Organization-issue dynamics: a conceptual model for strategic communication management of sociopolitical challenges

Abstract

Purpose This study proposes a conceptual model of organization-issue dynamics that explicates how organizations identify, sustain and recalibrate their stances on sociopolitical issues. The model reconceptualizes stance-taking as a dynamic process shaped by a connection between an organization and a given sociopolitical issue, involving interactions, transactions, exchanges and negotiations. Design/methodology/approach Employing theory synthesis, this conceptual work integrates grand public relations theories – specifically the contingency theory of strategic conflict management and issue management – with emerging frameworks on organizational advocacy, crisis READINESS, strategic silence and cross-cultural conflict. The model is further illustrated through a real-world case. Findings The OID model is anchored by two central dimensions – organizational commitment and issue complexity – whose intersections define distinct positions and stances. Positioning is governed by a stance calculus in which situational, organizational and environmental factors shape decision thresholds. Organizational identity-issue congruence, legitimacy pressures and stakeholder feedback loops explain how organizations oscillate among advocacy, accommodation and strategic silence. Practical implications The model provides a diagnostic tool for communication leaders to evaluate, forecast, and optimize strategic positioning on sociopolitical issues, aligning organizational values with stakeholder expectations across global contexts. Originality/value By conceptualizing organization-issue dynamics as an interactive relationship between an organization and an issue, the study advances communication management theory and offers a framework for future empirical validation.