Internal communications
Encyclopedia
Internal communications (IC) is the function responsible for effective communication
among participants within an organization
.
A relatively young profession, IC draws on the theory and practice of related professions, not least journalism
, knowledge management
, public relations
, media relations
, marketing
and human resources
, as well as wider organizational studies
, communication theory
, social psychology
, sociology
and political science
.
It is important to distinguish between communications on behalf of the organization and the day to day intercourse within work groups or between managers and subordinates. Minzberg talks about the fact that communications is intrinsic to the work of a manager - it is the very essence of work in many situations. This article is less concerned with the interpersonal communications that take place in most workplaces and which are explored by writers such as Phillip Clampitt.
There are a number of reasons why organisations should be concerned about internal communication.
Importantly, there is commonly a legal requirement for organizations to communicate with their workers. In Europe, for example, the EU has made very specific provision about workers' rights to be informed and consulted.
Effective internal communications is one of the key drivers of employee engagement (see, e.g., the UK government-sponsored Macleod Report for a summary of research) and proven to add significant value to organizations on all metrics from productivity to customer research.
As noted in Quirke (2008): "Traditionally, internal communications has focused on the announcement of management conclusions and the packaging of management thinking into messages for mass distribution to the 'troops'". Research indicates a limit to the value of this 'broadcasting
' model of IC. Without feedback
loops and harnessing the active involvement and mediation skills of frontline supervisors or team leaders, broadcasting tends to be more effective at influencing senior and middle managers than frontline employees - see, e.g., Larkin and Larkin (1994).
As the IC function matures within the organization, then, it may come to play a wider role in facilitating conversations "upwards", "downwards" and "across" the organization, per Stohl (1995). Organizations increasingly see IC as playing a role in external reputation management. Joep Cornelissen in his book Corporate Communications touches on the relationship between reputation and internal conversations. This trend reaches its full potential with the arrival of new 'norms' and customer expectations around social media
, for example in the work of Scoble and Israel. Market researchers MORI have likewise highlighted the effects of employee advocacy on an organisation's external reputation.
IC managers aim to achieve strategic influence, to help bring reputational risk analysis to bear before senior leaders take a final decision, to improve the quality of that decision and improve the chances it will be accepted by all participants within the organization.
Five general modes of IC practice are itemised below, ranked loosely according to their position along a spectrum from tactical to strategic activities.
popularised the concept of the communication channel in his 1948 paper The Communication of Ideas. Formal channels typically fall into one of four broad categories:
Informal channels reflect the non-linear dynamics of a social network
and can be as influential, if not more so, than official channels, often more likely to stimulate and create discussion and dialogue
. The channels may manifest themselves via the rumour-mill, water-cooler conversations, social networking, graffiti, spoof newsletters, etc.
One of the key challenges any internal communicator will face is how to select the right channels - and the right mix of channels - for both the audience and the message. Bill Quirke offers a simple guide; the 'rich' interaction enabled in 'face-to-face' communications is appropriate where risks of misunderstanding or emotional impact are high; the 'lean' interaction offered in written or one-way communications are better suited to the low impact, low emotion distribution of information. See Weick for some theoretical grounds for this basic insight.
The practical considerations are:
A typical large organisation IC function will be concerned to monitor and limit the quantity of information flowing through each internal channel, prioritising according to the relevance of a given message to the audience implicated in that channel, as well as the urgency and impact of the message. Such organisations typically face a risk that channels (such as intranet
news, or email
) are over-used for inappropriate, low value messages, causing vital audience groups to filter them out.
IC teams will often (but not always) hold responsibility for the administration and development of several of the organisation's communications channels. The range of media available is wide - and growing fast with new electronic media. Initially, IC tends to focus on the existing resources of the organization, typically an intranet, email distributions, and newsletters.
One common element of channel development and administration involves managing supplier relationships - agencies external to the organization typically specialise in one main channel area, such as audiovisual, or print production.
The strengths and uses of different techniques are discussed by FitzPatrick in the Public Relations Handbook
Sending information down the line to local supervisors, expecting them to deliver it without any corruption, interpretation or deviation has long been the main focus of 'cascaded' internal communications (for example, UK guidance from The Industrial Society, now the Work Foundation, focused on giving managers very clear instructions about what to say and how to say it). However, in recent years thinking has evolved and literature now concentrates on empowering managers to facilitate discussion rather than cascade management of messages which will have little authority or impact. This is a particularly strong theme in the writing of TJ and Sandar Larkin. Clampitt (2005) lists three approaches managers use to communicate with their employees.
