DIGITAL-BASED COLLABORATIVE COMMUNICATION STRATEGY IN MANAGING STAKEHOLDERS AND RESOURCES: A CASE STUDY OF STUDENT EVENT

Abstract

This study explores the dynamics of digital-based collaborative communication strategies in the context of student event management, taking the UMB Talks 2024 event at Universitas Mercu Buana as a focused case study. Adopting a descriptive qualitative approach, the research investigates how student-led committees organize internal structures, maintain stakeholder relations, and strategically utilize digital platforms to coordinate complex project-based activities. Data collection involved in-depth interviews, participatory observations, and comprehensive document analysis, engaging student leaders, faculty supervisors, and invited speakers as primary informants.

The findings reveal that digital tools such as WhatsApp and Google Drive significantly enhance the efficiency and responsiveness of communication within a non-permanent organizational setting. These platforms facilitate not only streamlined coordination and documentation but also support transparent decision-making processes and promote active participation from all committee members. Such communication practices reflect the core tenets of Jürgen Habermas’s theory of communicative action, characterized by mutual understanding, rational deliberation, and consensus-oriented interactions.

Moreover, the study formulates a conceptual model of digital collaborative communication, emphasizing structural flexibility, technological adaptability, and deliberative engagement. This model underscores the interplay between social structures and technological affordances, suggesting that effective communication in student-led projects is both a managerial and pedagogical act. The model advances theoretical insights into strategic communication in academic settings and offers practical implications for enhancing project-based learning, particularly in the realm of digital event management. Overall, the study contributes to the growing discourse on the role of communication strategy in empowering student agency, fostering organizational resilience, and reinforcing democratic values within higher education institutions.