Internal communication is crucial for building stronger connections among faculty, staff, and students in today’s higher education landscape. While many universities invest heavily in external marketing efforts to attract students, internal communication often gets overlooked—especially in Vietnam. Universities focus on student recruitment campaigns but tend to neglect engaging their internal audiences, which could hurt the institution’s overall effectiveness. This is an excerpt from my conference paper at DCEST 2024, rewritten in plain language.
The Role of Internal Communication in Higher Education
Internal communication within universities is key to creating a collaborative and productive work environment. Effective internal communication fosters understanding and cooperation among various stakeholders, helping institutions achieve their goals. It also boosts faculty and staff morale, ultimately improving the quality of teaching and learning.
However, many Vietnamese universities approach internal communication in an unstructured, ad-hoc manner. Research reveals that these institutions prioritize external communication, leaving internal efforts underdeveloped. Without clear internal communication, universities miss the opportunity to engage their faculty, staff, and students in a meaningful way, which could diminish the sense of belonging and teamwork within the school.
The Findings from Interviews with University Leaders
The research team conducted interviews with 15 communication officers and managers from various Vietnamese universities. The findings revealed a clear lack of strategic direction in internal communication efforts. Many communication officers admitted that their work was mostly reactive, responding to leadership requests without a long-term plan in place.
Most universities lack dedicated internal communication departments. Instead, these tasks are often handled by staff who are already busy managing external marketing and event planning, leaving little time for thoughtful internal engagement. This gap leads to a lack of information sharing within the institution, which weakens the sense of unity among faculty, students, and staff.
The External Focus and Enrollment Pressures
Another major challenge is the heavy emphasis on external communication, especially for student recruitment. Many Vietnamese universities allocate their resources primarily to marketing campaigns aimed at attracting new students. This intense focus on external promotion often comes at the expense of internal communication, leaving faculty, staff, and students feeling disconnected from the institution.
The competitive environment of higher education in Vietnam, where universities are increasingly autonomous and internationalized, puts additional pressure on institutions to prioritize external branding. While recruiting students is important, neglecting internal communication can create imbalances that affect the school’s long-term success.
Why Internal Communication Shouldn’t Be Ignored
Universities that have invested in internal communication are seeing significant benefits. Research shows that schools with clear, effective internal strategies experience stronger engagement from their faculty, staff, and students. Clear communication channels, such as internal newsletters, weekly emails, and intranet platforms, help streamline information flow and reduce misunderstandings. This fosters a more collaborative environment where everyone feels valued and informed.
One example highlighted in the study is a university that established a dedicated internal communications department. This school saw an improvement in morale and teamwork, as everyone—from students to faculty—felt more connected to the institution’s goals and values. This sense of community not only boosted productivity but also encouraged a long-term commitment from all stakeholders.
Conclusion
The research underscores the limitations of internal communication at many Vietnamese universities, where efforts remain largely uncoordinated and spontaneous. While schools pour resources into external campaigns to attract students, internal engagement suffers, leading to a weakened sense of connection among faculty, staff, and students. Those universities that do invest in internal communication, however, are seeing positive results in terms of collaboration, commitment, and overall morale.
Moving forward, universities must adopt comprehensive communication strategies that effectively balance both internal and external efforts. By doing so, they will not only improve their internal operations but also strengthen their reputation as a cohesive and forward-thinking institution.
Reference
Ly-Le, T. M., Dang Thi, V. H., Nguyen, Y. N., Nguyen, T., Nguyen, M. H., & Nguyen, T. M. H. (2024). Nâng cao hiệu quả truyền thông nội bộ tại các trường đại học Việt Nam [Improving internal communication effectiveness at Vietnamese universities]. Proceedings of the “Digital Convergence in Economics, Society and Technology – DCEST 2024” Conference, 213-218.