Sven Windahl
Encyclopedia
Sven Windahl is a Swedish
professor of Communication Studies
as well as a consultant in the field of Organizational Communication
. His most influential work to date is the book Using Communication Theory from 1989, co-authered by Dr. Benno Signitzer and Jean T. Olson. The book has been translated into many languages.
Sven Windahl was born in Fristad
outside Borås
in Sweden. While in high school (gymnasium) in Borås he also worked as a journalist at the social democratic newspaper
Västgöta-demokraten, publishing on a daily basis.
He studied sociology
at Lund University from 1963 to 1968, remaining at the university in an amanuensis
position. In 1970 he became assistant professor at Växjö University (now Linnaeus University) where he was instrumental in starting one of the first masters programmes in "Information Techniques" (now the Public Relations and Communication Programme) in Sweden. The programme focused on training people for information and communication work in the public sector, but as the programme continued, the private sector became an increasingly interested outlet.
While at Växjö University, he finished his doctoral thesis on the professionalization of journalism
in Sweden.
While at the University of Minnesota
in 1980-82 he worked with professor Jerry Kline
on communication campaigns and also became editor and contributor of the highly respected peer-reviewed annual journal Mass Communication Review Yearbook published by SAGE Publications
.
In 1982 his book Communication Models was published - co-authored by Denis McQuail
. The book details basic communication models (Lasswell model, Shannon and Weaver's model, Gerbner's model), theories of media, audience-centered models, and mass media systems in general.
In 1986 he was visiting professor at the University of Salzburg
, working with professor Benno Signitzer with whom he wrote the book Using Communication Theory: An Introduction to Planned Communication (published 1989). The book was since translated into many languages. In 2009 the book was revised and updated.
His major research project between 1975 and 1987 was The Media Panel Program (MPP) The program was located at Lund University in Sweden and was a long-term research program focused on basic aspects of the mass media use by Swedish children, adolescents and young adults. The MPP was founded by professors Karl Erik Rosengren and Sven Windahl, and is acknowledged as being one of the most comprehensive of its kind. Publications include: Media matter: TV use in childhood and adolescence. KE Rosengren, S Windahl and B Dervin, JAI Press Limited 1989.
While still part time professor at Växjö University he started the consultancy ComCare, mainly serving the public and health-care sector. In the years 1985-1992 he was working as an advisor to the Swedish government task force on AIDS
(AIDS delegationen) for whom he made a comparative study of AIDS prevention initiatives across European countries. While working with the Health care sector he gradually turned his focus to Organizational Communication and Management Communication. In 1991 he founded the consultancy Kommunikationsanalys AB.
In 1992 he became professor at Lund University, Department of Communication Studies and moves to Copenhagen. In 1993 he founded the consultancy Nordisk Kommunikation with branches in Copenhagen
, Stockholm
and Malmö
, where he is still active. As a communication consultant and advisor mainly in the field of internal and organisational communication he is widely respected and acknowledged among communication professionals in Scandinavia. In the late 1990s he introduced the now widespread notion of Communicative Leadership, focusing on the communication aspects of leadership in organisations. He has in many years been a sought after lecturer among communication professionals in Scandinavia and is working as communications advisor to many international companies.
Mass Communication Review Yearbook: Volume 2, 1981 - Sage Publications, Inc
“The uses and dependency model of mass communication”, Alan M. Rubin, Sven Windahl
Critical Studies in Media Communication, Volume 3, Issue 2 June 1986
“Enculturation and Cultivation Analysis: Straddling the Fence?”
S Windahl, S Strohn - Minneapolis School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Minnesota, 1982
Mass Communication Models of the Future: Needs and Potentials
S Windahl - Högskolan i Växjö. Informationsteknik. Lunds Universitet. Sociologiska Institutionen.
Audience Activity and Gratifications: A Conceptual Clarification
MR Levy, S Windahl - Communication Research, 1984
The Concept of Audience Activity
MR Levy, S Windahl - Media gratifications research: Current perspectives, 1985
The Uses and Dependency Model of Mass Communication.
AM Rubin, S Windahl - Critical Studies in Mass Communication, 1986
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
professor of Communication Studies
Communication studies
Communication Studies is an academic field that deals with processes of communication, commonly defined as the sharing of symbols over distances in space and time. Hence, communication studies encompasses a wide range of topics and contexts ranging from face-to-face conversation to speeches to mass...
as well as a consultant in the field of Organizational Communication
Organizational communication
Organizational communication is a subfield of the larger discipline of communication studies. Organizational communication, as a field, is the consideration, analysis, and criticism of the role of communication in organizational contexts....
. His most influential work to date is the book Using Communication Theory from 1989, co-authered by Dr. Benno Signitzer and Jean T. Olson. The book has been translated into many languages.
