“It’s Not so Easy to Measure impact”: A Qualitative Analysis of How Universities Measure and Evaluate Their Communication

ABSTRACT

Universities are key actors at the intersection of science and society and their strategic communication and its effective implementation is essential, as is the measurement and evaluation (M&E) of its impact. Despite the growing relevance of M&E in university communication, however, empirical studies on the subject are rare. Therefore, this study explores M&E practices of central communication departments at Swiss universities through semi-structured interviews and document analysis. Findings show that M&E are still in its infancy at most universities. The study identifies resources and skills of communication professionals, digital technologies as well as a culture of learning as the primary factors enabling or constraining M&E. Findings show that the organizational context, notably the (perceived) degree of competition, the availability of personnel resources, and the professionalism of the communication department, rather than the sector of higher education itself, influences M&E practices. In addition to resources, our findings point to an engaged leadership actively supporting a culture of learning and the further development of skills in communication departments as the most important factor for M&E practices.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

¹ The data were collected in two waves due to the maternity leave of the researcher conducting most interviews (first author). However, since the interview study was focused on long-term developments and established practices in university communication, the overall period of data collection from July 2021 to March 2023 does not compromise the quality and comparability of data.

² The interviews were conducted mainly by the first and some with the third author. The data were collected in two waves due to the maternity leave of the researcher conducting most interviews (first author). However, since the interview study was focused on long-term developments and established practices in university communication, the overall period of data collection from July 2021 to March 2023 does not compromise the quality and comparability of data.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation under grant agreement nr. 184992.