ABSTRACT This article seeks to build a better understanding of the concept of alignment, which has been acknowledged as a central aspect of strategic communication, but never explicitly defined. Building upon a comprehensive literature review and systematization of concepts at the nexus of strategic communication and management research, a working definition and an integrative conceptual framework of alignment of strategic communication are suggested. The new definition describes alignment of strategic communication both as an outcome and an ongoing process and introduces a distinction between primary and secondary alignment. The new framework combines the multiple perspectives and types of alignment discussed so far, differentiating between external and internal alignment, intrafunctional and cross-functional alignment, management–strategy–activities alignment and process–structure–culture–people alignment. Six avenues for future conceptual, empirical, and critical research are pointed out to provide inspiration for strategic communication scholars to carry forward research of the alignment concept.

中文翻译：

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一致性：阐述战略沟通中的关键概念

摘要本文旨在对对齐的概念有一个更好的理解，对齐的概念已被公认为是战略沟通的核心方面，但从未明确定义。在对战略传播与管理研究的关系进行全面的文献综述和概念系统化的基础上，提出了战略定义的工作定义和统一的概念框架。新的定义将战略沟通的一致性描述为结果和正在进行的过程，并引入了主要和次要一致性之间的区别。新框架结合了到目前为止讨论的多种视角和类型的对齐方式，区分了内部和内部对齐方式，内部功能和跨功能对齐方式，管理-战略-活动的一致性和过程-结构-文化-人员的一致性。指出了未来概念，实证和批判研究的六种途径，为战略传播学者开展对结概念的研究提供了启发。