Internal Communication and Employee Engagement Kevin Ruck and Ann Pilkington

The importance of internal communication: Employee engagement

Dimension Level Direction Participants Content 1. Internal line management communication Line managers / Supervisors Predominantly two-way Line managers-employees Employees' roles Personal impact e.g. appraisal discussions, team briefings 2. Internal team peer communication Team colleagues Two-way Employee-employee Team information e.g. team task discussions 3. Internal project peer communication Project group colleagues Project information e.g. project issues 4. Internal corporate communication Strategic managers / top management Predominantly one-way Strategic managers-all employees Organisational / corporate issues e.g. goals, objectives, new developments, activities and achievements Welch and Jackson (2007)

Employee engagement A lot of definitions focus either on the individual role or the work activity but they miss the impact of internal communication and organisational identification. Wieseke et al found (2009) that found the higher the level of organisational identity of sales managers the greater the sales quota achievement.

Employee voice …is a term that is often associated with unions and work councils, though it is now being seen as a right for every employee to have the opportunity to have their say. In the “Engaging for Success” report that MacLeod and Clarke produced for the UK government last year, they describe voice as “employees’ views are sought out; they are listened to and see that their opinions count and make a difference. They speak out and challenge when appropriate”.

What would you choose to do to engage people? Give people a ten per cent pay rise Take your team out to a special event Tell people what is going on Introduce a new suggestion scheme Say “well done” for a good piece of work Give people a say in what the organisation does Give people a bonus day’s holiday if they take less than 5 days off sick a year

What would you choose to do to engage people? Give people a ten per cent pay rise Take your team out to a special event Tell people what is going on Introduce a new suggestion scheme Say “well done” for a good piece of work Give people a say in what the organisation does Give people a bonus day’s holiday if they take less than 5 days off sick a year

CIPD survey (2006) 49 per cent of employees feel fairly well informed about important organisational issues 29 per cent said they received only a limited amount of information 13 per cent reported they received not much at all In terms of employee engagement, there are three key factors: 1. Opportunities for upward feedback 2. Being well informed 3. Thinking that your manager is committed to the organisation. Tourish and Hargie (2009)

Communication escalator “There is a trade off to be made between the desire to be clear and the need to use communication media efficiently. The less chance of misunderstanding or misinterpretation, the leaner the media you can use.” Awareness Newsletters Understanding Roadshows Forums Support Seminars Training Degree of change Commitment Team problem solving Involvement Team meetings Feedback forums Degree of involvement Quirke (2008: 158)

Managerial strategies for communicating about change Strategy Definition Spray and pray Management showers employees with all kinds of information in the hope that employees will be able to sort out significant and insignificant information Tell and sell Management selects a limited set of messages regarding core organizational issues. Management “tells” employees about these issues and then “sells” employees on the wisdom of the chosen approach Underscore and explore Management focuses on fundamental issues related to change success and allows employees the creative freedom to explore various possibilities Identify and reply Management listens to and identifies key concerns of employees and then responds to those issues as they are brought up Withhold and uphold Management withholds information as much as possible. When management is confronted with questions or rumours they uphold the party line. Adapted from Clampitt, DeKoch and Cashman, in Miller, K (2009, p186)

A little more conversation Conversation is the source and soul of change Identifify the 50-200 or so employees “who can really make things happen” (or keep them from happening!)....Some of these individuals may hold sway over key resources. Others are informal leaders who are central to networks of opinion. Pascale et al (2000: 203-5)

LIVE model of engagement Leadership Information Voice Empathy

Employees first, customers second If you see your job not as chief strategy officer and the guy who has all the ideas, but rather the guy who is obsessed with enabling employees to create value, I think you will succeed. My job is to make sure everybody is enabled to do what they do well. This is part of our “Employees First” philosophy. Vineet Nayar is the chief executive of HCL Technologies, an IT services company based in India. To help bridge the gap between CEO and the rank and file, he once danced (awkwardly) to a famous Bollywood song at an employee event.