Employee communication is an important skill for all line managers, irrespective of their seniority. Like any skill it requires training and development. Often, organisations do not invest the appropriate amount of time and effort in developing managers' communications skills. Too often this leads to managers abdicating responsibility for communications to their 'internal communications department' and a lack of confidence in facilitating discussion in their teams. This raises debate around the following issues:
Social media is becoming increasingly discussed in the field of Internal communication. However, there is little documented evidence of where it is being used successfully as part of a planned campaign of employee communications. There is also significant discussion into the impact of social media on company culture and internal communication.
Social Media is employed either through or behind the corporate firewall: for organisations with regulatory or security restrictions an internal solution is the only option whereas externally hosted or cloud-based tools are extremely easy to deploy for organisations that can take a more open approach.
For many corporates the perceived drawback to social media is the generally poor signal to noise ratio for messaging. Studies and experience from unfettered implementations suggest that there is a period of typically 18 months where the purely social interaction moves to a mix of personal and business related dialogue and settles finally to mainly business focussed content. Seeded and moderated discussion forums and blog-led comment facilities can induce high relevancy but compromise the level of enagagement.
, copywriting
and film or print
production. Message design may be iterative, or involve a range of participants in an approvals process.
More advanced IC services might include identification of needs arising, relaying them to the relevant organizational leader, and initiating message production. In this case, more aspects of the message are available for the IC practitioner to refine or make recommendations on; including the best 'source' for the message; the most effective communication channel; the mode of interpellation (i.e., whether this message is intended to inform, to instruct, to negotiate, to consult, or to involve); the appropriate 'production values'; optimal audience segmentation; timing of message delivery; and so on.
Organisations are increasingly turning to communications to help implement change.
It is useful to distinguish between change - the act of altering something within an organisation (such as the introduction of a new IT system or the closure of a office) and 'transition' - the process through which an individual passes as part of the process of coping with change. The use of the two terms interchangeably causes some confusion.
Change communication is often focused on logistical matters - making sure that people understand a change and how it will impact on their work and lives.
Transitional communications (for want of a better term) will often draw heavily on HR thinking and practice and may reflect psychological models such as that proposed by grieving
, by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross).
Organizational development is a growing competency within HR
, and the vital role played by the communications component in change efforts is becoming better theorised (e.g. Larkin and Larkin (1994), Kotter (1996), Schein (2004)) and more widely acknowledged in large organizations. Change writer (John Kotter
says: "When the environment constantly changes, the organization must innovate to adapt to or control that environment. When your external environment changes, your internal environment should adjust as well, and internal communication is vital during these times.")
Organizations occasionally face unplanned reputational crises which can destroy brand value or even finish the organization. At such moments, the support of the internal constituency becomes especially valuable, as employees' friends and relatives seek their account of events, and as talented and motivated participants consider whether or not to remain with the organization.
As with Media relations
and PR
, the role IC plays in a crisis can be decisive for the success or failure of an organization, as it responds to a critical challenge. Organizations with a mature IC function may have contingency planning in place, ready to be tailored to the particulars of the situation. They are also more likely to have 'well flexed', well-rehearsed line management communications capability, etc., making crisis communications more effective. Less mature IC functions may find it difficult to bring senior leaders' attention to the internal audience, when critical stakeholders such as investors or customers appear more likely to desert the organization.
Although unplanned and usually under-resourced, the quality of an IC function's response in a crisis often has a decisive impact in the maturing of an IC function within an organization. Effective responses bring IC up the list of priorities for senior leaders, following the crisis.
for Human resources
practice, IC may be delivered via a 'business partnering' relationship, acting as adviser to a given function or unit on IC issues relevant to the delivery of their strategic plans and projects. As a representative of the audiences with a stake in the developments under discussion, this can be both an awkward and a privileged position to occupy, requiring skills of diplomacy and objectivity.
