Performance communication of the Belgian Railway

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide an insight into performance communication from an important public service, i.e. the Belgian Railway, towards its employees (internal) and stakeholders (external).

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative research approach was taken in the form of 11 in‐depth interviews among spokespersons, quality engineers, politicians, journalists, Ombudsman, and consumer organizations.

Findings

The research found that performance communication focuses too much on positive aspects. Although both insiders and outside stakeholders admit that the frequency, amount and quality of performance communication in the Belgian situation are insufficient, this situation seems to result in utilizing additional media types.

Originality/value

There is seemingly a lack of research on (public) performance communication. This paper puts the most relevant literature together and presents the results of a qualitative study.

Citation

Gelders, D., Pieter Verckens, J., Galetzka, M. and Seydel, E. (2007), "Performance communication of the Belgian Railway", Journal of Communication Management, Vol. 11 No. 2, pp. 170-181. https://doi.org/10.1108/13632540710747389