Resource Dependency Theory

This entry details resource dependency theory and its relationship to the strategic communication literature. Resource dependence describes the degree to which organizations are dependent on other groups within their environment for needed resources. The need for resources creates environmental interdependencies and complex power relations. Strategic communication can help organizations manage environmental uncertainty by acting as boundary spanners and engaging in constant environmental scanning to detect environmental turbulence that may affect the exchange of required resources. Given the theory's emphasis on resource exchange, it was used by scholars as a theoretical foundation for modern conceptualizations of organization–public relationships.