Upload
others
View
0
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Guide yourcareer to newheights
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION MANAGEMENT
BEST PRACTICES CASE STUDIES AND STRATEGY FOR COMMUNICATORS
Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Guide yourcareer to newheights
Building a learning frameworkfor internal communicators
Defining the role of strategiccomms at Farm Credit Canada
Engaging employees in Pfizerrsquoscommunity investment program
How to get ahead in internalcommunication
Communicating a One Companyculture at Pitney Bowes
Building a learning frameworkfor internal communicators
Defining the role of strategiccomms at Farm Credit Canada
Engaging employees in Pfizerrsquoscommunity investment program
How to get ahead in internalcommunication
Communicating a One Companyculture at Pitney Bowes
Stuart Z GoldsteinManaging DirectorCorporate CommunicationsThe Depository Trust and Clearing CorporationUSA
Kim A HansonSouth County CommunicationsUSA
Fraser LikelyPresident and Managing PartnerLikely Communication Strategies LtdCanada
David MoorcroftSenior Vice PresidentCorporate CommunicationsRBC Financial Group Canada
Bill QuirkeManaging DirectorSynopsis Communication ConsultingUK
Chris GaySenior Vice PresidentROI CommunicationsUS
Per ZetterquistConsultantOccurro Strategy amp CommunicationSweden
EDITORIAL BOARD
Editor Mandy ThatchermandythatchermelcrumcomEditorial Assistant Sona HathisonahathimelcrumcomMarketing Manager Vincent SorelvincentsorelmelcrumcomSubscriptions Manager Jasmine EpirosubscriptionsmelcrumcomArt Direction Wesley Corbett
EDITORIAL ENQUIRIESNorth America70 W Hubbard Suite 403Chicago IL 60610 USATel 312 379 6500Tel 866-MELCRUM (Toll free)Fax (312) 527 4917EuropeThe Glassmills 322b King Street London W6 0AX UKTel +44 (0)20 8600 4670Fax +44 (0)20 8741 9975
MARKETING SUBSCRIPTIONS AND ADVERTISING ENQUIRIESNorth AmericaTel (877) 226 2764Fax (312) 803 1871EuropeTel +44 (0)20 8600 4670Fax +44 (0)20 8741 9975AsiaPacificTelFax +61 (0)2 9475 0640
BILLING AND SUBSCRIPTIONENQUIRIESE-mail subscriptionsmelcrumcomWeb site wwwmelcrumcomFor the fastest service please e-mail JasmineEpiro at subscriptionsmelcrumcomWe are committed to answering all customerenquiries within 48 hours Because we havesubscribers in over 80 countries e-mail is ourpreferred way of keeping in touch You can alsocontact us through our Web sitewwwmelcrumcom
No part of this publication may be reproduced ortransmitted in any form or by any meansincluding photocopy and recording without theprior written permission of the publishers Suchwritten permission must also be obtained beforeany part of this publication is stored in a retrievalsystem of any nature Articles published inStrategic Communication Management are theopinions of the authors The views expressed donot necessarily reflect the views and opinions ofthe publishers
scm is published six times a year ISSN 1363-9064
scm is printed on paper thatrsquos obtained fromcarefully managed sustainable forest reserves
Printed in the UK byThe Magazine Printing Companywwwmagprintcouk
Published by Melcrum Publishing Limitedcopy Melcrum Publishing Limited 2007
Editorial board members are respected communication practitioners and are an integralpart of the editorial direction of scm
About the publisherMelcrum is a research and information company with offices in London and Chicago Through ourpublications research training materials and seminars we gather best practices from businesses aroundthe world to help practitioners make better business decisions Melcrum has clients in over 80 countriesand has an international reputation not only for editorial and research products of the highest standardsbut also for tracking important trends in organizational communication corporate communicationknowledge management and human resource management
How to contact our editorsIf you have comments criticisms suggestions for articles or articles to submit our editorswould like to hear from you We will be glad to send you our guidelines for authors whichgive further information on the editorial mission of scm If you have an article proposalsend a 200-word synopsis toMandy ThatcherEditormandythatchermelcrumcom
Elizabeth ArmstrongHead of Marketing and CommunicationsStandard Chartered BankSingapore
Ayelet L BaronSenior Business Development ManagerGlobal Mobility Cisco Systems USA
Sam BerrisfordSenior Consultant Change and InternalCommunications DivisionHill amp Knowlton UK
John G ClemonsVice President CommunicationsRaytheon Technical Services CoUSA
Roger DAprixAuthorCommunicating for ChangeUSA
Linda DulyePresidentLM Dulye amp CoUSA
Christina FeeSenior Vice President Internal CommunicationsDeutsche Post AGGermany
copy Melcrum publishing 2007For more information visit our website wwwmelcrumcom or e-mail infomelcrumcom
scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
In Touch2 Useful resources for internal
communicators
The CommunicatorsrsquoNetwork4 The latest hot debates and
shared advice
People6 PROFILE Bernard Charland7 THOUGHT LEADER Lee Smith
Technology8 Using blogs to involve at
World Bank9 Technology update
Research ampMeasurement10 Does your intranet pay its way11 Finding a cure for survey fatigue
LeadershipCommunication12 Using message maps to
guide change13 Leaders in transition The first
100 days
ProfessionalDevelopment14 Get your development plan
on track15 Do your writing skills let
you down
Calendar36 Upcoming events
Directory ofServices38 A list of useful service providers
16 Building a learning framework for internalcommunicatorsBy Sue Dewhurst and Liam FitzPatrick
20 Defining the role of strategic comms atFarm Credit CanadaBy Kellie Garrett and Claire Watson
24 Engaging employees in Pfizerrsquoscommunity investment programBy Pam Baker and Christine Jenkins
28 How to get ahead in internalcommunicationCompiled by Mandy Thatcher
32 Communicating a One Company cultureat Pitney Bowes By Rob Hallam
FROM THE EDITOR
If you have any comments about any of the articles published in this issueor if you have an idea for a future article please contactmandythatchermelcrumcom
Dear ReaderFor 10 years Melcrum has championed theimportance of strategic communication andurged practitioners far and wide to resistbeing categorized as the editor of the staffnewsletter But a new study by
Communication Competencies into how internalcommunicators develop professionally suggests there may bea slightly more flexible way of looking at things
Leader or specialistThe research (analyzed in more detail in our feature onpage 16) highlights six typical roles When you read thedescriptions it soon becomes clear that each role isimportant albeit for different reasons Even the Specialistldquoa subject-matter expert in a specialist area such as webmanagement audio-visual production or eventmanagementrdquo whose role is primarily ndash dare we say it ndashtactical has something valuable to offer
The aim of the study was to develop a model thatreflected the diverse reality of life in internalcommunication The bottom line Decide what it is youreally want to do and find out how you can become anexpert Or if you head up a team find out more aboutmembersrsquo strengths and aspirations and match them to thecommunication needs of your organization We hope thisissue gives you a few good ideas on how to go about this
A new look for a new yearWe also hope it hasnrsquot escaped your notice that this issue ofSCM is sporting a bright and shiny new design Yoursquoll findyour usual fix of case studies and research plus new regularsections on leadership communication research andmeasurement technology and professional development
As always wersquod love your feedback and any thoughts onhow we can make this journal even more valuable to you
Mandy Thatcher EditorE-mail mandythatchermelcrumcom
Career development requires adegree of flexibility
FEATURES
SECTIONS
Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
contents
2 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
SENIOR LEADERS FOUNDWANTING
Two recent surveys from Watson WyattWorldwide and Accenture have foundthat both employees and middle managersfeel let down by their senior leaders
Accenturersquos 4th annual MiddleManagers Survey canvassed the opinionsof more than 1400 middle managers innine countries in Asia North Americaand Europe It found that only 39percent felt happy in their workplace
Although the reasons for dissatisfactionranged from insufficient compensation tothe lack of a clear career path thefindings point to a general sense ofmismanagement ndash an opinion consistentacross all the countries surveyed
Peter Cheese managing director ofAccenturersquos Human Performancepractice commented that ldquoFor the mostpart middle managers care deeply aboutthe future of their organizations and theirroles in that future but they are to acertain extent the lsquofrozen middlersquo
ldquoTheir success depends on having asense of security and a belief thatexecutives understand their concerns andare taking some action In leadingcompanies senior managers addressthese issues through clearcommunications direct engagement andperformance goals linked to rewards andcareer progressionrdquo
Trust in leaders dipsIn a separate survey by Watson Wyattonly half of the employees surveyed (49percent) said they have trust andconfidence in the job senior managersare doing This is down from 51 percentin 2004
Compared to 2004 the WorkUSAreg
20062007 survey involving 12205full-time US workers across all job levelsand major industries showed a slightdrop in senior managementrsquos ratingsfrom employees across most questionsFor example bull Senior management makes changes
to stay competitive ndash down from 57to 53 percent
bull Senior management takes steps tocontrol costs ndash down from 59 to 55 percent
bull Senior management behavesconsistently with the companyrsquos core values ndash down from 57 to 55 percent
ldquoThis dip in ratings is concerningbecause employeesrsquo attitudes about theirsenior leaders are a key factor in buildingengagementrdquo said Ilene Gochmannational practice director for OrganizationEffectiveness at Watson Wyatt
Link between engagement and commsOn the subject of engagement thesurvey also revealed a consistent linkbetween engaged employees and thoseorganizations where employees receivedfrequent communication from their senior leaders More than half (56percent) of highly engaged employeesreceive communication from seniormanagers at least monthly In contrast42 percent of employees with lowengagement levels say they receiveannual communication or none at all
ldquoCommunication is often thought to bethe direct supervisorrsquos rolerdquo says Gochmanldquobut companies can create stronger teamsand fuel excitement about the future ifsenior managers lay out the broad frame-works the firm will follow and supervisorsreinforce that message By engagingemployees such communication has adirect impact on the bottom linerdquo SH
For more information go towwwwatsonwyattcomresearchwwwaccenturecom
A ROUND-UP OF USEFUL RESOURCES FOR INTERNAL COMMUNICATORS
intouchEMPLOYERS CONCERNED ABOUTBENEFITS COMMUNICATION
Communication is one of the biggestchallenges faced by employers during theannual benefits-enrollment processaccording to a poll of 67 organizationsby Watson Wyatt Worldwide
While employers were satisfied withthe transactional elements of benefitsenrollment they were far less happy withthe effectiveness of health-improvementinformation decision-support tools andcost and quality information Well underhalf reported being satisfied or verysatisfied with those aspects
Employee concernsBut it was the growing complexity of the enrollment process and plannedchanges that most concerned employeesNearly 30 percent of employers reportedemployee concerns with each of those facets
The parts of the enrollment processthat seem to demand thoughtfuldecisions include contributions to healthspending accounts choosing betweendifferent plans and coordination with aspousersquos plans
Satisfaction with the process washighest for employers using a mixture ofinternal and external resources to support their employees through theenrollment cycle
In contrast half of organizationssupporting the process solely with localHR representatives were either neutral ordissatisfied as were 42 percent oforganizations primarily using outsourcingproviders to support employees SH
For more information go towwwwatsonwyattcomresearch
RESEARCH
ldquoBOTH EMPLOYEES ANDMIDDLE MANAGERS FEELLET DOWN BY THEIRSENIOR LEADERSrdquo
3scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
BLOGGING FOR A GOOD CAUSE
3 httpwwwnfp2couk
Steve Bridgerrsquos blogon how not-for-profit organizations(NFPs) can benefitfrom the Web 20revolution is
inspired by his own experiences workingfor NFPs
Bridgerrsquos ldquoabout the authorrdquo blurbstates that his credentials lie in anunderstanding of NFPs knowledge ofweb-based technologies and experiencedesigning webs for organizations such asUK charity the British Heart Foundation
Postings cover topics such as the useof video blogs and online photo-sharingcommunities like Flickr to enhance theeffect of storytelling ndash a popularinexpensive and effective engagement
tool available to NFPs This blog could be a useful resource
for communicators dealing with theunique challenges faced by NFPs andthose keen to take advantage of blogsand online communities SH
BUZZWORD HELL
3 httpbuzzwordhellcom
The raison drsquoetrefor this blog is toallow people tovent their angerabout the growingnumber of
technical buzzwords creeping into ourdaily language Or as the blogrsquos ownstated mission puts it ldquoWe willlsquocondemnrsquo buzzwords to the circles ofhell from Dantersquos Infernordquo
Most will already be familiar with
MASTERING BUSINESS IN ASIANEGOTIATION
3 by Peter Nixon John Wiley 2005
In the global village wework in today many ofus deal withsubsidiaries partnerssuppliers andcustomers throughoutAsia Yet many of usknow little about Asia
This is a book aboutnegotiation rather than communicationbut therersquos much to learn about doingbusiness in Asia especially if yoursquore acommunication advisor to line managersin your organization
The main message of the book is thatthe solution is always in dialogueDifferences with the West are describedin terms ofbull People relationships (families and
networks) are more important thancontracts groups are more importantthan individuals gender age andhierarchy matter
bull Process bargaining and variablepricing financial risks security risksand health risks Asians fear of
BOOKS EVENTS RESEARCH REPORTS BLOGS SURVEYS URLS
making mistakes (there is littleperformance management and evenone mistake can cost a career familyloyalty significant financialincentives) feedback (giving respectand saving face) and the widevariety of legal financial andgovernance frameworks
bull Content conflict avoidance (youcanrsquot openly discuss problems)variable pricing (negotiationdialogue) volume and marginscorruption and multiple currencies
Much of the book covers the stages inthe negotiation process introductionobjection creating contracting andfollow-up It also provides detailed how-to guidelines with templates lists anddiagrams that appear to apply tonegotiations everywhere not just in Asia
The rest of the book covers key aspectssuch as communication how to usetactics how to control and manageinformation peoplersquos motivation andbehavior and managing specificsituations and meetings
The communication chapter coverscountless aspects of face-to-facecommunication and much of this applies
ldquoWE WILL CONDEMNBUZZWORDS TO THECIRCLES OF HELL FROMDANTErsquoS INFERNOrdquo
ldquoTHIS BOOK ISRECOMMENDED IF YOUHAVE BUSINESSDEALINGS IN ASIA ORADVISE THOSE WHO DOrdquo
BLOGS
BOOKS
to communication within all cultures notjust in Asia
Although what is covered is handledwell there are some areas that couldhave received greater attention Forexample there is little discussion of thedifferences among the various countriesand cultures in Asia And Irsquod have likedmore on business etiquette and the useof humor entertainment and gifts
This book isnrsquot going to help youmanage corporate communication inAsia But it is recommended if you havebusiness dealings in Asia or advise thosewho do The author has vast experienceworking training and communicating inAsian countries He writes well andexplains things clearly
Review by Rodney GrayEmployee Communication amp Surveys Sydney
terms such as folksonomy monetizationblogosphere and social networking Forbetter or worse these terms have slippedinto our corporate language and areprobably here to stay
Still next time yoursquore working on acommunication about somethingtechnical it might be a good idea tocheck that not too many of the termsyoursquove used have recently beenconsigned to Buzzword Hell MT
4 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Keith HardieBerwin Leighton PaisnerDepending on the level ofcommitment in the seniorteam you may want to
consider a General Electric approachcalled WorkOut Essentially you getpeople together from a cross-section ofthe company give them a strategypresentation outline the problems tosolve and then get them to come up withideas The senior-manager host has tolisten to the presentations decide (onthe spot) whether to take the ideasforward and then help mentor theproject teams identified to take thesuccessful ideas forward
Q Does anybody have any ideasfor creating a cascade withparticular focus on trainingmiddle managers to do thismore effectively
Angela SinickasSinickas Communications IncMy experience and clientsurvey results show that
cascading as a way of broadcasting newinformation is not effective In factcompanies in my survey database whopurposely use cascading as a way ofbroadcasting new information are theones with the largest percentage ofemployees hearing things on the grapevine
This is because as soon as the directoror vice president conducts the firstmeeting the attendees go away and discussit with their friends in the office whosemanagers have not yet had a meetingMy experience shows that employees atall levels have higher information levelson key company topics in organizationswhere they rely on mass communicationto provide consistent and timely informationto all employees This is followed byface-to-face meetings to discuss thecontext of the information for each workgroup and how it might affect them
I would recommend using e-mailnewsletters to those with online accessand posting PDFs of the sameinformation on as many bulletin boardsas possible to reach employees withoutonline access
The training Irsquod recommend formanagers is how to provide local context
At the end you can either simply wrap upwith a summary of the ideas or have a15-minute break then reassemble tostart evaluating the ideas and identifyingwhich ones are worthy of furtherinvestigation or development Yourbiggest challenge is involving field-basedstaff The nature of brainstorming is thatit needs to be dynamic ndash itrsquos almostimpossible to get the full benefit viaremote links
Richard HareBritish American TobaccoIrsquom not sure how you caninvolve field-based staffwithout bringing
them in I believe you get the maximumvalue from people collaborating byphysically getting them together I knowonline collaboration is possible and thereare numerous examples on the web butthe will to collaborate to solve problemsin this fashion tends to come from thepeople involved
For the past couple of years wersquovebeen facilitating ldquoDeep Diverdquo eventsbased on the method developed by Ideo1
This was licensed by a company turnedinto a product and sold as ldquoinnovation ina boxrdquo Used in an event lasting aminimum of a day the participants talkto experts in the area of the challengetheyrsquore facing Itrsquos an innovative way toquickly get new ideas from a group Wefly people in to take part and have ateam of facilitators to help them with the challenge1 Learn more about the Ideo process at
httpwwwideocommedianightlineasp
Denise Baron Baron Communications ampEditorial ServicesEmployees will be moreinclined to participate in
brainstorming or other idea-generatingexercises when therersquos clear evidencethat senior management cares about whatthey think and is willing to take the timeto listen It also helps immensely if someof the suggestions are actually implemented
Unless senior managers intend to giveserious consideration to the ldquovoice of thepeoplerdquo in some tangible way ndash regardlessof the format employees will view therequest as an empty exercise and will behard-pressed to want to ldquoengagerdquo Sobefore you embark on yet another ldquothinktankrdquo clone the first question to askyourself is not how but why
Tom BrannanYes CityThe ideal genuine brain-storming session only lastsabout an hour any longer
and people will start to lose theircreativity Try going back to basics1 Decide what problem you want
to solve2 Nominate a ldquoproblem ownerrdquo Itrsquos
their task to give a five-minute briefon the issue to the rest of the group
3 Donrsquot involve more than a dozenpeople in the session
4 Give them 45 minutes to be creativein suggesting solutions
5 Capture everything but donrsquot allow anyevaluation ndash even the wildest ideashave value in sparking other thoughts
the communicatorsrsquo
NETWORK
A ROUND-UP OF THE LATEST HOT DEBATES AND SHARED ADVICE
In this issue we share some suggestions from the Communicatorsrsquo Network onhow to conduct the most effective brainstorming sessions There was alsodebate surrounding the idea of cascading information ndash to some it spellsdisaster to others itrsquos an efficient way to save both time and resources Andfind out what practitioners think about the use of logos for internal projects ndashare they helpful or just confusing
Q Does anyone have any ideas on how to create successful brainstormingsessions between managers and employees including field-based staff
QA
5scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
to higher-level information and how tofacilitate discussions ndash not on how topresent corporate bullet points effectively
Naomi CohenBSI British StandardsCascading has the benefitof high levels of trust(research shows the closer
to the employee the messenger is themore likely the message is to bebelieved) but low levels of reliability(therersquos great potential for distortion ofkey messages going through a thirdparty) I tend to apply a mixed approachdepending on the message
One factor for example is the sensitivityof the information If itrsquos somethingthatrsquos going to affect or threaten peoplersquosjobs go for face-to-face discussions assoon as possible both to limit theamount of time staff have to speculateand to demonstrate due careprocess
If itrsquos information that wonrsquot have animmediate impact there can be value ininitiating mass communication and thenallowing time for face-to-face briefingsThis gives staff the opportunity to thinkthrough what theyrsquove heard and considerquestions for discussion
Dealing with feedbackThe key is that the cascade works bothways Itrsquos vital that any questions raisedfor which the line manager doesnrsquot havethe answer can be sent back ldquouprdquo foranswering and any feedback is equallyfed back into the center
I agree that training middle managersis useful but so is training teamlinemanagers as theyrsquore the ones who usuallydeliver the information
One approach that can work well is toidentify internal ambassadors and usethem as your grapevine This is a groupof people at mixed levels that betweenthem touch all parts of the business andare the natural communicators eitherbecause of their roles or theirpersonalities
Brief them train them make them feelspecial explain to them the CEOrsquosthinking and use them to communicatekey messages as a supplement to formalcascades through the managementstructures
But if the objective is to communicateyour CEOrsquos messages then Irsquod personalizethem from the CEO consistently usinghisher name face and tone of voice Themore authentic the better
Q Does the use of logos to brandinternal communicationprojects create confusion ordo they help staff to quicklyidentify a message and itsmeanings
Nicholas Ranken Atos OriginIt greatly depends on yourcontext I worked on amajor change project for a
multinational company where the companyidentity and colors were consistently usedin their internal communication
Our project followed a previousattempt that had been a very costlyfailure So we intentionally wanted tocreate a totally different and clearlyidentifiable image and logo The projectwas also of high strategic importance sowe wanted it to stand apart from otherprojects going on at the same time
Given that the corporate colors at thetime were dark blue and gray which wefelt were quite conservative andunderstated we chose bright bold colors(orange with dark blue text as a link backto the corporate colors) and a dynamicpattern to reflect the modern innovativenature of our project
That said as a consumer of internalcommunication myself (in a differentcompany) Irsquom definitely sensitive to thenotion of too many competing logos andcolors An overload of logos and project names can really detract from theoverall message
Deborah GogartyBritish EnergyWe used a logo to brand aproject a few years agoThe project was never fully
embraced by the whole organizationbecause they identified the logo asrepresenting the project teamrsquosresponsibilities So the audience wasconstantly looking for direction from theteam rather than taking up the causethemselves The logo (and the collateralthat carried it) seemed to create anunconscious helplessness in the audiencewhich took a long time to overcome
What Irsquove learned is that logos arepowerful devices and need to beunleashed only when their full potentialon behavior has been gaged
JOIN THE COMMUNICATORSrsquoNETWORK NOWAs a valued scm subscriber you are entitled tojoin The Communicatorsrsquo Network an onlinediscussion forum for communication practitionersworldwide Itrsquos a lively community that helpsyou find answers to your communicationquestions fast The discussion is monitored soyou will receive no unsolicited e-mail and wewill seek your permission first if we would liketo print any of your ideas in scm
E-mail commsnetwork-onmelcrumcomto join and gain instant access to a globalnetwork of your peers
commsnetwork-onmelcrumcom
LATEST ON THEMELCRUM BLOG
Is good writing essential to being a goodcommunicator This question was posed bySCMrsquos editor Mandy Thatcher and responsesfrom around the globe suggested it certainly isldquoEffective communication by those who cannotwrite is a contradictionrdquo was one commentBut the broader debate in this discussionstream was whether the traditional route ofprofessional development ndash where you masterthe tactics first and then become a goodstrategist is being replaced by a new processwhereby communicators are free to pursuewhatever it is they do best Developmentexpert Sue Dewhurst replied ldquoEven wherepeople do pursue strategic roles thefundamentals are still importantrdquo
What came first Googlersquos culture or itssuccess Melcrum editor Alex Manchesterposed the question and commenters discussedthe effectiveness of Googlersquos famous ldquo20-percent free time for employeesrdquo project
Is it time internal comms became ICInternal communication consultant DeniseBaron took issue with the suggestion that theterm ldquoInternal communicationrdquo would soon bereplaced by the ldquotrendyrdquo acronym ldquoICrdquoBaronrsquos response was ldquoFor my money IC comestoo close to ICK Nothing trendy lsquobout thatrdquo
wwwmelcrumblogcomldquoThoughts and revelations on internalcommunication and beyondrdquo
6 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PEO
PLE
scm
Tell me about your roleUntil recently I was head of globalinternal communication at Dell but Imoved into a new role six months ago toleverage my consulting and agencybackground The best way to describe myrole is lead consultant for thecommunication function with a focus ondriving strategy and innovation
What does this role entailA priority right now is to develop andimplement Dellrsquos new digital-mediastrategy More broadly my mandate is tolook at what wersquore doing and should bedoing over the next six months and figureout how we can have more of an impactacross all our audiences
How would you describe the Dell cultureThe company is much bigger than it usedto be but the culture still has a strongbias for action and lack of complacencyThe expectation for our team is to remainnimble and proactive and look for waysto constantly improve and reinvent howwe do things My new position is a directreflection of that Therersquos a need for anoverarching perspective someone with acommunication and consultingbackground who can dive in developstrategies and direct projects
What projects are you working onWersquove already launched an internal andexternal blog and have just introduced
Studio Dell an online vlog outlet gearedto core customer groups containing videoclips product profiles and interviewsDell also recently established a presencein Second Life Part of my role is to helpkeep all these initiatives coordinated
What issues do you faceOne question wersquore looking to answer ishow to develop and expand our blogsShould we have external blogs for differentlanguage groups such as Japanese andMandarin And if so how do weproceed Internally should we developblogs for some of the regions orparticular divisions of the company
What have you learned about the social-media environmentWe were one of the first major globalcompanies to join the blogosphere Butthe general consensus initially amongobservers was that we were talking aboutissues that were relevant to us ratherthan customers or pundits outside DellWersquove learned from that and madechanges to ensure we listen as well as talk
What can social media do internallyLast year was a tumultuous year for Dell
in terms of our performance Employeesnow need regular updates and discussionaround the situation and what we plan todo to improve So the internalphilosophy is to be even more candidand transparent with employees thanwersquove been For example wersquore using theblog to facilitate conversations betweenemployees and executives
Have leaders resisted this approachTherersquos an understanding among leader-ship that we need to be candid and willingto listen to criticism and respond to itThe leadership team understand thatcredibility is paramount and are willingto share the facts wherever they can
What advice would you offer toorganizations about to start a blogSome companies make the mistake ofbeing enamoured with new technologybut donrsquot have a clear reason for using it
We were very clear about why we weregetting involved ndash to have betterconversations with our stakeholdersparticularly our customers This goalhelps us to define the rules ofengagement and guides the editorialcontent Externally if it isnrsquot relevant orhelpful to customers we donrsquot blog aboutit Our strategic purpose internally is tobe more transparent relevant andcredible when we talk to employees
Also do your homework We did a lotof benchmarking and looked at whatother companies were doing ndash good andbad ndash to get a sense of what we should bestriving for
Finally donrsquot just add to the noiseTherersquos already a huge volume ofinformation out there Thing about howyour blog can add something useful
How would you respond to the criticismDell received in the blogosphere last yearWe knew Dell would be criticized bysome of the influential bloggers Weknew there would be skepticism in viewof the companyrsquos customer service andfinancial issues in 2006 But we listenedadapted and learned from that Now thatwersquore part of the conversation amentality of continuous improvement isalways critical to doing well
DEVELOPING DELLrsquoS DIGITALMEDIA STRATEGY
Bernard Charland acts as lead in-house consultant for Dellrsquos global corporatecommunication function focusing on communication strategy and innovation Previousto this role he was director of Global Internal Communications for the company
Have a clear strategicreason for entering theblogosphere internally
or externally
Bernard Charlandrsquos varied background is proving valuable in his new role which isto focus on strategy and innovation within Dellrsquos global corporate communicationfunction A large part of this role currently is developing and coordinating Dellrsquosdigital-media strategy Here he describes whatrsquos been achieved so far future plansand lessons learned
PROFILE BERNARD CHARLAND
THOUGHT LEADER LEE SMITH
7scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PEO
PLE
scm
Lee Smith FCIPR is a director of Gatehouse specializing in internal communicationfor professional and financial services businesses He also authors the TalkingInternal Communication blog at wwwtalkingictypepadcom
had to give and I canrsquot pretend I wasalways a joy to be with during that period
It didnrsquot help that I lived nearly 80miles away in Birmingham During thoseyears I saw more of the M6 motorwaythan your average lorry driver I alsospent far too many nights eating badfood in cheap Manchester hotels all ofwhich eventually took its toll
Then came the exams nearly 30 hours of them Again Irsquod done myhomework so I managed to come awaywith decent marks
My final hurdle the dreadeddissertation took around two years tocomplete I chose to focus onorganizational identity and just to makemy life tougher decided to use a ratherobscure psychological researchtechnique Getting to grips with thatfinding the time to conduct lengthyinterviews analyze results and craft mytome was incredibly difficult
Being a perfectionist I took it right to the wire ndash submitting my finaldocument just before the universityrsquosultimate deadline
Time to celebrate Last month saw the end of my long andarduous journey The ritual of thegraduation ceremony was a fitting endingand helped draw a line under thatparticular chapter of my professionaldevelopment story
Therersquos no doubt that the course wasbeneficial and although the journey wassometimes difficult the experience wasmostly enjoyable I fell just 3 percentshort of the distinction grade I wantedbut Irsquom still very proud of myachievement And I know Irsquom now amuch more thoughtful and effectivecommunicator
Would I recommend the MSc route toother communicators Yes but I wouldmake sure they realize the enormity ofthe challenge A part-time MSc is not foreveryone It will demand considerabletime energy and effort and may welltake its toll on your personal life andyour waistline But if you persevere overthe long run it might just be worth itNow about that PhD
Irsquove always taken my professionaldevelopment seriously From themoment I entered the communicationprofession in 1991 Irsquove worked hard tohone existing skills build new ones andbroaden my knowledge Some havecalled me dedicated others obsessive
During those 16 years Irsquove participatedin dozens of training courses attendedmore than 50 conferences sacrificedmany an evening to study supported twoprofessional bodies judged industryawards written articles organizedevents volunteered for charities andmentored many aspiring communicators
My biggest development featYet all of this pales into insignificancewhen compared to my biggestdevelopmental feat so far ndash earning anMSc in Corporate Communication andReputation Management Itrsquos likecomparing a gentle stroll to scaling alarge mountain
I finally graduated from the Universityof Manchester Business School inDecember 2006 but it took me five longyears to reach that point Havingenrolled as a svelte twenty-something Igraduated an overweight and slightlygraying 35-year-old It was a slow andoccasionally painful assent
The first stepsBack in 2001 what appealed to me aboutthe course was its strategic focus Unlikesome post-graduate courses theManchester MSc is genuinely multi-
disciplinary touching on communicationtheory branding psychologystakeholder management ethics andbusiness strategy ndash to name a few
Itrsquos also refreshingly practicalcombining robust academic thinking withreal-world case studies While I wantedacademic rigor it was very important tome to be able to practically apply thelearning at work
It took me some time to understandthe relevance of the ldquoScrdquo in MSc Sciencewas a subject I detested at school but Irecognized its importance to my futureas a communicator I was also very awareof my own weakness in that area Thatrsquosone of the benefits Irsquove gained from thecourse ndash a real appreciation of goodresearch and the knowledge to do it well
Things went well academically though juggling part-time study with afull-time career is never easy I wasdisciplined enough to invest thenecessary time and to gradually work myway through the course reading list andgood marks followed
A balancing actThe course proved a little morechallenging on a personal level Work-life balance is hard enough to achieve letalone work-study-life balance Something
IS FURTHER STUDY THEROUTE FOR YOU
It takes dedicationbut a post-graduate
degree can beprofessionally and
personally beneficial
Who said professional development was easy Commitment perseverance andpatience are some of the attributes Lee Smith found invaluable as he workedtowards obtaining his masters degree
8 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TEC
HN
OLO
GY
scm
Creating dialogue within an organizationand encouraging involvement are two ofthe major attractions associated withblogs These were also the primary reasonsbehind the World Bankrsquos decision tolaunch their first internal blog last year
The occasion was the organizationrsquosannual meeting a series of events held inSingapore in 2006 This 10-day eventbrings together around 10000 peopleincluding media representatives to discussissues related to poverty reduction andinternational economic development
According to Egan traditionalmethods used previously to report on theevent such as articles video and audiolinks on the internet and intranet siteshad failed to spark employeesrsquo interest inthe progress and outcomes of the meetingsBlogging seemed like a good way drive toemployeesrsquo interest and involvement
Objectives of the blogEgan summarizes the objectives andrationale behind the blog as follows bull To provide an alternate voice to share
the business outcomes of the meetingsusing informal first-person reportingof behind-the-scenes activities
bull To encourage the use of otherresources by linking blog readers tomore serious information
bull To encourage employee interactionand increase dialogue
Throughout the event the blog wasupdated daily by the head of internalcommunication The entries wereunedited but reader comments weremoderated before they were posted
Outcomes and evaluationAccording to Egan this blogging experimentsurpassed their expectations by helpingto achieve the following three outcomes1 Renewed credibility for the voice of
internal communication ldquoCorporatecommunication always suffers thereputation of towing managementrsquosline The tone and delivery of theblog entries very clearly did not Wehad many comments along the linesof lsquoFinally the real storyrsquordquo
2 A feeling of inclusion ldquoBy providinga sense of the context and atmosphereemployees who didnrsquot attend theevent still felt like they were part ofit Many commented that lsquoFor thefirst time I feel Irsquom therersquordquo
3 Better awareness of the outcomes ofthe meetings ldquoThe blog provided thehook into other channels ofinformation which staff may nototherwise have consulted The first
thing some of the readers did in themorning was to check the blogrdquo
Egan admits that there were some whowere initially skeptical about bloggingldquoWe did have a couple of comments onthe blog saying lsquoThis is frivolousrsquo butothers responded by saying lsquoLighten upThis makes a nice change from all theboring official informationrsquordquo
Another problem was a potentiallyoffensive remark which had to be removedprompting the composition of an officialblogging policy to define the roles andresponsibilities of authors and commenters
Optimistic about the new toolFollowing on from the success of thisfirst blog the communication team hassince launched a variety of blogs some ofwhich have been successful others lessso Ironically a blog set up to discuss aworldwide conference on communicationgot minimal response Staff participationin external blogs has also been low ButEgan remains optimistic about thepotential of this tool
ldquoThere are millions of blogs out thereand lots of participation in them But ina business setting it takes a bit moretime before a community of practicedevelops and people believe that this is atrusted space where they can commentwithout being ridiculed or scornedrdquo
Advice to corporate bloggersTo build confidence in the tool Egan hasplans to launch an internal marketingcampaign and the organizationrsquos newintranet site will provide a forum forfuture blogging developments
Eganrsquos primary advice to fellowcorporate bloggers is to keep the contentgenuine ldquoIt becomes very obvious veryquickly who is doing the writingrdquo Shealso suggests keeping blogs topic or event-specific and avoiding general musings
Her final reminder is that blogsshouldnrsquot replace traditional tools butcompliment them ldquoBlogs can be fabulousbut you need to put them in context withthe other tools that are available Be veryclear about their purposerdquo
USING BLOGS TO INVOLVE ATWORLD BANK
Michele Egan is a senior communications officer in the World Bank Grouprsquos internalcommunications unit Among other tasks she leads the development and delivery ofthe grouprsquos electronic communication tools
Experimenting with blogsat the World Bank has
shed light on what worksand what doesnrsquot
In 2006 the World Bank set up a blog to spark interest and involvement in amajor organizationwide planning event The positive response has inspired a moreadventurous and experimental approach to blogging Based on recent experiencessenior communications officer Michele Egan reflects on the potential benefits andpitfalls of using this tool
MICHELLE EGAN
by Sona Hathi
INTRANETS EMBRACESOCIAL MEDIA
Neilson Normanrsquos latest report on thetop 10 intranet designs of 2007 shows anincrease in the use of multimedia andsocial media on intranet sites
Although multimedia was a significantfeature in last yearrsquos list this year seesphotos video news feeds and webcamsput to more innovative use Indicatingthat social media has not been a passingfad of 2006 many of the intranets haveimplemented popular Web 20 featureslike blogs (with specific business angles)and business-relevant wikis
Video is being used for training andcorporate communication butorganizations such as American ElectricPower have pushed the use of thischannel by setting up a TV studio forintranet productions offering employeesstreaming video and live webcasts
News feeds have long been used onintranets but this year the bestselections offer more relevant internaland external news and involveemployees by allowing them to ratestories and comment
Translation comes out topsMany of the reportrsquos winning intranetsoffer language translation for theirinternational employees Dow Chemicalfor example uses English for most globalcontent but translates important contentinto Dutch German French ItalianPortuguese and Spanish Selectedcontent is also translated into ChineseGreek Japanese and Thai
A total of 49 different technologyproducts are used by the reportrsquos topintranets with Windows Server GoogleSearch Appliance and SharePoint beingamong the most popular SH
httpwwwnngroupcom
9scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TEC
HN
OLO
GY
scmUPDATECALCULATING THEROI ON BLOGGING
The difficulty of placing a precisemonetary value on corporate blogging isone of the setbacks of this tool But anew report from Forrester calledCalculating the ROI of blogging offersways to identify the benefits costs andrisks that corporate blogging involvesusing a three-stage process 1 Quantify and assign value to the key
benefits of blogging 2 Estimate the costs of blogging3 Incorporate risk calculations into the
ROI model
The report describes how to measure theimpact blogging has on the businessoutcomes using ldquometrics that everyone isfamiliar withrdquo For example themonetary value of press mentions can bemeasured by counting the number ofblog-driven stories by online press webmedia and high-profile bloggers andthen calculating the cost of advertising inthe same publications
General Motorsrsquo case studyThe report also features a case study onGeneral Motorsrsquo two-year-old blogFastLane to which the authors applytheir ROI process Rather thanpresenting the company with a finalnumerical figure theyrsquove come up withnew objectives advising them how to getthe maximum benefits from blogging andimprove its impact on business outcomes
Whether yoursquove already startedblogging or are about to take the plungethis report provides direction on how toevaluate how your blog and decide whichdirection it needs to go in to gainmaximum business value SH
httpwwwforrestercom
SENIOR EXECS BIG ONNEW MEDIA
A survey of 100 CEOs and CMOs fromFortune 2000 companies found that 76percent of senior executives areexperimenting with alternative mediasuch as blogs Second Life and socialnetworking
The study by Weber Shandwick andKRC Research found that 69 percent ofthose surveyed currently use socialnetworking while 37 percent plan to useit more over the next five years
Ninety-one percent of those surveyedcurrently make use of their companywebsite and 66 percent plan to use theirwebsite more over the next five yearsmaking it number one in the surveyrsquos listof media tools
Use of virtual worlds to growAvatar-based marketing (marketingthrough virtual worlds such as SecondLife) came last in the list of 20 mediatools senior executives plan to use overthe next five years However researchersbelieve that the use of virtual worlds incommunication and marketing willincrease as more companies learn how touse them more effectively
Billee Howard managing director ofthe Global Strategic Media Group atWeber Shandwick said ldquoWersquore in theearly days of a totally new media eraThose companies that do not combinethe new-media paradigm with the best oftraditional media will most certainlyproceed at their perilrdquo SH
Source The Changing Face of Marketingand Communications in Todayrsquos CreativityEconomy
httpwwwwebershandwickcom
TECHNOLOGY UPDATE
When talking about return on investment(ROI) for the intranet and other ldquosoftrdquobenefits these are the kinds of results oroutcomes usually referred to
Measurable ROI from hard benefitsinclude bull less paperbull less hardwarebull less headcount andbull increased sales
Soft benefits includebull increased employee productivitybull better customer satisfactionbull faster time to market andbull improved employee retention
IBM Oracle and Cisco all measure theimpact and benefits of their intranet Allof them have measured the value to begreater than US$1 billion In fact IBMhas realized benefits from e-learning viathe intranet alone to be more thanUS$284 million
BT the UK telecommunicationscompany uses an online idea jar foremployees called ldquoPersonnel TodayrdquoEmployee ideas have saved BT nearlyUKpound100 million over the past four years
Sodexhorsquos SuperSleuthOne of my personal favorites is theSodexho USA Sales SuperSleuthSuperSleuth is an intranet web page andapplication that encourages employees tosubmit sales leads and prospective clientsvia the intranet
The SuperSleuth intranet pagegenerates cash rewards of up toUS$1000 for the person making thesubmission Sodexho says it hascontributed to a 100-percent increase insales leads In fact the SuperSleuth toolhas led to US$90 million in managedvolume (net client sales including salesby client) This is proof positive of akiller application
Impressive numbers As impressive as those numbers are youdonrsquot have to be a large technologycompany to realize measured ROIbenefits ndash ROI isnrsquot reserved solely forbig multinationals
QAS is a world leader in address
management and data accuracy Basedon data secured from national postalauthorities and other leading sourcesQAS captures cleans and enhances theintegrity of name and address data QAShas 400 employees with offices in the UK(headquarters) US Canada SingaporeAustralia and across Europe
While awards are nice to receive theQAS intranet has received more thanjust kudos ndash itrsquos delivering measuredresults and value for the business Someof the measured ROI benefits include bull Online expenses saved four person-
days per monthbull Finance savings online workflow has
reduced administrative processingtime from two weeks to one day
bull Purchase ordering saved four person-days per month and an ROI savingsof US$20000 per year
bull Sales proposal builder streamlinedproposal and sales process savesalmost US$25000 per year
bull Intranet use 115-percent increase inusage of the intranet (infers a yet tobe measured productivity gain)
Of all the measurements perhaps thesingle most important is ROI Tomaximize the intranetrsquos value andpotential you must secure the support ofsenior management If you want theirattention and support you better talktheir talk Nothing gets their attentionmore than ROI
Sell the sizzleIf executives view the intranet as a costcenter then itrsquos your responsibility to sellthe sizzle and prove the value with harddata ROI is everything in someorganizations (for example in financialservices) Other more progressivecompanies are intent to know and trackemployee satisfaction and productivity
Still others want to know both It alldepends on your organization andculture However only throughmeasurement will the intranet become ameasured quantity and a proven asset
Source Transforming your intranetwwwmelcrumcom
DOES YOUR INTRANETPAY ITS WAY
Toby Ward is a broadcast journalist turned consultant He founded and launchedPrescient Digital Media (wwwPrescientDigitalcom) in early 2001 His specialismsare site evaluation and strategic planning He blogs at wwwIntranetBlogcom
Hard data demonstratingvalue generated by the
intranet will alter itsperception as a cost center
In Melcrumrsquos report on Transforming your intranet Toby Ward of Prescient DigitalMedia authors a chapter on how to measure the value and success of your intranetHere we share his thoughts on that frequently elusive indicator of success ndash returnon investment
TOBY WARD
10 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
RESE
AR
CH
amp M
EA
SUR
EM
EN
T
scm
ldquoTO MAXIMIZE THEINTRANETrsquoS POTENTIALYOU MUST SECURE THESUPPORT OF SENIORMANAGEMENTrdquo
There are three situations that are mostlikely to create plummeting surveyresponse rates1 When a group never hears the
findings of past surveys or anyresulting changes they begin to thinktheir opinions donrsquot matter If theirpast opinions were valued so lightlythey feel less urgency to sharefurther opinions
2 When the group being researched isrelatively small researchers typicallyneed to poll the entire group on eachsurvey rather than querying arandom sample For example if youhave 1000 employees you wouldneed to obtain 259 responses to haveresults accurate within a margin oferror of 5 percentage points If thecompany is typically receiving a 25-percent response rate on surveysthat means that all 1000 employeesneed to be invited to participate inthe survey to get about the minimumnecessary number of responses for asufficient level of accuracyUnfortunately even for largergroups researchers sometimessurvey the whole group on everysurvey instead of identifying the rightsize random sample
3 When surveys are badly designedrespondents quit them midwaythrough The respondentrsquos feeling isldquoIf the company canrsquot be bothered todesign a good survey Irsquom not going
to waste my time taking itrdquo Somemajor survey design flaws includequestions that are difficult tounderstand questions withinsufficient or inappropriateresponse options or questions thatseem to have little relevance for therespondent Other major designturn-offs are surveys that are toolong or that are composed mostly ofopen-ended essay questions both ofwhich take too much time to answerFinally asking too manydemographic questions especially atthe beginning of a surveycompromises respondentsrsquo sense ofanonymity and kills their desire toanswer even the first real question
The following steps will help overcomethese three problems
Coordinate surveysTo avoid asking the same people torespond to too many surveys within ashort time coordinate all employee orcustomer surveys through a clearinghouse so that the timing of surveys doesnrsquotoverlap and you donrsquot ask questions forwhich answers are already available
Send the survey to only a sample ofthe audience (although yoursquoll need astatisticianrsquos help in selecting a sample ofthe right size) If you know severalsurveys will be administered about thesame time pick mutually exclusiverandom samples at the same time so thatno one person receives more than onesurvey during that period
Use short surveysThe shorter the survey the more likelypeople are to give you their time If youhave 100 questions that must beanswered break them into threeseparate surveys of about 33 questionsand administer them to three mirror-image random samples Yoursquoll besurveying more people but eachparticipantrsquos time commitment will berelatively minor
Also consider doing very short ldquostealthsurveysrdquo by phone for which you donrsquotobtain advance permission People mightnot even know theyrsquove been surveyed Asyou (and a team of volunteers) have theseconversations with respondents you wouldrecord their answers on a questionnaire
Connect research to resultsSome companies have a long history ofnot communicating results or outcomesof previous surveys If thatrsquos true of yourorganization try these two techniquesbull On a regular basis when announcing
changes the company is makingconnect the changes with relatedsurvey results ndash even if a changewasnrsquot made solely because of theresearch Your audience will get themessage that stakeholder opinionsare a regular factor in the waymanagement makes decisions
bull In the invitation to a new surveybegin with key findings and changesthat were made based on a similarpast survey and ask respondents tolet you know through the new surveyif the company is still on track Thisway your potential respondents hearthat completing surveys does resultin changes ndash at the very momenttheyrsquore determining if your latestsurvey is worth their time
FINDING A CURE FORSURVEY FATIGUE
Angela Sinickas ABC is president of Sinickas Communications Inc an internationalcommunication consultancy specializing in helping corporations achieve businessresults through targeted diagnostics and practical solutions For more informationvisit wwwsinicomcom
A downward trend in survey response rates is often blamed on the fact that peoplesimply become tired of taking surveys But there are ways to avoid the malaisesetting in says Angela Sinickas a key one being making sure that people feel theiropinions are actually being listened to Here she shares three common causes ofsurvey fatigue and how to deal with them
11scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
RESE
AR
CH
amp M
EA
SUR
EM
EN
Tscm
ANGELA SINICKAS
Little feedback the wrongsample size and poorly
designed surveys all leadto low response rates
12 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Organizations today ndash driven byincreased competition merger-and-acquisition activity and large complextransformation programs ndash arecharacterized by the need for constantand rapid change In our experienceconsistent leadership communicationsare at the center of helping theirorganizations address these challenges
With all the complex transformationprograms we work on we encourage the
leadership team to create a simple one-page ldquomessage maprdquo to use over a definedtimeframe The message map which welink to key program milestones andsuccesses helps the leadership team toplan what theyrsquoll share with employeesand other stakeholders and when
Message maps can address commonfailures of leadership communicationDuring global cross-functional programswhen all leaders consistently reinforce
the same messages they emerge as ajoined-up forward-thinking team
Message maps are also effective whenbuilding up communication to employeesover time rather than overwhelmingstaff with changes or diminishingleadership credibility by waiting too longto communicate
Compiling a message mapThe process wersquove used in the past to helpleaders develop a message map is quitestraight forward This is what we dobull We encourage leaders to work
together to agree and articulate thestory Agreeing the story typicallyrequires experienced facilitationThis encourages leaders to definehow the story will build and thengain momentum and commitmentover time
bull The story is then converted into asimple message map The mapshould make sense to all change-program leaders as this tool willguide the majority of theircommunication to employees Itshould also provide a clear view ofwhatrsquos coming next Message mapsare often shown as straightforwardtimelines but there are othereffective ways to present them (seeFigure One below)
bull Once the change story has beenagreed and committed to paperleaders use the map to know whencommunications should be deliveredand what supporting documentationto use for a consistent cascade
Revisiting communication plansOf course the content of the message mapwill need to be revisited Message mapsas with all communications evolve overtime They should be frequently reviewedto ensure that the messages ndash and time-scales ndash remain relevant to the programand align with program milestones
USING MESSAGE MAPSTO GUIDE CHANGE
Sally Harris is director of theCommunications and Engagementpractice at Molten where shespecializes in managing large-scale communication and changeprograms for global clients
Facilitate a meeting withthe leadership team to
agree and articulate thechange story
Sally Harris director of the Communications and Engagement practice at Moltenbelieves itrsquos often the simplest tools that are most effective in encouraging leadersto think more strategically about their communications Here she explains why theldquomessage maprdquo is one such tool
SALLY HARRIS
LEA
DER
SHIP
CO
MM
UN
ICATIO
N
scm
Figure One Example of a global message map
13scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
brand image and set an example for thewhole company
At The Company Agency we find thatmany CEOs are looking for strategiccommunication support coaching andguidance that goes beyond what theyreceive from their rostered PR agencyThey operate in a world thatrsquos typicallyquite lonely where information isfrequently filtered theyrsquore under aconstant spotlight and a gap existsbetween them their people and theircustomers Internal communication canplay a key role in helping the CEObridge this gap
A simple checklist Every CEO is different and facesdifferent challenges but herersquos a simplechecklist if you find yourself workingwith a new CEO or in a new role with anestablished CEObull Ask your CEO what kind of person
they would like to be viewed as byemployees ndash coach them oncommunication behavior that canhelp them achieve this goal
bull Establish very quickly what theCEOrsquos key message is ndash askquestions until it is crystal clear
bull Know your business and brief yourCEO on what type of communicationis effective or not within yourorganization
bull Provide informed guidance onemerging communication trends ndashsuch as social media ndash and explainthe business impact
bull Understand how the CEO listens towhat people are saying
bull Determine the CEOscommunication preferences ndash howdoes he or she like to receive andshare information both inside andoutside work
You should expect to be the leaderrsquoscommunicator ndash developing messagesand ensuring theyrsquore conveyed in themost appropriate way But the balanceshould be tipping more towards beingthe communication leader ndash a role whereyoursquore providing strategic counsel to theCEO and coaching them so theyrsquore moreeffective in their new role and environment
In May last year the managementconsultants Booze Allen Hamiltonpublished their annual report on chiefexecutive attrition The Crest of theTurnover Wave After studying the move-ments of CEOs from the largest 2500companies in the world they uncoveredsome rather startling facts An incredible1 in 7 CEOs will change job over thenext 12 months with poor-performingCEOs staying in office for two years Bycomparison the high-performing CEOstays in the job for just under eight years
Given that their tenure may be brief thisresearch only reinforces that the first 100days for the chief executive is a critical time
Creating myths and legendsOver the past 20 years Irsquove had the goodfortune to work for some great brandsand leaders Experience tells me thatduring their first 100 days the reputationthey bring from their previous job willeither be validated or contradictedEverything they say and do will bescrutinised Perceptions will be quicklyformed about their style and personalityMyths and legends will become thehottest gossip in the workplace
With this in mind itrsquos critical toquickly establish their reputation andwhat they stand for Internalcommunication can play a valuable rolein supporting the CEO and in turnestablish a long-term relationship withtheir new leader
Uncovering perceptionsDeveloping a personalized communica-tion strategy must start by finding outhow the new leader is perceived While aquantitative survey may satisfy those witha hunger for numbers qualitativeresearch will uncover how people reallyview the CEO as an individual and leader
With these insights itrsquos possible todevelop a plan to shape the existingreputation into one they would like tohave in the new organization This meansidentifying what they stand for andhelping them articulate how this supportsand builds the brand of the organization
Charismatic leadersIf you think about charismatic leaderssuch as Stuart Rose of Marks amp SpencerRichard Branson of Virgin or PhilKnight of Nike organizational culture isheavily influenced by the personality ofits chief executive
The behavior that resides within theorganization is typically a reflection ofthe CEOrsquos behavior and becomesassociated with the brand So itrsquosimportant to define what the new CEOwants the corporate brand to stand forand what they can do to achieve that
LEADERS IN TRANSITIONTHE FIRST 100 DAYSIn a recent Melcrum survey 44 percent of respondents said they plan to spend more ormuch more on communication training for leaders and managers With the topic firmlyon the agenda for the forseeable future this issue sees the launch of a new regularcolumn by leadership communication expert Darren Briggs He kicks off with adviceon making the most of the CEOrsquos first 100 days ndash a critical time for any new leader
LEA
DER
SHIP
CO
MM
UN
ICATIO
Nscm
DARREN BRIGGS
The first of a new regularcolumn on leadership
urges communicators tosupport new leaders
Darren Briggs is partner at The Company Agency where he advises and coachessenior leaders to be more effective communicators He has 20 years corporateexperience working at chief executive and board level with companies such as BritishAirways Microsoft Nike PepsiCo and Vodafone
The title of advertising guru PaulArdenrsquos book Itrsquos not how good you areitrsquos how good you want to be captures theessence of ambition And our recent surveysuggests that this is a message internalcommunicators should take to heart
As part of our research1 to define a listof core skills and competencies forprofessional communicators we askedpractitioners from around the worldabout their future career goals and howthey plan to achieve them Surprisinglyfor a profession that stresses the need forstrategies and plans most internalcommunicators appear to have a fairly adhoc approach to their own development
Results from the surveyAbout 70 percent of our sample said theyexpected to stay in internal communicationover the next three years Thirty-twopercent saw themselves gaining moreexperience within their existing jobswhile 37 percent aim to move into adifferent internal communication role
When we asked respondents what theywere doing to help develop their careersgaining wider experience being better
networked and finding a coach came topof their lists
Be honest with yourselfNow these seem like fairly informalactivities You might think they take lessorganizing than say investing the timeand budget to do a course or study for aformal qualification But if yoursquore beinghonest you know that getting the go-aheadto work on more challenging projectsfinding the right coach and building aprofessional network takes time andplanning These things donrsquot just happenovernight ndash unless yoursquore very lucky
Yet less than a quarter of internalcommunicators have a formal plan to helpstructure their thoughts about careerprogression and make sure their develop-ment objectives are met Twenty-onepercent say they have no plan whatsoeverand about half the respondents wecontacted say they have a plan but itrsquosnot formalized or agreed
Make the timeMaking time to discuss your career goalswith your manager and getting apersonal development plan down onpaper will pay dividends After all who
decides whether you get to work on themore interesting projects or not Andwhen yoursquore being dragged under byyour workload wouldnrsquot it be helpful tohave some targets to remind you to makethe time to network or read that articlesitting in your reading folder
If wersquove convinced you to think aboutyour own professional development hereare three important steps to get started
1 Be clear about where yoursquore startingfrom Think about what yoursquoveachieved so far in your career Whatskills do you have what are yourstrengths and which areas needfurther development
2 Look ahead to where you want to beWhat timeframe do you have inmind for your professional develop-ment What can you focus on rightaway and what are your longer-termcareer goals Be as specific as youcan about what you want to achieveand consider the followingbull Are there areas where yoursquod like
to be a ldquostar performerrdquo in yourcurrent role
bull How can you expand your networkor reach in the wider industry
bull How can you broaden your depthof skills or experience outsideyour current remit
bull How do you plan to move onwardsand upwards to a new role
3 Think about how yoursquoll close the gapWhat knowledge skills andexperience do you need What typeof development activity will help youget to where you want to be
If you know in your heart of hearts thatyou donrsquot invest enough time and effortin your own development make the timeto start doing this now
In our next column we plan to look atthe range of development optionsavailable and hear some reflections fromindustry leaders on what helped themreally accelerate their own learning andprofessional development
1 Turn to page 16 for a more detailed analysis of the study
GET YOUR DEVELOPMENT PLANON TRACK
Sue Dewhurst and Liam FitzPatrick run Competent Communicators acompany specializing in professional development for internalcommunicators and Melcrumrsquos official training and developmentpartner For more information go to wwwcompetentcommunicatorscom
A study into skills and competenciesfor communicators
reveals a lack ofclear career planning
The path to a senior role in internal communication is paved with good intentionsOr so suggests a recent study by development experts Sue Dewhurst and LiamFitzPatrick Here in the first of a new regular column on professional developmentthey review the studyrsquos findings lament the lack of a career plan and urge internalcommunicators to take action and plan their own development
SUE DEWHURST AND LIAM FITZPATRICK
14 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PR
OFE
SSION
AL D
EV
ELO
PM
EN
T
scm
ldquoTHESE THINGS DONrsquoTJUST HAPPENOVERNIGHT ndash UNLESSYOUrsquoRE VERY LUCKYrdquo
15scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PR
OFE
SSION
AL D
EV
ELO
PM
EN
Tscm
3 Cut the jargonJargon may have its place but it has noplace in employee communicationPhrases such as work-life balanceemployer of choice critical mass and thelike may make sense in behind-the-scenes discussions However when itrsquostime to communicate to the masses weneed to translate these concepts intoPlain English and provide a context tohelp employees understand Yes it takessome work but the payoff makes itworth the effort
Say the head of HR wants to share thelatest developments in ldquowork-life balancerdquothat will benefit employees He may betempted to relay the news using theterminology hersquos used to using with hisstaff However most employees havenrsquotbeen in on those discussions so theconcept may be foreign or fuzzy to themndash even if theyrsquod heard the term before
Any progress HR makes on the work-life balance front gives it the opportunityto communicate in a personal humanway and in the process capture employeesrsquoattention on an emotional level
The HR leaderrsquos message thereforemay go something like this Our liveshave never been busier and there are onlyso many hours in a day Because we atXYZ Company recognize how important itis to you to be able to spend real time withyour families while managing theresponsibilities you have on the job wersquovedesigned a program that we hope willmake your life less hectic
Most employees will relate to thatmessage It plays to their needs which isa powerful hook
Guarding against gremlinsKeeping an eye out for the jargonpassive voice and other gremlins thatmay infiltrate your writing is a goodtraining ground for being able toobjectively critique your own work Italso conditions you to look for otherways to improve your writing a habitthat will serve you well throughout yourlifelong apprenticeship
No onersquos work is as continually visible inan organization as the communicatorrsquosOur superiors our peers and the entireemployee population see us as theparagons of communications competenceThey look to the messages wersquove craftedas models of writing excellence and willpattern their own accordingly
When you think of it itrsquos one heck of aburden to bear After all how else didyou get the job if you couldnrsquot write well
But regardless of how well you dowrite how senior you are or how longyoursquove had that coveted ldquoseat at thetablerdquo when it comes to writing yoursquollalways have room to grow Thatrsquos becausewriting is as one learned professor sowisely termed it a ldquolifelong apprenticeshiprdquo
Here are three ways to improve yourwriting immediately
1 Avoid the passive voiceThe passive voice manages to creep intomessages to employees and itrsquos a sureroad to eroding their engagement It allowsthe writer to hide behind the message itclouds direction and itrsquos boring
Herersquos an example of really woefulwriting ndash a sentence structure that yoursquoresure to recognize Employees areencouraged to submit this form by the endof the month
Analyze that sentence and yoursquoll seethat not only is there no owner to thestatement but therersquos no clear directionEmployees are encouraged by whom
and what does ldquoencouragedrdquo meananyway Are employees required tosubmit the form If so then say so
The sad truth is this passive style ofwriting is all too common the happytruth is that we communicators are in aposition to do something about it Oftenall it takes is a quick rewrite Pleasesubmit this form by [insert specific date]Clear direct concise
2 Use second person Why talk at people when you can talk tothem When yoursquore communicating withemployees the use of ldquoyourdquo can befriendly and inviting
Take this message XYZ Companyemployees at customer locations shouldalways first check with their hosts to ensurethat connecting to the XYZ network ispermitted
Look what happens when itrsquos rewrittenfrom third person into second If yoursquoreworking at a customer site be sure to firstcheck with your host that itrsquos OK toconnect to our network
Yoursquove gone from impersonal toconversational
DO YOUR WRITING SKILLSLET YOU DOWNA recent discussion on the Melcrum blog raised the question of whether or not goodwriting skills are still important to the more strategically focused communicator Theconsensus was a definite yes ndash your writing ability makes an impression and itrsquos upto you whether thatrsquos good or bad Denise Baron provides some advice on how tomake sure itrsquos the former
DENISE BARON
However strategicyour role the ability
to write well remainsan important skill
Denise Baron is president of Baron Communications a business communicationsconsultancy providing strategic planning and marketing internal communicationproject management and editorial services to Fortune 500 companies
16 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Over the past five years wersquove found ourselvesbecoming more and more involved in conversationsabout careers in internal communication As theprofession matures expectations of itspractitioners are rising and for many people ajob in communication is no longer just a short-term stepping-stone en route to better things
But the question we hear time and time again isldquoWhat does lsquogoodrsquo look like when it comes to
internal communicationrdquo What skills knowledgeand experience should an effective internalcommunicator have at various stages in theircareer How do I know what I should bepersonally aspiring to and measuring myselfagainst How can I best develop my team Whereis the definitive framework to help me recruit thebest person for the job
In recent years there have been a number ofgood attempts to answer these questions In theUK a group of professional bodies got togetherto write the Inter-Comm matrix1 It listed theskills knowledge and experience a practitionermight need according to their level of experience
We were both involved in developing this skillsmatrix which was widely welcomed when it waslaunched in 2003 Some well-respectedconsultancies have also developed models to showhow a typical career path might progress whichhave helped structure career planning forindividuals and teams
A flexible model for a diverse professionDespite the success of the Inter-Comm matrix wefelt there was more to be done in the area ofprofessional development for internal communica-tors Fundamentally existing models tend to showa one-dimensional and predictable career pathstarting as a junior deliverer and developing into astrategic business-focused consultant
The implication is that if yoursquore deliveringcommunication or are tactically focused you musthave a junior role and if you have a more seniorrole you donrsquot get your hands dirty doingmundane things like writing or managing the
Building a learningframework for internalcommunicators
Planning your teamrsquos professional developmentmeans understanding the skills and experienceneeded to be successful Sue Dewhurst and Liam
FitzPatrick of Competent Communicators have beenresearching how internal communicators spend their timeat work and what behaviors the most effectivepractitioners display Here they describe a new learningframework that has emerged from the study
Identifying the typical roles andskills required for your team
BY SUE DEWHURST AND LIAM FITZPATRICK
scm FEATURES
ABOUT THE RESEARCHThe findings discussed in this article are based on research conducted at theend of 2006 More than 700 in-house practitioners replied to a survey aboutcareers competencies and development plans
A factor analysis of the data conducted by Ash Pattni Associates generated anumber of role types which were then discussed with 30 professionals atdifferent stages of their careers based in the UK Europe and North AmericaThese discussions mainly took the form of interviews and focus groups
The study also referred to data on competency modeling prepared by theUKrsquos Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
1 2 3 4 5
17scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
intranet or organizing eventsBut clearly the world of internal communication
isnrsquot quite that straightforward People join theprofession via all kinds of routes and at differentstages of their careers
We interviewed someone who started out as thedirectorrsquos PA a successful senior executive whostarted out as an engineer a former psychologylecturer and others who had joined through moreobvious routes in publishing and PR
Some had started out in junior roles Forothers their first role in internal communicationwas as a business partner Others had alreadyreached a senior position in another function andsimply moved across at the same level
A key objective of this study was to develop amodel that reflected the diverse reality of life ininternal communication one that was flexibleenough to be adapted to fit organizations andcommunication teams of all shapes and sizes
So we began our research by surveying communica-tors worldwide to find out how they actuallyspend their time on a daily basis and what skillsknowledge and experience they regularly use
The six types of practitionerStatistical analysis of the survey data suggestedthere were six stereotypical role types withininternal communication By ldquotypesrdquo we meansegments or groups of people who share verysimilar characteristics in terms of their skills andstrengths spend their time carrying out similartypes of activities and whose outputs tend to bejudged in similar ways
Most importantly these types can be plottedagainst two dimensions based on how they spendtheir time (advising or doing) and where theirfocus is (strategy or tactics) Figure One (right)illustrates these six types and how they plotagainst the two dimensions
Clearly every organization is slightly differentbut the six stereotypes described below shouldprovide a starting point for thinking about theroles and types of people you need in your team
1 The Leader Internal communication leaders manage teamsand lead the function either for an entire organiza-tion or for a large division or territory Theyspend much of their time managing and coachingteam members and working with senior managersThey see themselves as business people first andcommunicators second However itrsquos taken as readthat they have sound technical ability and will rollup their sleeves when needed Great internal andexternal networkers theyrsquore skilled at dealing withuncertainty and conflict Theyrsquore likely to bemeasured on business results and through thesubjective opinion of their senior customers
2 The Advisor Advisors support departments or major projectsby providing advice developing communicationplans and providing hands-on support to deliverthem Local managers trust them for their insightsinto business problems and understanding of howtheir organization really works Through well-developed networks and time spent understandingtheir audiences and carrying out research andfeedback they know whatrsquos really going onTheyrsquore judged on the quality of their advice andtheir ability to translate that advice into plansactivities and actions
3 The ManagerThe internal communication manager has excellentcraft skills and a sound knowledge of channelsThey spend most of their time on delivery Whenthey advise itrsquos normally about the best channelsto use or the most appropriate timing Goodmanagers arenrsquot easily intimidated and are greatat juggling different priorities Theyrsquore skilled attranslating between the boardroom and the shopfloor Their contribution is often measured bytheir ability to deliver activity against a plan andthe quality of work they and their team produce
4 The DelivererMost teams have someone in this role ndash a safepair of hands who can be trusted to make thingshappen That might range from compilingdistribution lists through to running a conferencesorting out the CEOrsquos open forum or writing andediting a newsletter Theyrsquore less likely tosupervise other communicators and depend ontheir organizational and craft skills to get the jobdone People value them for their ability to dothings on time and to a high standard 3
Sue Dewhurst and LiamFitzPatrick run CompetentCommunicators a firmspecializing in professionaldevelopment for internalcommunicators TheyrsquoreMelcrumrsquos official training anddevelopment advisors anddeliver Melcrumrsquos Black Belttraining program Theyrsquore alsothe authors of a forthcomingreport on competenciesdevelopment and standardsfor internal communicatorsand blog about developmentissues onwwwBlackBeltDojocouk
Figure One Six typical role types for internal communicators
TheLeader
TheLocal Agent
The Deliverer
TheAdvisor
TheManagerADVISE
STRATEGY
IMPLEMENT
TACTICS
TheSpecialist
KEY POINTSbull A new study has established how communicators spend their time and
what skills knowledge and experience they regularly use
bull The research identifies six stereotypical roles ranging from acommunication leader to a specialist (eg a web or events expert)
bull It also highlights 12 competencies that clarify the behaviors acompetent practitioner should display at each level An ldquoineffectiverdquocategory shows behaviors displayed by less able performers
bull The roles and competencies provide a framework for development
Building a learning framework for internal communicators
18 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
5 The Local AgentThis category covers a broad range of peoplefrom the plant managerrsquos personal assistant to aregional communication manager Internalcommunication is often one of severalresponsibilities for this person and they tend tohave a tactical focus Their agenda is normally setby the local management team although theirlocal knowledge and network makes them aninvaluable sounding board for the corporatecommunication team They tend to be judged onwhether activities happen and how satisfied theirlocal manager is with them
6 The SpecialistOur research found a small group of peopleworking in internal communication who see them-selves as subject-matter experts in a specialist areasuch as web management audio-visual productionor event management They have only a looseconnection to the mainstream profession andcould equally work in IT marketing or perhapsHR Because theyrsquore highly specialized they tendto work in large organizations
Building a competency frameworkOnce statistical analysis had suggested these sixrole types we began testing them out throughfocus groups and interviews with practitioners Inparticular we asked what skills knowledge andexperience people in each type of role neededwhat people saw outstanding practitioners doingwhat poor performance looked like and howpeople in the six role types spent their time
On the basis of this information we developeda series of 12 competencies (see Figure Two left)We found that each of the six role types could bedefined bybull Which of the competencies they need to carry
out their role (not everyone needs all 12)bull The level of skill knowledge and experience
they need in each competencybull How much of their time they spend using
each competency ndash a high medium or lowamount For instance there was commonagreement that the communication leadermust have strong craft skills (writing anddesign) but compared to say the delivererthey spend a relatively low percentage of theirtime working on this type of activity
Each of the 12 competencies has three levelsbasic intermediate and advanced Based on thedata we gathered we defined the behaviors youmight expect to see a competent internalcommunication professional display at each level
We also added an ldquoineffectiverdquo category listingthose behaviors our interviewees told us weredisplayed by less able performers For example
7
COMPETENCY DEFINITION
Building effectiverelationships
Developing and maintaining relationships that inspire trust and respectBuilding a network and influencing others to make things happen
Business focus Having a clear understanding of the business issues Usingcommunication to help solve organization issues and achieveorganizational problems
Consulting andcoaching
Recommending appropriate solutions Helping others make informeddecisions Building other peoplersquos communications competence
Cross-functionalawareness
Understanding the different contributions from other disciplines andworking with colleagues from across the organization to achieve betterresults
Developing othercommunicators
Helping other communicators build their communications competenceand develop their career
Innovation andcreativity
Looking for new ways of working exploring best practice and deliveringoriginal and imaginative approaches to communication problems
Listening Conducting research and managing mechanisms for gathering feedbackand employee reaction
Making it happen Turning plans into successfully implemented actions
Planning Planning communication programs and operations evaluating results
Specialist Having specific subject-matter expertise in a specialist area
Vision and standards Defining or applying a consistent approach to communication andmaintaining professional and ethical standards
Craft (writing anddesign)
Using and developing the right mix of practical communication abilitiesto hold the confidence of peers and colleagues (eg writing designmanagement etc)
Figure Two Twelve competencies for internal communicators
19scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
some ineffective behaviors attached to theldquobusiness focusrdquo competency arebull Doesnrsquot make the link between
communication activity and the business ororganizational context
bull Delivers communication activity withoutconsidering whether it will serve any usefulpurpose
bull Lacks understanding of their business area
Building a framework for a specific role The next step in this project was to develop asimple table to map out the competencyframework for an individual role showingbull The competencies needed in this rolebull The level of competency needed in each casebull How much time we expect someone in this
role to spend on these types of behaviors
You can either build a competency frameworkfrom scratch or if you think the role fits one ofthe six types we identified from the survey use thecompetency framework for this type as a startingpoint (see the framework for a communicationleader Figure Three right)
In practice competency frameworks will varyaccording to the size of the organization thenumber of people in the internal-communicationteam the expectations of managers and thespecific requirements of each individual rolewhich is why wersquove built a flexible model
For example a communication leader in alarge multinational organization may spend muchof their time setting the vision and standardscoaching and consulting building relationshipsand developing other communicators and arelatively small amount of their time ldquomaking ithappenrdquo or on writing and design Howeversomeone in a stand-alone communication leaderrole in a much smaller organization wouldprobably have to be much more of a ldquoJack of alltradesrdquo dividing their time evenly between thedifferent competencies
Next stepsMore information about the 12 competencies andthe baseline competency maps for each of the sixrole types will be detailed in a forthcomingMelcrum report Ideas on how you use thesecompetencies to plan your development areavailable to download atwwwcompetentcommunicatorscom
We hope the framework will help bringstructure to the process of defining roles planningdevelopment and specifying recruitment andwould welcome your feedbackscm
1 The Inter-Comm skills matrix is described in an article in SCMFebruaryMarch 2005 (Volume 9 Issue 2) called Developingcore competencies for internal communicators
Figure Three Framework for a communication leader
COMPETENCY LEVEL TIME
Building effective relationships Advanced High
Business focus Advanced High
Consulting and coaching Advanced High
Cross-functional awareness Advanced Medium
Developing other communicators Advanced High
Innovation and creativity Advanced Medium
Listening Advanced Low
Making it happen Advanced Low
Planning Advanced Medium
Specialist NA NA
Vision and standards Advanced High
Craft (writing and design) Advanced Low
CONTACT DETAILS
Sue DewhurstCompetent Communicatorssuedewhurstcompetentcommunicatorscom
Liam FitzPatrickCompetent Communicatorsliamfitzpatrickcompetentcommunicatorscom
ldquoOUR RESEARCH FOUND A SMALL GROUP OFPEOPLE WORKING IN INTERNALCOMMUNICATION WHO SEE THEMSELVES ASSUBJECT-MATTER EXPERTSrdquo
20 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC President and CEO John Ryan joined theorganization in 1997 For the first few years hefocused on financial viability and positioning thecorporation for the future ndash articulating a newvision redefining strategic objectives expandingproduct and service offerings and identifyingpotential growth areas
The business results were outstanding double-digit growth increasing profits and great customerloyalty But something was missing
Like many successful organizations FCCoperated with a silo mentality Organizationalpolitics consumed energy that Ryan felt detractedfrom employee satisfaction and he worried aboutthe impact on the customer experience
He wanted his direct reports to work togetheras a real team ndash not to behave like individualleaders of functional areas Although the groupperformed well when there was a real challengeafter the challenge was gone so was the teamwork
This is not unusual for top executive groupsbut Ryan wasnrsquot willing to accept that fate ldquoTherehad to be a way to have a team-based
organization where leaders had the autonomythey needed to perform while actively collaboratingto achieve a new level of unprecedented resultsrdquohe said ldquoFCC had a very hierarchical culture withfirmly drawn divisional boundaries so I knew Ihad a challenge ahead of merdquo
Cultural transformation from the topIn 2002 John hired Malandro Communicationbased in Phoenix Arizona to guide FCCrsquos seniorleadership through a unique cultural transformationthat would lead to the creation of a high-performance team Leaders committed to being100-percent accountable for their impact onpeople and business results They let go of thetraditional 50-50 model ldquoIrsquoll do my part if you doyoursrdquo ndash a model that breeds a culture of blameconspiracies and distrust
In a series of formal training initiatives leaderswere taught to speak from the heart listen toother perspectives be open and responsive tofeedback and encourage personal andprofessional growth
Opportunity for internal communicationBy 2003 we were well on our way FCC producedremarkable business results with strong numbersright across the board The portfolio grew fromnearly CAN$9 billion to over CAN$10 billionThen two things happened that created anopportunity for internal communication tobecome a driver of business results 1 In 2003 we earned 50th place on Canadarsquos
ldquo50 Best Employersrdquo list and a respectableemployee engagement score of 69 percent
Defining the role ofstrategic comms atFarm Credit Canada
Farm Credit Canada (FCC) is in the fourth year of acultural-transformation program At the start of itsjourney clear expectations were set defining the role
to be played by internal communication In this summaryof the companyrsquos plans and achievements Kellie Garrettand Claire Watson describe the goals strategies andtactics employed by the internal communication teamand the impressive results achieved to date
Setting the stage for a cultural transformation
BY KELLIE GARRETT AND CLAIRE WATSON
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Farm Credit Canada isCanadarsquos largest provider offinancing to the agricultureindustry It serves 45000customers and has 1300employees working from 100rural offices across CanadaFCC is ranked eighth amongCanadarsquos 50 best employers
21scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC is a high performer in all otheroperational areas and employee engagementis a strong predictor of sustained corporateperformance But the survey showed therewas work to be done to align perceptionsbetween the senior leadership team andemployees Detailed results showed the gaps(see Figure One below)
2 Ryan became more determined to create ahigh-performance team that could deliver anextraordinary customer experience andsustainable business results
Establishing expected behaviorAs a first step towards creating a critical mass ofleaders who visibly demonstrate the behaviorsrequired to transform FCCrsquos culture middlemanagement and key cross-functional teams weretrained in responsible teamwork practices andcommunication skills
Ryan then created a set of 10 cultural practicesthat explicitly outlined how he expectedemployees at all levels to behave (see side barnext page) The foundation of these practices isthe belief that the drive for business results mustbe balanced by the attendant impact on people Inother words how the work was accomplished wasevery bit as important as what was accomplishedThe cultural practices were rolled out to allemployees in 2003
With the expected behavior from leaders andemployees clearly articulated it was time forinternal communication to find opportunities tosupport and promote these behaviors
