CEOs Sound Alarm: Just 17% Confident in Comms Teams Amid Rising Volatility

Just 17% of CEOs surveyed feel their communications and public affairs functions are “very equipped” to keep up with economic, geopolitical and cultural changes, according to a January report from The Weber Shandwick Collective, a network of communications and marketing firms.

Corporate CEOs are concerned about increased volatility in the United States, something “they don’t think that their communications teams are equipped to fully address or navigate,” said Jim O’Leary, CEO of The Weber Shandwick Collective, at a sponsored Axios conversation in Davos, Switzerland, in January. 

In recent years, many professionals in the PR and communications field believed they had gained influence at the C-suite level, as “the role of comms is much more materially important to the success or failure of a company than it has ever been,” O’Leary said.

In Weber Shandwick’s report, 7-in-10 CEOs said they expect more volatility in the coming year, but few are prepared for it. In particular, C-suite leaders feel least prepared to address violent and nonviolent attacks or protests, division within the workplace and getting caught in the political crosshairs. 

Overall, only 27% of CEOs surveyed said they became more confident in their communications and public affairs functions over the past three years. 

And yet, chief executives are investing more in some communication and public affairs functions, Axios reports. According to Weber Shandwick’s study, most CEOs plan to increase resources for communications, marketing and government relations.