Strategic Communication and the Great Success of McDonald’s As a Learning Organization

The success of learning organizations is marked by their ability to adjust quickly to internal and external realities. Motivating internal and varying human resources toward a common goal that might shift before the work force fully adopts that goal can be tricky for any organization, even one in a relatively stable market.

However, in companies with high levels of self-awareness, messaging and communication can be strategically applied from the very beginning of the endeavor and throughout the process. This paper defines strategic communication, examines the organizational practices of McDonald's (a company that has remained on the cutting edge of the fast food market for more than fifty years), and demonstrates how strategic communication contributes heavily to its ongoing success.