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Abstract: During Covid-19 pandemic most activities in higher education institutions have experienced changes, most of them being moving to the online environment even internal communication. This study aims to explore whether internal communication during Covid-19 pandemic has had any effect on communication between university and his audiences/members. This study analyses previous literature about the concept of internal communication and knowledge management and then it approaches the internal communication in a higher education institution in Romania, the University of Bucharest (UB) during Covid-19 pandemic. It explores the possibility the university has had starting with March 2020 to communicate with its audience/members through more informal channels in parallel with the formal channels. Internal communication (IC) is considered one of the most important parts in the functioning of a university. Its impact goes beyond the routines and the collaboration between different departments depends on the employee motivation and engagement. In order to create a friendly, productive, harmonious and respectful work environment an adequate internal communication with a positive impact on the environment is necessary. The image of an institution is created through communication which can improve the interaction. Internal communication during Covid-19 pandemic is an opportunity to analyse this practice from the perspective of multi-cultural and cross-disciplinary, institution performance, personnel commitment and trust in management (Men, L.R., Yue, C. A., 2019) in higher education during health crisis. There is potential for studies on the impact of internal communication on crisis moments and the opportunity for the universities to reinvent and to adapt to the new challenges imposed by the pandemic.
Keywords: internal communication; higher education
INTRODUCTION
During Covid-19 pandemic everything was change: all activities went online, even internal communication; a measure taken for the slow the contagion virus. All this changes affect all the activities level in higher education institutes in many ways unexpected and new. This period was a challenge and, in the same time, an opportunity to the university to learn and teach digitalization and digitally enhanced outcomes, quality and research.
On its parts internal communication was closely with its members in this difficult moment and has moved its activities online and added new activities dedicated to needs arisen from the crisis.
Internal communication is one distinct aspect in any organization and has an important...