Digital corporate communication and digital transformation of communication functions and organizations

Understanding digital transformation and its impact on corporate communication is a prerequisite for successfully adopting technologies in communication functions and departments. This chapter outlines relevant concepts from management, information systems, and communication science. It introduces the terms CommTech and Digital Infrastructure, which broaden the traditional but narrow focus on using software and services for communicating with stakeholders. A research overview shows that digital transformation has a twofold impact on corporate communication. First, communication departments digitally transform themselves by building a digital infrastructure for managing and executing communication processes. Second, they play a pivotal role in the digital transformation of the whole organisation by supporting this change process by monitoring trends, conveying messages, stimulating conversations, and advising executives. The chapter presents analytical frameworks to capture both dimensions, an illustrative example that highlights the relevance in practice, and an agenda for future research in the field.