Business intelligence and corporate communications
A framework for data-driven listening and internal consulting
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7433/s125.2024.03Keywords:
business intelligence, communication management, corporate communications, internal consultingAbstract
Frame of the research: Providing insights on public opinions, social developments and relevant stakeholders is an important strategic contribution of communication in management. This sheds light on listening and internal consulting in corporate communications research and practice – how communicators can integrate these tasks into their daily work and how they can use them to support executives in their business decisions.
Objectives: This article explores how communication professionals can use business intelligence (BI) methods based on digital technologies to incorporate communication insights into managerial decision-making processes.
Methodology: An interdisciplinary literature analysis was performed to develop a novel conceptual framework. This was validated in a qualitative interview study.
Findings: To utilize information from external and internal sources for internal consulting, communicators need to process data, translate them into relevant information for decision-making, and make them accessible to decision-makers in organizations. The framework shows how this can be achieved through a BI process that covers all phases as well as the necessary technologies and applications, from cleansing and merging data to accessing aggregated information.
Managerial implications: The outlined process enables communicators to act as internal consultants and ensures that managerial decisions can consider communication-related opportunities and risks.
Limitations: The framework could not be tested in a large-scale study so far, as integrating BI in communication management is still an emerging practice.
Originality: This article contributes to the body of knowledge by systematically introducing BI to corporate communications. It also adds to current debates on the digitalization of communication management and new roles for communication practitioners.
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