Leveraging Technology in Leadership Communication

Book excerpt: Taking a close look at how digital media can elevate or diminish a leader’s influence, this book provides a framework to guide organizational leaders’ selection and application of digital tools in communication with stakeholders. Through a media ecology approach, the book begins by exploring the transitions in technology over the course of human history that resulted in today’s digital communication environment. It builds on this understanding to examine the value leadership communication provides to engage employees and drive organizational objectives internally, while also highlighting the value of leaders’ external stakeholder communication using tools such as social media or websites to elevate credibility. It examines various challenges to give a realistic assessment of how leaders can navigate digital communication successfully to thrive personally and professionally. Finally, the book explores an often-missed dimension of leadership communication: followers. Using the ethicality of leadership and the role of followers, it concludes by examining guiding values for leadership communication in the digital age as well as forecasting future trends that will shape leaders’ communication. The book is intended as supplementary reading in organizational, leadership, corporate, and internal communication courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Online instructor resources for this book include a one-sheet overview of how to use the text in a course as well as sample assignments and discussion questions. Please visit www.routledge.com/ 9780367414993 to access these support materials.