The value of internal communication: Satisfaction levels

Measuring internal communication Satisfaction/Channel use Data Information 74% values published (IABC) 42% not well informed (Truss et al.) Satisfaction of company wide information is 3.2 out of 5 (Byrne and LeMay), Communication satisfaction 3.66/3.24 Communication climate 3.69/3.26 (out of 5, virtual worker/traditional worker, Akkirman) Media quality 29.17 Communication climate 26.56, Corporate information 26.35 (out of 50, Clampitt and Downs). Satisfaction with organisational information ranges from 53% to 64%.

Measuring internal communication Satisfaction/Channel use Data Understanding and living the business strategy, values, goals 60% understanding (TowersWatson) 54% senior manager involvement in communication 30% consistency in behaviour (IABC) 48% senior managers have a clear vision (Truss et al.). Satisfaction with upward feedback 26% dissatisfied or very dissatisfied (CIPD) 37% satisfied (Truss et al.), Satisfaction with feedback on performance 30% performance not discussed (Truss et al.) 44% of managers rarely/never coach employees (CIPD) Satisfaction of job information, 3.37 (out of 5, Byrne and LeMay) Personal feedback 3.38/2.92 (out of 5, virtual worker/traditional worker) (Akkirman) Personal feedback 23.99 (out of 50, Clampitt and Downs). Around 60% of employees understand where the organisation is headed, though this is undermined by senior manager clarity (48%) and minimal senior management involvement in telling the story (54%). Most concerning is the very low (30%) level of consistency in behaviour to match values.

Measuring internal communication Satisfaction/Channel use Data Channels, new and social media Lean media; 3.43 out of 5, rich media; 3.76 (out of 5, Quinn and Hargie) Email 83%, intranet 75%, social media 12% (IABC), Email/online news 68.8%, online video most popular social media tool (Melcrum) General increase in use of electronic channels, though less than 50% using social media tools (TowersWatson). It is clear that electronic communication is replacing print, though use of social media is still at an embryonic stage with less than half of organisations using it at best.

Strategy, goals and values I am well informed about what is going on and what is planned and my line manager is committed to the organisation. Engagement Strategy, goals and values Support Identification Role Performance Voice My organisation provides plenty of support for people. I have regular opportunities to have a say and what I say is treated seriously. I identify with the organisation’s values and am an advocate of what it does. I know how I am doing and have good development opportunities. I know what my job responsibilities are and how they contribute to the team and organisation.

Gaining buy in: Five ways to get buy in from senior leaders

Five ways to gain buy from leaders Number 1 De-personalise it. Ask: “What would a community nurse think” or John in accounts.... Use imaginary members of staff to get them thinking about how it feels for others.

Five ways to gain buy from leaders Number 2 The business case. Why engaged employees make a difference. At the same time tap into what keeps them awake at night.

Five ways to gain buy from leaders Number 3 Set proper objectives and plan against them. Move away from the idea that communication can’t be measured or planned. Its a hard skill, not a soft one – we’re not the corporate postman!

Five ways to gain buy from leaders Number 4 Pick your battles. And remember that it isn’t going to happen over night.

Five ways to gain buy from leaders Number 5 Why aren’t your senior managers engaging? Is it fear? Think about your role as one of coach.

Roles and skills Extent of solution Extent of need Adapted from Quirke (2008: 304-6) Distributor and craftsman Select channels Write, design and event plan Technical advisor Use and manage technology Target audiences, channels and messages Work with feedback Consultant and coach Facilitate thinking Prioritise and plan Co-ordinate Develop communication objectives from strategies Consult with clients Extent of solution Extent of need

Gaining buy in: What about line/middle managers?

Bringing it to life - The role of the middle manager Many middle managers view their roles as tactical, and not strategic. There is often a communications block between middle managers and their people CURRENT ROLE Operational: Tactical project management Business targets Logistics People Management: Performance KPIs Recruitment 80% 20% EXPECTED ROLE Operational: Tactical project management Business targets Logistics People Management: Communication Engagement Performance KPIs Recruitment Morale 50% 50%

What does it feel like for managers? Do we support or by pass managers?

More information www.exploringinternalcommunication.com www.pracademy.co.uk http://ciprinside.wordpress.com/ @pracademy Contact us kevin.ruck@pracademy.co.uk ann.pilkington@pracademy.co.uk