The Role of Strategic Communications in Organizational Strategy Development and Implementation

Abstract

In a time when the zeitgeist is marked with uncertainty, discontentment and rapid change, the role of the communicator has been elevated to work side by side with CEOs doing work that is inextricably linked. This poses the question: how and to what extent should the strategic communications function contribute to organizational strategy and implementation? This paper explores the elements of strategic communication that advance an organization’s success, the expectations that executives have of strategic communicators, and models, frameworks and tools that communicators can leverage for strategic decision making. Research was conducted via a content analysis of strategic plans and interviews with both executive leaders and communications leaders. The results demonstrated that the extent to which strategic communications can support strategy development is high, a sentiment that executive leaders and communications leaders are aligned on. The path to the executive table includes stakeholder relationship management, environmental scanning, risk analysis and management, and being able to add value with skills and knowledge.