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Incentives and Performance pp 291–306Cite as

Success Measurement of Scientific Communication: The Contribution of New Media to the Governance of Universities

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Abstract

Success measurement is a critical component of any organization’s governance. It fulfills functions as important as the monitoring, coordination and evaluation of organizational activities. We argue that knowledge-intensive organizations are also communication-intensive organizations: communication is essential for the creation and sharing of knowledge. Universities, as knowledge-intensive organizations, focus significant efforts and resources on scientific communication. We conclude that success measurement of universities can largely be understood as the success measurement of scientific communication. This chapter will argue that new media provide new opportunities for the success measurement of scientific communication. Online media render activities as diverse as citations, bookmarks, views or downloads accessible to analysis—and thereby facilitate a more varied evaluation of effects caused within the scientific community (“impact”). Social media, especially, provide insights into conversations and personal networks. By observing and analyzing new media, universities can generate a richer, more differentiated understanding of their communication success. Thereby, new media have the potential to contribute to the governance of universities.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Media and Communications Management, University of St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland

    Christian Pieter Hoffmann

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  1. Christian Pieter Hoffmann
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Correspondence to Christian Pieter Hoffmann .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. TUM School of Management, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany

    Isabell M. Welpe

  2. TUM School of Management, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany

    Jutta Wollersheim

  3. TUM School of Management, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany

    Stefanie Ringelhan

  4. Zeppelin University, Friedrichshafen, Germany, and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Margit Osterloh

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Hoffmann, C.P. (2015). Success Measurement of Scientific Communication: The Contribution of New Media to the Governance of Universities. In: Welpe, I., Wollersheim, J., Ringelhan, S., Osterloh, M. (eds) Incentives and Performance. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09785-5_18

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