MNG81001 Report: How Leaders Use Communication for Strategy Execution

This report, prepared for the Director of Communications at Company ABC, examines how leaders utilize corporate communications to execute strategy in the 21st century. It begins with an executive summary highlighting the shift from tactical to strategic communication approaches, particularly within the C-suite. The report emphasizes the importance of strategic planning and the role of middle management in implementing communication strategies. It underscores the significance of narrative voice in motivating employees and improving organizational performance, drawing on academic research and case studies. The analysis includes three articles: Argenti's 'Strategic Communication in the C-Suite,' Wolf and Floyd's 'Strategic Planning Research,' and Elmes and Barry's 'Strategy Retold,' providing insights into communication methods, strategic planning frameworks, and the power of narrative discourse. The report concludes by emphasizing how effective communication is vital for driving organizational success and adapting to market demands.

Running head: MODERN ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION STANDARDS
MODERN ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION STANDARDS
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

1MODERN ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION STANDARDS
To: Director of Communications at Company ABC
From:
Date:
Subject: How do leaders use communications to execute strategy in the 21st century?
Executive Summary
Strategic Leadership in the C-Suit:
The word ‘C-Suit’ is used to represent executives belonging to the administration or
managerial level, the terminology of whose designation usually begins with the letter ‘C’ like
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) or Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and the like. They are
bear a huge amount of responsibility for the successful working of the organization, and
hence must possess a considerable amount skills in leadership. By communicating with the
workforce through various endearing mediums. Through these mediums they are expected to
encourage the employees and harness their potential to bring out the best possible outcome in
terms of productivity. The communication standards has undergone a paradigmatic shift from
over the years. “This shift has moved from a tactical and superficial focus (speech writing,
media placements) to a more strategic and elevated level (developing and implementing
strategy through communication, sophisticated measurement using big data to understand
constituencies and influence reputation).” (Argenti 2017). This has allowed employees to
nurture and implement their creativity at work, which has proved to be extremely beneficial
for organizations in the long run. The higher authories appears to be focussing on the fact that
“participation and communication in strategic planning reduce position bias and enhance goal
convergence” (Wolf and Floyd 2017).

2MODERN ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION STANDARDS
Importance of Strategic Planning in Leadership:
It is only through strategic planning that favourable structural and functional changes can
come into play. The responsibility of bringing about these changes lies with the leaders, more
specifically the middle management of an organization since they are the one working in
close proximity with the base level employees. Hence, a considerable amount of
responsibility of implementing the strategies lie with the middle management. It has been
found that “the involvement of middle managers in formulation activities, such as goal
formation and alternative generation, actually improved the organizational performance.”
(Wolf and Floyd 2017). Strategic planners may be introduced for this purpose. It is the duty
of these planners to work in tandem with the middle managers points out the fault lines in the
work system and take necessary amendments.
Importance of a Narrative Voice:
Narration of stories always proved to have a significant influence over the human psyche.
Leaders and managers of companies can use narration of stories for motivating the employees
and extricating sufficient work from them. Modern conceptualization of organizational
leadership emphasizes on the use of narratives as a form of strategy to improve organizational
performance. “…strategic effectiveness from a narrative perspective is intimately tied to
acceptance, approval, and adoption.” (Elmes and Barry 2017). The narration should come up
from stories within the organization and has to be persuasive and motivating, and should be
reinstated from time to time. They should adhere to the changing market demands and the
how challenges can be faced. Beside providing a clear perspective to the employees about the
necessary steps of improvement, communication standards are improved and commitment
ushered.

3MODERN ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION STANDARDS
Reference List
Argenti, P.A., 2017. Strategic communication in the c-suite. International Journal of
Business Communication, 54(2), pp.146-160.
Elmes, M. and Barry, D., 2017. Strategy retold: Toward a narrative view of strategic
discourse. In The Aesthetic Turn in Management (pp. 39-62). Routledge.
Wolf, C. and Floyd, S.W., 2017. Strategic planning research: Toward a theory-driven
agenda. Journal of Management, 43(6), pp.1754-1788.

