- 7. October 2025
- Posted by: Die Redaktion
- Category: READING TIPS

Communication Maturity: The Next Big Thing?A Critical Review of Maturity Models in Strategic Communication and Their Contribution to Measurement & Evaluation and Excellence

The article Communication Maturity: The Next Big Thing? by Caroline Siegel and Ansgar Zerfass examines how the concept of communication maturity can be used in strategic communication and what place it occupies in current discussions about measurement, evaluation and excellence. To this end, scientific contributions and practical reports were systematically evaluated.
The study develops a definition of communication maturity that brings together findings from various disciplines. According to this definition, communication maturity describes the development of communication management skills and practices over several stages towards a target state. It is not a fixed end point, but a dynamic process that evolves with the organization.
The concept supports communication departments in evaluating structures and processes and making targeted improvements. It shows how communication contributes to a company’s value creation and how professionally it is anchored in management and strategy. The respective maturity level depends on how well communication and corporate strategy are aligned, what attitudes and perceptions exist in the organization and what framework conditions such as budget, knowledge or industry standards shape communication practice.
The article positions communication maturity as a bridging concept between communication measurement and evaluation (M&E) and communication excellence. Maturity models can help to record the development status of communication functions, set benchmarks and design improvement processes. Particularly relevant is the finding that they are not suitable for evaluating individual measures or campaigns, but above all for analyzing and further developing management and organizational structures. At the same time, the authors emphasize that maturity models are not universally applicable and require thoughtful application.