Challenge 1 Creating a strategic frameworkOur first objective was to create a broaderstrategic framework for internal communicationA review of best-practice companies revealed thatformal media represents about 10 percent of allinternal communication channels with internalsystems accounting for another 10 percent Theremaining 80 percent is influenced by theorganizational culture
Our task was to put a formal strategy in placethat would strengthen the 10 percent ofcommunication we did have control over ndash theinternal communication channels
Within FCC the dominant employeecommunication channels were immediatemanagers e-mail and the intranet (Myinet)Front-line managers delivered corporate messagesdirectly to employees and their efforts weresupported by all-staff e-mails
There was nothing wrong with this approachbut it didnrsquot go far enough in the delivery of clearconsistent messages about strategic direction orcorporate priorities Nor did it create a line ofsight between individuals and business outcomes
For example a lack of central coordination wasresulting in unclear mixed messages thatconfused the internal audience A proliferation ofemployee surveys were independently conductedby various business units and the corporate e-mail system was choked with high volumecontributing to information overload
The intranetrsquos navigational structure and searchcapability needed major improvement datedinformation needed to be archived and majordocuments needed to be redeveloped in a web-friendly format
Defining our strategy and objectivesAware of these drawbacks we defined ourstrategy as To adopt a more integrated approachto internal communication and make sure allmessages focus employees on the businesspriorities Our strategies included the followingbull Segment the employee audience and define
communication needs based on demographicspsychographics and geographic location
bull Create a consistent voice across all groupsbull Ensure internal communication is mandatory
for all major corporate initiatives and isintegrated across channels and with othercommunication activities
bull Deliver targeted information through a varietyof channels and vehicles to reinforce messaginghelp with recall appeal to differentpreferences and create and sustain interest
bull Redevelop the intranet and position it as aninformation source for corporate businessemployee industry and technical information
bull Reduce the volume of corporate e-mailbull Implement a monthly employee survey to
replace the proliferation of one-off surveysindependently launched by business units
bull Create broad awareness and understanding ofkey corporate drivers such as business strategycorporate values and brand positioning 3
Kellie Garrett ABC MALeadership is senior VPStrategy Knowledge ampReputation at Farm CreditCanada and Chair of the IABCResearch Foundation Garrettis a frequent speaker onbusiness strategy leadershipand personal brand
Claire Watson ABC APR isthe master communicationstrategist for Farm CreditCanada Watson has won anumber of international andnational awards for her workis a published author and acertified change managementspecialist
MEASUREMENT EMPLOYEES SENIORMANAGERS
GAP
Senior management is open and honest incommunication
59 94 -35
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible
54 88 -34
Managers effectively support andimplement our people practices
48 81 -33
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 94 -23
Figure One Engagement survey results
22 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Defining the role of strategic comms at Farm Credit Canada
Successful tactics introducedSome of the tactics wersquove successfully introducedto bring this strategy to life include the following
1 Tracking key messagesWe created an employee key-message matrix thatis shared with leaders across the organization andhelps to ensure we deliver a consistent messageWe deliver the rewritten message through avariety of channels including e-mail letter featurearticle in the internal publication online throughour Monday Morning Update or directly to staffmeetings through managers and supervisors
2 Adopting a multi-channel approachWersquove expanded our channels beyond e-mail andthe intranet New channels now includebull AgriCulture ndash an employee print newsletter
published three times a year to communicatecorporate information and reinforce FCCrsquossocial and cultural fabric
bull An online feature called ldquoFrom the Desk ofthe CEOrdquo to keep employees in the loop
bull All staff e-mails from the CEO and VPsbull Discussion guides and QampAs for leadersbull Internal presentations and speeches delivered
by the senior leadership teambull Other printed material such as pocket cards
and brochures accompanied by a letter
3 Cutting down on information overloadSteps wersquove taken includebull Bundling all-staff messages into a Monday
Morning Update and bundling messages forcorporate headquarters staff into a CorporateOffice Update
bull Implementing a corporate e-mail policy withdefined subject-line conventions length andapproved topics
bull Restricting the use of all-staff e-mails to thesenior management team and certain keyindividuals
bull Improving the functionality of the intranetand redeveloping key business tools forefficient web use
bull Centralizing coordination of internal surveysbull Elevating the quality and clarity of internal
speeches and conferences to focus onstrategic business drivers
Challenge 2 Supporting leadershipThe results of our 2003 engagement survey alsorevealed an opportunity to increase trust betweenemployees and FCCrsquos senior management teamRyan and his VP responsible for communication(Kellie Garrett) believed that creating greatervisibility and better access to the senior managerswas vital to the establishment of a values-basedculture and a high-performance team
7
MEASUREMENT 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Senior management is open and honestin communication
59 73 81 83 91
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible to employees
54 71 82 83 81
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 81 87 87 85
I see strong evidence of effectiveleadership from the senior leadershipteam
69 83 87 88 93
I have a good understanding ofbusiness goals and objectives
76 77 81 81 88
Senior leadership has clearlycommunicated what we need to do tobe successful
NA NA 89 90 93
Figure Two Survey scores tracked from 2003-2007
FCCrsquoS 10 CULTURAL PRACTICESWe hold ourselves and each other accountable for
1 Our impact on business results and our impact on people
2 Delivering on commitments agreements and promises
3 Building and sustaining committed partnerships
4 Creating a safe environment where people can speak up without fear
5 We measure our success by how others perceive and respond to ourleadership not by our personal point of view
6 We talk straight in a responsible manner We are committed to the successof others ndash we do not engage in ldquoconspiracies againstrdquo people
7 We ldquolisten forrdquo contributions and commitment We do not listen againstpeople or ideas
8 We are highly coachable We actively seek and listen to coaching
9 We clean up and recover quickly
10 We acknowledge others often and celebrate both small and largesuccesses
ldquoLIKE DEVELOPING A COMPANYrsquoS IMAGE ORBRAND CULTURE CAN lsquoJUST HAPPENrsquo OR ITCAN BE DESIGNED STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONHAS PLAYED A CENTRAL ROLErdquo
23scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 FCC launched a culture-change program focused on
improving performance across the organization
bull Two key aims of the program are to encourage leaders and employeesto embody the values and improve staff engagement
bull Defining its strategy and goals at the outset internal communicationhas played a role in achieving these objectives
bull Results so far include less information overload a more accessibleleadership team and improved engagement scores
The challenge for internal communication wasto improve employeesrsquo perception of the visibilityaccessibility and trust for the senior managementteam Successful tactics introduced includebull A ldquoDine-Aroundrdquo program where three
senior leaders host a monthly lunch for ninepeople
bull An online forum called SMT Exchangewhere employees can anonymously askleaders tough questions and answers areposted for all to see
bull Senior leaders author more all-staff e-mailsare more visible and accessible at companyevents and deliver presentations that focus onconnecting employees to the business agenda
The goals we started with When we defined our internal communicationstrategy in 2003 we had some clear goals to worktowards These werebull To communicate relevant information in a
timely consistent and memorable waybull To reduce information overloadbull To influence an increase in the
communication-related elements of theengagement index
bull To contribute to an increase in employeeengagement from 69 to 74 percent
We also had specific year-one objectivesbull To increase understanding of business goals
and objectives beyond 78 percent bull To increase employee opinion about effective
senior leadership from 69 to 73 percentbull To improve employee opinions related to
senior management
Achievements and measurable resultsWith these goals guiding our efforts themeasurable results wersquove achieved so far includebull The bundling of all-staff e-mail has reduced
the volume by 88 percent ndash amounting toaround 350000 messages over one year
bull Over 450 employees have lunched with amember of the senior management team and170 QampAs have been posted on our seniormanagement online exchange
bull The survey scores relating to employeesrsquoperception of leadership and theirunderstanding of goals and objectives showsteady improvement since 2003 (see FigureTwo bottom left)
bull FCCrsquos engagement scores and subsequentranking among Canadarsquos 50 best employershas moved from 69 percent engagement and50th place in 2004 to 81 percent and 35thplace in 2005 84 percent and 12th place in2006 and 82 percent and 8th place in 2007
Cultural transformationThe internal communication strategy described inthis article has set the stage to communicatecultural transformation across the organization
Wersquore now in the fourth year of our culturaltransformation ndash creating an environment wherepeople are empowered feel safe and highperformance can flourish This involves aquantum shift in how employees behave andrelate to their co-workers and customers
Like developing a companyrsquos image or brandculture can ldquojust happenrdquo or it can be designedStrategic communication has played a central roleto create awareness understanding commitmentand motivate changes in behavior at every level ofthe organization
John Ryan has the final word ldquoOver the years Ihave learned that communication is at the heartof building a high-performance culture ndash a culturewhere people are fully engaged Communicationis vital Without it leaders cannot effect positivechange Our internal strategy recognizesemployees as a primary audience and a keyconduit to the customer the media stakeholdersand communities Our strategic approach tointernal communication significantly contributesto business resultsrdquo scm
CONTACT DETAILS
Kellie GarrettFarm Credit CanadaKellieGarrettfcc-facca
Claire WatsonFarm Credit CanadaClaireWatsonfcc-facca
24 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
In January 2004 Pfizer at Sandwich in Kent UKcommissioned a review of its existing charitablecontributions program which included matchedpayroll giving volunteering and grants for localcommunity charities and voluntary groups CCWorks the community investment consultancywas also approached to manage the day-to-dayadministration of grant applications from thecommunity
However it was decided that the administrationcould not be effectively managed until suitablecriteria were put in place for the grants programEssentially a company cannot outsourceresponsibility for its charitable donations unlesstherersquos a clear strategy in place for doing this
Although there were various policies in placefor the different elements of the existingcommunity investment program there was a lackof strategic direction to the program as a whole
Auditing the community grants programAs a first step CC Works examined the existinggrants program and also conducted external
benchmarking with voluntary organizations in thecommunity to gage perceptions of Pfizer
It emerged that many organizations werereceiving small grants ndash although some werenrsquotsure why ndash but only 16 percent of the currentspend was going on health-related causes ForPfizer a major global healthcare company thiswasnrsquot strategic It was clear that as a healthcarecompany Pfizer should be trying to improve thehealth of its local area by focusing on three coreareas health community and education
There was also a need for grants to be morelocally focused A significant amount of the spendwas going outside of the immediate East Kentarea CC Works recommended that to allow thecompany maximum freedom to operate in itscommunity it should focus grants on theimmediate community of East Kent which alsohappened to be a deprived area
Segmenting current grantsWorking in partnership with CC Works currentgrant allocation was examined by sector localarea and size of grant and in May 2004 two-yeartargets were set to increase the strategic impact ofcommunity grantsbull Increase grants allocated to health-related
projects to 50 percentbull Increase average grant from UKpound300 to
UKpound1000bull Increase East Kent allocation to 90 percent
This change was designed to be gradual so thatthe shift in allocation could be well managed
The new focus on the community mirrors
Engaging employees inPfizerrsquos communityinvestment program
In 2003 Pfizer at Sandwich UK was running manyelements of a community investment program butthere was little awareness among employees and no
real focus By July 2006 the program had beentransformed and now actively contributes to employeeand community relationships Here Pam Baker andChristine Jenkins describe the journey from disconnectedpolicies to award-winning program
Communicating an approach with clear links toemployees and the local community
BY PAM BAKER AND CHRISTINE JENKINS
scm FEATURES
Pfizerrsquos site at Sandwich inKent is the UK manufacturingheadquarters of Pfizer Incglobal pharmaceuticalcompany Its workforce of4000 makes it the largestprivate employer in East Kent
1 2 3 4 5
25scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pfizerrsquos global mission to be ldquothe most valuedcompany to patients customers colleaguesinvestors business partners and the communitieswhere we work and liverdquo For the communityinvestment program a measurable mission wascreated ldquoto improve the health indicators of thepeople of East Kentrdquo
Focus on colleague involvementThe next step in July 2004 was to conduct areview of the employee engagement elements ofcommunity investment to examine how thesecould be better integrated These elementsincluded payroll giving volunteering and staff-matched fundraising
For Pfizer at Sandwich the obvious first choicewas to look at volunteering Eighty-five percent ofPfizer employees are minimum graduate level ndashoffering much-needed skills to a deprived areaAll employees have five paid days a year they canuse for volunteering ndash this not only supports thecommunity it boosts employee engagement andcreates opportunities for employees to visiblyconnect with the community and vice versa
In October 2004 volunteering was identified asa key area for development but for employeevolunteering to be a success it had to beproactively marketed inside Pfizer and thereneeded to be adequate support andadministration behind the program
A database of volunteering opportunitiesIn conjunction with CC Works a searchable data-base of local volunteering opportunities was createdPfizer felt it was important to create a tailoreddatabase that would be furnished internally inorder to ensure a local bias and to maintain thequality of the information supplied to employees
In order to tie in with employeesrsquo personaldevelopment plans opportunities in the databasehad to meet at least two of Pfizerrsquos six keycompetencies 1 Team development2 Project management3 Coaching and development4 Decision making5 Effective partnership6 Working with change
To fill the database with relevant opportunities allorganizations that had contacted Pfizer for grantsor funding in the past three years were re-contacted and asked if they would also beinterested in volunteering
Over 70 percent responded positively and 300volunteering opportunities were sourced CCWorks helped the voluntary organizations puttogether opportunities that were most likely totake advantage of Pfizer employeesrsquo range of
specialist skillsThese opportunities were categorized on the
database according to skill geographic area andtype of charity allowing employees to search forsomething suitable for them Pfizer wasnrsquotprescriptive in its approach and allowed staff tovolunteer where the opportunity matched theirpersonal-development goals interests or wasgeographically convenient
Opportunities were wide-ranging from helpingin a charity shop to teaching in a schoolImportantly because database management isoutsourced to CC Works therersquos constantproactivitiy around seeking new opportunities andproviding administrative support that would havebeen difficult to maintain in-house
Launching the ldquoReaching Outrdquo programTo encourage involvement and awarenessemployees were asked to suggest a name for therevitalized volunteering program ldquoReaching Outrdquowas chosen and the new volunteering website waslaunched in May 2005 The site sits on PfizerSandwichrsquos intranet and any employee orcontractor can access it
A charity week was also held to help promotethe Reaching Out program Various charitiesvisited Pfizer during lunch breaks to explain whatthey do and the opportunities to work with themA soft incentive for staff to register on theReaching Out site was that Pfizer would donate20 rehydration sachets to Unicef (monetary valueof about pound2)
Reaching Out was also featured in a webcastfrom a senior leader that went to all employees(about 3000 staff plus contractors) at the start ofthe week and it was profiled in the weekly onlinemagazine Pipeline 3
Pam Baker is directorStrategic Operations andCommunity Affairs at Pfizer UK
Christine Jenkins is founderof CC Works a consultancyoffering communityinvestment advice andpractical solutions to thecorporate and voluntarysectors Previously she heldsenior manager roles in thevoluntary and private sectors
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 an audit of Pfizer at Sandwichrsquos community investment
program revealed a lack of strategic direction
bull In partnership with consultancy CC Works a decision was made tofocus the program on the local community
bull An effort to raise employee involvement through volunteering hasboosted the program and linked it to employee engagement
bull The ldquoReaching Outrdquo website gives employees the freedom to work withcharities of their choice
bull By July 2006 the ldquoHealthy Communitiesrdquo program had beentransformed and won a National Example of Excellence award fromBusiness in the Community
26 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TOP TIPS FOR COMMUNITY INVESTMENTbull Ask yourself why yoursquore undertaking this program and seek clarity around
your objectives
bull Focus on likely ldquowinsrdquondash ie areas with scope for improvement such asemployee engagement or external awareness
bull Tackle one area at a time in stages and aim for excellence in each arearather than trying to boil the ocean
bull Communication is key to success Create a distinct brand and identity forthe program to encourage awareness and involvement
bull Integrate different community programs ndash a holistic approach can maximizebenefits for the community staff engagement and corporate reputation
Over 450 employees registered to use thesite over the next two months with 230 employees(8 percent of staff) actively volunteering duringthe first year This beat a target to have 5 percentof employees volunteering 12 months after launchIn 2005 employees volunteered 4800 hours
Helping employees select the right optionEmployees can search the volunteering databaseby skill geographic area or type of charity and aregiven a range of choices Then the onus is on theemployee to speak to the charity and obtainfurther details on current opportunities inaddition to whatrsquos on the database The employeethen applies to his or her line manager Anintegrated work process enables staff to obtainapproval from their manager interact with thevoluntary organization and record their effortskeeping administration to a minimum
Managers at Pfizer Sandwich are keen foremployees to volunteer because theyrsquore aware ofthe potential benefits in terms of employeeengagement and skills development ndash a largenumber of managers are volunteers themselvesPfizer also held briefing sessions for managers toensure they were aware of the volunteeringprogram its benefits and how it works
7
Engaging employees in Pfizerrsquos community investment program
Incorporating employee feedbackThe database tracks employeesrsquo volunteeringefforts including how many hours theyrsquove doneand their feedback on the opportunitiesEmployee feedback can then be accessed by otherstaff looking for an opportunity The databasegives employees better insight into the availableopportunities and allows them to select somethingthat appeals to them so that both the employeeand the organization where they volunteer gets abetter ldquofitrdquo
The database also allows for better integrationof the whole program where volunteering canprovide an alternative or an addition to fundingFor example a well-known national charityapplied to Pfizer at Sandwich for some fundingaround a diversity initiative Pfizer suggested theirdiversity manager volunteer for them instead whohelped create the charityrsquos diversity program thatis now being launched nationally
Creating an integrated programIn May 2005 the decision was taken to bringtogether all the strands of community investmentunder one brand Healthy Communities Thisprogram was to includebull Charitable grantsbull Employee volunteeringbull Gifts in kind Community investment via gifts
in kind such as the use of Pfizer premisesresources and expertise is more easilysustainable and can bring real long-termbenefit to the local community When Pfizerfacilities are used to support communityinitiatives the face-to-face contact withemployees allows relationship-building andnetworking with key influencers Also invitingthe community to use Pfizer resources on siteldquodemystifiesrdquo the company
The overarching strategy behind HealthyCommunities was to support communityinvestment holistically (ie using several of theabove elements in combination) whereverpossible Focusing grants on the areas of greatestneed helps Pfizer achieve its overall missionHowever the donation of gifts in kind can have awider-reaching impact on the community
Taking a holistic approachAn award-winning example of this holisticapproach is the Helping Hartsdown projectwhich was Pfizer Sandwichrsquos biggest ever gift inkindvolunteering project Pfizer donated andrenovated much-needed classrooms at a localschool As well as financial support and gifts inkind the project involved over 100 staff andcontractor volunteers across all departments Aspecific promotion on the Reaching Out website
ldquoBY JULY 2006 THE lsquoHEALTHY COMMUNITIESrsquoPROGRAM HAD BEEN TRANSFORMED AND WONA NATIONAL EXAMPLE OF EXCELLENCE AWARDFROM BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITYrdquo
27scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
POSITIVE IMPACTS OF THE PROGRAMThe Healthy Communities program has had the following positive impacts for Pfizer
bull The program supports and protects Pfizerrsquos freedom to operate effectivelyin East Kent UK
bull Supporting and involving employees in the program engages and motivatesthem The company is also seen to be living its values In a recent survey55 percent of colleagues felt the program was ldquofocused and effectiverdquo
bull The program provides opportunities for colleagues to develop skills Twentypercent of colleagues surveyed stated that they had improved personalskills through taking part in the program
bull A healthy community is a better place to live and work for employees andwill aid retention Retention of the most highly skilled scientists givesPfizer Global Research and Development a competitive edge
bull A vibrant and healthy community helps to attract and retain leadingscientists from around the world
bull Community is one of Pfizerrsquos six core values Communicating activitiesinternally and externally gives a positive perception of the company
helped attract this large number of volunteersincluding senior leaders
Momentum was maintained behind thecommunication of the program with monthlynetworking breakfasts and several themed minicharity fairs to give local good causes the chanceto showcase their volunteering Individuals andteamsrsquo volunteering efforts were also regularlyprofiled in Pipeline
The December 2006 employee survey showedan 85-percent awareness level of Reaching Outand the program won a ldquoNational Example ofExcellence Awardrdquo from Business in theCommunity1
Relaunching the websiteIn June 2006 the Reaching Out website wasrelaunched to incorporate payroll giving andmatched fundraising under the same brand asvolunteering and utilize the existing software Allelements can now be applied for on the same site
The number of employees registered with thesite increased to over 1000 and the number of adhoc staff enquiries handled by CC Worksincreased dramatically as awareness andinvolvement levels rose among the workforce
External communicationA quarterly newsletter containing a round-up ofPfizerrsquos community investment work is producedand distributed widely to external stakeholdersincluding 3000 local residents Following theBusiness in the Community award the magazineCommunity News was revamped its circulationincreased and it was also desk-dropped to allemployees The magazine also helps to raiseawareness of Pfizer among local organizations
A pocket-sized booklet was produced containingkey facts and figures about the Healthy Communitiesprogram This gives employees especially seniorleaders at-a-glance information on the programallowing them to act as ambassadors for Pfizerrsquoscommunity investment work
Senior leaders at Pfizer Sandwich are keenadvocates of the program and having a clearbrand helps them communicate its benefits andraise awareness both internally and externally
Next stepsDespite its award-winning status there are plansto take Healthy Communities even further Theseinclude further research into employee feedbackand closer links to personal development plans InPfizer at Sandwichrsquos Global Operations functionvolunteering forms part of personal objectives ndashthis is an aspiration for the rest of the business
Pfizer also wants to improve team volunteeringand a toolkit is being prepared for team leaderswho wish to get involved in volunteering
Finally in order to share knowledge and bestpractice around community investment with otherlocal businesses Pfizer is hosting a Kentmembership network in conjunction with KentCounty Council This will help Pfizer work closelywith the local authority and bring local businessestogether to share ideas and collaborate toimprove their impact on the community scm
1 httpwwwbitcorguk
CONTACT DETAILS
Pam BakerPfizerpambakerpfizercom
Christine JenkinsCC Workschristinejenkinsccworkscouk
28 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Editorrsquos noteSucceeding in internal communication probablyisnrsquot all that different to succeeding in anyprofession understand whatrsquos expected of you dothe job well and deliver results But when youspeak to practitioners about how they personallyturned the corner in their careers and started tomake an impact it soon becomes clear that thereare many dos and donrsquots that can help or hinderprogress This article provides a handy checklistfor those with ambitious development plans
John G ClemonsVice President CommunicationsRaytheon Technical Services Co Llc
Take the initiativeThere have been a few career-defining momentsfor me Among them was the time when I realizedthat I was moving from a manager level to the
decision-making role of a director I worked for a senior executive who hired me
from a rival telecommunications company Uponjoining the company I developed strategiccommunication plans to address various businesschallenges During the development process Iperiodically checked in with my supervisor to gethis input and approval ndash probably more thannecessary ndash before moving to the next steps in planning
One day he called me into his office and saidthat while he liked the work I was doing for himhis expectation when he hired me as a directorwas that I would take the initiative in the job relyless on his frequent input and move forward with implementation and measurement Hewanted results
His counsel was along the lines of ldquoI hired youto do a directorrsquos job so do the job of a directorYou donrsquot have to get permission to make adifferencerdquo
Meet commitments and think strategicallyHis direction motivated me to take moreresponsibility at this new job level This alsomeant that I had to not just manage but leadmeet commitments and think more strategicallyto continue to earn not only his confidence butthe support of the entire leadership team
Irsquove found that being a communicationprofessional who is also a leader that can betrusted can get things done and truly support thegoals and objectives of an organization will notonly impress others but help build your credibilityand lead to success
How to get ahead ininternal communication
The path that leads internal communicators to thetop of their profession isnrsquot always an obvious oneWhich is why we asked a range of senior practitioners
to share their thoughts and experiences on gaining therespect of those who matter Whether its senior leadersfellow employees or your own team yoursquore looking toimpress these responses provide useful insight into howto make sure you and your work gets noticed
Senior practitioners share their views on how togain influence and credibility
COMPILED BY MANDY THATCHER
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
29scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Mark DarbyHead of Internal CommunicationsVisaUK
Be smart sharp and stubbornThe biggest lesson Irsquove learned and keep havingto remind myself is that I need to be smart sharpand stubborn to get ahead This is what thosewords mean to me in a work context
Smart I need to understand what Visa is doingand what people think about the business Thismeans constantly spending time in differentdepartments and learning from them I know whoour customers are what our challenges are andwhat our current financial performance is I havecontacts in most departments who have a fingeron the pulse which means I can have a relevantconversation with a senior person from any department
Sharp Internal communication is rarely near thetop of the agenda for senior people and my timewith them is usually short I always try to talkabout the impact on business performance assoon as possible If I circulate a document it willbe summarized to a single page at most and Idonrsquot use PowerPoint I ask a lot of ldquoonerdquo questionssuch as ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing you want employeesto do differentlyrdquo or ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing youwant me to change over the next six monthsrdquo
Stubborn I know what I want internal communica-tion to achieve at Visa and it has the support ofthe senior team Irsquove built up knowledge frombooks and articles I use my education from theBlack Belt training course1 and I speak to formercolleagues With this knowledge Irsquove becomestubborn and good at saying no because I have theinformation to back up my arguments Irsquove stoppedmy team from picking up extra projects that wonrsquotdeliver much value We focus only on projects thatadd the most value to the business and we deliveron these really well Successful delivery is thebiggest influence on any senior person
Monika StaffordHead of Internal CommunicationLloyds TSBUK
Be creative and focus on a killer issueUsing creative solutions to bring to life importantndash but often dull ndash programs can create a shinethat stretches beyond project boundaries For
example I worked on the implementation of SAPndash a business-critical systems program ndash requiringbehavior change from swathes of key yetuninterested people Successful implementationwas a big risk to get right but it was as dull asdishwater to communicate
Luckily there was a ldquoEurekardquo moment Byaligning the SAP story with the metaphor ofFormula-1 racing we could tell the tale of how itwould fulfill our need to create winningperformances for both the individual driver aswell as the back-up team in order to perform wellon the road ahead This storyline was a perfectmatch for the programrsquos objectives
Launch speakers from Formula 1 great designwork not to mention fantastic collateral allresulted in a no-hitch implementation that reallyresonated with people The global companypicked it up as the approach for worldwide rollout So faced with tedium it can actually pay tostare out of the window for creative inspiration
My other piece of advice is Focus on a killerissue If you really want to get ahead (and do besure you really do as being at the center ofchange is often akin to being in the eye of ahurricane ndash itrsquos no place for the feint-hearted)learn what keeps your business leaders up atnight Use your stakeholder-management skills toget to the people you need to help you deliversolutions then execute execute execute
Focus on value-adding work only because ifyou end up working on your companyrsquos cul-de-sacprojects yoursquoll never shine brightly enough forthe leaders in your company to notice you 3
COMPETENCY
Planning internal communication 76
Linking corporate messages to corporate vision 73
CEO communication 63
Change communication 60
Communicating to diverse audiences 60
Using the intranet as a communication tool 54
Defending your department in internal political battles 43
Line manager communication 42
Professional development of internal communication staff 33
Helping employees cope with information overload 32
Securing the appropriate level of budget for internal communication 30
Measuring the effectiveness of internal communication 28
Figure One Table from The Pulse report showing the percentage of communicators who ratethemselves as effective or very effective at listed competencies
30 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
WHATrsquoS CHANGED IN THE LAST 25 YEARS
David MoorcroftSenior Vice PresidentCorporate CommunicationsRBC Financial Group Canada
Irsquom constantly amazed at the changes that have taken place in our professionover the last 25 years and the degree of talent and knowledge required bycommunicators today to do their jobs well
Back in 1979 when I started in corporate PR the major skill sets werewriting editing and great media contacts Today good editorial skills are justtable stakes and the ability to understand business adapt technology thinkstrategically plan consummately and influence stakeholders are what landsenior communicators a seat at the management table
This change has been driven by the globalization of business the advent ofnew 247 media including the Internet the growing sophistication ofcustomers and employees increased demands for corporate transparency andmore rigorous requirements for high standards of public disclosure andfinancial reporting
MORE SKILLS THAN EVER BEFOREAs a result todayrsquos business communicator has to be more capable andknowledgeable and have more skills than ever before They must befinancially literate and technologically savvy They must understand the impactof evolving accounting and disclosure rules They must deal with legal HRpolitical and business issues And they must be prepared to deal with amultitude of potential crises that can arise at any moment in any language inany part of the world
Perhaps most challenging senior management today expects clear bottom-line returns for their investments in communication Itrsquos no longer enough toinform audiences and measure communication outputs CEOs expectcommunication to engage audiences and produce outcomes ndash something thatrequires strategic thinking planning and foresight
A friend of mine who left a senior corporate PR job to become COO of amajor public utility recently summed up the role of todayrsquos communicator thisway ldquoItrsquos one of the most important and critical roles in organizations todayand yet itrsquos often one of the least recognized and appreciatedrdquo
That sentiment may be a reality in some organizations today but with moreand more CEOs beginning to realize the bottom-line value of communication itwonrsquot be 25 years from now
Christina FeeSenior Vice President InternalCommunicationsDeutsche Post AGGermany
Seek out the important projectsI canrsquot pretend to have employed a specificapproach to my ldquopersonal PRrdquo at all But in theorganizations Irsquove worked for Irsquove had theopportunity to work on a number of excitinghigh-profile projects that have connected me withsenior stakeholders and influential people atdifferent levels
7
Irsquove learned a great deal from the project teamsIrsquove worked with and also due to the significanceand scope of the projects been able todemonstrate my worth approach and skills Irsquovehad to be passionate stand up for what I believein and think outside the box constantly
My roles within DHLDeutsche Post haveallowed me the freedom and flexibility to developand deliver new ideas but Irsquove also had to practiceand embody excellent internal communicationskills myself Having developed credibility and trustwith those that matter based on my track record Iwas allowed to go ahead with other projects
I donrsquot actively pursue the ldquoright relationshipsrdquobut rather let my work and my interactions withpeople speak for themselves This has helped medevelop mentors and supporters naturally Mylearning and development has also been expandedby the opportunity to work abroad and learn moreabout intercultural communication and interaction
Marc SilversideHead of Internal CommunicationsMacmillan Cancer SupportUK
Understand whatrsquos expected of youA newly established role heightens the need formaking a good impression so that people trustyou and feel they can come to you for advice
When I joined Macmillan I very nearly got thiswrong Perhaps this is an example that otherrsquos canlearn from
When my new CEO at Macmillan CancerSupport asked for a meeting ldquoafter a few weeks tosettle inrdquo I was confident that my wide-ranginginduction would help me understand the businessand provide the basis for what Irsquod present tosenior management
Forty structured face-to-face managerinterviews allowed me to understand needs andkey issues and I started to build personal rapportMy profile was raised and at the same timeinternal communication gained good visibility
Externally I networked with contacts in similarroles in other charities and soon found thebeginnings of a voluntary-sector network This hassince grown to over 25 members
By the time my CEO slot arrived I was armedwith input from across the charity and the resultsof an audit I felt well prepared to present myvision and solutions So I was surprised to be metwith significant resistance
I later discovered that my CEO intelligence wasincorrect What he wanted was to be askedspecifically about his own views on what internalcommunication should do and what I could do for
How to get ahead in internal communication
31scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
HOW DO YOUR SKILLS MEASURE UPFor Melcrumrsquos study into budgets salaries and trends in internalcommunication in 200607 we asked survey respondents to rate their owneffectiveness at a range of key communication competencies from planning tomeasurement The results may surprise you
For example 76 percent of respondents rate themselves as effective or veryeffective at planning internal communication but only 28 percent ratethemselves as equally effective at measuring its effectiveness (see Figure Onepage 29)
In her commentary on the results development expert Sue Dewhurst hadthe following to say
OUR STRENGTHSIt seems where we see our strengths as internal communicators is towards theldquofront endrdquo of the communication planning process For example being able tolink a plan to the business strategy knowing our audiences and being able tojoin up the dots and show people how messages link to the business vision
These are powerful strengths We are one of the few functions that tends tohave an overarching view of our entire company and is able to view thecompany and its strategy from a number of different perspectives Being ableto understand the vision and strategy view it from an audience perspectiveand then create line of sight to show what those things mean in practicalterms for peoplersquos day-to-day roles is one of the ways that we help drivebusiness performance ndash by showing people what they need to do to take thestrategy forward
In turn by knowing and working with our audiences hopefully wersquore thenalso able to make sure their views and suggestions can help shape the strategyand how itrsquos put into practice
MEASURING EFFECTIVENESSWe see ourselves as less effective towards the back end of the planningprocess in measuring the effectiveness of internal communication which tiesin with the feeling from previous questions that in fact wersquore not doing muchmeasurement or demonstrating our return on investment
Research and measurement is an area where there is plenty of expertisearound to call on There are measurement conferences research reports andpublications to understand what other organizations are doing and practicaltraining that will give you the opportunity to work in a smaller group askquestions and practice techniques For help with specific techniques try yourinternal marketing team Marketers are generally great with data and well-versed in running focus groups and putting together surveys If you have anexternal provider to support your employee engagement research try them too
Source The Pulse Essential data on budgets salaries and trends 2006-07wwwmelcrumcom
him rather than how I could benefit the charity Ihad to change my approach fast
This could have cost me my best ambassadorfrom day one So my advice is make sure yoursquoreabsolutely clear about whatrsquos expected from you
Of course the insights I gained in my first fewmonths have been valuable and since then myresults have done the talking Fortunately theCEO soon became an internal communicationsconvert and advocate
Darren CrozierCommunications ManagerHBOS plcUK
Make things happenDelivery is key to career development ndash if you sayyoursquore going to do something make sure you doit Put in the effort get the results you want andbe known as someone who can make things happenIf yoursquore seen to ldquoget things donerdquo no matter howsmall the job is people are more likely to get youinvolved in activities and ask your opinion
Gaining credibility and respect from seniorcolleagues is important but everyone in yourorganization will form an opinion of you from thepeople in the canteen right through to the CEOSo try and make sure that their opinion of you is agood one
Itrsquos not just the people within your immediatesphere of influence who can have an impact onyour career so extend your network go oncourses and get involved in professionalorganizations Many of my close workingrelationships career opportunities and indeedpersonal friendships have come from meetingpeople at such events and taking the time to keepin touch You never know how things will develop
Itrsquos also vital to earn respect be trustworthy andhave good manners To recall what an ex-bossonce said ldquoBe careful how you treat people onthe way up as you never know when you maycome across them againrdquo
One of the biggest challenges Irsquove found inrecent times is recognizing my own success andselling myself Sometimes you need to take a stepback to realize just what yoursquove achieved Evenbetter keep a log or portfolio of your successesand donrsquot be shy to speak about them becauseothers wonrsquot be shy to speak about theirs
Finally try and have some fun along the wayWe all have to work for a living so learn to makethe most of it scm
1 For more about Melcrumrsquos Internal Communication Black Belttraining program go to wwwmelcrumcom
32 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pitney Bowes has followed an aggressive strategyof growth through acquisition completing 60+acquisitions since 2001 Expansion has broadenedits product mix to include an extensive range ofsolutions from office equipment to globalpositioning software
But the companyrsquos many different specialismsand huge outsourcing operations meant that themajority of its 34000 employees werenrsquot aware ofthe full range of its service offering and thepotential for different divisions to work together
As Rob Hallam vice president EmployeeCommunication explains there was a strongbusiness case for adopting a ldquoone companyrdquoapproach ldquoBecause the businesses tended to besomewhat siloed even senior managers werefocused on their divisions
ldquoAlso because we were acquiring companiesand evolving so rapidly managers werenrsquot awareof a lot of the businesses and how they all workedtogether in the mailstreamrdquo says Hallam ldquoWewere missing out on potential cross-sellingopportunitiesrdquo
Communicating a new visionFour years ago Pitney Bowes created a OneCompany Vision statement ldquoOur aim was toensure support and cooperation across thebusiness so we could provide a comprehensive setof customer solutions ndash not just a list of productsand services by business unitrdquo says Hallam Theinternal communication challenge was to drawtogether 34000 employees and build a unifiedcorporate culture The communication strategyfocused on three key elements
1 PeopleThis focused on involving the leadershipstrengthening a two-way dialogue betweenmanagement and employees communicating theculture through leadership messaging enterprise-wide events and roadshows and buildingengagement so that everyone was workingtogether towards a One Company approach
2 ProcessesThis meant integrating the One Companyapproach into the organizationrsquos operations andinfrastructure by shifting management roles andadjusting incentives and reward structuresthroughout the company
The first step was to consolidate the companyrsquosoperating activities by appointing Murray DMartin as president and chief operating officer inSeptember 2004 Martinrsquos mantra is ldquoThink AsOne Act as One Operate As One to deliverwhat no other company canrdquo
ldquoThe COO position had previously been heldby the chairman so elevating someone to that
Communicating a OneCompany culture atPitney Bowes
Following rapid growth in the form of more than 60acquisitions over six years silo-working haddeveloped at Pitney Bowes and leaders were failing
to take advantage of profitable cross-selling opportunitiesHere Rob Hallam describes the communication elementsof a ldquoOne Companyrdquo culture-change program which hasturned the situation around simultaneously improvingcustomer service and boosting profits
Persuading disparate businessunits to work together
AN INTERVIEW WITH ROB HALLAM
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Pitney Bowes is an 87-year-old company best known forthe manufacturing operationand oversight of postagemeters It has over two millioncustomers more than 3500active patents and annualrevenue of close to $6 billion
33scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
role was a big changerdquo explains Hallam ldquoAll thebusiness units now report to a single individual atoperating level It represented a huge positivemove to start the company operationalizing OneCompany behaviorrdquo
The internal communication function wasrestructured to ensure that consistent messagingreached the entire employee population Regularmeasurement was a key part of the changeinitiative This served to define the contributionof communicating a One Company approachwhere it was adding value to Pitney Bowes and itsclients and customers and where there was stillwork to do
3 TechnologyIt was important to find the best ways to cascademessages throughout the company and keeppeople informed about what was going onwithout bombarding them with irrelevantcommunication Hallam and his team deploy avariety of channels and media including internalprint and online publications voicemail and e-mail Pitney Bowes is also in the process ofintegrating its different voicemail systems and e-mail platforms into one global system
Involving senior leadership from the outsetThe One Company strategy was an overridingpolicy that started at the top of the organizationldquoThere was a big launch at the strategic leadersrsquomeeting which is held every Januaryrdquo saysHallam ldquoThe messaging was then driven throughthe organization via a companywide globalcommunication strategyrdquo
From the outset the policy was championed bythe CEO Michael Critelli who believes thatculture is central to the Pitney Bowes brand andsaid recently ldquoMy first measure of success iswhether we are behaving as one companyrdquo Thiscommitment helped to ensure that the culturalchange was reinforced by parallel changes to thecorporate infrastructure
Building a two-way dialogueThe next step was to get the employee populationinvolved and build enterprisewide enthusiasm forthe culture change Pitney Bowes has alwaysrecognized the value of a two-way dialoguebetween management and employees and hasheld annual jobholders meetings which aresimilar to shareholdersrsquo meetings for 61 years In2005 Hallam reinvented it as an initiative calledOne Forum ndash a series of roadshows focusing oncommunicating the One Company culturethroughout the organization
Launching the One ForumIn 2005 Hallam and his team created an original
and memorable One Forum launch for the 90percent of Pitney Bowes employees based in theUS Around a quarter of US employees saw thisin person the others received a link to a websitewith streaming highlights
ldquoWe put together a two-hour roadshow eventwhich helped people to understand our OneCompany approach and made them aware of allthe businesses we were inrdquo says Hallam ldquoThethinking was that high change requires high touchFace-to-face can have far greater impact on theindividuals touched From there itrsquos a matter ofripple effect such as seeing improved One Forumbrand awareness among employees who didnrsquotactually attend one of the eventsrdquo
ldquoWe wanted the roadshow to be entertainingand energizing so we used gameshow techniquescustom-written songs and comedy specificallytailored to Pitney Bowes employees It was a funevent but it also included a keynote speech fromthe CEO and a lot of question-and-answersessions with employees It was entertainmentwith a purpose and it was a great success with employeesrdquo
The post-event employee evaluations provedthe success of this approach ldquoIn some cities anincredible 90 percent of employees gave the eventa top-box rating This shows that there was ahunger for both the knowledge and theapproachrdquo adds Hallam
Taking the show on the roadThe One Forum roadshow has become an annualevent ldquoIn a five-month period during 2005 therewere 17 One Forum events in 12 US citiesreaching about 6000 peoplerdquo says Hallam ldquoAftersome testing in March and April the first bigroadshows started in early May and continued forsix months with the final one in early Decemberin Seattle 3
Rob Hallam is vice presidentEmployee Communication atPitney Bowes (PB) in StamfordConnecticut where hersquos beenresponsible for internalcommunication strategy andimplementation since 2004Hallam has led a team ofprofessionals in reshapingcommunication at PB resultedin the communication teamearning the top ranking in HRdepartment satisfaction fromall PBrsquos US managers in 2005and 2006
KEY POINTSbull Internal communication has played an important role in embedding a
One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
bull The communication strategy focused on three key elements peopleprocess and technology
bull The campaign has been championed by the CEO from the outset andhas won senior leadership support over time
bull An entertaining roadshow helped win employee commitment
bull Cross-selling ratios have jumped substantially since the culture-changeeffort began
34 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ldquoIn 2006 we compressed the programsubstantially and drove down costs while stilltouching 6000 employees Together with ourcorporate marketing group we also introduced anextremely successful lsquoelevator speechrsquo that helpsemployees answer the much-feared questionlsquoWhat does Pitney Bowes dorsquordquo
Local variationsAlthough the entertainment component in theroadshows contributed to their success it wasspecific to the US so Hallam gave business unitsand internal communicators in other regions theresponsibility for communicating the OneCompany approach to local employees ldquoInCanada and the UK they conducted town-hallmeetings and in Latin America and other parts ofthe world they produced their own variations onthe One Forum theme We made sure that theyhad the information they needed but we limitedthe entertainment to English-speaking regionsrdquo
A commitment to employee engagementThe appointment of the new COO and the launchof the One Forum roadshows coincided with thefirst employee engagement survey in late 2004ldquoWe see engagement as very much tied to ourability to execute a One Company strategy andchange our culturerdquo says Hallam He sets outfour ways in which employee engagement isinstilled at all levels in the organization
1 Visible leadership commitment to engagementThe CEO underlines his commitment by sendingregular messages to employees via a variety ofmedia including voicemail and print and onlinepublications He also uses engagement scores todetermine a unitrsquos overall performance rating andbonus pool ldquoWhen one senior execrsquos bonus poolwas reduced due to poor engagement scores that
was a message requiring no communication planrdquosays Hallam ldquoWord spread quicklyrdquo
2 Celebrating top performers Pitney Bowes celebrates its top engagementperformers by running cover stories in its globalprint and online publication PB Today ldquoThisprogram was called lsquoThe Faces of Pitney Bowesrsquordquosays Hallam ldquoWe did 10 of these last year so theyran twice in five editions Wersquove also producedlarge mural-sized photos of those managers andtheir teamsrdquo he says ldquoWe celebrate success andpublish it everywhere Our CEO loves it and wersquoreactually selling part of our contemporary artcollection which decorates the building to makeroom for an expansion of additional OneCompany and Engagement photography all ofwhich will focus on our employeesrdquo
3 Incentivizing managers via the reward systemEmployee engagement is recognized andreinforced in the companyrsquos formal processesincluding its reward system ldquoWe use a tool calledthe Strategic Architecture which is our balancedscorecardrdquo explains Hallam ldquoItrsquos a Six-Sigma toolwhich measures employee shareholder andcustomer value Managersrsquo engagement scoresalso factor into their annual reviews soengagement has a direct impact on remunerationrdquo
4 Rewarding engagementA further program called Rapid Rewards awardscash bonuses to managers and employees foroutstanding behavior including that related toemployee engagement
Aligning the communication strategyHallam and his team are responsible fordelivering the overall employee communicationstrategy ldquoWe had to dramatically improve ourstrategic approach in order to make OneCompany a realityrdquo he says
In addition to organizing campaigns such as theOne Forum roadshows to publicize the culturechange across the enterprise Hallam hasintroduced initiatives aimed at improving thereach and delivery of internal communication andmaking sure messages get to their intendedaudiences He has also aligned the structure ofthe internal communication function with thecompanyrsquos unified culture
ldquoThere were a lot of different communicationgroups so we brought together all thecommunication leaders and formed a singleInternal Communications Councilrdquo explainsHallam ldquoThis means that the communicationfunctions in the different business units areworking together to help drive change andimprove coordinationrdquo
Communicating a One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
ldquoWHEN A SENIOR EXECrsquoS BONUS WAS REDUCEDDUE TO POOR ENGAGEMENT SCORES THAT WASA MESSAGE REQUIRING NO COMMUNICATIONPLAN WORD SPREAD QUICKLYrdquo
7
FURTHER RESOURCES3 THE IMPACT OF CULTURE AND CLIMATE ON CHANGE PROGRAMS
An article published in SCM Volume 10 Issue 6 OctoberNovember 2006
3 DRIVING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE CORPORATE CULTUREMelcrumrsquos report on communication tools techniques and best practicefrom leading organizationswwwmelcrumcom
35scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Developing a global approachHallam is also responsible for a globalcommunication project called Universal Reachwhich is sponsored by the chairman and designedto support and maintain a unified corporateculture ldquoOur goal is to provide 90 percentmessage accessibility within our key customer-facing audiencesrdquo he explains ldquoThe biggestchallenge is integrating our online communicationinfrastructure which has nine different voicemailsystems operating across the world and multiplee-mail and web platforms Wersquore pulling all thattogether to provide better reachrdquo
Since 911 the CEO and other top executiveshave broadcast weekly audio messages calledPower Talks Hallamrsquos team has worked with theleadership to ensure that they incorporate OneCompany messages and as he explains they reachmost of the employee population ldquoAbout 20000of our employees have voicemail Those whodonrsquot receive the Power Talk message either inprint or online In some divisions managers playthe Power Talk messages in staff meetingsrdquo
Engaging leadership reinforces the cultureBuilding on the CEOrsquos commitment to a OneCompany approach Hallam and his team haveorganized leadership events ndash most recently at thestrategic leadersrsquo meeting in December 2006 ndashshowing Pitney Bowes as one company in actionThis campaign has helped to engage the top 150managers in the culture change
ldquoOur post-event evaluations show a strongmove numerically in senior leadershiprsquos belief thatwersquore operating as one companyrdquo says Hallam(see Figure One above) ldquoAs theyrsquore our toughestjudges wersquore pleased by the significant differencein pre- and post-event measurementrdquo There wasalso an improvement in leadersrsquo understanding ofthe companyrsquos new mailstream category
Sustaining the new cultureAccording to Hallam rippling out the OneCompany messaging requires a consistent andcoordinated approach Communication leaders inthe various divisions are now working to weaveOne Company messages into the business-unitmeetings ldquoA lot of the messaging that welaunched at the strategic leadersrsquo meeting arebeing reiterated at the business unit level Thatrsquosbeen facilitated through the InternalCommunications Councilrdquo he says
ldquoKey metrics for the culture change programfocus on cross-selling ratios which have jumpedsubstantially since the culture change effortbeganrdquo says Hallam ldquoIn 2002 we also institutedthe ldquoPB1 Awardsrdquo which is a chairmanrecognition award that goes to teams who bestembody cross-functional behavior in working on
projects which improve our clientsrsquo profitabilityour profitability or bothrdquo
ldquoHowever wersquore only really a year into thisMuch of the evidence is anecdotal but what haschanged is that our managers have broadenedtheir vision and are thinking as solutions-providers rather than product-sellers As suchtheyrsquore involving other business units out of theirdesire to eliminate customer pain points ndashregardless of which part of Pitney Bowes gets the salerdquo
Adding value to customersUltimately managers and employees who arewell-informed about the companyrsquos products andservices are in a good position to take advantageof cross-selling opportunities Realizing thispotential enables Pitney Bowes to make extrasales to existing customers thereby increasing itsprofit margins and allowing customers to benefitfrom a mix of products and services
Shifting to a unified culture directly benefitsboth Pitney Bowes and its customers ldquoByfocusing on the whole cadre of products andservices we can help our customers improve theirbusinessesrdquo says Hallam ldquoThatrsquos where OneCompany is critical It enables our clients tobenefit from all our servicesrdquo scm
Figure One Measuring the impact of the strategic leadersrsquo meeting
CONTACT DETAILS
Rob HallamPitney Bowesrobhallampbcom
I BELIEVE THAT OUR SENIOR LEADERS (MEANING THE TOP 15 EXECS) AREWORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO DELIVER INTEGRATED HIGH-VALUESOLUTIONS TO OUR CUSTOMERS
Pre SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 73
Post SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 92
Gain in two months time 19
ldquoMANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WELL-INFORMED ABOUT THE COMPANYrsquoS PRODUCTSAND SERVICES ARE IN A GOOD POSITION TOTAKE ADVANTAGE OF CROSS-SELLINGrdquo
2007
36 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
MELCRUM TRAINING amp EVENTS
CALENDAR 2007UKEUROPESOCIAL MEDIA FORUM FORINTERNAL COMMUNICATORS UK
3 21-22 March 2007 Hilton Canary WharfLondon UKThis forum is designed for practitioners who wantto make social media part of their internalcommunication strategy Over two dayscompanies such as IBM Microsoft and BT willshare case studies demonstrating their use ofsocial-media tools Technology experts will also beon hand to provide training and show you how touse these tools
THE 3RD ANNUAL EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT CONFERENCE UK
3 22-24 May 2007 Millennium GloucesterLondon UK22 May ndash Practical workshops23-24 May ndash Two-day conferenceThis event will focus on transforming yourstrategies into action Listen to case studies fromcompanies that have achieved real andmeasurable results from their engagement effortsLearn how they did it what they achieved and howthe results were measured
THE 6TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT UK
3 16-18 October 2007 London UK After the huge success of the 2006 UK StrategicCommunication Management Summit next yearrsquosevent will once again provide you withpresentations from key figures in the industry anda chance to network with your peers Mark yourdiaries now ndash more details to follow
THE 3RD ANNUAL INTERNALCOMMUNICATION MEASUREMENTCONFERENCE UK
3 27-29 November 2007 London UKDetails available soon ndash mark your diary now
NORTH AMERICATHE 3RD ANNUAL CONFERENCEON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENTBUILDING AND SUSTAINING ACULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT
3 28 February ndash 1 March 2007 Crowne PlazaAtlanta-Buckhead Atlanta USLearn how to foster an environment whereemployees feel valued and respected Hear fromcompanies including Dow Corning CorporationAmerican Express Delta Hotels and Merck
THE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT US
3 26-28 March 2007 Crowne Plaza UnionSquare San Francisco26 March ndash Pre-conference workshops27-28 March ndash Two-day summitAttend this conference and discover how toimprove employee alignment with all segments ofyour internal audience ndash from your front-lineemployees to your executive officers bothnationally and worldwide
AUSTRALIATHE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION ENGAGEMENTSUMMIT SYDNEY
3 31 July ndash 2 August 2007 Sydney Australia Details available soon ndash mark your diary now
WEBINARSDEVELOPING PROFESSIONALCOMPETENCE
3 Thursday 22 February 2007 with LiamFitzPatrick and Sue Dewhurst
HELPING YOUR ORGANIZATIONTHRIVE DURING TURBULENTTIMES
3 Thursday 29 March 2007 with Carol KinseyGoman
TRAININGTHE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT PROGRAM
3 24-25 April and 1-2 May 2007 HenleyManagement College UK3 11-12 and 27-28 September 2007 Cranfield
School of Management UK
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT MASTERCLASSEFFECTIVE MEASUREMENT
3 14-15 March 2007 Hendon Hall Hendon UKAn essential two-day intensive training courses forinternal communicators on effective measurementRegister early as places are strictly limited to 20people per Masterclass
CSR DELIVERY ENGAGEMENT amp LEADERSHIP
3 19-20 April 2007 Central LondonOsney MediaWith an excellent speaker line-up from high-profile companies including Procter amp Gamble The BodyShop ExxonMobil Microsoft Belgium Vodafone UK Dell Ericsson and Alliance Boots this case studybased event will answer questions including how do Ibull Build a CSR-oriented leadershipbull Get people on boardbull Integrate CSR with the global strategy of the companybull Deliver CSR throughout the company to make it really happen
For more information visit wwwcsrleadershipcom or e-mail mariame_lindellosneymediacouk (Reference code 910MLC3)
38 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
DESIGN
YELLOW
The future success of all organisations will be builton trust understanding passion empowermentintegrity and relationships
The future is cool exciting sparkling organisationsbursting with energy life and action
The future of brand is the internal brand first andforemost
The future is colleague as customer
Turning communications upside down
No just inside-out
Be part of the future say hello to Yellow
We help large organisations bring their communicationsstrategies to life through the imaginative use of liveevents multimedia web and design ndash distributed acrossall media platforms including DVD TV mobile devicesintranet and extranet
Ultimately developing internal brands and ongoingcommunications that have a measurable impact onpeople-performance advocacy and the bottom line
Contact Paul MiddletonTel +44 (0)161 228 6700E-mail paulmiddletonyellowcomcomWebsite wwwyellowcomcom
NEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
DESIGN
BLUE GOOSE
blue goose specialize in visual communications We make communications work faster and better We will link what wedo back to your objectives but we donrsquot talk (or charge for) ldquostrategyrdquo when you simply want tactical implementation Weuse design and creativity tobull differentiate products and services bull develop and manage corporate and brand identity bull align external communications with agreed values bull internalize corporate and brand identitybull align internal communications with agreed values bull support organizational change and bull help organizations better understand and define who they are
We work for clients as diverse as PricewaterhouseCoopers Ford Europe Centrica plc Greene King City of London Policeand Le Meacuteridien
blue goose is for any organization more interested in designing their future than watching it happen
Contact Chris BarringtonE-mail thinkingbluegoosecoukTel +44 (0)20 8869 8500Web site wwwbluegoosecouk
CONSULTANCY
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION ampSURVEYS PTY LTD
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd is aboutique consultancy based in Sydney Australia Itspecializes in employee communication strategiessystems research and employee surveys of all kindsPrincipal Rodney Gray has been involved inorganizational consulting for over 20 years following a15-year career as a corporate human resourcesexecutive Services includebull Employee communication audits and surveys by
questionnaires focus groups and interviewsbull Employee communication systems strategies and
processesbull Employee communication training workshops and
talksbull Employee culture climate and opinion surveysbull Qualitative organizational diagnosis (focus groups
and interviews)bull Internal service quality research (qualitative and
quantitative)
Contact Rodney GrayTel +61 (0)2 9909 2900 Fax +61 (0)2 9909 2911E-mail rodneyrodneygraycomauWeb site wwwemployee-communicationcomau
CONSULTANCY
HEDRON
Internal and change communication that helps teamsand individuals to develop strategies relationshipsprocesses and skills to engage stakeholders supporthigh performance and deliver change
ldquoSharp strategic thinking quality execution effectiveinterpersonallyhelliprdquo ldquoCreativity drive resourcefulnessresults great funhelliprdquo say clients
All sectors ndash ABN AMRO AXA BT Cadbury SchweppesDepartment for Constitutional Affairs HealthcareCommission Group 4 Securicor SABMiller SiemensSouthern Rail Unilever Wincanton
Our clients are happy to tell you what itrsquos like workingwith us
Contact Helena MemoryTel + 44 (0) 20 7493 0735Fax + 44 (0) 20 7493 0743E-mail helena-mhedroncomWeb site wwwhedroncom
CONSULTANCY
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
39scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
CONSULTANCY
SYNOPSIS
Founded by change and communication authority Bill Quirke in 1992 Synopsis is one of Europersquos leading internalcommunication consultancies Our clients include such companies as ABN Amro BBC BP British Airways DiageoEricsson HP Lloyds TSB Roche Shell and Vodafone
We help clients use internal communication to engage their employees in delivering business strategy and get most valuefrom their internal communication
We can help youbull Develop communication strategies that support your business strategybull Coach leadersbull Develop line managersrsquo communication skillsbull Plan and coordinate your communication with colleagues onlinebull Check the health of your communication channels and improve return on investmentbull Build and develop the communication functionbull Measure and track employee engagement attitudes and opinions
To take a tour of our online planning tool go to wwwsynopsisonlinecomproductplanningtoolasp
Contact Jane LebeauE-mail janelebeausynopsisonlinecomTel +44 (0) 20 7490 2900Web site wwwsynopsisonlinecom
CONSULTANCY
HARKNESS KENNETT
We specialize in internal communication To us thatmeansbull motivating people through inspiring leadershipbull guiding people through organizational changebull engaging people in delivering the brand
Working in partnership with our clients is central to ourethos enabling us to help deliver practical solutionssupported by solid strategic thinking All of ourconsultants have held senior positions ldquoclient siderdquo sowe know what itrsquos like to be in your shoes The vastmajority of our work comes from recommendations fromexisting clients ndash 82 percent of our clients haverequested repeat work in the last two years
Our clients include Abbey Atkins BDO Stoy HaywardThe Environment Agency Marks amp Spencer NHS Blood ampTransplant Morgan Stanley Europe Nestleacute PoliceInformation Technology Organisation Royal ampSunAlliance South West Trains and Vodafone
Our vision is simple ndash we want to be the first callyou make
Contact James HarknessTel +44 (0)1483 222730E-mail jamesharknessharknesskennettcomWeb site wwwharknesskennettcom
CONSULTANCY
TRIDENT COMMUNICATIONS
Trident Communications is uniquely positioned to definedevelop and deliver award-winning solutions that aligncommunication with business goals
We advise and partner with organizations of all sizes tocreate high-value practical applications Our talentedproject teams provide innovative research designeditorial and imagery for print and online
We connect ideas and deliver results
Contact Peter Agertoft Tel +44 (0)207 536 8900E-mail peteragertoft
tridentcommunicationsnetWeb site wwwtridentcommunicationsnet
CONSULTANCY
FLEISHMAN-HILLARD
Fleishman-Hillardrsquos dedicated internal and changecommunication practice helps businesses focus onperforming ndash not just informing
We help organisations plan and implement programmeswith the right mix of information dialogue and trainingso that employees are engaged aligned and motivatedto achieve business objectives
Because effective internal communication is vital tobottom-line performance we partner with our clients tocreate a daily dialogue ndash not a monologue ndash withemployees
Contact Nick AndrewsTel +32 (0)2 230 05 45 E-mail nickandrewsfleishmancomWeb site wwwfleishmaneuropecom
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE A listing in our Directory of Services will giveyou a chance to reach communicationprofessionals at some of the worldrsquos largestand most admired companies and to tap intodecision-making practitioners
ContactVincent SorelTel +44 (0)208 600 4670E-mail vincentsorelmelcrumcom
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
INCLUDE YOUR COMPANY BY CONTACTING US ON +44(0)20 8600 4670 OR AT INFOMELCRUMCOM
CONSULTANCY
HILL amp KNOWLTON
Better business results the bottom line
How do I manage more change Motivate managers Getthe right information to the right people Show the bestreturn on communication investment
Sound familiar Hill amp Knowltonrsquos change and internalcommunication consultants work with companies aroundthe world to find the right answers for their situation
We offer strategy insight and creativity drawing on ourconsultancy expertise and in-house experience Plus wedeliver practical hands-on help
We know that effective employee communication has adirect impact on the bottom line Working together wecan make it happen for you
Contact EMEA DavidFerrabeehillandknowltoncom
+44 (0) 7413 3176USA BarbaraEdlerhillandknowltoncom
+1 415 281-7160Canada KristaThompsonhillandknowltoncom
+1 613 786-9961
RECRUITMENT
VMA GROUP
VMA Group is one of the UKrsquos leading executive searchand selection consultancies specializing in internal andcorporate communication recruitment
For over 25 years VMA Group has provided the highestlevel of service to some of the most demanding globalorganizations developing a strong track record for thequality and professionalism of our search and selection work
We have in-depth specialist knowledge of the internalcommunication market and can provide high-qualitypermanent and interim candidates with expertise acrossinternal communication change management and widercorporate communication We understand the needs ofour clients intrinsically and strive to develop long-termrelationships with clients and candidates alike
Please call to discuss how we can help you find theideal candidate or if you wish to make a career move
Contact David BroomeTel +44 (0)20 7436 4243E-mail dbroomevmagroupcoukWeb site wwwvmagroupcouk
40 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONALCOMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS E-mail gaitensunityncsueduWeb site wwwconsultingsuccessorgTel 919 469 3895
CIB ndash BRITISH ASSOCIATION OFCOMMUNICATORS IN BUSINESSE-mail enquiriescibukcomWeb site wwwcibukcomTel +44 (0)870 121 7606
CCM ndash COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATIONMANAGEMENT E-mail membership
ccmconnectioncomWeb site wwwccmconnectioncomTel 866 463 4226
CPRS ndash THE CANADIAN PUBLICRELATIONS SOCIETYE-mail admincprscaWeb site wwwcprscaTel 416 239 7034
IABC ndash THE INTERNATIONALASSOCIATION OF BUSINESSCOMMUNICATORS E-mail service_centreiabccomWeb site wwwiabccomTel 415 544 4700
ICA ndash THE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONALLIANCE E-mail amandafoistericaukorgWeb site wwwiprorgukicaTel +44 (0)1628 642 044
CIPR ndash THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OFPUBLIC RELATIONS UKE-mail infoiprorgukWeb site wwwiprorgukTel +44 (0)20 7253 5151
IPRA ndash THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICRELATIONS ASSOCIATIONE-mail ipraseccompuservecomWeb site wwwipraorgTel +44 (0) 1372 461 188
PRSA ndash PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OFAMERICAE-mail resourcesprsaorgWeb site wwwprsaorgTel 212 460 1459
DIRECTORY OF SERVICESNEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
CONSULTANCY
Stuart Z GoldsteinManaging DirectorCorporate CommunicationsThe Depository Trust and Clearing CorporationUSA
Kim A HansonSouth County CommunicationsUSA
Fraser LikelyPresident and Managing PartnerLikely Communication Strategies LtdCanada
David MoorcroftSenior Vice PresidentCorporate CommunicationsRBC Financial Group Canada
Bill QuirkeManaging DirectorSynopsis Communication ConsultingUK
Chris GaySenior Vice PresidentROI CommunicationsUS
Per ZetterquistConsultantOccurro Strategy amp CommunicationSweden
EDITORIAL BOARD
Editor Mandy ThatchermandythatchermelcrumcomEditorial Assistant Sona HathisonahathimelcrumcomMarketing Manager Vincent SorelvincentsorelmelcrumcomSubscriptions Manager Jasmine EpirosubscriptionsmelcrumcomArt Direction Wesley Corbett
EDITORIAL ENQUIRIESNorth America70 W Hubbard Suite 403Chicago IL 60610 USATel 312 379 6500Tel 866-MELCRUM (Toll free)Fax (312) 527 4917EuropeThe Glassmills 322b King Street London W6 0AX UKTel +44 (0)20 8600 4670Fax +44 (0)20 8741 9975
MARKETING SUBSCRIPTIONS AND ADVERTISING ENQUIRIESNorth AmericaTel (877) 226 2764Fax (312) 803 1871EuropeTel +44 (0)20 8600 4670Fax +44 (0)20 8741 9975AsiaPacificTelFax +61 (0)2 9475 0640
BILLING AND SUBSCRIPTIONENQUIRIESE-mail subscriptionsmelcrumcomWeb site wwwmelcrumcomFor the fastest service please e-mail JasmineEpiro at subscriptionsmelcrumcomWe are committed to answering all customerenquiries within 48 hours Because we havesubscribers in over 80 countries e-mail is ourpreferred way of keeping in touch You can alsocontact us through our Web sitewwwmelcrumcom
No part of this publication may be reproduced ortransmitted in any form or by any meansincluding photocopy and recording without theprior written permission of the publishers Suchwritten permission must also be obtained beforeany part of this publication is stored in a retrievalsystem of any nature Articles published inStrategic Communication Management are theopinions of the authors The views expressed donot necessarily reflect the views and opinions ofthe publishers
scm is published six times a year ISSN 1363-9064
scm is printed on paper thatrsquos obtained fromcarefully managed sustainable forest reserves
Printed in the UK byThe Magazine Printing Companywwwmagprintcouk
Published by Melcrum Publishing Limitedcopy Melcrum Publishing Limited 2007
Editorial board members are respected communication practitioners and are an integralpart of the editorial direction of scm
About the publisherMelcrum is a research and information company with offices in London and Chicago Through ourpublications research training materials and seminars we gather best practices from businesses aroundthe world to help practitioners make better business decisions Melcrum has clients in over 80 countriesand has an international reputation not only for editorial and research products of the highest standardsbut also for tracking important trends in organizational communication corporate communicationknowledge management and human resource management
How to contact our editorsIf you have comments criticisms suggestions for articles or articles to submit our editorswould like to hear from you We will be glad to send you our guidelines for authors whichgive further information on the editorial mission of scm If you have an article proposalsend a 200-word synopsis toMandy ThatcherEditormandythatchermelcrumcom
Elizabeth ArmstrongHead of Marketing and CommunicationsStandard Chartered BankSingapore
Ayelet L BaronSenior Business Development ManagerGlobal Mobility Cisco Systems USA
Sam BerrisfordSenior Consultant Change and InternalCommunications DivisionHill amp Knowlton UK
John G ClemonsVice President CommunicationsRaytheon Technical Services CoUSA
Roger DAprixAuthorCommunicating for ChangeUSA
Linda DulyePresidentLM Dulye amp CoUSA
Christina FeeSenior Vice President Internal CommunicationsDeutsche Post AGGermany
copy Melcrum publishing 2007For more information visit our website wwwmelcrumcom or e-mail infomelcrumcom
scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
In Touch2 Useful resources for internal
communicators
The CommunicatorsrsquoNetwork4 The latest hot debates and
shared advice
People6 PROFILE Bernard Charland7 THOUGHT LEADER Lee Smith
Technology8 Using blogs to involve at
World Bank9 Technology update
Research ampMeasurement10 Does your intranet pay its way11 Finding a cure for survey fatigue
LeadershipCommunication12 Using message maps to
guide change13 Leaders in transition The first
100 days
ProfessionalDevelopment14 Get your development plan
on track15 Do your writing skills let
you down
Calendar36 Upcoming events
Directory ofServices38 A list of useful service providers
16 Building a learning framework for internalcommunicatorsBy Sue Dewhurst and Liam FitzPatrick
20 Defining the role of strategic comms atFarm Credit CanadaBy Kellie Garrett and Claire Watson
24 Engaging employees in Pfizerrsquoscommunity investment programBy Pam Baker and Christine Jenkins
28 How to get ahead in internalcommunicationCompiled by Mandy Thatcher
32 Communicating a One Company cultureat Pitney Bowes By Rob Hallam
FROM THE EDITOR
If you have any comments about any of the articles published in this issueor if you have an idea for a future article please contactmandythatchermelcrumcom
Dear ReaderFor 10 years Melcrum has championed theimportance of strategic communication andurged practitioners far and wide to resistbeing categorized as the editor of the staffnewsletter But a new study by
Communication Competencies into how internalcommunicators develop professionally suggests there may bea slightly more flexible way of looking at things
Leader or specialistThe research (analyzed in more detail in our feature onpage 16) highlights six typical roles When you read thedescriptions it soon becomes clear that each role isimportant albeit for different reasons Even the Specialistldquoa subject-matter expert in a specialist area such as webmanagement audio-visual production or eventmanagementrdquo whose role is primarily ndash dare we say it ndashtactical has something valuable to offer
The aim of the study was to develop a model thatreflected the diverse reality of life in internalcommunication The bottom line Decide what it is youreally want to do and find out how you can become anexpert Or if you head up a team find out more aboutmembersrsquo strengths and aspirations and match them to thecommunication needs of your organization We hope thisissue gives you a few good ideas on how to go about this
A new look for a new yearWe also hope it hasnrsquot escaped your notice that this issue ofSCM is sporting a bright and shiny new design Yoursquoll findyour usual fix of case studies and research plus new regularsections on leadership communication research andmeasurement technology and professional development
As always wersquod love your feedback and any thoughts onhow we can make this journal even more valuable to you
Mandy Thatcher EditorE-mail mandythatchermelcrumcom
Career development requires adegree of flexibility
FEATURES
SECTIONS
Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
contents
2 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
SENIOR LEADERS FOUNDWANTING
Two recent surveys from Watson WyattWorldwide and Accenture have foundthat both employees and middle managersfeel let down by their senior leaders
Accenturersquos 4th annual MiddleManagers Survey canvassed the opinionsof more than 1400 middle managers innine countries in Asia North Americaand Europe It found that only 39percent felt happy in their workplace
Although the reasons for dissatisfactionranged from insufficient compensation tothe lack of a clear career path thefindings point to a general sense ofmismanagement ndash an opinion consistentacross all the countries surveyed
Peter Cheese managing director ofAccenturersquos Human Performancepractice commented that ldquoFor the mostpart middle managers care deeply aboutthe future of their organizations and theirroles in that future but they are to acertain extent the lsquofrozen middlersquo
ldquoTheir success depends on having asense of security and a belief thatexecutives understand their concerns andare taking some action In leadingcompanies senior managers addressthese issues through clearcommunications direct engagement andperformance goals linked to rewards andcareer progressionrdquo
Trust in leaders dipsIn a separate survey by Watson Wyattonly half of the employees surveyed (49percent) said they have trust andconfidence in the job senior managersare doing This is down from 51 percentin 2004
Compared to 2004 the WorkUSAreg
20062007 survey involving 12205full-time US workers across all job levelsand major industries showed a slightdrop in senior managementrsquos ratingsfrom employees across most questionsFor example bull Senior management makes changes
to stay competitive ndash down from 57to 53 percent
bull Senior management takes steps tocontrol costs ndash down from 59 to 55 percent
bull Senior management behavesconsistently with the companyrsquos core values ndash down from 57 to 55 percent
ldquoThis dip in ratings is concerningbecause employeesrsquo attitudes about theirsenior leaders are a key factor in buildingengagementrdquo said Ilene Gochmannational practice director for OrganizationEffectiveness at Watson Wyatt
Link between engagement and commsOn the subject of engagement thesurvey also revealed a consistent linkbetween engaged employees and thoseorganizations where employees receivedfrequent communication from their senior leaders More than half (56percent) of highly engaged employeesreceive communication from seniormanagers at least monthly In contrast42 percent of employees with lowengagement levels say they receiveannual communication or none at all
ldquoCommunication is often thought to bethe direct supervisorrsquos rolerdquo says Gochmanldquobut companies can create stronger teamsand fuel excitement about the future ifsenior managers lay out the broad frame-works the firm will follow and supervisorsreinforce that message By engagingemployees such communication has adirect impact on the bottom linerdquo SH
For more information go towwwwatsonwyattcomresearchwwwaccenturecom
A ROUND-UP OF USEFUL RESOURCES FOR INTERNAL COMMUNICATORS
intouchEMPLOYERS CONCERNED ABOUTBENEFITS COMMUNICATION
Communication is one of the biggestchallenges faced by employers during theannual benefits-enrollment processaccording to a poll of 67 organizationsby Watson Wyatt Worldwide
While employers were satisfied withthe transactional elements of benefitsenrollment they were far less happy withthe effectiveness of health-improvementinformation decision-support tools andcost and quality information Well underhalf reported being satisfied or verysatisfied with those aspects
Employee concernsBut it was the growing complexity of the enrollment process and plannedchanges that most concerned employeesNearly 30 percent of employers reportedemployee concerns with each of those facets
The parts of the enrollment processthat seem to demand thoughtfuldecisions include contributions to healthspending accounts choosing betweendifferent plans and coordination with aspousersquos plans
Satisfaction with the process washighest for employers using a mixture ofinternal and external resources to support their employees through theenrollment cycle
In contrast half of organizationssupporting the process solely with localHR representatives were either neutral ordissatisfied as were 42 percent oforganizations primarily using outsourcingproviders to support employees SH
For more information go towwwwatsonwyattcomresearch
RESEARCH
ldquoBOTH EMPLOYEES ANDMIDDLE MANAGERS FEELLET DOWN BY THEIRSENIOR LEADERSrdquo
3scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
BLOGGING FOR A GOOD CAUSE
3 httpwwwnfp2couk
Steve Bridgerrsquos blogon how not-for-profit organizations(NFPs) can benefitfrom the Web 20revolution is
inspired by his own experiences workingfor NFPs
Bridgerrsquos ldquoabout the authorrdquo blurbstates that his credentials lie in anunderstanding of NFPs knowledge ofweb-based technologies and experiencedesigning webs for organizations such asUK charity the British Heart Foundation
Postings cover topics such as the useof video blogs and online photo-sharingcommunities like Flickr to enhance theeffect of storytelling ndash a popularinexpensive and effective engagement
tool available to NFPs This blog could be a useful resource
for communicators dealing with theunique challenges faced by NFPs andthose keen to take advantage of blogsand online communities SH
BUZZWORD HELL
3 httpbuzzwordhellcom
The raison drsquoetrefor this blog is toallow people tovent their angerabout the growingnumber of
technical buzzwords creeping into ourdaily language Or as the blogrsquos ownstated mission puts it ldquoWe willlsquocondemnrsquo buzzwords to the circles ofhell from Dantersquos Infernordquo
Most will already be familiar with
MASTERING BUSINESS IN ASIANEGOTIATION
3 by Peter Nixon John Wiley 2005
In the global village wework in today many ofus deal withsubsidiaries partnerssuppliers andcustomers throughoutAsia Yet many of usknow little about Asia
This is a book aboutnegotiation rather than communicationbut therersquos much to learn about doingbusiness in Asia especially if yoursquore acommunication advisor to line managersin your organization
The main message of the book is thatthe solution is always in dialogueDifferences with the West are describedin terms ofbull People relationships (families and
networks) are more important thancontracts groups are more importantthan individuals gender age andhierarchy matter
bull Process bargaining and variablepricing financial risks security risksand health risks Asians fear of
BOOKS EVENTS RESEARCH REPORTS BLOGS SURVEYS URLS
making mistakes (there is littleperformance management and evenone mistake can cost a career familyloyalty significant financialincentives) feedback (giving respectand saving face) and the widevariety of legal financial andgovernance frameworks
bull Content conflict avoidance (youcanrsquot openly discuss problems)variable pricing (negotiationdialogue) volume and marginscorruption and multiple currencies
Much of the book covers the stages inthe negotiation process introductionobjection creating contracting andfollow-up It also provides detailed how-to guidelines with templates lists anddiagrams that appear to apply tonegotiations everywhere not just in Asia
The rest of the book covers key aspectssuch as communication how to usetactics how to control and manageinformation peoplersquos motivation andbehavior and managing specificsituations and meetings
The communication chapter coverscountless aspects of face-to-facecommunication and much of this applies
ldquoWE WILL CONDEMNBUZZWORDS TO THECIRCLES OF HELL FROMDANTErsquoS INFERNOrdquo
ldquoTHIS BOOK ISRECOMMENDED IF YOUHAVE BUSINESSDEALINGS IN ASIA ORADVISE THOSE WHO DOrdquo
BLOGS
BOOKS
to communication within all cultures notjust in Asia
Although what is covered is handledwell there are some areas that couldhave received greater attention Forexample there is little discussion of thedifferences among the various countriesand cultures in Asia And Irsquod have likedmore on business etiquette and the useof humor entertainment and gifts
This book isnrsquot going to help youmanage corporate communication inAsia But it is recommended if you havebusiness dealings in Asia or advise thosewho do The author has vast experienceworking training and communicating inAsian countries He writes well andexplains things clearly
Review by Rodney GrayEmployee Communication amp Surveys Sydney
terms such as folksonomy monetizationblogosphere and social networking Forbetter or worse these terms have slippedinto our corporate language and areprobably here to stay
Still next time yoursquore working on acommunication about somethingtechnical it might be a good idea tocheck that not too many of the termsyoursquove used have recently beenconsigned to Buzzword Hell MT
4 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Keith HardieBerwin Leighton PaisnerDepending on the level ofcommitment in the seniorteam you may want to
consider a General Electric approachcalled WorkOut Essentially you getpeople together from a cross-section ofthe company give them a strategypresentation outline the problems tosolve and then get them to come up withideas The senior-manager host has tolisten to the presentations decide (onthe spot) whether to take the ideasforward and then help mentor theproject teams identified to take thesuccessful ideas forward
Q Does anybody have any ideasfor creating a cascade withparticular focus on trainingmiddle managers to do thismore effectively
Angela SinickasSinickas Communications IncMy experience and clientsurvey results show that
