Digitalization in corporate communications: understanding the emergence and consequences of CommTech and digital infrastructure
Corporate Communications: An International Journal
ISSN: 1356-3289
Article publication date: 20 July 2022
Issue publication date: 7 March 2023
Abstract
Purpose
This article studies the digitalization of corporate communications and the emergence of communication technology (CommTech). The authors show communicators' expectations regarding digitalization, gauge the current level of digitalization across communication departments and agencies and examine the effectiveness of strategic approaches to manage digitalization.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conceptualize the phenomenon of CommTech and propose a framework for studying CommTech's emergence and consequences by combining (1) recent theorizing on digitalization in corporate communications, (2) the concept of digital maturity from information systems research and (3) a socio-technical approach to analyze the development of work systems. The authors apply this framework in a quantitative study (n = 2,664) among communication practitioners from 46 countries.
Findings
While digitalization of both communication activities and the underlying support infrastructure is seen as critically important among communicators, a large fraction of communication departments and agencies are still assessed as digitally immature. Further, data reveal the relevance of different (technology, tasks, structure and people) dimensions of digitalization strategies and the influence of such strategies on the digital maturity of communications.
Practical implications
The framework and empirical instruments developed in this study help practitioners to uncover and evaluate the level of digital maturity of communication departments and agencies. This allows to identify current challenges and future opportunities for improvement.
Originality/value
The authors propose a concise definition for the much-debated concept of CommTech and develop a new theoretical framework for understanding CommTech's emergence and consequences in the profession. This empirical work constitutes the first large-scale study on the digital maturity of communication departments and agencies.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. The authors disclose receipt of financial and administrative support for the study used in this text by the European Public Relations Education and Research Association (EUPRERA), the European Association of Communication Directors (EACD), Cision Insights, Fink & Fuchs, the Nordic Alliance for Communication & Management (#NORA), Oslo, and Centro per la Comunicazione Strategica (CECOMS), Milan. We thank our colleagues Àngeles Moreno, Dejan Verčič, Ralph Tench, Ronny Fechner, and Jens Hagelstein for support and advice.
Citation
Brockhaus, J., Buhmann, A. and Zerfass, A. (2023), "Digitalization in corporate communications: understanding the emergence and consequences of CommTech and digital infrastructure", Corporate Communications: An International Journal, Vol. 28 No. 2, pp. 274-292. https://doi.org/10.1108/CCIJ-03-2022-0035
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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