Dewhurst and FitzPatrick, in their 2007 report How to Develop Outstanding Internal Communicators identified how business partnering was often the route into the most senior positions in Internal Communications.
Given the origins of IC as a "mouthpiece" of the senior leadership, organizations tend to prove resistant to the possibility that IC would add value to strategic decision-making. Establishing IC in a strategic role may require a crisis to prove that value, or IC functions might earn their place in the decision-making process by making their contribution more tangible - for example, offering metrics which help leaders understand more clearly the Return on investment
the IC function is delivering.
of Buffalo, New York.
For much of the 20th century, trade union
s represented the mass of employees in questions of organizational legitimacy and changes to working practices, on behalf of employees. Company newsletters competed with Union-run media, and senior leaders had to deal frequently with the demands of this 'stakeholder'.
While this might be seen as a purely antagonistic relationship, organizations to some extent depended on the Union to do the work of cohering a constituency around a manageable set of messages and values. As unions became weakened in the 1970s and 1980s, and the communities in which organizations operated became more mobile, the lack of such a natural constituency became a problem for organizational leaders, who experienced it in terms of a crisis of 'trust' or 'legitimacy'.
Internal communications as a discrete discipline of organizational theory is correspondingly young. Stanford associate professor Alex Heron's Sharing Information with Employees (1943) is an outlier among texts which focus solely on the factors involved. Theorization in academic papers accelerated in the 1970s, but mainstream management texts mostly post-date 1990.
The predominantly North American members of the International Association of Business Communicators
(IABC) can apply for recognition as an Accredited Business Communicator. In the US, courses are available at Ithaca College
.
In the UK, the bodies representing the profession are fragmented and offer competing qualifications.
The UK's Institute of Internal Communication offers a framework of IoIC training and accreditation in internal communications. In recent years there has been a growth in the range of short skills courses offered by a range of commercial suppliers as well as institutions such as the London College of Communication
and Leeds Metropolitan University
.
There is a well-established postgraduate diploma / Masters programme in Internal Communications Management at Kingston University
and a formal qualification in Internal Communication at Certificate and Diploma level is also offered by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations
.
In Europe, courses are available at the University of Lugano and Rotterdam School of Management
.
, employee relations, internal marketing, company communications, staff communication. Responsibility for IC may sit within various established functions, including marketing
, corporate communications
, transformation, HR
and the CEO office. Internal communications functions can require several skills, e.g.: writing, marketing, event organisation, web production, facilitation, advertising
, stakeholder management, corporate social responsibility
, branding
and communications training.
Communication
Communication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast...
among participants within an organization
Organization
An organization is a social group which distributes tasks for a collective goal. The word itself is derived from the Greek word organon, itself derived from the better-known word ergon - as we know `organ` - and it means a compartment for a particular job.There are a variety of legal types of...
.
A relatively young profession, IC draws on the theory and practice of related professions, not least journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
, knowledge management
Knowledge management
Knowledge management comprises a range of strategies and practices used in an organization to identify, create, represent, distribute, and enable adoption of insights and experiences...
, public relations
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
, media relations
Media relations
Media relations involves working with various media for the purpose of informing the public of an organization's mission, policies and practices in a positive, consistent and credible manner. Typically, this means coordinating directly with the people responsible for producing the news and features...
, marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
and human resources
Human resource management
Human Resource Management is the management of an organization's employees. While human resource management is sometimes referred to as a "soft" management skill, effective practice within an organization requires a strategic focus to ensure that people resources can facilitate the achievement of...
, as well as wider organizational studies
Organizational studies
Organizational studies, sometimes known as organizational science, encompass the systematic study and careful application of knowledge about how people act within organizations...
, communication theory
Communication theory
Communication theory is a field of information and mathematics that studies the technical process of information and the human process of human communication.- History :- Origins :...
, social psychology
Social psychology
Social psychology is the scientific study of how people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others. By this definition, scientific refers to the empirical method of investigation. The terms thoughts, feelings, and behaviors include all...
, sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
and political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
.
