Use of the e-Delphi Method to Validate the Corporate Reputation Management Maturity Model (CR3M)

Information and communication technologies (ICT) have allowed the modification of many research methods based on communication. One of them is the Delphi method, especially e-Delphi. The two main areas of application of the Delphi method are traditional forecasting, but recently also the conceptual framework development of a model or theory, especially in complex domains and those where empirical research is lacking. The aim of the study was to assess the substantive accuracy (validation) of the enterprise reputation management maturity model (CR3M) using the modified e-Delphi. The final model will be tested in selected companies in the future (in the next stage of the research). Maturity models have long been regarded as tools for assessing skills in some field. The CR3M model originally included 96 practices (in four areas: communication management, corporate social responsibility, reputational risk and quality), the implementation of which was considered to be a maturity indicator. The basis for the development of the model was the literature on the subject and the existing partial maturity models. Ten experts (five theorists and five practitioners) participated in the study and assessed the appropriateness of including practices in the model and their validity, using a 5-point Likert scale. The questionnaire consisted of three questions. In two rounds of the Delphi study, an expert consensus was reached (in accordance with a priori established indicators) regarding the retention 70 out of 96 practices originally included in the model (26 deleted). The model retained 18 practices in the area of Communication Management, 14 practices in the area of Corporate Social Responsibility, 18 practices in the field of Reputation Risk Management and 20 practices in the field of Quality Management. Modification of the maturity model-reducing the number of practices included in the model increased its applicability. At the same time, 89% of experts found the presented maturity model a useful tool for self-assessment and improvement of reputation management. The modified e-Delphi procedure can be considered as an effective methodology for validating complex conceptual models.