cascading as a way of broadcasting newinformation is not effective In factcompanies in my survey database whopurposely use cascading as a way ofbroadcasting new information are theones with the largest percentage ofemployees hearing things on the grapevine
This is because as soon as the directoror vice president conducts the firstmeeting the attendees go away and discussit with their friends in the office whosemanagers have not yet had a meetingMy experience shows that employees atall levels have higher information levelson key company topics in organizationswhere they rely on mass communicationto provide consistent and timely informationto all employees This is followed byface-to-face meetings to discuss thecontext of the information for each workgroup and how it might affect them
I would recommend using e-mailnewsletters to those with online accessand posting PDFs of the sameinformation on as many bulletin boardsas possible to reach employees withoutonline access
The training Irsquod recommend formanagers is how to provide local context
At the end you can either simply wrap upwith a summary of the ideas or have a15-minute break then reassemble tostart evaluating the ideas and identifyingwhich ones are worthy of furtherinvestigation or development Yourbiggest challenge is involving field-basedstaff The nature of brainstorming is thatit needs to be dynamic ndash itrsquos almostimpossible to get the full benefit viaremote links
Richard HareBritish American TobaccoIrsquom not sure how you caninvolve field-based staffwithout bringing
them in I believe you get the maximumvalue from people collaborating byphysically getting them together I knowonline collaboration is possible and thereare numerous examples on the web butthe will to collaborate to solve problemsin this fashion tends to come from thepeople involved
For the past couple of years wersquovebeen facilitating ldquoDeep Diverdquo eventsbased on the method developed by Ideo1
This was licensed by a company turnedinto a product and sold as ldquoinnovation ina boxrdquo Used in an event lasting aminimum of a day the participants talkto experts in the area of the challengetheyrsquore facing Itrsquos an innovative way toquickly get new ideas from a group Wefly people in to take part and have ateam of facilitators to help them with the challenge1 Learn more about the Ideo process at
httpwwwideocommedianightlineasp
Denise Baron Baron Communications ampEditorial ServicesEmployees will be moreinclined to participate in
brainstorming or other idea-generatingexercises when therersquos clear evidencethat senior management cares about whatthey think and is willing to take the timeto listen It also helps immensely if someof the suggestions are actually implemented
Unless senior managers intend to giveserious consideration to the ldquovoice of thepeoplerdquo in some tangible way ndash regardlessof the format employees will view therequest as an empty exercise and will behard-pressed to want to ldquoengagerdquo Sobefore you embark on yet another ldquothinktankrdquo clone the first question to askyourself is not how but why
Tom BrannanYes CityThe ideal genuine brain-storming session only lastsabout an hour any longer
and people will start to lose theircreativity Try going back to basics1 Decide what problem you want
to solve2 Nominate a ldquoproblem ownerrdquo Itrsquos
their task to give a five-minute briefon the issue to the rest of the group
3 Donrsquot involve more than a dozenpeople in the session
4 Give them 45 minutes to be creativein suggesting solutions
5 Capture everything but donrsquot allow anyevaluation ndash even the wildest ideashave value in sparking other thoughts
the communicatorsrsquo
NETWORK
A ROUND-UP OF THE LATEST HOT DEBATES AND SHARED ADVICE
In this issue we share some suggestions from the Communicatorsrsquo Network onhow to conduct the most effective brainstorming sessions There was alsodebate surrounding the idea of cascading information ndash to some it spellsdisaster to others itrsquos an efficient way to save both time and resources Andfind out what practitioners think about the use of logos for internal projects ndashare they helpful or just confusing
Q Does anyone have any ideas on how to create successful brainstormingsessions between managers and employees including field-based staff
QA
5scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
to higher-level information and how tofacilitate discussions ndash not on how topresent corporate bullet points effectively
Naomi CohenBSI British StandardsCascading has the benefitof high levels of trust(research shows the closer
to the employee the messenger is themore likely the message is to bebelieved) but low levels of reliability(therersquos great potential for distortion ofkey messages going through a thirdparty) I tend to apply a mixed approachdepending on the message
One factor for example is the sensitivityof the information If itrsquos somethingthatrsquos going to affect or threaten peoplersquosjobs go for face-to-face discussions assoon as possible both to limit theamount of time staff have to speculateand to demonstrate due careprocess
If itrsquos information that wonrsquot have animmediate impact there can be value ininitiating mass communication and thenallowing time for face-to-face briefingsThis gives staff the opportunity to thinkthrough what theyrsquove heard and considerquestions for discussion
Dealing with feedbackThe key is that the cascade works bothways Itrsquos vital that any questions raisedfor which the line manager doesnrsquot havethe answer can be sent back ldquouprdquo foranswering and any feedback is equallyfed back into the center
I agree that training middle managersis useful but so is training teamlinemanagers as theyrsquore the ones who usuallydeliver the information
One approach that can work well is toidentify internal ambassadors and usethem as your grapevine This is a groupof people at mixed levels that betweenthem touch all parts of the business andare the natural communicators eitherbecause of their roles or theirpersonalities
Brief them train them make them feelspecial explain to them the CEOrsquosthinking and use them to communicatekey messages as a supplement to formalcascades through the managementstructures
But if the objective is to communicateyour CEOrsquos messages then Irsquod personalizethem from the CEO consistently usinghisher name face and tone of voice Themore authentic the better
Q Does the use of logos to brandinternal communicationprojects create confusion ordo they help staff to quicklyidentify a message and itsmeanings
Nicholas Ranken Atos OriginIt greatly depends on yourcontext I worked on amajor change project for a
multinational company where the companyidentity and colors were consistently usedin their internal communication
Our project followed a previousattempt that had been a very costlyfailure So we intentionally wanted tocreate a totally different and clearlyidentifiable image and logo The projectwas also of high strategic importance sowe wanted it to stand apart from otherprojects going on at the same time
Given that the corporate colors at thetime were dark blue and gray which wefelt were quite conservative andunderstated we chose bright bold colors(orange with dark blue text as a link backto the corporate colors) and a dynamicpattern to reflect the modern innovativenature of our project
That said as a consumer of internalcommunication myself (in a differentcompany) Irsquom definitely sensitive to thenotion of too many competing logos andcolors An overload of logos and project names can really detract from theoverall message
Deborah GogartyBritish EnergyWe used a logo to brand aproject a few years agoThe project was never fully
embraced by the whole organizationbecause they identified the logo asrepresenting the project teamrsquosresponsibilities So the audience wasconstantly looking for direction from theteam rather than taking up the causethemselves The logo (and the collateralthat carried it) seemed to create anunconscious helplessness in the audiencewhich took a long time to overcome
What Irsquove learned is that logos arepowerful devices and need to beunleashed only when their full potentialon behavior has been gaged
JOIN THE COMMUNICATORSrsquoNETWORK NOWAs a valued scm subscriber you are entitled tojoin The Communicatorsrsquo Network an onlinediscussion forum for communication practitionersworldwide Itrsquos a lively community that helpsyou find answers to your communicationquestions fast The discussion is monitored soyou will receive no unsolicited e-mail and wewill seek your permission first if we would liketo print any of your ideas in scm
E-mail commsnetwork-onmelcrumcomto join and gain instant access to a globalnetwork of your peers
commsnetwork-onmelcrumcom
LATEST ON THEMELCRUM BLOG
Is good writing essential to being a goodcommunicator This question was posed bySCMrsquos editor Mandy Thatcher and responsesfrom around the globe suggested it certainly isldquoEffective communication by those who cannotwrite is a contradictionrdquo was one commentBut the broader debate in this discussionstream was whether the traditional route ofprofessional development ndash where you masterthe tactics first and then become a goodstrategist is being replaced by a new processwhereby communicators are free to pursuewhatever it is they do best Developmentexpert Sue Dewhurst replied ldquoEven wherepeople do pursue strategic roles thefundamentals are still importantrdquo
What came first Googlersquos culture or itssuccess Melcrum editor Alex Manchesterposed the question and commenters discussedthe effectiveness of Googlersquos famous ldquo20-percent free time for employeesrdquo project
Is it time internal comms became ICInternal communication consultant DeniseBaron took issue with the suggestion that theterm ldquoInternal communicationrdquo would soon bereplaced by the ldquotrendyrdquo acronym ldquoICrdquoBaronrsquos response was ldquoFor my money IC comestoo close to ICK Nothing trendy lsquobout thatrdquo
wwwmelcrumblogcomldquoThoughts and revelations on internalcommunication and beyondrdquo
6 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PEO
PLE
scm
Tell me about your roleUntil recently I was head of globalinternal communication at Dell but Imoved into a new role six months ago toleverage my consulting and agencybackground The best way to describe myrole is lead consultant for thecommunication function with a focus ondriving strategy and innovation
What does this role entailA priority right now is to develop andimplement Dellrsquos new digital-mediastrategy More broadly my mandate is tolook at what wersquore doing and should bedoing over the next six months and figureout how we can have more of an impactacross all our audiences
How would you describe the Dell cultureThe company is much bigger than it usedto be but the culture still has a strongbias for action and lack of complacencyThe expectation for our team is to remainnimble and proactive and look for waysto constantly improve and reinvent howwe do things My new position is a directreflection of that Therersquos a need for anoverarching perspective someone with acommunication and consultingbackground who can dive in developstrategies and direct projects
What projects are you working onWersquove already launched an internal andexternal blog and have just introduced
Studio Dell an online vlog outlet gearedto core customer groups containing videoclips product profiles and interviewsDell also recently established a presencein Second Life Part of my role is to helpkeep all these initiatives coordinated
What issues do you faceOne question wersquore looking to answer ishow to develop and expand our blogsShould we have external blogs for differentlanguage groups such as Japanese andMandarin And if so how do weproceed Internally should we developblogs for some of the regions orparticular divisions of the company
What have you learned about the social-media environmentWe were one of the first major globalcompanies to join the blogosphere Butthe general consensus initially amongobservers was that we were talking aboutissues that were relevant to us ratherthan customers or pundits outside DellWersquove learned from that and madechanges to ensure we listen as well as talk
What can social media do internallyLast year was a tumultuous year for Dell
in terms of our performance Employeesnow need regular updates and discussionaround the situation and what we plan todo to improve So the internalphilosophy is to be even more candidand transparent with employees thanwersquove been For example wersquore using theblog to facilitate conversations betweenemployees and executives
Have leaders resisted this approachTherersquos an understanding among leader-ship that we need to be candid and willingto listen to criticism and respond to itThe leadership team understand thatcredibility is paramount and are willingto share the facts wherever they can
What advice would you offer toorganizations about to start a blogSome companies make the mistake ofbeing enamoured with new technologybut donrsquot have a clear reason for using it
We were very clear about why we weregetting involved ndash to have betterconversations with our stakeholdersparticularly our customers This goalhelps us to define the rules ofengagement and guides the editorialcontent Externally if it isnrsquot relevant orhelpful to customers we donrsquot blog aboutit Our strategic purpose internally is tobe more transparent relevant andcredible when we talk to employees
Also do your homework We did a lotof benchmarking and looked at whatother companies were doing ndash good andbad ndash to get a sense of what we should bestriving for
Finally donrsquot just add to the noiseTherersquos already a huge volume ofinformation out there Thing about howyour blog can add something useful
How would you respond to the criticismDell received in the blogosphere last yearWe knew Dell would be criticized bysome of the influential bloggers Weknew there would be skepticism in viewof the companyrsquos customer service andfinancial issues in 2006 But we listenedadapted and learned from that Now thatwersquore part of the conversation amentality of continuous improvement isalways critical to doing well
DEVELOPING DELLrsquoS DIGITALMEDIA STRATEGY
Bernard Charland acts as lead in-house consultant for Dellrsquos global corporatecommunication function focusing on communication strategy and innovation Previousto this role he was director of Global Internal Communications for the company
Have a clear strategicreason for entering theblogosphere internally
or externally
Bernard Charlandrsquos varied background is proving valuable in his new role which isto focus on strategy and innovation within Dellrsquos global corporate communicationfunction A large part of this role currently is developing and coordinating Dellrsquosdigital-media strategy Here he describes whatrsquos been achieved so far future plansand lessons learned
PROFILE BERNARD CHARLAND
THOUGHT LEADER LEE SMITH
7scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PEO
PLE
scm
Lee Smith FCIPR is a director of Gatehouse specializing in internal communicationfor professional and financial services businesses He also authors the TalkingInternal Communication blog at wwwtalkingictypepadcom
had to give and I canrsquot pretend I wasalways a joy to be with during that period
It didnrsquot help that I lived nearly 80miles away in Birmingham During thoseyears I saw more of the M6 motorwaythan your average lorry driver I alsospent far too many nights eating badfood in cheap Manchester hotels all ofwhich eventually took its toll
Then came the exams nearly 30 hours of them Again Irsquod done myhomework so I managed to come awaywith decent marks
My final hurdle the dreadeddissertation took around two years tocomplete I chose to focus onorganizational identity and just to makemy life tougher decided to use a ratherobscure psychological researchtechnique Getting to grips with thatfinding the time to conduct lengthyinterviews analyze results and craft mytome was incredibly difficult
Being a perfectionist I took it right to the wire ndash submitting my finaldocument just before the universityrsquosultimate deadline
Time to celebrate Last month saw the end of my long andarduous journey The ritual of thegraduation ceremony was a fitting endingand helped draw a line under thatparticular chapter of my professionaldevelopment story
Therersquos no doubt that the course wasbeneficial and although the journey wassometimes difficult the experience wasmostly enjoyable I fell just 3 percentshort of the distinction grade I wantedbut Irsquom still very proud of myachievement And I know Irsquom now amuch more thoughtful and effectivecommunicator
Would I recommend the MSc route toother communicators Yes but I wouldmake sure they realize the enormity ofthe challenge A part-time MSc is not foreveryone It will demand considerabletime energy and effort and may welltake its toll on your personal life andyour waistline But if you persevere overthe long run it might just be worth itNow about that PhD
Irsquove always taken my professionaldevelopment seriously From themoment I entered the communicationprofession in 1991 Irsquove worked hard tohone existing skills build new ones andbroaden my knowledge Some havecalled me dedicated others obsessive
During those 16 years Irsquove participatedin dozens of training courses attendedmore than 50 conferences sacrificedmany an evening to study supported twoprofessional bodies judged industryawards written articles organizedevents volunteered for charities andmentored many aspiring communicators
My biggest development featYet all of this pales into insignificancewhen compared to my biggestdevelopmental feat so far ndash earning anMSc in Corporate Communication andReputation Management Itrsquos likecomparing a gentle stroll to scaling alarge mountain
I finally graduated from the Universityof Manchester Business School inDecember 2006 but it took me five longyears to reach that point Havingenrolled as a svelte twenty-something Igraduated an overweight and slightlygraying 35-year-old It was a slow andoccasionally painful assent
The first stepsBack in 2001 what appealed to me aboutthe course was its strategic focus Unlikesome post-graduate courses theManchester MSc is genuinely multi-
disciplinary touching on communicationtheory branding psychologystakeholder management ethics andbusiness strategy ndash to name a few
Itrsquos also refreshingly practicalcombining robust academic thinking withreal-world case studies While I wantedacademic rigor it was very important tome to be able to practically apply thelearning at work
It took me some time to understandthe relevance of the ldquoScrdquo in MSc Sciencewas a subject I detested at school but Irecognized its importance to my futureas a communicator I was also very awareof my own weakness in that area Thatrsquosone of the benefits Irsquove gained from thecourse ndash a real appreciation of goodresearch and the knowledge to do it well
Things went well academically though juggling part-time study with afull-time career is never easy I wasdisciplined enough to invest thenecessary time and to gradually work myway through the course reading list andgood marks followed
A balancing actThe course proved a little morechallenging on a personal level Work-life balance is hard enough to achieve letalone work-study-life balance Something
IS FURTHER STUDY THEROUTE FOR YOU
It takes dedicationbut a post-graduate
degree can beprofessionally and
personally beneficial
Who said professional development was easy Commitment perseverance andpatience are some of the attributes Lee Smith found invaluable as he workedtowards obtaining his masters degree
8 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TEC
HN
OLO
GY
scm
Creating dialogue within an organizationand encouraging involvement are two ofthe major attractions associated withblogs These were also the primary reasonsbehind the World Bankrsquos decision tolaunch their first internal blog last year
The occasion was the organizationrsquosannual meeting a series of events held inSingapore in 2006 This 10-day eventbrings together around 10000 peopleincluding media representatives to discussissues related to poverty reduction andinternational economic development
According to Egan traditionalmethods used previously to report on theevent such as articles video and audiolinks on the internet and intranet siteshad failed to spark employeesrsquo interest inthe progress and outcomes of the meetingsBlogging seemed like a good way drive toemployeesrsquo interest and involvement
Objectives of the blogEgan summarizes the objectives andrationale behind the blog as follows bull To provide an alternate voice to share
the business outcomes of the meetingsusing informal first-person reportingof behind-the-scenes activities
bull To encourage the use of otherresources by linking blog readers tomore serious information
bull To encourage employee interactionand increase dialogue
Throughout the event the blog wasupdated daily by the head of internalcommunication The entries wereunedited but reader comments weremoderated before they were posted
Outcomes and evaluationAccording to Egan this blogging experimentsurpassed their expectations by helpingto achieve the following three outcomes1 Renewed credibility for the voice of
internal communication ldquoCorporatecommunication always suffers thereputation of towing managementrsquosline The tone and delivery of theblog entries very clearly did not Wehad many comments along the linesof lsquoFinally the real storyrsquordquo
2 A feeling of inclusion ldquoBy providinga sense of the context and atmosphereemployees who didnrsquot attend theevent still felt like they were part ofit Many commented that lsquoFor thefirst time I feel Irsquom therersquordquo
3 Better awareness of the outcomes ofthe meetings ldquoThe blog provided thehook into other channels ofinformation which staff may nototherwise have consulted The first
thing some of the readers did in themorning was to check the blogrdquo
Egan admits that there were some whowere initially skeptical about bloggingldquoWe did have a couple of comments onthe blog saying lsquoThis is frivolousrsquo butothers responded by saying lsquoLighten upThis makes a nice change from all theboring official informationrsquordquo
Another problem was a potentiallyoffensive remark which had to be removedprompting the composition of an officialblogging policy to define the roles andresponsibilities of authors and commenters
Optimistic about the new toolFollowing on from the success of thisfirst blog the communication team hassince launched a variety of blogs some ofwhich have been successful others lessso Ironically a blog set up to discuss aworldwide conference on communicationgot minimal response Staff participationin external blogs has also been low ButEgan remains optimistic about thepotential of this tool
ldquoThere are millions of blogs out thereand lots of participation in them But ina business setting it takes a bit moretime before a community of practicedevelops and people believe that this is atrusted space where they can commentwithout being ridiculed or scornedrdquo
Advice to corporate bloggersTo build confidence in the tool Egan hasplans to launch an internal marketingcampaign and the organizationrsquos newintranet site will provide a forum forfuture blogging developments
Eganrsquos primary advice to fellowcorporate bloggers is to keep the contentgenuine ldquoIt becomes very obvious veryquickly who is doing the writingrdquo Shealso suggests keeping blogs topic or event-specific and avoiding general musings
Her final reminder is that blogsshouldnrsquot replace traditional tools butcompliment them ldquoBlogs can be fabulousbut you need to put them in context withthe other tools that are available Be veryclear about their purposerdquo
USING BLOGS TO INVOLVE ATWORLD BANK
Michele Egan is a senior communications officer in the World Bank Grouprsquos internalcommunications unit Among other tasks she leads the development and delivery ofthe grouprsquos electronic communication tools
Experimenting with blogsat the World Bank has
shed light on what worksand what doesnrsquot
In 2006 the World Bank set up a blog to spark interest and involvement in amajor organizationwide planning event The positive response has inspired a moreadventurous and experimental approach to blogging Based on recent experiencessenior communications officer Michele Egan reflects on the potential benefits andpitfalls of using this tool
MICHELLE EGAN
by Sona Hathi
INTRANETS EMBRACESOCIAL MEDIA
Neilson Normanrsquos latest report on thetop 10 intranet designs of 2007 shows anincrease in the use of multimedia andsocial media on intranet sites
Although multimedia was a significantfeature in last yearrsquos list this year seesphotos video news feeds and webcamsput to more innovative use Indicatingthat social media has not been a passingfad of 2006 many of the intranets haveimplemented popular Web 20 featureslike blogs (with specific business angles)and business-relevant wikis
Video is being used for training andcorporate communication butorganizations such as American ElectricPower have pushed the use of thischannel by setting up a TV studio forintranet productions offering employeesstreaming video and live webcasts
News feeds have long been used onintranets but this year the bestselections offer more relevant internaland external news and involveemployees by allowing them to ratestories and comment
Translation comes out topsMany of the reportrsquos winning intranetsoffer language translation for theirinternational employees Dow Chemicalfor example uses English for most globalcontent but translates important contentinto Dutch German French ItalianPortuguese and Spanish Selectedcontent is also translated into ChineseGreek Japanese and Thai
A total of 49 different technologyproducts are used by the reportrsquos topintranets with Windows Server GoogleSearch Appliance and SharePoint beingamong the most popular SH
httpwwwnngroupcom
9scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TEC
HN
OLO
GY
scmUPDATECALCULATING THEROI ON BLOGGING
The difficulty of placing a precisemonetary value on corporate blogging isone of the setbacks of this tool But anew report from Forrester calledCalculating the ROI of blogging offersways to identify the benefits costs andrisks that corporate blogging involvesusing a three-stage process 1 Quantify and assign value to the key
benefits of blogging 2 Estimate the costs of blogging3 Incorporate risk calculations into the
ROI model
The report describes how to measure theimpact blogging has on the businessoutcomes using ldquometrics that everyone isfamiliar withrdquo For example themonetary value of press mentions can bemeasured by counting the number ofblog-driven stories by online press webmedia and high-profile bloggers andthen calculating the cost of advertising inthe same publications
General Motorsrsquo case studyThe report also features a case study onGeneral Motorsrsquo two-year-old blogFastLane to which the authors applytheir ROI process Rather thanpresenting the company with a finalnumerical figure theyrsquove come up withnew objectives advising them how to getthe maximum benefits from blogging andimprove its impact on business outcomes
Whether yoursquove already startedblogging or are about to take the plungethis report provides direction on how toevaluate how your blog and decide whichdirection it needs to go in to gainmaximum business value SH
httpwwwforrestercom
SENIOR EXECS BIG ONNEW MEDIA
A survey of 100 CEOs and CMOs fromFortune 2000 companies found that 76percent of senior executives areexperimenting with alternative mediasuch as blogs Second Life and socialnetworking
The study by Weber Shandwick andKRC Research found that 69 percent ofthose surveyed currently use socialnetworking while 37 percent plan to useit more over the next five years
Ninety-one percent of those surveyedcurrently make use of their companywebsite and 66 percent plan to use theirwebsite more over the next five yearsmaking it number one in the surveyrsquos listof media tools
Use of virtual worlds to growAvatar-based marketing (marketingthrough virtual worlds such as SecondLife) came last in the list of 20 mediatools senior executives plan to use overthe next five years However researchersbelieve that the use of virtual worlds incommunication and marketing willincrease as more companies learn how touse them more effectively
Billee Howard managing director ofthe Global Strategic Media Group atWeber Shandwick said ldquoWersquore in theearly days of a totally new media eraThose companies that do not combinethe new-media paradigm with the best oftraditional media will most certainlyproceed at their perilrdquo SH
Source The Changing Face of Marketingand Communications in Todayrsquos CreativityEconomy
httpwwwwebershandwickcom
TECHNOLOGY UPDATE
When talking about return on investment(ROI) for the intranet and other ldquosoftrdquobenefits these are the kinds of results oroutcomes usually referred to
Measurable ROI from hard benefitsinclude bull less paperbull less hardwarebull less headcount andbull increased sales
Soft benefits includebull increased employee productivitybull better customer satisfactionbull faster time to market andbull improved employee retention
IBM Oracle and Cisco all measure theimpact and benefits of their intranet Allof them have measured the value to begreater than US$1 billion In fact IBMhas realized benefits from e-learning viathe intranet alone to be more thanUS$284 million
BT the UK telecommunicationscompany uses an online idea jar foremployees called ldquoPersonnel TodayrdquoEmployee ideas have saved BT nearlyUKpound100 million over the past four years
Sodexhorsquos SuperSleuthOne of my personal favorites is theSodexho USA Sales SuperSleuthSuperSleuth is an intranet web page andapplication that encourages employees tosubmit sales leads and prospective clientsvia the intranet
The SuperSleuth intranet pagegenerates cash rewards of up toUS$1000 for the person making thesubmission Sodexho says it hascontributed to a 100-percent increase insales leads In fact the SuperSleuth toolhas led to US$90 million in managedvolume (net client sales including salesby client) This is proof positive of akiller application
Impressive numbers As impressive as those numbers are youdonrsquot have to be a large technologycompany to realize measured ROIbenefits ndash ROI isnrsquot reserved solely forbig multinationals
QAS is a world leader in address
management and data accuracy Basedon data secured from national postalauthorities and other leading sourcesQAS captures cleans and enhances theintegrity of name and address data QAShas 400 employees with offices in the UK(headquarters) US Canada SingaporeAustralia and across Europe
While awards are nice to receive theQAS intranet has received more thanjust kudos ndash itrsquos delivering measuredresults and value for the business Someof the measured ROI benefits include bull Online expenses saved four person-
days per monthbull Finance savings online workflow has
reduced administrative processingtime from two weeks to one day
bull Purchase ordering saved four person-days per month and an ROI savingsof US$20000 per year
bull Sales proposal builder streamlinedproposal and sales process savesalmost US$25000 per year
bull Intranet use 115-percent increase inusage of the intranet (infers a yet tobe measured productivity gain)
Of all the measurements perhaps thesingle most important is ROI Tomaximize the intranetrsquos value andpotential you must secure the support ofsenior management If you want theirattention and support you better talktheir talk Nothing gets their attentionmore than ROI
Sell the sizzleIf executives view the intranet as a costcenter then itrsquos your responsibility to sellthe sizzle and prove the value with harddata ROI is everything in someorganizations (for example in financialservices) Other more progressivecompanies are intent to know and trackemployee satisfaction and productivity
Still others want to know both It alldepends on your organization andculture However only throughmeasurement will the intranet become ameasured quantity and a proven asset
Source Transforming your intranetwwwmelcrumcom
DOES YOUR INTRANETPAY ITS WAY
Toby Ward is a broadcast journalist turned consultant He founded and launchedPrescient Digital Media (wwwPrescientDigitalcom) in early 2001 His specialismsare site evaluation and strategic planning He blogs at wwwIntranetBlogcom
Hard data demonstratingvalue generated by the
intranet will alter itsperception as a cost center
In Melcrumrsquos report on Transforming your intranet Toby Ward of Prescient DigitalMedia authors a chapter on how to measure the value and success of your intranetHere we share his thoughts on that frequently elusive indicator of success ndash returnon investment
TOBY WARD
10 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
RESE
AR
CH
amp M
EA
SUR
EM
EN
T
scm
ldquoTO MAXIMIZE THEINTRANETrsquoS POTENTIALYOU MUST SECURE THESUPPORT OF SENIORMANAGEMENTrdquo
There are three situations that are mostlikely to create plummeting surveyresponse rates1 When a group never hears the
findings of past surveys or anyresulting changes they begin to thinktheir opinions donrsquot matter If theirpast opinions were valued so lightlythey feel less urgency to sharefurther opinions
2 When the group being researched isrelatively small researchers typicallyneed to poll the entire group on eachsurvey rather than querying arandom sample For example if youhave 1000 employees you wouldneed to obtain 259 responses to haveresults accurate within a margin oferror of 5 percentage points If thecompany is typically receiving a 25-percent response rate on surveysthat means that all 1000 employeesneed to be invited to participate inthe survey to get about the minimumnecessary number of responses for asufficient level of accuracyUnfortunately even for largergroups researchers sometimessurvey the whole group on everysurvey instead of identifying the rightsize random sample
3 When surveys are badly designedrespondents quit them midwaythrough The respondentrsquos feeling isldquoIf the company canrsquot be bothered todesign a good survey Irsquom not going
to waste my time taking itrdquo Somemajor survey design flaws includequestions that are difficult tounderstand questions withinsufficient or inappropriateresponse options or questions thatseem to have little relevance for therespondent Other major designturn-offs are surveys that are toolong or that are composed mostly ofopen-ended essay questions both ofwhich take too much time to answerFinally asking too manydemographic questions especially atthe beginning of a surveycompromises respondentsrsquo sense ofanonymity and kills their desire toanswer even the first real question
The following steps will help overcomethese three problems
Coordinate surveysTo avoid asking the same people torespond to too many surveys within ashort time coordinate all employee orcustomer surveys through a clearinghouse so that the timing of surveys doesnrsquotoverlap and you donrsquot ask questions forwhich answers are already available
Send the survey to only a sample ofthe audience (although yoursquoll need astatisticianrsquos help in selecting a sample ofthe right size) If you know severalsurveys will be administered about thesame time pick mutually exclusiverandom samples at the same time so thatno one person receives more than onesurvey during that period
Use short surveysThe shorter the survey the more likelypeople are to give you their time If youhave 100 questions that must beanswered break them into threeseparate surveys of about 33 questionsand administer them to three mirror-image random samples Yoursquoll besurveying more people but eachparticipantrsquos time commitment will berelatively minor
Also consider doing very short ldquostealthsurveysrdquo by phone for which you donrsquotobtain advance permission People mightnot even know theyrsquove been surveyed Asyou (and a team of volunteers) have theseconversations with respondents you wouldrecord their answers on a questionnaire
Connect research to resultsSome companies have a long history ofnot communicating results or outcomesof previous surveys If thatrsquos true of yourorganization try these two techniquesbull On a regular basis when announcing
changes the company is makingconnect the changes with relatedsurvey results ndash even if a changewasnrsquot made solely because of theresearch Your audience will get themessage that stakeholder opinionsare a regular factor in the waymanagement makes decisions
bull In the invitation to a new surveybegin with key findings and changesthat were made based on a similarpast survey and ask respondents tolet you know through the new surveyif the company is still on track Thisway your potential respondents hearthat completing surveys does resultin changes ndash at the very momenttheyrsquore determining if your latestsurvey is worth their time
FINDING A CURE FORSURVEY FATIGUE
Angela Sinickas ABC is president of Sinickas Communications Inc an internationalcommunication consultancy specializing in helping corporations achieve businessresults through targeted diagnostics and practical solutions For more informationvisit wwwsinicomcom
A downward trend in survey response rates is often blamed on the fact that peoplesimply become tired of taking surveys But there are ways to avoid the malaisesetting in says Angela Sinickas a key one being making sure that people feel theiropinions are actually being listened to Here she shares three common causes ofsurvey fatigue and how to deal with them
11scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
RESE
AR
CH
amp M
EA
SUR
EM
EN
Tscm
ANGELA SINICKAS
Little feedback the wrongsample size and poorly
designed surveys all leadto low response rates
12 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Organizations today ndash driven byincreased competition merger-and-acquisition activity and large complextransformation programs ndash arecharacterized by the need for constantand rapid change In our experienceconsistent leadership communicationsare at the center of helping theirorganizations address these challenges
With all the complex transformationprograms we work on we encourage the
leadership team to create a simple one-page ldquomessage maprdquo to use over a definedtimeframe The message map which welink to key program milestones andsuccesses helps the leadership team toplan what theyrsquoll share with employeesand other stakeholders and when
Message maps can address commonfailures of leadership communicationDuring global cross-functional programswhen all leaders consistently reinforce
the same messages they emerge as ajoined-up forward-thinking team
Message maps are also effective whenbuilding up communication to employeesover time rather than overwhelmingstaff with changes or diminishingleadership credibility by waiting too longto communicate
Compiling a message mapThe process wersquove used in the past to helpleaders develop a message map is quitestraight forward This is what we dobull We encourage leaders to work
together to agree and articulate thestory Agreeing the story typicallyrequires experienced facilitationThis encourages leaders to definehow the story will build and thengain momentum and commitmentover time
bull The story is then converted into asimple message map The mapshould make sense to all change-program leaders as this tool willguide the majority of theircommunication to employees Itshould also provide a clear view ofwhatrsquos coming next Message mapsare often shown as straightforwardtimelines but there are othereffective ways to present them (seeFigure One below)
bull Once the change story has beenagreed and committed to paperleaders use the map to know whencommunications should be deliveredand what supporting documentationto use for a consistent cascade
Revisiting communication plansOf course the content of the message mapwill need to be revisited Message mapsas with all communications evolve overtime They should be frequently reviewedto ensure that the messages ndash and time-scales ndash remain relevant to the programand align with program milestones
USING MESSAGE MAPSTO GUIDE CHANGE
Sally Harris is director of theCommunications and Engagementpractice at Molten where shespecializes in managing large-scale communication and changeprograms for global clients
Facilitate a meeting withthe leadership team to
agree and articulate thechange story
Sally Harris director of the Communications and Engagement practice at Moltenbelieves itrsquos often the simplest tools that are most effective in encouraging leadersto think more strategically about their communications Here she explains why theldquomessage maprdquo is one such tool
SALLY HARRIS
LEA
DER
SHIP
CO
MM
UN
ICATIO
N
scm
Figure One Example of a global message map
13scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
brand image and set an example for thewhole company
At The Company Agency we find thatmany CEOs are looking for strategiccommunication support coaching andguidance that goes beyond what theyreceive from their rostered PR agencyThey operate in a world thatrsquos typicallyquite lonely where information isfrequently filtered theyrsquore under aconstant spotlight and a gap existsbetween them their people and theircustomers Internal communication canplay a key role in helping the CEObridge this gap
A simple checklist Every CEO is different and facesdifferent challenges but herersquos a simplechecklist if you find yourself workingwith a new CEO or in a new role with anestablished CEObull Ask your CEO what kind of person
they would like to be viewed as byemployees ndash coach them oncommunication behavior that canhelp them achieve this goal
bull Establish very quickly what theCEOrsquos key message is ndash askquestions until it is crystal clear
bull Know your business and brief yourCEO on what type of communicationis effective or not within yourorganization
bull Provide informed guidance onemerging communication trends ndashsuch as social media ndash and explainthe business impact
bull Understand how the CEO listens towhat people are saying
bull Determine the CEOscommunication preferences ndash howdoes he or she like to receive andshare information both inside andoutside work
You should expect to be the leaderrsquoscommunicator ndash developing messagesand ensuring theyrsquore conveyed in themost appropriate way But the balanceshould be tipping more towards beingthe communication leader ndash a role whereyoursquore providing strategic counsel to theCEO and coaching them so theyrsquore moreeffective in their new role and environment
In May last year the managementconsultants Booze Allen Hamiltonpublished their annual report on chiefexecutive attrition The Crest of theTurnover Wave After studying the move-ments of CEOs from the largest 2500companies in the world they uncoveredsome rather startling facts An incredible1 in 7 CEOs will change job over thenext 12 months with poor-performingCEOs staying in office for two years Bycomparison the high-performing CEOstays in the job for just under eight years
Given that their tenure may be brief thisresearch only reinforces that the first 100days for the chief executive is a critical time
Creating myths and legendsOver the past 20 years Irsquove had the goodfortune to work for some great brandsand leaders Experience tells me thatduring their first 100 days the reputationthey bring from their previous job willeither be validated or contradictedEverything they say and do will bescrutinised Perceptions will be quicklyformed about their style and personalityMyths and legends will become thehottest gossip in the workplace
With this in mind itrsquos critical toquickly establish their reputation andwhat they stand for Internalcommunication can play a valuable rolein supporting the CEO and in turnestablish a long-term relationship withtheir new leader
Uncovering perceptionsDeveloping a personalized communica-tion strategy must start by finding outhow the new leader is perceived While aquantitative survey may satisfy those witha hunger for numbers qualitativeresearch will uncover how people reallyview the CEO as an individual and leader
With these insights itrsquos possible todevelop a plan to shape the existingreputation into one they would like tohave in the new organization This meansidentifying what they stand for andhelping them articulate how this supportsand builds the brand of the organization
Charismatic leadersIf you think about charismatic leaderssuch as Stuart Rose of Marks amp SpencerRichard Branson of Virgin or PhilKnight of Nike organizational culture isheavily influenced by the personality ofits chief executive
The behavior that resides within theorganization is typically a reflection ofthe CEOrsquos behavior and becomesassociated with the brand So itrsquosimportant to define what the new CEOwants the corporate brand to stand forand what they can do to achieve that
LEADERS IN TRANSITIONTHE FIRST 100 DAYSIn a recent Melcrum survey 44 percent of respondents said they plan to spend more ormuch more on communication training for leaders and managers With the topic firmlyon the agenda for the forseeable future this issue sees the launch of a new regularcolumn by leadership communication expert Darren Briggs He kicks off with adviceon making the most of the CEOrsquos first 100 days ndash a critical time for any new leader
LEA
DER
SHIP
CO
MM
UN
ICATIO
Nscm
DARREN BRIGGS
The first of a new regularcolumn on leadership
urges communicators tosupport new leaders
Darren Briggs is partner at The Company Agency where he advises and coachessenior leaders to be more effective communicators He has 20 years corporateexperience working at chief executive and board level with companies such as BritishAirways Microsoft Nike PepsiCo and Vodafone
The title of advertising guru PaulArdenrsquos book Itrsquos not how good you areitrsquos how good you want to be captures theessence of ambition And our recent surveysuggests that this is a message internalcommunicators should take to heart
As part of our research1 to define a listof core skills and competencies forprofessional communicators we askedpractitioners from around the worldabout their future career goals and howthey plan to achieve them Surprisinglyfor a profession that stresses the need forstrategies and plans most internalcommunicators appear to have a fairly adhoc approach to their own development
Results from the surveyAbout 70 percent of our sample said theyexpected to stay in internal communicationover the next three years Thirty-twopercent saw themselves gaining moreexperience within their existing jobswhile 37 percent aim to move into adifferent internal communication role
When we asked respondents what theywere doing to help develop their careersgaining wider experience being better
networked and finding a coach came topof their lists
Be honest with yourselfNow these seem like fairly informalactivities You might think they take lessorganizing than say investing the timeand budget to do a course or study for aformal qualification But if yoursquore beinghonest you know that getting the go-aheadto work on more challenging projectsfinding the right coach and building aprofessional network takes time andplanning These things donrsquot just happenovernight ndash unless yoursquore very lucky
Yet less than a quarter of internalcommunicators have a formal plan to helpstructure their thoughts about careerprogression and make sure their develop-ment objectives are met Twenty-onepercent say they have no plan whatsoeverand about half the respondents wecontacted say they have a plan but itrsquosnot formalized or agreed
Make the timeMaking time to discuss your career goalswith your manager and getting apersonal development plan down onpaper will pay dividends After all who
decides whether you get to work on themore interesting projects or not Andwhen yoursquore being dragged under byyour workload wouldnrsquot it be helpful tohave some targets to remind you to makethe time to network or read that articlesitting in your reading folder
If wersquove convinced you to think aboutyour own professional development hereare three important steps to get started
1 Be clear about where yoursquore startingfrom Think about what yoursquoveachieved so far in your career Whatskills do you have what are yourstrengths and which areas needfurther development
2 Look ahead to where you want to beWhat timeframe do you have inmind for your professional develop-ment What can you focus on rightaway and what are your longer-termcareer goals Be as specific as youcan about what you want to achieveand consider the followingbull Are there areas where yoursquod like
to be a ldquostar performerrdquo in yourcurrent role
bull How can you expand your networkor reach in the wider industry
bull How can you broaden your depthof skills or experience outsideyour current remit
bull How do you plan to move onwardsand upwards to a new role
3 Think about how yoursquoll close the gapWhat knowledge skills andexperience do you need What typeof development activity will help youget to where you want to be
If you know in your heart of hearts thatyou donrsquot invest enough time and effortin your own development make the timeto start doing this now
In our next column we plan to look atthe range of development optionsavailable and hear some reflections fromindustry leaders on what helped themreally accelerate their own learning andprofessional development
1 Turn to page 16 for a more detailed analysis of the study
GET YOUR DEVELOPMENT PLANON TRACK
Sue Dewhurst and Liam FitzPatrick run Competent Communicators acompany specializing in professional development for internalcommunicators and Melcrumrsquos official training and developmentpartner For more information go to wwwcompetentcommunicatorscom
A study into skills and competenciesfor communicators
reveals a lack ofclear career planning
The path to a senior role in internal communication is paved with good intentionsOr so suggests a recent study by development experts Sue Dewhurst and LiamFitzPatrick Here in the first of a new regular column on professional developmentthey review the studyrsquos findings lament the lack of a career plan and urge internalcommunicators to take action and plan their own development
SUE DEWHURST AND LIAM FITZPATRICK
14 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PR
OFE
SSION
AL D
EV
ELO
PM
EN
T
scm
ldquoTHESE THINGS DONrsquoTJUST HAPPENOVERNIGHT ndash UNLESSYOUrsquoRE VERY LUCKYrdquo
15scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PR
OFE
SSION
AL D
EV
ELO
PM
EN
Tscm
3 Cut the jargonJargon may have its place but it has noplace in employee communicationPhrases such as work-life balanceemployer of choice critical mass and thelike may make sense in behind-the-scenes discussions However when itrsquostime to communicate to the masses weneed to translate these concepts intoPlain English and provide a context tohelp employees understand Yes it takessome work but the payoff makes itworth the effort
Say the head of HR wants to share thelatest developments in ldquowork-life balancerdquothat will benefit employees He may betempted to relay the news using theterminology hersquos used to using with hisstaff However most employees havenrsquotbeen in on those discussions so theconcept may be foreign or fuzzy to themndash even if theyrsquod heard the term before
Any progress HR makes on the work-life balance front gives it the opportunityto communicate in a personal humanway and in the process capture employeesrsquoattention on an emotional level
The HR leaderrsquos message thereforemay go something like this Our liveshave never been busier and there are onlyso many hours in a day Because we atXYZ Company recognize how important itis to you to be able to spend real time withyour families while managing theresponsibilities you have on the job wersquovedesigned a program that we hope willmake your life less hectic
Most employees will relate to thatmessage It plays to their needs which isa powerful hook
Guarding against gremlinsKeeping an eye out for the jargonpassive voice and other gremlins thatmay infiltrate your writing is a goodtraining ground for being able toobjectively critique your own work Italso conditions you to look for otherways to improve your writing a habitthat will serve you well throughout yourlifelong apprenticeship
No onersquos work is as continually visible inan organization as the communicatorrsquosOur superiors our peers and the entireemployee population see us as theparagons of communications competenceThey look to the messages wersquove craftedas models of writing excellence and willpattern their own accordingly
When you think of it itrsquos one heck of aburden to bear After all how else didyou get the job if you couldnrsquot write well
But regardless of how well you dowrite how senior you are or how longyoursquove had that coveted ldquoseat at thetablerdquo when it comes to writing yoursquollalways have room to grow Thatrsquos becausewriting is as one learned professor sowisely termed it a ldquolifelong apprenticeshiprdquo
Here are three ways to improve yourwriting immediately
1 Avoid the passive voiceThe passive voice manages to creep intomessages to employees and itrsquos a sureroad to eroding their engagement It allowsthe writer to hide behind the message itclouds direction and itrsquos boring
Herersquos an example of really woefulwriting ndash a sentence structure that yoursquoresure to recognize Employees areencouraged to submit this form by the endof the month
Analyze that sentence and yoursquoll seethat not only is there no owner to thestatement but therersquos no clear directionEmployees are encouraged by whom
and what does ldquoencouragedrdquo meananyway Are employees required tosubmit the form If so then say so
The sad truth is this passive style ofwriting is all too common the happytruth is that we communicators are in aposition to do something about it Oftenall it takes is a quick rewrite Pleasesubmit this form by [insert specific date]Clear direct concise
2 Use second person Why talk at people when you can talk tothem When yoursquore communicating withemployees the use of ldquoyourdquo can befriendly and inviting
Take this message XYZ Companyemployees at customer locations shouldalways first check with their hosts to ensurethat connecting to the XYZ network ispermitted
Look what happens when itrsquos rewrittenfrom third person into second If yoursquoreworking at a customer site be sure to firstcheck with your host that itrsquos OK toconnect to our network
Yoursquove gone from impersonal toconversational
DO YOUR WRITING SKILLSLET YOU DOWNA recent discussion on the Melcrum blog raised the question of whether or not goodwriting skills are still important to the more strategically focused communicator Theconsensus was a definite yes ndash your writing ability makes an impression and itrsquos upto you whether thatrsquos good or bad Denise Baron provides some advice on how tomake sure itrsquos the former
DENISE BARON
However strategicyour role the ability
to write well remainsan important skill
Denise Baron is president of Baron Communications a business communicationsconsultancy providing strategic planning and marketing internal communicationproject management and editorial services to Fortune 500 companies
16 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Over the past five years wersquove found ourselvesbecoming more and more involved in conversationsabout careers in internal communication As theprofession matures expectations of itspractitioners are rising and for many people ajob in communication is no longer just a short-term stepping-stone en route to better things
But the question we hear time and time again isldquoWhat does lsquogoodrsquo look like when it comes to
internal communicationrdquo What skills knowledgeand experience should an effective internalcommunicator have at various stages in theircareer How do I know what I should bepersonally aspiring to and measuring myselfagainst How can I best develop my team Whereis the definitive framework to help me recruit thebest person for the job
In recent years there have been a number ofgood attempts to answer these questions In theUK a group of professional bodies got togetherto write the Inter-Comm matrix1 It listed theskills knowledge and experience a practitionermight need according to their level of experience
We were both involved in developing this skillsmatrix which was widely welcomed when it waslaunched in 2003 Some well-respectedconsultancies have also developed models to showhow a typical career path might progress whichhave helped structure career planning forindividuals and teams
A flexible model for a diverse professionDespite the success of the Inter-Comm matrix wefelt there was more to be done in the area ofprofessional development for internal communica-tors Fundamentally existing models tend to showa one-dimensional and predictable career pathstarting as a junior deliverer and developing into astrategic business-focused consultant
The implication is that if yoursquore deliveringcommunication or are tactically focused you musthave a junior role and if you have a more seniorrole you donrsquot get your hands dirty doingmundane things like writing or managing the
Building a learningframework for internalcommunicators
Planning your teamrsquos professional developmentmeans understanding the skills and experienceneeded to be successful Sue Dewhurst and Liam
FitzPatrick of Competent Communicators have beenresearching how internal communicators spend their timeat work and what behaviors the most effectivepractitioners display Here they describe a new learningframework that has emerged from the study
Identifying the typical roles andskills required for your team
BY SUE DEWHURST AND LIAM FITZPATRICK
scm FEATURES
ABOUT THE RESEARCHThe findings discussed in this article are based on research conducted at theend of 2006 More than 700 in-house practitioners replied to a survey aboutcareers competencies and development plans
A factor analysis of the data conducted by Ash Pattni Associates generated anumber of role types which were then discussed with 30 professionals atdifferent stages of their careers based in the UK Europe and North AmericaThese discussions mainly took the form of interviews and focus groups
The study also referred to data on competency modeling prepared by theUKrsquos Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
1 2 3 4 5
17scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
intranet or organizing eventsBut clearly the world of internal communication
isnrsquot quite that straightforward People join theprofession via all kinds of routes and at differentstages of their careers
We interviewed someone who started out as thedirectorrsquos PA a successful senior executive whostarted out as an engineer a former psychologylecturer and others who had joined through moreobvious routes in publishing and PR
Some had started out in junior roles Forothers their first role in internal communicationwas as a business partner Others had alreadyreached a senior position in another function andsimply moved across at the same level
A key objective of this study was to develop amodel that reflected the diverse reality of life ininternal communication one that was flexibleenough to be adapted to fit organizations andcommunication teams of all shapes and sizes
So we began our research by surveying communica-tors worldwide to find out how they actuallyspend their time on a daily basis and what skillsknowledge and experience they regularly use
The six types of practitionerStatistical analysis of the survey data suggestedthere were six stereotypical role types withininternal communication By ldquotypesrdquo we meansegments or groups of people who share verysimilar characteristics in terms of their skills andstrengths spend their time carrying out similartypes of activities and whose outputs tend to bejudged in similar ways
Most importantly these types can be plottedagainst two dimensions based on how they spendtheir time (advising or doing) and where theirfocus is (strategy or tactics) Figure One (right)illustrates these six types and how they plotagainst the two dimensions
Clearly every organization is slightly differentbut the six stereotypes described below shouldprovide a starting point for thinking about theroles and types of people you need in your team
1 The Leader Internal communication leaders manage teamsand lead the function either for an entire organiza-tion or for a large division or territory Theyspend much of their time managing and coachingteam members and working with senior managersThey see themselves as business people first andcommunicators second However itrsquos taken as readthat they have sound technical ability and will rollup their sleeves when needed Great internal andexternal networkers theyrsquore skilled at dealing withuncertainty and conflict Theyrsquore likely to bemeasured on business results and through thesubjective opinion of their senior customers
2 The Advisor Advisors support departments or major projectsby providing advice developing communicationplans and providing hands-on support to deliverthem Local managers trust them for their insightsinto business problems and understanding of howtheir organization really works Through well-developed networks and time spent understandingtheir audiences and carrying out research andfeedback they know whatrsquos really going onTheyrsquore judged on the quality of their advice andtheir ability to translate that advice into plansactivities and actions
3 The ManagerThe internal communication manager has excellentcraft skills and a sound knowledge of channelsThey spend most of their time on delivery Whenthey advise itrsquos normally about the best channelsto use or the most appropriate timing Goodmanagers arenrsquot easily intimidated and are greatat juggling different priorities Theyrsquore skilled attranslating between the boardroom and the shopfloor Their contribution is often measured bytheir ability to deliver activity against a plan andthe quality of work they and their team produce
4 The DelivererMost teams have someone in this role ndash a safepair of hands who can be trusted to make thingshappen That might range from compilingdistribution lists through to running a conferencesorting out the CEOrsquos open forum or writing andediting a newsletter Theyrsquore less likely tosupervise other communicators and depend ontheir organizational and craft skills to get the jobdone People value them for their ability to dothings on time and to a high standard 3
Sue Dewhurst and LiamFitzPatrick run CompetentCommunicators a firmspecializing in professionaldevelopment for internalcommunicators TheyrsquoreMelcrumrsquos official training anddevelopment advisors anddeliver Melcrumrsquos Black Belttraining program Theyrsquore alsothe authors of a forthcomingreport on competenciesdevelopment and standardsfor internal communicatorsand blog about developmentissues onwwwBlackBeltDojocouk
Figure One Six typical role types for internal communicators
TheLeader
TheLocal Agent
The Deliverer
TheAdvisor
TheManagerADVISE
STRATEGY
IMPLEMENT
TACTICS
TheSpecialist
KEY POINTSbull A new study has established how communicators spend their time and
what skills knowledge and experience they regularly use
bull The research identifies six stereotypical roles ranging from acommunication leader to a specialist (eg a web or events expert)
bull It also highlights 12 competencies that clarify the behaviors acompetent practitioner should display at each level An ldquoineffectiverdquocategory shows behaviors displayed by less able performers
bull The roles and competencies provide a framework for development
Building a learning framework for internal communicators
18 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
5 The Local AgentThis category covers a broad range of peoplefrom the plant managerrsquos personal assistant to aregional communication manager Internalcommunication is often one of severalresponsibilities for this person and they tend tohave a tactical focus Their agenda is normally setby the local management team although theirlocal knowledge and network makes them aninvaluable sounding board for the corporatecommunication team They tend to be judged onwhether activities happen and how satisfied theirlocal manager is with them
6 The SpecialistOur research found a small group of peopleworking in internal communication who see them-selves as subject-matter experts in a specialist areasuch as web management audio-visual productionor event management They have only a looseconnection to the mainstream profession andcould equally work in IT marketing or perhapsHR Because theyrsquore highly specialized they tendto work in large organizations
Building a competency frameworkOnce statistical analysis had suggested these sixrole types we began testing them out throughfocus groups and interviews with practitioners Inparticular we asked what skills knowledge andexperience people in each type of role neededwhat people saw outstanding practitioners doingwhat poor performance looked like and howpeople in the six role types spent their time
On the basis of this information we developeda series of 12 competencies (see Figure Two left)We found that each of the six role types could bedefined bybull Which of the competencies they need to carry
out their role (not everyone needs all 12)bull The level of skill knowledge and experience
they need in each competencybull How much of their time they spend using
each competency ndash a high medium or lowamount For instance there was commonagreement that the communication leadermust have strong craft skills (writing anddesign) but compared to say the delivererthey spend a relatively low percentage of theirtime working on this type of activity
Each of the 12 competencies has three levelsbasic intermediate and advanced Based on thedata we gathered we defined the behaviors youmight expect to see a competent internalcommunication professional display at each level
We also added an ldquoineffectiverdquo category listingthose behaviors our interviewees told us weredisplayed by less able performers For example
7
COMPETENCY DEFINITION
Building effectiverelationships
Developing and maintaining relationships that inspire trust and respectBuilding a network and influencing others to make things happen
Business focus Having a clear understanding of the business issues Usingcommunication to help solve organization issues and achieveorganizational problems
Consulting andcoaching
Recommending appropriate solutions Helping others make informeddecisions Building other peoplersquos communications competence
Cross-functionalawareness
Understanding the different contributions from other disciplines andworking with colleagues from across the organization to achieve betterresults
Developing othercommunicators
Helping other communicators build their communications competenceand develop their career
Innovation andcreativity
Looking for new ways of working exploring best practice and deliveringoriginal and imaginative approaches to communication problems
Listening Conducting research and managing mechanisms for gathering feedbackand employee reaction
Making it happen Turning plans into successfully implemented actions
Planning Planning communication programs and operations evaluating results
Specialist Having specific subject-matter expertise in a specialist area
Vision and standards Defining or applying a consistent approach to communication andmaintaining professional and ethical standards
Craft (writing anddesign)
Using and developing the right mix of practical communication abilitiesto hold the confidence of peers and colleagues (eg writing designmanagement etc)
Figure Two Twelve competencies for internal communicators
19scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
some ineffective behaviors attached to theldquobusiness focusrdquo competency arebull Doesnrsquot make the link between
communication activity and the business ororganizational context
bull Delivers communication activity withoutconsidering whether it will serve any usefulpurpose
bull Lacks understanding of their business area
Building a framework for a specific role The next step in this project was to develop asimple table to map out the competencyframework for an individual role showingbull The competencies needed in this rolebull The level of competency needed in each casebull How much time we expect someone in this
role to spend on these types of behaviors
You can either build a competency frameworkfrom scratch or if you think the role fits one ofthe six types we identified from the survey use thecompetency framework for this type as a startingpoint (see the framework for a communicationleader Figure Three right)
In practice competency frameworks will varyaccording to the size of the organization thenumber of people in the internal-communicationteam the expectations of managers and thespecific requirements of each individual rolewhich is why wersquove built a flexible model
For example a communication leader in alarge multinational organization may spend muchof their time setting the vision and standardscoaching and consulting building relationshipsand developing other communicators and arelatively small amount of their time ldquomaking ithappenrdquo or on writing and design Howeversomeone in a stand-alone communication leaderrole in a much smaller organization wouldprobably have to be much more of a ldquoJack of alltradesrdquo dividing their time evenly between thedifferent competencies
Next stepsMore information about the 12 competencies andthe baseline competency maps for each of the sixrole types will be detailed in a forthcomingMelcrum report Ideas on how you use thesecompetencies to plan your development areavailable to download atwwwcompetentcommunicatorscom
We hope the framework will help bringstructure to the process of defining roles planningdevelopment and specifying recruitment andwould welcome your feedbackscm
1 The Inter-Comm skills matrix is described in an article in SCMFebruaryMarch 2005 (Volume 9 Issue 2) called Developingcore competencies for internal communicators
Figure Three Framework for a communication leader
COMPETENCY LEVEL TIME
Building effective relationships Advanced High
Business focus Advanced High
Consulting and coaching Advanced High
Cross-functional awareness Advanced Medium
Developing other communicators Advanced High
Innovation and creativity Advanced Medium
Listening Advanced Low
Making it happen Advanced Low
Planning Advanced Medium
Specialist NA NA
Vision and standards Advanced High
Craft (writing and design) Advanced Low
CONTACT DETAILS
Sue DewhurstCompetent Communicatorssuedewhurstcompetentcommunicatorscom
Liam FitzPatrickCompetent Communicatorsliamfitzpatrickcompetentcommunicatorscom
ldquoOUR RESEARCH FOUND A SMALL GROUP OFPEOPLE WORKING IN INTERNALCOMMUNICATION WHO SEE THEMSELVES ASSUBJECT-MATTER EXPERTSrdquo
20 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC President and CEO John Ryan joined theorganization in 1997 For the first few years hefocused on financial viability and positioning thecorporation for the future ndash articulating a newvision redefining strategic objectives expandingproduct and service offerings and identifyingpotential growth areas
The business results were outstanding double-digit growth increasing profits and great customerloyalty But something was missing
Like many successful organizations FCCoperated with a silo mentality Organizationalpolitics consumed energy that Ryan felt detractedfrom employee satisfaction and he worried aboutthe impact on the customer experience
He wanted his direct reports to work togetheras a real team ndash not to behave like individualleaders of functional areas Although the groupperformed well when there was a real challengeafter the challenge was gone so was the teamwork
This is not unusual for top executive groupsbut Ryan wasnrsquot willing to accept that fate ldquoTherehad to be a way to have a team-based
organization where leaders had the autonomythey needed to perform while actively collaboratingto achieve a new level of unprecedented resultsrdquohe said ldquoFCC had a very hierarchical culture withfirmly drawn divisional boundaries so I knew Ihad a challenge ahead of merdquo
Cultural transformation from the topIn 2002 John hired Malandro Communicationbased in Phoenix Arizona to guide FCCrsquos seniorleadership through a unique cultural transformationthat would lead to the creation of a high-performance team Leaders committed to being100-percent accountable for their impact onpeople and business results They let go of thetraditional 50-50 model ldquoIrsquoll do my part if you doyoursrdquo ndash a model that breeds a culture of blameconspiracies and distrust
In a series of formal training initiatives leaderswere taught to speak from the heart listen toother perspectives be open and responsive tofeedback and encourage personal andprofessional growth
Opportunity for internal communicationBy 2003 we were well on our way FCC producedremarkable business results with strong numbersright across the board The portfolio grew fromnearly CAN$9 billion to over CAN$10 billionThen two things happened that created anopportunity for internal communication tobecome a driver of business results 1 In 2003 we earned 50th place on Canadarsquos
ldquo50 Best Employersrdquo list and a respectableemployee engagement score of 69 percent
Defining the role ofstrategic comms atFarm Credit Canada
Farm Credit Canada (FCC) is in the fourth year of acultural-transformation program At the start of itsjourney clear expectations were set defining the role
to be played by internal communication In this summaryof the companyrsquos plans and achievements Kellie Garrettand Claire Watson describe the goals strategies andtactics employed by the internal communication teamand the impressive results achieved to date
Setting the stage for a cultural transformation
BY KELLIE GARRETT AND CLAIRE WATSON
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Farm Credit Canada isCanadarsquos largest provider offinancing to the agricultureindustry It serves 45000customers and has 1300employees working from 100rural offices across CanadaFCC is ranked eighth amongCanadarsquos 50 best employers
21scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC is a high performer in all otheroperational areas and employee engagementis a strong predictor of sustained corporateperformance But the survey showed therewas work to be done to align perceptionsbetween the senior leadership team andemployees Detailed results showed the gaps(see Figure One below)
2 Ryan became more determined to create ahigh-performance team that could deliver anextraordinary customer experience andsustainable business results
Establishing expected behaviorAs a first step towards creating a critical mass ofleaders who visibly demonstrate the behaviorsrequired to transform FCCrsquos culture middlemanagement and key cross-functional teams weretrained in responsible teamwork practices andcommunication skills
Ryan then created a set of 10 cultural practicesthat explicitly outlined how he expectedemployees at all levels to behave (see side barnext page) The foundation of these practices isthe belief that the drive for business results mustbe balanced by the attendant impact on people Inother words how the work was accomplished wasevery bit as important as what was accomplishedThe cultural practices were rolled out to allemployees in 2003
With the expected behavior from leaders andemployees clearly articulated it was time forinternal communication to find opportunities tosupport and promote these behaviors
Challenge 1 Creating a strategic frameworkOur first objective was to create a broaderstrategic framework for internal communicationA review of best-practice companies revealed thatformal media represents about 10 percent of allinternal communication channels with internalsystems accounting for another 10 percent Theremaining 80 percent is influenced by theorganizational culture
Our task was to put a formal strategy in placethat would strengthen the 10 percent ofcommunication we did have control over ndash theinternal communication channels
Within FCC the dominant employeecommunication channels were immediatemanagers e-mail and the intranet (Myinet)Front-line managers delivered corporate messagesdirectly to employees and their efforts weresupported by all-staff e-mails
There was nothing wrong with this approachbut it didnrsquot go far enough in the delivery of clearconsistent messages about strategic direction orcorporate priorities Nor did it create a line ofsight between individuals and business outcomes
For example a lack of central coordination wasresulting in unclear mixed messages thatconfused the internal audience A proliferation ofemployee surveys were independently conductedby various business units and the corporate e-mail system was choked with high volumecontributing to information overload
The intranetrsquos navigational structure and searchcapability needed major improvement datedinformation needed to be archived and majordocuments needed to be redeveloped in a web-friendly format
Defining our strategy and objectivesAware of these drawbacks we defined ourstrategy as To adopt a more integrated approachto internal communication and make sure allmessages focus employees on the businesspriorities Our strategies included the followingbull Segment the employee audience and define
communication needs based on demographicspsychographics and geographic location
bull Create a consistent voice across all groupsbull Ensure internal communication is mandatory
for all major corporate initiatives and isintegrated across channels and with othercommunication activities
bull Deliver targeted information through a varietyof channels and vehicles to reinforce messaginghelp with recall appeal to differentpreferences and create and sustain interest
bull Redevelop the intranet and position it as aninformation source for corporate businessemployee industry and technical information
bull Reduce the volume of corporate e-mailbull Implement a monthly employee survey to
replace the proliferation of one-off surveysindependently launched by business units
bull Create broad awareness and understanding ofkey corporate drivers such as business strategycorporate values and brand positioning 3
Kellie Garrett ABC MALeadership is senior VPStrategy Knowledge ampReputation at Farm CreditCanada and Chair of the IABCResearch Foundation Garrettis a frequent speaker onbusiness strategy leadershipand personal brand
Claire Watson ABC APR isthe master communicationstrategist for Farm CreditCanada Watson has won anumber of international andnational awards for her workis a published author and acertified change managementspecialist
MEASUREMENT EMPLOYEES SENIORMANAGERS
GAP
Senior management is open and honest incommunication
59 94 -35
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible
54 88 -34
Managers effectively support andimplement our people practices
48 81 -33
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 94 -23
Figure One Engagement survey results
22 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Defining the role of strategic comms at Farm Credit Canada
Successful tactics introducedSome of the tactics wersquove successfully introducedto bring this strategy to life include the following
1 Tracking key messagesWe created an employee key-message matrix thatis shared with leaders across the organization andhelps to ensure we deliver a consistent messageWe deliver the rewritten message through avariety of channels including e-mail letter featurearticle in the internal publication online throughour Monday Morning Update or directly to staffmeetings through managers and supervisors
2 Adopting a multi-channel approachWersquove expanded our channels beyond e-mail andthe intranet New channels now includebull AgriCulture ndash an employee print newsletter
published three times a year to communicatecorporate information and reinforce FCCrsquossocial and cultural fabric
bull An online feature called ldquoFrom the Desk ofthe CEOrdquo to keep employees in the loop
bull All staff e-mails from the CEO and VPsbull Discussion guides and QampAs for leadersbull Internal presentations and speeches delivered
by the senior leadership teambull Other printed material such as pocket cards
and brochures accompanied by a letter
3 Cutting down on information overloadSteps wersquove taken includebull Bundling all-staff messages into a Monday
Morning Update and bundling messages forcorporate headquarters staff into a CorporateOffice Update
bull Implementing a corporate e-mail policy withdefined subject-line conventions length andapproved topics
bull Restricting the use of all-staff e-mails to thesenior management team and certain keyindividuals
bull Improving the functionality of the intranetand redeveloping key business tools forefficient web use
bull Centralizing coordination of internal surveysbull Elevating the quality and clarity of internal
speeches and conferences to focus onstrategic business drivers
Challenge 2 Supporting leadershipThe results of our 2003 engagement survey alsorevealed an opportunity to increase trust betweenemployees and FCCrsquos senior management teamRyan and his VP responsible for communication(Kellie Garrett) believed that creating greatervisibility and better access to the senior managerswas vital to the establishment of a values-basedculture and a high-performance team
7
MEASUREMENT 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Senior management is open and honestin communication
59 73 81 83 91
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible to employees
54 71 82 83 81
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 81 87 87 85
I see strong evidence of effectiveleadership from the senior leadershipteam
69 83 87 88 93
I have a good understanding ofbusiness goals and objectives
76 77 81 81 88
Senior leadership has clearlycommunicated what we need to do tobe successful
NA NA 89 90 93
Figure Two Survey scores tracked from 2003-2007
FCCrsquoS 10 CULTURAL PRACTICESWe hold ourselves and each other accountable for
1 Our impact on business results and our impact on people
2 Delivering on commitments agreements and promises
3 Building and sustaining committed partnerships
4 Creating a safe environment where people can speak up without fear
5 We measure our success by how others perceive and respond to ourleadership not by our personal point of view
6 We talk straight in a responsible manner We are committed to the successof others ndash we do not engage in ldquoconspiracies againstrdquo people
7 We ldquolisten forrdquo contributions and commitment We do not listen againstpeople or ideas
8 We are highly coachable We actively seek and listen to coaching
9 We clean up and recover quickly
10 We acknowledge others often and celebrate both small and largesuccesses
ldquoLIKE DEVELOPING A COMPANYrsquoS IMAGE ORBRAND CULTURE CAN lsquoJUST HAPPENrsquo OR ITCAN BE DESIGNED STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONHAS PLAYED A CENTRAL ROLErdquo
23scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 FCC launched a culture-change program focused on
improving performance across the organization
bull Two key aims of the program are to encourage leaders and employeesto embody the values and improve staff engagement
bull Defining its strategy and goals at the outset internal communicationhas played a role in achieving these objectives
bull Results so far include less information overload a more accessibleleadership team and improved engagement scores
The challenge for internal communication wasto improve employeesrsquo perception of the visibilityaccessibility and trust for the senior managementteam Successful tactics introduced includebull A ldquoDine-Aroundrdquo program where three
senior leaders host a monthly lunch for ninepeople
bull An online forum called SMT Exchangewhere employees can anonymously askleaders tough questions and answers areposted for all to see
bull Senior leaders author more all-staff e-mailsare more visible and accessible at companyevents and deliver presentations that focus onconnecting employees to the business agenda
The goals we started with When we defined our internal communicationstrategy in 2003 we had some clear goals to worktowards These werebull To communicate relevant information in a
timely consistent and memorable waybull To reduce information overloadbull To influence an increase in the
communication-related elements of theengagement index
bull To contribute to an increase in employeeengagement from 69 to 74 percent
We also had specific year-one objectivesbull To increase understanding of business goals
and objectives beyond 78 percent bull To increase employee opinion about effective
senior leadership from 69 to 73 percentbull To improve employee opinions related to
senior management
Achievements and measurable resultsWith these goals guiding our efforts themeasurable results wersquove achieved so far includebull The bundling of all-staff e-mail has reduced
the volume by 88 percent ndash amounting toaround 350000 messages over one year
bull Over 450 employees have lunched with amember of the senior management team and170 QampAs have been posted on our seniormanagement online exchange
bull The survey scores relating to employeesrsquoperception of leadership and theirunderstanding of goals and objectives showsteady improvement since 2003 (see FigureTwo bottom left)
bull FCCrsquos engagement scores and subsequentranking among Canadarsquos 50 best employershas moved from 69 percent engagement and50th place in 2004 to 81 percent and 35thplace in 2005 84 percent and 12th place in2006 and 82 percent and 8th place in 2007
Cultural transformationThe internal communication strategy described inthis article has set the stage to communicatecultural transformation across the organization
Wersquore now in the fourth year of our culturaltransformation ndash creating an environment wherepeople are empowered feel safe and highperformance can flourish This involves aquantum shift in how employees behave andrelate to their co-workers and customers
Like developing a companyrsquos image or brandculture can ldquojust happenrdquo or it can be designedStrategic communication has played a central roleto create awareness understanding commitmentand motivate changes in behavior at every level ofthe organization
John Ryan has the final word ldquoOver the years Ihave learned that communication is at the heartof building a high-performance culture ndash a culturewhere people are fully engaged Communicationis vital Without it leaders cannot effect positivechange Our internal strategy recognizesemployees as a primary audience and a keyconduit to the customer the media stakeholdersand communities Our strategic approach tointernal communication significantly contributesto business resultsrdquo scm
CONTACT DETAILS
Kellie GarrettFarm Credit CanadaKellieGarrettfcc-facca
Claire WatsonFarm Credit CanadaClaireWatsonfcc-facca
24 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
In January 2004 Pfizer at Sandwich in Kent UKcommissioned a review of its existing charitablecontributions program which included matchedpayroll giving volunteering and grants for localcommunity charities and voluntary groups CCWorks the community investment consultancywas also approached to manage the day-to-dayadministration of grant applications from thecommunity
However it was decided that the administrationcould not be effectively managed until suitablecriteria were put in place for the grants programEssentially a company cannot outsourceresponsibility for its charitable donations unlesstherersquos a clear strategy in place for doing this
Although there were various policies in placefor the different elements of the existingcommunity investment program there was a lackof strategic direction to the program as a whole
Auditing the community grants programAs a first step CC Works examined the existinggrants program and also conducted external
benchmarking with voluntary organizations in thecommunity to gage perceptions of Pfizer
It emerged that many organizations werereceiving small grants ndash although some werenrsquotsure why ndash but only 16 percent of the currentspend was going on health-related causes ForPfizer a major global healthcare company thiswasnrsquot strategic It was clear that as a healthcarecompany Pfizer should be trying to improve thehealth of its local area by focusing on three coreareas health community and education
There was also a need for grants to be morelocally focused A significant amount of the spendwas going outside of the immediate East Kentarea CC Works recommended that to allow thecompany maximum freedom to operate in itscommunity it should focus grants on theimmediate community of East Kent which alsohappened to be a deprived area
Segmenting current grantsWorking in partnership with CC Works currentgrant allocation was examined by sector localarea and size of grant and in May 2004 two-yeartargets were set to increase the strategic impact ofcommunity grantsbull Increase grants allocated to health-related
projects to 50 percentbull Increase average grant from UKpound300 to
UKpound1000bull Increase East Kent allocation to 90 percent
This change was designed to be gradual so thatthe shift in allocation could be well managed
The new focus on the community mirrors
Engaging employees inPfizerrsquos communityinvestment program
In 2003 Pfizer at Sandwich UK was running manyelements of a community investment program butthere was little awareness among employees and no
real focus By July 2006 the program had beentransformed and now actively contributes to employeeand community relationships Here Pam Baker andChristine Jenkins describe the journey from disconnectedpolicies to award-winning program
Communicating an approach with clear links toemployees and the local community
BY PAM BAKER AND CHRISTINE JENKINS
scm FEATURES
Pfizerrsquos site at Sandwich inKent is the UK manufacturingheadquarters of Pfizer Incglobal pharmaceuticalcompany Its workforce of4000 makes it the largestprivate employer in East Kent
1 2 3 4 5
25scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pfizerrsquos global mission to be ldquothe most valuedcompany to patients customers colleaguesinvestors business partners and the communitieswhere we work and liverdquo For the communityinvestment program a measurable mission wascreated ldquoto improve the health indicators of thepeople of East Kentrdquo
Focus on colleague involvementThe next step in July 2004 was to conduct areview of the employee engagement elements ofcommunity investment to examine how thesecould be better integrated These elementsincluded payroll giving volunteering and staff-matched fundraising
For Pfizer at Sandwich the obvious first choicewas to look at volunteering Eighty-five percent ofPfizer employees are minimum graduate level ndashoffering much-needed skills to a deprived areaAll employees have five paid days a year they canuse for volunteering ndash this not only supports thecommunity it boosts employee engagement andcreates opportunities for employees to visiblyconnect with the community and vice versa
In October 2004 volunteering was identified asa key area for development but for employeevolunteering to be a success it had to beproactively marketed inside Pfizer and thereneeded to be adequate support andadministration behind the program
A database of volunteering opportunitiesIn conjunction with CC Works a searchable data-base of local volunteering opportunities was createdPfizer felt it was important to create a tailoreddatabase that would be furnished internally inorder to ensure a local bias and to maintain thequality of the information supplied to employees
In order to tie in with employeesrsquo personaldevelopment plans opportunities in the databasehad to meet at least two of Pfizerrsquos six keycompetencies 1 Team development2 Project management3 Coaching and development4 Decision making5 Effective partnership6 Working with change
To fill the database with relevant opportunities allorganizations that had contacted Pfizer for grantsor funding in the past three years were re-contacted and asked if they would also beinterested in volunteering
Over 70 percent responded positively and 300volunteering opportunities were sourced CCWorks helped the voluntary organizations puttogether opportunities that were most likely totake advantage of Pfizer employeesrsquo range of
specialist skillsThese opportunities were categorized on the
database according to skill geographic area andtype of charity allowing employees to search forsomething suitable for them Pfizer wasnrsquotprescriptive in its approach and allowed staff tovolunteer where the opportunity matched theirpersonal-development goals interests or wasgeographically convenient
Opportunities were wide-ranging from helpingin a charity shop to teaching in a schoolImportantly because database management isoutsourced to CC Works therersquos constantproactivitiy around seeking new opportunities andproviding administrative support that would havebeen difficult to maintain in-house
