Ansgar Zerfaß
Biographic Data
| ID | 6488196 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Ansgar Zerfaß |
| GIVEN NAMES | Ansgar |
| FAMILY NAME | Zerfaß |
| SIGNATURE | ZERFASS A |
| AFFILIATIONS | Leipzig University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-5539-4663 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 47 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 171 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 38 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 9 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2004 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
“We're right in the foothills”: The adoption of artificial intelligence in corporate communication departments
Purpose The adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) is among the most pressing topics in contemporary corporate communication research. However, there are, so far, little empirical studies on how AI is actually implemented and how it is changing professional communication practice. Design/methodology/approach We apply the perspective of sociotechnical systems theory to explore current AI use and application in large corporate communication depar…
Between cluelessness and (dis)satisfaction: What C-level executives, middle managers and employees know and think about corporate communications in their organizations
Purpose The study explores how top managers, middle managers and employees in large companies perceive corporate communications and the activities of communication departments in their organizations. This knowledge helps communication leaders to gain a realistic understanding of their playing field and to develop profiles that matter for their organization and internal clients. Design/methodology/approach An online survey with 1,147 respondents f…
Excellence through learning: Exploring managerial learning practices of chief communication officers based on an international study
Purpose Chief communication officers (CCOs) face increasingly complex challenges due to dynamic developments in the technological, sociopolitical and economic spheres. Consequently, they are forced to continuously develop their competencies to innovate at a high speed, future-proof their teams and create communication excellence. While learning on the leadership level is well-studied from a management perspective, little is known about how CCOs p…
A mixed-method approach to assess business models of communication departments: Insights from a pilot study
Purpose The article introduces and evaluates a method for applying a new management tool for corporate communications and public relations: the Communication Business Model (CBM). Design/methodology/approach The conceptual development of a multidimensional method for identifying, analyzing, and assessing business models of communication departments is combined with an evaluation study providing empirical findings from a pilot project with 53 comm…
Communication Maturity: The Next Big Thing? A Critical Review of Maturity Models in Strategic Communication and Their Contribution to Measurement & Evaluation and Excellence
This conceptual study investigates the growing debate on maturity and maturity models in strategic communication. Despite its omnipresence in business practice, research on the topic is scarce. The article tries to close the research gap by introducing a sound theoretical foundation for the concept of communication maturity that provides scholars and practitioners with insights into when and how maturity models can be successfully applied. It cri…
Business models for communication departments: A comprehensive approach to analyzing, explaining and innovating communication management in organizations
Purpose The question of whether and how communication departments contribute to organizational value creation has rarely been addressed in research. Such evidence is crucial, however, as communications compete internally with other functions (e.g. marketing and human resources (HR)) for budgets and staff. This article fills the gap by applying the business model concept, an established approach from management theory and practice, to communicatio…
The Evolution of Communication Consulting: A Long-Term Comparison of Service Quality in Strategic Communication
Communication leaders and their teams are seldom able to handle the broad range of challenges within their area of responsibility by themselves. They rely on agencies as an external workbench and as specialists for new or seldom used practices. More importantly, they seek advice from communication consultants to understand challenges, and to identify opportunities for action. The increasing demand for such services has pushed prices and intensifi…
Handbuch Unternehmenskommunikation: Strategie – Management – Wertschöpfung
Zwischen Aufbruch und Konvention. Grundlagen und Grenzen virtueller Stakeholder-Dialoge in der strategischen Kommunikation von Organisationen
In der Organisationskommunikation ist seit vielen Jahren ein Virtualisierungsschub zu beobachten. Während die Verlagerung in digitale Räume z. B. in der Presse- und Medienarbeit sowie der Kunden- und Mitarbeiterkommunikation gelebte Praxis ist, stößt dies dann an Grenzen, wenn der persönliche Austausch im Mittelpunkt steht. Das gilt insbesondere für Stakeholder-Dialoge, die von Unternehmen zum Austausch mit kritischen Interessengruppen genutzt we…
Handbuch Mitarbeiterkommunikation: Interne Kommunikation in Unternehmen
Handbuch Public Affairs: Politische Kommunikation für Unternehmen und Organisationen
