ask the expert: Katharina Krämer & the role of AI and communication in digital transformation

Generative AI has been a part of our lives for several years now. How are communication professionals using it and what role does it play in the digital transformation of organizations? In this edition of Ask the Expert, lecturer, researcher and consultantKatharina Krämer gives us exclusive insights into the latest edition of the trend study"Communication in Digital Transformation" by the IAM Institute for Applied Media Studies at theZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences.

Katharina, please tell us a bit about yourself and what you do.

I am a lecturer, researcher and consultant in the field of organizational communication and management at the ZHAW. Together with a colleague, I also run the CAS Corporate Communications, which is aimed at newcomers to communication. My thematic focus is on the role of communication in digital transformation, internal communication, school communication and the communication of social service organizations. In general, you could say that communication is simply my passion. I really enjoy doing research in these areas and generating new knowledge that I can then incorporate back into my teaching and consulting projects.

Can you tell us something about the ZHAW trend study?

We have been conducting the trend study "Communication in the digital transformation" at the IAM Institute for Applied Media Studies at the ZHAW every two years since 2018. The aim is to examine the role of corporate communication in the digital transformation of organizations and to observe it over time. To this end, my colleagues Prof. Dr. Nicole Rosenberger, Markus Niederhäuser and I conduct an online survey of communication officers (CCOs) from companies, administrations and non-profit organizations in German-speaking Switzerland. We supplement the results with in-depth guided interviews with experts from the fields of communications, strategy consulting, law and ethics. This gives us a comprehensive picture every two years of where communication departments stand with regard to digitalization and automation, which digitalization topics they focus on in their communication with internal and external stakeholders and what challenges they face here.

The focus of the current issue is on generative AI. What would you say is the most important finding of the study

One key finding is that the technological development of generative AI is having a huge impact on communication departments. This has to do with the fact that the new tools are not just tools for creating text and images, but much more. They are also used as sparring partners, consultants and creative employees. In our study, we saw that communication departments use CCIs along the entire value creation process of communication. From analysis and strategy to the development of measures. This means that everyone involved has to deal intensively with the potential but also the risks of using CCI. In addition, not only communication employees, but all employees must be empowered to use these tools. Overall, I would say that these developments are probably currently raising more questions than we have answers for. This also corresponds with the fact that, according to our study, two thirds of communications departments are still in the experimental phase when it comes to CCI.

"Kommunikationsverantwortliche sollten die Implementierung von generativer KI in ihrer Abteilung aktiv vorantreiben, um eine Vorbildfunktion im Unternehmen zu übernehmen."

Was there anything about this year's study that surprised you and why?

The results didn't necessarily surprise me. Rather, they confirmed developments that we have been observing for several years through our trend study. What is particularly impressive for me is that the communication managers (CCOs) rate the digital maturity level of their communication departments lower in 2024 than two years ago. This illustrates the enormous pressure that the rapid pace of change is exerting on communications departments. The benchmarks are constantly shifting: what was considered innovative yesterday is already outdated today. At the same time, this confirms my understanding that digital transformation is not a final state that organizations and communication departments have reached at some point. It is a continuous process that involves both progress and regression.

What do you recommend to communication professionals to successfully use generative AI?

We have compiled a CCI agenda with 6 points based on our findings from this year's study. These are intended to provide communication managers with pointers on how they can continue to develop with regard to CCI in the future. One key point is that communications managers should actively promote the implementation of generative AI in their department in order to set an example within the company. It is also important to expand the skills profile of communications employees through targeted upskilling and to promote an adaptive culture. And: the communications department should ideally act as an internal competence center for generative AI tools and raise awareness among all employees in the organization.

ask the expert: Katharina Krämer & the role of AI and communication in digital transformation

Katharina, please tell us a bit about yourself and what you do.

Can you tell us something about the ZHAW trend study?

The focus of the current issue is on generative AI. What would you say is the most important finding of the study

Was there anything about this year's study that surprised you and why?

What do you recommend to communication professionals to successfully use generative AI?

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