Role of IC in the organization
People at work communicate regardless of the intentions of their managers or leaders. The purpose that a formally-appointed IC manager or IC team will serve within a given organization will depend on the business context. In one, the IC function may perform the role of 'internal marketing' (i.e., attempting to win participants over to the management vision of the organization); in another, it might perform a 'logistical' service as channel manager; in a third, it might act principally as strategic adviser.It is important to distinguish between communications on behalf of the organization and the day to day intercourse within work groups or between managers and subordinates. Minzberg talks about the fact that communications is intrinsic to the work of a manager - it is the very essence of work in many situations. This article is less concerned with the interpersonal communications that take place in most workplaces and which are explored by writers such as Phillip Clampitt.
There are a number of reasons why organisations should be concerned about internal communication.
Importantly, there is commonly a legal requirement for organizations to communicate with their workers. In Europe, for example, the EU has made very specific provision about workers' rights to be informed and consulted.
Effective internal communications is one of the key drivers of employee engagement (see, e.g., the UK government-sponsored Macleod Report for a summary of research) and proven to add significant value to organizations on all metrics from productivity to customer research.
As noted in Quirke (2008): "Traditionally, internal communications has focused on the announcement of management conclusions and the packaging of management thinking into messages for mass distribution to the 'troops'". Research indicates a limit to the value of this 'broadcasting
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
' model of IC. Without feedback
Feedback
Feedback describes the situation when output from an event or phenomenon in the past will influence an occurrence or occurrences of the same Feedback describes the situation when output from (or information about the result of) an event or phenomenon in the past will influence an occurrence or...
loops and harnessing the active involvement and mediation skills of frontline supervisors or team leaders, broadcasting tends to be more effective at influencing senior and middle managers than frontline employees - see, e.g., Larkin and Larkin (1994).
As the IC function matures within the organization, then, it may come to play a wider role in facilitating conversations "upwards", "downwards" and "across" the organization, per Stohl (1995). Organizations increasingly see IC as playing a role in external reputation management. Joep Cornelissen in his book Corporate Communications touches on the relationship between reputation and internal conversations. This trend reaches its full potential with the arrival of new 'norms' and customer expectations around social media
Social media
The term Social Media refers to the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue. Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0,...
, for example in the work of Scoble and Israel. Market researchers MORI have likewise highlighted the effects of employee advocacy on an organisation's external reputation.
IC managers aim to achieve strategic influence, to help bring reputational risk analysis to bear before senior leaders take a final decision, to improve the quality of that decision and improve the chances it will be accepted by all participants within the organization.
IC practice
Internal Communication has today become the core part of the Corporate Communication. Many a time the Human resource department are especially kept out of it as they are termed as the voice of the management and not the employees.Five general modes of IC practice are itemised below, ranked loosely according to their position along a spectrum from tactical to strategic activities.
Message distribution
The American political scientist and communication theorist Harold LasswellHarold Lasswell
Harold Dwight Lasswell was a leading American political scientist and communications theorist. He was a member of the Chicago school of sociology and was a professor at Yale University in law. He was a President of the American Political Science Association and World Academy of Art and Science...
popularised the concept of the communication channel in his 1948 paper The Communication of Ideas. Formal channels typically fall into one of four broad categories:
- Electronic: - Communications that are delivered and/or accessed electronically, either by computer, telephone, television or other devices. Examples include emailE-mailElectronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
, intranet, video and webcastWebcastA webcast is a media presentation distributed over the Internet using streaming media technology to distribute a single content source to many simultaneous listeners/viewers. A webcast may either be distributed live or on demand...
s, DVDDVDA DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, electronic newsletterNewsletterA newsletter is a regularly distributed publication generally about one main topic that is of interest to its subscribers. Newspapers and leaflets are types of newsletters. Additionally, newsletters delivered electronically via email have gained rapid acceptance for the same reasons email in...
s, podcastPodcastA podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
s, blogBlogA blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
s, wikiWikiA wiki is a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor. Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used collaboratively by multiple users. Examples include...
s, voicemailVoicemailVoicemail is a computer based system that allows users and subscribers to exchange personal voice messages; to select and deliver voice information; and to process transactions relating to individuals, organizations, products and services, using an ordinary telephone...