Stress resilience: Researching a key competence for professionals in communication management
Purpose Nowadays, communication practitioners are well-equipped with all kinds of skills and competencies. Nevertheless, those capabilities seem not to prevent professionals from stress and burnout. Stress resilience, i.e. the ability to deal with high demands at work, to cope with and recover from stress, seems to be a missing competence. This study sheds light on this important, but barely discussed aspect of communication management. Design/me…
Handbuch Public Affairs: Politische Kommunikation für Unternehmen und Organisationen
Handbuch Mitarbeiterkommunikation: Interne Kommunikation in Unternehmen
The Triple Role of Communications in Agile Organizations
This study presents the findings of multi-method research that explores the challenges and implications of the concept of agility for the field of strategic communication. Despite its omnipresence in business practice, research on agility in the domain of strategic communication is scarce. Thus, a four-step research process was conducted to link the interdisciplinary debate about agility to the field of strategic communication. First, a systemati…
Management tools in corporate communication: A survey about tool use and reflections about the gap between theory and practice
Purpose The purpose of this article is to introduce the research field of management tools to communication management scholarship and open up new avenues for the field. Design/methodology/approach The first part examines established knowledge from the strategic management literature about management tools as a means to support and facilitate organizational decision-making. The second part reports on a survey among 125 communication practitioners…
Artificial intelligence in communication management: A cross-national study on adoption and knowledge, impact, challenges and risks
Purpose Artificial intelligence (AI) might change the communication profession immensely, but the academic discourse is lacking an investigation of the perspective of practitioners on this. This article addresses this research gap. It offers a literature overview and reports about an empirical study on AI in communications, presenting first insights on how professionals in the field assess the technology. Design/methodology/approach A quantitativ…
Handbuch Unternehmenskommunikation: Strategie – Management – Wertschöpfung
Strategic Communication across Borders: Country and Age Effects in the Practice of Communication Professionals in Europe
In this research, we investigated whether the perception of the importance of certain types of media, strategic issues, and excellence in the professional field of strategic communication in Europe differs across countries and across generations. Data were used from the 2007 (N = 1,087) and 2016 (N = 2,710) editions of the European Communication Monitor, an annual survey among strategic communication professionals in Europe. For the first time a …
Strategic Communication as an Emerging Interdisciplinary Paradigm
This study explores future directions in strategic communication scholarship by examining the emergence of strategic communication through the lens of interdisciplinary science. The disciplinary status of strategic communication is described through a content analysis of manuscripts published in the International Journal of Strategic Communication since its inaugural issue in 2007 (N = 207). Results reveal positive trends in research productivity…
Strategic Communication: Reflections on an Elusive Concept
The article explores how strategic communication successfully established itself as an academic discipline despite (or perhaps because of) being centered on an elusive concept. Drawing on ideas about the evolution of academic disciplines proposed by Alexander M. Shneider, we argue that strategic communication is currently caught in a cycle of constant reinvention obscured by a discourse of emergence. Although the discipline is undoubtedly becomin…
Strategic Communication: Defining the Field and its Contribution to Research and Practice
This article draws on a decade of research in strategic communication and especially on the contributions in this special issue to propose a new and more comprehensive definition of strategic communication. We argue that strategic communication encompasses all communication that is substantial for the survival and sustained success of an entity. Specifically, strategic communication is the purposeful use of communication by an entity to engage in…
Alignment: Explicating a Key Concept in Strategic Communication
This article seeks to build a better understanding of the concept of alignment, which has been acknowledged as a central aspect of strategic communication, but never explicitly defined. Building upon a comprehensive literature review and systematization of concepts at the nexus of strategic communication and management research, a working definition and an integrative conceptual framework of alignment of strategic communication are suggested. The…
Big Data and Automation in Strategic Communication
Big data and automation pose huge challenges for strategic communication. This article contributes to the limited body of knowledge in the field by introducing the concepts, outlining opportunities and potential problems, and identifying current perceptions and applications in the professional field. A large-scale survey, with respondents from across more than 40 countries, explores the expertise of communication professionals, applications withi…
