The Role of Corporate Communications in Strategic Management Professor Leif Åberg University of Helsinki, Department of Communication Amsterdam, April 1999

Elements The Functions of Corporate Communications Corporate Communications and Strategic Management Communication and Change

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Knowledge and skills ! Energy! Direction ! Commitment !

There is speed, sure, but no direction.” Energy! ”A group without goals is like a herd of mustangs galloping on a prairie. There is speed, sure, but no direction.” Erkki Tikkanen, a well-known Finnish manager, to the personnel of Labsystems Ltd., after having been called in to save this corporation from a crisis

(Strategic) Management Direction ! It is about directing the resources to direct, there has to be a direction resource= a potential that can be used can be used, but is not necessarily used effectively a direction, where to? To the future! But future is in the mind of the beholder key concept: visioning, and sharing a common vision

Knowledge and skills ! Group synergy A work group, in a synergic phase produces new, creative solutions in a positive manner: the members enjoy being synergic synergic processes make tacit knowledge and tacit skills to surface

Vision has been internalized. Commitment ! ”I accept this goal or task and I will give my best to help to fulfill it.” Vision has been internalized.

For this, a good strategy and enthusiastic communications are needed! Conclusion: When skilled and knowing people are getting motivated, the organization should be able to direct the surfacing energy to a desired direction. For this, a good strategy and enthusiastic communications are needed!

Rowley’s and Roevens’ model of a ”good chaos” Elements, again ... Aberg’s pizza The Functions of Corporate Communications Corporate Communications and Strategic Management Communication and Change Aberg’s kite Rowley’s and Roevens’ model of a ”good chaos”

Total communi- cations Åberg’s Pizza inter- nal mar- ket- ing external market- ing work instruct- ions product/ sercives profile & surveys induction to work Total communi- cations coprporate/ manager profile & surveys induction to organization external PR & scanning internal PR & scanning External social networks Internal grapevine

MANI- FESTAT- ION OF VISION Åberg’s Kite LEGITI- MACY MANI- FESTAT- ION OF VISION SCAN- NING COM- MUNI- CAT- ING CHAN- GE BUSINESS IDEA, MISSION C O M M U N I C A T I O N CORPORATE CULTURE STRATEGY GROUP AND TEAM GOALS GROUP DYNAMICS INDIVIDUAL DYNAMICS TASKS

A dynamic model of organizational change Revolution: VISION Balance Enhance Perturb Task centered change Control Chaos Excite Attract Transformation Evolution: VALUES Robin M. Rowley & Joseph J. Roevens: Organize with Chaos. Lint 1996