LEADERSHIP COMMUNICATION IN DIGITAL AND AI-ENABLED WORKPLACES: A SCOPING REVIEW
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/JISTM.1144031Keywords:
AI-Enabled Workplaces, Communication Competency, Digital Leadership, Leadership Communication, Scoping ReviewAbstract
Digital and AI-supported work has changed how leaders communicate with employees, particularly in virtual, remote and hybrid settings. Although communication is widely discussed in digital leadership research, the literature uses different terms to describe what leaders need to communicate effectively. This scoping review maps leadership communication competencies and related communicative dimensions reported in digital and emerging AI-enabled workplace research. Guided by the Population-Concept-Context (PCC) framework, a Scopus search was conducted for journal articles published between 2020 and 2026 in Business, Management and Accounting. The search returned 71 records. Title and abstract screening resulted in 35 Include, 23 Uncertain and 13 Exclude records. Because the review was designed as abstract-level evidence mapping, the 23 Uncertain records were retained together with the 35 Include records, giving 58 records for analysis. Four recurring areas were identified: digital and media communication competence; relational and socio-emotional communication competence; adaptive communication competence; and communication for coordination and information exchange. The findings indicate that digital leadership communication involves more than using communication technologies. Leaders also need to make appropriate media choices, maintain relationships, adjust their communication to changing work conditions, and support information and feedback exchange. Evidence dealing specifically with AI-enabled workplaces remains limited. Emerging studies suggest that leaders may also need to interpret and explain AI-generated information, although it is too early to determine whether this represents a distinct communication competency. The review brings together a fragmented body of research and provides an organising basis for further work on leadership communication in digital and AI-enabled workplaces.
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