The Management Game of Communication
We still see many communication graduates with little business knowledge and business graduates with little communication knowledge. This schism leads communication scholars to assume that better communication is an end in itself while management see it as a means to an end it must somehow contribute to the bottom line. How can strategic communication and public relations support corporations? What can communicators learn from management discipli…
Strategic Communication: Defining the Field and its Contribution to Research and Practice
This article draws on a decade of research in strategic communication and especially on the contributions in this special issue to propose a new and more comprehensive definition of strategic communication. We argue that strategic communication encompasses all communication that is substantial for the survival and sustained success of an entity. Specifically, strategic communication is the purposeful use of communication by an entity to engage in…
Social Media Communication in Organizations: The Challenges of Balancing Openness, Strategy, and Management
Organizations from government departments and corporations to small businesses are increasingly adopting social media for strategic corporate and organizational communication and public relations. This is seen by many as a positive development because the openness of the Web 2.0 environment potentially democratizes voice and affords participation, dialogue, and community-building. However, optimistic views of the benefits of organizational social…
Alignment: Explicating a Key Concept in Strategic Communication
This article seeks to build a better understanding of the concept of alignment, which has been acknowledged as a central aspect of strategic communication, but never explicitly defined. Building upon a comprehensive literature review and systematization of concepts at the nexus of strategic communication and management research, a working definition and an integrative conceptual framework of alignment of strategic communication are suggested. The…
Institutionalizing Strategic Communication in Europe – An Ideal Home or a Mad House? Evidence from a Survey in 37 Countries
Is strategic communication becoming an established discipline of practice across Europe? Is it in turn becoming institutionalized? And do we mean establishing a renowned practice at the heart of organizational operation? This article aims to address these questions while paying attention to the negative implications some of the terminology has in the English language. Institution is also the label given to prisons, hospitals and other physical st…
Strategic Communication: Reflections on an Elusive Concept
The article explores how strategic communication successfully established itself as an academic discipline despite (or perhaps because of) being centered on an elusive concept. Drawing on ideas about the evolution of academic disciplines proposed by Alexander M. Shneider, we argue that strategic communication is currently caught in a cycle of constant reinvention obscured by a discourse of emergence. Although the discipline is undoubtedly becomin…
Strategic Orientation of Communication Professionals in Europe
The strategic orientation of European communication professionals was one of the focal points of the European Communication Monitor (ECM) 2010, an annual survey among European communication professionals. In the context of the European way of doing business with the typical dialogical stakeholder approach, strategic versus instrumental action and the reflective dimension of communication that has been found in Europe, the strategic orientation of…
Innovation, Communication, and Leadership: New Developments in Strategic Communication
Strategic communication, in contrast to everyday public relations, concentrates on the core drivers of organizational success. It also expands the traditional set of institutionalized communication measures in order to manage meaning in all kinds of interactions with internal and external stakeholders. Along this line, this article argues that communication should play a new role in promoting innovation management as a crucial process in today's …
Big Data and Automation in Strategic Communication
Big data and automation pose huge challenges for strategic communication. This article contributes to the limited body of knowledge in the field by introducing the concepts, outlining opportunities and potential problems, and identifying current perceptions and applications in the professional field. A large-scale survey, with respondents from across more than 40 countries, explores the expertise of communication professionals, applications withi…
Enabling, Advising, Supporting, Executing: A Theoretical Framework for Internal Communication Consulting Within Organizations
This article analyzes the consulting and enabling function within the role set of communication managers and provides an initial theoretical framework for internal communication consulting in organizations. The idea of communication professionals as consultants has already been introduced by a number of researchers. Nevertheless, the necessity of this task as well as the specific dimensions and practices of internal communication consulting have …
Institutionalizing Strategic Communication: Theoretical Analysis and Empirical Evidence