, conference calls, SMSSMSSMS is a form of text messaging communication on phones and mobile phones. The terms SMS or sms may also refer to:- Computer hardware :...
text messaging, screensaverScreensaverA screensaver is a type of computer program initially designed to prevent phosphor burn-in on CRT and plasma computer monitors by blanking the screen or filling it with moving images or patterns when the computer is not in use...
messaging, desktop alert messages, desktop news feeds and internal social media tools (e.g.: internal TwitterTwitterTwitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
-style sites such as YammerYammerYammer is an enterprise social network service that was launched in September 2008. Unlike Twitter, which is used for broadcasting messages to the public, Yammer is used for private communication within organizations or between organizational members and pre-designated groups, making it an example...
) - Print: - Paper-based communications. Examples include magazineMagazineMagazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
s, newsletters, brochures, postcards and other 'desk drops', posters, memos, communication packs or 'toolkits' for line managers, etc. - Face-to-face: - One-to-one and one-to-many forums where people are physically present. Examples include a 'cascade' of team meetings or briefings, conferences, site visits, 'back to the floor', consultation forums, 'brown bag' lunches, round-table discussions, 'town meetings', etc.
- Workspace: - the working environment. Examples include notice boards, plasma and LCD screens, accessories (e.g.: mousemats), window decals, etc.
Informal channels reflect the non-linear dynamics of a social network
Social network
A social network is a social structure made up of individuals called "nodes", which are tied by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as friendship, kinship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike, sexual relationships, or relationships of beliefs, knowledge or prestige.Social...
and can be as influential, if not more so, than official channels, often more likely to stimulate and create discussion and dialogue
Dialogue
Dialogue is a literary and theatrical form consisting of a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people....
. The channels may manifest themselves via the rumour-mill, water-cooler conversations, social networking, graffiti, spoof newsletters, etc.
Selecting channels
One of the key challenges any internal communicator will face is how to select the right channels - and the right mix of channels - for both the audience and the message. Bill Quirke offers a simple guide; the 'rich' interaction enabled in 'face-to-face' communications is appropriate where risks of misunderstanding or emotional impact are high; the 'lean' interaction offered in written or one-way communications are better suited to the low impact, low emotion distribution of information. See Weick for some theoretical grounds for this basic insight.
The practical considerations are:
- Availability: what channels either already exist within the organisation or can be introduced effectively?
- Audience: who are they, where are they based, how do they prefer to access information and how effective will the proposed channel be in reaching them and engaging them?
- Objectives: what does the organisation want people to learn, think, feel or do as a result of the message?
- Content: what is the context and substance of the message? (For example, sensitive messages may need to be communicated face-to-face, rather than by, say, SMS text message.)
Traffic control
A typical large organisation IC function will be concerned to monitor and limit the quantity of information flowing through each internal channel, prioritising according to the relevance of a given message to the audience implicated in that channel, as well as the urgency and impact of the message. Such organisations typically face a risk that channels (such as intranet
Intranet
An intranet is a computer network that uses Internet Protocol technology to securely share any part of an organization's information or network operating system within that organization. The term is used in contrast to internet, a network between organizations, and instead refers to a network...
news, or email
Email
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
) are over-used for inappropriate, low value messages, causing vital audience groups to filter them out.
Channel development and administration
IC teams will often (but not always) hold responsibility for the administration and development of several of the organisation's communications channels. The range of media available is wide - and growing fast with new electronic media. Initially, IC tends to focus on the existing resources of the organization, typically an intranet, email distributions, and newsletters.
One common element of channel development and administration involves managing supplier relationships - agencies external to the organization typically specialise in one main channel area, such as audiovisual, or print production.
The strengths and uses of different techniques are discussed by FitzPatrick in the Public Relations Handbook
Line manager 'cascade'
Sending information down the line to local supervisors, expecting them to deliver it without any corruption, interpretation or deviation has long been the main focus of 'cascaded' internal communications (for example, UK guidance from The Industrial Society, now the Work Foundation, focused on giving managers very clear instructions about what to say and how to say it). However, in recent years thinking has evolved and literature now concentrates on empowering managers to facilitate discussion rather than cascade management of messages which will have little authority or impact. This is a particularly strong theme in the writing of TJ and Sandar Larkin. Clampitt (2005) lists three approaches managers use to communicate with their employees.
