“We know that communication is a problem, but the company is not going to discuss it with the employees.” Actual quote by an executive at a communications company

Agenda Communications in Large Organizations How We’re Doing The Transition Communications Plan & Your Role Questions & Suggestions

My Part Communications in Large Organizations Impress You With Statistics Use At Least One Scientific Theory Gain Your Commitment To Great Communications

Some Statistics  Estimated that miscommunication can cost an organization 25% to 40% of its annual budget  Estimated that 14% of each work week is wasted as a result of poor communication  A study of more than 2,000 senior executives and managers across the U.S. found that 94% of the participants identified "communicating well" as the most important skill for executives and managers to have in order to be successful today and tomorrow

Some Statistics  Gartner Group survey concluded that more than 80% of IT projects were "late, over budget, short of expectations, or simply undelivered" as a result of poor communication at the outset

Symptoms of Poor Communication  Frustration  Fear  Uncertainty  Dissatisfaction  Sense of Hopelessness

Bottom Line The bottom line for organizations is that poor communication slows productivity, reduces quality, can create turnover, and can contribute to a negative culture/climate

Obligatory Scientific Theory Herzberg’s Motivator-Hygiene Theory “Structures, actions and policies within organizations can serve as either motivators or demotivators.”

On The Flip Side  Research has shown, when employees are kept informed, they tend to be more satisfied with their jobs, exhibit a higher level of morale and are more motivated to be productive employees  Watson Wyatt study in 2003 found that a significant improvement in communication effectiveness was associated with an almost 30% increase in market value

Watson Wyatt Study  Employees want to know:  Where are we headed?  Why?  WIIFM? (What’s in it for me?)  How can I help?

Watson Wyatt Study  Managers want to know:  How can I get all the work done?  How can I meet my targets/goals?  How can I get the most out of my people?

“Stuck in the middle with you?”  The dreaded “Bottleneck” – why?  Turf protection  Politics  Managers aren’t communicators  More important things to do  Body odor

So How Are WE Doing? Great! Terrible!

Communications Audit  Key Themes  Consistency: Volume, Frequency, Message  Some managers doing great – some….not  Over/under filtering  Delivery system problems (addresses, mail boxes, communications rooms, etc.)  Perception of wasted time

Communications Audit  Key Themes  Managers can’t do it alone: Push/Pull  Computer Access (CAT): All online won’t get it done

Communication Is Important  One of our core values  We made a promise  Transition Team consensus  People are at different levels/places

The Big Finish #1 Communicator’s Rule of Thumb What So What Now What

The Big Finish #2 Communication from one’s own manager creates 4X the employee support than CEO Town Hall and 9X that of the company newsletter. (Sorry, Vennie)

Transition Team Communications

Plan Overview  Transition Team reporters  Plan components  Newsletters  Transition Talk updates  Town Halls  Web updates

Newsletters  Released shortly after each milestone date  Will be produced by Marketing Communications and distributed with enough hard copies for each staff member  Also sent to key Divisional partners from across the University

Transition Talk Updates  The primary printed source of timely information about all Transition Teams  Produced by Marketing Communications bi-weekly, beginning this week  Sent via to all supervisors within the Division  Distribute widely  Discuss with staff  Focus on the facts

Divisional Town Halls  Divisional Town Halls in January, April and July  First one: January 28 in Kellogg Center Auditorium  APSA/APA staff at 10 a.m.  Anyone at 1 p.m.

Departmental Town Halls  Will provide staff in new departments an opportunity to interact with their department head and get questions answered  Open to everyone  February schedule posted in the Transition Talk for this week

Web Updates  New intranet site in development  In the interim, we will continue to add information to the Transition Team portion of the Future State Web site

The Supervisor’s Role  Timely, accurate information for staff  Increased face-to-face communications  Keep tabs on the pulse of your staff and make the Transition Teams aware of issues if they arise

If You Get Questions  You may not have the answers  Submit questions to the Transition Teams  Responses will be posted on the Web and included in the next Transition Talk update  Refer media inquiries to Marketing Communications Director Tony Frewen

Questions?