Sven Windahl was born in Fristad
Fristad
Fristad is a locality situated in Borås Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had 4,808 inhabitants in 2005....
outside Borås
Borås
Borås is a locality and the seat of Borås Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had 63,441 inhabitants in 2005.- Geography :Borås is located at the point of two crossing railways, among them the railway between Gothenburg and Kalmar, and is often considered the Swedish city gaining the...
in Sweden. While in high school (gymnasium) in Borås he also worked as a journalist at the social democratic newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
Västgöta-demokraten, publishing on a daily basis.
He studied sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
at Lund University from 1963 to 1968, remaining at the university in an amanuensis
Amanuensis
Amanuensis is a Latin word adopted in various languages, including English, for certain persons performing a function by hand, either writing down the words of another or performing manual labour...
position. In 1970 he became assistant professor at Växjö University (now Linnaeus University) where he was instrumental in starting one of the first masters programmes in "Information Techniques" (now the Public Relations and Communication Programme) in Sweden. The programme focused on training people for information and communication work in the public sector, but as the programme continued, the private sector became an increasingly interested outlet.
While at Växjö University, he finished his doctoral thesis on the professionalization of journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
in Sweden.
While at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
in 1980-82 he worked with professor Jerry Kline
Jerry Kline
Jerry Kline is founder and chairman of Innovative Interfaces, and SkyRiver Technology Solutions, both based in Emeryville, CA.Kline received a B.S...
on communication campaigns and also became editor and contributor of the highly respected peer-reviewed annual journal Mass Communication Review Yearbook published by SAGE Publications
SAGE Publications
SAGE is an independent academic publisher of books, journals, and electronic products in the humanities and social sciences and the scientific, technical, and medical fields. SAGE was founded in 1965 by George McCune and Sara Miller McCune. The company is headquartered in Thousand Oaks, California,...
.
In 1982 his book Communication Models was published - co-authored by Denis McQuail
Denis McQuail
Denis McQuail is one of the most influential scholars in the field of mass communication studies.. He has published extensively in the field of political communication and communication theory. Best known is his contribution to the education of the public, concerning communication theory. His work...
. The book details basic communication models (Lasswell model, Shannon and Weaver's model, Gerbner's model), theories of media, audience-centered models, and mass media systems in general.
In 1986 he was visiting professor at the University of Salzburg
University of Salzburg
The University of Salzburg, or Paris Lodron University after its founder, the Prince Archbishop Paris Lodron, is located in the Austrian city of Salzburg, Salzburgerland, home of Mozart. It is divided into 4 faculties: catholic theology, law, humanities and natural science.Founded in 1622, it...
, working with professor Benno Signitzer with whom he wrote the book Using Communication Theory: An Introduction to Planned Communication (published 1989). The book was since translated into many languages. In 2009 the book was revised and updated.
His major research project between 1975 and 1987 was The Media Panel Program (MPP) The program was located at Lund University in Sweden and was a long-term research program focused on basic aspects of the mass media use by Swedish children, adolescents and young adults. The MPP was founded by professors Karl Erik Rosengren and Sven Windahl, and is acknowledged as being one of the most comprehensive of its kind. Publications include: Media matter: TV use in childhood and adolescence. KE Rosengren, S Windahl and B Dervin, JAI Press Limited 1989.
While still part time professor at Växjö University he started the consultancy ComCare, mainly serving the public and health-care sector. In the years 1985-1992 he was working as an advisor to the Swedish government task force on AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
(AIDS delegationen) for whom he made a comparative study of AIDS prevention initiatives across European countries. While working with the Health care sector he gradually turned his focus to Organizational Communication and Management Communication. In 1991 he founded the consultancy Kommunikationsanalys AB.
In 1992 he became professor at Lund University, Department of Communication Studies and moves to Copenhagen. In 1993 he founded the consultancy Nordisk Kommunikation with branches in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
and Malmö
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
, where he is still active. As a communication consultant and advisor mainly in the field of internal and organisational communication he is widely respected and acknowledged among communication professionals in Scandinavia. In the late 1990s he introduced the now widespread notion of Communicative Leadership, focusing on the communication aspects of leadership in organisations. He has in many years been a sought after lecturer among communication professionals in Scandinavia and is working as communications advisor to many international companies.
Selected articles
"Uses and Gratifications at the Crossroads", Sven WindahlMass Communication Review Yearbook: Volume 2, 1981 - Sage Publications, Inc
“The uses and dependency model of mass communication”, Alan M. Rubin, Sven Windahl
Critical Studies in Media Communication, Volume 3, Issue 2 June 1986
“Enculturation and Cultivation Analysis: Straddling the Fence?”
S Windahl, S Strohn - Minneapolis School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Minnesota, 1982
Mass Communication Models of the Future: Needs and Potentials
S Windahl - Högskolan i Växjö. Informationsteknik. Lunds Universitet. Sociologiska Institutionen.
Audience Activity and Gratifications: A Conceptual Clarification
MR Levy, S Windahl - Communication Research, 1984
The Concept of Audience Activity
MR Levy, S Windahl - Media gratifications research: Current perspectives, 1985
The Uses and Dependency Model of Mass Communication.
AM Rubin, S Windahl - Critical Studies in Mass Communication, 1986