Employee communication is an important skill for all line managers, irrespective of their seniority. Like any skill it requires training and development. Often, organisations do not invest the appropriate amount of time and effort in developing managers' communications skills. Too often this leads to managers abdicating responsibility for communications to their 'internal communications department' and a lack of confidence in facilitating discussion in their teams. This raises debate around the following issues:
- The nature of supervisory relationships and organisational communication
- The potency of managers as a channel of official communications
- How best to support managers in their roles
Social Media
Social media is becoming increasingly discussed in the field of Internal communication. However, there is little documented evidence of where it is being used successfully as part of a planned campaign of employee communications. There is also significant discussion into the impact of social media on company culture and internal communication.
Social Media is employed either through or behind the corporate firewall: for organisations with regulatory or security restrictions an internal solution is the only option whereas externally hosted or cloud-based tools are extremely easy to deploy for organisations that can take a more open approach.
For many corporates the perceived drawback to social media is the generally poor signal to noise ratio for messaging. Studies and experience from unfettered implementations suggest that there is a period of typically 18 months where the purely social interaction moves to a mix of personal and business related dialogue and settles finally to mainly business focussed content. Seeded and moderated discussion forums and blog-led comment facilities can induce high relevancy but compromise the level of enagagement.
Message design and production
Basic IC services to an organization begin with editorial services - either fine-tuning messages drafted by participants in the organization, or drafting new material on their behalf. IC practitioners might simply correct basic grammar, etc., especially in organisations where many participants may be operating in their second or third language. Or they might re-work it to conform to house style or its branded equivalent, 'tone of voice'. The skillset involved relates closely to media professions such as journalismJournalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
, copywriting
Copywriting
Copywriting is the use of words and ideas to promote a person, business, opinion or idea. Although the word copy may be applied to any content intended for printing , the term copywriter is generally limited to promotional situations, regardless of the medium...
and film or print
Printing
Printing is a process for reproducing text and image, typically with ink on paper using a printing press. It is often carried out as a large-scale industrial process, and is an essential part of publishing and transaction printing....
production. Message design may be iterative, or involve a range of participants in an approvals process.
More advanced IC services might include identification of needs arising, relaying them to the relevant organizational leader, and initiating message production. In this case, more aspects of the message are available for the IC practitioner to refine or make recommendations on; including the best 'source' for the message; the most effective communication channel; the mode of interpellation (i.e., whether this message is intended to inform, to instruct, to negotiate, to consult, or to involve); the appropriate 'production values'; optimal audience segmentation; timing of message delivery; and so on.
Project communications
IC practitioners may be seconded to a specific project team, to support the stages of the project that carry a communications or engagement component. Project communicators might produce a schedule of communication objectives and milestones for the project; a map of vital stakeholders (senior individuals or large groups / segments of the overall population); and a message framework to guide project participants towards a single, coherent message about their work. They might also contribute to the project's aggregate risks 'log' on the reputational risks, and work-up contingency plans covering unintended situations.Change communications
Organisations are increasingly turning to communications to help implement change.
It is useful to distinguish between change - the act of altering something within an organisation (such as the introduction of a new IT system or the closure of a office) and 'transition' - the process through which an individual passes as part of the process of coping with change. The use of the two terms interchangeably causes some confusion.
Change communication is often focused on logistical matters - making sure that people understand a change and how it will impact on their work and lives.
Transitional communications (for want of a better term) will often draw heavily on HR thinking and practice and may reflect psychological models such as that proposed by grieving
Kübler-Ross model
The Kübler-Ross model, commonly known as The Five Stages of Grief, was first introduced by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross in her 1969 book, On Death and Dying....
, by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross).
Organizational development is a growing competency within HR
Human resources
Human resources is a term used to describe the individuals who make up the workforce of an organization, although it is also applied in labor economics to, for example, business sectors or even whole nations...
, and the vital role played by the communications component in change efforts is becoming better theorised (e.g. Larkin and Larkin (1994), Kotter (1996), Schein (2004)) and more widely acknowledged in large organizations. Change writer (John Kotter
John Kotter
John Paul Kotter is a professor at the Harvard Business School and author, who is regarded as an authority on leadership and change. He outlines eight steps that organizations need to implement to successfully change:1...
says: "When the environment constantly changes, the organization must innovate to adapt to or control that environment. When your external environment changes, your internal environment should adjust as well, and internal communication is vital during these times.")