This issue of the International Journal of Strategic Communication explores the potential of institutional theories for the field of strategic communication. However, it cannot be taken for granted that communication is inevitably rooted in the heart of modern organizations; the worldwide recession will have consequences for strategic communication. The approach of new institutionalism applied in this issue will provide a tool for analyzing the d…
Strategic Communication as an Emerging Interdisciplinary Paradigm
This study explores future directions in strategic communication scholarship by examining the emergence of strategic communication through the lens of interdisciplinary science. The disciplinary status of strategic communication is described through a content analysis of manuscripts published in the International Journal of Strategic Communication since its inaugural issue in 2007 (N = 207). Results reveal positive trends in research productivity…
Corporate Communications from the Top and from the Center: Comparing Experiences and Expectations of CEOs and Communicators
Common viewpoints as well as divergences between top executives and communication professionals influence the institutionalization of strategic communication. However, there is little empirical evidence on the accordance between both groups. Most research explores either communication professionals or chief communication officers (CEOs). Very few studies have combined both perspectives. This article identifies the research gap, explores insights …
Strategic Communication across Borders: Country and Age Effects in the Practice of Communication Professionals in Europe
In this research, we investigated whether the perception of the importance of certain types of media, strategic issues, and excellence in the professional field of strategic communication in Europe differs across countries and across generations. Data were used from the 2007 (N = 1,087) and 2016 (N = 2,710) editions of the European Communication Monitor, an annual survey among strategic communication professionals in Europe. For the first time a …
The Status of Strategic Communication Practice in 48 Countries
This special issue of the International Journal of Strategic Communication came about quite serendipitously. The research presented in the three articles was initiated independent of each other and the papers were reviewed and presented at different conferences. When the two editors of the journal one day informally shared the results of their research, they realized that, collectively, they had data on communication practice from 48 countries on…
Unternehmensführung und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit
Unternehmensführung Und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit: Grundlegung Einer Theorie der Unternehmenskommunikation und Public Relations
Handbuch Unternehmenskommunikation
Das Handbuch Unternehmenskommunikation zeigt, wie Kommunikation zum wirtschaftlichen Erfolg beiträgt, die Führung unterstützt, Reputation steigert und immaterielle Werte schafft. Als neu konzipiertes Standardwerk verbindet es erstmals betriebswirtschaftliches Know-how mit kommunikationswissenschaftlichen Konzepten und Erfahrungen aus der Unternehmenspraxis. Vorstände und Geschäftsführer sowie Entscheider in Public Relations, Marketing und interne…
Innovation, Communication, and Leadership: New Developments in Strategic Communication
Strategic communication, in contrast to everyday public relations, concentrates on the core drivers of organizational success. It also expands the traditional set of institutionalized communication measures in order to manage meaning in all kinds of interactions with internal and external stakeholders. Along this line, this article argues that communication should play a new role in promoting innovation management as a crucial process in today's …
Public Relations Research
This volume is a major contribution to the trans-national debate on public relations research and communication management. It presents dominant concepts and findings from the scientific community in Germany in English language. At the same time, the compilation contains a selection of the most influential and relevant approaches from European and international researchers. Editors and contributors are renowned academics from all over the world. …
Public Relations Research: European and International Perspectives and Innovations
Public Relations Research: European and International Perspectives and Innovations
Institutionalizing Strategic Communication: Theoretical Analysis and Empirical Evidence
This issue of the International Journal of Strategic Communication explores the potential of institutional theories for the field of strategic communication. However, it cannot be taken for granted that communication is inevitably rooted in the heart of modern organizations; the worldwide recession will have consequences for strategic communication. The approach of new institutionalism applied in this issue will provide a tool for analyzing the d…
Institutionalizing Strategic Communication in Europe – An Ideal Home or a Mad House? Evidence from a Survey in 37 Countries
Is strategic communication becoming an established discipline of practice across Europe? Is it in turn becoming institutionalized? And do we mean establishing a renowned practice at the heart of organizational operation? This article aims to address these questions while paying attention to the negative implications some of the terminology has in the English language. Institution is also the label given to prisons, hospitals and other physical st…
Unternehmensführung Und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit: Grundlegung Einer Theorie der Unternehmenskommunikation und Public Relations
