INTERNAL COMMUNICATION AND PR

The Importance of Employee (Internal) Communication Relational and content elements in managing communication Democratic organization Participative management culture Symmetrical communication

The Role of Internal PR Strategic plans and policies Individuals at all levels of the organization Strategic Plan Example

Communication as a Core Competency Working closely with senior HR managers Few academic texts include communication as a key competency Contribution of communication necessary to cope with demands of constant change Many largescale change programmes fail “I know, we’ll brand our effort ‘Change 2013’ and have a newsletter about what we’re changing and give every employee a logo’d coffee or a screensaver”

Communication as a Core Competency Clearly defined stakeholders’ groups Appropriate channels for information delivery and symmetrical communication Staff should have participated in the decision- making process to ensure the change is ‘owned’ and can thus be successfully operationalized.

Channels of Employee Communication Face-to-face channels Written channels Electronic channels

RICH LEAN Information Channel Face-to-face discussion Highest High Moderate Low Lowest Source: Adapted from Daft, Richard L., and Lengel, Robert H. “Information richness: A new approach to managerial behavior and organization design.” In Barry M. Staw and Larry L. Cummings (eds.), Research in Organizational Behavior, vol. 6. Greenwich, Conn.: JAI Press, 1984, 191–233. Information Richness Telephone conversations Written letters/memos (individually addressed) Formal written documents (unaddressed bulletins or reports) Formal numeric documents (printouts, budget reports)

Organizational Storytelling Can strengthen internal public relations A powerful tool in organizational learning A silo that storing both federally owned grain and privately owned grain The moral of the story to young silo managers

Storytelling Any employee of Wal-Mart can tell stories about Sam Walton and his behavior

Storytelling

Organizational Storytelling Staff meetings Example: reporting monthly figures in a meeting of sales team. Important lessons, more meaningful report numbers and building relationships among individuals. Informal settings such as a local restaurant

Organizational Storytelling The most valuable stories are those that teach, inspire and motivate employees (Example, Walmart) Represents an organization’s traditions, values, beliefs, and priorities (Example, Arts College) Should offer practical advice and solutions for employees (Example, sales meeting) Can be stored for future reference (Example, Silo Manager)