Title:
Strategic Communication as an Effective Tool for Organisational Management and Leadership Practice in the Age of Social Media and Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Authors:
Ivan Ugochukwu Enebeli, Germany

Abstract:

Effective strategic communication is a critical tool for organisational success in today's dynamic and interconnected business environment. This paper presents a structured review and thematic synthesis of the literature on how strategic communication functions as an effective tool for management and leadership practice, enabling organisations to navigate complex stakeholder landscapes in the age of social media and artificial intelligence (AI). Drawing on twenty-three peer-reviewed journals, books, industry reports and sources published between 2005 and 2024, and supplemented by a smaller set of more recent (2023-2026) sources addressing generative AI and algorithmic communication, reflecting the recency of this literature. The review examines the role of domestic, national and international media coverage in organisational communication strategies, and considers how media coverage shapes the perceptions of stakeholders such as partners, opinion formers, customers, investors, and the general public. It also considers how pressure groups, political entities and media ownership structures influence media coverage of organisational policies, how organisations respond to the operational and resource constraints facing contemporary journalism and how the emerging literature on generative AI, algorithmic content curation, and AI-related risks such as misinformation and deepfakes is reshaping strategic communication practice, and the role of leadership communication within organisational context. The synthesis of the study indicates that strategic communication supports stakeholder trust, positive reputation, and the achievement of leadership and management objectives when it is proactive, transparent and responsive to the evolving media and technological environment. The organisational case examples discussed, however, also show that these communication responses carry limitations and trade-offs that are not always visible in initial accounts of their success because the review is based entirely on secondary sources, its conclusions represent captured synthesis of patterns identified in prior literature and organisational case reporting rather than newly collected empirical findings, the paper therefore recommends that future research test these patterns using primary methods such as interviews or organisational case studies.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.51505/IJEBMR.2026.10910