pay attention to different "available" meeting structures and agendas among which the formal structure of dialogue and the agendas of government seem to be the strongest in terms of arguing for social change.

We acknowledge that this exemplary study may have a number of potential shortcomings restricting its validity. In particular, the current study investigates strategic communication and the creation of common understanding towards internal and external stakeholders in only one CSSP. While this organization was selected for sound reasons, the sample may only be representative of this [type of] partnership and its management. However, we believe that additional empirical studies, e.g. micro-, meso- and macro-level case studies, investigating strategic communication and the creation of common understanding in text and talk towards internal and external stakeholders in other types of CSSPs could bring research a step forward.

*Corporate Social Responsibility*