Launching the ldquoReaching Outrdquo programTo encourage involvement and awarenessemployees were asked to suggest a name for therevitalized volunteering program ldquoReaching Outrdquowas chosen and the new volunteering website waslaunched in May 2005 The site sits on PfizerSandwichrsquos intranet and any employee orcontractor can access it
A charity week was also held to help promotethe Reaching Out program Various charitiesvisited Pfizer during lunch breaks to explain whatthey do and the opportunities to work with themA soft incentive for staff to register on theReaching Out site was that Pfizer would donate20 rehydration sachets to Unicef (monetary valueof about pound2)
Reaching Out was also featured in a webcastfrom a senior leader that went to all employees(about 3000 staff plus contractors) at the start ofthe week and it was profiled in the weekly onlinemagazine Pipeline 3
Pam Baker is directorStrategic Operations andCommunity Affairs at Pfizer UK
Christine Jenkins is founderof CC Works a consultancyoffering communityinvestment advice andpractical solutions to thecorporate and voluntarysectors Previously she heldsenior manager roles in thevoluntary and private sectors
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 an audit of Pfizer at Sandwichrsquos community investment
program revealed a lack of strategic direction
bull In partnership with consultancy CC Works a decision was made tofocus the program on the local community
bull An effort to raise employee involvement through volunteering hasboosted the program and linked it to employee engagement
bull The ldquoReaching Outrdquo website gives employees the freedom to work withcharities of their choice
bull By July 2006 the ldquoHealthy Communitiesrdquo program had beentransformed and won a National Example of Excellence award fromBusiness in the Community
26 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TOP TIPS FOR COMMUNITY INVESTMENTbull Ask yourself why yoursquore undertaking this program and seek clarity around
your objectives
bull Focus on likely ldquowinsrdquondash ie areas with scope for improvement such asemployee engagement or external awareness
bull Tackle one area at a time in stages and aim for excellence in each arearather than trying to boil the ocean
bull Communication is key to success Create a distinct brand and identity forthe program to encourage awareness and involvement
bull Integrate different community programs ndash a holistic approach can maximizebenefits for the community staff engagement and corporate reputation
Over 450 employees registered to use thesite over the next two months with 230 employees(8 percent of staff) actively volunteering duringthe first year This beat a target to have 5 percentof employees volunteering 12 months after launchIn 2005 employees volunteered 4800 hours
Helping employees select the right optionEmployees can search the volunteering databaseby skill geographic area or type of charity and aregiven a range of choices Then the onus is on theemployee to speak to the charity and obtainfurther details on current opportunities inaddition to whatrsquos on the database The employeethen applies to his or her line manager Anintegrated work process enables staff to obtainapproval from their manager interact with thevoluntary organization and record their effortskeeping administration to a minimum
Managers at Pfizer Sandwich are keen foremployees to volunteer because theyrsquore aware ofthe potential benefits in terms of employeeengagement and skills development ndash a largenumber of managers are volunteers themselvesPfizer also held briefing sessions for managers toensure they were aware of the volunteeringprogram its benefits and how it works
7
Engaging employees in Pfizerrsquos community investment program
Incorporating employee feedbackThe database tracks employeesrsquo volunteeringefforts including how many hours theyrsquove doneand their feedback on the opportunitiesEmployee feedback can then be accessed by otherstaff looking for an opportunity The databasegives employees better insight into the availableopportunities and allows them to select somethingthat appeals to them so that both the employeeand the organization where they volunteer gets abetter ldquofitrdquo
The database also allows for better integrationof the whole program where volunteering canprovide an alternative or an addition to fundingFor example a well-known national charityapplied to Pfizer at Sandwich for some fundingaround a diversity initiative Pfizer suggested theirdiversity manager volunteer for them instead whohelped create the charityrsquos diversity program thatis now being launched nationally
Creating an integrated programIn May 2005 the decision was taken to bringtogether all the strands of community investmentunder one brand Healthy Communities Thisprogram was to includebull Charitable grantsbull Employee volunteeringbull Gifts in kind Community investment via gifts
in kind such as the use of Pfizer premisesresources and expertise is more easilysustainable and can bring real long-termbenefit to the local community When Pfizerfacilities are used to support communityinitiatives the face-to-face contact withemployees allows relationship-building andnetworking with key influencers Also invitingthe community to use Pfizer resources on siteldquodemystifiesrdquo the company
The overarching strategy behind HealthyCommunities was to support communityinvestment holistically (ie using several of theabove elements in combination) whereverpossible Focusing grants on the areas of greatestneed helps Pfizer achieve its overall missionHowever the donation of gifts in kind can have awider-reaching impact on the community
Taking a holistic approachAn award-winning example of this holisticapproach is the Helping Hartsdown projectwhich was Pfizer Sandwichrsquos biggest ever gift inkindvolunteering project Pfizer donated andrenovated much-needed classrooms at a localschool As well as financial support and gifts inkind the project involved over 100 staff andcontractor volunteers across all departments Aspecific promotion on the Reaching Out website
ldquoBY JULY 2006 THE lsquoHEALTHY COMMUNITIESrsquoPROGRAM HAD BEEN TRANSFORMED AND WONA NATIONAL EXAMPLE OF EXCELLENCE AWARDFROM BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITYrdquo
27scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
POSITIVE IMPACTS OF THE PROGRAMThe Healthy Communities program has had the following positive impacts for Pfizer
bull The program supports and protects Pfizerrsquos freedom to operate effectivelyin East Kent UK
bull Supporting and involving employees in the program engages and motivatesthem The company is also seen to be living its values In a recent survey55 percent of colleagues felt the program was ldquofocused and effectiverdquo
bull The program provides opportunities for colleagues to develop skills Twentypercent of colleagues surveyed stated that they had improved personalskills through taking part in the program
bull A healthy community is a better place to live and work for employees andwill aid retention Retention of the most highly skilled scientists givesPfizer Global Research and Development a competitive edge
bull A vibrant and healthy community helps to attract and retain leadingscientists from around the world
bull Community is one of Pfizerrsquos six core values Communicating activitiesinternally and externally gives a positive perception of the company
helped attract this large number of volunteersincluding senior leaders
Momentum was maintained behind thecommunication of the program with monthlynetworking breakfasts and several themed minicharity fairs to give local good causes the chanceto showcase their volunteering Individuals andteamsrsquo volunteering efforts were also regularlyprofiled in Pipeline
The December 2006 employee survey showedan 85-percent awareness level of Reaching Outand the program won a ldquoNational Example ofExcellence Awardrdquo from Business in theCommunity1
Relaunching the websiteIn June 2006 the Reaching Out website wasrelaunched to incorporate payroll giving andmatched fundraising under the same brand asvolunteering and utilize the existing software Allelements can now be applied for on the same site
The number of employees registered with thesite increased to over 1000 and the number of adhoc staff enquiries handled by CC Worksincreased dramatically as awareness andinvolvement levels rose among the workforce
External communicationA quarterly newsletter containing a round-up ofPfizerrsquos community investment work is producedand distributed widely to external stakeholdersincluding 3000 local residents Following theBusiness in the Community award the magazineCommunity News was revamped its circulationincreased and it was also desk-dropped to allemployees The magazine also helps to raiseawareness of Pfizer among local organizations
A pocket-sized booklet was produced containingkey facts and figures about the Healthy Communitiesprogram This gives employees especially seniorleaders at-a-glance information on the programallowing them to act as ambassadors for Pfizerrsquoscommunity investment work
Senior leaders at Pfizer Sandwich are keenadvocates of the program and having a clearbrand helps them communicate its benefits andraise awareness both internally and externally
Next stepsDespite its award-winning status there are plansto take Healthy Communities even further Theseinclude further research into employee feedbackand closer links to personal development plans InPfizer at Sandwichrsquos Global Operations functionvolunteering forms part of personal objectives ndashthis is an aspiration for the rest of the business
Pfizer also wants to improve team volunteeringand a toolkit is being prepared for team leaderswho wish to get involved in volunteering
Finally in order to share knowledge and bestpractice around community investment with otherlocal businesses Pfizer is hosting a Kentmembership network in conjunction with KentCounty Council This will help Pfizer work closelywith the local authority and bring local businessestogether to share ideas and collaborate toimprove their impact on the community scm
1 httpwwwbitcorguk
CONTACT DETAILS
Pam BakerPfizerpambakerpfizercom
Christine JenkinsCC Workschristinejenkinsccworkscouk
28 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Editorrsquos noteSucceeding in internal communication probablyisnrsquot all that different to succeeding in anyprofession understand whatrsquos expected of you dothe job well and deliver results But when youspeak to practitioners about how they personallyturned the corner in their careers and started tomake an impact it soon becomes clear that thereare many dos and donrsquots that can help or hinderprogress This article provides a handy checklistfor those with ambitious development plans
John G ClemonsVice President CommunicationsRaytheon Technical Services Co Llc
Take the initiativeThere have been a few career-defining momentsfor me Among them was the time when I realizedthat I was moving from a manager level to the
decision-making role of a director I worked for a senior executive who hired me
from a rival telecommunications company Uponjoining the company I developed strategiccommunication plans to address various businesschallenges During the development process Iperiodically checked in with my supervisor to gethis input and approval ndash probably more thannecessary ndash before moving to the next steps in planning
One day he called me into his office and saidthat while he liked the work I was doing for himhis expectation when he hired me as a directorwas that I would take the initiative in the job relyless on his frequent input and move forward with implementation and measurement Hewanted results
His counsel was along the lines of ldquoI hired youto do a directorrsquos job so do the job of a directorYou donrsquot have to get permission to make adifferencerdquo
Meet commitments and think strategicallyHis direction motivated me to take moreresponsibility at this new job level This alsomeant that I had to not just manage but leadmeet commitments and think more strategicallyto continue to earn not only his confidence butthe support of the entire leadership team
Irsquove found that being a communicationprofessional who is also a leader that can betrusted can get things done and truly support thegoals and objectives of an organization will notonly impress others but help build your credibilityand lead to success
How to get ahead ininternal communication
The path that leads internal communicators to thetop of their profession isnrsquot always an obvious oneWhich is why we asked a range of senior practitioners
to share their thoughts and experiences on gaining therespect of those who matter Whether its senior leadersfellow employees or your own team yoursquore looking toimpress these responses provide useful insight into howto make sure you and your work gets noticed
Senior practitioners share their views on how togain influence and credibility
COMPILED BY MANDY THATCHER
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
29scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Mark DarbyHead of Internal CommunicationsVisaUK
Be smart sharp and stubbornThe biggest lesson Irsquove learned and keep havingto remind myself is that I need to be smart sharpand stubborn to get ahead This is what thosewords mean to me in a work context
Smart I need to understand what Visa is doingand what people think about the business Thismeans constantly spending time in differentdepartments and learning from them I know whoour customers are what our challenges are andwhat our current financial performance is I havecontacts in most departments who have a fingeron the pulse which means I can have a relevantconversation with a senior person from any department
Sharp Internal communication is rarely near thetop of the agenda for senior people and my timewith them is usually short I always try to talkabout the impact on business performance assoon as possible If I circulate a document it willbe summarized to a single page at most and Idonrsquot use PowerPoint I ask a lot of ldquoonerdquo questionssuch as ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing you want employeesto do differentlyrdquo or ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing youwant me to change over the next six monthsrdquo
Stubborn I know what I want internal communica-tion to achieve at Visa and it has the support ofthe senior team Irsquove built up knowledge frombooks and articles I use my education from theBlack Belt training course1 and I speak to formercolleagues With this knowledge Irsquove becomestubborn and good at saying no because I have theinformation to back up my arguments Irsquove stoppedmy team from picking up extra projects that wonrsquotdeliver much value We focus only on projects thatadd the most value to the business and we deliveron these really well Successful delivery is thebiggest influence on any senior person
Monika StaffordHead of Internal CommunicationLloyds TSBUK
Be creative and focus on a killer issueUsing creative solutions to bring to life importantndash but often dull ndash programs can create a shinethat stretches beyond project boundaries For
example I worked on the implementation of SAPndash a business-critical systems program ndash requiringbehavior change from swathes of key yetuninterested people Successful implementationwas a big risk to get right but it was as dull asdishwater to communicate
Luckily there was a ldquoEurekardquo moment Byaligning the SAP story with the metaphor ofFormula-1 racing we could tell the tale of how itwould fulfill our need to create winningperformances for both the individual driver aswell as the back-up team in order to perform wellon the road ahead This storyline was a perfectmatch for the programrsquos objectives
Launch speakers from Formula 1 great designwork not to mention fantastic collateral allresulted in a no-hitch implementation that reallyresonated with people The global companypicked it up as the approach for worldwide rollout So faced with tedium it can actually pay tostare out of the window for creative inspiration
My other piece of advice is Focus on a killerissue If you really want to get ahead (and do besure you really do as being at the center ofchange is often akin to being in the eye of ahurricane ndash itrsquos no place for the feint-hearted)learn what keeps your business leaders up atnight Use your stakeholder-management skills toget to the people you need to help you deliversolutions then execute execute execute
Focus on value-adding work only because ifyou end up working on your companyrsquos cul-de-sacprojects yoursquoll never shine brightly enough forthe leaders in your company to notice you 3
COMPETENCY
Planning internal communication 76
Linking corporate messages to corporate vision 73
CEO communication 63
Change communication 60
Communicating to diverse audiences 60
Using the intranet as a communication tool 54
Defending your department in internal political battles 43
Line manager communication 42
Professional development of internal communication staff 33
Helping employees cope with information overload 32
Securing the appropriate level of budget for internal communication 30
Measuring the effectiveness of internal communication 28
Figure One Table from The Pulse report showing the percentage of communicators who ratethemselves as effective or very effective at listed competencies
30 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
WHATrsquoS CHANGED IN THE LAST 25 YEARS
David MoorcroftSenior Vice PresidentCorporate CommunicationsRBC Financial Group Canada
Irsquom constantly amazed at the changes that have taken place in our professionover the last 25 years and the degree of talent and knowledge required bycommunicators today to do their jobs well
Back in 1979 when I started in corporate PR the major skill sets werewriting editing and great media contacts Today good editorial skills are justtable stakes and the ability to understand business adapt technology thinkstrategically plan consummately and influence stakeholders are what landsenior communicators a seat at the management table
This change has been driven by the globalization of business the advent ofnew 247 media including the Internet the growing sophistication ofcustomers and employees increased demands for corporate transparency andmore rigorous requirements for high standards of public disclosure andfinancial reporting
MORE SKILLS THAN EVER BEFOREAs a result todayrsquos business communicator has to be more capable andknowledgeable and have more skills than ever before They must befinancially literate and technologically savvy They must understand the impactof evolving accounting and disclosure rules They must deal with legal HRpolitical and business issues And they must be prepared to deal with amultitude of potential crises that can arise at any moment in any language inany part of the world
Perhaps most challenging senior management today expects clear bottom-line returns for their investments in communication Itrsquos no longer enough toinform audiences and measure communication outputs CEOs expectcommunication to engage audiences and produce outcomes ndash something thatrequires strategic thinking planning and foresight
A friend of mine who left a senior corporate PR job to become COO of amajor public utility recently summed up the role of todayrsquos communicator thisway ldquoItrsquos one of the most important and critical roles in organizations todayand yet itrsquos often one of the least recognized and appreciatedrdquo
That sentiment may be a reality in some organizations today but with moreand more CEOs beginning to realize the bottom-line value of communication itwonrsquot be 25 years from now
Christina FeeSenior Vice President InternalCommunicationsDeutsche Post AGGermany
Seek out the important projectsI canrsquot pretend to have employed a specificapproach to my ldquopersonal PRrdquo at all But in theorganizations Irsquove worked for Irsquove had theopportunity to work on a number of excitinghigh-profile projects that have connected me withsenior stakeholders and influential people atdifferent levels
7
Irsquove learned a great deal from the project teamsIrsquove worked with and also due to the significanceand scope of the projects been able todemonstrate my worth approach and skills Irsquovehad to be passionate stand up for what I believein and think outside the box constantly
My roles within DHLDeutsche Post haveallowed me the freedom and flexibility to developand deliver new ideas but Irsquove also had to practiceand embody excellent internal communicationskills myself Having developed credibility and trustwith those that matter based on my track record Iwas allowed to go ahead with other projects
I donrsquot actively pursue the ldquoright relationshipsrdquobut rather let my work and my interactions withpeople speak for themselves This has helped medevelop mentors and supporters naturally Mylearning and development has also been expandedby the opportunity to work abroad and learn moreabout intercultural communication and interaction
Marc SilversideHead of Internal CommunicationsMacmillan Cancer SupportUK
Understand whatrsquos expected of youA newly established role heightens the need formaking a good impression so that people trustyou and feel they can come to you for advice
When I joined Macmillan I very nearly got thiswrong Perhaps this is an example that otherrsquos canlearn from
When my new CEO at Macmillan CancerSupport asked for a meeting ldquoafter a few weeks tosettle inrdquo I was confident that my wide-ranginginduction would help me understand the businessand provide the basis for what Irsquod present tosenior management
Forty structured face-to-face managerinterviews allowed me to understand needs andkey issues and I started to build personal rapportMy profile was raised and at the same timeinternal communication gained good visibility
Externally I networked with contacts in similarroles in other charities and soon found thebeginnings of a voluntary-sector network This hassince grown to over 25 members
By the time my CEO slot arrived I was armedwith input from across the charity and the resultsof an audit I felt well prepared to present myvision and solutions So I was surprised to be metwith significant resistance
I later discovered that my CEO intelligence wasincorrect What he wanted was to be askedspecifically about his own views on what internalcommunication should do and what I could do for
How to get ahead in internal communication
31scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
HOW DO YOUR SKILLS MEASURE UPFor Melcrumrsquos study into budgets salaries and trends in internalcommunication in 200607 we asked survey respondents to rate their owneffectiveness at a range of key communication competencies from planning tomeasurement The results may surprise you
For example 76 percent of respondents rate themselves as effective or veryeffective at planning internal communication but only 28 percent ratethemselves as equally effective at measuring its effectiveness (see Figure Onepage 29)
In her commentary on the results development expert Sue Dewhurst hadthe following to say
OUR STRENGTHSIt seems where we see our strengths as internal communicators is towards theldquofront endrdquo of the communication planning process For example being able tolink a plan to the business strategy knowing our audiences and being able tojoin up the dots and show people how messages link to the business vision
These are powerful strengths We are one of the few functions that tends tohave an overarching view of our entire company and is able to view thecompany and its strategy from a number of different perspectives Being ableto understand the vision and strategy view it from an audience perspectiveand then create line of sight to show what those things mean in practicalterms for peoplersquos day-to-day roles is one of the ways that we help drivebusiness performance ndash by showing people what they need to do to take thestrategy forward
In turn by knowing and working with our audiences hopefully wersquore thenalso able to make sure their views and suggestions can help shape the strategyand how itrsquos put into practice
MEASURING EFFECTIVENESSWe see ourselves as less effective towards the back end of the planningprocess in measuring the effectiveness of internal communication which tiesin with the feeling from previous questions that in fact wersquore not doing muchmeasurement or demonstrating our return on investment
Research and measurement is an area where there is plenty of expertisearound to call on There are measurement conferences research reports andpublications to understand what other organizations are doing and practicaltraining that will give you the opportunity to work in a smaller group askquestions and practice techniques For help with specific techniques try yourinternal marketing team Marketers are generally great with data and well-versed in running focus groups and putting together surveys If you have anexternal provider to support your employee engagement research try them too
Source The Pulse Essential data on budgets salaries and trends 2006-07wwwmelcrumcom
him rather than how I could benefit the charity Ihad to change my approach fast
This could have cost me my best ambassadorfrom day one So my advice is make sure yoursquoreabsolutely clear about whatrsquos expected from you
Of course the insights I gained in my first fewmonths have been valuable and since then myresults have done the talking Fortunately theCEO soon became an internal communicationsconvert and advocate
Darren CrozierCommunications ManagerHBOS plcUK
Make things happenDelivery is key to career development ndash if you sayyoursquore going to do something make sure you doit Put in the effort get the results you want andbe known as someone who can make things happenIf yoursquore seen to ldquoget things donerdquo no matter howsmall the job is people are more likely to get youinvolved in activities and ask your opinion
Gaining credibility and respect from seniorcolleagues is important but everyone in yourorganization will form an opinion of you from thepeople in the canteen right through to the CEOSo try and make sure that their opinion of you is agood one
Itrsquos not just the people within your immediatesphere of influence who can have an impact onyour career so extend your network go oncourses and get involved in professionalorganizations Many of my close workingrelationships career opportunities and indeedpersonal friendships have come from meetingpeople at such events and taking the time to keepin touch You never know how things will develop
Itrsquos also vital to earn respect be trustworthy andhave good manners To recall what an ex-bossonce said ldquoBe careful how you treat people onthe way up as you never know when you maycome across them againrdquo
One of the biggest challenges Irsquove found inrecent times is recognizing my own success andselling myself Sometimes you need to take a stepback to realize just what yoursquove achieved Evenbetter keep a log or portfolio of your successesand donrsquot be shy to speak about them becauseothers wonrsquot be shy to speak about theirs
Finally try and have some fun along the wayWe all have to work for a living so learn to makethe most of it scm
1 For more about Melcrumrsquos Internal Communication Black Belttraining program go to wwwmelcrumcom
32 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pitney Bowes has followed an aggressive strategyof growth through acquisition completing 60+acquisitions since 2001 Expansion has broadenedits product mix to include an extensive range ofsolutions from office equipment to globalpositioning software
But the companyrsquos many different specialismsand huge outsourcing operations meant that themajority of its 34000 employees werenrsquot aware ofthe full range of its service offering and thepotential for different divisions to work together
As Rob Hallam vice president EmployeeCommunication explains there was a strongbusiness case for adopting a ldquoone companyrdquoapproach ldquoBecause the businesses tended to besomewhat siloed even senior managers werefocused on their divisions
ldquoAlso because we were acquiring companiesand evolving so rapidly managers werenrsquot awareof a lot of the businesses and how they all workedtogether in the mailstreamrdquo says Hallam ldquoWewere missing out on potential cross-sellingopportunitiesrdquo
Communicating a new visionFour years ago Pitney Bowes created a OneCompany Vision statement ldquoOur aim was toensure support and cooperation across thebusiness so we could provide a comprehensive setof customer solutions ndash not just a list of productsand services by business unitrdquo says Hallam Theinternal communication challenge was to drawtogether 34000 employees and build a unifiedcorporate culture The communication strategyfocused on three key elements
1 PeopleThis focused on involving the leadershipstrengthening a two-way dialogue betweenmanagement and employees communicating theculture through leadership messaging enterprise-wide events and roadshows and buildingengagement so that everyone was workingtogether towards a One Company approach
2 ProcessesThis meant integrating the One Companyapproach into the organizationrsquos operations andinfrastructure by shifting management roles andadjusting incentives and reward structuresthroughout the company
The first step was to consolidate the companyrsquosoperating activities by appointing Murray DMartin as president and chief operating officer inSeptember 2004 Martinrsquos mantra is ldquoThink AsOne Act as One Operate As One to deliverwhat no other company canrdquo
ldquoThe COO position had previously been heldby the chairman so elevating someone to that
Communicating a OneCompany culture atPitney Bowes
Following rapid growth in the form of more than 60acquisitions over six years silo-working haddeveloped at Pitney Bowes and leaders were failing
to take advantage of profitable cross-selling opportunitiesHere Rob Hallam describes the communication elementsof a ldquoOne Companyrdquo culture-change program which hasturned the situation around simultaneously improvingcustomer service and boosting profits
Persuading disparate businessunits to work together
AN INTERVIEW WITH ROB HALLAM
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Pitney Bowes is an 87-year-old company best known forthe manufacturing operationand oversight of postagemeters It has over two millioncustomers more than 3500active patents and annualrevenue of close to $6 billion
33scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
role was a big changerdquo explains Hallam ldquoAll thebusiness units now report to a single individual atoperating level It represented a huge positivemove to start the company operationalizing OneCompany behaviorrdquo
The internal communication function wasrestructured to ensure that consistent messagingreached the entire employee population Regularmeasurement was a key part of the changeinitiative This served to define the contributionof communicating a One Company approachwhere it was adding value to Pitney Bowes and itsclients and customers and where there was stillwork to do
3 TechnologyIt was important to find the best ways to cascademessages throughout the company and keeppeople informed about what was going onwithout bombarding them with irrelevantcommunication Hallam and his team deploy avariety of channels and media including internalprint and online publications voicemail and e-mail Pitney Bowes is also in the process ofintegrating its different voicemail systems and e-mail platforms into one global system
Involving senior leadership from the outsetThe One Company strategy was an overridingpolicy that started at the top of the organizationldquoThere was a big launch at the strategic leadersrsquomeeting which is held every Januaryrdquo saysHallam ldquoThe messaging was then driven throughthe organization via a companywide globalcommunication strategyrdquo
From the outset the policy was championed bythe CEO Michael Critelli who believes thatculture is central to the Pitney Bowes brand andsaid recently ldquoMy first measure of success iswhether we are behaving as one companyrdquo Thiscommitment helped to ensure that the culturalchange was reinforced by parallel changes to thecorporate infrastructure
Building a two-way dialogueThe next step was to get the employee populationinvolved and build enterprisewide enthusiasm forthe culture change Pitney Bowes has alwaysrecognized the value of a two-way dialoguebetween management and employees and hasheld annual jobholders meetings which aresimilar to shareholdersrsquo meetings for 61 years In2005 Hallam reinvented it as an initiative calledOne Forum ndash a series of roadshows focusing oncommunicating the One Company culturethroughout the organization
Launching the One ForumIn 2005 Hallam and his team created an original
and memorable One Forum launch for the 90percent of Pitney Bowes employees based in theUS Around a quarter of US employees saw thisin person the others received a link to a websitewith streaming highlights
ldquoWe put together a two-hour roadshow eventwhich helped people to understand our OneCompany approach and made them aware of allthe businesses we were inrdquo says Hallam ldquoThethinking was that high change requires high touchFace-to-face can have far greater impact on theindividuals touched From there itrsquos a matter ofripple effect such as seeing improved One Forumbrand awareness among employees who didnrsquotactually attend one of the eventsrdquo
ldquoWe wanted the roadshow to be entertainingand energizing so we used gameshow techniquescustom-written songs and comedy specificallytailored to Pitney Bowes employees It was a funevent but it also included a keynote speech fromthe CEO and a lot of question-and-answersessions with employees It was entertainmentwith a purpose and it was a great success with employeesrdquo
The post-event employee evaluations provedthe success of this approach ldquoIn some cities anincredible 90 percent of employees gave the eventa top-box rating This shows that there was ahunger for both the knowledge and theapproachrdquo adds Hallam
Taking the show on the roadThe One Forum roadshow has become an annualevent ldquoIn a five-month period during 2005 therewere 17 One Forum events in 12 US citiesreaching about 6000 peoplerdquo says Hallam ldquoAftersome testing in March and April the first bigroadshows started in early May and continued forsix months with the final one in early Decemberin Seattle 3
Rob Hallam is vice presidentEmployee Communication atPitney Bowes (PB) in StamfordConnecticut where hersquos beenresponsible for internalcommunication strategy andimplementation since 2004Hallam has led a team ofprofessionals in reshapingcommunication at PB resultedin the communication teamearning the top ranking in HRdepartment satisfaction fromall PBrsquos US managers in 2005and 2006
KEY POINTSbull Internal communication has played an important role in embedding a
One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
bull The communication strategy focused on three key elements peopleprocess and technology
bull The campaign has been championed by the CEO from the outset andhas won senior leadership support over time
bull An entertaining roadshow helped win employee commitment
bull Cross-selling ratios have jumped substantially since the culture-changeeffort began
34 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ldquoIn 2006 we compressed the programsubstantially and drove down costs while stilltouching 6000 employees Together with ourcorporate marketing group we also introduced anextremely successful lsquoelevator speechrsquo that helpsemployees answer the much-feared questionlsquoWhat does Pitney Bowes dorsquordquo
Local variationsAlthough the entertainment component in theroadshows contributed to their success it wasspecific to the US so Hallam gave business unitsand internal communicators in other regions theresponsibility for communicating the OneCompany approach to local employees ldquoInCanada and the UK they conducted town-hallmeetings and in Latin America and other parts ofthe world they produced their own variations onthe One Forum theme We made sure that theyhad the information they needed but we limitedthe entertainment to English-speaking regionsrdquo
A commitment to employee engagementThe appointment of the new COO and the launchof the One Forum roadshows coincided with thefirst employee engagement survey in late 2004ldquoWe see engagement as very much tied to ourability to execute a One Company strategy andchange our culturerdquo says Hallam He sets outfour ways in which employee engagement isinstilled at all levels in the organization
1 Visible leadership commitment to engagementThe CEO underlines his commitment by sendingregular messages to employees via a variety ofmedia including voicemail and print and onlinepublications He also uses engagement scores todetermine a unitrsquos overall performance rating andbonus pool ldquoWhen one senior execrsquos bonus poolwas reduced due to poor engagement scores that
was a message requiring no communication planrdquosays Hallam ldquoWord spread quicklyrdquo
2 Celebrating top performers Pitney Bowes celebrates its top engagementperformers by running cover stories in its globalprint and online publication PB Today ldquoThisprogram was called lsquoThe Faces of Pitney Bowesrsquordquosays Hallam ldquoWe did 10 of these last year so theyran twice in five editions Wersquove also producedlarge mural-sized photos of those managers andtheir teamsrdquo he says ldquoWe celebrate success andpublish it everywhere Our CEO loves it and wersquoreactually selling part of our contemporary artcollection which decorates the building to makeroom for an expansion of additional OneCompany and Engagement photography all ofwhich will focus on our employeesrdquo
3 Incentivizing managers via the reward systemEmployee engagement is recognized andreinforced in the companyrsquos formal processesincluding its reward system ldquoWe use a tool calledthe Strategic Architecture which is our balancedscorecardrdquo explains Hallam ldquoItrsquos a Six-Sigma toolwhich measures employee shareholder andcustomer value Managersrsquo engagement scoresalso factor into their annual reviews soengagement has a direct impact on remunerationrdquo
4 Rewarding engagementA further program called Rapid Rewards awardscash bonuses to managers and employees foroutstanding behavior including that related toemployee engagement
Aligning the communication strategyHallam and his team are responsible fordelivering the overall employee communicationstrategy ldquoWe had to dramatically improve ourstrategic approach in order to make OneCompany a realityrdquo he says
In addition to organizing campaigns such as theOne Forum roadshows to publicize the culturechange across the enterprise Hallam hasintroduced initiatives aimed at improving thereach and delivery of internal communication andmaking sure messages get to their intendedaudiences He has also aligned the structure ofthe internal communication function with thecompanyrsquos unified culture
ldquoThere were a lot of different communicationgroups so we brought together all thecommunication leaders and formed a singleInternal Communications Councilrdquo explainsHallam ldquoThis means that the communicationfunctions in the different business units areworking together to help drive change andimprove coordinationrdquo
Communicating a One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
ldquoWHEN A SENIOR EXECrsquoS BONUS WAS REDUCEDDUE TO POOR ENGAGEMENT SCORES THAT WASA MESSAGE REQUIRING NO COMMUNICATIONPLAN WORD SPREAD QUICKLYrdquo
7
FURTHER RESOURCES3 THE IMPACT OF CULTURE AND CLIMATE ON CHANGE PROGRAMS
An article published in SCM Volume 10 Issue 6 OctoberNovember 2006
3 DRIVING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE CORPORATE CULTUREMelcrumrsquos report on communication tools techniques and best practicefrom leading organizationswwwmelcrumcom
35scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Developing a global approachHallam is also responsible for a globalcommunication project called Universal Reachwhich is sponsored by the chairman and designedto support and maintain a unified corporateculture ldquoOur goal is to provide 90 percentmessage accessibility within our key customer-facing audiencesrdquo he explains ldquoThe biggestchallenge is integrating our online communicationinfrastructure which has nine different voicemailsystems operating across the world and multiplee-mail and web platforms Wersquore pulling all thattogether to provide better reachrdquo
Since 911 the CEO and other top executiveshave broadcast weekly audio messages calledPower Talks Hallamrsquos team has worked with theleadership to ensure that they incorporate OneCompany messages and as he explains they reachmost of the employee population ldquoAbout 20000of our employees have voicemail Those whodonrsquot receive the Power Talk message either inprint or online In some divisions managers playthe Power Talk messages in staff meetingsrdquo
Engaging leadership reinforces the cultureBuilding on the CEOrsquos commitment to a OneCompany approach Hallam and his team haveorganized leadership events ndash most recently at thestrategic leadersrsquo meeting in December 2006 ndashshowing Pitney Bowes as one company in actionThis campaign has helped to engage the top 150managers in the culture change
ldquoOur post-event evaluations show a strongmove numerically in senior leadershiprsquos belief thatwersquore operating as one companyrdquo says Hallam(see Figure One above) ldquoAs theyrsquore our toughestjudges wersquore pleased by the significant differencein pre- and post-event measurementrdquo There wasalso an improvement in leadersrsquo understanding ofthe companyrsquos new mailstream category
Sustaining the new cultureAccording to Hallam rippling out the OneCompany messaging requires a consistent andcoordinated approach Communication leaders inthe various divisions are now working to weaveOne Company messages into the business-unitmeetings ldquoA lot of the messaging that welaunched at the strategic leadersrsquo meeting arebeing reiterated at the business unit level Thatrsquosbeen facilitated through the InternalCommunications Councilrdquo he says
ldquoKey metrics for the culture change programfocus on cross-selling ratios which have jumpedsubstantially since the culture change effortbeganrdquo says Hallam ldquoIn 2002 we also institutedthe ldquoPB1 Awardsrdquo which is a chairmanrecognition award that goes to teams who bestembody cross-functional behavior in working on
projects which improve our clientsrsquo profitabilityour profitability or bothrdquo
ldquoHowever wersquore only really a year into thisMuch of the evidence is anecdotal but what haschanged is that our managers have broadenedtheir vision and are thinking as solutions-providers rather than product-sellers As suchtheyrsquore involving other business units out of theirdesire to eliminate customer pain points ndashregardless of which part of Pitney Bowes gets the salerdquo
Adding value to customersUltimately managers and employees who arewell-informed about the companyrsquos products andservices are in a good position to take advantageof cross-selling opportunities Realizing thispotential enables Pitney Bowes to make extrasales to existing customers thereby increasing itsprofit margins and allowing customers to benefitfrom a mix of products and services
Shifting to a unified culture directly benefitsboth Pitney Bowes and its customers ldquoByfocusing on the whole cadre of products andservices we can help our customers improve theirbusinessesrdquo says Hallam ldquoThatrsquos where OneCompany is critical It enables our clients tobenefit from all our servicesrdquo scm
Figure One Measuring the impact of the strategic leadersrsquo meeting
CONTACT DETAILS
Rob HallamPitney Bowesrobhallampbcom
I BELIEVE THAT OUR SENIOR LEADERS (MEANING THE TOP 15 EXECS) AREWORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO DELIVER INTEGRATED HIGH-VALUESOLUTIONS TO OUR CUSTOMERS
Pre SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 73
Post SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 92
Gain in two months time 19
ldquoMANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WELL-INFORMED ABOUT THE COMPANYrsquoS PRODUCTSAND SERVICES ARE IN A GOOD POSITION TOTAKE ADVANTAGE OF CROSS-SELLINGrdquo
2007
36 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
MELCRUM TRAINING amp EVENTS
CALENDAR 2007UKEUROPESOCIAL MEDIA FORUM FORINTERNAL COMMUNICATORS UK
3 21-22 March 2007 Hilton Canary WharfLondon UKThis forum is designed for practitioners who wantto make social media part of their internalcommunication strategy Over two dayscompanies such as IBM Microsoft and BT willshare case studies demonstrating their use ofsocial-media tools Technology experts will also beon hand to provide training and show you how touse these tools
THE 3RD ANNUAL EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT CONFERENCE UK
3 22-24 May 2007 Millennium GloucesterLondon UK22 May ndash Practical workshops23-24 May ndash Two-day conferenceThis event will focus on transforming yourstrategies into action Listen to case studies fromcompanies that have achieved real andmeasurable results from their engagement effortsLearn how they did it what they achieved and howthe results were measured
THE 6TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT UK
3 16-18 October 2007 London UK After the huge success of the 2006 UK StrategicCommunication Management Summit next yearrsquosevent will once again provide you withpresentations from key figures in the industry anda chance to network with your peers Mark yourdiaries now ndash more details to follow
THE 3RD ANNUAL INTERNALCOMMUNICATION MEASUREMENTCONFERENCE UK
3 27-29 November 2007 London UKDetails available soon ndash mark your diary now
NORTH AMERICATHE 3RD ANNUAL CONFERENCEON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENTBUILDING AND SUSTAINING ACULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT
3 28 February ndash 1 March 2007 Crowne PlazaAtlanta-Buckhead Atlanta USLearn how to foster an environment whereemployees feel valued and respected Hear fromcompanies including Dow Corning CorporationAmerican Express Delta Hotels and Merck
THE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT US
3 26-28 March 2007 Crowne Plaza UnionSquare San Francisco26 March ndash Pre-conference workshops27-28 March ndash Two-day summitAttend this conference and discover how toimprove employee alignment with all segments ofyour internal audience ndash from your front-lineemployees to your executive officers bothnationally and worldwide
AUSTRALIATHE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION ENGAGEMENTSUMMIT SYDNEY
3 31 July ndash 2 August 2007 Sydney Australia Details available soon ndash mark your diary now
WEBINARSDEVELOPING PROFESSIONALCOMPETENCE
3 Thursday 22 February 2007 with LiamFitzPatrick and Sue Dewhurst
HELPING YOUR ORGANIZATIONTHRIVE DURING TURBULENTTIMES
3 Thursday 29 March 2007 with Carol KinseyGoman
TRAININGTHE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT PROGRAM
3 24-25 April and 1-2 May 2007 HenleyManagement College UK3 11-12 and 27-28 September 2007 Cranfield
School of Management UK
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT MASTERCLASSEFFECTIVE MEASUREMENT
3 14-15 March 2007 Hendon Hall Hendon UKAn essential two-day intensive training courses forinternal communicators on effective measurementRegister early as places are strictly limited to 20people per Masterclass
CSR DELIVERY ENGAGEMENT amp LEADERSHIP
3 19-20 April 2007 Central LondonOsney MediaWith an excellent speaker line-up from high-profile companies including Procter amp Gamble The BodyShop ExxonMobil Microsoft Belgium Vodafone UK Dell Ericsson and Alliance Boots this case studybased event will answer questions including how do Ibull Build a CSR-oriented leadershipbull Get people on boardbull Integrate CSR with the global strategy of the companybull Deliver CSR throughout the company to make it really happen
For more information visit wwwcsrleadershipcom or e-mail mariame_lindellosneymediacouk (Reference code 910MLC3)
38 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
DESIGN
YELLOW
The future success of all organisations will be builton trust understanding passion empowermentintegrity and relationships
The future is cool exciting sparkling organisationsbursting with energy life and action
The future of brand is the internal brand first andforemost
The future is colleague as customer
Turning communications upside down
No just inside-out
Be part of the future say hello to Yellow
We help large organisations bring their communicationsstrategies to life through the imaginative use of liveevents multimedia web and design ndash distributed acrossall media platforms including DVD TV mobile devicesintranet and extranet
Ultimately developing internal brands and ongoingcommunications that have a measurable impact onpeople-performance advocacy and the bottom line
Contact Paul MiddletonTel +44 (0)161 228 6700E-mail paulmiddletonyellowcomcomWebsite wwwyellowcomcom
NEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
DESIGN
BLUE GOOSE
blue goose specialize in visual communications We make communications work faster and better We will link what wedo back to your objectives but we donrsquot talk (or charge for) ldquostrategyrdquo when you simply want tactical implementation Weuse design and creativity tobull differentiate products and services bull develop and manage corporate and brand identity bull align external communications with agreed values bull internalize corporate and brand identitybull align internal communications with agreed values bull support organizational change and bull help organizations better understand and define who they are
We work for clients as diverse as PricewaterhouseCoopers Ford Europe Centrica plc Greene King City of London Policeand Le Meacuteridien
blue goose is for any organization more interested in designing their future than watching it happen
Contact Chris BarringtonE-mail thinkingbluegoosecoukTel +44 (0)20 8869 8500Web site wwwbluegoosecouk
CONSULTANCY
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION ampSURVEYS PTY LTD
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd is aboutique consultancy based in Sydney Australia Itspecializes in employee communication strategiessystems research and employee surveys of all kindsPrincipal Rodney Gray has been involved inorganizational consulting for over 20 years following a15-year career as a corporate human resourcesexecutive Services includebull Employee communication audits and surveys by
questionnaires focus groups and interviewsbull Employee communication systems strategies and
processesbull Employee communication training workshops and
talksbull Employee culture climate and opinion surveysbull Qualitative organizational diagnosis (focus groups
and interviews)bull Internal service quality research (qualitative and
quantitative)
Contact Rodney GrayTel +61 (0)2 9909 2900 Fax +61 (0)2 9909 2911E-mail rodneyrodneygraycomauWeb site wwwemployee-communicationcomau
CONSULTANCY
HEDRON
Internal and change communication that helps teamsand individuals to develop strategies relationshipsprocesses and skills to engage stakeholders supporthigh performance and deliver change
ldquoSharp strategic thinking quality execution effectiveinterpersonallyhelliprdquo ldquoCreativity drive resourcefulnessresults great funhelliprdquo say clients
All sectors ndash ABN AMRO AXA BT Cadbury SchweppesDepartment for Constitutional Affairs HealthcareCommission Group 4 Securicor SABMiller SiemensSouthern Rail Unilever Wincanton
Our clients are happy to tell you what itrsquos like workingwith us
Contact Helena MemoryTel + 44 (0) 20 7493 0735Fax + 44 (0) 20 7493 0743E-mail helena-mhedroncomWeb site wwwhedroncom
CONSULTANCY
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
39scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
CONSULTANCY
SYNOPSIS
Founded by change and communication authority Bill Quirke in 1992 Synopsis is one of Europersquos leading internalcommunication consultancies Our clients include such companies as ABN Amro BBC BP British Airways DiageoEricsson HP Lloyds TSB Roche Shell and Vodafone
We help clients use internal communication to engage their employees in delivering business strategy and get most valuefrom their internal communication
We can help youbull Develop communication strategies that support your business strategybull Coach leadersbull Develop line managersrsquo communication skillsbull Plan and coordinate your communication with colleagues onlinebull Check the health of your communication channels and improve return on investmentbull Build and develop the communication functionbull Measure and track employee engagement attitudes and opinions
To take a tour of our online planning tool go to wwwsynopsisonlinecomproductplanningtoolasp
Contact Jane LebeauE-mail janelebeausynopsisonlinecomTel +44 (0) 20 7490 2900Web site wwwsynopsisonlinecom
CONSULTANCY
HARKNESS KENNETT
We specialize in internal communication To us thatmeansbull motivating people through inspiring leadershipbull guiding people through organizational changebull engaging people in delivering the brand
Working in partnership with our clients is central to ourethos enabling us to help deliver practical solutionssupported by solid strategic thinking All of ourconsultants have held senior positions ldquoclient siderdquo sowe know what itrsquos like to be in your shoes The vastmajority of our work comes from recommendations fromexisting clients ndash 82 percent of our clients haverequested repeat work in the last two years
Our clients include Abbey Atkins BDO Stoy HaywardThe Environment Agency Marks amp Spencer NHS Blood ampTransplant Morgan Stanley Europe Nestleacute PoliceInformation Technology Organisation Royal ampSunAlliance South West Trains and Vodafone
Our vision is simple ndash we want to be the first callyou make
Contact James HarknessTel +44 (0)1483 222730E-mail jamesharknessharknesskennettcomWeb site wwwharknesskennettcom
CONSULTANCY
TRIDENT COMMUNICATIONS
Trident Communications is uniquely positioned to definedevelop and deliver award-winning solutions that aligncommunication with business goals
We advise and partner with organizations of all sizes tocreate high-value practical applications Our talentedproject teams provide innovative research designeditorial and imagery for print and online
We connect ideas and deliver results
Contact Peter Agertoft Tel +44 (0)207 536 8900E-mail peteragertoft
tridentcommunicationsnetWeb site wwwtridentcommunicationsnet
CONSULTANCY
FLEISHMAN-HILLARD
Fleishman-Hillardrsquos dedicated internal and changecommunication practice helps businesses focus onperforming ndash not just informing
We help organisations plan and implement programmeswith the right mix of information dialogue and trainingso that employees are engaged aligned and motivatedto achieve business objectives
Because effective internal communication is vital tobottom-line performance we partner with our clients tocreate a daily dialogue ndash not a monologue ndash withemployees
Contact Nick AndrewsTel +32 (0)2 230 05 45 E-mail nickandrewsfleishmancomWeb site wwwfleishmaneuropecom
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE A listing in our Directory of Services will giveyou a chance to reach communicationprofessionals at some of the worldrsquos largestand most admired companies and to tap intodecision-making practitioners
ContactVincent SorelTel +44 (0)208 600 4670E-mail vincentsorelmelcrumcom
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
INCLUDE YOUR COMPANY BY CONTACTING US ON +44(0)20 8600 4670 OR AT INFOMELCRUMCOM
CONSULTANCY
HILL amp KNOWLTON
Better business results the bottom line
How do I manage more change Motivate managers Getthe right information to the right people Show the bestreturn on communication investment
Sound familiar Hill amp Knowltonrsquos change and internalcommunication consultants work with companies aroundthe world to find the right answers for their situation
We offer strategy insight and creativity drawing on ourconsultancy expertise and in-house experience Plus wedeliver practical hands-on help
We know that effective employee communication has adirect impact on the bottom line Working together wecan make it happen for you
Contact EMEA DavidFerrabeehillandknowltoncom
+44 (0) 7413 3176USA BarbaraEdlerhillandknowltoncom
+1 415 281-7160Canada KristaThompsonhillandknowltoncom
+1 613 786-9961
RECRUITMENT
VMA GROUP
VMA Group is one of the UKrsquos leading executive searchand selection consultancies specializing in internal andcorporate communication recruitment
For over 25 years VMA Group has provided the highestlevel of service to some of the most demanding globalorganizations developing a strong track record for thequality and professionalism of our search and selection work
We have in-depth specialist knowledge of the internalcommunication market and can provide high-qualitypermanent and interim candidates with expertise acrossinternal communication change management and widercorporate communication We understand the needs ofour clients intrinsically and strive to develop long-termrelationships with clients and candidates alike
Please call to discuss how we can help you find theideal candidate or if you wish to make a career move
Contact David BroomeTel +44 (0)20 7436 4243E-mail dbroomevmagroupcoukWeb site wwwvmagroupcouk
40 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONALCOMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS E-mail gaitensunityncsueduWeb site wwwconsultingsuccessorgTel 919 469 3895
CIB ndash BRITISH ASSOCIATION OFCOMMUNICATORS IN BUSINESSE-mail enquiriescibukcomWeb site wwwcibukcomTel +44 (0)870 121 7606
CCM ndash COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATIONMANAGEMENT E-mail membership
ccmconnectioncomWeb site wwwccmconnectioncomTel 866 463 4226
CPRS ndash THE CANADIAN PUBLICRELATIONS SOCIETYE-mail admincprscaWeb site wwwcprscaTel 416 239 7034
IABC ndash THE INTERNATIONALASSOCIATION OF BUSINESSCOMMUNICATORS E-mail service_centreiabccomWeb site wwwiabccomTel 415 544 4700
ICA ndash THE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONALLIANCE E-mail amandafoistericaukorgWeb site wwwiprorgukicaTel +44 (0)1628 642 044
CIPR ndash THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OFPUBLIC RELATIONS UKE-mail infoiprorgukWeb site wwwiprorgukTel +44 (0)20 7253 5151
IPRA ndash THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICRELATIONS ASSOCIATIONE-mail ipraseccompuservecomWeb site wwwipraorgTel +44 (0) 1372 461 188
PRSA ndash PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OFAMERICAE-mail resourcesprsaorgWeb site wwwprsaorgTel 212 460 1459
DIRECTORY OF SERVICESNEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
CONSULTANCY
copy Melcrum publishing 2007For more information visit our website wwwmelcrumcom or e-mail infomelcrumcom
scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
In Touch2 Useful resources for internal
communicators
The CommunicatorsrsquoNetwork4 The latest hot debates and
shared advice
People6 PROFILE Bernard Charland7 THOUGHT LEADER Lee Smith
Technology8 Using blogs to involve at
World Bank9 Technology update
Research ampMeasurement10 Does your intranet pay its way11 Finding a cure for survey fatigue
LeadershipCommunication12 Using message maps to
guide change13 Leaders in transition The first
100 days
ProfessionalDevelopment14 Get your development plan
on track15 Do your writing skills let
you down
Calendar36 Upcoming events
Directory ofServices38 A list of useful service providers
16 Building a learning framework for internalcommunicatorsBy Sue Dewhurst and Liam FitzPatrick
20 Defining the role of strategic comms atFarm Credit CanadaBy Kellie Garrett and Claire Watson
24 Engaging employees in Pfizerrsquoscommunity investment programBy Pam Baker and Christine Jenkins
28 How to get ahead in internalcommunicationCompiled by Mandy Thatcher
32 Communicating a One Company cultureat Pitney Bowes By Rob Hallam
FROM THE EDITOR
If you have any comments about any of the articles published in this issueor if you have an idea for a future article please contactmandythatchermelcrumcom
Dear ReaderFor 10 years Melcrum has championed theimportance of strategic communication andurged practitioners far and wide to resistbeing categorized as the editor of the staffnewsletter But a new study by
Communication Competencies into how internalcommunicators develop professionally suggests there may bea slightly more flexible way of looking at things
Leader or specialistThe research (analyzed in more detail in our feature onpage 16) highlights six typical roles When you read thedescriptions it soon becomes clear that each role isimportant albeit for different reasons Even the Specialistldquoa subject-matter expert in a specialist area such as webmanagement audio-visual production or eventmanagementrdquo whose role is primarily ndash dare we say it ndashtactical has something valuable to offer
The aim of the study was to develop a model thatreflected the diverse reality of life in internalcommunication The bottom line Decide what it is youreally want to do and find out how you can become anexpert Or if you head up a team find out more aboutmembersrsquo strengths and aspirations and match them to thecommunication needs of your organization We hope thisissue gives you a few good ideas on how to go about this
A new look for a new yearWe also hope it hasnrsquot escaped your notice that this issue ofSCM is sporting a bright and shiny new design Yoursquoll findyour usual fix of case studies and research plus new regularsections on leadership communication research andmeasurement technology and professional development
As always wersquod love your feedback and any thoughts onhow we can make this journal even more valuable to you
Mandy Thatcher EditorE-mail mandythatchermelcrumcom
Career development requires adegree of flexibility
FEATURES
SECTIONS
Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
contents
2 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
SENIOR LEADERS FOUNDWANTING
Two recent surveys from Watson WyattWorldwide and Accenture have foundthat both employees and middle managersfeel let down by their senior leaders
Accenturersquos 4th annual MiddleManagers Survey canvassed the opinionsof more than 1400 middle managers innine countries in Asia North Americaand Europe It found that only 39percent felt happy in their workplace
Although the reasons for dissatisfactionranged from insufficient compensation tothe lack of a clear career path thefindings point to a general sense ofmismanagement ndash an opinion consistentacross all the countries surveyed
Peter Cheese managing director ofAccenturersquos Human Performancepractice commented that ldquoFor the mostpart middle managers care deeply aboutthe future of their organizations and theirroles in that future but they are to acertain extent the lsquofrozen middlersquo
ldquoTheir success depends on having asense of security and a belief thatexecutives understand their concerns andare taking some action In leadingcompanies senior managers addressthese issues through clearcommunications direct engagement andperformance goals linked to rewards andcareer progressionrdquo
Trust in leaders dipsIn a separate survey by Watson Wyattonly half of the employees surveyed (49percent) said they have trust andconfidence in the job senior managersare doing This is down from 51 percentin 2004
Compared to 2004 the WorkUSAreg
20062007 survey involving 12205full-time US workers across all job levelsand major industries showed a slightdrop in senior managementrsquos ratingsfrom employees across most questionsFor example bull Senior management makes changes
to stay competitive ndash down from 57to 53 percent
bull Senior management takes steps tocontrol costs ndash down from 59 to 55 percent
bull Senior management behavesconsistently with the companyrsquos core values ndash down from 57 to 55 percent
ldquoThis dip in ratings is concerningbecause employeesrsquo attitudes about theirsenior leaders are a key factor in buildingengagementrdquo said Ilene Gochmannational practice director for OrganizationEffectiveness at Watson Wyatt
Link between engagement and commsOn the subject of engagement thesurvey also revealed a consistent linkbetween engaged employees and thoseorganizations where employees receivedfrequent communication from their senior leaders More than half (56percent) of highly engaged employeesreceive communication from seniormanagers at least monthly In contrast42 percent of employees with lowengagement levels say they receiveannual communication or none at all
ldquoCommunication is often thought to bethe direct supervisorrsquos rolerdquo says Gochmanldquobut companies can create stronger teamsand fuel excitement about the future ifsenior managers lay out the broad frame-works the firm will follow and supervisorsreinforce that message By engagingemployees such communication has adirect impact on the bottom linerdquo SH
For more information go towwwwatsonwyattcomresearchwwwaccenturecom
A ROUND-UP OF USEFUL RESOURCES FOR INTERNAL COMMUNICATORS
intouchEMPLOYERS CONCERNED ABOUTBENEFITS COMMUNICATION
Communication is one of the biggestchallenges faced by employers during theannual benefits-enrollment processaccording to a poll of 67 organizationsby Watson Wyatt Worldwide
While employers were satisfied withthe transactional elements of benefitsenrollment they were far less happy withthe effectiveness of health-improvementinformation decision-support tools andcost and quality information Well underhalf reported being satisfied or verysatisfied with those aspects
Employee concernsBut it was the growing complexity of the enrollment process and plannedchanges that most concerned employeesNearly 30 percent of employers reportedemployee concerns with each of those facets
The parts of the enrollment processthat seem to demand thoughtfuldecisions include contributions to healthspending accounts choosing betweendifferent plans and coordination with aspousersquos plans
Satisfaction with the process washighest for employers using a mixture ofinternal and external resources to support their employees through theenrollment cycle
In contrast half of organizationssupporting the process solely with localHR representatives were either neutral ordissatisfied as were 42 percent oforganizations primarily using outsourcingproviders to support employees SH
For more information go towwwwatsonwyattcomresearch
RESEARCH
ldquoBOTH EMPLOYEES ANDMIDDLE MANAGERS FEELLET DOWN BY THEIRSENIOR LEADERSrdquo
3scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
BLOGGING FOR A GOOD CAUSE
3 httpwwwnfp2couk
Steve Bridgerrsquos blogon how not-for-profit organizations(NFPs) can benefitfrom the Web 20revolution is
inspired by his own experiences workingfor NFPs
Bridgerrsquos ldquoabout the authorrdquo blurbstates that his credentials lie in anunderstanding of NFPs knowledge ofweb-based technologies and experiencedesigning webs for organizations such asUK charity the British Heart Foundation
Postings cover topics such as the useof video blogs and online photo-sharingcommunities like Flickr to enhance theeffect of storytelling ndash a popularinexpensive and effective engagement
tool available to NFPs This blog could be a useful resource
for communicators dealing with theunique challenges faced by NFPs andthose keen to take advantage of blogsand online communities SH
BUZZWORD HELL
3 httpbuzzwordhellcom
The raison drsquoetrefor this blog is toallow people tovent their angerabout the growingnumber of
technical buzzwords creeping into ourdaily language Or as the blogrsquos ownstated mission puts it ldquoWe willlsquocondemnrsquo buzzwords to the circles ofhell from Dantersquos Infernordquo
Most will already be familiar with
MASTERING BUSINESS IN ASIANEGOTIATION
3 by Peter Nixon John Wiley 2005
In the global village wework in today many ofus deal withsubsidiaries partnerssuppliers andcustomers throughoutAsia Yet many of usknow little about Asia
This is a book aboutnegotiation rather than communicationbut therersquos much to learn about doingbusiness in Asia especially if yoursquore acommunication advisor to line managersin your organization
The main message of the book is thatthe solution is always in dialogueDifferences with the West are describedin terms ofbull People relationships (families and
networks) are more important thancontracts groups are more importantthan individuals gender age andhierarchy matter
bull Process bargaining and variablepricing financial risks security risksand health risks Asians fear of
BOOKS EVENTS RESEARCH REPORTS BLOGS SURVEYS URLS
making mistakes (there is littleperformance management and evenone mistake can cost a career familyloyalty significant financialincentives) feedback (giving respectand saving face) and the widevariety of legal financial andgovernance frameworks
bull Content conflict avoidance (youcanrsquot openly discuss problems)variable pricing (negotiationdialogue) volume and marginscorruption and multiple currencies
Much of the book covers the stages inthe negotiation process introductionobjection creating contracting andfollow-up It also provides detailed how-to guidelines with templates lists anddiagrams that appear to apply tonegotiations everywhere not just in Asia
The rest of the book covers key aspectssuch as communication how to usetactics how to control and manageinformation peoplersquos motivation andbehavior and managing specificsituations and meetings
The communication chapter coverscountless aspects of face-to-facecommunication and much of this applies
ldquoWE WILL CONDEMNBUZZWORDS TO THECIRCLES OF HELL FROMDANTErsquoS INFERNOrdquo
ldquoTHIS BOOK ISRECOMMENDED IF YOUHAVE BUSINESSDEALINGS IN ASIA ORADVISE THOSE WHO DOrdquo
BLOGS
BOOKS
to communication within all cultures notjust in Asia
Although what is covered is handledwell there are some areas that couldhave received greater attention Forexample there is little discussion of thedifferences among the various countriesand cultures in Asia And Irsquod have likedmore on business etiquette and the useof humor entertainment and gifts
This book isnrsquot going to help youmanage corporate communication inAsia But it is recommended if you havebusiness dealings in Asia or advise thosewho do The author has vast experienceworking training and communicating inAsian countries He writes well andexplains things clearly
Review by Rodney GrayEmployee Communication amp Surveys Sydney
terms such as folksonomy monetizationblogosphere and social networking Forbetter or worse these terms have slippedinto our corporate language and areprobably here to stay
Still next time yoursquore working on acommunication about somethingtechnical it might be a good idea tocheck that not too many of the termsyoursquove used have recently beenconsigned to Buzzword Hell MT
4 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Keith HardieBerwin Leighton PaisnerDepending on the level ofcommitment in the seniorteam you may want to
consider a General Electric approachcalled WorkOut Essentially you getpeople together from a cross-section ofthe company give them a strategypresentation outline the problems tosolve and then get them to come up withideas The senior-manager host has tolisten to the presentations decide (onthe spot) whether to take the ideasforward and then help mentor theproject teams identified to take thesuccessful ideas forward
Q Does anybody have any ideasfor creating a cascade withparticular focus on trainingmiddle managers to do thismore effectively
Angela SinickasSinickas Communications IncMy experience and clientsurvey results show that
cascading as a way of broadcasting newinformation is not effective In factcompanies in my survey database whopurposely use cascading as a way ofbroadcasting new information are theones with the largest percentage ofemployees hearing things on the grapevine
This is because as soon as the directoror vice president conducts the firstmeeting the attendees go away and discussit with their friends in the office whosemanagers have not yet had a meetingMy experience shows that employees atall levels have higher information levelson key company topics in organizationswhere they rely on mass communicationto provide consistent and timely informationto all employees This is followed byface-to-face meetings to discuss thecontext of the information for each workgroup and how it might affect them
I would recommend using e-mailnewsletters to those with online accessand posting PDFs of the sameinformation on as many bulletin boardsas possible to reach employees withoutonline access
The training Irsquod recommend formanagers is how to provide local context
At the end you can either simply wrap upwith a summary of the ideas or have a15-minute break then reassemble tostart evaluating the ideas and identifyingwhich ones are worthy of furtherinvestigation or development Yourbiggest challenge is involving field-basedstaff The nature of brainstorming is thatit needs to be dynamic ndash itrsquos almostimpossible to get the full benefit viaremote links
Richard HareBritish American TobaccoIrsquom not sure how you caninvolve field-based staffwithout bringing
them in I believe you get the maximumvalue from people collaborating byphysically getting them together I knowonline collaboration is possible and thereare numerous examples on the web butthe will to collaborate to solve problemsin this fashion tends to come from thepeople involved
For the past couple of years wersquovebeen facilitating ldquoDeep Diverdquo eventsbased on the method developed by Ideo1
This was licensed by a company turnedinto a product and sold as ldquoinnovation ina boxrdquo Used in an event lasting aminimum of a day the participants talkto experts in the area of the challengetheyrsquore facing Itrsquos an innovative way toquickly get new ideas from a group Wefly people in to take part and have ateam of facilitators to help them with the challenge1 Learn more about the Ideo process at
httpwwwideocommedianightlineasp
Denise Baron Baron Communications ampEditorial ServicesEmployees will be moreinclined to participate in
brainstorming or other idea-generatingexercises when therersquos clear evidencethat senior management cares about whatthey think and is willing to take the timeto listen It also helps immensely if someof the suggestions are actually implemented
Unless senior managers intend to giveserious consideration to the ldquovoice of thepeoplerdquo in some tangible way ndash regardlessof the format employees will view therequest as an empty exercise and will behard-pressed to want to ldquoengagerdquo Sobefore you embark on yet another ldquothinktankrdquo clone the first question to askyourself is not how but why
Tom BrannanYes CityThe ideal genuine brain-storming session only lastsabout an hour any longer
and people will start to lose theircreativity Try going back to basics1 Decide what problem you want
to solve2 Nominate a ldquoproblem ownerrdquo Itrsquos
their task to give a five-minute briefon the issue to the rest of the group
3 Donrsquot involve more than a dozenpeople in the session
4 Give them 45 minutes to be creativein suggesting solutions
5 Capture everything but donrsquot allow anyevaluation ndash even the wildest ideashave value in sparking other thoughts
the communicatorsrsquo
NETWORK
A ROUND-UP OF THE LATEST HOT DEBATES AND SHARED ADVICE
In this issue we share some suggestions from the Communicatorsrsquo Network onhow to conduct the most effective brainstorming sessions There was alsodebate surrounding the idea of cascading information ndash to some it spellsdisaster to others itrsquos an efficient way to save both time and resources Andfind out what practitioners think about the use of logos for internal projects ndashare they helpful or just confusing
Q Does anyone have any ideas on how to create successful brainstormingsessions between managers and employees including field-based staff
QA
5scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
to higher-level information and how tofacilitate discussions ndash not on how topresent corporate bullet points effectively
Naomi CohenBSI British StandardsCascading has the benefitof high levels of trust(research shows the closer
to the employee the messenger is themore likely the message is to bebelieved) but low levels of reliability(therersquos great potential for distortion ofkey messages going through a thirdparty) I tend to apply a mixed approachdepending on the message
One factor for example is the sensitivityof the information If itrsquos somethingthatrsquos going to affect or threaten peoplersquosjobs go for face-to-face discussions assoon as possible both to limit theamount of time staff have to speculateand to demonstrate due careprocess
If itrsquos information that wonrsquot have animmediate impact there can be value ininitiating mass communication and thenallowing time for face-to-face briefingsThis gives staff the opportunity to thinkthrough what theyrsquove heard and considerquestions for discussion
Dealing with feedbackThe key is that the cascade works bothways Itrsquos vital that any questions raisedfor which the line manager doesnrsquot havethe answer can be sent back ldquouprdquo foranswering and any feedback is equallyfed back into the center
I agree that training middle managersis useful but so is training teamlinemanagers as theyrsquore the ones who usuallydeliver the information
One approach that can work well is toidentify internal ambassadors and usethem as your grapevine This is a groupof people at mixed levels that betweenthem touch all parts of the business andare the natural communicators eitherbecause of their roles or theirpersonalities
Brief them train them make them feelspecial explain to them the CEOrsquosthinking and use them to communicatekey messages as a supplement to formalcascades through the managementstructures
But if the objective is to communicateyour CEOrsquos messages then Irsquod personalizethem from the CEO consistently usinghisher name face and tone of voice Themore authentic the better
Q Does the use of logos to brandinternal communicationprojects create confusion ordo they help staff to quicklyidentify a message and itsmeanings
Nicholas Ranken Atos OriginIt greatly depends on yourcontext I worked on amajor change project for a
multinational company where the companyidentity and colors were consistently usedin their internal communication
Our project followed a previousattempt that had been a very costlyfailure So we intentionally wanted tocreate a totally different and clearlyidentifiable image and logo The projectwas also of high strategic importance sowe wanted it to stand apart from otherprojects going on at the same time
Given that the corporate colors at thetime were dark blue and gray which wefelt were quite conservative andunderstated we chose bright bold colors(orange with dark blue text as a link backto the corporate colors) and a dynamicpattern to reflect the modern innovativenature of our project
That said as a consumer of internalcommunication myself (in a differentcompany) Irsquom definitely sensitive to thenotion of too many competing logos andcolors An overload of logos and project names can really detract from theoverall message
Deborah GogartyBritish EnergyWe used a logo to brand aproject a few years agoThe project was never fully
embraced by the whole organizationbecause they identified the logo asrepresenting the project teamrsquosresponsibilities So the audience wasconstantly looking for direction from theteam rather than taking up the causethemselves The logo (and the collateralthat carried it) seemed to create anunconscious helplessness in the audiencewhich took a long time to overcome
What Irsquove learned is that logos arepowerful devices and need to beunleashed only when their full potentialon behavior has been gaged
JOIN THE COMMUNICATORSrsquoNETWORK NOWAs a valued scm subscriber you are entitled tojoin The Communicatorsrsquo Network an onlinediscussion forum for communication practitionersworldwide Itrsquos a lively community that helpsyou find answers to your communicationquestions fast The discussion is monitored soyou will receive no unsolicited e-mail and wewill seek your permission first if we would liketo print any of your ideas in scm
E-mail commsnetwork-onmelcrumcomto join and gain instant access to a globalnetwork of your peers
commsnetwork-onmelcrumcom
LATEST ON THEMELCRUM BLOG
Is good writing essential to being a goodcommunicator This question was posed bySCMrsquos editor Mandy Thatcher and responsesfrom around the globe suggested it certainly isldquoEffective communication by those who cannotwrite is a contradictionrdquo was one commentBut the broader debate in this discussionstream was whether the traditional route ofprofessional development ndash where you masterthe tactics first and then become a goodstrategist is being replaced by a new processwhereby communicators are free to pursuewhatever it is they do best Developmentexpert Sue Dewhurst replied ldquoEven wherepeople do pursue strategic roles thefundamentals are still importantrdquo
What came first Googlersquos culture or itssuccess Melcrum editor Alex Manchesterposed the question and commenters discussedthe effectiveness of Googlersquos famous ldquo20-percent free time for employeesrdquo project
Is it time internal comms became ICInternal communication consultant DeniseBaron took issue with the suggestion that theterm ldquoInternal communicationrdquo would soon bereplaced by the ldquotrendyrdquo acronym ldquoICrdquoBaronrsquos response was ldquoFor my money IC comestoo close to ICK Nothing trendy lsquobout thatrdquo
wwwmelcrumblogcomldquoThoughts and revelations on internalcommunication and beyondrdquo
6 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PEO
PLE
scm
Tell me about your roleUntil recently I was head of globalinternal communication at Dell but Imoved into a new role six months ago toleverage my consulting and agencybackground The best way to describe myrole is lead consultant for thecommunication function with a focus ondriving strategy and innovation
What does this role entailA priority right now is to develop andimplement Dellrsquos new digital-mediastrategy More broadly my mandate is tolook at what wersquore doing and should bedoing over the next six months and figureout how we can have more of an impactacross all our audiences
How would you describe the Dell cultureThe company is much bigger than it usedto be but the culture still has a strongbias for action and lack of complacencyThe expectation for our team is to remainnimble and proactive and look for waysto constantly improve and reinvent howwe do things My new position is a directreflection of that Therersquos a need for anoverarching perspective someone with acommunication and consultingbackground who can dive in developstrategies and direct projects
What projects are you working onWersquove already launched an internal andexternal blog and have just introduced
Studio Dell an online vlog outlet gearedto core customer groups containing videoclips product profiles and interviewsDell also recently established a presencein Second Life Part of my role is to helpkeep all these initiatives coordinated
What issues do you faceOne question wersquore looking to answer ishow to develop and expand our blogsShould we have external blogs for differentlanguage groups such as Japanese andMandarin And if so how do weproceed Internally should we developblogs for some of the regions orparticular divisions of the company
What have you learned about the social-media environmentWe were one of the first major globalcompanies to join the blogosphere Butthe general consensus initially amongobservers was that we were talking aboutissues that were relevant to us ratherthan customers or pundits outside DellWersquove learned from that and madechanges to ensure we listen as well as talk
What can social media do internallyLast year was a tumultuous year for Dell
in terms of our performance Employeesnow need regular updates and discussionaround the situation and what we plan todo to improve So the internalphilosophy is to be even more candidand transparent with employees thanwersquove been For example wersquore using theblog to facilitate conversations betweenemployees and executives
Have leaders resisted this approachTherersquos an understanding among leader-ship that we need to be candid and willingto listen to criticism and respond to itThe leadership team understand thatcredibility is paramount and are willingto share the facts wherever they can
What advice would you offer toorganizations about to start a blogSome companies make the mistake ofbeing enamoured with new technologybut donrsquot have a clear reason for using it
We were very clear about why we weregetting involved ndash to have betterconversations with our stakeholdersparticularly our customers This goalhelps us to define the rules ofengagement and guides the editorialcontent Externally if it isnrsquot relevant orhelpful to customers we donrsquot blog aboutit Our strategic purpose internally is tobe more transparent relevant andcredible when we talk to employees
Also do your homework We did a lotof benchmarking and looked at whatother companies were doing ndash good andbad ndash to get a sense of what we should bestriving for
Finally donrsquot just add to the noiseTherersquos already a huge volume ofinformation out there Thing about howyour blog can add something useful
How would you respond to the criticismDell received in the blogosphere last yearWe knew Dell would be criticized bysome of the influential bloggers Weknew there would be skepticism in viewof the companyrsquos customer service andfinancial issues in 2006 But we listenedadapted and learned from that Now thatwersquore part of the conversation amentality of continuous improvement isalways critical to doing well
DEVELOPING DELLrsquoS DIGITALMEDIA STRATEGY
Bernard Charland acts as lead in-house consultant for Dellrsquos global corporatecommunication function focusing on communication strategy and innovation Previousto this role he was director of Global Internal Communications for the company
Have a clear strategicreason for entering theblogosphere internally
or externally
Bernard Charlandrsquos varied background is proving valuable in his new role which isto focus on strategy and innovation within Dellrsquos global corporate communicationfunction A large part of this role currently is developing and coordinating Dellrsquosdigital-media strategy Here he describes whatrsquos been achieved so far future plansand lessons learned
PROFILE BERNARD CHARLAND
THOUGHT LEADER LEE SMITH
7scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PEO
PLE
scm
Lee Smith FCIPR is a director of Gatehouse specializing in internal communicationfor professional and financial services businesses He also authors the TalkingInternal Communication blog at wwwtalkingictypepadcom
had to give and I canrsquot pretend I wasalways a joy to be with during that period
It didnrsquot help that I lived nearly 80miles away in Birmingham During thoseyears I saw more of the M6 motorwaythan your average lorry driver I alsospent far too many nights eating badfood in cheap Manchester hotels all ofwhich eventually took its toll
Then came the exams nearly 30 hours of them Again Irsquod done myhomework so I managed to come awaywith decent marks
My final hurdle the dreadeddissertation took around two years tocomplete I chose to focus onorganizational identity and just to makemy life tougher decided to use a ratherobscure psychological researchtechnique Getting to grips with thatfinding the time to conduct lengthyinterviews analyze results and craft mytome was incredibly difficult
Being a perfectionist I took it right to the wire ndash submitting my finaldocument just before the universityrsquosultimate deadline
Time to celebrate Last month saw the end of my long andarduous journey The ritual of thegraduation ceremony was a fitting endingand helped draw a line under thatparticular chapter of my professionaldevelopment story
Therersquos no doubt that the course wasbeneficial and although the journey wassometimes difficult the experience wasmostly enjoyable I fell just 3 percentshort of the distinction grade I wantedbut Irsquom still very proud of myachievement And I know Irsquom now amuch more thoughtful and effectivecommunicator
Would I recommend the MSc route toother communicators Yes but I wouldmake sure they realize the enormity ofthe challenge A part-time MSc is not foreveryone It will demand considerabletime energy and effort and may welltake its toll on your personal life andyour waistline But if you persevere overthe long run it might just be worth itNow about that PhD
Irsquove always taken my professionaldevelopment seriously From themoment I entered the communicationprofession in 1991 Irsquove worked hard tohone existing skills build new ones andbroaden my knowledge Some havecalled me dedicated others obsessive
During those 16 years Irsquove participatedin dozens of training courses attendedmore than 50 conferences sacrificedmany an evening to study supported twoprofessional bodies judged industryawards written articles organizedevents volunteered for charities andmentored many aspiring communicators
My biggest development featYet all of this pales into insignificancewhen compared to my biggestdevelopmental feat so far ndash earning anMSc in Corporate Communication andReputation Management Itrsquos likecomparing a gentle stroll to scaling alarge mountain
I finally graduated from the Universityof Manchester Business School inDecember 2006 but it took me five longyears to reach that point Havingenrolled as a svelte twenty-something Igraduated an overweight and slightlygraying 35-year-old It was a slow andoccasionally painful assent
The first stepsBack in 2001 what appealed to me aboutthe course was its strategic focus Unlikesome post-graduate courses theManchester MSc is genuinely multi-
disciplinary touching on communicationtheory branding psychologystakeholder management ethics andbusiness strategy ndash to name a few
Itrsquos also refreshingly practicalcombining robust academic thinking withreal-world case studies While I wantedacademic rigor it was very important tome to be able to practically apply thelearning at work
It took me some time to understandthe relevance of the ldquoScrdquo in MSc Sciencewas a subject I detested at school but Irecognized its importance to my futureas a communicator I was also very awareof my own weakness in that area Thatrsquosone of the benefits Irsquove gained from thecourse ndash a real appreciation of goodresearch and the knowledge to do it well
Things went well academically though juggling part-time study with afull-time career is never easy I wasdisciplined enough to invest thenecessary time and to gradually work myway through the course reading list andgood marks followed
A balancing actThe course proved a little morechallenging on a personal level Work-life balance is hard enough to achieve letalone work-study-life balance Something
IS FURTHER STUDY THEROUTE FOR YOU
It takes dedicationbut a post-graduate
degree can beprofessionally and
personally beneficial
Who said professional development was easy Commitment perseverance andpatience are some of the attributes Lee Smith found invaluable as he workedtowards obtaining his masters degree
8 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TEC
HN
OLO
GY
scm
Creating dialogue within an organizationand encouraging involvement are two ofthe major attractions associated withblogs These were also the primary reasonsbehind the World Bankrsquos decision tolaunch their first internal blog last year
The occasion was the organizationrsquosannual meeting a series of events held inSingapore in 2006 This 10-day eventbrings together around 10000 peopleincluding media representatives to discussissues related to poverty reduction andinternational economic development
According to Egan traditionalmethods used previously to report on theevent such as articles video and audiolinks on the internet and intranet siteshad failed to spark employeesrsquo interest inthe progress and outcomes of the meetingsBlogging seemed like a good way drive toemployeesrsquo interest and involvement
Objectives of the blogEgan summarizes the objectives andrationale behind the blog as follows bull To provide an alternate voice to share
the business outcomes of the meetingsusing informal first-person reportingof behind-the-scenes activities
bull To encourage the use of otherresources by linking blog readers tomore serious information
bull To encourage employee interactionand increase dialogue
Throughout the event the blog wasupdated daily by the head of internalcommunication The entries wereunedited but reader comments weremoderated before they were posted
Outcomes and evaluationAccording to Egan this blogging experimentsurpassed their expectations by helpingto achieve the following three outcomes1 Renewed credibility for the voice of
internal communication ldquoCorporatecommunication always suffers thereputation of towing managementrsquosline The tone and delivery of theblog entries very clearly did not Wehad many comments along the linesof lsquoFinally the real storyrsquordquo