4MODERN ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION STANDARDS
Appendix
Article Analysis One
Title of Article: STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION IN THE C-SUITE
Author(s): Paul A. Argenti
Publication Information: Volume: 54 issue: 2, page(s): 146-160
Article first published online: January 20, 2017; Issue
published: April 1, 2017.
What is the thesis of this article? Strategic and intimate communication methods by C-suite
leaders can help improve organizational performance.
What is the blueprint of this article? This paper makes adequate use of both primary as well
as secondary resources, which include interviews and
articles.
What recommendations (if any) are provided? C-Suit leaders should engage in discursive
communication with all the stakeholders to
meet the changing market demands.

5MODERN ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION STANDARDS
What conclusions are drawn? Use of proper communication standards by C-Suit leaders can
be extremely motivating for the employees, thereby
improving organizational outcomes.
What implications (if any) are provided? The implication that the article conveys is that C-
Suit leaders should proactively take the initiative of
communicating with employees of different levels
so as to understand their interest and balance them
with those of the customers, thereby leading to
efficient organizational behavior and improved
organizational performance.
What quote will you use from this article?
“Over the past two decades, we have seen a profound shift in how leaders view
communications within organizations. This shift has moved from a tactical and superficial
focus (speech writing, media placements) to a more strategic and elevated level (developing
and implementing strategy through communication, sophisticated measurement using big
data to understand constituencies and influence reputation).”

6MODERN ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION STANDARDS
Article Analysis Two
Title of Article: STRATEGIC PLANNING RESEARCH: TOWARD A THEORY-DRIVEN
AGENDA
Author(s): Carola Wolf & Steven W. Floyd
Publication Information: Volume: 43 issue: 6, page(s): 1754-1788
DOI: 10.1177/0149206313478185
What is the thesis of this article? Strategic planning can help leaders to fulfill the goals and
objectives of the organization.
What is the blueprint of this article? Strategic planning is subject to changing patterns of
market demand. The framework takes into
consideration the function of strategic planners; the
nuances of strategic planning (practices); and the
frameworks provided by the planners (praxis)
What recommendations (if any) are provided? Productivity and profitability of a company
can be enhanced by tactful use of strategic
planning.

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What conclusions are drawn? Strategic planning can elicit the best quality and quantity of
work from every quarters within an organization.
What implications (if any) are provided? Strategic planning is integral to organizational
progress.
What quote will you use from this article?
“Together with deductive theorizing, studies that utilize observational and unobtrusive
measures along with interviews are likely to produce the kind of qualitative data that will be
useful in developing a configuration theory of planning practice.”

8MODERN ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION STANDARDS
Article Analysis Three
Title of Article: STRATEGY RETOLD: TOWARD A NARRATIVE VIEW OF
STRATEGIC DISCOURSE.
Author(s): David Barry & Michael Elmes
Publication Information: Re-published in The Aesthetic Turn in Management, Routledge,
page(s): 39-62
Originally published in Academy of Management Review (1997,
V22, #2: 429-452).
What is the thesis of this article? Introducing narrative discourse as a strategy, by
organizational leaders can hugely motivate the employees
and lead to better organizational performance.
What is the blueprint of this article? Strategic implementation of narrative theories to
enhance the prospects of a company.
What recommendations (if any) are provided? Narratives help the employees in identifying
their potential.

9MODERN ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION STANDARDS
What conclusions are drawn? Organizational development is hugely dependent on leadership
discourses based on strategic implementation of case-
specific narratives.
What implications (if any) are provided? Leaders should make adequate use of the narrative
medium to motivate the employees and improve
their performance.
What quote will you use from this article?
“From a narrative perspective, the successful strategic story may depend less on tools like
comprehensive scanning, objective planning, or meticulous control/feedback systems and
more on whether it stands out from other organizational stories, is persuasive, and invokes
retelling. What the story revolves around, how it is put together, and the way it is told all
determine whether it becomes one worth listening to, remembering, and acting upon.”