The role of strategic communication in decision-making from the perspective of public relations practitioners in Saudi government institutions

Abstract

This study aimed to identify the reality of strategic communication implementation among public relations practitioners in Saudi government institutions and to explore the role of strategic communication in supporting the decision-making process from their perspective. It also sought to determine differences in this role according to demographic variables such as gender, educational qualification, years of experience, and job level. The results showed that the level of strategic communication implementation in Saudi government institutions was moderate, with a mean score of 3.680. The highest level of strategic communication implementation was in the dimension of "managing strategic communication channels and methods" (mean score of 3.748), followed by the dimension of "continuous evaluation and improvement of strategic communication" (mean score of 3.703). The results demonstrated a statistically significant role for strategic communication in decision-making within Saudi government institutions, with its application explaining 54.4% of decision-making in these institutions. The study revealed that the dimension of strategic communication with the greatest impact on decision-making in Saudi government institutions was "continuous evaluation and improvement of strategic communication," followed by "managing the public and stakeholders." The study also revealed statistically significant differences among public relations practitioners regarding the dimensions of strategic communication and their impact on decision-making, based on their educational qualifications, favoring those with postgraduate degrees. Based on these findings, the study recommended the implementation of specialized training programs to develop strategic communication skills among public relations staff in government institutions. And the establishment of a specialized unit under the Public Relations Department, aimed at the continuous monitoring and analysis of social media networks and news platforms using big data analytics tools.