2 A feeling of inclusion ldquoBy providinga sense of the context and atmosphereemployees who didnrsquot attend theevent still felt like they were part ofit Many commented that lsquoFor thefirst time I feel Irsquom therersquordquo
3 Better awareness of the outcomes ofthe meetings ldquoThe blog provided thehook into other channels ofinformation which staff may nototherwise have consulted The first
thing some of the readers did in themorning was to check the blogrdquo
Egan admits that there were some whowere initially skeptical about bloggingldquoWe did have a couple of comments onthe blog saying lsquoThis is frivolousrsquo butothers responded by saying lsquoLighten upThis makes a nice change from all theboring official informationrsquordquo
Another problem was a potentiallyoffensive remark which had to be removedprompting the composition of an officialblogging policy to define the roles andresponsibilities of authors and commenters
Optimistic about the new toolFollowing on from the success of thisfirst blog the communication team hassince launched a variety of blogs some ofwhich have been successful others lessso Ironically a blog set up to discuss aworldwide conference on communicationgot minimal response Staff participationin external blogs has also been low ButEgan remains optimistic about thepotential of this tool
ldquoThere are millions of blogs out thereand lots of participation in them But ina business setting it takes a bit moretime before a community of practicedevelops and people believe that this is atrusted space where they can commentwithout being ridiculed or scornedrdquo
Advice to corporate bloggersTo build confidence in the tool Egan hasplans to launch an internal marketingcampaign and the organizationrsquos newintranet site will provide a forum forfuture blogging developments
Eganrsquos primary advice to fellowcorporate bloggers is to keep the contentgenuine ldquoIt becomes very obvious veryquickly who is doing the writingrdquo Shealso suggests keeping blogs topic or event-specific and avoiding general musings
Her final reminder is that blogsshouldnrsquot replace traditional tools butcompliment them ldquoBlogs can be fabulousbut you need to put them in context withthe other tools that are available Be veryclear about their purposerdquo
USING BLOGS TO INVOLVE ATWORLD BANK
Michele Egan is a senior communications officer in the World Bank Grouprsquos internalcommunications unit Among other tasks she leads the development and delivery ofthe grouprsquos electronic communication tools
Experimenting with blogsat the World Bank has
shed light on what worksand what doesnrsquot
In 2006 the World Bank set up a blog to spark interest and involvement in amajor organizationwide planning event The positive response has inspired a moreadventurous and experimental approach to blogging Based on recent experiencessenior communications officer Michele Egan reflects on the potential benefits andpitfalls of using this tool
MICHELLE EGAN
by Sona Hathi
INTRANETS EMBRACESOCIAL MEDIA
Neilson Normanrsquos latest report on thetop 10 intranet designs of 2007 shows anincrease in the use of multimedia andsocial media on intranet sites
Although multimedia was a significantfeature in last yearrsquos list this year seesphotos video news feeds and webcamsput to more innovative use Indicatingthat social media has not been a passingfad of 2006 many of the intranets haveimplemented popular Web 20 featureslike blogs (with specific business angles)and business-relevant wikis
Video is being used for training andcorporate communication butorganizations such as American ElectricPower have pushed the use of thischannel by setting up a TV studio forintranet productions offering employeesstreaming video and live webcasts
News feeds have long been used onintranets but this year the bestselections offer more relevant internaland external news and involveemployees by allowing them to ratestories and comment
Translation comes out topsMany of the reportrsquos winning intranetsoffer language translation for theirinternational employees Dow Chemicalfor example uses English for most globalcontent but translates important contentinto Dutch German French ItalianPortuguese and Spanish Selectedcontent is also translated into ChineseGreek Japanese and Thai
A total of 49 different technologyproducts are used by the reportrsquos topintranets with Windows Server GoogleSearch Appliance and SharePoint beingamong the most popular SH
httpwwwnngroupcom
9scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TEC
HN
OLO
GY
scmUPDATECALCULATING THEROI ON BLOGGING
The difficulty of placing a precisemonetary value on corporate blogging isone of the setbacks of this tool But anew report from Forrester calledCalculating the ROI of blogging offersways to identify the benefits costs andrisks that corporate blogging involvesusing a three-stage process 1 Quantify and assign value to the key
benefits of blogging 2 Estimate the costs of blogging3 Incorporate risk calculations into the
ROI model
The report describes how to measure theimpact blogging has on the businessoutcomes using ldquometrics that everyone isfamiliar withrdquo For example themonetary value of press mentions can bemeasured by counting the number ofblog-driven stories by online press webmedia and high-profile bloggers andthen calculating the cost of advertising inthe same publications
General Motorsrsquo case studyThe report also features a case study onGeneral Motorsrsquo two-year-old blogFastLane to which the authors applytheir ROI process Rather thanpresenting the company with a finalnumerical figure theyrsquove come up withnew objectives advising them how to getthe maximum benefits from blogging andimprove its impact on business outcomes
Whether yoursquove already startedblogging or are about to take the plungethis report provides direction on how toevaluate how your blog and decide whichdirection it needs to go in to gainmaximum business value SH
httpwwwforrestercom
SENIOR EXECS BIG ONNEW MEDIA
A survey of 100 CEOs and CMOs fromFortune 2000 companies found that 76percent of senior executives areexperimenting with alternative mediasuch as blogs Second Life and socialnetworking
The study by Weber Shandwick andKRC Research found that 69 percent ofthose surveyed currently use socialnetworking while 37 percent plan to useit more over the next five years
Ninety-one percent of those surveyedcurrently make use of their companywebsite and 66 percent plan to use theirwebsite more over the next five yearsmaking it number one in the surveyrsquos listof media tools
Use of virtual worlds to growAvatar-based marketing (marketingthrough virtual worlds such as SecondLife) came last in the list of 20 mediatools senior executives plan to use overthe next five years However researchersbelieve that the use of virtual worlds incommunication and marketing willincrease as more companies learn how touse them more effectively
Billee Howard managing director ofthe Global Strategic Media Group atWeber Shandwick said ldquoWersquore in theearly days of a totally new media eraThose companies that do not combinethe new-media paradigm with the best oftraditional media will most certainlyproceed at their perilrdquo SH
Source The Changing Face of Marketingand Communications in Todayrsquos CreativityEconomy
httpwwwwebershandwickcom
TECHNOLOGY UPDATE
When talking about return on investment(ROI) for the intranet and other ldquosoftrdquobenefits these are the kinds of results oroutcomes usually referred to
Measurable ROI from hard benefitsinclude bull less paperbull less hardwarebull less headcount andbull increased sales
Soft benefits includebull increased employee productivitybull better customer satisfactionbull faster time to market andbull improved employee retention
IBM Oracle and Cisco all measure theimpact and benefits of their intranet Allof them have measured the value to begreater than US$1 billion In fact IBMhas realized benefits from e-learning viathe intranet alone to be more thanUS$284 million
BT the UK telecommunicationscompany uses an online idea jar foremployees called ldquoPersonnel TodayrdquoEmployee ideas have saved BT nearlyUKpound100 million over the past four years
Sodexhorsquos SuperSleuthOne of my personal favorites is theSodexho USA Sales SuperSleuthSuperSleuth is an intranet web page andapplication that encourages employees tosubmit sales leads and prospective clientsvia the intranet
The SuperSleuth intranet pagegenerates cash rewards of up toUS$1000 for the person making thesubmission Sodexho says it hascontributed to a 100-percent increase insales leads In fact the SuperSleuth toolhas led to US$90 million in managedvolume (net client sales including salesby client) This is proof positive of akiller application
Impressive numbers As impressive as those numbers are youdonrsquot have to be a large technologycompany to realize measured ROIbenefits ndash ROI isnrsquot reserved solely forbig multinationals
QAS is a world leader in address
management and data accuracy Basedon data secured from national postalauthorities and other leading sourcesQAS captures cleans and enhances theintegrity of name and address data QAShas 400 employees with offices in the UK(headquarters) US Canada SingaporeAustralia and across Europe
While awards are nice to receive theQAS intranet has received more thanjust kudos ndash itrsquos delivering measuredresults and value for the business Someof the measured ROI benefits include bull Online expenses saved four person-
days per monthbull Finance savings online workflow has
reduced administrative processingtime from two weeks to one day
bull Purchase ordering saved four person-days per month and an ROI savingsof US$20000 per year
bull Sales proposal builder streamlinedproposal and sales process savesalmost US$25000 per year
bull Intranet use 115-percent increase inusage of the intranet (infers a yet tobe measured productivity gain)
Of all the measurements perhaps thesingle most important is ROI Tomaximize the intranetrsquos value andpotential you must secure the support ofsenior management If you want theirattention and support you better talktheir talk Nothing gets their attentionmore than ROI
Sell the sizzleIf executives view the intranet as a costcenter then itrsquos your responsibility to sellthe sizzle and prove the value with harddata ROI is everything in someorganizations (for example in financialservices) Other more progressivecompanies are intent to know and trackemployee satisfaction and productivity
Still others want to know both It alldepends on your organization andculture However only throughmeasurement will the intranet become ameasured quantity and a proven asset
Source Transforming your intranetwwwmelcrumcom
DOES YOUR INTRANETPAY ITS WAY
Toby Ward is a broadcast journalist turned consultant He founded and launchedPrescient Digital Media (wwwPrescientDigitalcom) in early 2001 His specialismsare site evaluation and strategic planning He blogs at wwwIntranetBlogcom
Hard data demonstratingvalue generated by the
intranet will alter itsperception as a cost center
In Melcrumrsquos report on Transforming your intranet Toby Ward of Prescient DigitalMedia authors a chapter on how to measure the value and success of your intranetHere we share his thoughts on that frequently elusive indicator of success ndash returnon investment
TOBY WARD
10 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
RESE
AR
CH
amp M
EA
SUR
EM
EN
T
scm
ldquoTO MAXIMIZE THEINTRANETrsquoS POTENTIALYOU MUST SECURE THESUPPORT OF SENIORMANAGEMENTrdquo
There are three situations that are mostlikely to create plummeting surveyresponse rates1 When a group never hears the
findings of past surveys or anyresulting changes they begin to thinktheir opinions donrsquot matter If theirpast opinions were valued so lightlythey feel less urgency to sharefurther opinions
2 When the group being researched isrelatively small researchers typicallyneed to poll the entire group on eachsurvey rather than querying arandom sample For example if youhave 1000 employees you wouldneed to obtain 259 responses to haveresults accurate within a margin oferror of 5 percentage points If thecompany is typically receiving a 25-percent response rate on surveysthat means that all 1000 employeesneed to be invited to participate inthe survey to get about the minimumnecessary number of responses for asufficient level of accuracyUnfortunately even for largergroups researchers sometimessurvey the whole group on everysurvey instead of identifying the rightsize random sample
3 When surveys are badly designedrespondents quit them midwaythrough The respondentrsquos feeling isldquoIf the company canrsquot be bothered todesign a good survey Irsquom not going
to waste my time taking itrdquo Somemajor survey design flaws includequestions that are difficult tounderstand questions withinsufficient or inappropriateresponse options or questions thatseem to have little relevance for therespondent Other major designturn-offs are surveys that are toolong or that are composed mostly ofopen-ended essay questions both ofwhich take too much time to answerFinally asking too manydemographic questions especially atthe beginning of a surveycompromises respondentsrsquo sense ofanonymity and kills their desire toanswer even the first real question
The following steps will help overcomethese three problems
Coordinate surveysTo avoid asking the same people torespond to too many surveys within ashort time coordinate all employee orcustomer surveys through a clearinghouse so that the timing of surveys doesnrsquotoverlap and you donrsquot ask questions forwhich answers are already available
Send the survey to only a sample ofthe audience (although yoursquoll need astatisticianrsquos help in selecting a sample ofthe right size) If you know severalsurveys will be administered about thesame time pick mutually exclusiverandom samples at the same time so thatno one person receives more than onesurvey during that period
Use short surveysThe shorter the survey the more likelypeople are to give you their time If youhave 100 questions that must beanswered break them into threeseparate surveys of about 33 questionsand administer them to three mirror-image random samples Yoursquoll besurveying more people but eachparticipantrsquos time commitment will berelatively minor
Also consider doing very short ldquostealthsurveysrdquo by phone for which you donrsquotobtain advance permission People mightnot even know theyrsquove been surveyed Asyou (and a team of volunteers) have theseconversations with respondents you wouldrecord their answers on a questionnaire
Connect research to resultsSome companies have a long history ofnot communicating results or outcomesof previous surveys If thatrsquos true of yourorganization try these two techniquesbull On a regular basis when announcing
changes the company is makingconnect the changes with relatedsurvey results ndash even if a changewasnrsquot made solely because of theresearch Your audience will get themessage that stakeholder opinionsare a regular factor in the waymanagement makes decisions
bull In the invitation to a new surveybegin with key findings and changesthat were made based on a similarpast survey and ask respondents tolet you know through the new surveyif the company is still on track Thisway your potential respondents hearthat completing surveys does resultin changes ndash at the very momenttheyrsquore determining if your latestsurvey is worth their time
FINDING A CURE FORSURVEY FATIGUE
Angela Sinickas ABC is president of Sinickas Communications Inc an internationalcommunication consultancy specializing in helping corporations achieve businessresults through targeted diagnostics and practical solutions For more informationvisit wwwsinicomcom
A downward trend in survey response rates is often blamed on the fact that peoplesimply become tired of taking surveys But there are ways to avoid the malaisesetting in says Angela Sinickas a key one being making sure that people feel theiropinions are actually being listened to Here she shares three common causes ofsurvey fatigue and how to deal with them
11scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
RESE
AR
CH
amp M
EA
SUR
EM
EN
Tscm
ANGELA SINICKAS
Little feedback the wrongsample size and poorly
designed surveys all leadto low response rates
12 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Organizations today ndash driven byincreased competition merger-and-acquisition activity and large complextransformation programs ndash arecharacterized by the need for constantand rapid change In our experienceconsistent leadership communicationsare at the center of helping theirorganizations address these challenges
With all the complex transformationprograms we work on we encourage the
leadership team to create a simple one-page ldquomessage maprdquo to use over a definedtimeframe The message map which welink to key program milestones andsuccesses helps the leadership team toplan what theyrsquoll share with employeesand other stakeholders and when
Message maps can address commonfailures of leadership communicationDuring global cross-functional programswhen all leaders consistently reinforce
the same messages they emerge as ajoined-up forward-thinking team
Message maps are also effective whenbuilding up communication to employeesover time rather than overwhelmingstaff with changes or diminishingleadership credibility by waiting too longto communicate
Compiling a message mapThe process wersquove used in the past to helpleaders develop a message map is quitestraight forward This is what we dobull We encourage leaders to work
together to agree and articulate thestory Agreeing the story typicallyrequires experienced facilitationThis encourages leaders to definehow the story will build and thengain momentum and commitmentover time
bull The story is then converted into asimple message map The mapshould make sense to all change-program leaders as this tool willguide the majority of theircommunication to employees Itshould also provide a clear view ofwhatrsquos coming next Message mapsare often shown as straightforwardtimelines but there are othereffective ways to present them (seeFigure One below)
bull Once the change story has beenagreed and committed to paperleaders use the map to know whencommunications should be deliveredand what supporting documentationto use for a consistent cascade
Revisiting communication plansOf course the content of the message mapwill need to be revisited Message mapsas with all communications evolve overtime They should be frequently reviewedto ensure that the messages ndash and time-scales ndash remain relevant to the programand align with program milestones
USING MESSAGE MAPSTO GUIDE CHANGE
Sally Harris is director of theCommunications and Engagementpractice at Molten where shespecializes in managing large-scale communication and changeprograms for global clients
Facilitate a meeting withthe leadership team to
agree and articulate thechange story
Sally Harris director of the Communications and Engagement practice at Moltenbelieves itrsquos often the simplest tools that are most effective in encouraging leadersto think more strategically about their communications Here she explains why theldquomessage maprdquo is one such tool
SALLY HARRIS
LEA
DER
SHIP
CO
MM
UN
ICATIO
N
scm
Figure One Example of a global message map
13scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
brand image and set an example for thewhole company
At The Company Agency we find thatmany CEOs are looking for strategiccommunication support coaching andguidance that goes beyond what theyreceive from their rostered PR agencyThey operate in a world thatrsquos typicallyquite lonely where information isfrequently filtered theyrsquore under aconstant spotlight and a gap existsbetween them their people and theircustomers Internal communication canplay a key role in helping the CEObridge this gap
A simple checklist Every CEO is different and facesdifferent challenges but herersquos a simplechecklist if you find yourself workingwith a new CEO or in a new role with anestablished CEObull Ask your CEO what kind of person
they would like to be viewed as byemployees ndash coach them oncommunication behavior that canhelp them achieve this goal
bull Establish very quickly what theCEOrsquos key message is ndash askquestions until it is crystal clear
bull Know your business and brief yourCEO on what type of communicationis effective or not within yourorganization
bull Provide informed guidance onemerging communication trends ndashsuch as social media ndash and explainthe business impact
bull Understand how the CEO listens towhat people are saying
bull Determine the CEOscommunication preferences ndash howdoes he or she like to receive andshare information both inside andoutside work
You should expect to be the leaderrsquoscommunicator ndash developing messagesand ensuring theyrsquore conveyed in themost appropriate way But the balanceshould be tipping more towards beingthe communication leader ndash a role whereyoursquore providing strategic counsel to theCEO and coaching them so theyrsquore moreeffective in their new role and environment
In May last year the managementconsultants Booze Allen Hamiltonpublished their annual report on chiefexecutive attrition The Crest of theTurnover Wave After studying the move-ments of CEOs from the largest 2500companies in the world they uncoveredsome rather startling facts An incredible1 in 7 CEOs will change job over thenext 12 months with poor-performingCEOs staying in office for two years Bycomparison the high-performing CEOstays in the job for just under eight years
Given that their tenure may be brief thisresearch only reinforces that the first 100days for the chief executive is a critical time
Creating myths and legendsOver the past 20 years Irsquove had the goodfortune to work for some great brandsand leaders Experience tells me thatduring their first 100 days the reputationthey bring from their previous job willeither be validated or contradictedEverything they say and do will bescrutinised Perceptions will be quicklyformed about their style and personalityMyths and legends will become thehottest gossip in the workplace
With this in mind itrsquos critical toquickly establish their reputation andwhat they stand for Internalcommunication can play a valuable rolein supporting the CEO and in turnestablish a long-term relationship withtheir new leader
Uncovering perceptionsDeveloping a personalized communica-tion strategy must start by finding outhow the new leader is perceived While aquantitative survey may satisfy those witha hunger for numbers qualitativeresearch will uncover how people reallyview the CEO as an individual and leader
With these insights itrsquos possible todevelop a plan to shape the existingreputation into one they would like tohave in the new organization This meansidentifying what they stand for andhelping them articulate how this supportsand builds the brand of the organization
Charismatic leadersIf you think about charismatic leaderssuch as Stuart Rose of Marks amp SpencerRichard Branson of Virgin or PhilKnight of Nike organizational culture isheavily influenced by the personality ofits chief executive
The behavior that resides within theorganization is typically a reflection ofthe CEOrsquos behavior and becomesassociated with the brand So itrsquosimportant to define what the new CEOwants the corporate brand to stand forand what they can do to achieve that
LEADERS IN TRANSITIONTHE FIRST 100 DAYSIn a recent Melcrum survey 44 percent of respondents said they plan to spend more ormuch more on communication training for leaders and managers With the topic firmlyon the agenda for the forseeable future this issue sees the launch of a new regularcolumn by leadership communication expert Darren Briggs He kicks off with adviceon making the most of the CEOrsquos first 100 days ndash a critical time for any new leader
LEA
DER
SHIP
CO
MM
UN
ICATIO
Nscm
DARREN BRIGGS
The first of a new regularcolumn on leadership
urges communicators tosupport new leaders
Darren Briggs is partner at The Company Agency where he advises and coachessenior leaders to be more effective communicators He has 20 years corporateexperience working at chief executive and board level with companies such as BritishAirways Microsoft Nike PepsiCo and Vodafone
The title of advertising guru PaulArdenrsquos book Itrsquos not how good you areitrsquos how good you want to be captures theessence of ambition And our recent surveysuggests that this is a message internalcommunicators should take to heart
As part of our research1 to define a listof core skills and competencies forprofessional communicators we askedpractitioners from around the worldabout their future career goals and howthey plan to achieve them Surprisinglyfor a profession that stresses the need forstrategies and plans most internalcommunicators appear to have a fairly adhoc approach to their own development
Results from the surveyAbout 70 percent of our sample said theyexpected to stay in internal communicationover the next three years Thirty-twopercent saw themselves gaining moreexperience within their existing jobswhile 37 percent aim to move into adifferent internal communication role
When we asked respondents what theywere doing to help develop their careersgaining wider experience being better
networked and finding a coach came topof their lists
Be honest with yourselfNow these seem like fairly informalactivities You might think they take lessorganizing than say investing the timeand budget to do a course or study for aformal qualification But if yoursquore beinghonest you know that getting the go-aheadto work on more challenging projectsfinding the right coach and building aprofessional network takes time andplanning These things donrsquot just happenovernight ndash unless yoursquore very lucky
Yet less than a quarter of internalcommunicators have a formal plan to helpstructure their thoughts about careerprogression and make sure their develop-ment objectives are met Twenty-onepercent say they have no plan whatsoeverand about half the respondents wecontacted say they have a plan but itrsquosnot formalized or agreed
Make the timeMaking time to discuss your career goalswith your manager and getting apersonal development plan down onpaper will pay dividends After all who
decides whether you get to work on themore interesting projects or not Andwhen yoursquore being dragged under byyour workload wouldnrsquot it be helpful tohave some targets to remind you to makethe time to network or read that articlesitting in your reading folder
If wersquove convinced you to think aboutyour own professional development hereare three important steps to get started
1 Be clear about where yoursquore startingfrom Think about what yoursquoveachieved so far in your career Whatskills do you have what are yourstrengths and which areas needfurther development
2 Look ahead to where you want to beWhat timeframe do you have inmind for your professional develop-ment What can you focus on rightaway and what are your longer-termcareer goals Be as specific as youcan about what you want to achieveand consider the followingbull Are there areas where yoursquod like
to be a ldquostar performerrdquo in yourcurrent role
bull How can you expand your networkor reach in the wider industry
bull How can you broaden your depthof skills or experience outsideyour current remit
bull How do you plan to move onwardsand upwards to a new role
3 Think about how yoursquoll close the gapWhat knowledge skills andexperience do you need What typeof development activity will help youget to where you want to be
If you know in your heart of hearts thatyou donrsquot invest enough time and effortin your own development make the timeto start doing this now
In our next column we plan to look atthe range of development optionsavailable and hear some reflections fromindustry leaders on what helped themreally accelerate their own learning andprofessional development
1 Turn to page 16 for a more detailed analysis of the study
GET YOUR DEVELOPMENT PLANON TRACK
Sue Dewhurst and Liam FitzPatrick run Competent Communicators acompany specializing in professional development for internalcommunicators and Melcrumrsquos official training and developmentpartner For more information go to wwwcompetentcommunicatorscom
A study into skills and competenciesfor communicators
reveals a lack ofclear career planning
The path to a senior role in internal communication is paved with good intentionsOr so suggests a recent study by development experts Sue Dewhurst and LiamFitzPatrick Here in the first of a new regular column on professional developmentthey review the studyrsquos findings lament the lack of a career plan and urge internalcommunicators to take action and plan their own development
SUE DEWHURST AND LIAM FITZPATRICK
14 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PR
OFE
SSION
AL D
EV
ELO
PM
EN
T
scm
ldquoTHESE THINGS DONrsquoTJUST HAPPENOVERNIGHT ndash UNLESSYOUrsquoRE VERY LUCKYrdquo
15scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PR
OFE
SSION
AL D
EV
ELO
PM
EN
Tscm
3 Cut the jargonJargon may have its place but it has noplace in employee communicationPhrases such as work-life balanceemployer of choice critical mass and thelike may make sense in behind-the-scenes discussions However when itrsquostime to communicate to the masses weneed to translate these concepts intoPlain English and provide a context tohelp employees understand Yes it takessome work but the payoff makes itworth the effort
Say the head of HR wants to share thelatest developments in ldquowork-life balancerdquothat will benefit employees He may betempted to relay the news using theterminology hersquos used to using with hisstaff However most employees havenrsquotbeen in on those discussions so theconcept may be foreign or fuzzy to themndash even if theyrsquod heard the term before
Any progress HR makes on the work-life balance front gives it the opportunityto communicate in a personal humanway and in the process capture employeesrsquoattention on an emotional level
The HR leaderrsquos message thereforemay go something like this Our liveshave never been busier and there are onlyso many hours in a day Because we atXYZ Company recognize how important itis to you to be able to spend real time withyour families while managing theresponsibilities you have on the job wersquovedesigned a program that we hope willmake your life less hectic
Most employees will relate to thatmessage It plays to their needs which isa powerful hook
Guarding against gremlinsKeeping an eye out for the jargonpassive voice and other gremlins thatmay infiltrate your writing is a goodtraining ground for being able toobjectively critique your own work Italso conditions you to look for otherways to improve your writing a habitthat will serve you well throughout yourlifelong apprenticeship
No onersquos work is as continually visible inan organization as the communicatorrsquosOur superiors our peers and the entireemployee population see us as theparagons of communications competenceThey look to the messages wersquove craftedas models of writing excellence and willpattern their own accordingly
When you think of it itrsquos one heck of aburden to bear After all how else didyou get the job if you couldnrsquot write well
But regardless of how well you dowrite how senior you are or how longyoursquove had that coveted ldquoseat at thetablerdquo when it comes to writing yoursquollalways have room to grow Thatrsquos becausewriting is as one learned professor sowisely termed it a ldquolifelong apprenticeshiprdquo
Here are three ways to improve yourwriting immediately
1 Avoid the passive voiceThe passive voice manages to creep intomessages to employees and itrsquos a sureroad to eroding their engagement It allowsthe writer to hide behind the message itclouds direction and itrsquos boring
Herersquos an example of really woefulwriting ndash a sentence structure that yoursquoresure to recognize Employees areencouraged to submit this form by the endof the month
Analyze that sentence and yoursquoll seethat not only is there no owner to thestatement but therersquos no clear directionEmployees are encouraged by whom
and what does ldquoencouragedrdquo meananyway Are employees required tosubmit the form If so then say so
The sad truth is this passive style ofwriting is all too common the happytruth is that we communicators are in aposition to do something about it Oftenall it takes is a quick rewrite Pleasesubmit this form by [insert specific date]Clear direct concise
2 Use second person Why talk at people when you can talk tothem When yoursquore communicating withemployees the use of ldquoyourdquo can befriendly and inviting
Take this message XYZ Companyemployees at customer locations shouldalways first check with their hosts to ensurethat connecting to the XYZ network ispermitted
Look what happens when itrsquos rewrittenfrom third person into second If yoursquoreworking at a customer site be sure to firstcheck with your host that itrsquos OK toconnect to our network
Yoursquove gone from impersonal toconversational
DO YOUR WRITING SKILLSLET YOU DOWNA recent discussion on the Melcrum blog raised the question of whether or not goodwriting skills are still important to the more strategically focused communicator Theconsensus was a definite yes ndash your writing ability makes an impression and itrsquos upto you whether thatrsquos good or bad Denise Baron provides some advice on how tomake sure itrsquos the former
DENISE BARON
However strategicyour role the ability
to write well remainsan important skill
Denise Baron is president of Baron Communications a business communicationsconsultancy providing strategic planning and marketing internal communicationproject management and editorial services to Fortune 500 companies
16 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Over the past five years wersquove found ourselvesbecoming more and more involved in conversationsabout careers in internal communication As theprofession matures expectations of itspractitioners are rising and for many people ajob in communication is no longer just a short-term stepping-stone en route to better things
But the question we hear time and time again isldquoWhat does lsquogoodrsquo look like when it comes to
internal communicationrdquo What skills knowledgeand experience should an effective internalcommunicator have at various stages in theircareer How do I know what I should bepersonally aspiring to and measuring myselfagainst How can I best develop my team Whereis the definitive framework to help me recruit thebest person for the job
In recent years there have been a number ofgood attempts to answer these questions In theUK a group of professional bodies got togetherto write the Inter-Comm matrix1 It listed theskills knowledge and experience a practitionermight need according to their level of experience
We were both involved in developing this skillsmatrix which was widely welcomed when it waslaunched in 2003 Some well-respectedconsultancies have also developed models to showhow a typical career path might progress whichhave helped structure career planning forindividuals and teams
A flexible model for a diverse professionDespite the success of the Inter-Comm matrix wefelt there was more to be done in the area ofprofessional development for internal communica-tors Fundamentally existing models tend to showa one-dimensional and predictable career pathstarting as a junior deliverer and developing into astrategic business-focused consultant
The implication is that if yoursquore deliveringcommunication or are tactically focused you musthave a junior role and if you have a more seniorrole you donrsquot get your hands dirty doingmundane things like writing or managing the
Building a learningframework for internalcommunicators
Planning your teamrsquos professional developmentmeans understanding the skills and experienceneeded to be successful Sue Dewhurst and Liam
FitzPatrick of Competent Communicators have beenresearching how internal communicators spend their timeat work and what behaviors the most effectivepractitioners display Here they describe a new learningframework that has emerged from the study
Identifying the typical roles andskills required for your team
BY SUE DEWHURST AND LIAM FITZPATRICK
scm FEATURES
ABOUT THE RESEARCHThe findings discussed in this article are based on research conducted at theend of 2006 More than 700 in-house practitioners replied to a survey aboutcareers competencies and development plans
A factor analysis of the data conducted by Ash Pattni Associates generated anumber of role types which were then discussed with 30 professionals atdifferent stages of their careers based in the UK Europe and North AmericaThese discussions mainly took the form of interviews and focus groups
The study also referred to data on competency modeling prepared by theUKrsquos Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
1 2 3 4 5
17scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
intranet or organizing eventsBut clearly the world of internal communication
isnrsquot quite that straightforward People join theprofession via all kinds of routes and at differentstages of their careers
We interviewed someone who started out as thedirectorrsquos PA a successful senior executive whostarted out as an engineer a former psychologylecturer and others who had joined through moreobvious routes in publishing and PR
Some had started out in junior roles Forothers their first role in internal communicationwas as a business partner Others had alreadyreached a senior position in another function andsimply moved across at the same level
A key objective of this study was to develop amodel that reflected the diverse reality of life ininternal communication one that was flexibleenough to be adapted to fit organizations andcommunication teams of all shapes and sizes
So we began our research by surveying communica-tors worldwide to find out how they actuallyspend their time on a daily basis and what skillsknowledge and experience they regularly use
The six types of practitionerStatistical analysis of the survey data suggestedthere were six stereotypical role types withininternal communication By ldquotypesrdquo we meansegments or groups of people who share verysimilar characteristics in terms of their skills andstrengths spend their time carrying out similartypes of activities and whose outputs tend to bejudged in similar ways
Most importantly these types can be plottedagainst two dimensions based on how they spendtheir time (advising or doing) and where theirfocus is (strategy or tactics) Figure One (right)illustrates these six types and how they plotagainst the two dimensions
Clearly every organization is slightly differentbut the six stereotypes described below shouldprovide a starting point for thinking about theroles and types of people you need in your team
1 The Leader Internal communication leaders manage teamsand lead the function either for an entire organiza-tion or for a large division or territory Theyspend much of their time managing and coachingteam members and working with senior managersThey see themselves as business people first andcommunicators second However itrsquos taken as readthat they have sound technical ability and will rollup their sleeves when needed Great internal andexternal networkers theyrsquore skilled at dealing withuncertainty and conflict Theyrsquore likely to bemeasured on business results and through thesubjective opinion of their senior customers
2 The Advisor Advisors support departments or major projectsby providing advice developing communicationplans and providing hands-on support to deliverthem Local managers trust them for their insightsinto business problems and understanding of howtheir organization really works Through well-developed networks and time spent understandingtheir audiences and carrying out research andfeedback they know whatrsquos really going onTheyrsquore judged on the quality of their advice andtheir ability to translate that advice into plansactivities and actions
3 The ManagerThe internal communication manager has excellentcraft skills and a sound knowledge of channelsThey spend most of their time on delivery Whenthey advise itrsquos normally about the best channelsto use or the most appropriate timing Goodmanagers arenrsquot easily intimidated and are greatat juggling different priorities Theyrsquore skilled attranslating between the boardroom and the shopfloor Their contribution is often measured bytheir ability to deliver activity against a plan andthe quality of work they and their team produce
4 The DelivererMost teams have someone in this role ndash a safepair of hands who can be trusted to make thingshappen That might range from compilingdistribution lists through to running a conferencesorting out the CEOrsquos open forum or writing andediting a newsletter Theyrsquore less likely tosupervise other communicators and depend ontheir organizational and craft skills to get the jobdone People value them for their ability to dothings on time and to a high standard 3
Sue Dewhurst and LiamFitzPatrick run CompetentCommunicators a firmspecializing in professionaldevelopment for internalcommunicators TheyrsquoreMelcrumrsquos official training anddevelopment advisors anddeliver Melcrumrsquos Black Belttraining program Theyrsquore alsothe authors of a forthcomingreport on competenciesdevelopment and standardsfor internal communicatorsand blog about developmentissues onwwwBlackBeltDojocouk
Figure One Six typical role types for internal communicators
TheLeader
TheLocal Agent
The Deliverer
TheAdvisor
TheManagerADVISE
STRATEGY
IMPLEMENT
TACTICS
TheSpecialist
KEY POINTSbull A new study has established how communicators spend their time and
what skills knowledge and experience they regularly use
bull The research identifies six stereotypical roles ranging from acommunication leader to a specialist (eg a web or events expert)
bull It also highlights 12 competencies that clarify the behaviors acompetent practitioner should display at each level An ldquoineffectiverdquocategory shows behaviors displayed by less able performers
bull The roles and competencies provide a framework for development
Building a learning framework for internal communicators
18 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
5 The Local AgentThis category covers a broad range of peoplefrom the plant managerrsquos personal assistant to aregional communication manager Internalcommunication is often one of severalresponsibilities for this person and they tend tohave a tactical focus Their agenda is normally setby the local management team although theirlocal knowledge and network makes them aninvaluable sounding board for the corporatecommunication team They tend to be judged onwhether activities happen and how satisfied theirlocal manager is with them
6 The SpecialistOur research found a small group of peopleworking in internal communication who see them-selves as subject-matter experts in a specialist areasuch as web management audio-visual productionor event management They have only a looseconnection to the mainstream profession andcould equally work in IT marketing or perhapsHR Because theyrsquore highly specialized they tendto work in large organizations
Building a competency frameworkOnce statistical analysis had suggested these sixrole types we began testing them out throughfocus groups and interviews with practitioners Inparticular we asked what skills knowledge andexperience people in each type of role neededwhat people saw outstanding practitioners doingwhat poor performance looked like and howpeople in the six role types spent their time
On the basis of this information we developeda series of 12 competencies (see Figure Two left)We found that each of the six role types could bedefined bybull Which of the competencies they need to carry
out their role (not everyone needs all 12)bull The level of skill knowledge and experience
they need in each competencybull How much of their time they spend using
each competency ndash a high medium or lowamount For instance there was commonagreement that the communication leadermust have strong craft skills (writing anddesign) but compared to say the delivererthey spend a relatively low percentage of theirtime working on this type of activity
Each of the 12 competencies has three levelsbasic intermediate and advanced Based on thedata we gathered we defined the behaviors youmight expect to see a competent internalcommunication professional display at each level
We also added an ldquoineffectiverdquo category listingthose behaviors our interviewees told us weredisplayed by less able performers For example
7
COMPETENCY DEFINITION
Building effectiverelationships
Developing and maintaining relationships that inspire trust and respectBuilding a network and influencing others to make things happen
Business focus Having a clear understanding of the business issues Usingcommunication to help solve organization issues and achieveorganizational problems
Consulting andcoaching
Recommending appropriate solutions Helping others make informeddecisions Building other peoplersquos communications competence
Cross-functionalawareness
Understanding the different contributions from other disciplines andworking with colleagues from across the organization to achieve betterresults
Developing othercommunicators
Helping other communicators build their communications competenceand develop their career
Innovation andcreativity
Looking for new ways of working exploring best practice and deliveringoriginal and imaginative approaches to communication problems
Listening Conducting research and managing mechanisms for gathering feedbackand employee reaction
Making it happen Turning plans into successfully implemented actions
Planning Planning communication programs and operations evaluating results
Specialist Having specific subject-matter expertise in a specialist area
Vision and standards Defining or applying a consistent approach to communication andmaintaining professional and ethical standards
Craft (writing anddesign)
Using and developing the right mix of practical communication abilitiesto hold the confidence of peers and colleagues (eg writing designmanagement etc)
Figure Two Twelve competencies for internal communicators
19scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
some ineffective behaviors attached to theldquobusiness focusrdquo competency arebull Doesnrsquot make the link between
communication activity and the business ororganizational context
bull Delivers communication activity withoutconsidering whether it will serve any usefulpurpose
bull Lacks understanding of their business area
Building a framework for a specific role The next step in this project was to develop asimple table to map out the competencyframework for an individual role showingbull The competencies needed in this rolebull The level of competency needed in each casebull How much time we expect someone in this
role to spend on these types of behaviors
You can either build a competency frameworkfrom scratch or if you think the role fits one ofthe six types we identified from the survey use thecompetency framework for this type as a startingpoint (see the framework for a communicationleader Figure Three right)
In practice competency frameworks will varyaccording to the size of the organization thenumber of people in the internal-communicationteam the expectations of managers and thespecific requirements of each individual rolewhich is why wersquove built a flexible model
For example a communication leader in alarge multinational organization may spend muchof their time setting the vision and standardscoaching and consulting building relationshipsand developing other communicators and arelatively small amount of their time ldquomaking ithappenrdquo or on writing and design Howeversomeone in a stand-alone communication leaderrole in a much smaller organization wouldprobably have to be much more of a ldquoJack of alltradesrdquo dividing their time evenly between thedifferent competencies
Next stepsMore information about the 12 competencies andthe baseline competency maps for each of the sixrole types will be detailed in a forthcomingMelcrum report Ideas on how you use thesecompetencies to plan your development areavailable to download atwwwcompetentcommunicatorscom
We hope the framework will help bringstructure to the process of defining roles planningdevelopment and specifying recruitment andwould welcome your feedbackscm
1 The Inter-Comm skills matrix is described in an article in SCMFebruaryMarch 2005 (Volume 9 Issue 2) called Developingcore competencies for internal communicators
Figure Three Framework for a communication leader
COMPETENCY LEVEL TIME
Building effective relationships Advanced High
Business focus Advanced High
Consulting and coaching Advanced High
Cross-functional awareness Advanced Medium
Developing other communicators Advanced High
Innovation and creativity Advanced Medium
Listening Advanced Low
Making it happen Advanced Low
Planning Advanced Medium
Specialist NA NA
Vision and standards Advanced High
Craft (writing and design) Advanced Low
CONTACT DETAILS
Sue DewhurstCompetent Communicatorssuedewhurstcompetentcommunicatorscom
Liam FitzPatrickCompetent Communicatorsliamfitzpatrickcompetentcommunicatorscom
ldquoOUR RESEARCH FOUND A SMALL GROUP OFPEOPLE WORKING IN INTERNALCOMMUNICATION WHO SEE THEMSELVES ASSUBJECT-MATTER EXPERTSrdquo
20 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC President and CEO John Ryan joined theorganization in 1997 For the first few years hefocused on financial viability and positioning thecorporation for the future ndash articulating a newvision redefining strategic objectives expandingproduct and service offerings and identifyingpotential growth areas
The business results were outstanding double-digit growth increasing profits and great customerloyalty But something was missing
Like many successful organizations FCCoperated with a silo mentality Organizationalpolitics consumed energy that Ryan felt detractedfrom employee satisfaction and he worried aboutthe impact on the customer experience
He wanted his direct reports to work togetheras a real team ndash not to behave like individualleaders of functional areas Although the groupperformed well when there was a real challengeafter the challenge was gone so was the teamwork
This is not unusual for top executive groupsbut Ryan wasnrsquot willing to accept that fate ldquoTherehad to be a way to have a team-based
organization where leaders had the autonomythey needed to perform while actively collaboratingto achieve a new level of unprecedented resultsrdquohe said ldquoFCC had a very hierarchical culture withfirmly drawn divisional boundaries so I knew Ihad a challenge ahead of merdquo
Cultural transformation from the topIn 2002 John hired Malandro Communicationbased in Phoenix Arizona to guide FCCrsquos seniorleadership through a unique cultural transformationthat would lead to the creation of a high-performance team Leaders committed to being100-percent accountable for their impact onpeople and business results They let go of thetraditional 50-50 model ldquoIrsquoll do my part if you doyoursrdquo ndash a model that breeds a culture of blameconspiracies and distrust
In a series of formal training initiatives leaderswere taught to speak from the heart listen toother perspectives be open and responsive tofeedback and encourage personal andprofessional growth
Opportunity for internal communicationBy 2003 we were well on our way FCC producedremarkable business results with strong numbersright across the board The portfolio grew fromnearly CAN$9 billion to over CAN$10 billionThen two things happened that created anopportunity for internal communication tobecome a driver of business results 1 In 2003 we earned 50th place on Canadarsquos
ldquo50 Best Employersrdquo list and a respectableemployee engagement score of 69 percent
Defining the role ofstrategic comms atFarm Credit Canada
Farm Credit Canada (FCC) is in the fourth year of acultural-transformation program At the start of itsjourney clear expectations were set defining the role
to be played by internal communication In this summaryof the companyrsquos plans and achievements Kellie Garrettand Claire Watson describe the goals strategies andtactics employed by the internal communication teamand the impressive results achieved to date
Setting the stage for a cultural transformation
BY KELLIE GARRETT AND CLAIRE WATSON
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Farm Credit Canada isCanadarsquos largest provider offinancing to the agricultureindustry It serves 45000customers and has 1300employees working from 100rural offices across CanadaFCC is ranked eighth amongCanadarsquos 50 best employers
21scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC is a high performer in all otheroperational areas and employee engagementis a strong predictor of sustained corporateperformance But the survey showed therewas work to be done to align perceptionsbetween the senior leadership team andemployees Detailed results showed the gaps(see Figure One below)
2 Ryan became more determined to create ahigh-performance team that could deliver anextraordinary customer experience andsustainable business results
Establishing expected behaviorAs a first step towards creating a critical mass ofleaders who visibly demonstrate the behaviorsrequired to transform FCCrsquos culture middlemanagement and key cross-functional teams weretrained in responsible teamwork practices andcommunication skills
Ryan then created a set of 10 cultural practicesthat explicitly outlined how he expectedemployees at all levels to behave (see side barnext page) The foundation of these practices isthe belief that the drive for business results mustbe balanced by the attendant impact on people Inother words how the work was accomplished wasevery bit as important as what was accomplishedThe cultural practices were rolled out to allemployees in 2003
With the expected behavior from leaders andemployees clearly articulated it was time forinternal communication to find opportunities tosupport and promote these behaviors
Challenge 1 Creating a strategic frameworkOur first objective was to create a broaderstrategic framework for internal communicationA review of best-practice companies revealed thatformal media represents about 10 percent of allinternal communication channels with internalsystems accounting for another 10 percent Theremaining 80 percent is influenced by theorganizational culture
Our task was to put a formal strategy in placethat would strengthen the 10 percent ofcommunication we did have control over ndash theinternal communication channels
Within FCC the dominant employeecommunication channels were immediatemanagers e-mail and the intranet (Myinet)Front-line managers delivered corporate messagesdirectly to employees and their efforts weresupported by all-staff e-mails
There was nothing wrong with this approachbut it didnrsquot go far enough in the delivery of clearconsistent messages about strategic direction orcorporate priorities Nor did it create a line ofsight between individuals and business outcomes
For example a lack of central coordination wasresulting in unclear mixed messages thatconfused the internal audience A proliferation ofemployee surveys were independently conductedby various business units and the corporate e-mail system was choked with high volumecontributing to information overload
The intranetrsquos navigational structure and searchcapability needed major improvement datedinformation needed to be archived and majordocuments needed to be redeveloped in a web-friendly format
Defining our strategy and objectivesAware of these drawbacks we defined ourstrategy as To adopt a more integrated approachto internal communication and make sure allmessages focus employees on the businesspriorities Our strategies included the followingbull Segment the employee audience and define
communication needs based on demographicspsychographics and geographic location
bull Create a consistent voice across all groupsbull Ensure internal communication is mandatory
for all major corporate initiatives and isintegrated across channels and with othercommunication activities
bull Deliver targeted information through a varietyof channels and vehicles to reinforce messaginghelp with recall appeal to differentpreferences and create and sustain interest
bull Redevelop the intranet and position it as aninformation source for corporate businessemployee industry and technical information
bull Reduce the volume of corporate e-mailbull Implement a monthly employee survey to
replace the proliferation of one-off surveysindependently launched by business units
bull Create broad awareness and understanding ofkey corporate drivers such as business strategycorporate values and brand positioning 3
Kellie Garrett ABC MALeadership is senior VPStrategy Knowledge ampReputation at Farm CreditCanada and Chair of the IABCResearch Foundation Garrettis a frequent speaker onbusiness strategy leadershipand personal brand
Claire Watson ABC APR isthe master communicationstrategist for Farm CreditCanada Watson has won anumber of international andnational awards for her workis a published author and acertified change managementspecialist
MEASUREMENT EMPLOYEES SENIORMANAGERS
GAP
Senior management is open and honest incommunication
59 94 -35
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible
54 88 -34
Managers effectively support andimplement our people practices
48 81 -33
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 94 -23
Figure One Engagement survey results
22 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Defining the role of strategic comms at Farm Credit Canada
Successful tactics introducedSome of the tactics wersquove successfully introducedto bring this strategy to life include the following
1 Tracking key messagesWe created an employee key-message matrix thatis shared with leaders across the organization andhelps to ensure we deliver a consistent messageWe deliver the rewritten message through avariety of channels including e-mail letter featurearticle in the internal publication online throughour Monday Morning Update or directly to staffmeetings through managers and supervisors
2 Adopting a multi-channel approachWersquove expanded our channels beyond e-mail andthe intranet New channels now includebull AgriCulture ndash an employee print newsletter
published three times a year to communicatecorporate information and reinforce FCCrsquossocial and cultural fabric
bull An online feature called ldquoFrom the Desk ofthe CEOrdquo to keep employees in the loop
bull All staff e-mails from the CEO and VPsbull Discussion guides and QampAs for leadersbull Internal presentations and speeches delivered
by the senior leadership teambull Other printed material such as pocket cards
and brochures accompanied by a letter
3 Cutting down on information overloadSteps wersquove taken includebull Bundling all-staff messages into a Monday
Morning Update and bundling messages forcorporate headquarters staff into a CorporateOffice Update
bull Implementing a corporate e-mail policy withdefined subject-line conventions length andapproved topics
bull Restricting the use of all-staff e-mails to thesenior management team and certain keyindividuals
bull Improving the functionality of the intranetand redeveloping key business tools forefficient web use
bull Centralizing coordination of internal surveysbull Elevating the quality and clarity of internal
speeches and conferences to focus onstrategic business drivers
Challenge 2 Supporting leadershipThe results of our 2003 engagement survey alsorevealed an opportunity to increase trust betweenemployees and FCCrsquos senior management teamRyan and his VP responsible for communication(Kellie Garrett) believed that creating greatervisibility and better access to the senior managerswas vital to the establishment of a values-basedculture and a high-performance team
7
MEASUREMENT 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Senior management is open and honestin communication
59 73 81 83 91
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible to employees
54 71 82 83 81
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 81 87 87 85
I see strong evidence of effectiveleadership from the senior leadershipteam
69 83 87 88 93
I have a good understanding ofbusiness goals and objectives
76 77 81 81 88
Senior leadership has clearlycommunicated what we need to do tobe successful
NA NA 89 90 93
Figure Two Survey scores tracked from 2003-2007
FCCrsquoS 10 CULTURAL PRACTICESWe hold ourselves and each other accountable for
1 Our impact on business results and our impact on people
2 Delivering on commitments agreements and promises
3 Building and sustaining committed partnerships
4 Creating a safe environment where people can speak up without fear
5 We measure our success by how others perceive and respond to ourleadership not by our personal point of view
6 We talk straight in a responsible manner We are committed to the successof others ndash we do not engage in ldquoconspiracies againstrdquo people
7 We ldquolisten forrdquo contributions and commitment We do not listen againstpeople or ideas
8 We are highly coachable We actively seek and listen to coaching
9 We clean up and recover quickly
10 We acknowledge others often and celebrate both small and largesuccesses
ldquoLIKE DEVELOPING A COMPANYrsquoS IMAGE ORBRAND CULTURE CAN lsquoJUST HAPPENrsquo OR ITCAN BE DESIGNED STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONHAS PLAYED A CENTRAL ROLErdquo
23scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 FCC launched a culture-change program focused on
improving performance across the organization
bull Two key aims of the program are to encourage leaders and employeesto embody the values and improve staff engagement
bull Defining its strategy and goals at the outset internal communicationhas played a role in achieving these objectives
bull Results so far include less information overload a more accessibleleadership team and improved engagement scores
The challenge for internal communication wasto improve employeesrsquo perception of the visibilityaccessibility and trust for the senior managementteam Successful tactics introduced includebull A ldquoDine-Aroundrdquo program where three
senior leaders host a monthly lunch for ninepeople
bull An online forum called SMT Exchangewhere employees can anonymously askleaders tough questions and answers areposted for all to see
bull Senior leaders author more all-staff e-mailsare more visible and accessible at companyevents and deliver presentations that focus onconnecting employees to the business agenda
The goals we started with When we defined our internal communicationstrategy in 2003 we had some clear goals to worktowards These werebull To communicate relevant information in a
timely consistent and memorable waybull To reduce information overloadbull To influence an increase in the
communication-related elements of theengagement index
bull To contribute to an increase in employeeengagement from 69 to 74 percent
We also had specific year-one objectivesbull To increase understanding of business goals
and objectives beyond 78 percent bull To increase employee opinion about effective
senior leadership from 69 to 73 percentbull To improve employee opinions related to
senior management
Achievements and measurable resultsWith these goals guiding our efforts themeasurable results wersquove achieved so far includebull The bundling of all-staff e-mail has reduced
the volume by 88 percent ndash amounting toaround 350000 messages over one year
bull Over 450 employees have lunched with amember of the senior management team and170 QampAs have been posted on our seniormanagement online exchange
bull The survey scores relating to employeesrsquoperception of leadership and theirunderstanding of goals and objectives showsteady improvement since 2003 (see FigureTwo bottom left)
bull FCCrsquos engagement scores and subsequentranking among Canadarsquos 50 best employershas moved from 69 percent engagement and50th place in 2004 to 81 percent and 35thplace in 2005 84 percent and 12th place in2006 and 82 percent and 8th place in 2007
Cultural transformationThe internal communication strategy described inthis article has set the stage to communicatecultural transformation across the organization
Wersquore now in the fourth year of our culturaltransformation ndash creating an environment wherepeople are empowered feel safe and highperformance can flourish This involves aquantum shift in how employees behave andrelate to their co-workers and customers
Like developing a companyrsquos image or brandculture can ldquojust happenrdquo or it can be designedStrategic communication has played a central roleto create awareness understanding commitmentand motivate changes in behavior at every level ofthe organization
John Ryan has the final word ldquoOver the years Ihave learned that communication is at the heartof building a high-performance culture ndash a culturewhere people are fully engaged Communicationis vital Without it leaders cannot effect positivechange Our internal strategy recognizesemployees as a primary audience and a keyconduit to the customer the media stakeholdersand communities Our strategic approach tointernal communication significantly contributesto business resultsrdquo scm
CONTACT DETAILS
Kellie GarrettFarm Credit CanadaKellieGarrettfcc-facca
Claire WatsonFarm Credit CanadaClaireWatsonfcc-facca
24 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
In January 2004 Pfizer at Sandwich in Kent UKcommissioned a review of its existing charitablecontributions program which included matchedpayroll giving volunteering and grants for localcommunity charities and voluntary groups CCWorks the community investment consultancywas also approached to manage the day-to-dayadministration of grant applications from thecommunity
However it was decided that the administrationcould not be effectively managed until suitablecriteria were put in place for the grants programEssentially a company cannot outsourceresponsibility for its charitable donations unlesstherersquos a clear strategy in place for doing this
Although there were various policies in placefor the different elements of the existingcommunity investment program there was a lackof strategic direction to the program as a whole
Auditing the community grants programAs a first step CC Works examined the existinggrants program and also conducted external
benchmarking with voluntary organizations in thecommunity to gage perceptions of Pfizer
It emerged that many organizations werereceiving small grants ndash although some werenrsquotsure why ndash but only 16 percent of the currentspend was going on health-related causes ForPfizer a major global healthcare company thiswasnrsquot strategic It was clear that as a healthcarecompany Pfizer should be trying to improve thehealth of its local area by focusing on three coreareas health community and education
There was also a need for grants to be morelocally focused A significant amount of the spendwas going outside of the immediate East Kentarea CC Works recommended that to allow thecompany maximum freedom to operate in itscommunity it should focus grants on theimmediate community of East Kent which alsohappened to be a deprived area
Segmenting current grantsWorking in partnership with CC Works currentgrant allocation was examined by sector localarea and size of grant and in May 2004 two-yeartargets were set to increase the strategic impact ofcommunity grantsbull Increase grants allocated to health-related
projects to 50 percentbull Increase average grant from UKpound300 to
UKpound1000bull Increase East Kent allocation to 90 percent
This change was designed to be gradual so thatthe shift in allocation could be well managed
The new focus on the community mirrors
Engaging employees inPfizerrsquos communityinvestment program
In 2003 Pfizer at Sandwich UK was running manyelements of a community investment program butthere was little awareness among employees and no
real focus By July 2006 the program had beentransformed and now actively contributes to employeeand community relationships Here Pam Baker andChristine Jenkins describe the journey from disconnectedpolicies to award-winning program
Communicating an approach with clear links toemployees and the local community
BY PAM BAKER AND CHRISTINE JENKINS
scm FEATURES
Pfizerrsquos site at Sandwich inKent is the UK manufacturingheadquarters of Pfizer Incglobal pharmaceuticalcompany Its workforce of4000 makes it the largestprivate employer in East Kent
1 2 3 4 5
25scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pfizerrsquos global mission to be ldquothe most valuedcompany to patients customers colleaguesinvestors business partners and the communitieswhere we work and liverdquo For the communityinvestment program a measurable mission wascreated ldquoto improve the health indicators of thepeople of East Kentrdquo
Focus on colleague involvementThe next step in July 2004 was to conduct areview of the employee engagement elements ofcommunity investment to examine how thesecould be better integrated These elementsincluded payroll giving volunteering and staff-matched fundraising
For Pfizer at Sandwich the obvious first choicewas to look at volunteering Eighty-five percent ofPfizer employees are minimum graduate level ndashoffering much-needed skills to a deprived areaAll employees have five paid days a year they canuse for volunteering ndash this not only supports thecommunity it boosts employee engagement andcreates opportunities for employees to visiblyconnect with the community and vice versa
In October 2004 volunteering was identified asa key area for development but for employeevolunteering to be a success it had to beproactively marketed inside Pfizer and thereneeded to be adequate support andadministration behind the program
A database of volunteering opportunitiesIn conjunction with CC Works a searchable data-base of local volunteering opportunities was createdPfizer felt it was important to create a tailoreddatabase that would be furnished internally inorder to ensure a local bias and to maintain thequality of the information supplied to employees
In order to tie in with employeesrsquo personaldevelopment plans opportunities in the databasehad to meet at least two of Pfizerrsquos six keycompetencies 1 Team development2 Project management3 Coaching and development4 Decision making5 Effective partnership6 Working with change
To fill the database with relevant opportunities allorganizations that had contacted Pfizer for grantsor funding in the past three years were re-contacted and asked if they would also beinterested in volunteering
Over 70 percent responded positively and 300volunteering opportunities were sourced CCWorks helped the voluntary organizations puttogether opportunities that were most likely totake advantage of Pfizer employeesrsquo range of
specialist skillsThese opportunities were categorized on the
database according to skill geographic area andtype of charity allowing employees to search forsomething suitable for them Pfizer wasnrsquotprescriptive in its approach and allowed staff tovolunteer where the opportunity matched theirpersonal-development goals interests or wasgeographically convenient
Opportunities were wide-ranging from helpingin a charity shop to teaching in a schoolImportantly because database management isoutsourced to CC Works therersquos constantproactivitiy around seeking new opportunities andproviding administrative support that would havebeen difficult to maintain in-house
Launching the ldquoReaching Outrdquo programTo encourage involvement and awarenessemployees were asked to suggest a name for therevitalized volunteering program ldquoReaching Outrdquowas chosen and the new volunteering website waslaunched in May 2005 The site sits on PfizerSandwichrsquos intranet and any employee orcontractor can access it
A charity week was also held to help promotethe Reaching Out program Various charitiesvisited Pfizer during lunch breaks to explain whatthey do and the opportunities to work with themA soft incentive for staff to register on theReaching Out site was that Pfizer would donate20 rehydration sachets to Unicef (monetary valueof about pound2)
Reaching Out was also featured in a webcastfrom a senior leader that went to all employees(about 3000 staff plus contractors) at the start ofthe week and it was profiled in the weekly onlinemagazine Pipeline 3
Pam Baker is directorStrategic Operations andCommunity Affairs at Pfizer UK
Christine Jenkins is founderof CC Works a consultancyoffering communityinvestment advice andpractical solutions to thecorporate and voluntarysectors Previously she heldsenior manager roles in thevoluntary and private sectors
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 an audit of Pfizer at Sandwichrsquos community investment
program revealed a lack of strategic direction
bull In partnership with consultancy CC Works a decision was made tofocus the program on the local community
bull An effort to raise employee involvement through volunteering hasboosted the program and linked it to employee engagement
bull The ldquoReaching Outrdquo website gives employees the freedom to work withcharities of their choice
bull By July 2006 the ldquoHealthy Communitiesrdquo program had beentransformed and won a National Example of Excellence award fromBusiness in the Community
26 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TOP TIPS FOR COMMUNITY INVESTMENTbull Ask yourself why yoursquore undertaking this program and seek clarity around
your objectives
bull Focus on likely ldquowinsrdquondash ie areas with scope for improvement such asemployee engagement or external awareness
bull Tackle one area at a time in stages and aim for excellence in each arearather than trying to boil the ocean
bull Communication is key to success Create a distinct brand and identity forthe program to encourage awareness and involvement
bull Integrate different community programs ndash a holistic approach can maximizebenefits for the community staff engagement and corporate reputation
Over 450 employees registered to use thesite over the next two months with 230 employees(8 percent of staff) actively volunteering duringthe first year This beat a target to have 5 percentof employees volunteering 12 months after launchIn 2005 employees volunteered 4800 hours
Helping employees select the right optionEmployees can search the volunteering databaseby skill geographic area or type of charity and aregiven a range of choices Then the onus is on theemployee to speak to the charity and obtainfurther details on current opportunities inaddition to whatrsquos on the database The employeethen applies to his or her line manager Anintegrated work process enables staff to obtainapproval from their manager interact with thevoluntary organization and record their effortskeeping administration to a minimum
Managers at Pfizer Sandwich are keen foremployees to volunteer because theyrsquore aware ofthe potential benefits in terms of employeeengagement and skills development ndash a largenumber of managers are volunteers themselvesPfizer also held briefing sessions for managers toensure they were aware of the volunteeringprogram its benefits and how it works
7
Engaging employees in Pfizerrsquos community investment program
Incorporating employee feedbackThe database tracks employeesrsquo volunteeringefforts including how many hours theyrsquove doneand their feedback on the opportunitiesEmployee feedback can then be accessed by otherstaff looking for an opportunity The databasegives employees better insight into the availableopportunities and allows them to select somethingthat appeals to them so that both the employeeand the organization where they volunteer gets abetter ldquofitrdquo
The database also allows for better integrationof the whole program where volunteering canprovide an alternative or an addition to fundingFor example a well-known national charityapplied to Pfizer at Sandwich for some fundingaround a diversity initiative Pfizer suggested theirdiversity manager volunteer for them instead whohelped create the charityrsquos diversity program thatis now being launched nationally
Creating an integrated programIn May 2005 the decision was taken to bringtogether all the strands of community investmentunder one brand Healthy Communities Thisprogram was to includebull Charitable grantsbull Employee volunteeringbull Gifts in kind Community investment via gifts
in kind such as the use of Pfizer premisesresources and expertise is more easilysustainable and can bring real long-termbenefit to the local community When Pfizerfacilities are used to support communityinitiatives the face-to-face contact withemployees allows relationship-building andnetworking with key influencers Also invitingthe community to use Pfizer resources on siteldquodemystifiesrdquo the company
The overarching strategy behind HealthyCommunities was to support communityinvestment holistically (ie using several of theabove elements in combination) whereverpossible Focusing grants on the areas of greatestneed helps Pfizer achieve its overall missionHowever the donation of gifts in kind can have awider-reaching impact on the community
Taking a holistic approachAn award-winning example of this holisticapproach is the Helping Hartsdown projectwhich was Pfizer Sandwichrsquos biggest ever gift inkindvolunteering project Pfizer donated andrenovated much-needed classrooms at a localschool As well as financial support and gifts inkind the project involved over 100 staff andcontractor volunteers across all departments Aspecific promotion on the Reaching Out website
ldquoBY JULY 2006 THE lsquoHEALTHY COMMUNITIESrsquoPROGRAM HAD BEEN TRANSFORMED AND WONA NATIONAL EXAMPLE OF EXCELLENCE AWARDFROM BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITYrdquo
27scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
POSITIVE IMPACTS OF THE PROGRAMThe Healthy Communities program has had the following positive impacts for Pfizer
bull The program supports and protects Pfizerrsquos freedom to operate effectivelyin East Kent UK
bull Supporting and involving employees in the program engages and motivatesthem The company is also seen to be living its values In a recent survey55 percent of colleagues felt the program was ldquofocused and effectiverdquo
bull The program provides opportunities for colleagues to develop skills Twentypercent of colleagues surveyed stated that they had improved personalskills through taking part in the program
bull A healthy community is a better place to live and work for employees andwill aid retention Retention of the most highly skilled scientists givesPfizer Global Research and Development a competitive edge
bull A vibrant and healthy community helps to attract and retain leadingscientists from around the world
bull Community is one of Pfizerrsquos six core values Communicating activitiesinternally and externally gives a positive perception of the company
helped attract this large number of volunteersincluding senior leaders
Momentum was maintained behind thecommunication of the program with monthlynetworking breakfasts and several themed minicharity fairs to give local good causes the chanceto showcase their volunteering Individuals andteamsrsquo volunteering efforts were also regularlyprofiled in Pipeline
The December 2006 employee survey showedan 85-percent awareness level of Reaching Outand the program won a ldquoNational Example ofExcellence Awardrdquo from Business in theCommunity1
Relaunching the websiteIn June 2006 the Reaching Out website wasrelaunched to incorporate payroll giving andmatched fundraising under the same brand asvolunteering and utilize the existing software Allelements can now be applied for on the same site
The number of employees registered with thesite increased to over 1000 and the number of adhoc staff enquiries handled by CC Worksincreased dramatically as awareness andinvolvement levels rose among the workforce
External communicationA quarterly newsletter containing a round-up ofPfizerrsquos community investment work is producedand distributed widely to external stakeholdersincluding 3000 local residents Following theBusiness in the Community award the magazineCommunity News was revamped its circulationincreased and it was also desk-dropped to allemployees The magazine also helps to raiseawareness of Pfizer among local organizations
A pocket-sized booklet was produced containingkey facts and figures about the Healthy Communitiesprogram This gives employees especially seniorleaders at-a-glance information on the programallowing them to act as ambassadors for Pfizerrsquoscommunity investment work
Senior leaders at Pfizer Sandwich are keenadvocates of the program and having a clearbrand helps them communicate its benefits andraise awareness both internally and externally
Next stepsDespite its award-winning status there are plansto take Healthy Communities even further Theseinclude further research into employee feedbackand closer links to personal development plans InPfizer at Sandwichrsquos Global Operations functionvolunteering forms part of personal objectives ndashthis is an aspiration for the rest of the business
Pfizer also wants to improve team volunteeringand a toolkit is being prepared for team leaderswho wish to get involved in volunteering
Finally in order to share knowledge and bestpractice around community investment with otherlocal businesses Pfizer is hosting a Kentmembership network in conjunction with KentCounty Council This will help Pfizer work closelywith the local authority and bring local businessestogether to share ideas and collaborate toimprove their impact on the community scm
1 httpwwwbitcorguk
CONTACT DETAILS
Pam BakerPfizerpambakerpfizercom
Christine JenkinsCC Workschristinejenkinsccworkscouk
28 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Editorrsquos noteSucceeding in internal communication probablyisnrsquot all that different to succeeding in anyprofession understand whatrsquos expected of you dothe job well and deliver results But when youspeak to practitioners about how they personallyturned the corner in their careers and started tomake an impact it soon becomes clear that thereare many dos and donrsquots that can help or hinderprogress This article provides a handy checklistfor those with ambitious development plans
John G ClemonsVice President CommunicationsRaytheon Technical Services Co Llc
Take the initiativeThere have been a few career-defining momentsfor me Among them was the time when I realizedthat I was moving from a manager level to the
decision-making role of a director I worked for a senior executive who hired me
from a rival telecommunications company Uponjoining the company I developed strategiccommunication plans to address various businesschallenges During the development process Iperiodically checked in with my supervisor to gethis input and approval ndash probably more thannecessary ndash before moving to the next steps in planning
One day he called me into his office and saidthat while he liked the work I was doing for himhis expectation when he hired me as a directorwas that I would take the initiative in the job relyless on his frequent input and move forward with implementation and measurement Hewanted results
His counsel was along the lines of ldquoI hired youto do a directorrsquos job so do the job of a directorYou donrsquot have to get permission to make adifferencerdquo
Meet commitments and think strategicallyHis direction motivated me to take moreresponsibility at this new job level This alsomeant that I had to not just manage but leadmeet commitments and think more strategicallyto continue to earn not only his confidence butthe support of the entire leadership team
Irsquove found that being a communicationprofessional who is also a leader that can betrusted can get things done and truly support thegoals and objectives of an organization will notonly impress others but help build your credibilityand lead to success
How to get ahead ininternal communication
The path that leads internal communicators to thetop of their profession isnrsquot always an obvious oneWhich is why we asked a range of senior practitioners
to share their thoughts and experiences on gaining therespect of those who matter Whether its senior leadersfellow employees or your own team yoursquore looking toimpress these responses provide useful insight into howto make sure you and your work gets noticed
Senior practitioners share their views on how togain influence and credibility
COMPILED BY MANDY THATCHER
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
29scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Mark DarbyHead of Internal CommunicationsVisaUK
Be smart sharp and stubbornThe biggest lesson Irsquove learned and keep havingto remind myself is that I need to be smart sharpand stubborn to get ahead This is what thosewords mean to me in a work context
Smart I need to understand what Visa is doingand what people think about the business Thismeans constantly spending time in differentdepartments and learning from them I know whoour customers are what our challenges are andwhat our current financial performance is I havecontacts in most departments who have a fingeron the pulse which means I can have a relevantconversation with a senior person from any department
Sharp Internal communication is rarely near thetop of the agenda for senior people and my timewith them is usually short I always try to talkabout the impact on business performance assoon as possible If I circulate a document it willbe summarized to a single page at most and Idonrsquot use PowerPoint I ask a lot of ldquoonerdquo questionssuch as ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing you want employeesto do differentlyrdquo or ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing youwant me to change over the next six monthsrdquo
Stubborn I know what I want internal communica-tion to achieve at Visa and it has the support ofthe senior team Irsquove built up knowledge frombooks and articles I use my education from theBlack Belt training course1 and I speak to formercolleagues With this knowledge Irsquove becomestubborn and good at saying no because I have theinformation to back up my arguments Irsquove stoppedmy team from picking up extra projects that wonrsquotdeliver much value We focus only on projects thatadd the most value to the business and we deliveron these really well Successful delivery is thebiggest influence on any senior person
Monika StaffordHead of Internal CommunicationLloyds TSBUK
Be creative and focus on a killer issueUsing creative solutions to bring to life importantndash but often dull ndash programs can create a shinethat stretches beyond project boundaries For
example I worked on the implementation of SAPndash a business-critical systems program ndash requiringbehavior change from swathes of key yetuninterested people Successful implementationwas a big risk to get right but it was as dull asdishwater to communicate
Luckily there was a ldquoEurekardquo moment Byaligning the SAP story with the metaphor ofFormula-1 racing we could tell the tale of how itwould fulfill our need to create winningperformances for both the individual driver aswell as the back-up team in order to perform wellon the road ahead This storyline was a perfectmatch for the programrsquos objectives
Launch speakers from Formula 1 great designwork not to mention fantastic collateral allresulted in a no-hitch implementation that reallyresonated with people The global companypicked it up as the approach for worldwide rollout So faced with tedium it can actually pay tostare out of the window for creative inspiration
My other piece of advice is Focus on a killerissue If you really want to get ahead (and do besure you really do as being at the center ofchange is often akin to being in the eye of ahurricane ndash itrsquos no place for the feint-hearted)learn what keeps your business leaders up atnight Use your stakeholder-management skills toget to the people you need to help you deliversolutions then execute execute execute
Focus on value-adding work only because ifyou end up working on your companyrsquos cul-de-sacprojects yoursquoll never shine brightly enough forthe leaders in your company to notice you 3
COMPETENCY
Planning internal communication 76
Linking corporate messages to corporate vision 73
CEO communication 63
Change communication 60
Communicating to diverse audiences 60
Using the intranet as a communication tool 54
Defending your department in internal political battles 43
Line manager communication 42
Professional development of internal communication staff 33
Helping employees cope with information overload 32
Securing the appropriate level of budget for internal communication 30
Measuring the effectiveness of internal communication 28
Figure One Table from The Pulse report showing the percentage of communicators who ratethemselves as effective or very effective at listed competencies
30 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
WHATrsquoS CHANGED IN THE LAST 25 YEARS
David MoorcroftSenior Vice PresidentCorporate CommunicationsRBC Financial Group Canada
Irsquom constantly amazed at the changes that have taken place in our professionover the last 25 years and the degree of talent and knowledge required bycommunicators today to do their jobs well
Back in 1979 when I started in corporate PR the major skill sets werewriting editing and great media contacts Today good editorial skills are justtable stakes and the ability to understand business adapt technology thinkstrategically plan consummately and influence stakeholders are what landsenior communicators a seat at the management table
This change has been driven by the globalization of business the advent ofnew 247 media including the Internet the growing sophistication ofcustomers and employees increased demands for corporate transparency andmore rigorous requirements for high standards of public disclosure andfinancial reporting
MORE SKILLS THAN EVER BEFOREAs a result todayrsquos business communicator has to be more capable andknowledgeable and have more skills than ever before They must befinancially literate and technologically savvy They must understand the impactof evolving accounting and disclosure rules They must deal with legal HRpolitical and business issues And they must be prepared to deal with amultitude of potential crises that can arise at any moment in any language inany part of the world
Perhaps most challenging senior management today expects clear bottom-line returns for their investments in communication Itrsquos no longer enough toinform audiences and measure communication outputs CEOs expectcommunication to engage audiences and produce outcomes ndash something thatrequires strategic thinking planning and foresight
A friend of mine who left a senior corporate PR job to become COO of amajor public utility recently summed up the role of todayrsquos communicator thisway ldquoItrsquos one of the most important and critical roles in organizations todayand yet itrsquos often one of the least recognized and appreciatedrdquo
That sentiment may be a reality in some organizations today but with moreand more CEOs beginning to realize the bottom-line value of communication itwonrsquot be 25 years from now
Christina FeeSenior Vice President InternalCommunicationsDeutsche Post AGGermany
Seek out the important projectsI canrsquot pretend to have employed a specificapproach to my ldquopersonal PRrdquo at all But in theorganizations Irsquove worked for Irsquove had theopportunity to work on a number of excitinghigh-profile projects that have connected me withsenior stakeholders and influential people atdifferent levels
7
Irsquove learned a great deal from the project teamsIrsquove worked with and also due to the significanceand scope of the projects been able todemonstrate my worth approach and skills Irsquovehad to be passionate stand up for what I believein and think outside the box constantly
My roles within DHLDeutsche Post haveallowed me the freedom and flexibility to developand deliver new ideas but Irsquove also had to practiceand embody excellent internal communicationskills myself Having developed credibility and trustwith those that matter based on my track record Iwas allowed to go ahead with other projects
I donrsquot actively pursue the ldquoright relationshipsrdquobut rather let my work and my interactions withpeople speak for themselves This has helped medevelop mentors and supporters naturally Mylearning and development has also been expandedby the opportunity to work abroad and learn moreabout intercultural communication and interaction
Marc SilversideHead of Internal CommunicationsMacmillan Cancer SupportUK
Understand whatrsquos expected of youA newly established role heightens the need formaking a good impression so that people trustyou and feel they can come to you for advice
When I joined Macmillan I very nearly got thiswrong Perhaps this is an example that otherrsquos canlearn from
