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 in corporate communication departments about the use of 32 tools for the analysis, planning, implementation and evaluation of communication.

Findings

The study sheds light on the perceived relevance and benefits of tools, as well as on knowledge and satisfaction and on general patterns of tool use. The findings demonstrate that tools are gaining in importance, but there is a lack of understanding, training and documentation of tools. Tools for planning and implementing communication are most widely spread, reflecting the operational focus of corporate communication.

Practical implications

Practitioners find value in the compilation of the most popular tools and implications on how to reflect about tool usage and outcomes.

Originality/value

The article provides directions for future research and reflects about tools as a means to bridge the divide between theory and practice.

中文翻译：

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公司沟通中的管理工具：有关工具使用的调查以及对理论与实践之间差距的思考

目的

本文的目的是向通信管理奖学金介绍管理工具的研究领域，并为该领域开辟新的途径。

设计/方法/方法

第一部分检查了战略管理文献中有关管理工具的既有知识，这些知识是支持和促进组织决策的一种手段。第二部分报告了对企业传播部门的125位传播从业人员进行的一项调查，调查涉及使用32种工具进行通信的分析，计划，实施和评估。

发现

这项研究揭示了人们对工具的感知相关性和好处，以及知识和满意度以及工具使用的一般模式。调查结果表明工具正在变得越来越重要，但是缺乏对工具的理解，培训和文档记录。用于计划和实施沟通的工具最为广泛，反映了公司沟通的操作重点。

实际影响

从业人员可以从最流行的工具的汇编中找到价值，并且可以从中反思如何反映工具的使用和结果。

创意/价值

本文为将来的研究提供了方向，并反思了一些工具，以弥合理论与实践之间的鸿沟。