Turning hurdles into opportunities

by Marion Par-Weixlberger

Faster, more efficient, more accurate and creative at the touch of a button – the use of new technologies also offers enormous potential, especially for corporate communications. However, in order to fully exploit this potential and take advantage of opportunities, it is important to find the right answers to a number of questions that communicators ask themselves.

Integrating technology into existing systems and structures

This is particularly true as the introduction of new systems or technologies rarely takes place “on a greenfield site”. It will often be a matter of fitting them into existing system landscapes and, above all, into existing processes and structures. This requires adjustments and changes at all levels: in technology and processes, in team interaction and possibly also with other departments. And very probably also investments.

Spoilt for choice: the right tools for the greatest added value

So it’s not just about keeping track of the rapidly developing landscape of solutions and systems, but also about checking and deciding which of these solutions offer the greatest added value for your own work.

Systems must also be sensibly connected or integrated into the existing IT landscape. This requires technological expertise and IT support – from set-up to maintenance.

Anchoring changes in the team: skills and acceptance

An agile way of working is helpful in order to be able to react flexibly to changes. Speaking of change: the best tools are of little use if they are not accepted by the team and integrated into their own processes. This requires the right skills, which can be taught through training. Even more important, however, is an understanding and conviction of the benefits of change. Only with a culture that sees change as something positive – without brushing aside possible reservations or concerns – can this work in the long term.

Technologies along the communications value chain

The professional field of communication has already changed significantly and will continue to do so. New technologies and AI tools are already being used along the entire communication value chain: from analysis, conception and planning to production, distribution and subsequent evaluation and measurement of results and the achievement of communication goals.

New technologies play a particularly important role in monitoring, measurement and analysis. Tools also support research, strategy development and planning and make work more efficient and often better. Generative AI, for example, can not only enrich communication concepts, but also support communicators in their operational implementation. Content production and creation are therefore also key areas of application.

Human expertise as an irreplaceable factor

In all of this, technology can support, improve and, in particular, accelerate. It will complement the human work of communication experts. Results must be evaluated, interpreted and also monitored. This requires communication experts, who in turn must have the necessary skills. It should be in the interest of everyone who wants to find their place (at work) in an (even) more technology-driven and technology-supported world to acquire and maintain these skills.

New skills for the communication of the future

At the same time, communications departments have a duty to support and involve colleagues in their own team and beyond. And to seize the opportunity and actively tackle the change together as a team.

From service provider to strategic staff unit: The future of communication

The impact of new technologies on the role of communication managers is also reflected in the labor market, which is also reflected in the skills required by potential employees. In the future, there will be skills that will increasingly be taken over by generative AI, for example in content creation or production (text creation, translation or visualization).

However, the expertise of communication experts will continue to be irreplaceable – especially due to the new technologies. The results of AI research must be correctly interpreted, critically reflected upon and classified accordingly. This is indispensable, particularly in the context of communication and corporate strategy decisions. And the change from a purely service-oriented function to a strategic staff unit with an advisory function creates the basis for long-term successful corporate communication that embraces technology in order to work efficiently and based on facts.

Conclusion

Core competencies in dealing with new technologies The bottom line is that essential core competencies are needed when dealing with new technologies: a basic understanding of technology coupled with the willingness and motivation to actively adapt to changing ways of working, to evaluate them positively and also to want to learn them.