When my new CEO at Macmillan CancerSupport asked for a meeting ldquoafter a few weeks tosettle inrdquo I was confident that my wide-ranginginduction would help me understand the businessand provide the basis for what Irsquod present tosenior management
Forty structured face-to-face managerinterviews allowed me to understand needs andkey issues and I started to build personal rapportMy profile was raised and at the same timeinternal communication gained good visibility
Externally I networked with contacts in similarroles in other charities and soon found thebeginnings of a voluntary-sector network This hassince grown to over 25 members
By the time my CEO slot arrived I was armedwith input from across the charity and the resultsof an audit I felt well prepared to present myvision and solutions So I was surprised to be metwith significant resistance
I later discovered that my CEO intelligence wasincorrect What he wanted was to be askedspecifically about his own views on what internalcommunication should do and what I could do for
How to get ahead in internal communication
31scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
HOW DO YOUR SKILLS MEASURE UPFor Melcrumrsquos study into budgets salaries and trends in internalcommunication in 200607 we asked survey respondents to rate their owneffectiveness at a range of key communication competencies from planning tomeasurement The results may surprise you
For example 76 percent of respondents rate themselves as effective or veryeffective at planning internal communication but only 28 percent ratethemselves as equally effective at measuring its effectiveness (see Figure Onepage 29)
In her commentary on the results development expert Sue Dewhurst hadthe following to say
OUR STRENGTHSIt seems where we see our strengths as internal communicators is towards theldquofront endrdquo of the communication planning process For example being able tolink a plan to the business strategy knowing our audiences and being able tojoin up the dots and show people how messages link to the business vision
These are powerful strengths We are one of the few functions that tends tohave an overarching view of our entire company and is able to view thecompany and its strategy from a number of different perspectives Being ableto understand the vision and strategy view it from an audience perspectiveand then create line of sight to show what those things mean in practicalterms for peoplersquos day-to-day roles is one of the ways that we help drivebusiness performance ndash by showing people what they need to do to take thestrategy forward
In turn by knowing and working with our audiences hopefully wersquore thenalso able to make sure their views and suggestions can help shape the strategyand how itrsquos put into practice
MEASURING EFFECTIVENESSWe see ourselves as less effective towards the back end of the planningprocess in measuring the effectiveness of internal communication which tiesin with the feeling from previous questions that in fact wersquore not doing muchmeasurement or demonstrating our return on investment
Research and measurement is an area where there is plenty of expertisearound to call on There are measurement conferences research reports andpublications to understand what other organizations are doing and practicaltraining that will give you the opportunity to work in a smaller group askquestions and practice techniques For help with specific techniques try yourinternal marketing team Marketers are generally great with data and well-versed in running focus groups and putting together surveys If you have anexternal provider to support your employee engagement research try them too
Source The Pulse Essential data on budgets salaries and trends 2006-07wwwmelcrumcom
him rather than how I could benefit the charity Ihad to change my approach fast
This could have cost me my best ambassadorfrom day one So my advice is make sure yoursquoreabsolutely clear about whatrsquos expected from you
Of course the insights I gained in my first fewmonths have been valuable and since then myresults have done the talking Fortunately theCEO soon became an internal communicationsconvert and advocate
Darren CrozierCommunications ManagerHBOS plcUK
Make things happenDelivery is key to career development ndash if you sayyoursquore going to do something make sure you doit Put in the effort get the results you want andbe known as someone who can make things happenIf yoursquore seen to ldquoget things donerdquo no matter howsmall the job is people are more likely to get youinvolved in activities and ask your opinion
Gaining credibility and respect from seniorcolleagues is important but everyone in yourorganization will form an opinion of you from thepeople in the canteen right through to the CEOSo try and make sure that their opinion of you is agood one
Itrsquos not just the people within your immediatesphere of influence who can have an impact onyour career so extend your network go oncourses and get involved in professionalorganizations Many of my close workingrelationships career opportunities and indeedpersonal friendships have come from meetingpeople at such events and taking the time to keepin touch You never know how things will develop
Itrsquos also vital to earn respect be trustworthy andhave good manners To recall what an ex-bossonce said ldquoBe careful how you treat people onthe way up as you never know when you maycome across them againrdquo
One of the biggest challenges Irsquove found inrecent times is recognizing my own success andselling myself Sometimes you need to take a stepback to realize just what yoursquove achieved Evenbetter keep a log or portfolio of your successesand donrsquot be shy to speak about them becauseothers wonrsquot be shy to speak about theirs
Finally try and have some fun along the wayWe all have to work for a living so learn to makethe most of it scm
1 For more about Melcrumrsquos Internal Communication Black Belttraining program go to wwwmelcrumcom
32 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pitney Bowes has followed an aggressive strategyof growth through acquisition completing 60+acquisitions since 2001 Expansion has broadenedits product mix to include an extensive range ofsolutions from office equipment to globalpositioning software
But the companyrsquos many different specialismsand huge outsourcing operations meant that themajority of its 34000 employees werenrsquot aware ofthe full range of its service offering and thepotential for different divisions to work together
As Rob Hallam vice president EmployeeCommunication explains there was a strongbusiness case for adopting a ldquoone companyrdquoapproach ldquoBecause the businesses tended to besomewhat siloed even senior managers werefocused on their divisions
ldquoAlso because we were acquiring companiesand evolving so rapidly managers werenrsquot awareof a lot of the businesses and how they all workedtogether in the mailstreamrdquo says Hallam ldquoWewere missing out on potential cross-sellingopportunitiesrdquo
Communicating a new visionFour years ago Pitney Bowes created a OneCompany Vision statement ldquoOur aim was toensure support and cooperation across thebusiness so we could provide a comprehensive setof customer solutions ndash not just a list of productsand services by business unitrdquo says Hallam Theinternal communication challenge was to drawtogether 34000 employees and build a unifiedcorporate culture The communication strategyfocused on three key elements
1 PeopleThis focused on involving the leadershipstrengthening a two-way dialogue betweenmanagement and employees communicating theculture through leadership messaging enterprise-wide events and roadshows and buildingengagement so that everyone was workingtogether towards a One Company approach
2 ProcessesThis meant integrating the One Companyapproach into the organizationrsquos operations andinfrastructure by shifting management roles andadjusting incentives and reward structuresthroughout the company
The first step was to consolidate the companyrsquosoperating activities by appointing Murray DMartin as president and chief operating officer inSeptember 2004 Martinrsquos mantra is ldquoThink AsOne Act as One Operate As One to deliverwhat no other company canrdquo
ldquoThe COO position had previously been heldby the chairman so elevating someone to that
Communicating a OneCompany culture atPitney Bowes
Following rapid growth in the form of more than 60acquisitions over six years silo-working haddeveloped at Pitney Bowes and leaders were failing
to take advantage of profitable cross-selling opportunitiesHere Rob Hallam describes the communication elementsof a ldquoOne Companyrdquo culture-change program which hasturned the situation around simultaneously improvingcustomer service and boosting profits
Persuading disparate businessunits to work together
AN INTERVIEW WITH ROB HALLAM
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Pitney Bowes is an 87-year-old company best known forthe manufacturing operationand oversight of postagemeters It has over two millioncustomers more than 3500active patents and annualrevenue of close to $6 billion
33scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
role was a big changerdquo explains Hallam ldquoAll thebusiness units now report to a single individual atoperating level It represented a huge positivemove to start the company operationalizing OneCompany behaviorrdquo
The internal communication function wasrestructured to ensure that consistent messagingreached the entire employee population Regularmeasurement was a key part of the changeinitiative This served to define the contributionof communicating a One Company approachwhere it was adding value to Pitney Bowes and itsclients and customers and where there was stillwork to do
3 TechnologyIt was important to find the best ways to cascademessages throughout the company and keeppeople informed about what was going onwithout bombarding them with irrelevantcommunication Hallam and his team deploy avariety of channels and media including internalprint and online publications voicemail and e-mail Pitney Bowes is also in the process ofintegrating its different voicemail systems and e-mail platforms into one global system
Involving senior leadership from the outsetThe One Company strategy was an overridingpolicy that started at the top of the organizationldquoThere was a big launch at the strategic leadersrsquomeeting which is held every Januaryrdquo saysHallam ldquoThe messaging was then driven throughthe organization via a companywide globalcommunication strategyrdquo
From the outset the policy was championed bythe CEO Michael Critelli who believes thatculture is central to the Pitney Bowes brand andsaid recently ldquoMy first measure of success iswhether we are behaving as one companyrdquo Thiscommitment helped to ensure that the culturalchange was reinforced by parallel changes to thecorporate infrastructure
Building a two-way dialogueThe next step was to get the employee populationinvolved and build enterprisewide enthusiasm forthe culture change Pitney Bowes has alwaysrecognized the value of a two-way dialoguebetween management and employees and hasheld annual jobholders meetings which aresimilar to shareholdersrsquo meetings for 61 years In2005 Hallam reinvented it as an initiative calledOne Forum ndash a series of roadshows focusing oncommunicating the One Company culturethroughout the organization
Launching the One ForumIn 2005 Hallam and his team created an original
and memorable One Forum launch for the 90percent of Pitney Bowes employees based in theUS Around a quarter of US employees saw thisin person the others received a link to a websitewith streaming highlights
ldquoWe put together a two-hour roadshow eventwhich helped people to understand our OneCompany approach and made them aware of allthe businesses we were inrdquo says Hallam ldquoThethinking was that high change requires high touchFace-to-face can have far greater impact on theindividuals touched From there itrsquos a matter ofripple effect such as seeing improved One Forumbrand awareness among employees who didnrsquotactually attend one of the eventsrdquo
ldquoWe wanted the roadshow to be entertainingand energizing so we used gameshow techniquescustom-written songs and comedy specificallytailored to Pitney Bowes employees It was a funevent but it also included a keynote speech fromthe CEO and a lot of question-and-answersessions with employees It was entertainmentwith a purpose and it was a great success with employeesrdquo
The post-event employee evaluations provedthe success of this approach ldquoIn some cities anincredible 90 percent of employees gave the eventa top-box rating This shows that there was ahunger for both the knowledge and theapproachrdquo adds Hallam
Taking the show on the roadThe One Forum roadshow has become an annualevent ldquoIn a five-month period during 2005 therewere 17 One Forum events in 12 US citiesreaching about 6000 peoplerdquo says Hallam ldquoAftersome testing in March and April the first bigroadshows started in early May and continued forsix months with the final one in early Decemberin Seattle 3
Rob Hallam is vice presidentEmployee Communication atPitney Bowes (PB) in StamfordConnecticut where hersquos beenresponsible for internalcommunication strategy andimplementation since 2004Hallam has led a team ofprofessionals in reshapingcommunication at PB resultedin the communication teamearning the top ranking in HRdepartment satisfaction fromall PBrsquos US managers in 2005and 2006
KEY POINTSbull Internal communication has played an important role in embedding a
One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
bull The communication strategy focused on three key elements peopleprocess and technology
bull The campaign has been championed by the CEO from the outset andhas won senior leadership support over time
bull An entertaining roadshow helped win employee commitment
bull Cross-selling ratios have jumped substantially since the culture-changeeffort began
34 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ldquoIn 2006 we compressed the programsubstantially and drove down costs while stilltouching 6000 employees Together with ourcorporate marketing group we also introduced anextremely successful lsquoelevator speechrsquo that helpsemployees answer the much-feared questionlsquoWhat does Pitney Bowes dorsquordquo
Local variationsAlthough the entertainment component in theroadshows contributed to their success it wasspecific to the US so Hallam gave business unitsand internal communicators in other regions theresponsibility for communicating the OneCompany approach to local employees ldquoInCanada and the UK they conducted town-hallmeetings and in Latin America and other parts ofthe world they produced their own variations onthe One Forum theme We made sure that theyhad the information they needed but we limitedthe entertainment to English-speaking regionsrdquo
A commitment to employee engagementThe appointment of the new COO and the launchof the One Forum roadshows coincided with thefirst employee engagement survey in late 2004ldquoWe see engagement as very much tied to ourability to execute a One Company strategy andchange our culturerdquo says Hallam He sets outfour ways in which employee engagement isinstilled at all levels in the organization
1 Visible leadership commitment to engagementThe CEO underlines his commitment by sendingregular messages to employees via a variety ofmedia including voicemail and print and onlinepublications He also uses engagement scores todetermine a unitrsquos overall performance rating andbonus pool ldquoWhen one senior execrsquos bonus poolwas reduced due to poor engagement scores that
was a message requiring no communication planrdquosays Hallam ldquoWord spread quicklyrdquo
2 Celebrating top performers Pitney Bowes celebrates its top engagementperformers by running cover stories in its globalprint and online publication PB Today ldquoThisprogram was called lsquoThe Faces of Pitney Bowesrsquordquosays Hallam ldquoWe did 10 of these last year so theyran twice in five editions Wersquove also producedlarge mural-sized photos of those managers andtheir teamsrdquo he says ldquoWe celebrate success andpublish it everywhere Our CEO loves it and wersquoreactually selling part of our contemporary artcollection which decorates the building to makeroom for an expansion of additional OneCompany and Engagement photography all ofwhich will focus on our employeesrdquo
3 Incentivizing managers via the reward systemEmployee engagement is recognized andreinforced in the companyrsquos formal processesincluding its reward system ldquoWe use a tool calledthe Strategic Architecture which is our balancedscorecardrdquo explains Hallam ldquoItrsquos a Six-Sigma toolwhich measures employee shareholder andcustomer value Managersrsquo engagement scoresalso factor into their annual reviews soengagement has a direct impact on remunerationrdquo
4 Rewarding engagementA further program called Rapid Rewards awardscash bonuses to managers and employees foroutstanding behavior including that related toemployee engagement
Aligning the communication strategyHallam and his team are responsible fordelivering the overall employee communicationstrategy ldquoWe had to dramatically improve ourstrategic approach in order to make OneCompany a realityrdquo he says
In addition to organizing campaigns such as theOne Forum roadshows to publicize the culturechange across the enterprise Hallam hasintroduced initiatives aimed at improving thereach and delivery of internal communication andmaking sure messages get to their intendedaudiences He has also aligned the structure ofthe internal communication function with thecompanyrsquos unified culture
ldquoThere were a lot of different communicationgroups so we brought together all thecommunication leaders and formed a singleInternal Communications Councilrdquo explainsHallam ldquoThis means that the communicationfunctions in the different business units areworking together to help drive change andimprove coordinationrdquo
Communicating a One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
ldquoWHEN A SENIOR EXECrsquoS BONUS WAS REDUCEDDUE TO POOR ENGAGEMENT SCORES THAT WASA MESSAGE REQUIRING NO COMMUNICATIONPLAN WORD SPREAD QUICKLYrdquo
7
FURTHER RESOURCES3 THE IMPACT OF CULTURE AND CLIMATE ON CHANGE PROGRAMS
An article published in SCM Volume 10 Issue 6 OctoberNovember 2006
3 DRIVING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE CORPORATE CULTUREMelcrumrsquos report on communication tools techniques and best practicefrom leading organizationswwwmelcrumcom
35scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Developing a global approachHallam is also responsible for a globalcommunication project called Universal Reachwhich is sponsored by the chairman and designedto support and maintain a unified corporateculture ldquoOur goal is to provide 90 percentmessage accessibility within our key customer-facing audiencesrdquo he explains ldquoThe biggestchallenge is integrating our online communicationinfrastructure which has nine different voicemailsystems operating across the world and multiplee-mail and web platforms Wersquore pulling all thattogether to provide better reachrdquo
Since 911 the CEO and other top executiveshave broadcast weekly audio messages calledPower Talks Hallamrsquos team has worked with theleadership to ensure that they incorporate OneCompany messages and as he explains they reachmost of the employee population ldquoAbout 20000of our employees have voicemail Those whodonrsquot receive the Power Talk message either inprint or online In some divisions managers playthe Power Talk messages in staff meetingsrdquo
Engaging leadership reinforces the cultureBuilding on the CEOrsquos commitment to a OneCompany approach Hallam and his team haveorganized leadership events ndash most recently at thestrategic leadersrsquo meeting in December 2006 ndashshowing Pitney Bowes as one company in actionThis campaign has helped to engage the top 150managers in the culture change
ldquoOur post-event evaluations show a strongmove numerically in senior leadershiprsquos belief thatwersquore operating as one companyrdquo says Hallam(see Figure One above) ldquoAs theyrsquore our toughestjudges wersquore pleased by the significant differencein pre- and post-event measurementrdquo There wasalso an improvement in leadersrsquo understanding ofthe companyrsquos new mailstream category
Sustaining the new cultureAccording to Hallam rippling out the OneCompany messaging requires a consistent andcoordinated approach Communication leaders inthe various divisions are now working to weaveOne Company messages into the business-unitmeetings ldquoA lot of the messaging that welaunched at the strategic leadersrsquo meeting arebeing reiterated at the business unit level Thatrsquosbeen facilitated through the InternalCommunications Councilrdquo he says
ldquoKey metrics for the culture change programfocus on cross-selling ratios which have jumpedsubstantially since the culture change effortbeganrdquo says Hallam ldquoIn 2002 we also institutedthe ldquoPB1 Awardsrdquo which is a chairmanrecognition award that goes to teams who bestembody cross-functional behavior in working on
projects which improve our clientsrsquo profitabilityour profitability or bothrdquo
ldquoHowever wersquore only really a year into thisMuch of the evidence is anecdotal but what haschanged is that our managers have broadenedtheir vision and are thinking as solutions-providers rather than product-sellers As suchtheyrsquore involving other business units out of theirdesire to eliminate customer pain points ndashregardless of which part of Pitney Bowes gets the salerdquo
Adding value to customersUltimately managers and employees who arewell-informed about the companyrsquos products andservices are in a good position to take advantageof cross-selling opportunities Realizing thispotential enables Pitney Bowes to make extrasales to existing customers thereby increasing itsprofit margins and allowing customers to benefitfrom a mix of products and services
Shifting to a unified culture directly benefitsboth Pitney Bowes and its customers ldquoByfocusing on the whole cadre of products andservices we can help our customers improve theirbusinessesrdquo says Hallam ldquoThatrsquos where OneCompany is critical It enables our clients tobenefit from all our servicesrdquo scm
Figure One Measuring the impact of the strategic leadersrsquo meeting
CONTACT DETAILS
Rob HallamPitney Bowesrobhallampbcom
I BELIEVE THAT OUR SENIOR LEADERS (MEANING THE TOP 15 EXECS) AREWORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO DELIVER INTEGRATED HIGH-VALUESOLUTIONS TO OUR CUSTOMERS
Pre SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 73
Post SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 92
Gain in two months time 19
ldquoMANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WELL-INFORMED ABOUT THE COMPANYrsquoS PRODUCTSAND SERVICES ARE IN A GOOD POSITION TOTAKE ADVANTAGE OF CROSS-SELLINGrdquo
2007
36 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
MELCRUM TRAINING amp EVENTS
CALENDAR 2007UKEUROPESOCIAL MEDIA FORUM FORINTERNAL COMMUNICATORS UK
3 21-22 March 2007 Hilton Canary WharfLondon UKThis forum is designed for practitioners who wantto make social media part of their internalcommunication strategy Over two dayscompanies such as IBM Microsoft and BT willshare case studies demonstrating their use ofsocial-media tools Technology experts will also beon hand to provide training and show you how touse these tools
THE 3RD ANNUAL EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT CONFERENCE UK
3 22-24 May 2007 Millennium GloucesterLondon UK22 May ndash Practical workshops23-24 May ndash Two-day conferenceThis event will focus on transforming yourstrategies into action Listen to case studies fromcompanies that have achieved real andmeasurable results from their engagement effortsLearn how they did it what they achieved and howthe results were measured
THE 6TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT UK
3 16-18 October 2007 London UK After the huge success of the 2006 UK StrategicCommunication Management Summit next yearrsquosevent will once again provide you withpresentations from key figures in the industry anda chance to network with your peers Mark yourdiaries now ndash more details to follow
THE 3RD ANNUAL INTERNALCOMMUNICATION MEASUREMENTCONFERENCE UK
3 27-29 November 2007 London UKDetails available soon ndash mark your diary now
NORTH AMERICATHE 3RD ANNUAL CONFERENCEON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENTBUILDING AND SUSTAINING ACULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT
3 28 February ndash 1 March 2007 Crowne PlazaAtlanta-Buckhead Atlanta USLearn how to foster an environment whereemployees feel valued and respected Hear fromcompanies including Dow Corning CorporationAmerican Express Delta Hotels and Merck
THE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT US
3 26-28 March 2007 Crowne Plaza UnionSquare San Francisco26 March ndash Pre-conference workshops27-28 March ndash Two-day summitAttend this conference and discover how toimprove employee alignment with all segments ofyour internal audience ndash from your front-lineemployees to your executive officers bothnationally and worldwide
AUSTRALIATHE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION ENGAGEMENTSUMMIT SYDNEY
3 31 July ndash 2 August 2007 Sydney Australia Details available soon ndash mark your diary now
WEBINARSDEVELOPING PROFESSIONALCOMPETENCE
3 Thursday 22 February 2007 with LiamFitzPatrick and Sue Dewhurst
HELPING YOUR ORGANIZATIONTHRIVE DURING TURBULENTTIMES
3 Thursday 29 March 2007 with Carol KinseyGoman
TRAININGTHE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT PROGRAM
3 24-25 April and 1-2 May 2007 HenleyManagement College UK3 11-12 and 27-28 September 2007 Cranfield
School of Management UK
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT MASTERCLASSEFFECTIVE MEASUREMENT
3 14-15 March 2007 Hendon Hall Hendon UKAn essential two-day intensive training courses forinternal communicators on effective measurementRegister early as places are strictly limited to 20people per Masterclass
CSR DELIVERY ENGAGEMENT amp LEADERSHIP
3 19-20 April 2007 Central LondonOsney MediaWith an excellent speaker line-up from high-profile companies including Procter amp Gamble The BodyShop ExxonMobil Microsoft Belgium Vodafone UK Dell Ericsson and Alliance Boots this case studybased event will answer questions including how do Ibull Build a CSR-oriented leadershipbull Get people on boardbull Integrate CSR with the global strategy of the companybull Deliver CSR throughout the company to make it really happen
For more information visit wwwcsrleadershipcom or e-mail mariame_lindellosneymediacouk (Reference code 910MLC3)
38 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
DESIGN
YELLOW
The future success of all organisations will be builton trust understanding passion empowermentintegrity and relationships
The future is cool exciting sparkling organisationsbursting with energy life and action
The future of brand is the internal brand first andforemost
The future is colleague as customer
Turning communications upside down
No just inside-out
Be part of the future say hello to Yellow
We help large organisations bring their communicationsstrategies to life through the imaginative use of liveevents multimedia web and design ndash distributed acrossall media platforms including DVD TV mobile devicesintranet and extranet
Ultimately developing internal brands and ongoingcommunications that have a measurable impact onpeople-performance advocacy and the bottom line
Contact Paul MiddletonTel +44 (0)161 228 6700E-mail paulmiddletonyellowcomcomWebsite wwwyellowcomcom
NEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
DESIGN
BLUE GOOSE
blue goose specialize in visual communications We make communications work faster and better We will link what wedo back to your objectives but we donrsquot talk (or charge for) ldquostrategyrdquo when you simply want tactical implementation Weuse design and creativity tobull differentiate products and services bull develop and manage corporate and brand identity bull align external communications with agreed values bull internalize corporate and brand identitybull align internal communications with agreed values bull support organizational change and bull help organizations better understand and define who they are
We work for clients as diverse as PricewaterhouseCoopers Ford Europe Centrica plc Greene King City of London Policeand Le Meacuteridien
blue goose is for any organization more interested in designing their future than watching it happen
Contact Chris BarringtonE-mail thinkingbluegoosecoukTel +44 (0)20 8869 8500Web site wwwbluegoosecouk
CONSULTANCY
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION ampSURVEYS PTY LTD
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd is aboutique consultancy based in Sydney Australia Itspecializes in employee communication strategiessystems research and employee surveys of all kindsPrincipal Rodney Gray has been involved inorganizational consulting for over 20 years following a15-year career as a corporate human resourcesexecutive Services includebull Employee communication audits and surveys by
questionnaires focus groups and interviewsbull Employee communication systems strategies and
processesbull Employee communication training workshops and
talksbull Employee culture climate and opinion surveysbull Qualitative organizational diagnosis (focus groups
and interviews)bull Internal service quality research (qualitative and
quantitative)
Contact Rodney GrayTel +61 (0)2 9909 2900 Fax +61 (0)2 9909 2911E-mail rodneyrodneygraycomauWeb site wwwemployee-communicationcomau
CONSULTANCY
HEDRON
Internal and change communication that helps teamsand individuals to develop strategies relationshipsprocesses and skills to engage stakeholders supporthigh performance and deliver change
ldquoSharp strategic thinking quality execution effectiveinterpersonallyhelliprdquo ldquoCreativity drive resourcefulnessresults great funhelliprdquo say clients
All sectors ndash ABN AMRO AXA BT Cadbury SchweppesDepartment for Constitutional Affairs HealthcareCommission Group 4 Securicor SABMiller SiemensSouthern Rail Unilever Wincanton
Our clients are happy to tell you what itrsquos like workingwith us
Contact Helena MemoryTel + 44 (0) 20 7493 0735Fax + 44 (0) 20 7493 0743E-mail helena-mhedroncomWeb site wwwhedroncom
CONSULTANCY
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
39scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
CONSULTANCY
SYNOPSIS
Founded by change and communication authority Bill Quirke in 1992 Synopsis is one of Europersquos leading internalcommunication consultancies Our clients include such companies as ABN Amro BBC BP British Airways DiageoEricsson HP Lloyds TSB Roche Shell and Vodafone
We help clients use internal communication to engage their employees in delivering business strategy and get most valuefrom their internal communication
We can help youbull Develop communication strategies that support your business strategybull Coach leadersbull Develop line managersrsquo communication skillsbull Plan and coordinate your communication with colleagues onlinebull Check the health of your communication channels and improve return on investmentbull Build and develop the communication functionbull Measure and track employee engagement attitudes and opinions
To take a tour of our online planning tool go to wwwsynopsisonlinecomproductplanningtoolasp
Contact Jane LebeauE-mail janelebeausynopsisonlinecomTel +44 (0) 20 7490 2900Web site wwwsynopsisonlinecom
CONSULTANCY
HARKNESS KENNETT
We specialize in internal communication To us thatmeansbull motivating people through inspiring leadershipbull guiding people through organizational changebull engaging people in delivering the brand
Working in partnership with our clients is central to ourethos enabling us to help deliver practical solutionssupported by solid strategic thinking All of ourconsultants have held senior positions ldquoclient siderdquo sowe know what itrsquos like to be in your shoes The vastmajority of our work comes from recommendations fromexisting clients ndash 82 percent of our clients haverequested repeat work in the last two years
Our clients include Abbey Atkins BDO Stoy HaywardThe Environment Agency Marks amp Spencer NHS Blood ampTransplant Morgan Stanley Europe Nestleacute PoliceInformation Technology Organisation Royal ampSunAlliance South West Trains and Vodafone
Our vision is simple ndash we want to be the first callyou make
Contact James HarknessTel +44 (0)1483 222730E-mail jamesharknessharknesskennettcomWeb site wwwharknesskennettcom
CONSULTANCY
TRIDENT COMMUNICATIONS
Trident Communications is uniquely positioned to definedevelop and deliver award-winning solutions that aligncommunication with business goals
We advise and partner with organizations of all sizes tocreate high-value practical applications Our talentedproject teams provide innovative research designeditorial and imagery for print and online
We connect ideas and deliver results
Contact Peter Agertoft Tel +44 (0)207 536 8900E-mail peteragertoft
tridentcommunicationsnetWeb site wwwtridentcommunicationsnet
CONSULTANCY
FLEISHMAN-HILLARD
Fleishman-Hillardrsquos dedicated internal and changecommunication practice helps businesses focus onperforming ndash not just informing
We help organisations plan and implement programmeswith the right mix of information dialogue and trainingso that employees are engaged aligned and motivatedto achieve business objectives
Because effective internal communication is vital tobottom-line performance we partner with our clients tocreate a daily dialogue ndash not a monologue ndash withemployees
Contact Nick AndrewsTel +32 (0)2 230 05 45 E-mail nickandrewsfleishmancomWeb site wwwfleishmaneuropecom
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE A listing in our Directory of Services will giveyou a chance to reach communicationprofessionals at some of the worldrsquos largestand most admired companies and to tap intodecision-making practitioners
ContactVincent SorelTel +44 (0)208 600 4670E-mail vincentsorelmelcrumcom
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
INCLUDE YOUR COMPANY BY CONTACTING US ON +44(0)20 8600 4670 OR AT INFOMELCRUMCOM
CONSULTANCY
HILL amp KNOWLTON
Better business results the bottom line
How do I manage more change Motivate managers Getthe right information to the right people Show the bestreturn on communication investment
Sound familiar Hill amp Knowltonrsquos change and internalcommunication consultants work with companies aroundthe world to find the right answers for their situation
We offer strategy insight and creativity drawing on ourconsultancy expertise and in-house experience Plus wedeliver practical hands-on help
We know that effective employee communication has adirect impact on the bottom line Working together wecan make it happen for you
Contact EMEA DavidFerrabeehillandknowltoncom
+44 (0) 7413 3176USA BarbaraEdlerhillandknowltoncom
+1 415 281-7160Canada KristaThompsonhillandknowltoncom
+1 613 786-9961
RECRUITMENT
VMA GROUP
VMA Group is one of the UKrsquos leading executive searchand selection consultancies specializing in internal andcorporate communication recruitment
For over 25 years VMA Group has provided the highestlevel of service to some of the most demanding globalorganizations developing a strong track record for thequality and professionalism of our search and selection work
We have in-depth specialist knowledge of the internalcommunication market and can provide high-qualitypermanent and interim candidates with expertise acrossinternal communication change management and widercorporate communication We understand the needs ofour clients intrinsically and strive to develop long-termrelationships with clients and candidates alike
Please call to discuss how we can help you find theideal candidate or if you wish to make a career move
Contact David BroomeTel +44 (0)20 7436 4243E-mail dbroomevmagroupcoukWeb site wwwvmagroupcouk
40 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONALCOMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS E-mail gaitensunityncsueduWeb site wwwconsultingsuccessorgTel 919 469 3895
CIB ndash BRITISH ASSOCIATION OFCOMMUNICATORS IN BUSINESSE-mail enquiriescibukcomWeb site wwwcibukcomTel +44 (0)870 121 7606
CCM ndash COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATIONMANAGEMENT E-mail membership
ccmconnectioncomWeb site wwwccmconnectioncomTel 866 463 4226
CPRS ndash THE CANADIAN PUBLICRELATIONS SOCIETYE-mail admincprscaWeb site wwwcprscaTel 416 239 7034
IABC ndash THE INTERNATIONALASSOCIATION OF BUSINESSCOMMUNICATORS E-mail service_centreiabccomWeb site wwwiabccomTel 415 544 4700
ICA ndash THE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONALLIANCE E-mail amandafoistericaukorgWeb site wwwiprorgukicaTel +44 (0)1628 642 044
CIPR ndash THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OFPUBLIC RELATIONS UKE-mail infoiprorgukWeb site wwwiprorgukTel +44 (0)20 7253 5151
IPRA ndash THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICRELATIONS ASSOCIATIONE-mail ipraseccompuservecomWeb site wwwipraorgTel +44 (0) 1372 461 188
PRSA ndash PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OFAMERICAE-mail resourcesprsaorgWeb site wwwprsaorgTel 212 460 1459
DIRECTORY OF SERVICESNEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
CONSULTANCY
scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
In Touch2 Useful resources for internal
communicators
The CommunicatorsrsquoNetwork4 The latest hot debates and
shared advice
People6 PROFILE Bernard Charland7 THOUGHT LEADER Lee Smith
Technology8 Using blogs to involve at
World Bank9 Technology update
Research ampMeasurement10 Does your intranet pay its way11 Finding a cure for survey fatigue
LeadershipCommunication12 Using message maps to
guide change13 Leaders in transition The first
100 days
ProfessionalDevelopment14 Get your development plan
on track15 Do your writing skills let
you down
Calendar36 Upcoming events
Directory ofServices38 A list of useful service providers
16 Building a learning framework for internalcommunicatorsBy Sue Dewhurst and Liam FitzPatrick
20 Defining the role of strategic comms atFarm Credit CanadaBy Kellie Garrett and Claire Watson
24 Engaging employees in Pfizerrsquoscommunity investment programBy Pam Baker and Christine Jenkins
28 How to get ahead in internalcommunicationCompiled by Mandy Thatcher
32 Communicating a One Company cultureat Pitney Bowes By Rob Hallam
FROM THE EDITOR
If you have any comments about any of the articles published in this issueor if you have an idea for a future article please contactmandythatchermelcrumcom
Dear ReaderFor 10 years Melcrum has championed theimportance of strategic communication andurged practitioners far and wide to resistbeing categorized as the editor of the staffnewsletter But a new study by
Communication Competencies into how internalcommunicators develop professionally suggests there may bea slightly more flexible way of looking at things
Leader or specialistThe research (analyzed in more detail in our feature onpage 16) highlights six typical roles When you read thedescriptions it soon becomes clear that each role isimportant albeit for different reasons Even the Specialistldquoa subject-matter expert in a specialist area such as webmanagement audio-visual production or eventmanagementrdquo whose role is primarily ndash dare we say it ndashtactical has something valuable to offer
The aim of the study was to develop a model thatreflected the diverse reality of life in internalcommunication The bottom line Decide what it is youreally want to do and find out how you can become anexpert Or if you head up a team find out more aboutmembersrsquo strengths and aspirations and match them to thecommunication needs of your organization We hope thisissue gives you a few good ideas on how to go about this
A new look for a new yearWe also hope it hasnrsquot escaped your notice that this issue ofSCM is sporting a bright and shiny new design Yoursquoll findyour usual fix of case studies and research plus new regularsections on leadership communication research andmeasurement technology and professional development
As always wersquod love your feedback and any thoughts onhow we can make this journal even more valuable to you
Mandy Thatcher EditorE-mail mandythatchermelcrumcom
Career development requires adegree of flexibility
FEATURES
SECTIONS
Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
contents
2 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
SENIOR LEADERS FOUNDWANTING
Two recent surveys from Watson WyattWorldwide and Accenture have foundthat both employees and middle managersfeel let down by their senior leaders
Accenturersquos 4th annual MiddleManagers Survey canvassed the opinionsof more than 1400 middle managers innine countries in Asia North Americaand Europe It found that only 39percent felt happy in their workplace
Although the reasons for dissatisfactionranged from insufficient compensation tothe lack of a clear career path thefindings point to a general sense ofmismanagement ndash an opinion consistentacross all the countries surveyed
Peter Cheese managing director ofAccenturersquos Human Performancepractice commented that ldquoFor the mostpart middle managers care deeply aboutthe future of their organizations and theirroles in that future but they are to acertain extent the lsquofrozen middlersquo
ldquoTheir success depends on having asense of security and a belief thatexecutives understand their concerns andare taking some action In leadingcompanies senior managers addressthese issues through clearcommunications direct engagement andperformance goals linked to rewards andcareer progressionrdquo
Trust in leaders dipsIn a separate survey by Watson Wyattonly half of the employees surveyed (49percent) said they have trust andconfidence in the job senior managersare doing This is down from 51 percentin 2004
Compared to 2004 the WorkUSAreg
20062007 survey involving 12205full-time US workers across all job levelsand major industries showed a slightdrop in senior managementrsquos ratingsfrom employees across most questionsFor example bull Senior management makes changes
to stay competitive ndash down from 57to 53 percent
bull Senior management takes steps tocontrol costs ndash down from 59 to 55 percent
bull Senior management behavesconsistently with the companyrsquos core values ndash down from 57 to 55 percent
ldquoThis dip in ratings is concerningbecause employeesrsquo attitudes about theirsenior leaders are a key factor in buildingengagementrdquo said Ilene Gochmannational practice director for OrganizationEffectiveness at Watson Wyatt
Link between engagement and commsOn the subject of engagement thesurvey also revealed a consistent linkbetween engaged employees and thoseorganizations where employees receivedfrequent communication from their senior leaders More than half (56percent) of highly engaged employeesreceive communication from seniormanagers at least monthly In contrast42 percent of employees with lowengagement levels say they receiveannual communication or none at all
ldquoCommunication is often thought to bethe direct supervisorrsquos rolerdquo says Gochmanldquobut companies can create stronger teamsand fuel excitement about the future ifsenior managers lay out the broad frame-works the firm will follow and supervisorsreinforce that message By engagingemployees such communication has adirect impact on the bottom linerdquo SH
For more information go towwwwatsonwyattcomresearchwwwaccenturecom
A ROUND-UP OF USEFUL RESOURCES FOR INTERNAL COMMUNICATORS
intouchEMPLOYERS CONCERNED ABOUTBENEFITS COMMUNICATION
Communication is one of the biggestchallenges faced by employers during theannual benefits-enrollment processaccording to a poll of 67 organizationsby Watson Wyatt Worldwide
While employers were satisfied withthe transactional elements of benefitsenrollment they were far less happy withthe effectiveness of health-improvementinformation decision-support tools andcost and quality information Well underhalf reported being satisfied or verysatisfied with those aspects
Employee concernsBut it was the growing complexity of the enrollment process and plannedchanges that most concerned employeesNearly 30 percent of employers reportedemployee concerns with each of those facets
The parts of the enrollment processthat seem to demand thoughtfuldecisions include contributions to healthspending accounts choosing betweendifferent plans and coordination with aspousersquos plans
Satisfaction with the process washighest for employers using a mixture ofinternal and external resources to support their employees through theenrollment cycle
In contrast half of organizationssupporting the process solely with localHR representatives were either neutral ordissatisfied as were 42 percent oforganizations primarily using outsourcingproviders to support employees SH
For more information go towwwwatsonwyattcomresearch
RESEARCH
ldquoBOTH EMPLOYEES ANDMIDDLE MANAGERS FEELLET DOWN BY THEIRSENIOR LEADERSrdquo
3scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
BLOGGING FOR A GOOD CAUSE
3 httpwwwnfp2couk
Steve Bridgerrsquos blogon how not-for-profit organizations(NFPs) can benefitfrom the Web 20revolution is
inspired by his own experiences workingfor NFPs
Bridgerrsquos ldquoabout the authorrdquo blurbstates that his credentials lie in anunderstanding of NFPs knowledge ofweb-based technologies and experiencedesigning webs for organizations such asUK charity the British Heart Foundation
Postings cover topics such as the useof video blogs and online photo-sharingcommunities like Flickr to enhance theeffect of storytelling ndash a popularinexpensive and effective engagement
tool available to NFPs This blog could be a useful resource
for communicators dealing with theunique challenges faced by NFPs andthose keen to take advantage of blogsand online communities SH
BUZZWORD HELL
3 httpbuzzwordhellcom
The raison drsquoetrefor this blog is toallow people tovent their angerabout the growingnumber of
technical buzzwords creeping into ourdaily language Or as the blogrsquos ownstated mission puts it ldquoWe willlsquocondemnrsquo buzzwords to the circles ofhell from Dantersquos Infernordquo
Most will already be familiar with
MASTERING BUSINESS IN ASIANEGOTIATION
3 by Peter Nixon John Wiley 2005
In the global village wework in today many ofus deal withsubsidiaries partnerssuppliers andcustomers throughoutAsia Yet many of usknow little about Asia
This is a book aboutnegotiation rather than communicationbut therersquos much to learn about doingbusiness in Asia especially if yoursquore acommunication advisor to line managersin your organization
The main message of the book is thatthe solution is always in dialogueDifferences with the West are describedin terms ofbull People relationships (families and
networks) are more important thancontracts groups are more importantthan individuals gender age andhierarchy matter
bull Process bargaining and variablepricing financial risks security risksand health risks Asians fear of
BOOKS EVENTS RESEARCH REPORTS BLOGS SURVEYS URLS
making mistakes (there is littleperformance management and evenone mistake can cost a career familyloyalty significant financialincentives) feedback (giving respectand saving face) and the widevariety of legal financial andgovernance frameworks
bull Content conflict avoidance (youcanrsquot openly discuss problems)variable pricing (negotiationdialogue) volume and marginscorruption and multiple currencies
Much of the book covers the stages inthe negotiation process introductionobjection creating contracting andfollow-up It also provides detailed how-to guidelines with templates lists anddiagrams that appear to apply tonegotiations everywhere not just in Asia
The rest of the book covers key aspectssuch as communication how to usetactics how to control and manageinformation peoplersquos motivation andbehavior and managing specificsituations and meetings
The communication chapter coverscountless aspects of face-to-facecommunication and much of this applies
ldquoWE WILL CONDEMNBUZZWORDS TO THECIRCLES OF HELL FROMDANTErsquoS INFERNOrdquo
ldquoTHIS BOOK ISRECOMMENDED IF YOUHAVE BUSINESSDEALINGS IN ASIA ORADVISE THOSE WHO DOrdquo
BLOGS
BOOKS
to communication within all cultures notjust in Asia
Although what is covered is handledwell there are some areas that couldhave received greater attention Forexample there is little discussion of thedifferences among the various countriesand cultures in Asia And Irsquod have likedmore on business etiquette and the useof humor entertainment and gifts
This book isnrsquot going to help youmanage corporate communication inAsia But it is recommended if you havebusiness dealings in Asia or advise thosewho do The author has vast experienceworking training and communicating inAsian countries He writes well andexplains things clearly
Review by Rodney GrayEmployee Communication amp Surveys Sydney
terms such as folksonomy monetizationblogosphere and social networking Forbetter or worse these terms have slippedinto our corporate language and areprobably here to stay
Still next time yoursquore working on acommunication about somethingtechnical it might be a good idea tocheck that not too many of the termsyoursquove used have recently beenconsigned to Buzzword Hell MT
4 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Keith HardieBerwin Leighton PaisnerDepending on the level ofcommitment in the seniorteam you may want to
consider a General Electric approachcalled WorkOut Essentially you getpeople together from a cross-section ofthe company give them a strategypresentation outline the problems tosolve and then get them to come up withideas The senior-manager host has tolisten to the presentations decide (onthe spot) whether to take the ideasforward and then help mentor theproject teams identified to take thesuccessful ideas forward
Q Does anybody have any ideasfor creating a cascade withparticular focus on trainingmiddle managers to do thismore effectively
Angela SinickasSinickas Communications IncMy experience and clientsurvey results show that
cascading as a way of broadcasting newinformation is not effective In factcompanies in my survey database whopurposely use cascading as a way ofbroadcasting new information are theones with the largest percentage ofemployees hearing things on the grapevine
This is because as soon as the directoror vice president conducts the firstmeeting the attendees go away and discussit with their friends in the office whosemanagers have not yet had a meetingMy experience shows that employees atall levels have higher information levelson key company topics in organizationswhere they rely on mass communicationto provide consistent and timely informationto all employees This is followed byface-to-face meetings to discuss thecontext of the information for each workgroup and how it might affect them
I would recommend using e-mailnewsletters to those with online accessand posting PDFs of the sameinformation on as many bulletin boardsas possible to reach employees withoutonline access
The training Irsquod recommend formanagers is how to provide local context
At the end you can either simply wrap upwith a summary of the ideas or have a15-minute break then reassemble tostart evaluating the ideas and identifyingwhich ones are worthy of furtherinvestigation or development Yourbiggest challenge is involving field-basedstaff The nature of brainstorming is thatit needs to be dynamic ndash itrsquos almostimpossible to get the full benefit viaremote links
Richard HareBritish American TobaccoIrsquom not sure how you caninvolve field-based staffwithout bringing
them in I believe you get the maximumvalue from people collaborating byphysically getting them together I knowonline collaboration is possible and thereare numerous examples on the web butthe will to collaborate to solve problemsin this fashion tends to come from thepeople involved
For the past couple of years wersquovebeen facilitating ldquoDeep Diverdquo eventsbased on the method developed by Ideo1
This was licensed by a company turnedinto a product and sold as ldquoinnovation ina boxrdquo Used in an event lasting aminimum of a day the participants talkto experts in the area of the challengetheyrsquore facing Itrsquos an innovative way toquickly get new ideas from a group Wefly people in to take part and have ateam of facilitators to help them with the challenge1 Learn more about the Ideo process at
httpwwwideocommedianightlineasp
Denise Baron Baron Communications ampEditorial ServicesEmployees will be moreinclined to participate in
brainstorming or other idea-generatingexercises when therersquos clear evidencethat senior management cares about whatthey think and is willing to take the timeto listen It also helps immensely if someof the suggestions are actually implemented
Unless senior managers intend to giveserious consideration to the ldquovoice of thepeoplerdquo in some tangible way ndash regardlessof the format employees will view therequest as an empty exercise and will behard-pressed to want to ldquoengagerdquo Sobefore you embark on yet another ldquothinktankrdquo clone the first question to askyourself is not how but why
Tom BrannanYes CityThe ideal genuine brain-storming session only lastsabout an hour any longer
and people will start to lose theircreativity Try going back to basics1 Decide what problem you want
to solve2 Nominate a ldquoproblem ownerrdquo Itrsquos
their task to give a five-minute briefon the issue to the rest of the group
3 Donrsquot involve more than a dozenpeople in the session
4 Give them 45 minutes to be creativein suggesting solutions
5 Capture everything but donrsquot allow anyevaluation ndash even the wildest ideashave value in sparking other thoughts
the communicatorsrsquo
NETWORK
A ROUND-UP OF THE LATEST HOT DEBATES AND SHARED ADVICE
In this issue we share some suggestions from the Communicatorsrsquo Network onhow to conduct the most effective brainstorming sessions There was alsodebate surrounding the idea of cascading information ndash to some it spellsdisaster to others itrsquos an efficient way to save both time and resources Andfind out what practitioners think about the use of logos for internal projects ndashare they helpful or just confusing
Q Does anyone have any ideas on how to create successful brainstormingsessions between managers and employees including field-based staff
QA
5scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
to higher-level information and how tofacilitate discussions ndash not on how topresent corporate bullet points effectively
Naomi CohenBSI British StandardsCascading has the benefitof high levels of trust(research shows the closer
to the employee the messenger is themore likely the message is to bebelieved) but low levels of reliability(therersquos great potential for distortion ofkey messages going through a thirdparty) I tend to apply a mixed approachdepending on the message
One factor for example is the sensitivityof the information If itrsquos somethingthatrsquos going to affect or threaten peoplersquosjobs go for face-to-face discussions assoon as possible both to limit theamount of time staff have to speculateand to demonstrate due careprocess
If itrsquos information that wonrsquot have animmediate impact there can be value ininitiating mass communication and thenallowing time for face-to-face briefingsThis gives staff the opportunity to thinkthrough what theyrsquove heard and considerquestions for discussion
Dealing with feedbackThe key is that the cascade works bothways Itrsquos vital that any questions raisedfor which the line manager doesnrsquot havethe answer can be sent back ldquouprdquo foranswering and any feedback is equallyfed back into the center
I agree that training middle managersis useful but so is training teamlinemanagers as theyrsquore the ones who usuallydeliver the information
One approach that can work well is toidentify internal ambassadors and usethem as your grapevine This is a groupof people at mixed levels that betweenthem touch all parts of the business andare the natural communicators eitherbecause of their roles or theirpersonalities
Brief them train them make them feelspecial explain to them the CEOrsquosthinking and use them to communicatekey messages as a supplement to formalcascades through the managementstructures
But if the objective is to communicateyour CEOrsquos messages then Irsquod personalizethem from the CEO consistently usinghisher name face and tone of voice Themore authentic the better
Q Does the use of logos to brandinternal communicationprojects create confusion ordo they help staff to quicklyidentify a message and itsmeanings
Nicholas Ranken Atos OriginIt greatly depends on yourcontext I worked on amajor change project for a
multinational company where the companyidentity and colors were consistently usedin their internal communication
Our project followed a previousattempt that had been a very costlyfailure So we intentionally wanted tocreate a totally different and clearlyidentifiable image and logo The projectwas also of high strategic importance sowe wanted it to stand apart from otherprojects going on at the same time
Given that the corporate colors at thetime were dark blue and gray which wefelt were quite conservative andunderstated we chose bright bold colors(orange with dark blue text as a link backto the corporate colors) and a dynamicpattern to reflect the modern innovativenature of our project
That said as a consumer of internalcommunication myself (in a differentcompany) Irsquom definitely sensitive to thenotion of too many competing logos andcolors An overload of logos and project names can really detract from theoverall message
Deborah GogartyBritish EnergyWe used a logo to brand aproject a few years agoThe project was never fully
embraced by the whole organizationbecause they identified the logo asrepresenting the project teamrsquosresponsibilities So the audience wasconstantly looking for direction from theteam rather than taking up the causethemselves The logo (and the collateralthat carried it) seemed to create anunconscious helplessness in the audiencewhich took a long time to overcome
What Irsquove learned is that logos arepowerful devices and need to beunleashed only when their full potentialon behavior has been gaged
JOIN THE COMMUNICATORSrsquoNETWORK NOWAs a valued scm subscriber you are entitled tojoin The Communicatorsrsquo Network an onlinediscussion forum for communication practitionersworldwide Itrsquos a lively community that helpsyou find answers to your communicationquestions fast The discussion is monitored soyou will receive no unsolicited e-mail and wewill seek your permission first if we would liketo print any of your ideas in scm
E-mail commsnetwork-onmelcrumcomto join and gain instant access to a globalnetwork of your peers
commsnetwork-onmelcrumcom
LATEST ON THEMELCRUM BLOG
Is good writing essential to being a goodcommunicator This question was posed bySCMrsquos editor Mandy Thatcher and responsesfrom around the globe suggested it certainly isldquoEffective communication by those who cannotwrite is a contradictionrdquo was one commentBut the broader debate in this discussionstream was whether the traditional route ofprofessional development ndash where you masterthe tactics first and then become a goodstrategist is being replaced by a new processwhereby communicators are free to pursuewhatever it is they do best Developmentexpert Sue Dewhurst replied ldquoEven wherepeople do pursue strategic roles thefundamentals are still importantrdquo
What came first Googlersquos culture or itssuccess Melcrum editor Alex Manchesterposed the question and commenters discussedthe effectiveness of Googlersquos famous ldquo20-percent free time for employeesrdquo project
Is it time internal comms became ICInternal communication consultant DeniseBaron took issue with the suggestion that theterm ldquoInternal communicationrdquo would soon bereplaced by the ldquotrendyrdquo acronym ldquoICrdquoBaronrsquos response was ldquoFor my money IC comestoo close to ICK Nothing trendy lsquobout thatrdquo
wwwmelcrumblogcomldquoThoughts and revelations on internalcommunication and beyondrdquo
6 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PEO
PLE
scm
Tell me about your roleUntil recently I was head of globalinternal communication at Dell but Imoved into a new role six months ago toleverage my consulting and agencybackground The best way to describe myrole is lead consultant for thecommunication function with a focus ondriving strategy and innovation
What does this role entailA priority right now is to develop andimplement Dellrsquos new digital-mediastrategy More broadly my mandate is tolook at what wersquore doing and should bedoing over the next six months and figureout how we can have more of an impactacross all our audiences
How would you describe the Dell cultureThe company is much bigger than it usedto be but the culture still has a strongbias for action and lack of complacencyThe expectation for our team is to remainnimble and proactive and look for waysto constantly improve and reinvent howwe do things My new position is a directreflection of that Therersquos a need for anoverarching perspective someone with acommunication and consultingbackground who can dive in developstrategies and direct projects
What projects are you working onWersquove already launched an internal andexternal blog and have just introduced
Studio Dell an online vlog outlet gearedto core customer groups containing videoclips product profiles and interviewsDell also recently established a presencein Second Life Part of my role is to helpkeep all these initiatives coordinated
What issues do you faceOne question wersquore looking to answer ishow to develop and expand our blogsShould we have external blogs for differentlanguage groups such as Japanese andMandarin And if so how do weproceed Internally should we developblogs for some of the regions orparticular divisions of the company
What have you learned about the social-media environmentWe were one of the first major globalcompanies to join the blogosphere Butthe general consensus initially amongobservers was that we were talking aboutissues that were relevant to us ratherthan customers or pundits outside DellWersquove learned from that and madechanges to ensure we listen as well as talk
What can social media do internallyLast year was a tumultuous year for Dell
in terms of our performance Employeesnow need regular updates and discussionaround the situation and what we plan todo to improve So the internalphilosophy is to be even more candidand transparent with employees thanwersquove been For example wersquore using theblog to facilitate conversations betweenemployees and executives
Have leaders resisted this approachTherersquos an understanding among leader-ship that we need to be candid and willingto listen to criticism and respond to itThe leadership team understand thatcredibility is paramount and are willingto share the facts wherever they can
What advice would you offer toorganizations about to start a blogSome companies make the mistake ofbeing enamoured with new technologybut donrsquot have a clear reason for using it
We were very clear about why we weregetting involved ndash to have betterconversations with our stakeholdersparticularly our customers This goalhelps us to define the rules ofengagement and guides the editorialcontent Externally if it isnrsquot relevant orhelpful to customers we donrsquot blog aboutit Our strategic purpose internally is tobe more transparent relevant andcredible when we talk to employees
Also do your homework We did a lotof benchmarking and looked at whatother companies were doing ndash good andbad ndash to get a sense of what we should bestriving for
Finally donrsquot just add to the noiseTherersquos already a huge volume ofinformation out there Thing about howyour blog can add something useful
How would you respond to the criticismDell received in the blogosphere last yearWe knew Dell would be criticized bysome of the influential bloggers Weknew there would be skepticism in viewof the companyrsquos customer service andfinancial issues in 2006 But we listenedadapted and learned from that Now thatwersquore part of the conversation amentality of continuous improvement isalways critical to doing well
DEVELOPING DELLrsquoS DIGITALMEDIA STRATEGY
Bernard Charland acts as lead in-house consultant for Dellrsquos global corporatecommunication function focusing on communication strategy and innovation Previousto this role he was director of Global Internal Communications for the company
Have a clear strategicreason for entering theblogosphere internally
or externally
Bernard Charlandrsquos varied background is proving valuable in his new role which isto focus on strategy and innovation within Dellrsquos global corporate communicationfunction A large part of this role currently is developing and coordinating Dellrsquosdigital-media strategy Here he describes whatrsquos been achieved so far future plansand lessons learned
PROFILE BERNARD CHARLAND
THOUGHT LEADER LEE SMITH
7scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PEO
PLE
scm
Lee Smith FCIPR is a director of Gatehouse specializing in internal communicationfor professional and financial services businesses He also authors the TalkingInternal Communication blog at wwwtalkingictypepadcom
had to give and I canrsquot pretend I wasalways a joy to be with during that period
It didnrsquot help that I lived nearly 80miles away in Birmingham During thoseyears I saw more of the M6 motorwaythan your average lorry driver I alsospent far too many nights eating badfood in cheap Manchester hotels all ofwhich eventually took its toll
Then came the exams nearly 30 hours of them Again Irsquod done myhomework so I managed to come awaywith decent marks
My final hurdle the dreadeddissertation took around two years tocomplete I chose to focus onorganizational identity and just to makemy life tougher decided to use a ratherobscure psychological researchtechnique Getting to grips with thatfinding the time to conduct lengthyinterviews analyze results and craft mytome was incredibly difficult
Being a perfectionist I took it right to the wire ndash submitting my finaldocument just before the universityrsquosultimate deadline
Time to celebrate Last month saw the end of my long andarduous journey The ritual of thegraduation ceremony was a fitting endingand helped draw a line under thatparticular chapter of my professionaldevelopment story
Therersquos no doubt that the course wasbeneficial and although the journey wassometimes difficult the experience wasmostly enjoyable I fell just 3 percentshort of the distinction grade I wantedbut Irsquom still very proud of myachievement And I know Irsquom now amuch more thoughtful and effectivecommunicator
Would I recommend the MSc route toother communicators Yes but I wouldmake sure they realize the enormity ofthe challenge A part-time MSc is not foreveryone It will demand considerabletime energy and effort and may welltake its toll on your personal life andyour waistline But if you persevere overthe long run it might just be worth itNow about that PhD
Irsquove always taken my professionaldevelopment seriously From themoment I entered the communicationprofession in 1991 Irsquove worked hard tohone existing skills build new ones andbroaden my knowledge Some havecalled me dedicated others obsessive
During those 16 years Irsquove participatedin dozens of training courses attendedmore than 50 conferences sacrificedmany an evening to study supported twoprofessional bodies judged industryawards written articles organizedevents volunteered for charities andmentored many aspiring communicators
My biggest development featYet all of this pales into insignificancewhen compared to my biggestdevelopmental feat so far ndash earning anMSc in Corporate Communication andReputation Management Itrsquos likecomparing a gentle stroll to scaling alarge mountain
I finally graduated from the Universityof Manchester Business School inDecember 2006 but it took me five longyears to reach that point Havingenrolled as a svelte twenty-something Igraduated an overweight and slightlygraying 35-year-old It was a slow andoccasionally painful assent
The first stepsBack in 2001 what appealed to me aboutthe course was its strategic focus Unlikesome post-graduate courses theManchester MSc is genuinely multi-
disciplinary touching on communicationtheory branding psychologystakeholder management ethics andbusiness strategy ndash to name a few
Itrsquos also refreshingly practicalcombining robust academic thinking withreal-world case studies While I wantedacademic rigor it was very important tome to be able to practically apply thelearning at work
It took me some time to understandthe relevance of the ldquoScrdquo in MSc Sciencewas a subject I detested at school but Irecognized its importance to my futureas a communicator I was also very awareof my own weakness in that area Thatrsquosone of the benefits Irsquove gained from thecourse ndash a real appreciation of goodresearch and the knowledge to do it well
Things went well academically though juggling part-time study with afull-time career is never easy I wasdisciplined enough to invest thenecessary time and to gradually work myway through the course reading list andgood marks followed
A balancing actThe course proved a little morechallenging on a personal level Work-life balance is hard enough to achieve letalone work-study-life balance Something
IS FURTHER STUDY THEROUTE FOR YOU
It takes dedicationbut a post-graduate
degree can beprofessionally and
personally beneficial
Who said professional development was easy Commitment perseverance andpatience are some of the attributes Lee Smith found invaluable as he workedtowards obtaining his masters degree
8 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TEC
HN
OLO
GY
scm
Creating dialogue within an organizationand encouraging involvement are two ofthe major attractions associated withblogs These were also the primary reasonsbehind the World Bankrsquos decision tolaunch their first internal blog last year
The occasion was the organizationrsquosannual meeting a series of events held inSingapore in 2006 This 10-day eventbrings together around 10000 peopleincluding media representatives to discussissues related to poverty reduction andinternational economic development
According to Egan traditionalmethods used previously to report on theevent such as articles video and audiolinks on the internet and intranet siteshad failed to spark employeesrsquo interest inthe progress and outcomes of the meetingsBlogging seemed like a good way drive toemployeesrsquo interest and involvement
Objectives of the blogEgan summarizes the objectives andrationale behind the blog as follows bull To provide an alternate voice to share
the business outcomes of the meetingsusing informal first-person reportingof behind-the-scenes activities
bull To encourage the use of otherresources by linking blog readers tomore serious information
bull To encourage employee interactionand increase dialogue
Throughout the event the blog wasupdated daily by the head of internalcommunication The entries wereunedited but reader comments weremoderated before they were posted
Outcomes and evaluationAccording to Egan this blogging experimentsurpassed their expectations by helpingto achieve the following three outcomes1 Renewed credibility for the voice of
internal communication ldquoCorporatecommunication always suffers thereputation of towing managementrsquosline The tone and delivery of theblog entries very clearly did not Wehad many comments along the linesof lsquoFinally the real storyrsquordquo
2 A feeling of inclusion ldquoBy providinga sense of the context and atmosphereemployees who didnrsquot attend theevent still felt like they were part ofit Many commented that lsquoFor thefirst time I feel Irsquom therersquordquo
3 Better awareness of the outcomes ofthe meetings ldquoThe blog provided thehook into other channels ofinformation which staff may nototherwise have consulted The first
thing some of the readers did in themorning was to check the blogrdquo
Egan admits that there were some whowere initially skeptical about bloggingldquoWe did have a couple of comments onthe blog saying lsquoThis is frivolousrsquo butothers responded by saying lsquoLighten upThis makes a nice change from all theboring official informationrsquordquo
Another problem was a potentiallyoffensive remark which had to be removedprompting the composition of an officialblogging policy to define the roles andresponsibilities of authors and commenters
Optimistic about the new toolFollowing on from the success of thisfirst blog the communication team hassince launched a variety of blogs some ofwhich have been successful others lessso Ironically a blog set up to discuss aworldwide conference on communicationgot minimal response Staff participationin external blogs has also been low ButEgan remains optimistic about thepotential of this tool
ldquoThere are millions of blogs out thereand lots of participation in them But ina business setting it takes a bit moretime before a community of practicedevelops and people believe that this is atrusted space where they can commentwithout being ridiculed or scornedrdquo
Advice to corporate bloggersTo build confidence in the tool Egan hasplans to launch an internal marketingcampaign and the organizationrsquos newintranet site will provide a forum forfuture blogging developments
Eganrsquos primary advice to fellowcorporate bloggers is to keep the contentgenuine ldquoIt becomes very obvious veryquickly who is doing the writingrdquo Shealso suggests keeping blogs topic or event-specific and avoiding general musings
Her final reminder is that blogsshouldnrsquot replace traditional tools butcompliment them ldquoBlogs can be fabulousbut you need to put them in context withthe other tools that are available Be veryclear about their purposerdquo
USING BLOGS TO INVOLVE ATWORLD BANK
Michele Egan is a senior communications officer in the World Bank Grouprsquos internalcommunications unit Among other tasks she leads the development and delivery ofthe grouprsquos electronic communication tools
Experimenting with blogsat the World Bank has
shed light on what worksand what doesnrsquot
In 2006 the World Bank set up a blog to spark interest and involvement in amajor organizationwide planning event The positive response has inspired a moreadventurous and experimental approach to blogging Based on recent experiencessenior communications officer Michele Egan reflects on the potential benefits andpitfalls of using this tool
MICHELLE EGAN
by Sona Hathi
INTRANETS EMBRACESOCIAL MEDIA
Neilson Normanrsquos latest report on thetop 10 intranet designs of 2007 shows anincrease in the use of multimedia andsocial media on intranet sites
Although multimedia was a significantfeature in last yearrsquos list this year seesphotos video news feeds and webcamsput to more innovative use Indicatingthat social media has not been a passingfad of 2006 many of the intranets haveimplemented popular Web 20 featureslike blogs (with specific business angles)and business-relevant wikis
Video is being used for training andcorporate communication butorganizations such as American ElectricPower have pushed the use of thischannel by setting up a TV studio forintranet productions offering employeesstreaming video and live webcasts
News feeds have long been used onintranets but this year the bestselections offer more relevant internaland external news and involveemployees by allowing them to ratestories and comment
Translation comes out topsMany of the reportrsquos winning intranetsoffer language translation for theirinternational employees Dow Chemicalfor example uses English for most globalcontent but translates important contentinto Dutch German French ItalianPortuguese and Spanish Selectedcontent is also translated into ChineseGreek Japanese and Thai
A total of 49 different technologyproducts are used by the reportrsquos topintranets with Windows Server GoogleSearch Appliance and SharePoint beingamong the most popular SH
httpwwwnngroupcom
9scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TEC
HN
OLO
GY
scmUPDATECALCULATING THEROI ON BLOGGING
The difficulty of placing a precisemonetary value on corporate blogging isone of the setbacks of this tool But anew report from Forrester calledCalculating the ROI of blogging offersways to identify the benefits costs andrisks that corporate blogging involvesusing a three-stage process 1 Quantify and assign value to the key
benefits of blogging 2 Estimate the costs of blogging3 Incorporate risk calculations into the
ROI model
The report describes how to measure theimpact blogging has on the businessoutcomes using ldquometrics that everyone isfamiliar withrdquo For example themonetary value of press mentions can bemeasured by counting the number ofblog-driven stories by online press webmedia and high-profile bloggers andthen calculating the cost of advertising inthe same publications
General Motorsrsquo case studyThe report also features a case study onGeneral Motorsrsquo two-year-old blogFastLane to which the authors applytheir ROI process Rather thanpresenting the company with a finalnumerical figure theyrsquove come up withnew objectives advising them how to getthe maximum benefits from blogging andimprove its impact on business outcomes
Whether yoursquove already startedblogging or are about to take the plungethis report provides direction on how toevaluate how your blog and decide whichdirection it needs to go in to gainmaximum business value SH
httpwwwforrestercom
SENIOR EXECS BIG ONNEW MEDIA
A survey of 100 CEOs and CMOs fromFortune 2000 companies found that 76percent of senior executives areexperimenting with alternative mediasuch as blogs Second Life and socialnetworking
The study by Weber Shandwick andKRC Research found that 69 percent ofthose surveyed currently use socialnetworking while 37 percent plan to useit more over the next five years
Ninety-one percent of those surveyedcurrently make use of their companywebsite and 66 percent plan to use theirwebsite more over the next five yearsmaking it number one in the surveyrsquos listof media tools
Use of virtual worlds to growAvatar-based marketing (marketingthrough virtual worlds such as SecondLife) came last in the list of 20 mediatools senior executives plan to use overthe next five years However researchersbelieve that the use of virtual worlds incommunication and marketing willincrease as more companies learn how touse them more effectively
Billee Howard managing director ofthe Global Strategic Media Group atWeber Shandwick said ldquoWersquore in theearly days of a totally new media eraThose companies that do not combinethe new-media paradigm with the best oftraditional media will most certainlyproceed at their perilrdquo SH
Source The Changing Face of Marketingand Communications in Todayrsquos CreativityEconomy
httpwwwwebershandwickcom
TECHNOLOGY UPDATE
When talking about return on investment(ROI) for the intranet and other ldquosoftrdquobenefits these are the kinds of results oroutcomes usually referred to
Measurable ROI from hard benefitsinclude bull less paperbull less hardwarebull less headcount andbull increased sales
Soft benefits includebull increased employee productivitybull better customer satisfactionbull faster time to market andbull improved employee retention
IBM Oracle and Cisco all measure theimpact and benefits of their intranet Allof them have measured the value to begreater than US$1 billion In fact IBMhas realized benefits from e-learning viathe intranet alone to be more thanUS$284 million
BT the UK telecommunicationscompany uses an online idea jar foremployees called ldquoPersonnel TodayrdquoEmployee ideas have saved BT nearlyUKpound100 million over the past four years
Sodexhorsquos SuperSleuthOne of my personal favorites is theSodexho USA Sales SuperSleuthSuperSleuth is an intranet web page andapplication that encourages employees tosubmit sales leads and prospective clientsvia the intranet
The SuperSleuth intranet pagegenerates cash rewards of up toUS$1000 for the person making thesubmission Sodexho says it hascontributed to a 100-percent increase insales leads In fact the SuperSleuth toolhas led to US$90 million in managedvolume (net client sales including salesby client) This is proof positive of akiller application
Impressive numbers As impressive as those numbers are youdonrsquot have to be a large technologycompany to realize measured ROIbenefits ndash ROI isnrsquot reserved solely forbig multinationals
QAS is a world leader in address
management and data accuracy Basedon data secured from national postalauthorities and other leading sourcesQAS captures cleans and enhances theintegrity of name and address data QAShas 400 employees with offices in the UK(headquarters) US Canada SingaporeAustralia and across Europe
While awards are nice to receive theQAS intranet has received more thanjust kudos ndash itrsquos delivering measuredresults and value for the business Someof the measured ROI benefits include bull Online expenses saved four person-
days per monthbull Finance savings online workflow has
reduced administrative processingtime from two weeks to one day
bull Purchase ordering saved four person-days per month and an ROI savingsof US$20000 per year
bull Sales proposal builder streamlinedproposal and sales process savesalmost US$25000 per year
bull Intranet use 115-percent increase inusage of the intranet (infers a yet tobe measured productivity gain)
Of all the measurements perhaps thesingle most important is ROI Tomaximize the intranetrsquos value andpotential you must secure the support ofsenior management If you want theirattention and support you better talktheir talk Nothing gets their attentionmore than ROI
Sell the sizzleIf executives view the intranet as a costcenter then itrsquos your responsibility to sellthe sizzle and prove the value with harddata ROI is everything in someorganizations (for example in financialservices) Other more progressivecompanies are intent to know and trackemployee satisfaction and productivity
Still others want to know both It alldepends on your organization andculture However only throughmeasurement will the intranet become ameasured quantity and a proven asset
Source Transforming your intranetwwwmelcrumcom
DOES YOUR INTRANETPAY ITS WAY
Toby Ward is a broadcast journalist turned consultant He founded and launchedPrescient Digital Media (wwwPrescientDigitalcom) in early 2001 His specialismsare site evaluation and strategic planning He blogs at wwwIntranetBlogcom
Hard data demonstratingvalue generated by the
intranet will alter itsperception as a cost center
In Melcrumrsquos report on Transforming your intranet Toby Ward of Prescient DigitalMedia authors a chapter on how to measure the value and success of your intranetHere we share his thoughts on that frequently elusive indicator of success ndash returnon investment
TOBY WARD
10 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
RESE
AR
CH
amp M
EA
SUR
EM
EN
T
scm
ldquoTO MAXIMIZE THEINTRANETrsquoS POTENTIALYOU MUST SECURE THESUPPORT OF SENIORMANAGEMENTrdquo
There are three situations that are mostlikely to create plummeting surveyresponse rates1 When a group never hears the
findings of past surveys or anyresulting changes they begin to thinktheir opinions donrsquot matter If theirpast opinions were valued so lightlythey feel less urgency to sharefurther opinions
2 When the group being researched isrelatively small researchers typicallyneed to poll the entire group on eachsurvey rather than querying arandom sample For example if youhave 1000 employees you wouldneed to obtain 259 responses to haveresults accurate within a margin oferror of 5 percentage points If thecompany is typically receiving a 25-percent response rate on surveysthat means that all 1000 employeesneed to be invited to participate inthe survey to get about the minimumnecessary number of responses for asufficient level of accuracyUnfortunately even for largergroups researchers sometimessurvey the whole group on everysurvey instead of identifying the rightsize random sample
3 When surveys are badly designedrespondents quit them midwaythrough The respondentrsquos feeling isldquoIf the company canrsquot be bothered todesign a good survey Irsquom not going
to waste my time taking itrdquo Somemajor survey design flaws includequestions that are difficult tounderstand questions withinsufficient or inappropriateresponse options or questions thatseem to have little relevance for therespondent Other major designturn-offs are surveys that are toolong or that are composed mostly ofopen-ended essay questions both ofwhich take too much time to answerFinally asking too manydemographic questions especially atthe beginning of a surveycompromises respondentsrsquo sense ofanonymity and kills their desire toanswer even the first real question
The following steps will help overcomethese three problems
Coordinate surveysTo avoid asking the same people torespond to too many surveys within ashort time coordinate all employee orcustomer surveys through a clearinghouse so that the timing of surveys doesnrsquotoverlap and you donrsquot ask questions forwhich answers are already available
Send the survey to only a sample ofthe audience (although yoursquoll need astatisticianrsquos help in selecting a sample ofthe right size) If you know severalsurveys will be administered about thesame time pick mutually exclusiverandom samples at the same time so thatno one person receives more than onesurvey during that period
Use short surveysThe shorter the survey the more likelypeople are to give you their time If youhave 100 questions that must beanswered break them into threeseparate surveys of about 33 questionsand administer them to three mirror-image random samples Yoursquoll besurveying more people but eachparticipantrsquos time commitment will berelatively minor
Also consider doing very short ldquostealthsurveysrdquo by phone for which you donrsquotobtain advance permission People mightnot even know theyrsquove been surveyed Asyou (and a team of volunteers) have theseconversations with respondents you wouldrecord their answers on a questionnaire
Connect research to resultsSome companies have a long history ofnot communicating results or outcomesof previous surveys If thatrsquos true of yourorganization try these two techniquesbull On a regular basis when announcing
changes the company is makingconnect the changes with relatedsurvey results ndash even if a changewasnrsquot made solely because of theresearch Your audience will get themessage that stakeholder opinionsare a regular factor in the waymanagement makes decisions
bull In the invitation to a new surveybegin with key findings and changesthat were made based on a similarpast survey and ask respondents tolet you know through the new surveyif the company is still on track Thisway your potential respondents hearthat completing surveys does resultin changes ndash at the very momenttheyrsquore determining if your latestsurvey is worth their time
FINDING A CURE FORSURVEY FATIGUE
Angela Sinickas ABC is president of Sinickas Communications Inc an internationalcommunication consultancy specializing in helping corporations achieve businessresults through targeted diagnostics and practical solutions For more informationvisit wwwsinicomcom
A downward trend in survey response rates is often blamed on the fact that peoplesimply become tired of taking surveys But there are ways to avoid the malaisesetting in says Angela Sinickas a key one being making sure that people feel theiropinions are actually being listened to Here she shares three common causes ofsurvey fatigue and how to deal with them
11scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
RESE
AR
CH
amp M
EA
SUR
EM
EN
Tscm
ANGELA SINICKAS
Little feedback the wrongsample size and poorly
designed surveys all leadto low response rates
12 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Organizations today ndash driven byincreased competition merger-and-acquisition activity and large complextransformation programs ndash arecharacterized by the need for constantand rapid change In our experienceconsistent leadership communicationsare at the center of helping theirorganizations address these challenges
With all the complex transformationprograms we work on we encourage the
leadership team to create a simple one-page ldquomessage maprdquo to use over a definedtimeframe The message map which welink to key program milestones andsuccesses helps the leadership team toplan what theyrsquoll share with employeesand other stakeholders and when
Message maps can address commonfailures of leadership communicationDuring global cross-functional programswhen all leaders consistently reinforce
the same messages they emerge as ajoined-up forward-thinking team
Message maps are also effective whenbuilding up communication to employeesover time rather than overwhelmingstaff with changes or diminishingleadership credibility by waiting too longto communicate
Compiling a message mapThe process wersquove used in the past to helpleaders develop a message map is quitestraight forward This is what we dobull We encourage leaders to work
together to agree and articulate thestory Agreeing the story typicallyrequires experienced facilitationThis encourages leaders to definehow the story will build and thengain momentum and commitmentover time
bull The story is then converted into asimple message map The mapshould make sense to all change-program leaders as this tool willguide the majority of theircommunication to employees Itshould also provide a clear view ofwhatrsquos coming next Message mapsare often shown as straightforwardtimelines but there are othereffective ways to present them (seeFigure One below)
bull Once the change story has beenagreed and committed to paperleaders use the map to know whencommunications should be deliveredand what supporting documentationto use for a consistent cascade
Revisiting communication plansOf course the content of the message mapwill need to be revisited Message mapsas with all communications evolve overtime They should be frequently reviewedto ensure that the messages ndash and time-scales ndash remain relevant to the programand align with program milestones
USING MESSAGE MAPSTO GUIDE CHANGE
Sally Harris is director of theCommunications and Engagementpractice at Molten where shespecializes in managing large-scale communication and changeprograms for global clients
Facilitate a meeting withthe leadership team to
agree and articulate thechange story
Sally Harris director of the Communications and Engagement practice at Moltenbelieves itrsquos often the simplest tools that are most effective in encouraging leadersto think more strategically about their communications Here she explains why theldquomessage maprdquo is one such tool
SALLY HARRIS
LEA
DER
SHIP
CO
MM
UN
ICATIO
N
scm
Figure One Example of a global message map
13scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
brand image and set an example for thewhole company
At The Company Agency we find thatmany CEOs are looking for strategiccommunication support coaching andguidance that goes beyond what theyreceive from their rostered PR agencyThey operate in a world thatrsquos typicallyquite lonely where information isfrequently filtered theyrsquore under aconstant spotlight and a gap existsbetween them their people and theircustomers Internal communication canplay a key role in helping the CEObridge this gap
A simple checklist Every CEO is different and facesdifferent challenges but herersquos a simplechecklist if you find yourself workingwith a new CEO or in a new role with anestablished CEObull Ask your CEO what kind of person
they would like to be viewed as byemployees ndash coach them oncommunication behavior that canhelp them achieve this goal
bull Establish very quickly what theCEOrsquos key message is ndash askquestions until it is crystal clear
bull Know your business and brief yourCEO on what type of communicationis effective or not within yourorganization
bull Provide informed guidance onemerging communication trends ndashsuch as social media ndash and explainthe business impact
bull Understand how the CEO listens towhat people are saying
bull Determine the CEOscommunication preferences ndash howdoes he or she like to receive andshare information both inside andoutside work
You should expect to be the leaderrsquoscommunicator ndash developing messagesand ensuring theyrsquore conveyed in themost appropriate way But the balanceshould be tipping more towards beingthe communication leader ndash a role whereyoursquore providing strategic counsel to theCEO and coaching them so theyrsquore moreeffective in their new role and environment
In May last year the managementconsultants Booze Allen Hamiltonpublished their annual report on chiefexecutive attrition The Crest of theTurnover Wave After studying the move-ments of CEOs from the largest 2500companies in the world they uncoveredsome rather startling facts An incredible1 in 7 CEOs will change job over thenext 12 months with poor-performingCEOs staying in office for two years Bycomparison the high-performing CEOstays in the job for just under eight years
