Purpose This article introduces a theoretically grounded and practice-oriented roadmap to guide communication professionals in translating corporate digital responsibility (CDR) from organizational commitment into effective communication practice. It seeks to clarify CDR communication as a distinct communicative domain and to offer actionable guidance. Design/methodology/approach This conceptual article synthesizes interdisciplinary literature and develops a process-oriented framework. This strategic roadmap comprises four interrelated steps designed to guide communication professionals in their contribution to ethical and accountable digital governance. Findings The proposed roadmap consists of: (1) mapping and engaging stakeholders, (2) co-shaping ethical foundations, (3) framing and embedding CDR, and (4) monitoring, learning and adapting. Conceptually, these steps function as a heuristic for theorizing how CDR is communicatively constructed, contested and institutionalized. Thereby, the framework addresses the complexity, volatility and ambiguity of digital environments and also serves as a strategic roadmap for communication practitioners to anticipate reputational risks and legitimacy challenges, and to build trust among stakeholders. Originality/value This approach positions CDR communication as a dynamic and participatory practice capable of navigating the ethical and regulatory challenges of a volatile digital age and engaging in responsible CDR communication. For communication researchers, this conceptual roadmap contributes to ongoing debates in communication management and provides a heuristic for future theory development and empirical research in the field.
Wang et al. (2026) studied this question.