Secrecy and communication: towards a research agenda

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify possible lines of research relating to communication and secrecy. Design/methodology/approach This paper is a conceptual essay drawing on recent research on secrecy. Findings The findings suggest that secrecy entails the communication of rules about communication, and that secrecy can play a role in the communicative constitution of organizations. Originality/value The paper is innovative in configuring secrecy as a form of communication rather than being the opposite of communication, and in showing the linkages between what are normally two separate domains of research.