Given that their tenure may be brief thisresearch only reinforces that the first 100days for the chief executive is a critical time
Creating myths and legendsOver the past 20 years Irsquove had the goodfortune to work for some great brandsand leaders Experience tells me thatduring their first 100 days the reputationthey bring from their previous job willeither be validated or contradictedEverything they say and do will bescrutinised Perceptions will be quicklyformed about their style and personalityMyths and legends will become thehottest gossip in the workplace
With this in mind itrsquos critical toquickly establish their reputation andwhat they stand for Internalcommunication can play a valuable rolein supporting the CEO and in turnestablish a long-term relationship withtheir new leader
Uncovering perceptionsDeveloping a personalized communica-tion strategy must start by finding outhow the new leader is perceived While aquantitative survey may satisfy those witha hunger for numbers qualitativeresearch will uncover how people reallyview the CEO as an individual and leader
With these insights itrsquos possible todevelop a plan to shape the existingreputation into one they would like tohave in the new organization This meansidentifying what they stand for andhelping them articulate how this supportsand builds the brand of the organization
Charismatic leadersIf you think about charismatic leaderssuch as Stuart Rose of Marks amp SpencerRichard Branson of Virgin or PhilKnight of Nike organizational culture isheavily influenced by the personality ofits chief executive
The behavior that resides within theorganization is typically a reflection ofthe CEOrsquos behavior and becomesassociated with the brand So itrsquosimportant to define what the new CEOwants the corporate brand to stand forand what they can do to achieve that
LEADERS IN TRANSITIONTHE FIRST 100 DAYSIn a recent Melcrum survey 44 percent of respondents said they plan to spend more ormuch more on communication training for leaders and managers With the topic firmlyon the agenda for the forseeable future this issue sees the launch of a new regularcolumn by leadership communication expert Darren Briggs He kicks off with adviceon making the most of the CEOrsquos first 100 days ndash a critical time for any new leader
LEA
DER
SHIP
CO
MM
UN
ICATIO
Nscm
DARREN BRIGGS
The first of a new regularcolumn on leadership
urges communicators tosupport new leaders
Darren Briggs is partner at The Company Agency where he advises and coachessenior leaders to be more effective communicators He has 20 years corporateexperience working at chief executive and board level with companies such as BritishAirways Microsoft Nike PepsiCo and Vodafone
The title of advertising guru PaulArdenrsquos book Itrsquos not how good you areitrsquos how good you want to be captures theessence of ambition And our recent surveysuggests that this is a message internalcommunicators should take to heart
As part of our research1 to define a listof core skills and competencies forprofessional communicators we askedpractitioners from around the worldabout their future career goals and howthey plan to achieve them Surprisinglyfor a profession that stresses the need forstrategies and plans most internalcommunicators appear to have a fairly adhoc approach to their own development
Results from the surveyAbout 70 percent of our sample said theyexpected to stay in internal communicationover the next three years Thirty-twopercent saw themselves gaining moreexperience within their existing jobswhile 37 percent aim to move into adifferent internal communication role
When we asked respondents what theywere doing to help develop their careersgaining wider experience being better
networked and finding a coach came topof their lists
Be honest with yourselfNow these seem like fairly informalactivities You might think they take lessorganizing than say investing the timeand budget to do a course or study for aformal qualification But if yoursquore beinghonest you know that getting the go-aheadto work on more challenging projectsfinding the right coach and building aprofessional network takes time andplanning These things donrsquot just happenovernight ndash unless yoursquore very lucky
Yet less than a quarter of internalcommunicators have a formal plan to helpstructure their thoughts about careerprogression and make sure their develop-ment objectives are met Twenty-onepercent say they have no plan whatsoeverand about half the respondents wecontacted say they have a plan but itrsquosnot formalized or agreed
Make the timeMaking time to discuss your career goalswith your manager and getting apersonal development plan down onpaper will pay dividends After all who
decides whether you get to work on themore interesting projects or not Andwhen yoursquore being dragged under byyour workload wouldnrsquot it be helpful tohave some targets to remind you to makethe time to network or read that articlesitting in your reading folder
If wersquove convinced you to think aboutyour own professional development hereare three important steps to get started
1 Be clear about where yoursquore startingfrom Think about what yoursquoveachieved so far in your career Whatskills do you have what are yourstrengths and which areas needfurther development
2 Look ahead to where you want to beWhat timeframe do you have inmind for your professional develop-ment What can you focus on rightaway and what are your longer-termcareer goals Be as specific as youcan about what you want to achieveand consider the followingbull Are there areas where yoursquod like
to be a ldquostar performerrdquo in yourcurrent role
bull How can you expand your networkor reach in the wider industry
bull How can you broaden your depthof skills or experience outsideyour current remit
bull How do you plan to move onwardsand upwards to a new role
3 Think about how yoursquoll close the gapWhat knowledge skills andexperience do you need What typeof development activity will help youget to where you want to be
If you know in your heart of hearts thatyou donrsquot invest enough time and effortin your own development make the timeto start doing this now
In our next column we plan to look atthe range of development optionsavailable and hear some reflections fromindustry leaders on what helped themreally accelerate their own learning andprofessional development
1 Turn to page 16 for a more detailed analysis of the study
GET YOUR DEVELOPMENT PLANON TRACK
Sue Dewhurst and Liam FitzPatrick run Competent Communicators acompany specializing in professional development for internalcommunicators and Melcrumrsquos official training and developmentpartner For more information go to wwwcompetentcommunicatorscom
A study into skills and competenciesfor communicators
reveals a lack ofclear career planning
The path to a senior role in internal communication is paved with good intentionsOr so suggests a recent study by development experts Sue Dewhurst and LiamFitzPatrick Here in the first of a new regular column on professional developmentthey review the studyrsquos findings lament the lack of a career plan and urge internalcommunicators to take action and plan their own development
SUE DEWHURST AND LIAM FITZPATRICK
14 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PR
OFE
SSION
AL D
EV
ELO
PM
EN
T
scm
ldquoTHESE THINGS DONrsquoTJUST HAPPENOVERNIGHT ndash UNLESSYOUrsquoRE VERY LUCKYrdquo
15scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PR
OFE
SSION
AL D
EV
ELO
PM
EN
Tscm
3 Cut the jargonJargon may have its place but it has noplace in employee communicationPhrases such as work-life balanceemployer of choice critical mass and thelike may make sense in behind-the-scenes discussions However when itrsquostime to communicate to the masses weneed to translate these concepts intoPlain English and provide a context tohelp employees understand Yes it takessome work but the payoff makes itworth the effort
Say the head of HR wants to share thelatest developments in ldquowork-life balancerdquothat will benefit employees He may betempted to relay the news using theterminology hersquos used to using with hisstaff However most employees havenrsquotbeen in on those discussions so theconcept may be foreign or fuzzy to themndash even if theyrsquod heard the term before
Any progress HR makes on the work-life balance front gives it the opportunityto communicate in a personal humanway and in the process capture employeesrsquoattention on an emotional level
The HR leaderrsquos message thereforemay go something like this Our liveshave never been busier and there are onlyso many hours in a day Because we atXYZ Company recognize how important itis to you to be able to spend real time withyour families while managing theresponsibilities you have on the job wersquovedesigned a program that we hope willmake your life less hectic
Most employees will relate to thatmessage It plays to their needs which isa powerful hook
Guarding against gremlinsKeeping an eye out for the jargonpassive voice and other gremlins thatmay infiltrate your writing is a goodtraining ground for being able toobjectively critique your own work Italso conditions you to look for otherways to improve your writing a habitthat will serve you well throughout yourlifelong apprenticeship
No onersquos work is as continually visible inan organization as the communicatorrsquosOur superiors our peers and the entireemployee population see us as theparagons of communications competenceThey look to the messages wersquove craftedas models of writing excellence and willpattern their own accordingly
When you think of it itrsquos one heck of aburden to bear After all how else didyou get the job if you couldnrsquot write well
But regardless of how well you dowrite how senior you are or how longyoursquove had that coveted ldquoseat at thetablerdquo when it comes to writing yoursquollalways have room to grow Thatrsquos becausewriting is as one learned professor sowisely termed it a ldquolifelong apprenticeshiprdquo
Here are three ways to improve yourwriting immediately
1 Avoid the passive voiceThe passive voice manages to creep intomessages to employees and itrsquos a sureroad to eroding their engagement It allowsthe writer to hide behind the message itclouds direction and itrsquos boring
Herersquos an example of really woefulwriting ndash a sentence structure that yoursquoresure to recognize Employees areencouraged to submit this form by the endof the month
Analyze that sentence and yoursquoll seethat not only is there no owner to thestatement but therersquos no clear directionEmployees are encouraged by whom
and what does ldquoencouragedrdquo meananyway Are employees required tosubmit the form If so then say so
The sad truth is this passive style ofwriting is all too common the happytruth is that we communicators are in aposition to do something about it Oftenall it takes is a quick rewrite Pleasesubmit this form by [insert specific date]Clear direct concise
2 Use second person Why talk at people when you can talk tothem When yoursquore communicating withemployees the use of ldquoyourdquo can befriendly and inviting
Take this message XYZ Companyemployees at customer locations shouldalways first check with their hosts to ensurethat connecting to the XYZ network ispermitted
Look what happens when itrsquos rewrittenfrom third person into second If yoursquoreworking at a customer site be sure to firstcheck with your host that itrsquos OK toconnect to our network
Yoursquove gone from impersonal toconversational
DO YOUR WRITING SKILLSLET YOU DOWNA recent discussion on the Melcrum blog raised the question of whether or not goodwriting skills are still important to the more strategically focused communicator Theconsensus was a definite yes ndash your writing ability makes an impression and itrsquos upto you whether thatrsquos good or bad Denise Baron provides some advice on how tomake sure itrsquos the former
DENISE BARON
However strategicyour role the ability
to write well remainsan important skill
Denise Baron is president of Baron Communications a business communicationsconsultancy providing strategic planning and marketing internal communicationproject management and editorial services to Fortune 500 companies
16 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Over the past five years wersquove found ourselvesbecoming more and more involved in conversationsabout careers in internal communication As theprofession matures expectations of itspractitioners are rising and for many people ajob in communication is no longer just a short-term stepping-stone en route to better things
But the question we hear time and time again isldquoWhat does lsquogoodrsquo look like when it comes to
internal communicationrdquo What skills knowledgeand experience should an effective internalcommunicator have at various stages in theircareer How do I know what I should bepersonally aspiring to and measuring myselfagainst How can I best develop my team Whereis the definitive framework to help me recruit thebest person for the job
In recent years there have been a number ofgood attempts to answer these questions In theUK a group of professional bodies got togetherto write the Inter-Comm matrix1 It listed theskills knowledge and experience a practitionermight need according to their level of experience
We were both involved in developing this skillsmatrix which was widely welcomed when it waslaunched in 2003 Some well-respectedconsultancies have also developed models to showhow a typical career path might progress whichhave helped structure career planning forindividuals and teams
A flexible model for a diverse professionDespite the success of the Inter-Comm matrix wefelt there was more to be done in the area ofprofessional development for internal communica-tors Fundamentally existing models tend to showa one-dimensional and predictable career pathstarting as a junior deliverer and developing into astrategic business-focused consultant
The implication is that if yoursquore deliveringcommunication or are tactically focused you musthave a junior role and if you have a more seniorrole you donrsquot get your hands dirty doingmundane things like writing or managing the
Building a learningframework for internalcommunicators
Planning your teamrsquos professional developmentmeans understanding the skills and experienceneeded to be successful Sue Dewhurst and Liam
FitzPatrick of Competent Communicators have beenresearching how internal communicators spend their timeat work and what behaviors the most effectivepractitioners display Here they describe a new learningframework that has emerged from the study
Identifying the typical roles andskills required for your team
BY SUE DEWHURST AND LIAM FITZPATRICK
scm FEATURES
ABOUT THE RESEARCHThe findings discussed in this article are based on research conducted at theend of 2006 More than 700 in-house practitioners replied to a survey aboutcareers competencies and development plans
A factor analysis of the data conducted by Ash Pattni Associates generated anumber of role types which were then discussed with 30 professionals atdifferent stages of their careers based in the UK Europe and North AmericaThese discussions mainly took the form of interviews and focus groups
The study also referred to data on competency modeling prepared by theUKrsquos Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
1 2 3 4 5
17scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
intranet or organizing eventsBut clearly the world of internal communication
isnrsquot quite that straightforward People join theprofession via all kinds of routes and at differentstages of their careers
We interviewed someone who started out as thedirectorrsquos PA a successful senior executive whostarted out as an engineer a former psychologylecturer and others who had joined through moreobvious routes in publishing and PR
Some had started out in junior roles Forothers their first role in internal communicationwas as a business partner Others had alreadyreached a senior position in another function andsimply moved across at the same level
A key objective of this study was to develop amodel that reflected the diverse reality of life ininternal communication one that was flexibleenough to be adapted to fit organizations andcommunication teams of all shapes and sizes
So we began our research by surveying communica-tors worldwide to find out how they actuallyspend their time on a daily basis and what skillsknowledge and experience they regularly use
The six types of practitionerStatistical analysis of the survey data suggestedthere were six stereotypical role types withininternal communication By ldquotypesrdquo we meansegments or groups of people who share verysimilar characteristics in terms of their skills andstrengths spend their time carrying out similartypes of activities and whose outputs tend to bejudged in similar ways
Most importantly these types can be plottedagainst two dimensions based on how they spendtheir time (advising or doing) and where theirfocus is (strategy or tactics) Figure One (right)illustrates these six types and how they plotagainst the two dimensions
Clearly every organization is slightly differentbut the six stereotypes described below shouldprovide a starting point for thinking about theroles and types of people you need in your team
1 The Leader Internal communication leaders manage teamsand lead the function either for an entire organiza-tion or for a large division or territory Theyspend much of their time managing and coachingteam members and working with senior managersThey see themselves as business people first andcommunicators second However itrsquos taken as readthat they have sound technical ability and will rollup their sleeves when needed Great internal andexternal networkers theyrsquore skilled at dealing withuncertainty and conflict Theyrsquore likely to bemeasured on business results and through thesubjective opinion of their senior customers
2 The Advisor Advisors support departments or major projectsby providing advice developing communicationplans and providing hands-on support to deliverthem Local managers trust them for their insightsinto business problems and understanding of howtheir organization really works Through well-developed networks and time spent understandingtheir audiences and carrying out research andfeedback they know whatrsquos really going onTheyrsquore judged on the quality of their advice andtheir ability to translate that advice into plansactivities and actions
3 The ManagerThe internal communication manager has excellentcraft skills and a sound knowledge of channelsThey spend most of their time on delivery Whenthey advise itrsquos normally about the best channelsto use or the most appropriate timing Goodmanagers arenrsquot easily intimidated and are greatat juggling different priorities Theyrsquore skilled attranslating between the boardroom and the shopfloor Their contribution is often measured bytheir ability to deliver activity against a plan andthe quality of work they and their team produce
4 The DelivererMost teams have someone in this role ndash a safepair of hands who can be trusted to make thingshappen That might range from compilingdistribution lists through to running a conferencesorting out the CEOrsquos open forum or writing andediting a newsletter Theyrsquore less likely tosupervise other communicators and depend ontheir organizational and craft skills to get the jobdone People value them for their ability to dothings on time and to a high standard 3
Sue Dewhurst and LiamFitzPatrick run CompetentCommunicators a firmspecializing in professionaldevelopment for internalcommunicators TheyrsquoreMelcrumrsquos official training anddevelopment advisors anddeliver Melcrumrsquos Black Belttraining program Theyrsquore alsothe authors of a forthcomingreport on competenciesdevelopment and standardsfor internal communicatorsand blog about developmentissues onwwwBlackBeltDojocouk
Figure One Six typical role types for internal communicators
TheLeader
TheLocal Agent
The Deliverer
TheAdvisor
TheManagerADVISE
STRATEGY
IMPLEMENT
TACTICS
TheSpecialist
KEY POINTSbull A new study has established how communicators spend their time and
what skills knowledge and experience they regularly use
bull The research identifies six stereotypical roles ranging from acommunication leader to a specialist (eg a web or events expert)
bull It also highlights 12 competencies that clarify the behaviors acompetent practitioner should display at each level An ldquoineffectiverdquocategory shows behaviors displayed by less able performers
bull The roles and competencies provide a framework for development
Building a learning framework for internal communicators
18 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
5 The Local AgentThis category covers a broad range of peoplefrom the plant managerrsquos personal assistant to aregional communication manager Internalcommunication is often one of severalresponsibilities for this person and they tend tohave a tactical focus Their agenda is normally setby the local management team although theirlocal knowledge and network makes them aninvaluable sounding board for the corporatecommunication team They tend to be judged onwhether activities happen and how satisfied theirlocal manager is with them
6 The SpecialistOur research found a small group of peopleworking in internal communication who see them-selves as subject-matter experts in a specialist areasuch as web management audio-visual productionor event management They have only a looseconnection to the mainstream profession andcould equally work in IT marketing or perhapsHR Because theyrsquore highly specialized they tendto work in large organizations
Building a competency frameworkOnce statistical analysis had suggested these sixrole types we began testing them out throughfocus groups and interviews with practitioners Inparticular we asked what skills knowledge andexperience people in each type of role neededwhat people saw outstanding practitioners doingwhat poor performance looked like and howpeople in the six role types spent their time
On the basis of this information we developeda series of 12 competencies (see Figure Two left)We found that each of the six role types could bedefined bybull Which of the competencies they need to carry
out their role (not everyone needs all 12)bull The level of skill knowledge and experience
they need in each competencybull How much of their time they spend using
each competency ndash a high medium or lowamount For instance there was commonagreement that the communication leadermust have strong craft skills (writing anddesign) but compared to say the delivererthey spend a relatively low percentage of theirtime working on this type of activity
Each of the 12 competencies has three levelsbasic intermediate and advanced Based on thedata we gathered we defined the behaviors youmight expect to see a competent internalcommunication professional display at each level
We also added an ldquoineffectiverdquo category listingthose behaviors our interviewees told us weredisplayed by less able performers For example
7
COMPETENCY DEFINITION
Building effectiverelationships
Developing and maintaining relationships that inspire trust and respectBuilding a network and influencing others to make things happen
Business focus Having a clear understanding of the business issues Usingcommunication to help solve organization issues and achieveorganizational problems
Consulting andcoaching
Recommending appropriate solutions Helping others make informeddecisions Building other peoplersquos communications competence
Cross-functionalawareness
Understanding the different contributions from other disciplines andworking with colleagues from across the organization to achieve betterresults
Developing othercommunicators
Helping other communicators build their communications competenceand develop their career
Innovation andcreativity
Looking for new ways of working exploring best practice and deliveringoriginal and imaginative approaches to communication problems
Listening Conducting research and managing mechanisms for gathering feedbackand employee reaction
Making it happen Turning plans into successfully implemented actions
Planning Planning communication programs and operations evaluating results
Specialist Having specific subject-matter expertise in a specialist area
Vision and standards Defining or applying a consistent approach to communication andmaintaining professional and ethical standards
Craft (writing anddesign)
Using and developing the right mix of practical communication abilitiesto hold the confidence of peers and colleagues (eg writing designmanagement etc)
Figure Two Twelve competencies for internal communicators
19scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
some ineffective behaviors attached to theldquobusiness focusrdquo competency arebull Doesnrsquot make the link between
communication activity and the business ororganizational context
bull Delivers communication activity withoutconsidering whether it will serve any usefulpurpose
bull Lacks understanding of their business area
Building a framework for a specific role The next step in this project was to develop asimple table to map out the competencyframework for an individual role showingbull The competencies needed in this rolebull The level of competency needed in each casebull How much time we expect someone in this
role to spend on these types of behaviors
You can either build a competency frameworkfrom scratch or if you think the role fits one ofthe six types we identified from the survey use thecompetency framework for this type as a startingpoint (see the framework for a communicationleader Figure Three right)
In practice competency frameworks will varyaccording to the size of the organization thenumber of people in the internal-communicationteam the expectations of managers and thespecific requirements of each individual rolewhich is why wersquove built a flexible model
For example a communication leader in alarge multinational organization may spend muchof their time setting the vision and standardscoaching and consulting building relationshipsand developing other communicators and arelatively small amount of their time ldquomaking ithappenrdquo or on writing and design Howeversomeone in a stand-alone communication leaderrole in a much smaller organization wouldprobably have to be much more of a ldquoJack of alltradesrdquo dividing their time evenly between thedifferent competencies
Next stepsMore information about the 12 competencies andthe baseline competency maps for each of the sixrole types will be detailed in a forthcomingMelcrum report Ideas on how you use thesecompetencies to plan your development areavailable to download atwwwcompetentcommunicatorscom
We hope the framework will help bringstructure to the process of defining roles planningdevelopment and specifying recruitment andwould welcome your feedbackscm
1 The Inter-Comm skills matrix is described in an article in SCMFebruaryMarch 2005 (Volume 9 Issue 2) called Developingcore competencies for internal communicators
Figure Three Framework for a communication leader
COMPETENCY LEVEL TIME
Building effective relationships Advanced High
Business focus Advanced High
Consulting and coaching Advanced High
Cross-functional awareness Advanced Medium
Developing other communicators Advanced High
Innovation and creativity Advanced Medium
Listening Advanced Low
Making it happen Advanced Low
Planning Advanced Medium
Specialist NA NA
Vision and standards Advanced High
Craft (writing and design) Advanced Low
CONTACT DETAILS
Sue DewhurstCompetent Communicatorssuedewhurstcompetentcommunicatorscom
Liam FitzPatrickCompetent Communicatorsliamfitzpatrickcompetentcommunicatorscom
ldquoOUR RESEARCH FOUND A SMALL GROUP OFPEOPLE WORKING IN INTERNALCOMMUNICATION WHO SEE THEMSELVES ASSUBJECT-MATTER EXPERTSrdquo
20 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC President and CEO John Ryan joined theorganization in 1997 For the first few years hefocused on financial viability and positioning thecorporation for the future ndash articulating a newvision redefining strategic objectives expandingproduct and service offerings and identifyingpotential growth areas
The business results were outstanding double-digit growth increasing profits and great customerloyalty But something was missing
Like many successful organizations FCCoperated with a silo mentality Organizationalpolitics consumed energy that Ryan felt detractedfrom employee satisfaction and he worried aboutthe impact on the customer experience
He wanted his direct reports to work togetheras a real team ndash not to behave like individualleaders of functional areas Although the groupperformed well when there was a real challengeafter the challenge was gone so was the teamwork
This is not unusual for top executive groupsbut Ryan wasnrsquot willing to accept that fate ldquoTherehad to be a way to have a team-based
organization where leaders had the autonomythey needed to perform while actively collaboratingto achieve a new level of unprecedented resultsrdquohe said ldquoFCC had a very hierarchical culture withfirmly drawn divisional boundaries so I knew Ihad a challenge ahead of merdquo
Cultural transformation from the topIn 2002 John hired Malandro Communicationbased in Phoenix Arizona to guide FCCrsquos seniorleadership through a unique cultural transformationthat would lead to the creation of a high-performance team Leaders committed to being100-percent accountable for their impact onpeople and business results They let go of thetraditional 50-50 model ldquoIrsquoll do my part if you doyoursrdquo ndash a model that breeds a culture of blameconspiracies and distrust
In a series of formal training initiatives leaderswere taught to speak from the heart listen toother perspectives be open and responsive tofeedback and encourage personal andprofessional growth
Opportunity for internal communicationBy 2003 we were well on our way FCC producedremarkable business results with strong numbersright across the board The portfolio grew fromnearly CAN$9 billion to over CAN$10 billionThen two things happened that created anopportunity for internal communication tobecome a driver of business results 1 In 2003 we earned 50th place on Canadarsquos
ldquo50 Best Employersrdquo list and a respectableemployee engagement score of 69 percent
Defining the role ofstrategic comms atFarm Credit Canada
Farm Credit Canada (FCC) is in the fourth year of acultural-transformation program At the start of itsjourney clear expectations were set defining the role
to be played by internal communication In this summaryof the companyrsquos plans and achievements Kellie Garrettand Claire Watson describe the goals strategies andtactics employed by the internal communication teamand the impressive results achieved to date
Setting the stage for a cultural transformation
BY KELLIE GARRETT AND CLAIRE WATSON
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Farm Credit Canada isCanadarsquos largest provider offinancing to the agricultureindustry It serves 45000customers and has 1300employees working from 100rural offices across CanadaFCC is ranked eighth amongCanadarsquos 50 best employers
21scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC is a high performer in all otheroperational areas and employee engagementis a strong predictor of sustained corporateperformance But the survey showed therewas work to be done to align perceptionsbetween the senior leadership team andemployees Detailed results showed the gaps(see Figure One below)
2 Ryan became more determined to create ahigh-performance team that could deliver anextraordinary customer experience andsustainable business results
Establishing expected behaviorAs a first step towards creating a critical mass ofleaders who visibly demonstrate the behaviorsrequired to transform FCCrsquos culture middlemanagement and key cross-functional teams weretrained in responsible teamwork practices andcommunication skills
Ryan then created a set of 10 cultural practicesthat explicitly outlined how he expectedemployees at all levels to behave (see side barnext page) The foundation of these practices isthe belief that the drive for business results mustbe balanced by the attendant impact on people Inother words how the work was accomplished wasevery bit as important as what was accomplishedThe cultural practices were rolled out to allemployees in 2003
With the expected behavior from leaders andemployees clearly articulated it was time forinternal communication to find opportunities tosupport and promote these behaviors
Challenge 1 Creating a strategic frameworkOur first objective was to create a broaderstrategic framework for internal communicationA review of best-practice companies revealed thatformal media represents about 10 percent of allinternal communication channels with internalsystems accounting for another 10 percent Theremaining 80 percent is influenced by theorganizational culture
Our task was to put a formal strategy in placethat would strengthen the 10 percent ofcommunication we did have control over ndash theinternal communication channels
Within FCC the dominant employeecommunication channels were immediatemanagers e-mail and the intranet (Myinet)Front-line managers delivered corporate messagesdirectly to employees and their efforts weresupported by all-staff e-mails
There was nothing wrong with this approachbut it didnrsquot go far enough in the delivery of clearconsistent messages about strategic direction orcorporate priorities Nor did it create a line ofsight between individuals and business outcomes
For example a lack of central coordination wasresulting in unclear mixed messages thatconfused the internal audience A proliferation ofemployee surveys were independently conductedby various business units and the corporate e-mail system was choked with high volumecontributing to information overload
The intranetrsquos navigational structure and searchcapability needed major improvement datedinformation needed to be archived and majordocuments needed to be redeveloped in a web-friendly format
Defining our strategy and objectivesAware of these drawbacks we defined ourstrategy as To adopt a more integrated approachto internal communication and make sure allmessages focus employees on the businesspriorities Our strategies included the followingbull Segment the employee audience and define
communication needs based on demographicspsychographics and geographic location
bull Create a consistent voice across all groupsbull Ensure internal communication is mandatory
for all major corporate initiatives and isintegrated across channels and with othercommunication activities
bull Deliver targeted information through a varietyof channels and vehicles to reinforce messaginghelp with recall appeal to differentpreferences and create and sustain interest
bull Redevelop the intranet and position it as aninformation source for corporate businessemployee industry and technical information
bull Reduce the volume of corporate e-mailbull Implement a monthly employee survey to
replace the proliferation of one-off surveysindependently launched by business units
bull Create broad awareness and understanding ofkey corporate drivers such as business strategycorporate values and brand positioning 3
Kellie Garrett ABC MALeadership is senior VPStrategy Knowledge ampReputation at Farm CreditCanada and Chair of the IABCResearch Foundation Garrettis a frequent speaker onbusiness strategy leadershipand personal brand
Claire Watson ABC APR isthe master communicationstrategist for Farm CreditCanada Watson has won anumber of international andnational awards for her workis a published author and acertified change managementspecialist
MEASUREMENT EMPLOYEES SENIORMANAGERS
GAP
Senior management is open and honest incommunication
59 94 -35
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible
54 88 -34
Managers effectively support andimplement our people practices
48 81 -33
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 94 -23
Figure One Engagement survey results
22 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Defining the role of strategic comms at Farm Credit Canada
Successful tactics introducedSome of the tactics wersquove successfully introducedto bring this strategy to life include the following
1 Tracking key messagesWe created an employee key-message matrix thatis shared with leaders across the organization andhelps to ensure we deliver a consistent messageWe deliver the rewritten message through avariety of channels including e-mail letter featurearticle in the internal publication online throughour Monday Morning Update or directly to staffmeetings through managers and supervisors
2 Adopting a multi-channel approachWersquove expanded our channels beyond e-mail andthe intranet New channels now includebull AgriCulture ndash an employee print newsletter
published three times a year to communicatecorporate information and reinforce FCCrsquossocial and cultural fabric
bull An online feature called ldquoFrom the Desk ofthe CEOrdquo to keep employees in the loop
bull All staff e-mails from the CEO and VPsbull Discussion guides and QampAs for leadersbull Internal presentations and speeches delivered
by the senior leadership teambull Other printed material such as pocket cards
and brochures accompanied by a letter
3 Cutting down on information overloadSteps wersquove taken includebull Bundling all-staff messages into a Monday
Morning Update and bundling messages forcorporate headquarters staff into a CorporateOffice Update
bull Implementing a corporate e-mail policy withdefined subject-line conventions length andapproved topics
bull Restricting the use of all-staff e-mails to thesenior management team and certain keyindividuals
bull Improving the functionality of the intranetand redeveloping key business tools forefficient web use
bull Centralizing coordination of internal surveysbull Elevating the quality and clarity of internal
speeches and conferences to focus onstrategic business drivers
Challenge 2 Supporting leadershipThe results of our 2003 engagement survey alsorevealed an opportunity to increase trust betweenemployees and FCCrsquos senior management teamRyan and his VP responsible for communication(Kellie Garrett) believed that creating greatervisibility and better access to the senior managerswas vital to the establishment of a values-basedculture and a high-performance team
7
MEASUREMENT 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Senior management is open and honestin communication
59 73 81 83 91
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible to employees
54 71 82 83 81
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 81 87 87 85
I see strong evidence of effectiveleadership from the senior leadershipteam
69 83 87 88 93
I have a good understanding ofbusiness goals and objectives
76 77 81 81 88
Senior leadership has clearlycommunicated what we need to do tobe successful
NA NA 89 90 93
Figure Two Survey scores tracked from 2003-2007
FCCrsquoS 10 CULTURAL PRACTICESWe hold ourselves and each other accountable for
1 Our impact on business results and our impact on people
2 Delivering on commitments agreements and promises
3 Building and sustaining committed partnerships
4 Creating a safe environment where people can speak up without fear
5 We measure our success by how others perceive and respond to ourleadership not by our personal point of view
6 We talk straight in a responsible manner We are committed to the successof others ndash we do not engage in ldquoconspiracies againstrdquo people
7 We ldquolisten forrdquo contributions and commitment We do not listen againstpeople or ideas
8 We are highly coachable We actively seek and listen to coaching
9 We clean up and recover quickly
10 We acknowledge others often and celebrate both small and largesuccesses
ldquoLIKE DEVELOPING A COMPANYrsquoS IMAGE ORBRAND CULTURE CAN lsquoJUST HAPPENrsquo OR ITCAN BE DESIGNED STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONHAS PLAYED A CENTRAL ROLErdquo
23scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 FCC launched a culture-change program focused on
improving performance across the organization
bull Two key aims of the program are to encourage leaders and employeesto embody the values and improve staff engagement
bull Defining its strategy and goals at the outset internal communicationhas played a role in achieving these objectives
bull Results so far include less information overload a more accessibleleadership team and improved engagement scores
The challenge for internal communication wasto improve employeesrsquo perception of the visibilityaccessibility and trust for the senior managementteam Successful tactics introduced includebull A ldquoDine-Aroundrdquo program where three
senior leaders host a monthly lunch for ninepeople
bull An online forum called SMT Exchangewhere employees can anonymously askleaders tough questions and answers areposted for all to see
bull Senior leaders author more all-staff e-mailsare more visible and accessible at companyevents and deliver presentations that focus onconnecting employees to the business agenda
The goals we started with When we defined our internal communicationstrategy in 2003 we had some clear goals to worktowards These werebull To communicate relevant information in a
timely consistent and memorable waybull To reduce information overloadbull To influence an increase in the
communication-related elements of theengagement index
bull To contribute to an increase in employeeengagement from 69 to 74 percent
We also had specific year-one objectivesbull To increase understanding of business goals
and objectives beyond 78 percent bull To increase employee opinion about effective
senior leadership from 69 to 73 percentbull To improve employee opinions related to
senior management
Achievements and measurable resultsWith these goals guiding our efforts themeasurable results wersquove achieved so far includebull The bundling of all-staff e-mail has reduced
the volume by 88 percent ndash amounting toaround 350000 messages over one year
bull Over 450 employees have lunched with amember of the senior management team and170 QampAs have been posted on our seniormanagement online exchange
bull The survey scores relating to employeesrsquoperception of leadership and theirunderstanding of goals and objectives showsteady improvement since 2003 (see FigureTwo bottom left)
bull FCCrsquos engagement scores and subsequentranking among Canadarsquos 50 best employershas moved from 69 percent engagement and50th place in 2004 to 81 percent and 35thplace in 2005 84 percent and 12th place in2006 and 82 percent and 8th place in 2007
Cultural transformationThe internal communication strategy described inthis article has set the stage to communicatecultural transformation across the organization
Wersquore now in the fourth year of our culturaltransformation ndash creating an environment wherepeople are empowered feel safe and highperformance can flourish This involves aquantum shift in how employees behave andrelate to their co-workers and customers
Like developing a companyrsquos image or brandculture can ldquojust happenrdquo or it can be designedStrategic communication has played a central roleto create awareness understanding commitmentand motivate changes in behavior at every level ofthe organization
John Ryan has the final word ldquoOver the years Ihave learned that communication is at the heartof building a high-performance culture ndash a culturewhere people are fully engaged Communicationis vital Without it leaders cannot effect positivechange Our internal strategy recognizesemployees as a primary audience and a keyconduit to the customer the media stakeholdersand communities Our strategic approach tointernal communication significantly contributesto business resultsrdquo scm
CONTACT DETAILS
Kellie GarrettFarm Credit CanadaKellieGarrettfcc-facca
Claire WatsonFarm Credit CanadaClaireWatsonfcc-facca
24 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
In January 2004 Pfizer at Sandwich in Kent UKcommissioned a review of its existing charitablecontributions program which included matchedpayroll giving volunteering and grants for localcommunity charities and voluntary groups CCWorks the community investment consultancywas also approached to manage the day-to-dayadministration of grant applications from thecommunity
However it was decided that the administrationcould not be effectively managed until suitablecriteria were put in place for the grants programEssentially a company cannot outsourceresponsibility for its charitable donations unlesstherersquos a clear strategy in place for doing this
Although there were various policies in placefor the different elements of the existingcommunity investment program there was a lackof strategic direction to the program as a whole
Auditing the community grants programAs a first step CC Works examined the existinggrants program and also conducted external
benchmarking with voluntary organizations in thecommunity to gage perceptions of Pfizer
It emerged that many organizations werereceiving small grants ndash although some werenrsquotsure why ndash but only 16 percent of the currentspend was going on health-related causes ForPfizer a major global healthcare company thiswasnrsquot strategic It was clear that as a healthcarecompany Pfizer should be trying to improve thehealth of its local area by focusing on three coreareas health community and education
There was also a need for grants to be morelocally focused A significant amount of the spendwas going outside of the immediate East Kentarea CC Works recommended that to allow thecompany maximum freedom to operate in itscommunity it should focus grants on theimmediate community of East Kent which alsohappened to be a deprived area
Segmenting current grantsWorking in partnership with CC Works currentgrant allocation was examined by sector localarea and size of grant and in May 2004 two-yeartargets were set to increase the strategic impact ofcommunity grantsbull Increase grants allocated to health-related
projects to 50 percentbull Increase average grant from UKpound300 to
UKpound1000bull Increase East Kent allocation to 90 percent
This change was designed to be gradual so thatthe shift in allocation could be well managed
The new focus on the community mirrors
Engaging employees inPfizerrsquos communityinvestment program
In 2003 Pfizer at Sandwich UK was running manyelements of a community investment program butthere was little awareness among employees and no
real focus By July 2006 the program had beentransformed and now actively contributes to employeeand community relationships Here Pam Baker andChristine Jenkins describe the journey from disconnectedpolicies to award-winning program
Communicating an approach with clear links toemployees and the local community
BY PAM BAKER AND CHRISTINE JENKINS
scm FEATURES
Pfizerrsquos site at Sandwich inKent is the UK manufacturingheadquarters of Pfizer Incglobal pharmaceuticalcompany Its workforce of4000 makes it the largestprivate employer in East Kent
1 2 3 4 5
25scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pfizerrsquos global mission to be ldquothe most valuedcompany to patients customers colleaguesinvestors business partners and the communitieswhere we work and liverdquo For the communityinvestment program a measurable mission wascreated ldquoto improve the health indicators of thepeople of East Kentrdquo
Focus on colleague involvementThe next step in July 2004 was to conduct areview of the employee engagement elements ofcommunity investment to examine how thesecould be better integrated These elementsincluded payroll giving volunteering and staff-matched fundraising
For Pfizer at Sandwich the obvious first choicewas to look at volunteering Eighty-five percent ofPfizer employees are minimum graduate level ndashoffering much-needed skills to a deprived areaAll employees have five paid days a year they canuse for volunteering ndash this not only supports thecommunity it boosts employee engagement andcreates opportunities for employees to visiblyconnect with the community and vice versa
In October 2004 volunteering was identified asa key area for development but for employeevolunteering to be a success it had to beproactively marketed inside Pfizer and thereneeded to be adequate support andadministration behind the program
A database of volunteering opportunitiesIn conjunction with CC Works a searchable data-base of local volunteering opportunities was createdPfizer felt it was important to create a tailoreddatabase that would be furnished internally inorder to ensure a local bias and to maintain thequality of the information supplied to employees
In order to tie in with employeesrsquo personaldevelopment plans opportunities in the databasehad to meet at least two of Pfizerrsquos six keycompetencies 1 Team development2 Project management3 Coaching and development4 Decision making5 Effective partnership6 Working with change
To fill the database with relevant opportunities allorganizations that had contacted Pfizer for grantsor funding in the past three years were re-contacted and asked if they would also beinterested in volunteering
Over 70 percent responded positively and 300volunteering opportunities were sourced CCWorks helped the voluntary organizations puttogether opportunities that were most likely totake advantage of Pfizer employeesrsquo range of
specialist skillsThese opportunities were categorized on the
database according to skill geographic area andtype of charity allowing employees to search forsomething suitable for them Pfizer wasnrsquotprescriptive in its approach and allowed staff tovolunteer where the opportunity matched theirpersonal-development goals interests or wasgeographically convenient
Opportunities were wide-ranging from helpingin a charity shop to teaching in a schoolImportantly because database management isoutsourced to CC Works therersquos constantproactivitiy around seeking new opportunities andproviding administrative support that would havebeen difficult to maintain in-house
Launching the ldquoReaching Outrdquo programTo encourage involvement and awarenessemployees were asked to suggest a name for therevitalized volunteering program ldquoReaching Outrdquowas chosen and the new volunteering website waslaunched in May 2005 The site sits on PfizerSandwichrsquos intranet and any employee orcontractor can access it
A charity week was also held to help promotethe Reaching Out program Various charitiesvisited Pfizer during lunch breaks to explain whatthey do and the opportunities to work with themA soft incentive for staff to register on theReaching Out site was that Pfizer would donate20 rehydration sachets to Unicef (monetary valueof about pound2)
Reaching Out was also featured in a webcastfrom a senior leader that went to all employees(about 3000 staff plus contractors) at the start ofthe week and it was profiled in the weekly onlinemagazine Pipeline 3
Pam Baker is directorStrategic Operations andCommunity Affairs at Pfizer UK
Christine Jenkins is founderof CC Works a consultancyoffering communityinvestment advice andpractical solutions to thecorporate and voluntarysectors Previously she heldsenior manager roles in thevoluntary and private sectors
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 an audit of Pfizer at Sandwichrsquos community investment
program revealed a lack of strategic direction
bull In partnership with consultancy CC Works a decision was made tofocus the program on the local community
bull An effort to raise employee involvement through volunteering hasboosted the program and linked it to employee engagement
bull The ldquoReaching Outrdquo website gives employees the freedom to work withcharities of their choice
bull By July 2006 the ldquoHealthy Communitiesrdquo program had beentransformed and won a National Example of Excellence award fromBusiness in the Community
26 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TOP TIPS FOR COMMUNITY INVESTMENTbull Ask yourself why yoursquore undertaking this program and seek clarity around
your objectives
bull Focus on likely ldquowinsrdquondash ie areas with scope for improvement such asemployee engagement or external awareness
bull Tackle one area at a time in stages and aim for excellence in each arearather than trying to boil the ocean
bull Communication is key to success Create a distinct brand and identity forthe program to encourage awareness and involvement
bull Integrate different community programs ndash a holistic approach can maximizebenefits for the community staff engagement and corporate reputation
Over 450 employees registered to use thesite over the next two months with 230 employees(8 percent of staff) actively volunteering duringthe first year This beat a target to have 5 percentof employees volunteering 12 months after launchIn 2005 employees volunteered 4800 hours
Helping employees select the right optionEmployees can search the volunteering databaseby skill geographic area or type of charity and aregiven a range of choices Then the onus is on theemployee to speak to the charity and obtainfurther details on current opportunities inaddition to whatrsquos on the database The employeethen applies to his or her line manager Anintegrated work process enables staff to obtainapproval from their manager interact with thevoluntary organization and record their effortskeeping administration to a minimum
Managers at Pfizer Sandwich are keen foremployees to volunteer because theyrsquore aware ofthe potential benefits in terms of employeeengagement and skills development ndash a largenumber of managers are volunteers themselvesPfizer also held briefing sessions for managers toensure they were aware of the volunteeringprogram its benefits and how it works
7
Engaging employees in Pfizerrsquos community investment program
Incorporating employee feedbackThe database tracks employeesrsquo volunteeringefforts including how many hours theyrsquove doneand their feedback on the opportunitiesEmployee feedback can then be accessed by otherstaff looking for an opportunity The databasegives employees better insight into the availableopportunities and allows them to select somethingthat appeals to them so that both the employeeand the organization where they volunteer gets abetter ldquofitrdquo
The database also allows for better integrationof the whole program where volunteering canprovide an alternative or an addition to fundingFor example a well-known national charityapplied to Pfizer at Sandwich for some fundingaround a diversity initiative Pfizer suggested theirdiversity manager volunteer for them instead whohelped create the charityrsquos diversity program thatis now being launched nationally
Creating an integrated programIn May 2005 the decision was taken to bringtogether all the strands of community investmentunder one brand Healthy Communities Thisprogram was to includebull Charitable grantsbull Employee volunteeringbull Gifts in kind Community investment via gifts
in kind such as the use of Pfizer premisesresources and expertise is more easilysustainable and can bring real long-termbenefit to the local community When Pfizerfacilities are used to support communityinitiatives the face-to-face contact withemployees allows relationship-building andnetworking with key influencers Also invitingthe community to use Pfizer resources on siteldquodemystifiesrdquo the company
The overarching strategy behind HealthyCommunities was to support communityinvestment holistically (ie using several of theabove elements in combination) whereverpossible Focusing grants on the areas of greatestneed helps Pfizer achieve its overall missionHowever the donation of gifts in kind can have awider-reaching impact on the community
Taking a holistic approachAn award-winning example of this holisticapproach is the Helping Hartsdown projectwhich was Pfizer Sandwichrsquos biggest ever gift inkindvolunteering project Pfizer donated andrenovated much-needed classrooms at a localschool As well as financial support and gifts inkind the project involved over 100 staff andcontractor volunteers across all departments Aspecific promotion on the Reaching Out website
ldquoBY JULY 2006 THE lsquoHEALTHY COMMUNITIESrsquoPROGRAM HAD BEEN TRANSFORMED AND WONA NATIONAL EXAMPLE OF EXCELLENCE AWARDFROM BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITYrdquo
27scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
POSITIVE IMPACTS OF THE PROGRAMThe Healthy Communities program has had the following positive impacts for Pfizer
bull The program supports and protects Pfizerrsquos freedom to operate effectivelyin East Kent UK
bull Supporting and involving employees in the program engages and motivatesthem The company is also seen to be living its values In a recent survey55 percent of colleagues felt the program was ldquofocused and effectiverdquo
bull The program provides opportunities for colleagues to develop skills Twentypercent of colleagues surveyed stated that they had improved personalskills through taking part in the program
bull A healthy community is a better place to live and work for employees andwill aid retention Retention of the most highly skilled scientists givesPfizer Global Research and Development a competitive edge
bull A vibrant and healthy community helps to attract and retain leadingscientists from around the world
bull Community is one of Pfizerrsquos six core values Communicating activitiesinternally and externally gives a positive perception of the company
helped attract this large number of volunteersincluding senior leaders
Momentum was maintained behind thecommunication of the program with monthlynetworking breakfasts and several themed minicharity fairs to give local good causes the chanceto showcase their volunteering Individuals andteamsrsquo volunteering efforts were also regularlyprofiled in Pipeline
The December 2006 employee survey showedan 85-percent awareness level of Reaching Outand the program won a ldquoNational Example ofExcellence Awardrdquo from Business in theCommunity1
Relaunching the websiteIn June 2006 the Reaching Out website wasrelaunched to incorporate payroll giving andmatched fundraising under the same brand asvolunteering and utilize the existing software Allelements can now be applied for on the same site
The number of employees registered with thesite increased to over 1000 and the number of adhoc staff enquiries handled by CC Worksincreased dramatically as awareness andinvolvement levels rose among the workforce
External communicationA quarterly newsletter containing a round-up ofPfizerrsquos community investment work is producedand distributed widely to external stakeholdersincluding 3000 local residents Following theBusiness in the Community award the magazineCommunity News was revamped its circulationincreased and it was also desk-dropped to allemployees The magazine also helps to raiseawareness of Pfizer among local organizations
A pocket-sized booklet was produced containingkey facts and figures about the Healthy Communitiesprogram This gives employees especially seniorleaders at-a-glance information on the programallowing them to act as ambassadors for Pfizerrsquoscommunity investment work
Senior leaders at Pfizer Sandwich are keenadvocates of the program and having a clearbrand helps them communicate its benefits andraise awareness both internally and externally
Next stepsDespite its award-winning status there are plansto take Healthy Communities even further Theseinclude further research into employee feedbackand closer links to personal development plans InPfizer at Sandwichrsquos Global Operations functionvolunteering forms part of personal objectives ndashthis is an aspiration for the rest of the business
Pfizer also wants to improve team volunteeringand a toolkit is being prepared for team leaderswho wish to get involved in volunteering
Finally in order to share knowledge and bestpractice around community investment with otherlocal businesses Pfizer is hosting a Kentmembership network in conjunction with KentCounty Council This will help Pfizer work closelywith the local authority and bring local businessestogether to share ideas and collaborate toimprove their impact on the community scm
1 httpwwwbitcorguk
CONTACT DETAILS
Pam BakerPfizerpambakerpfizercom
Christine JenkinsCC Workschristinejenkinsccworkscouk
28 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Editorrsquos noteSucceeding in internal communication probablyisnrsquot all that different to succeeding in anyprofession understand whatrsquos expected of you dothe job well and deliver results But when youspeak to practitioners about how they personallyturned the corner in their careers and started tomake an impact it soon becomes clear that thereare many dos and donrsquots that can help or hinderprogress This article provides a handy checklistfor those with ambitious development plans
John G ClemonsVice President CommunicationsRaytheon Technical Services Co Llc
Take the initiativeThere have been a few career-defining momentsfor me Among them was the time when I realizedthat I was moving from a manager level to the
decision-making role of a director I worked for a senior executive who hired me
from a rival telecommunications company Uponjoining the company I developed strategiccommunication plans to address various businesschallenges During the development process Iperiodically checked in with my supervisor to gethis input and approval ndash probably more thannecessary ndash before moving to the next steps in planning
One day he called me into his office and saidthat while he liked the work I was doing for himhis expectation when he hired me as a directorwas that I would take the initiative in the job relyless on his frequent input and move forward with implementation and measurement Hewanted results
His counsel was along the lines of ldquoI hired youto do a directorrsquos job so do the job of a directorYou donrsquot have to get permission to make adifferencerdquo
Meet commitments and think strategicallyHis direction motivated me to take moreresponsibility at this new job level This alsomeant that I had to not just manage but leadmeet commitments and think more strategicallyto continue to earn not only his confidence butthe support of the entire leadership team
Irsquove found that being a communicationprofessional who is also a leader that can betrusted can get things done and truly support thegoals and objectives of an organization will notonly impress others but help build your credibilityand lead to success
How to get ahead ininternal communication
The path that leads internal communicators to thetop of their profession isnrsquot always an obvious oneWhich is why we asked a range of senior practitioners
to share their thoughts and experiences on gaining therespect of those who matter Whether its senior leadersfellow employees or your own team yoursquore looking toimpress these responses provide useful insight into howto make sure you and your work gets noticed
Senior practitioners share their views on how togain influence and credibility
COMPILED BY MANDY THATCHER
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
29scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Mark DarbyHead of Internal CommunicationsVisaUK
Be smart sharp and stubbornThe biggest lesson Irsquove learned and keep havingto remind myself is that I need to be smart sharpand stubborn to get ahead This is what thosewords mean to me in a work context
Smart I need to understand what Visa is doingand what people think about the business Thismeans constantly spending time in differentdepartments and learning from them I know whoour customers are what our challenges are andwhat our current financial performance is I havecontacts in most departments who have a fingeron the pulse which means I can have a relevantconversation with a senior person from any department
Sharp Internal communication is rarely near thetop of the agenda for senior people and my timewith them is usually short I always try to talkabout the impact on business performance assoon as possible If I circulate a document it willbe summarized to a single page at most and Idonrsquot use PowerPoint I ask a lot of ldquoonerdquo questionssuch as ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing you want employeesto do differentlyrdquo or ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing youwant me to change over the next six monthsrdquo
Stubborn I know what I want internal communica-tion to achieve at Visa and it has the support ofthe senior team Irsquove built up knowledge frombooks and articles I use my education from theBlack Belt training course1 and I speak to formercolleagues With this knowledge Irsquove becomestubborn and good at saying no because I have theinformation to back up my arguments Irsquove stoppedmy team from picking up extra projects that wonrsquotdeliver much value We focus only on projects thatadd the most value to the business and we deliveron these really well Successful delivery is thebiggest influence on any senior person
Monika StaffordHead of Internal CommunicationLloyds TSBUK
Be creative and focus on a killer issueUsing creative solutions to bring to life importantndash but often dull ndash programs can create a shinethat stretches beyond project boundaries For
example I worked on the implementation of SAPndash a business-critical systems program ndash requiringbehavior change from swathes of key yetuninterested people Successful implementationwas a big risk to get right but it was as dull asdishwater to communicate
Luckily there was a ldquoEurekardquo moment Byaligning the SAP story with the metaphor ofFormula-1 racing we could tell the tale of how itwould fulfill our need to create winningperformances for both the individual driver aswell as the back-up team in order to perform wellon the road ahead This storyline was a perfectmatch for the programrsquos objectives
Launch speakers from Formula 1 great designwork not to mention fantastic collateral allresulted in a no-hitch implementation that reallyresonated with people The global companypicked it up as the approach for worldwide rollout So faced with tedium it can actually pay tostare out of the window for creative inspiration
My other piece of advice is Focus on a killerissue If you really want to get ahead (and do besure you really do as being at the center ofchange is often akin to being in the eye of ahurricane ndash itrsquos no place for the feint-hearted)learn what keeps your business leaders up atnight Use your stakeholder-management skills toget to the people you need to help you deliversolutions then execute execute execute
Focus on value-adding work only because ifyou end up working on your companyrsquos cul-de-sacprojects yoursquoll never shine brightly enough forthe leaders in your company to notice you 3
COMPETENCY
Planning internal communication 76
Linking corporate messages to corporate vision 73
CEO communication 63
Change communication 60
Communicating to diverse audiences 60
Using the intranet as a communication tool 54
Defending your department in internal political battles 43
Line manager communication 42
Professional development of internal communication staff 33
Helping employees cope with information overload 32
Securing the appropriate level of budget for internal communication 30
Measuring the effectiveness of internal communication 28
Figure One Table from The Pulse report showing the percentage of communicators who ratethemselves as effective or very effective at listed competencies
30 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
WHATrsquoS CHANGED IN THE LAST 25 YEARS
David MoorcroftSenior Vice PresidentCorporate CommunicationsRBC Financial Group Canada
Irsquom constantly amazed at the changes that have taken place in our professionover the last 25 years and the degree of talent and knowledge required bycommunicators today to do their jobs well
Back in 1979 when I started in corporate PR the major skill sets werewriting editing and great media contacts Today good editorial skills are justtable stakes and the ability to understand business adapt technology thinkstrategically plan consummately and influence stakeholders are what landsenior communicators a seat at the management table
This change has been driven by the globalization of business the advent ofnew 247 media including the Internet the growing sophistication ofcustomers and employees increased demands for corporate transparency andmore rigorous requirements for high standards of public disclosure andfinancial reporting
MORE SKILLS THAN EVER BEFOREAs a result todayrsquos business communicator has to be more capable andknowledgeable and have more skills than ever before They must befinancially literate and technologically savvy They must understand the impactof evolving accounting and disclosure rules They must deal with legal HRpolitical and business issues And they must be prepared to deal with amultitude of potential crises that can arise at any moment in any language inany part of the world
Perhaps most challenging senior management today expects clear bottom-line returns for their investments in communication Itrsquos no longer enough toinform audiences and measure communication outputs CEOs expectcommunication to engage audiences and produce outcomes ndash something thatrequires strategic thinking planning and foresight
A friend of mine who left a senior corporate PR job to become COO of amajor public utility recently summed up the role of todayrsquos communicator thisway ldquoItrsquos one of the most important and critical roles in organizations todayand yet itrsquos often one of the least recognized and appreciatedrdquo
That sentiment may be a reality in some organizations today but with moreand more CEOs beginning to realize the bottom-line value of communication itwonrsquot be 25 years from now
Christina FeeSenior Vice President InternalCommunicationsDeutsche Post AGGermany
Seek out the important projectsI canrsquot pretend to have employed a specificapproach to my ldquopersonal PRrdquo at all But in theorganizations Irsquove worked for Irsquove had theopportunity to work on a number of excitinghigh-profile projects that have connected me withsenior stakeholders and influential people atdifferent levels
7
Irsquove learned a great deal from the project teamsIrsquove worked with and also due to the significanceand scope of the projects been able todemonstrate my worth approach and skills Irsquovehad to be passionate stand up for what I believein and think outside the box constantly
My roles within DHLDeutsche Post haveallowed me the freedom and flexibility to developand deliver new ideas but Irsquove also had to practiceand embody excellent internal communicationskills myself Having developed credibility and trustwith those that matter based on my track record Iwas allowed to go ahead with other projects
I donrsquot actively pursue the ldquoright relationshipsrdquobut rather let my work and my interactions withpeople speak for themselves This has helped medevelop mentors and supporters naturally Mylearning and development has also been expandedby the opportunity to work abroad and learn moreabout intercultural communication and interaction
Marc SilversideHead of Internal CommunicationsMacmillan Cancer SupportUK
Understand whatrsquos expected of youA newly established role heightens the need formaking a good impression so that people trustyou and feel they can come to you for advice
When I joined Macmillan I very nearly got thiswrong Perhaps this is an example that otherrsquos canlearn from
When my new CEO at Macmillan CancerSupport asked for a meeting ldquoafter a few weeks tosettle inrdquo I was confident that my wide-ranginginduction would help me understand the businessand provide the basis for what Irsquod present tosenior management
Forty structured face-to-face managerinterviews allowed me to understand needs andkey issues and I started to build personal rapportMy profile was raised and at the same timeinternal communication gained good visibility
Externally I networked with contacts in similarroles in other charities and soon found thebeginnings of a voluntary-sector network This hassince grown to over 25 members
By the time my CEO slot arrived I was armedwith input from across the charity and the resultsof an audit I felt well prepared to present myvision and solutions So I was surprised to be metwith significant resistance
I later discovered that my CEO intelligence wasincorrect What he wanted was to be askedspecifically about his own views on what internalcommunication should do and what I could do for
How to get ahead in internal communication
31scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
HOW DO YOUR SKILLS MEASURE UPFor Melcrumrsquos study into budgets salaries and trends in internalcommunication in 200607 we asked survey respondents to rate their owneffectiveness at a range of key communication competencies from planning tomeasurement The results may surprise you
For example 76 percent of respondents rate themselves as effective or veryeffective at planning internal communication but only 28 percent ratethemselves as equally effective at measuring its effectiveness (see Figure Onepage 29)
In her commentary on the results development expert Sue Dewhurst hadthe following to say
OUR STRENGTHSIt seems where we see our strengths as internal communicators is towards theldquofront endrdquo of the communication planning process For example being able tolink a plan to the business strategy knowing our audiences and being able tojoin up the dots and show people how messages link to the business vision
These are powerful strengths We are one of the few functions that tends tohave an overarching view of our entire company and is able to view thecompany and its strategy from a number of different perspectives Being ableto understand the vision and strategy view it from an audience perspectiveand then create line of sight to show what those things mean in practicalterms for peoplersquos day-to-day roles is one of the ways that we help drivebusiness performance ndash by showing people what they need to do to take thestrategy forward
In turn by knowing and working with our audiences hopefully wersquore thenalso able to make sure their views and suggestions can help shape the strategyand how itrsquos put into practice
MEASURING EFFECTIVENESSWe see ourselves as less effective towards the back end of the planningprocess in measuring the effectiveness of internal communication which tiesin with the feeling from previous questions that in fact wersquore not doing muchmeasurement or demonstrating our return on investment
Research and measurement is an area where there is plenty of expertisearound to call on There are measurement conferences research reports andpublications to understand what other organizations are doing and practicaltraining that will give you the opportunity to work in a smaller group askquestions and practice techniques For help with specific techniques try yourinternal marketing team Marketers are generally great with data and well-versed in running focus groups and putting together surveys If you have anexternal provider to support your employee engagement research try them too
Source The Pulse Essential data on budgets salaries and trends 2006-07wwwmelcrumcom
him rather than how I could benefit the charity Ihad to change my approach fast
This could have cost me my best ambassadorfrom day one So my advice is make sure yoursquoreabsolutely clear about whatrsquos expected from you
Of course the insights I gained in my first fewmonths have been valuable and since then myresults have done the talking Fortunately theCEO soon became an internal communicationsconvert and advocate
Darren CrozierCommunications ManagerHBOS plcUK
Make things happenDelivery is key to career development ndash if you sayyoursquore going to do something make sure you doit Put in the effort get the results you want andbe known as someone who can make things happenIf yoursquore seen to ldquoget things donerdquo no matter howsmall the job is people are more likely to get youinvolved in activities and ask your opinion
Gaining credibility and respect from seniorcolleagues is important but everyone in yourorganization will form an opinion of you from thepeople in the canteen right through to the CEOSo try and make sure that their opinion of you is agood one
Itrsquos not just the people within your immediatesphere of influence who can have an impact onyour career so extend your network go oncourses and get involved in professionalorganizations Many of my close workingrelationships career opportunities and indeedpersonal friendships have come from meetingpeople at such events and taking the time to keepin touch You never know how things will develop
Itrsquos also vital to earn respect be trustworthy andhave good manners To recall what an ex-bossonce said ldquoBe careful how you treat people onthe way up as you never know when you maycome across them againrdquo
One of the biggest challenges Irsquove found inrecent times is recognizing my own success andselling myself Sometimes you need to take a stepback to realize just what yoursquove achieved Evenbetter keep a log or portfolio of your successesand donrsquot be shy to speak about them becauseothers wonrsquot be shy to speak about theirs
Finally try and have some fun along the wayWe all have to work for a living so learn to makethe most of it scm
1 For more about Melcrumrsquos Internal Communication Black Belttraining program go to wwwmelcrumcom
32 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pitney Bowes has followed an aggressive strategyof growth through acquisition completing 60+acquisitions since 2001 Expansion has broadenedits product mix to include an extensive range ofsolutions from office equipment to globalpositioning software
But the companyrsquos many different specialismsand huge outsourcing operations meant that themajority of its 34000 employees werenrsquot aware ofthe full range of its service offering and thepotential for different divisions to work together
As Rob Hallam vice president EmployeeCommunication explains there was a strongbusiness case for adopting a ldquoone companyrdquoapproach ldquoBecause the businesses tended to besomewhat siloed even senior managers werefocused on their divisions
ldquoAlso because we were acquiring companiesand evolving so rapidly managers werenrsquot awareof a lot of the businesses and how they all workedtogether in the mailstreamrdquo says Hallam ldquoWewere missing out on potential cross-sellingopportunitiesrdquo
Communicating a new visionFour years ago Pitney Bowes created a OneCompany Vision statement ldquoOur aim was toensure support and cooperation across thebusiness so we could provide a comprehensive setof customer solutions ndash not just a list of productsand services by business unitrdquo says Hallam Theinternal communication challenge was to drawtogether 34000 employees and build a unifiedcorporate culture The communication strategyfocused on three key elements
1 PeopleThis focused on involving the leadershipstrengthening a two-way dialogue betweenmanagement and employees communicating theculture through leadership messaging enterprise-wide events and roadshows and buildingengagement so that everyone was workingtogether towards a One Company approach
2 ProcessesThis meant integrating the One Companyapproach into the organizationrsquos operations andinfrastructure by shifting management roles andadjusting incentives and reward structuresthroughout the company
The first step was to consolidate the companyrsquosoperating activities by appointing Murray DMartin as president and chief operating officer inSeptember 2004 Martinrsquos mantra is ldquoThink AsOne Act as One Operate As One to deliverwhat no other company canrdquo
ldquoThe COO position had previously been heldby the chairman so elevating someone to that
Communicating a OneCompany culture atPitney Bowes
Following rapid growth in the form of more than 60acquisitions over six years silo-working haddeveloped at Pitney Bowes and leaders were failing
to take advantage of profitable cross-selling opportunitiesHere Rob Hallam describes the communication elementsof a ldquoOne Companyrdquo culture-change program which hasturned the situation around simultaneously improvingcustomer service and boosting profits
Persuading disparate businessunits to work together
AN INTERVIEW WITH ROB HALLAM
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Pitney Bowes is an 87-year-old company best known forthe manufacturing operationand oversight of postagemeters It has over two millioncustomers more than 3500active patents and annualrevenue of close to $6 billion
33scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
role was a big changerdquo explains Hallam ldquoAll thebusiness units now report to a single individual atoperating level It represented a huge positivemove to start the company operationalizing OneCompany behaviorrdquo
The internal communication function wasrestructured to ensure that consistent messagingreached the entire employee population Regularmeasurement was a key part of the changeinitiative This served to define the contributionof communicating a One Company approachwhere it was adding value to Pitney Bowes and itsclients and customers and where there was stillwork to do
3 TechnologyIt was important to find the best ways to cascademessages throughout the company and keeppeople informed about what was going onwithout bombarding them with irrelevantcommunication Hallam and his team deploy avariety of channels and media including internalprint and online publications voicemail and e-mail Pitney Bowes is also in the process ofintegrating its different voicemail systems and e-mail platforms into one global system
Involving senior leadership from the outsetThe One Company strategy was an overridingpolicy that started at the top of the organizationldquoThere was a big launch at the strategic leadersrsquomeeting which is held every Januaryrdquo saysHallam ldquoThe messaging was then driven throughthe organization via a companywide globalcommunication strategyrdquo
From the outset the policy was championed bythe CEO Michael Critelli who believes thatculture is central to the Pitney Bowes brand andsaid recently ldquoMy first measure of success iswhether we are behaving as one companyrdquo Thiscommitment helped to ensure that the culturalchange was reinforced by parallel changes to thecorporate infrastructure
Building a two-way dialogueThe next step was to get the employee populationinvolved and build enterprisewide enthusiasm forthe culture change Pitney Bowes has alwaysrecognized the value of a two-way dialoguebetween management and employees and hasheld annual jobholders meetings which aresimilar to shareholdersrsquo meetings for 61 years In2005 Hallam reinvented it as an initiative calledOne Forum ndash a series of roadshows focusing oncommunicating the One Company culturethroughout the organization
Launching the One ForumIn 2005 Hallam and his team created an original
and memorable One Forum launch for the 90percent of Pitney Bowes employees based in theUS Around a quarter of US employees saw thisin person the others received a link to a websitewith streaming highlights
ldquoWe put together a two-hour roadshow eventwhich helped people to understand our OneCompany approach and made them aware of allthe businesses we were inrdquo says Hallam ldquoThethinking was that high change requires high touchFace-to-face can have far greater impact on theindividuals touched From there itrsquos a matter ofripple effect such as seeing improved One Forumbrand awareness among employees who didnrsquotactually attend one of the eventsrdquo
ldquoWe wanted the roadshow to be entertainingand energizing so we used gameshow techniquescustom-written songs and comedy specificallytailored to Pitney Bowes employees It was a funevent but it also included a keynote speech fromthe CEO and a lot of question-and-answersessions with employees It was entertainmentwith a purpose and it was a great success with employeesrdquo
The post-event employee evaluations provedthe success of this approach ldquoIn some cities anincredible 90 percent of employees gave the eventa top-box rating This shows that there was ahunger for both the knowledge and theapproachrdquo adds Hallam
Taking the show on the roadThe One Forum roadshow has become an annualevent ldquoIn a five-month period during 2005 therewere 17 One Forum events in 12 US citiesreaching about 6000 peoplerdquo says Hallam ldquoAftersome testing in March and April the first bigroadshows started in early May and continued forsix months with the final one in early Decemberin Seattle 3
Rob Hallam is vice presidentEmployee Communication atPitney Bowes (PB) in StamfordConnecticut where hersquos beenresponsible for internalcommunication strategy andimplementation since 2004Hallam has led a team ofprofessionals in reshapingcommunication at PB resultedin the communication teamearning the top ranking in HRdepartment satisfaction fromall PBrsquos US managers in 2005and 2006
KEY POINTSbull Internal communication has played an important role in embedding a
One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
bull The communication strategy focused on three key elements peopleprocess and technology
bull The campaign has been championed by the CEO from the outset andhas won senior leadership support over time
bull An entertaining roadshow helped win employee commitment
bull Cross-selling ratios have jumped substantially since the culture-changeeffort began
34 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ldquoIn 2006 we compressed the programsubstantially and drove down costs while stilltouching 6000 employees Together with ourcorporate marketing group we also introduced anextremely successful lsquoelevator speechrsquo that helpsemployees answer the much-feared questionlsquoWhat does Pitney Bowes dorsquordquo
Local variationsAlthough the entertainment component in theroadshows contributed to their success it wasspecific to the US so Hallam gave business unitsand internal communicators in other regions theresponsibility for communicating the OneCompany approach to local employees ldquoInCanada and the UK they conducted town-hallmeetings and in Latin America and other parts ofthe world they produced their own variations onthe One Forum theme We made sure that theyhad the information they needed but we limitedthe entertainment to English-speaking regionsrdquo
A commitment to employee engagementThe appointment of the new COO and the launchof the One Forum roadshows coincided with thefirst employee engagement survey in late 2004ldquoWe see engagement as very much tied to ourability to execute a One Company strategy andchange our culturerdquo says Hallam He sets outfour ways in which employee engagement isinstilled at all levels in the organization
1 Visible leadership commitment to engagementThe CEO underlines his commitment by sendingregular messages to employees via a variety ofmedia including voicemail and print and onlinepublications He also uses engagement scores todetermine a unitrsquos overall performance rating andbonus pool ldquoWhen one senior execrsquos bonus poolwas reduced due to poor engagement scores that
was a message requiring no communication planrdquosays Hallam ldquoWord spread quicklyrdquo
2 Celebrating top performers Pitney Bowes celebrates its top engagementperformers by running cover stories in its globalprint and online publication PB Today ldquoThisprogram was called lsquoThe Faces of Pitney Bowesrsquordquosays Hallam ldquoWe did 10 of these last year so theyran twice in five editions Wersquove also producedlarge mural-sized photos of those managers andtheir teamsrdquo he says ldquoWe celebrate success andpublish it everywhere Our CEO loves it and wersquoreactually selling part of our contemporary artcollection which decorates the building to makeroom for an expansion of additional OneCompany and Engagement photography all ofwhich will focus on our employeesrdquo
3 Incentivizing managers via the reward systemEmployee engagement is recognized andreinforced in the companyrsquos formal processesincluding its reward system ldquoWe use a tool calledthe Strategic Architecture which is our balancedscorecardrdquo explains Hallam ldquoItrsquos a Six-Sigma toolwhich measures employee shareholder andcustomer value Managersrsquo engagement scoresalso factor into their annual reviews soengagement has a direct impact on remunerationrdquo
4 Rewarding engagementA further program called Rapid Rewards awardscash bonuses to managers and employees foroutstanding behavior including that related toemployee engagement
Aligning the communication strategyHallam and his team are responsible fordelivering the overall employee communicationstrategy ldquoWe had to dramatically improve ourstrategic approach in order to make OneCompany a realityrdquo he says
In addition to organizing campaigns such as theOne Forum roadshows to publicize the culturechange across the enterprise Hallam hasintroduced initiatives aimed at improving thereach and delivery of internal communication andmaking sure messages get to their intendedaudiences He has also aligned the structure ofthe internal communication function with thecompanyrsquos unified culture
ldquoThere were a lot of different communicationgroups so we brought together all thecommunication leaders and formed a singleInternal Communications Councilrdquo explainsHallam ldquoThis means that the communicationfunctions in the different business units areworking together to help drive change andimprove coordinationrdquo
Communicating a One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
ldquoWHEN A SENIOR EXECrsquoS BONUS WAS REDUCEDDUE TO POOR ENGAGEMENT SCORES THAT WASA MESSAGE REQUIRING NO COMMUNICATIONPLAN WORD SPREAD QUICKLYrdquo
7
FURTHER RESOURCES3 THE IMPACT OF CULTURE AND CLIMATE ON CHANGE PROGRAMS
An article published in SCM Volume 10 Issue 6 OctoberNovember 2006
3 DRIVING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE CORPORATE CULTUREMelcrumrsquos report on communication tools techniques and best practicefrom leading organizationswwwmelcrumcom
35scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Developing a global approachHallam is also responsible for a globalcommunication project called Universal Reachwhich is sponsored by the chairman and designedto support and maintain a unified corporateculture ldquoOur goal is to provide 90 percentmessage accessibility within our key customer-facing audiencesrdquo he explains ldquoThe biggestchallenge is integrating our online communicationinfrastructure which has nine different voicemailsystems operating across the world and multiplee-mail and web platforms Wersquore pulling all thattogether to provide better reachrdquo
Since 911 the CEO and other top executiveshave broadcast weekly audio messages calledPower Talks Hallamrsquos team has worked with theleadership to ensure that they incorporate OneCompany messages and as he explains they reachmost of the employee population ldquoAbout 20000of our employees have voicemail Those whodonrsquot receive the Power Talk message either inprint or online In some divisions managers playthe Power Talk messages in staff meetingsrdquo
Engaging leadership reinforces the cultureBuilding on the CEOrsquos commitment to a OneCompany approach Hallam and his team haveorganized leadership events ndash most recently at thestrategic leadersrsquo meeting in December 2006 ndashshowing Pitney Bowes as one company in actionThis campaign has helped to engage the top 150managers in the culture change
ldquoOur post-event evaluations show a strongmove numerically in senior leadershiprsquos belief thatwersquore operating as one companyrdquo says Hallam(see Figure One above) ldquoAs theyrsquore our toughestjudges wersquore pleased by the significant differencein pre- and post-event measurementrdquo There wasalso an improvement in leadersrsquo understanding ofthe companyrsquos new mailstream category
Sustaining the new cultureAccording to Hallam rippling out the OneCompany messaging requires a consistent andcoordinated approach Communication leaders inthe various divisions are now working to weaveOne Company messages into the business-unitmeetings ldquoA lot of the messaging that welaunched at the strategic leadersrsquo meeting arebeing reiterated at the business unit level Thatrsquosbeen facilitated through the InternalCommunications Councilrdquo he says
ldquoKey metrics for the culture change programfocus on cross-selling ratios which have jumpedsubstantially since the culture change effortbeganrdquo says Hallam ldquoIn 2002 we also institutedthe ldquoPB1 Awardsrdquo which is a chairmanrecognition award that goes to teams who bestembody cross-functional behavior in working on
projects which improve our clientsrsquo profitabilityour profitability or bothrdquo
ldquoHowever wersquore only really a year into thisMuch of the evidence is anecdotal but what haschanged is that our managers have broadenedtheir vision and are thinking as solutions-providers rather than product-sellers As suchtheyrsquore involving other business units out of theirdesire to eliminate customer pain points ndashregardless of which part of Pitney Bowes gets the salerdquo