Crisis communications
Organizations occasionally face unplanned reputational crises which can destroy brand value or even finish the organization. At such moments, the support of the internal constituency becomes especially valuable, as employees' friends and relatives seek their account of events, and as talented and motivated participants consider whether or not to remain with the organization.
As with Media relations
Media relations
Media relations involves working with various media for the purpose of informing the public of an organization's mission, policies and practices in a positive, consistent and credible manner. Typically, this means coordinating directly with the people responsible for producing the news and features...
and PR
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
, the role IC plays in a crisis can be decisive for the success or failure of an organization, as it responds to a critical challenge. Organizations with a mature IC function may have contingency planning in place, ready to be tailored to the particulars of the situation. They are also more likely to have 'well flexed', well-rehearsed line management communications capability, etc., making crisis communications more effective. Less mature IC functions may find it difficult to bring senior leaders' attention to the internal audience, when critical stakeholders such as investors or customers appear more likely to desert the organization.
Although unplanned and usually under-resourced, the quality of an IC function's response in a crisis often has a decisive impact in the maturing of an IC function within an organization. Effective responses bring IC up the list of priorities for senior leaders, following the crisis.
Business partnering
In common with the Ulrich modelDave Ulrich
David Olson Ulrich is a university professor, author, speaker, management coach, and management consultant. Ulrich is a professor of business at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan and co-founder of ....
for Human resources
Human resources
Human resources is a term used to describe the individuals who make up the workforce of an organization, although it is also applied in labor economics to, for example, business sectors or even whole nations...
practice, IC may be delivered via a 'business partnering' relationship, acting as adviser to a given function or unit on IC issues relevant to the delivery of their strategic plans and projects. As a representative of the audiences with a stake in the developments under discussion, this can be both an awkward and a privileged position to occupy, requiring skills of diplomacy and objectivity.
Dewhurst and FitzPatrick, in their 2007 report How to Develop Outstanding Internal Communicators identified how business partnering was often the route into the most senior positions in Internal Communications.
Strategic leadership
In the most mature IC functions, the IC leader 'brings' the internal constituency to senior leader discussions and decision-making processes, refining the decision to be communicated, as well as how and when to communicate it. S/he may either act as a representative of the internal constituency, or provide senior leaders with processes that make it feasible to consult or directly involve participants in such decisions.Given the origins of IC as a "mouthpiece" of the senior leadership, organizations tend to prove resistant to the possibility that IC would add value to strategic decision-making. Establishing IC in a strategic role may require a crisis to prove that value, or IC functions might earn their place in the decision-making process by making their contribution more tangible - for example, offering metrics which help leaders understand more clearly the Return on investment
ROI
-Roi:Roi may refer to:*Roi, a 1993 song by The Breeders in their album Last Splash*Roi Et and Roi Et province in Thailand*Roi Klein, an Israeli Defense major*Roi-Namur, an island in the Marshall Islands...
the IC function is delivering.
History of internal communications
Large industrial organizations have a long history of promoting pride and a sense of unity among the employees of the company, evidenced in the cultural productions of Victorian-era soap manufacturers as far apart as the UK's Lever Brothers (right) and the Larkin Soap CompanyLarkin Administration Building
The Larkin Building was designed in 1904 by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1906 for the Larkin Soap Company of Buffalo, New York. The five story dark red brick building used pink tinted mortar and utilized steel frame construction. It was noted for many innovations, including air conditioning,...
of Buffalo, New York.
For much of the 20th century, trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
s represented the mass of employees in questions of organizational legitimacy and changes to working practices, on behalf of employees. Company newsletters competed with Union-run media, and senior leaders had to deal frequently with the demands of this 'stakeholder'.
While this might be seen as a purely antagonistic relationship, organizations to some extent depended on the Union to do the work of cohering a constituency around a manageable set of messages and values. As unions became weakened in the 1970s and 1980s, and the communities in which organizations operated became more mobile, the lack of such a natural constituency became a problem for organizational leaders, who experienced it in terms of a crisis of 'trust' or 'legitimacy'.
Internal communications as a discrete discipline of organizational theory is correspondingly young. Stanford associate professor Alex Heron's Sharing Information with Employees (1943) is an outlier among texts which focus solely on the factors involved. Theorization in academic papers accelerated in the 1970s, but mainstream management texts mostly post-date 1990.