Unternehmensfu hrung und O ffentlichkeitsarbeit: Grundlegung einer Theorie der Unternehmenskommunikation und Public Relations
The Status of Strategic Communication Practice in 48 Countries
This special issue of the International Journal of Strategic Communication came about quite serendipitously. The research presented in the three articles was initiated independent of each other and the papers were reviewed and presented at different conferences. When the two editors of the journal one day informally shared the results of their research, they realized that, collectively, they had data on communication practice from 48 countries on…
Strategic Orientation of Communication Professionals in Europe
The strategic orientation of European communication professionals was one of the focal points of the European Communication Monitor (ECM) 2010, an annual survey among European communication professionals. In the context of the European way of doing business with the typical dialogical stakeholder approach, strategic versus instrumental action and the reflective dimension of communication that has been found in Europe, the strategic orientation of…
Strategic Directions Revisited
Social Media Communication in Organizations: The Challenges of Balancing Openness, Strategy, and Management
Organizations from government departments and corporations to small businesses are increasingly adopting social media for strategic corporate and organizational communication and public relations. This is seen by many as a positive development because the openness of the Web 2.0 environment potentially democratizes voice and affords participation, dialogue, and community-building. However, optimistic views of the benefits of organizational social…
Organisationskommunikation und Public Relations: Forschungsparadigmen und Neue Perspektiven
Public Relations and Communication Management: Current Trends and Emerging Topics
Introduction Krishnamurthy Sriramesh, Ansgar Zerfass, Jeong-Nam Kim Chapter 1 Furnishing the Edifice: Ongoing Research on Public Relations as a Strategic Management Function James E. Grunig Chapter 2 Feminist Phase Analysis in Public Relations: Where Have We Been? Where Do We Need to Be? Larissa A. Grunig Chapter 3 The Relationship Between Public Relations and Marketing in Excellent Organizations: Evidence from the IABC Study James E. Grunig & La…
Enabling, Advising, Supporting, Executing: A Theoretical Framework for Internal Communication Consulting Within Organizations
This article analyzes the consulting and enabling function within the role set of communication managers and provides an initial theoretical framework for internal communication consulting in organizations. The idea of communication professionals as consultants has already been introduced by a number of researchers. Nevertheless, the necessity of this task as well as the specific dimensions and practices of internal communication consulting have …
Handbuch Unternehmenskommunikation: Strategie - Management – Wertschöpfung
Handbuch Unternehmenskommunikation: Strategie - Management - Wertschöpfung
Corporate Communications from the Top and from the Center: Comparing Experiences and Expectations of CEOs and Communicators
Common viewpoints as well as divergences between top executives and communication professionals influence the institutionalization of strategic communication. However, there is little empirical evidence on the accordance between both groups. Most research explores either communication professionals or chief communication officers (CEOs). Very few studies have combined both perspectives. This article identifies the research gap, explores insights …
The Management Game of Communication
We still see many communication graduates with little business knowledge and business graduates with little communication knowledge. This schism leads communication scholars to assume that better communication is an end in itself while management see it as a means to an end it must somehow contribute to the bottom line. How can strategic communication and public relations support corporations? What can communicators learn from management discipli…
Management Game of Communication
Big Data and Automation in Strategic Communication
Big data and automation pose huge challenges for strategic communication. This article contributes to the limited body of knowledge in the field by introducing the concepts, outlining opportunities and potential problems, and identifying current perceptions and applications in the professional field. A large-scale survey, with respondents from across more than 40 countries, explores the expertise of communication professionals, applications withi…
Strategic Communication as an Emerging Interdisciplinary Paradigm
This study explores future directions in strategic communication scholarship by examining the emergence of strategic communication through the lens of interdisciplinary science. The disciplinary status of strategic communication is described through a content analysis of manuscripts published in the International Journal of Strategic Communication since its inaugural issue in 2007 (N = 207). Results reveal positive trends in research productivity…
Public Relations and Crisis Communication (30 works) · Political science (29 works) · Computer Science (21 works) · Public relations (21 works) · Strategic Communication (17 works) · Business (15 works) · Sociology (15 works) · Corporate Identity and Reputation (14 works) · Knowledge management (10 works) · Organizational communication (10 works)