Reconstructing the Constitutive Communication Paradigm in Building a Digital Work Culture at SMK Nurul Islami Semarang

Abstract

Digital transformation in educational institutions is often approached as a technological issue, while its communicative and organizational dimensions remain underexplored. This study examines how constitutive communication shapes the development of digital work culture at SMK Nurul Islami Semarang through the perspective of Communication as Constitutive of Organizations (CCO). Employing a qualitative case study design, data were collected through interviews, observations, and document analysis involving school leaders, teachers, and administrative staff. The findings reveal that digital work culture is constructed through continuous communicative interactions that facilitate meaning-making, coordination, and organizational adaptation. The study identifies several communication challenges, including information overload, generational differences in technology use, and fragmented inter-unit coordination. To address these challenges, the school developed participatory communication practices, strengthened cross-functional interactions, and promoted collaborative digital platforms. The study contributes to the CCO literature by demonstrating how communication constitutes organizational reality and supports digital transformation within vocational education settings.

Abstrak
Transformasi digital di lembaga pendidikan sering dipahami sebagai persoalan teknologi, sementara dimensi komunikatif dan organisasionalnya masih kurang mendapat perhatian. Penelitian ini mengkaji bagaimana komunikasi konstitutif membentuk budaya kerja digital di SMK Nurul Islami Semarang melalui perspektif Communication as Constitutive of Organizations (CCO). Penelitian menggunakan desain studi kasus kualitatif dengan pengumpulan data melalui wawancara, observasi, dan analisis dokumen yang melibatkan pimpinan sekolah, guru, dan tenaga kependidikan. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa budaya kerja digital dibangun melalui interaksi komunikasi yang berlangsung secara berkelanjutan dalam proses pembentukan makna, koordinasi, dan adaptasi organisasi. Penelitian juga menemukan berbagai tantangan komunikasi, meliputi kelebihan informasi, perbedaan generasi dalam penggunaan teknologi, serta lemahnya koordinasi antarunit. Untuk mengatasi tantangan tersebut, sekolah mengembangkan praktik komunikasi partisipatif, memperkuat interaksi lintas fungsi, dan mendorong penggunaan platform digital kolaboratif. Studi ini berkontribusi pada pengembangan literatur CCO dengan menunjukkan bahwa komunikasi berperan sebagai unsur konstitutif dalam membentuk realitas organisasi dan mendukung transformasi digital di lingkungan pendidikan vokasi.