IC associations and accreditation
There is not yet a globally recognised internal communication qualification, though various training courses and formal qualifications have been established to create and maintain standards.The predominantly North American members of the International Association of Business Communicators
International Association of Business Communicators
The International Association of Business Communicators is a leading association for business communication professionals. IABC has approximately 16,000 members in more than 100 chapters in over 80 countries....
(IABC) can apply for recognition as an Accredited Business Communicator. In the US, courses are available at Ithaca College
Ithaca College
Ithaca College is a private college located on the South Hill of Ithaca, New York. The school was founded by William Egbert in 1892 as a conservatory of music. The college has a strong liberal arts core, but also offers several pre-professional programs and some graduate programs. The college is...
.
In the UK, the bodies representing the profession are fragmented and offer competing qualifications.
The UK's Institute of Internal Communication offers a framework of IoIC training and accreditation in internal communications. In recent years there has been a growth in the range of short skills courses offered by a range of commercial suppliers as well as institutions such as the London College of Communication
London College of Communication
The London College of Communication is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London, located in Elephant and Castle. It has about 5,000 students on 60 courses in media and design courses preparing students for careers in the creative industries...
and Leeds Metropolitan University
Leeds Metropolitan University
Leeds Metropolitan University is a British University with three campuses. Two are situated in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England while the third is situated in Bhopal, India...
.
There is a well-established postgraduate diploma / Masters programme in Internal Communications Management at Kingston University
Kingston University
Kingston University is a public research university located in Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, United Kingdom. It was originally founded in 1899 as Kingston Technical Institute, a polytechnic, and became a university in 1992....
and a formal qualification in Internal Communication at Certificate and Diploma level is also offered by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations
Chartered Institute of Public Relations
The Chartered Institute of Public Relations is the professional body for PR practitioners in the United Kingdom. Founded in February 1948 as the Institute of Public Relations, by 2009 it had grown to over 9000 members involved in all aspects of the public relations industry, and is the largest...
.
In Europe, courses are available at the University of Lugano and Rotterdam School of Management
Rotterdam School of Management
Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University is the international business school of the Erasmus University Rotterdam located in Rotterdam, Netherlands...
.
Synonyms
IC may variously be referred to as: employee communications, employee engagementEmployee engagement
Employee engagement, also called worker engagement, is a business management concept. An "engaged employee" is one who is fully involved in, and enthusiastic about their work, and thus will act in a way that furthers their organization's interests...
, employee relations, internal marketing, company communications, staff communication. Responsibility for IC may sit within various established functions, including marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
, corporate communications
Corporate communications
Corporate communication is the message issued by a corporate organization, body, or institute to its publics. "Publics" can be both internal Corporate communication is the message issued by a corporate organization, body, or institute to its publics. "Publics" can be both internal Corporate...
, transformation, HR
Human resources
Human resources is a term used to describe the individuals who make up the workforce of an organization, although it is also applied in labor economics to, for example, business sectors or even whole nations...
and the CEO office. Internal communications functions can require several skills, e.g.: writing, marketing, event organisation, web production, facilitation, advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
, stakeholder management, corporate social responsibility
Corporate social responsibility
Corporate social responsibility is a form of corporate self-regulation integrated into a business model...
, branding
Brand management
Brand management is the application of marketing techniques to a specific product, product line, or brand.The discipline of brand management was started at Procter & Gamble as a result of a famous memo by Neil H...
and communications training.
Works Cited
- Clampitt, P. (2005). Communicating for Managerial Effectiveness. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
- Theaker, A (2011). The Public Relations handbook, Routledge, Abingdon
- Duhe, S. (2008). Public Relations and the Path to Innovation: Are Complex Environments Good for Business?: Public Relations Society of America.
- Grunig, J. E., & Hunt, T. (1984). Managing public relations. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Publishers.
- Hargie, O and Tourish D (eds) (2004) The handbook of Communications audits for Organisations, Routledge
- Quirke, B 92003) Making the Connections, Gower
- McNamara, C. (2008). Field Guide to Leadership and Supervision. Minneapolis, MN: Authenticity Consulting, LLC.
- Wright, M ed (2009) The Gower handbook of internal communication, Gower