Adding value to customersUltimately managers and employees who arewell-informed about the companyrsquos products andservices are in a good position to take advantageof cross-selling opportunities Realizing thispotential enables Pitney Bowes to make extrasales to existing customers thereby increasing itsprofit margins and allowing customers to benefitfrom a mix of products and services
Shifting to a unified culture directly benefitsboth Pitney Bowes and its customers ldquoByfocusing on the whole cadre of products andservices we can help our customers improve theirbusinessesrdquo says Hallam ldquoThatrsquos where OneCompany is critical It enables our clients tobenefit from all our servicesrdquo scm
Figure One Measuring the impact of the strategic leadersrsquo meeting
CONTACT DETAILS
Rob HallamPitney Bowesrobhallampbcom
I BELIEVE THAT OUR SENIOR LEADERS (MEANING THE TOP 15 EXECS) AREWORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO DELIVER INTEGRATED HIGH-VALUESOLUTIONS TO OUR CUSTOMERS
Pre SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 73
Post SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 92
Gain in two months time 19
ldquoMANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WELL-INFORMED ABOUT THE COMPANYrsquoS PRODUCTSAND SERVICES ARE IN A GOOD POSITION TOTAKE ADVANTAGE OF CROSS-SELLINGrdquo
2007
36 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
MELCRUM TRAINING amp EVENTS
CALENDAR 2007UKEUROPESOCIAL MEDIA FORUM FORINTERNAL COMMUNICATORS UK
3 21-22 March 2007 Hilton Canary WharfLondon UKThis forum is designed for practitioners who wantto make social media part of their internalcommunication strategy Over two dayscompanies such as IBM Microsoft and BT willshare case studies demonstrating their use ofsocial-media tools Technology experts will also beon hand to provide training and show you how touse these tools
THE 3RD ANNUAL EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT CONFERENCE UK
3 22-24 May 2007 Millennium GloucesterLondon UK22 May ndash Practical workshops23-24 May ndash Two-day conferenceThis event will focus on transforming yourstrategies into action Listen to case studies fromcompanies that have achieved real andmeasurable results from their engagement effortsLearn how they did it what they achieved and howthe results were measured
THE 6TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT UK
3 16-18 October 2007 London UK After the huge success of the 2006 UK StrategicCommunication Management Summit next yearrsquosevent will once again provide you withpresentations from key figures in the industry anda chance to network with your peers Mark yourdiaries now ndash more details to follow
THE 3RD ANNUAL INTERNALCOMMUNICATION MEASUREMENTCONFERENCE UK
3 27-29 November 2007 London UKDetails available soon ndash mark your diary now
NORTH AMERICATHE 3RD ANNUAL CONFERENCEON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENTBUILDING AND SUSTAINING ACULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT
3 28 February ndash 1 March 2007 Crowne PlazaAtlanta-Buckhead Atlanta USLearn how to foster an environment whereemployees feel valued and respected Hear fromcompanies including Dow Corning CorporationAmerican Express Delta Hotels and Merck
THE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT US
3 26-28 March 2007 Crowne Plaza UnionSquare San Francisco26 March ndash Pre-conference workshops27-28 March ndash Two-day summitAttend this conference and discover how toimprove employee alignment with all segments ofyour internal audience ndash from your front-lineemployees to your executive officers bothnationally and worldwide
AUSTRALIATHE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION ENGAGEMENTSUMMIT SYDNEY
3 31 July ndash 2 August 2007 Sydney Australia Details available soon ndash mark your diary now
WEBINARSDEVELOPING PROFESSIONALCOMPETENCE
3 Thursday 22 February 2007 with LiamFitzPatrick and Sue Dewhurst
HELPING YOUR ORGANIZATIONTHRIVE DURING TURBULENTTIMES
3 Thursday 29 March 2007 with Carol KinseyGoman
TRAININGTHE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT PROGRAM
3 24-25 April and 1-2 May 2007 HenleyManagement College UK3 11-12 and 27-28 September 2007 Cranfield
School of Management UK
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT MASTERCLASSEFFECTIVE MEASUREMENT
3 14-15 March 2007 Hendon Hall Hendon UKAn essential two-day intensive training courses forinternal communicators on effective measurementRegister early as places are strictly limited to 20people per Masterclass
CSR DELIVERY ENGAGEMENT amp LEADERSHIP
3 19-20 April 2007 Central LondonOsney MediaWith an excellent speaker line-up from high-profile companies including Procter amp Gamble The BodyShop ExxonMobil Microsoft Belgium Vodafone UK Dell Ericsson and Alliance Boots this case studybased event will answer questions including how do Ibull Build a CSR-oriented leadershipbull Get people on boardbull Integrate CSR with the global strategy of the companybull Deliver CSR throughout the company to make it really happen
For more information visit wwwcsrleadershipcom or e-mail mariame_lindellosneymediacouk (Reference code 910MLC3)
38 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
DESIGN
YELLOW
The future success of all organisations will be builton trust understanding passion empowermentintegrity and relationships
The future is cool exciting sparkling organisationsbursting with energy life and action
The future of brand is the internal brand first andforemost
The future is colleague as customer
Turning communications upside down
No just inside-out
Be part of the future say hello to Yellow
We help large organisations bring their communicationsstrategies to life through the imaginative use of liveevents multimedia web and design ndash distributed acrossall media platforms including DVD TV mobile devicesintranet and extranet
Ultimately developing internal brands and ongoingcommunications that have a measurable impact onpeople-performance advocacy and the bottom line
Contact Paul MiddletonTel +44 (0)161 228 6700E-mail paulmiddletonyellowcomcomWebsite wwwyellowcomcom
NEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
DESIGN
BLUE GOOSE
blue goose specialize in visual communications We make communications work faster and better We will link what wedo back to your objectives but we donrsquot talk (or charge for) ldquostrategyrdquo when you simply want tactical implementation Weuse design and creativity tobull differentiate products and services bull develop and manage corporate and brand identity bull align external communications with agreed values bull internalize corporate and brand identitybull align internal communications with agreed values bull support organizational change and bull help organizations better understand and define who they are
We work for clients as diverse as PricewaterhouseCoopers Ford Europe Centrica plc Greene King City of London Policeand Le Meacuteridien
blue goose is for any organization more interested in designing their future than watching it happen
Contact Chris BarringtonE-mail thinkingbluegoosecoukTel +44 (0)20 8869 8500Web site wwwbluegoosecouk
CONSULTANCY
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION ampSURVEYS PTY LTD
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd is aboutique consultancy based in Sydney Australia Itspecializes in employee communication strategiessystems research and employee surveys of all kindsPrincipal Rodney Gray has been involved inorganizational consulting for over 20 years following a15-year career as a corporate human resourcesexecutive Services includebull Employee communication audits and surveys by
questionnaires focus groups and interviewsbull Employee communication systems strategies and
processesbull Employee communication training workshops and
talksbull Employee culture climate and opinion surveysbull Qualitative organizational diagnosis (focus groups
and interviews)bull Internal service quality research (qualitative and
quantitative)
Contact Rodney GrayTel +61 (0)2 9909 2900 Fax +61 (0)2 9909 2911E-mail rodneyrodneygraycomauWeb site wwwemployee-communicationcomau
CONSULTANCY
HEDRON
Internal and change communication that helps teamsand individuals to develop strategies relationshipsprocesses and skills to engage stakeholders supporthigh performance and deliver change
ldquoSharp strategic thinking quality execution effectiveinterpersonallyhelliprdquo ldquoCreativity drive resourcefulnessresults great funhelliprdquo say clients
All sectors ndash ABN AMRO AXA BT Cadbury SchweppesDepartment for Constitutional Affairs HealthcareCommission Group 4 Securicor SABMiller SiemensSouthern Rail Unilever Wincanton
Our clients are happy to tell you what itrsquos like workingwith us
Contact Helena MemoryTel + 44 (0) 20 7493 0735Fax + 44 (0) 20 7493 0743E-mail helena-mhedroncomWeb site wwwhedroncom
CONSULTANCY
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
39scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
CONSULTANCY
SYNOPSIS
Founded by change and communication authority Bill Quirke in 1992 Synopsis is one of Europersquos leading internalcommunication consultancies Our clients include such companies as ABN Amro BBC BP British Airways DiageoEricsson HP Lloyds TSB Roche Shell and Vodafone
We help clients use internal communication to engage their employees in delivering business strategy and get most valuefrom their internal communication
We can help youbull Develop communication strategies that support your business strategybull Coach leadersbull Develop line managersrsquo communication skillsbull Plan and coordinate your communication with colleagues onlinebull Check the health of your communication channels and improve return on investmentbull Build and develop the communication functionbull Measure and track employee engagement attitudes and opinions
To take a tour of our online planning tool go to wwwsynopsisonlinecomproductplanningtoolasp
Contact Jane LebeauE-mail janelebeausynopsisonlinecomTel +44 (0) 20 7490 2900Web site wwwsynopsisonlinecom
CONSULTANCY
HARKNESS KENNETT
We specialize in internal communication To us thatmeansbull motivating people through inspiring leadershipbull guiding people through organizational changebull engaging people in delivering the brand
Working in partnership with our clients is central to ourethos enabling us to help deliver practical solutionssupported by solid strategic thinking All of ourconsultants have held senior positions ldquoclient siderdquo sowe know what itrsquos like to be in your shoes The vastmajority of our work comes from recommendations fromexisting clients ndash 82 percent of our clients haverequested repeat work in the last two years
Our clients include Abbey Atkins BDO Stoy HaywardThe Environment Agency Marks amp Spencer NHS Blood ampTransplant Morgan Stanley Europe Nestleacute PoliceInformation Technology Organisation Royal ampSunAlliance South West Trains and Vodafone
Our vision is simple ndash we want to be the first callyou make
Contact James HarknessTel +44 (0)1483 222730E-mail jamesharknessharknesskennettcomWeb site wwwharknesskennettcom
CONSULTANCY
TRIDENT COMMUNICATIONS
Trident Communications is uniquely positioned to definedevelop and deliver award-winning solutions that aligncommunication with business goals
We advise and partner with organizations of all sizes tocreate high-value practical applications Our talentedproject teams provide innovative research designeditorial and imagery for print and online
We connect ideas and deliver results
Contact Peter Agertoft Tel +44 (0)207 536 8900E-mail peteragertoft
tridentcommunicationsnetWeb site wwwtridentcommunicationsnet
CONSULTANCY
FLEISHMAN-HILLARD
Fleishman-Hillardrsquos dedicated internal and changecommunication practice helps businesses focus onperforming ndash not just informing
We help organisations plan and implement programmeswith the right mix of information dialogue and trainingso that employees are engaged aligned and motivatedto achieve business objectives
Because effective internal communication is vital tobottom-line performance we partner with our clients tocreate a daily dialogue ndash not a monologue ndash withemployees
Contact Nick AndrewsTel +32 (0)2 230 05 45 E-mail nickandrewsfleishmancomWeb site wwwfleishmaneuropecom
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE A listing in our Directory of Services will giveyou a chance to reach communicationprofessionals at some of the worldrsquos largestand most admired companies and to tap intodecision-making practitioners
ContactVincent SorelTel +44 (0)208 600 4670E-mail vincentsorelmelcrumcom
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
INCLUDE YOUR COMPANY BY CONTACTING US ON +44(0)20 8600 4670 OR AT INFOMELCRUMCOM
CONSULTANCY
HILL amp KNOWLTON
Better business results the bottom line
How do I manage more change Motivate managers Getthe right information to the right people Show the bestreturn on communication investment
Sound familiar Hill amp Knowltonrsquos change and internalcommunication consultants work with companies aroundthe world to find the right answers for their situation
We offer strategy insight and creativity drawing on ourconsultancy expertise and in-house experience Plus wedeliver practical hands-on help
We know that effective employee communication has adirect impact on the bottom line Working together wecan make it happen for you
Contact EMEA DavidFerrabeehillandknowltoncom
+44 (0) 7413 3176USA BarbaraEdlerhillandknowltoncom
+1 415 281-7160Canada KristaThompsonhillandknowltoncom
+1 613 786-9961
RECRUITMENT
VMA GROUP
VMA Group is one of the UKrsquos leading executive searchand selection consultancies specializing in internal andcorporate communication recruitment
For over 25 years VMA Group has provided the highestlevel of service to some of the most demanding globalorganizations developing a strong track record for thequality and professionalism of our search and selection work
We have in-depth specialist knowledge of the internalcommunication market and can provide high-qualitypermanent and interim candidates with expertise acrossinternal communication change management and widercorporate communication We understand the needs ofour clients intrinsically and strive to develop long-termrelationships with clients and candidates alike
Please call to discuss how we can help you find theideal candidate or if you wish to make a career move
Contact David BroomeTel +44 (0)20 7436 4243E-mail dbroomevmagroupcoukWeb site wwwvmagroupcouk
40 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONALCOMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS E-mail gaitensunityncsueduWeb site wwwconsultingsuccessorgTel 919 469 3895
CIB ndash BRITISH ASSOCIATION OFCOMMUNICATORS IN BUSINESSE-mail enquiriescibukcomWeb site wwwcibukcomTel +44 (0)870 121 7606
CCM ndash COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATIONMANAGEMENT E-mail membership
ccmconnectioncomWeb site wwwccmconnectioncomTel 866 463 4226
CPRS ndash THE CANADIAN PUBLICRELATIONS SOCIETYE-mail admincprscaWeb site wwwcprscaTel 416 239 7034
IABC ndash THE INTERNATIONALASSOCIATION OF BUSINESSCOMMUNICATORS E-mail service_centreiabccomWeb site wwwiabccomTel 415 544 4700
ICA ndash THE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONALLIANCE E-mail amandafoistericaukorgWeb site wwwiprorgukicaTel +44 (0)1628 642 044
CIPR ndash THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OFPUBLIC RELATIONS UKE-mail infoiprorgukWeb site wwwiprorgukTel +44 (0)20 7253 5151
IPRA ndash THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICRELATIONS ASSOCIATIONE-mail ipraseccompuservecomWeb site wwwipraorgTel +44 (0) 1372 461 188
PRSA ndash PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OFAMERICAE-mail resourcesprsaorgWeb site wwwprsaorgTel 212 460 1459
DIRECTORY OF SERVICESNEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
CONSULTANCY
2 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
SENIOR LEADERS FOUNDWANTING
Two recent surveys from Watson WyattWorldwide and Accenture have foundthat both employees and middle managersfeel let down by their senior leaders
Accenturersquos 4th annual MiddleManagers Survey canvassed the opinionsof more than 1400 middle managers innine countries in Asia North Americaand Europe It found that only 39percent felt happy in their workplace
Although the reasons for dissatisfactionranged from insufficient compensation tothe lack of a clear career path thefindings point to a general sense ofmismanagement ndash an opinion consistentacross all the countries surveyed
Peter Cheese managing director ofAccenturersquos Human Performancepractice commented that ldquoFor the mostpart middle managers care deeply aboutthe future of their organizations and theirroles in that future but they are to acertain extent the lsquofrozen middlersquo
ldquoTheir success depends on having asense of security and a belief thatexecutives understand their concerns andare taking some action In leadingcompanies senior managers addressthese issues through clearcommunications direct engagement andperformance goals linked to rewards andcareer progressionrdquo
Trust in leaders dipsIn a separate survey by Watson Wyattonly half of the employees surveyed (49percent) said they have trust andconfidence in the job senior managersare doing This is down from 51 percentin 2004
Compared to 2004 the WorkUSAreg
20062007 survey involving 12205full-time US workers across all job levelsand major industries showed a slightdrop in senior managementrsquos ratingsfrom employees across most questionsFor example bull Senior management makes changes
to stay competitive ndash down from 57to 53 percent
bull Senior management takes steps tocontrol costs ndash down from 59 to 55 percent
bull Senior management behavesconsistently with the companyrsquos core values ndash down from 57 to 55 percent
ldquoThis dip in ratings is concerningbecause employeesrsquo attitudes about theirsenior leaders are a key factor in buildingengagementrdquo said Ilene Gochmannational practice director for OrganizationEffectiveness at Watson Wyatt
Link between engagement and commsOn the subject of engagement thesurvey also revealed a consistent linkbetween engaged employees and thoseorganizations where employees receivedfrequent communication from their senior leaders More than half (56percent) of highly engaged employeesreceive communication from seniormanagers at least monthly In contrast42 percent of employees with lowengagement levels say they receiveannual communication or none at all
ldquoCommunication is often thought to bethe direct supervisorrsquos rolerdquo says Gochmanldquobut companies can create stronger teamsand fuel excitement about the future ifsenior managers lay out the broad frame-works the firm will follow and supervisorsreinforce that message By engagingemployees such communication has adirect impact on the bottom linerdquo SH
For more information go towwwwatsonwyattcomresearchwwwaccenturecom
A ROUND-UP OF USEFUL RESOURCES FOR INTERNAL COMMUNICATORS
intouchEMPLOYERS CONCERNED ABOUTBENEFITS COMMUNICATION
Communication is one of the biggestchallenges faced by employers during theannual benefits-enrollment processaccording to a poll of 67 organizationsby Watson Wyatt Worldwide
While employers were satisfied withthe transactional elements of benefitsenrollment they were far less happy withthe effectiveness of health-improvementinformation decision-support tools andcost and quality information Well underhalf reported being satisfied or verysatisfied with those aspects
Employee concernsBut it was the growing complexity of the enrollment process and plannedchanges that most concerned employeesNearly 30 percent of employers reportedemployee concerns with each of those facets
The parts of the enrollment processthat seem to demand thoughtfuldecisions include contributions to healthspending accounts choosing betweendifferent plans and coordination with aspousersquos plans
Satisfaction with the process washighest for employers using a mixture ofinternal and external resources to support their employees through theenrollment cycle
In contrast half of organizationssupporting the process solely with localHR representatives were either neutral ordissatisfied as were 42 percent oforganizations primarily using outsourcingproviders to support employees SH
For more information go towwwwatsonwyattcomresearch
RESEARCH
ldquoBOTH EMPLOYEES ANDMIDDLE MANAGERS FEELLET DOWN BY THEIRSENIOR LEADERSrdquo
3scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
BLOGGING FOR A GOOD CAUSE
3 httpwwwnfp2couk
Steve Bridgerrsquos blogon how not-for-profit organizations(NFPs) can benefitfrom the Web 20revolution is
inspired by his own experiences workingfor NFPs
Bridgerrsquos ldquoabout the authorrdquo blurbstates that his credentials lie in anunderstanding of NFPs knowledge ofweb-based technologies and experiencedesigning webs for organizations such asUK charity the British Heart Foundation
Postings cover topics such as the useof video blogs and online photo-sharingcommunities like Flickr to enhance theeffect of storytelling ndash a popularinexpensive and effective engagement
tool available to NFPs This blog could be a useful resource
for communicators dealing with theunique challenges faced by NFPs andthose keen to take advantage of blogsand online communities SH
BUZZWORD HELL
3 httpbuzzwordhellcom
The raison drsquoetrefor this blog is toallow people tovent their angerabout the growingnumber of
technical buzzwords creeping into ourdaily language Or as the blogrsquos ownstated mission puts it ldquoWe willlsquocondemnrsquo buzzwords to the circles ofhell from Dantersquos Infernordquo
Most will already be familiar with
MASTERING BUSINESS IN ASIANEGOTIATION
3 by Peter Nixon John Wiley 2005
In the global village wework in today many ofus deal withsubsidiaries partnerssuppliers andcustomers throughoutAsia Yet many of usknow little about Asia
This is a book aboutnegotiation rather than communicationbut therersquos much to learn about doingbusiness in Asia especially if yoursquore acommunication advisor to line managersin your organization
The main message of the book is thatthe solution is always in dialogueDifferences with the West are describedin terms ofbull People relationships (families and
networks) are more important thancontracts groups are more importantthan individuals gender age andhierarchy matter
bull Process bargaining and variablepricing financial risks security risksand health risks Asians fear of
BOOKS EVENTS RESEARCH REPORTS BLOGS SURVEYS URLS
making mistakes (there is littleperformance management and evenone mistake can cost a career familyloyalty significant financialincentives) feedback (giving respectand saving face) and the widevariety of legal financial andgovernance frameworks
bull Content conflict avoidance (youcanrsquot openly discuss problems)variable pricing (negotiationdialogue) volume and marginscorruption and multiple currencies
Much of the book covers the stages inthe negotiation process introductionobjection creating contracting andfollow-up It also provides detailed how-to guidelines with templates lists anddiagrams that appear to apply tonegotiations everywhere not just in Asia
The rest of the book covers key aspectssuch as communication how to usetactics how to control and manageinformation peoplersquos motivation andbehavior and managing specificsituations and meetings
The communication chapter coverscountless aspects of face-to-facecommunication and much of this applies
ldquoWE WILL CONDEMNBUZZWORDS TO THECIRCLES OF HELL FROMDANTErsquoS INFERNOrdquo
ldquoTHIS BOOK ISRECOMMENDED IF YOUHAVE BUSINESSDEALINGS IN ASIA ORADVISE THOSE WHO DOrdquo
BLOGS
BOOKS
to communication within all cultures notjust in Asia
Although what is covered is handledwell there are some areas that couldhave received greater attention Forexample there is little discussion of thedifferences among the various countriesand cultures in Asia And Irsquod have likedmore on business etiquette and the useof humor entertainment and gifts
This book isnrsquot going to help youmanage corporate communication inAsia But it is recommended if you havebusiness dealings in Asia or advise thosewho do The author has vast experienceworking training and communicating inAsian countries He writes well andexplains things clearly
Review by Rodney GrayEmployee Communication amp Surveys Sydney
terms such as folksonomy monetizationblogosphere and social networking Forbetter or worse these terms have slippedinto our corporate language and areprobably here to stay
Still next time yoursquore working on acommunication about somethingtechnical it might be a good idea tocheck that not too many of the termsyoursquove used have recently beenconsigned to Buzzword Hell MT
4 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Keith HardieBerwin Leighton PaisnerDepending on the level ofcommitment in the seniorteam you may want to
consider a General Electric approachcalled WorkOut Essentially you getpeople together from a cross-section ofthe company give them a strategypresentation outline the problems tosolve and then get them to come up withideas The senior-manager host has tolisten to the presentations decide (onthe spot) whether to take the ideasforward and then help mentor theproject teams identified to take thesuccessful ideas forward
Q Does anybody have any ideasfor creating a cascade withparticular focus on trainingmiddle managers to do thismore effectively
Angela SinickasSinickas Communications IncMy experience and clientsurvey results show that
cascading as a way of broadcasting newinformation is not effective In factcompanies in my survey database whopurposely use cascading as a way ofbroadcasting new information are theones with the largest percentage ofemployees hearing things on the grapevine
This is because as soon as the directoror vice president conducts the firstmeeting the attendees go away and discussit with their friends in the office whosemanagers have not yet had a meetingMy experience shows that employees atall levels have higher information levelson key company topics in organizationswhere they rely on mass communicationto provide consistent and timely informationto all employees This is followed byface-to-face meetings to discuss thecontext of the information for each workgroup and how it might affect them
I would recommend using e-mailnewsletters to those with online accessand posting PDFs of the sameinformation on as many bulletin boardsas possible to reach employees withoutonline access
The training Irsquod recommend formanagers is how to provide local context
At the end you can either simply wrap upwith a summary of the ideas or have a15-minute break then reassemble tostart evaluating the ideas and identifyingwhich ones are worthy of furtherinvestigation or development Yourbiggest challenge is involving field-basedstaff The nature of brainstorming is thatit needs to be dynamic ndash itrsquos almostimpossible to get the full benefit viaremote links
Richard HareBritish American TobaccoIrsquom not sure how you caninvolve field-based staffwithout bringing
them in I believe you get the maximumvalue from people collaborating byphysically getting them together I knowonline collaboration is possible and thereare numerous examples on the web butthe will to collaborate to solve problemsin this fashion tends to come from thepeople involved
For the past couple of years wersquovebeen facilitating ldquoDeep Diverdquo eventsbased on the method developed by Ideo1
This was licensed by a company turnedinto a product and sold as ldquoinnovation ina boxrdquo Used in an event lasting aminimum of a day the participants talkto experts in the area of the challengetheyrsquore facing Itrsquos an innovative way toquickly get new ideas from a group Wefly people in to take part and have ateam of facilitators to help them with the challenge1 Learn more about the Ideo process at
httpwwwideocommedianightlineasp
Denise Baron Baron Communications ampEditorial ServicesEmployees will be moreinclined to participate in
brainstorming or other idea-generatingexercises when therersquos clear evidencethat senior management cares about whatthey think and is willing to take the timeto listen It also helps immensely if someof the suggestions are actually implemented
Unless senior managers intend to giveserious consideration to the ldquovoice of thepeoplerdquo in some tangible way ndash regardlessof the format employees will view therequest as an empty exercise and will behard-pressed to want to ldquoengagerdquo Sobefore you embark on yet another ldquothinktankrdquo clone the first question to askyourself is not how but why
Tom BrannanYes CityThe ideal genuine brain-storming session only lastsabout an hour any longer
and people will start to lose theircreativity Try going back to basics1 Decide what problem you want
to solve2 Nominate a ldquoproblem ownerrdquo Itrsquos
their task to give a five-minute briefon the issue to the rest of the group
3 Donrsquot involve more than a dozenpeople in the session
4 Give them 45 minutes to be creativein suggesting solutions
5 Capture everything but donrsquot allow anyevaluation ndash even the wildest ideashave value in sparking other thoughts
the communicatorsrsquo
NETWORK
A ROUND-UP OF THE LATEST HOT DEBATES AND SHARED ADVICE
In this issue we share some suggestions from the Communicatorsrsquo Network onhow to conduct the most effective brainstorming sessions There was alsodebate surrounding the idea of cascading information ndash to some it spellsdisaster to others itrsquos an efficient way to save both time and resources Andfind out what practitioners think about the use of logos for internal projects ndashare they helpful or just confusing
Q Does anyone have any ideas on how to create successful brainstormingsessions between managers and employees including field-based staff
QA
5scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
to higher-level information and how tofacilitate discussions ndash not on how topresent corporate bullet points effectively
Naomi CohenBSI British StandardsCascading has the benefitof high levels of trust(research shows the closer
to the employee the messenger is themore likely the message is to bebelieved) but low levels of reliability(therersquos great potential for distortion ofkey messages going through a thirdparty) I tend to apply a mixed approachdepending on the message
One factor for example is the sensitivityof the information If itrsquos somethingthatrsquos going to affect or threaten peoplersquosjobs go for face-to-face discussions assoon as possible both to limit theamount of time staff have to speculateand to demonstrate due careprocess
If itrsquos information that wonrsquot have animmediate impact there can be value ininitiating mass communication and thenallowing time for face-to-face briefingsThis gives staff the opportunity to thinkthrough what theyrsquove heard and considerquestions for discussion
Dealing with feedbackThe key is that the cascade works bothways Itrsquos vital that any questions raisedfor which the line manager doesnrsquot havethe answer can be sent back ldquouprdquo foranswering and any feedback is equallyfed back into the center
I agree that training middle managersis useful but so is training teamlinemanagers as theyrsquore the ones who usuallydeliver the information
One approach that can work well is toidentify internal ambassadors and usethem as your grapevine This is a groupof people at mixed levels that betweenthem touch all parts of the business andare the natural communicators eitherbecause of their roles or theirpersonalities
Brief them train them make them feelspecial explain to them the CEOrsquosthinking and use them to communicatekey messages as a supplement to formalcascades through the managementstructures
But if the objective is to communicateyour CEOrsquos messages then Irsquod personalizethem from the CEO consistently usinghisher name face and tone of voice Themore authentic the better
Q Does the use of logos to brandinternal communicationprojects create confusion ordo they help staff to quicklyidentify a message and itsmeanings
Nicholas Ranken Atos OriginIt greatly depends on yourcontext I worked on amajor change project for a
multinational company where the companyidentity and colors were consistently usedin their internal communication
Our project followed a previousattempt that had been a very costlyfailure So we intentionally wanted tocreate a totally different and clearlyidentifiable image and logo The projectwas also of high strategic importance sowe wanted it to stand apart from otherprojects going on at the same time
Given that the corporate colors at thetime were dark blue and gray which wefelt were quite conservative andunderstated we chose bright bold colors(orange with dark blue text as a link backto the corporate colors) and a dynamicpattern to reflect the modern innovativenature of our project
That said as a consumer of internalcommunication myself (in a differentcompany) Irsquom definitely sensitive to thenotion of too many competing logos andcolors An overload of logos and project names can really detract from theoverall message
Deborah GogartyBritish EnergyWe used a logo to brand aproject a few years agoThe project was never fully
embraced by the whole organizationbecause they identified the logo asrepresenting the project teamrsquosresponsibilities So the audience wasconstantly looking for direction from theteam rather than taking up the causethemselves The logo (and the collateralthat carried it) seemed to create anunconscious helplessness in the audiencewhich took a long time to overcome
What Irsquove learned is that logos arepowerful devices and need to beunleashed only when their full potentialon behavior has been gaged
JOIN THE COMMUNICATORSrsquoNETWORK NOWAs a valued scm subscriber you are entitled tojoin The Communicatorsrsquo Network an onlinediscussion forum for communication practitionersworldwide Itrsquos a lively community that helpsyou find answers to your communicationquestions fast The discussion is monitored soyou will receive no unsolicited e-mail and wewill seek your permission first if we would liketo print any of your ideas in scm
E-mail commsnetwork-onmelcrumcomto join and gain instant access to a globalnetwork of your peers
commsnetwork-onmelcrumcom
LATEST ON THEMELCRUM BLOG
Is good writing essential to being a goodcommunicator This question was posed bySCMrsquos editor Mandy Thatcher and responsesfrom around the globe suggested it certainly isldquoEffective communication by those who cannotwrite is a contradictionrdquo was one commentBut the broader debate in this discussionstream was whether the traditional route ofprofessional development ndash where you masterthe tactics first and then become a goodstrategist is being replaced by a new processwhereby communicators are free to pursuewhatever it is they do best Developmentexpert Sue Dewhurst replied ldquoEven wherepeople do pursue strategic roles thefundamentals are still importantrdquo
What came first Googlersquos culture or itssuccess Melcrum editor Alex Manchesterposed the question and commenters discussedthe effectiveness of Googlersquos famous ldquo20-percent free time for employeesrdquo project
Is it time internal comms became ICInternal communication consultant DeniseBaron took issue with the suggestion that theterm ldquoInternal communicationrdquo would soon bereplaced by the ldquotrendyrdquo acronym ldquoICrdquoBaronrsquos response was ldquoFor my money IC comestoo close to ICK Nothing trendy lsquobout thatrdquo
wwwmelcrumblogcomldquoThoughts and revelations on internalcommunication and beyondrdquo
6 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PEO
PLE
scm
Tell me about your roleUntil recently I was head of globalinternal communication at Dell but Imoved into a new role six months ago toleverage my consulting and agencybackground The best way to describe myrole is lead consultant for thecommunication function with a focus ondriving strategy and innovation
What does this role entailA priority right now is to develop andimplement Dellrsquos new digital-mediastrategy More broadly my mandate is tolook at what wersquore doing and should bedoing over the next six months and figureout how we can have more of an impactacross all our audiences
How would you describe the Dell cultureThe company is much bigger than it usedto be but the culture still has a strongbias for action and lack of complacencyThe expectation for our team is to remainnimble and proactive and look for waysto constantly improve and reinvent howwe do things My new position is a directreflection of that Therersquos a need for anoverarching perspective someone with acommunication and consultingbackground who can dive in developstrategies and direct projects
What projects are you working onWersquove already launched an internal andexternal blog and have just introduced
Studio Dell an online vlog outlet gearedto core customer groups containing videoclips product profiles and interviewsDell also recently established a presencein Second Life Part of my role is to helpkeep all these initiatives coordinated
What issues do you faceOne question wersquore looking to answer ishow to develop and expand our blogsShould we have external blogs for differentlanguage groups such as Japanese andMandarin And if so how do weproceed Internally should we developblogs for some of the regions orparticular divisions of the company
What have you learned about the social-media environmentWe were one of the first major globalcompanies to join the blogosphere Butthe general consensus initially amongobservers was that we were talking aboutissues that were relevant to us ratherthan customers or pundits outside DellWersquove learned from that and madechanges to ensure we listen as well as talk
What can social media do internallyLast year was a tumultuous year for Dell
in terms of our performance Employeesnow need regular updates and discussionaround the situation and what we plan todo to improve So the internalphilosophy is to be even more candidand transparent with employees thanwersquove been For example wersquore using theblog to facilitate conversations betweenemployees and executives
Have leaders resisted this approachTherersquos an understanding among leader-ship that we need to be candid and willingto listen to criticism and respond to itThe leadership team understand thatcredibility is paramount and are willingto share the facts wherever they can
What advice would you offer toorganizations about to start a blogSome companies make the mistake ofbeing enamoured with new technologybut donrsquot have a clear reason for using it
We were very clear about why we weregetting involved ndash to have betterconversations with our stakeholdersparticularly our customers This goalhelps us to define the rules ofengagement and guides the editorialcontent Externally if it isnrsquot relevant orhelpful to customers we donrsquot blog aboutit Our strategic purpose internally is tobe more transparent relevant andcredible when we talk to employees
Also do your homework We did a lotof benchmarking and looked at whatother companies were doing ndash good andbad ndash to get a sense of what we should bestriving for
Finally donrsquot just add to the noiseTherersquos already a huge volume ofinformation out there Thing about howyour blog can add something useful
How would you respond to the criticismDell received in the blogosphere last yearWe knew Dell would be criticized bysome of the influential bloggers Weknew there would be skepticism in viewof the companyrsquos customer service andfinancial issues in 2006 But we listenedadapted and learned from that Now thatwersquore part of the conversation amentality of continuous improvement isalways critical to doing well
DEVELOPING DELLrsquoS DIGITALMEDIA STRATEGY
Bernard Charland acts as lead in-house consultant for Dellrsquos global corporatecommunication function focusing on communication strategy and innovation Previousto this role he was director of Global Internal Communications for the company
Have a clear strategicreason for entering theblogosphere internally
or externally
Bernard Charlandrsquos varied background is proving valuable in his new role which isto focus on strategy and innovation within Dellrsquos global corporate communicationfunction A large part of this role currently is developing and coordinating Dellrsquosdigital-media strategy Here he describes whatrsquos been achieved so far future plansand lessons learned
PROFILE BERNARD CHARLAND
THOUGHT LEADER LEE SMITH
7scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PEO
PLE
scm
Lee Smith FCIPR is a director of Gatehouse specializing in internal communicationfor professional and financial services businesses He also authors the TalkingInternal Communication blog at wwwtalkingictypepadcom
had to give and I canrsquot pretend I wasalways a joy to be with during that period
It didnrsquot help that I lived nearly 80miles away in Birmingham During thoseyears I saw more of the M6 motorwaythan your average lorry driver I alsospent far too many nights eating badfood in cheap Manchester hotels all ofwhich eventually took its toll
Then came the exams nearly 30 hours of them Again Irsquod done myhomework so I managed to come awaywith decent marks
My final hurdle the dreadeddissertation took around two years tocomplete I chose to focus onorganizational identity and just to makemy life tougher decided to use a ratherobscure psychological researchtechnique Getting to grips with thatfinding the time to conduct lengthyinterviews analyze results and craft mytome was incredibly difficult
Being a perfectionist I took it right to the wire ndash submitting my finaldocument just before the universityrsquosultimate deadline
Time to celebrate Last month saw the end of my long andarduous journey The ritual of thegraduation ceremony was a fitting endingand helped draw a line under thatparticular chapter of my professionaldevelopment story
Therersquos no doubt that the course wasbeneficial and although the journey wassometimes difficult the experience wasmostly enjoyable I fell just 3 percentshort of the distinction grade I wantedbut Irsquom still very proud of myachievement And I know Irsquom now amuch more thoughtful and effectivecommunicator
Would I recommend the MSc route toother communicators Yes but I wouldmake sure they realize the enormity ofthe challenge A part-time MSc is not foreveryone It will demand considerabletime energy and effort and may welltake its toll on your personal life andyour waistline But if you persevere overthe long run it might just be worth itNow about that PhD
Irsquove always taken my professionaldevelopment seriously From themoment I entered the communicationprofession in 1991 Irsquove worked hard tohone existing skills build new ones andbroaden my knowledge Some havecalled me dedicated others obsessive
During those 16 years Irsquove participatedin dozens of training courses attendedmore than 50 conferences sacrificedmany an evening to study supported twoprofessional bodies judged industryawards written articles organizedevents volunteered for charities andmentored many aspiring communicators
My biggest development featYet all of this pales into insignificancewhen compared to my biggestdevelopmental feat so far ndash earning anMSc in Corporate Communication andReputation Management Itrsquos likecomparing a gentle stroll to scaling alarge mountain
I finally graduated from the Universityof Manchester Business School inDecember 2006 but it took me five longyears to reach that point Havingenrolled as a svelte twenty-something Igraduated an overweight and slightlygraying 35-year-old It was a slow andoccasionally painful assent
The first stepsBack in 2001 what appealed to me aboutthe course was its strategic focus Unlikesome post-graduate courses theManchester MSc is genuinely multi-
disciplinary touching on communicationtheory branding psychologystakeholder management ethics andbusiness strategy ndash to name a few
Itrsquos also refreshingly practicalcombining robust academic thinking withreal-world case studies While I wantedacademic rigor it was very important tome to be able to practically apply thelearning at work
It took me some time to understandthe relevance of the ldquoScrdquo in MSc Sciencewas a subject I detested at school but Irecognized its importance to my futureas a communicator I was also very awareof my own weakness in that area Thatrsquosone of the benefits Irsquove gained from thecourse ndash a real appreciation of goodresearch and the knowledge to do it well
Things went well academically though juggling part-time study with afull-time career is never easy I wasdisciplined enough to invest thenecessary time and to gradually work myway through the course reading list andgood marks followed
A balancing actThe course proved a little morechallenging on a personal level Work-life balance is hard enough to achieve letalone work-study-life balance Something
IS FURTHER STUDY THEROUTE FOR YOU
It takes dedicationbut a post-graduate
degree can beprofessionally and
personally beneficial
Who said professional development was easy Commitment perseverance andpatience are some of the attributes Lee Smith found invaluable as he workedtowards obtaining his masters degree
8 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TEC
HN
OLO
GY
scm
Creating dialogue within an organizationand encouraging involvement are two ofthe major attractions associated withblogs These were also the primary reasonsbehind the World Bankrsquos decision tolaunch their first internal blog last year
The occasion was the organizationrsquosannual meeting a series of events held inSingapore in 2006 This 10-day eventbrings together around 10000 peopleincluding media representatives to discussissues related to poverty reduction andinternational economic development
According to Egan traditionalmethods used previously to report on theevent such as articles video and audiolinks on the internet and intranet siteshad failed to spark employeesrsquo interest inthe progress and outcomes of the meetingsBlogging seemed like a good way drive toemployeesrsquo interest and involvement
Objectives of the blogEgan summarizes the objectives andrationale behind the blog as follows bull To provide an alternate voice to share
the business outcomes of the meetingsusing informal first-person reportingof behind-the-scenes activities
bull To encourage the use of otherresources by linking blog readers tomore serious information
bull To encourage employee interactionand increase dialogue
Throughout the event the blog wasupdated daily by the head of internalcommunication The entries wereunedited but reader comments weremoderated before they were posted
Outcomes and evaluationAccording to Egan this blogging experimentsurpassed their expectations by helpingto achieve the following three outcomes1 Renewed credibility for the voice of
internal communication ldquoCorporatecommunication always suffers thereputation of towing managementrsquosline The tone and delivery of theblog entries very clearly did not Wehad many comments along the linesof lsquoFinally the real storyrsquordquo
2 A feeling of inclusion ldquoBy providinga sense of the context and atmosphereemployees who didnrsquot attend theevent still felt like they were part ofit Many commented that lsquoFor thefirst time I feel Irsquom therersquordquo
3 Better awareness of the outcomes ofthe meetings ldquoThe blog provided thehook into other channels ofinformation which staff may nototherwise have consulted The first
thing some of the readers did in themorning was to check the blogrdquo
Egan admits that there were some whowere initially skeptical about bloggingldquoWe did have a couple of comments onthe blog saying lsquoThis is frivolousrsquo butothers responded by saying lsquoLighten upThis makes a nice change from all theboring official informationrsquordquo
Another problem was a potentiallyoffensive remark which had to be removedprompting the composition of an officialblogging policy to define the roles andresponsibilities of authors and commenters
Optimistic about the new toolFollowing on from the success of thisfirst blog the communication team hassince launched a variety of blogs some ofwhich have been successful others lessso Ironically a blog set up to discuss aworldwide conference on communicationgot minimal response Staff participationin external blogs has also been low ButEgan remains optimistic about thepotential of this tool
ldquoThere are millions of blogs out thereand lots of participation in them But ina business setting it takes a bit moretime before a community of practicedevelops and people believe that this is atrusted space where they can commentwithout being ridiculed or scornedrdquo
Advice to corporate bloggersTo build confidence in the tool Egan hasplans to launch an internal marketingcampaign and the organizationrsquos newintranet site will provide a forum forfuture blogging developments
Eganrsquos primary advice to fellowcorporate bloggers is to keep the contentgenuine ldquoIt becomes very obvious veryquickly who is doing the writingrdquo Shealso suggests keeping blogs topic or event-specific and avoiding general musings
Her final reminder is that blogsshouldnrsquot replace traditional tools butcompliment them ldquoBlogs can be fabulousbut you need to put them in context withthe other tools that are available Be veryclear about their purposerdquo
USING BLOGS TO INVOLVE ATWORLD BANK
Michele Egan is a senior communications officer in the World Bank Grouprsquos internalcommunications unit Among other tasks she leads the development and delivery ofthe grouprsquos electronic communication tools
Experimenting with blogsat the World Bank has
shed light on what worksand what doesnrsquot
In 2006 the World Bank set up a blog to spark interest and involvement in amajor organizationwide planning event The positive response has inspired a moreadventurous and experimental approach to blogging Based on recent experiencessenior communications officer Michele Egan reflects on the potential benefits andpitfalls of using this tool
MICHELLE EGAN
by Sona Hathi
INTRANETS EMBRACESOCIAL MEDIA
Neilson Normanrsquos latest report on thetop 10 intranet designs of 2007 shows anincrease in the use of multimedia andsocial media on intranet sites
Although multimedia was a significantfeature in last yearrsquos list this year seesphotos video news feeds and webcamsput to more innovative use Indicatingthat social media has not been a passingfad of 2006 many of the intranets haveimplemented popular Web 20 featureslike blogs (with specific business angles)and business-relevant wikis
Video is being used for training andcorporate communication butorganizations such as American ElectricPower have pushed the use of thischannel by setting up a TV studio forintranet productions offering employeesstreaming video and live webcasts
News feeds have long been used onintranets but this year the bestselections offer more relevant internaland external news and involveemployees by allowing them to ratestories and comment
Translation comes out topsMany of the reportrsquos winning intranetsoffer language translation for theirinternational employees Dow Chemicalfor example uses English for most globalcontent but translates important contentinto Dutch German French ItalianPortuguese and Spanish Selectedcontent is also translated into ChineseGreek Japanese and Thai
A total of 49 different technologyproducts are used by the reportrsquos topintranets with Windows Server GoogleSearch Appliance and SharePoint beingamong the most popular SH
httpwwwnngroupcom
9scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TEC
HN
OLO
GY
scmUPDATECALCULATING THEROI ON BLOGGING
The difficulty of placing a precisemonetary value on corporate blogging isone of the setbacks of this tool But anew report from Forrester calledCalculating the ROI of blogging offersways to identify the benefits costs andrisks that corporate blogging involvesusing a three-stage process 1 Quantify and assign value to the key
benefits of blogging 2 Estimate the costs of blogging3 Incorporate risk calculations into the
ROI model
The report describes how to measure theimpact blogging has on the businessoutcomes using ldquometrics that everyone isfamiliar withrdquo For example themonetary value of press mentions can bemeasured by counting the number ofblog-driven stories by online press webmedia and high-profile bloggers andthen calculating the cost of advertising inthe same publications
General Motorsrsquo case studyThe report also features a case study onGeneral Motorsrsquo two-year-old blogFastLane to which the authors applytheir ROI process Rather thanpresenting the company with a finalnumerical figure theyrsquove come up withnew objectives advising them how to getthe maximum benefits from blogging andimprove its impact on business outcomes
Whether yoursquove already startedblogging or are about to take the plungethis report provides direction on how toevaluate how your blog and decide whichdirection it needs to go in to gainmaximum business value SH
httpwwwforrestercom
SENIOR EXECS BIG ONNEW MEDIA
A survey of 100 CEOs and CMOs fromFortune 2000 companies found that 76percent of senior executives areexperimenting with alternative mediasuch as blogs Second Life and socialnetworking
The study by Weber Shandwick andKRC Research found that 69 percent ofthose surveyed currently use socialnetworking while 37 percent plan to useit more over the next five years
Ninety-one percent of those surveyedcurrently make use of their companywebsite and 66 percent plan to use theirwebsite more over the next five yearsmaking it number one in the surveyrsquos listof media tools
Use of virtual worlds to growAvatar-based marketing (marketingthrough virtual worlds such as SecondLife) came last in the list of 20 mediatools senior executives plan to use overthe next five years However researchersbelieve that the use of virtual worlds incommunication and marketing willincrease as more companies learn how touse them more effectively
Billee Howard managing director ofthe Global Strategic Media Group atWeber Shandwick said ldquoWersquore in theearly days of a totally new media eraThose companies that do not combinethe new-media paradigm with the best oftraditional media will most certainlyproceed at their perilrdquo SH
Source The Changing Face of Marketingand Communications in Todayrsquos CreativityEconomy
httpwwwwebershandwickcom
TECHNOLOGY UPDATE
When talking about return on investment(ROI) for the intranet and other ldquosoftrdquobenefits these are the kinds of results oroutcomes usually referred to
Measurable ROI from hard benefitsinclude bull less paperbull less hardwarebull less headcount andbull increased sales
Soft benefits includebull increased employee productivitybull better customer satisfactionbull faster time to market andbull improved employee retention
IBM Oracle and Cisco all measure theimpact and benefits of their intranet Allof them have measured the value to begreater than US$1 billion In fact IBMhas realized benefits from e-learning viathe intranet alone to be more thanUS$284 million
BT the UK telecommunicationscompany uses an online idea jar foremployees called ldquoPersonnel TodayrdquoEmployee ideas have saved BT nearlyUKpound100 million over the past four years
Sodexhorsquos SuperSleuthOne of my personal favorites is theSodexho USA Sales SuperSleuthSuperSleuth is an intranet web page andapplication that encourages employees tosubmit sales leads and prospective clientsvia the intranet
The SuperSleuth intranet pagegenerates cash rewards of up toUS$1000 for the person making thesubmission Sodexho says it hascontributed to a 100-percent increase insales leads In fact the SuperSleuth toolhas led to US$90 million in managedvolume (net client sales including salesby client) This is proof positive of akiller application
Impressive numbers As impressive as those numbers are youdonrsquot have to be a large technologycompany to realize measured ROIbenefits ndash ROI isnrsquot reserved solely forbig multinationals
QAS is a world leader in address
management and data accuracy Basedon data secured from national postalauthorities and other leading sourcesQAS captures cleans and enhances theintegrity of name and address data QAShas 400 employees with offices in the UK(headquarters) US Canada SingaporeAustralia and across Europe
While awards are nice to receive theQAS intranet has received more thanjust kudos ndash itrsquos delivering measuredresults and value for the business Someof the measured ROI benefits include bull Online expenses saved four person-
days per monthbull Finance savings online workflow has
reduced administrative processingtime from two weeks to one day
bull Purchase ordering saved four person-days per month and an ROI savingsof US$20000 per year
bull Sales proposal builder streamlinedproposal and sales process savesalmost US$25000 per year
bull Intranet use 115-percent increase inusage of the intranet (infers a yet tobe measured productivity gain)
Of all the measurements perhaps thesingle most important is ROI Tomaximize the intranetrsquos value andpotential you must secure the support ofsenior management If you want theirattention and support you better talktheir talk Nothing gets their attentionmore than ROI
Sell the sizzleIf executives view the intranet as a costcenter then itrsquos your responsibility to sellthe sizzle and prove the value with harddata ROI is everything in someorganizations (for example in financialservices) Other more progressivecompanies are intent to know and trackemployee satisfaction and productivity
Still others want to know both It alldepends on your organization andculture However only throughmeasurement will the intranet become ameasured quantity and a proven asset
Source Transforming your intranetwwwmelcrumcom
DOES YOUR INTRANETPAY ITS WAY
Toby Ward is a broadcast journalist turned consultant He founded and launchedPrescient Digital Media (wwwPrescientDigitalcom) in early 2001 His specialismsare site evaluation and strategic planning He blogs at wwwIntranetBlogcom
Hard data demonstratingvalue generated by the
intranet will alter itsperception as a cost center
In Melcrumrsquos report on Transforming your intranet Toby Ward of Prescient DigitalMedia authors a chapter on how to measure the value and success of your intranetHere we share his thoughts on that frequently elusive indicator of success ndash returnon investment
TOBY WARD
10 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
RESE
AR
CH
amp M
EA
SUR
EM
EN
T
scm
ldquoTO MAXIMIZE THEINTRANETrsquoS POTENTIALYOU MUST SECURE THESUPPORT OF SENIORMANAGEMENTrdquo
There are three situations that are mostlikely to create plummeting surveyresponse rates1 When a group never hears the
findings of past surveys or anyresulting changes they begin to thinktheir opinions donrsquot matter If theirpast opinions were valued so lightlythey feel less urgency to sharefurther opinions
2 When the group being researched isrelatively small researchers typicallyneed to poll the entire group on eachsurvey rather than querying arandom sample For example if youhave 1000 employees you wouldneed to obtain 259 responses to haveresults accurate within a margin oferror of 5 percentage points If thecompany is typically receiving a 25-percent response rate on surveysthat means that all 1000 employeesneed to be invited to participate inthe survey to get about the minimumnecessary number of responses for asufficient level of accuracyUnfortunately even for largergroups researchers sometimessurvey the whole group on everysurvey instead of identifying the rightsize random sample
3 When surveys are badly designedrespondents quit them midwaythrough The respondentrsquos feeling isldquoIf the company canrsquot be bothered todesign a good survey Irsquom not going
to waste my time taking itrdquo Somemajor survey design flaws includequestions that are difficult tounderstand questions withinsufficient or inappropriateresponse options or questions thatseem to have little relevance for therespondent Other major designturn-offs are surveys that are toolong or that are composed mostly ofopen-ended essay questions both ofwhich take too much time to answerFinally asking too manydemographic questions especially atthe beginning of a surveycompromises respondentsrsquo sense ofanonymity and kills their desire toanswer even the first real question
The following steps will help overcomethese three problems
Coordinate surveysTo avoid asking the same people torespond to too many surveys within ashort time coordinate all employee orcustomer surveys through a clearinghouse so that the timing of surveys doesnrsquotoverlap and you donrsquot ask questions forwhich answers are already available
Send the survey to only a sample ofthe audience (although yoursquoll need astatisticianrsquos help in selecting a sample ofthe right size) If you know severalsurveys will be administered about thesame time pick mutually exclusiverandom samples at the same time so thatno one person receives more than onesurvey during that period
Use short surveysThe shorter the survey the more likelypeople are to give you their time If youhave 100 questions that must beanswered break them into threeseparate surveys of about 33 questionsand administer them to three mirror-image random samples Yoursquoll besurveying more people but eachparticipantrsquos time commitment will berelatively minor
Also consider doing very short ldquostealthsurveysrdquo by phone for which you donrsquotobtain advance permission People mightnot even know theyrsquove been surveyed Asyou (and a team of volunteers) have theseconversations with respondents you wouldrecord their answers on a questionnaire
Connect research to resultsSome companies have a long history ofnot communicating results or outcomesof previous surveys If thatrsquos true of yourorganization try these two techniquesbull On a regular basis when announcing
changes the company is makingconnect the changes with relatedsurvey results ndash even if a changewasnrsquot made solely because of theresearch Your audience will get themessage that stakeholder opinionsare a regular factor in the waymanagement makes decisions
bull In the invitation to a new surveybegin with key findings and changesthat were made based on a similarpast survey and ask respondents tolet you know through the new surveyif the company is still on track Thisway your potential respondents hearthat completing surveys does resultin changes ndash at the very momenttheyrsquore determining if your latestsurvey is worth their time
FINDING A CURE FORSURVEY FATIGUE
Angela Sinickas ABC is president of Sinickas Communications Inc an internationalcommunication consultancy specializing in helping corporations achieve businessresults through targeted diagnostics and practical solutions For more informationvisit wwwsinicomcom
A downward trend in survey response rates is often blamed on the fact that peoplesimply become tired of taking surveys But there are ways to avoid the malaisesetting in says Angela Sinickas a key one being making sure that people feel theiropinions are actually being listened to Here she shares three common causes ofsurvey fatigue and how to deal with them
11scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
RESE
AR
CH
amp M
EA
SUR
EM
EN
Tscm
ANGELA SINICKAS
Little feedback the wrongsample size and poorly
designed surveys all leadto low response rates
12 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Organizations today ndash driven byincreased competition merger-and-acquisition activity and large complextransformation programs ndash arecharacterized by the need for constantand rapid change In our experienceconsistent leadership communicationsare at the center of helping theirorganizations address these challenges
With all the complex transformationprograms we work on we encourage the
leadership team to create a simple one-page ldquomessage maprdquo to use over a definedtimeframe The message map which welink to key program milestones andsuccesses helps the leadership team toplan what theyrsquoll share with employeesand other stakeholders and when
Message maps can address commonfailures of leadership communicationDuring global cross-functional programswhen all leaders consistently reinforce
the same messages they emerge as ajoined-up forward-thinking team
Message maps are also effective whenbuilding up communication to employeesover time rather than overwhelmingstaff with changes or diminishingleadership credibility by waiting too longto communicate
Compiling a message mapThe process wersquove used in the past to helpleaders develop a message map is quitestraight forward This is what we dobull We encourage leaders to work
together to agree and articulate thestory Agreeing the story typicallyrequires experienced facilitationThis encourages leaders to definehow the story will build and thengain momentum and commitmentover time
bull The story is then converted into asimple message map The mapshould make sense to all change-program leaders as this tool willguide the majority of theircommunication to employees Itshould also provide a clear view ofwhatrsquos coming next Message mapsare often shown as straightforwardtimelines but there are othereffective ways to present them (seeFigure One below)
bull Once the change story has beenagreed and committed to paperleaders use the map to know whencommunications should be deliveredand what supporting documentationto use for a consistent cascade
Revisiting communication plansOf course the content of the message mapwill need to be revisited Message mapsas with all communications evolve overtime They should be frequently reviewedto ensure that the messages ndash and time-scales ndash remain relevant to the programand align with program milestones
USING MESSAGE MAPSTO GUIDE CHANGE
Sally Harris is director of theCommunications and Engagementpractice at Molten where shespecializes in managing large-scale communication and changeprograms for global clients
Facilitate a meeting withthe leadership team to
agree and articulate thechange story
Sally Harris director of the Communications and Engagement practice at Moltenbelieves itrsquos often the simplest tools that are most effective in encouraging leadersto think more strategically about their communications Here she explains why theldquomessage maprdquo is one such tool
SALLY HARRIS
LEA
DER
SHIP
CO
MM
UN
ICATIO
N
scm
Figure One Example of a global message map
13scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
brand image and set an example for thewhole company
At The Company Agency we find thatmany CEOs are looking for strategiccommunication support coaching andguidance that goes beyond what theyreceive from their rostered PR agencyThey operate in a world thatrsquos typicallyquite lonely where information isfrequently filtered theyrsquore under aconstant spotlight and a gap existsbetween them their people and theircustomers Internal communication canplay a key role in helping the CEObridge this gap
A simple checklist Every CEO is different and facesdifferent challenges but herersquos a simplechecklist if you find yourself workingwith a new CEO or in a new role with anestablished CEObull Ask your CEO what kind of person
they would like to be viewed as byemployees ndash coach them oncommunication behavior that canhelp them achieve this goal
bull Establish very quickly what theCEOrsquos key message is ndash askquestions until it is crystal clear
bull Know your business and brief yourCEO on what type of communicationis effective or not within yourorganization
bull Provide informed guidance onemerging communication trends ndashsuch as social media ndash and explainthe business impact
bull Understand how the CEO listens towhat people are saying
bull Determine the CEOscommunication preferences ndash howdoes he or she like to receive andshare information both inside andoutside work
You should expect to be the leaderrsquoscommunicator ndash developing messagesand ensuring theyrsquore conveyed in themost appropriate way But the balanceshould be tipping more towards beingthe communication leader ndash a role whereyoursquore providing strategic counsel to theCEO and coaching them so theyrsquore moreeffective in their new role and environment
In May last year the managementconsultants Booze Allen Hamiltonpublished their annual report on chiefexecutive attrition The Crest of theTurnover Wave After studying the move-ments of CEOs from the largest 2500companies in the world they uncoveredsome rather startling facts An incredible1 in 7 CEOs will change job over thenext 12 months with poor-performingCEOs staying in office for two years Bycomparison the high-performing CEOstays in the job for just under eight years
Given that their tenure may be brief thisresearch only reinforces that the first 100days for the chief executive is a critical time
Creating myths and legendsOver the past 20 years Irsquove had the goodfortune to work for some great brandsand leaders Experience tells me thatduring their first 100 days the reputationthey bring from their previous job willeither be validated or contradictedEverything they say and do will bescrutinised Perceptions will be quicklyformed about their style and personalityMyths and legends will become thehottest gossip in the workplace
With this in mind itrsquos critical toquickly establish their reputation andwhat they stand for Internalcommunication can play a valuable rolein supporting the CEO and in turnestablish a long-term relationship withtheir new leader
Uncovering perceptionsDeveloping a personalized communica-tion strategy must start by finding outhow the new leader is perceived While aquantitative survey may satisfy those witha hunger for numbers qualitativeresearch will uncover how people reallyview the CEO as an individual and leader
With these insights itrsquos possible todevelop a plan to shape the existingreputation into one they would like tohave in the new organization This meansidentifying what they stand for andhelping them articulate how this supportsand builds the brand of the organization
Charismatic leadersIf you think about charismatic leaderssuch as Stuart Rose of Marks amp SpencerRichard Branson of Virgin or PhilKnight of Nike organizational culture isheavily influenced by the personality ofits chief executive
The behavior that resides within theorganization is typically a reflection ofthe CEOrsquos behavior and becomesassociated with the brand So itrsquosimportant to define what the new CEOwants the corporate brand to stand forand what they can do to achieve that
LEADERS IN TRANSITIONTHE FIRST 100 DAYSIn a recent Melcrum survey 44 percent of respondents said they plan to spend more ormuch more on communication training for leaders and managers With the topic firmlyon the agenda for the forseeable future this issue sees the launch of a new regularcolumn by leadership communication expert Darren Briggs He kicks off with adviceon making the most of the CEOrsquos first 100 days ndash a critical time for any new leader
LEA
DER
SHIP
CO
MM
UN
ICATIO
Nscm
DARREN BRIGGS
The first of a new regularcolumn on leadership
urges communicators tosupport new leaders
Darren Briggs is partner at The Company Agency where he advises and coachessenior leaders to be more effective communicators He has 20 years corporateexperience working at chief executive and board level with companies such as BritishAirways Microsoft Nike PepsiCo and Vodafone
The title of advertising guru PaulArdenrsquos book Itrsquos not how good you areitrsquos how good you want to be captures theessence of ambition And our recent surveysuggests that this is a message internalcommunicators should take to heart
As part of our research1 to define a listof core skills and competencies forprofessional communicators we askedpractitioners from around the worldabout their future career goals and howthey plan to achieve them Surprisinglyfor a profession that stresses the need forstrategies and plans most internalcommunicators appear to have a fairly adhoc approach to their own development
Results from the surveyAbout 70 percent of our sample said theyexpected to stay in internal communicationover the next three years Thirty-twopercent saw themselves gaining moreexperience within their existing jobswhile 37 percent aim to move into adifferent internal communication role
When we asked respondents what theywere doing to help develop their careersgaining wider experience being better
networked and finding a coach came topof their lists
Be honest with yourselfNow these seem like fairly informalactivities You might think they take lessorganizing than say investing the timeand budget to do a course or study for aformal qualification But if yoursquore beinghonest you know that getting the go-aheadto work on more challenging projectsfinding the right coach and building aprofessional network takes time andplanning These things donrsquot just happenovernight ndash unless yoursquore very lucky
Yet less than a quarter of internalcommunicators have a formal plan to helpstructure their thoughts about careerprogression and make sure their develop-ment objectives are met Twenty-onepercent say they have no plan whatsoeverand about half the respondents wecontacted say they have a plan but itrsquosnot formalized or agreed
Make the timeMaking time to discuss your career goalswith your manager and getting apersonal development plan down onpaper will pay dividends After all who
decides whether you get to work on themore interesting projects or not Andwhen yoursquore being dragged under byyour workload wouldnrsquot it be helpful tohave some targets to remind you to makethe time to network or read that articlesitting in your reading folder
If wersquove convinced you to think aboutyour own professional development hereare three important steps to get started
1 Be clear about where yoursquore startingfrom Think about what yoursquoveachieved so far in your career Whatskills do you have what are yourstrengths and which areas needfurther development
2 Look ahead to where you want to beWhat timeframe do you have inmind for your professional develop-ment What can you focus on rightaway and what are your longer-termcareer goals Be as specific as youcan about what you want to achieveand consider the followingbull Are there areas where yoursquod like
to be a ldquostar performerrdquo in yourcurrent role
bull How can you expand your networkor reach in the wider industry
bull How can you broaden your depthof skills or experience outsideyour current remit
bull How do you plan to move onwardsand upwards to a new role
3 Think about how yoursquoll close the gapWhat knowledge skills andexperience do you need What typeof development activity will help youget to where you want to be
If you know in your heart of hearts thatyou donrsquot invest enough time and effortin your own development make the timeto start doing this now
In our next column we plan to look atthe range of development optionsavailable and hear some reflections fromindustry leaders on what helped themreally accelerate their own learning andprofessional development
1 Turn to page 16 for a more detailed analysis of the study
GET YOUR DEVELOPMENT PLANON TRACK
Sue Dewhurst and Liam FitzPatrick run Competent Communicators acompany specializing in professional development for internalcommunicators and Melcrumrsquos official training and developmentpartner For more information go to wwwcompetentcommunicatorscom
A study into skills and competenciesfor communicators
reveals a lack ofclear career planning
The path to a senior role in internal communication is paved with good intentionsOr so suggests a recent study by development experts Sue Dewhurst and LiamFitzPatrick Here in the first of a new regular column on professional developmentthey review the studyrsquos findings lament the lack of a career plan and urge internalcommunicators to take action and plan their own development
SUE DEWHURST AND LIAM FITZPATRICK
14 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PR
OFE
SSION
AL D
EV
ELO
PM
EN
T
scm
ldquoTHESE THINGS DONrsquoTJUST HAPPENOVERNIGHT ndash UNLESSYOUrsquoRE VERY LUCKYrdquo
15scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PR
OFE
SSION
AL D
EV
ELO
PM
EN
Tscm
3 Cut the jargonJargon may have its place but it has noplace in employee communicationPhrases such as work-life balanceemployer of choice critical mass and thelike may make sense in behind-the-scenes discussions However when itrsquostime to communicate to the masses weneed to translate these concepts intoPlain English and provide a context tohelp employees understand Yes it takessome work but the payoff makes itworth the effort
Say the head of HR wants to share thelatest developments in ldquowork-life balancerdquothat will benefit employees He may betempted to relay the news using theterminology hersquos used to using with hisstaff However most employees havenrsquotbeen in on those discussions so theconcept may be foreign or fuzzy to themndash even if theyrsquod heard the term before
Any progress HR makes on the work-life balance front gives it the opportunityto communicate in a personal humanway and in the process capture employeesrsquoattention on an emotional level
The HR leaderrsquos message thereforemay go something like this Our liveshave never been busier and there are onlyso many hours in a day Because we atXYZ Company recognize how important itis to you to be able to spend real time withyour families while managing theresponsibilities you have on the job wersquovedesigned a program that we hope willmake your life less hectic
Most employees will relate to thatmessage It plays to their needs which isa powerful hook
Guarding against gremlinsKeeping an eye out for the jargonpassive voice and other gremlins thatmay infiltrate your writing is a goodtraining ground for being able toobjectively critique your own work Italso conditions you to look for otherways to improve your writing a habitthat will serve you well throughout yourlifelong apprenticeship
No onersquos work is as continually visible inan organization as the communicatorrsquosOur superiors our peers and the entireemployee population see us as theparagons of communications competenceThey look to the messages wersquove craftedas models of writing excellence and willpattern their own accordingly
When you think of it itrsquos one heck of aburden to bear After all how else didyou get the job if you couldnrsquot write well
But regardless of how well you dowrite how senior you are or how longyoursquove had that coveted ldquoseat at thetablerdquo when it comes to writing yoursquollalways have room to grow Thatrsquos becausewriting is as one learned professor sowisely termed it a ldquolifelong apprenticeshiprdquo
Here are three ways to improve yourwriting immediately
1 Avoid the passive voiceThe passive voice manages to creep intomessages to employees and itrsquos a sureroad to eroding their engagement It allowsthe writer to hide behind the message itclouds direction and itrsquos boring
Herersquos an example of really woefulwriting ndash a sentence structure that yoursquoresure to recognize Employees areencouraged to submit this form by the endof the month
Analyze that sentence and yoursquoll seethat not only is there no owner to thestatement but therersquos no clear directionEmployees are encouraged by whom
and what does ldquoencouragedrdquo meananyway Are employees required tosubmit the form If so then say so
The sad truth is this passive style ofwriting is all too common the happytruth is that we communicators are in aposition to do something about it Oftenall it takes is a quick rewrite Pleasesubmit this form by [insert specific date]Clear direct concise
2 Use second person Why talk at people when you can talk tothem When yoursquore communicating withemployees the use of ldquoyourdquo can befriendly and inviting
Take this message XYZ Companyemployees at customer locations shouldalways first check with their hosts to ensurethat connecting to the XYZ network ispermitted
Look what happens when itrsquos rewrittenfrom third person into second If yoursquoreworking at a customer site be sure to firstcheck with your host that itrsquos OK toconnect to our network
Yoursquove gone from impersonal toconversational
DO YOUR WRITING SKILLSLET YOU DOWNA recent discussion on the Melcrum blog raised the question of whether or not goodwriting skills are still important to the more strategically focused communicator Theconsensus was a definite yes ndash your writing ability makes an impression and itrsquos upto you whether thatrsquos good or bad Denise Baron provides some advice on how tomake sure itrsquos the former
DENISE BARON
However strategicyour role the ability
to write well remainsan important skill
Denise Baron is president of Baron Communications a business communicationsconsultancy providing strategic planning and marketing internal communicationproject management and editorial services to Fortune 500 companies
16 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Over the past five years wersquove found ourselvesbecoming more and more involved in conversationsabout careers in internal communication As theprofession matures expectations of itspractitioners are rising and for many people ajob in communication is no longer just a short-term stepping-stone en route to better things
But the question we hear time and time again isldquoWhat does lsquogoodrsquo look like when it comes to
internal communicationrdquo What skills knowledgeand experience should an effective internalcommunicator have at various stages in theircareer How do I know what I should bepersonally aspiring to and measuring myselfagainst How can I best develop my team Whereis the definitive framework to help me recruit thebest person for the job
In recent years there have been a number ofgood attempts to answer these questions In theUK a group of professional bodies got togetherto write the Inter-Comm matrix1 It listed theskills knowledge and experience a practitionermight need according to their level of experience
We were both involved in developing this skillsmatrix which was widely welcomed when it waslaunched in 2003 Some well-respectedconsultancies have also developed models to showhow a typical career path might progress whichhave helped structure career planning forindividuals and teams
A flexible model for a diverse professionDespite the success of the Inter-Comm matrix wefelt there was more to be done in the area ofprofessional development for internal communica-tors Fundamentally existing models tend to showa one-dimensional and predictable career pathstarting as a junior deliverer and developing into astrategic business-focused consultant
The implication is that if yoursquore deliveringcommunication or are tactically focused you musthave a junior role and if you have a more seniorrole you donrsquot get your hands dirty doingmundane things like writing or managing the
Building a learningframework for internalcommunicators
Planning your teamrsquos professional developmentmeans understanding the skills and experienceneeded to be successful Sue Dewhurst and Liam
FitzPatrick of Competent Communicators have beenresearching how internal communicators spend their timeat work and what behaviors the most effectivepractitioners display Here they describe a new learningframework that has emerged from the study
Identifying the typical roles andskills required for your team
BY SUE DEWHURST AND LIAM FITZPATRICK
scm FEATURES
ABOUT THE RESEARCHThe findings discussed in this article are based on research conducted at theend of 2006 More than 700 in-house practitioners replied to a survey aboutcareers competencies and development plans
A factor analysis of the data conducted by Ash Pattni Associates generated anumber of role types which were then discussed with 30 professionals atdifferent stages of their careers based in the UK Europe and North AmericaThese discussions mainly took the form of interviews and focus groups
The study also referred to data on competency modeling prepared by theUKrsquos Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
1 2 3 4 5
17scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
intranet or organizing eventsBut clearly the world of internal communication
isnrsquot quite that straightforward People join theprofession via all kinds of routes and at differentstages of their careers
We interviewed someone who started out as thedirectorrsquos PA a successful senior executive whostarted out as an engineer a former psychologylecturer and others who had joined through moreobvious routes in publishing and PR
Some had started out in junior roles Forothers their first role in internal communicationwas as a business partner Others had alreadyreached a senior position in another function andsimply moved across at the same level
A key objective of this study was to develop amodel that reflected the diverse reality of life ininternal communication one that was flexibleenough to be adapted to fit organizations andcommunication teams of all shapes and sizes
So we began our research by surveying communica-tors worldwide to find out how they actuallyspend their time on a daily basis and what skillsknowledge and experience they regularly use
The six types of practitionerStatistical analysis of the survey data suggestedthere were six stereotypical role types withininternal communication By ldquotypesrdquo we meansegments or groups of people who share verysimilar characteristics in terms of their skills andstrengths spend their time carrying out similartypes of activities and whose outputs tend to bejudged in similar ways
Most importantly these types can be plottedagainst two dimensions based on how they spendtheir time (advising or doing) and where theirfocus is (strategy or tactics) Figure One (right)illustrates these six types and how they plotagainst the two dimensions
Clearly every organization is slightly differentbut the six stereotypes described below shouldprovide a starting point for thinking about theroles and types of people you need in your team
1 The Leader Internal communication leaders manage teamsand lead the function either for an entire organiza-tion or for a large division or territory Theyspend much of their time managing and coachingteam members and working with senior managersThey see themselves as business people first andcommunicators second However itrsquos taken as readthat they have sound technical ability and will rollup their sleeves when needed Great internal andexternal networkers theyrsquore skilled at dealing withuncertainty and conflict Theyrsquore likely to bemeasured on business results and through thesubjective opinion of their senior customers
2 The Advisor Advisors support departments or major projectsby providing advice developing communicationplans and providing hands-on support to deliverthem Local managers trust them for their insightsinto business problems and understanding of howtheir organization really works Through well-developed networks and time spent understandingtheir audiences and carrying out research andfeedback they know whatrsquos really going onTheyrsquore judged on the quality of their advice andtheir ability to translate that advice into plansactivities and actions
3 The ManagerThe internal communication manager has excellentcraft skills and a sound knowledge of channelsThey spend most of their time on delivery Whenthey advise itrsquos normally about the best channelsto use or the most appropriate timing Goodmanagers arenrsquot easily intimidated and are greatat juggling different priorities Theyrsquore skilled attranslating between the boardroom and the shopfloor Their contribution is often measured bytheir ability to deliver activity against a plan andthe quality of work they and their team produce
4 The DelivererMost teams have someone in this role ndash a safepair of hands who can be trusted to make thingshappen That might range from compilingdistribution lists through to running a conferencesorting out the CEOrsquos open forum or writing andediting a newsletter Theyrsquore less likely tosupervise other communicators and depend ontheir organizational and craft skills to get the jobdone People value them for their ability to dothings on time and to a high standard 3
Sue Dewhurst and LiamFitzPatrick run CompetentCommunicators a firmspecializing in professionaldevelopment for internalcommunicators TheyrsquoreMelcrumrsquos official training anddevelopment advisors anddeliver Melcrumrsquos Black Belttraining program Theyrsquore alsothe authors of a forthcomingreport on competenciesdevelopment and standardsfor internal communicatorsand blog about developmentissues onwwwBlackBeltDojocouk
Figure One Six typical role types for internal communicators
TheLeader
TheLocal Agent
The Deliverer
TheAdvisor
TheManagerADVISE
STRATEGY
IMPLEMENT
TACTICS
TheSpecialist
KEY POINTSbull A new study has established how communicators spend their time and
what skills knowledge and experience they regularly use
bull The research identifies six stereotypical roles ranging from acommunication leader to a specialist (eg a web or events expert)
bull It also highlights 12 competencies that clarify the behaviors acompetent practitioner should display at each level An ldquoineffectiverdquocategory shows behaviors displayed by less able performers
bull The roles and competencies provide a framework for development
Building a learning framework for internal communicators
18 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
5 The Local AgentThis category covers a broad range of peoplefrom the plant managerrsquos personal assistant to aregional communication manager Internalcommunication is often one of severalresponsibilities for this person and they tend tohave a tactical focus Their agenda is normally setby the local management team although theirlocal knowledge and network makes them aninvaluable sounding board for the corporatecommunication team They tend to be judged onwhether activities happen and how satisfied theirlocal manager is with them
6 The SpecialistOur research found a small group of peopleworking in internal communication who see them-selves as subject-matter experts in a specialist areasuch as web management audio-visual productionor event management They have only a looseconnection to the mainstream profession andcould equally work in IT marketing or perhapsHR Because theyrsquore highly specialized they tendto work in large organizations
Building a competency frameworkOnce statistical analysis had suggested these sixrole types we began testing them out throughfocus groups and interviews with practitioners Inparticular we asked what skills knowledge andexperience people in each type of role neededwhat people saw outstanding practitioners doingwhat poor performance looked like and howpeople in the six role types spent their time
On the basis of this information we developeda series of 12 competencies (see Figure Two left)We found that each of the six role types could bedefined bybull Which of the competencies they need to carry
out their role (not everyone needs all 12)bull The level of skill knowledge and experience
they need in each competencybull How much of their time they spend using
each competency ndash a high medium or lowamount For instance there was commonagreement that the communication leadermust have strong craft skills (writing anddesign) but compared to say the delivererthey spend a relatively low percentage of theirtime working on this type of activity
Each of the 12 competencies has three levelsbasic intermediate and advanced Based on thedata we gathered we defined the behaviors youmight expect to see a competent internalcommunication professional display at each level
We also added an ldquoineffectiverdquo category listingthose behaviors our interviewees told us weredisplayed by less able performers For example
7
COMPETENCY DEFINITION
Building effectiverelationships
Developing and maintaining relationships that inspire trust and respectBuilding a network and influencing others to make things happen
Business focus Having a clear understanding of the business issues Usingcommunication to help solve organization issues and achieveorganizational problems
Consulting andcoaching
Recommending appropriate solutions Helping others make informeddecisions Building other peoplersquos communications competence
Cross-functionalawareness
Understanding the different contributions from other disciplines andworking with colleagues from across the organization to achieve betterresults
Developing othercommunicators
Helping other communicators build their communications competenceand develop their career
Innovation andcreativity
Looking for new ways of working exploring best practice and deliveringoriginal and imaginative approaches to communication problems
Listening Conducting research and managing mechanisms for gathering feedbackand employee reaction
Making it happen Turning plans into successfully implemented actions
Planning Planning communication programs and operations evaluating results
Specialist Having specific subject-matter expertise in a specialist area
Vision and standards Defining or applying a consistent approach to communication andmaintaining professional and ethical standards
Craft (writing anddesign)
Using and developing the right mix of practical communication abilitiesto hold the confidence of peers and colleagues (eg writing designmanagement etc)
Figure Two Twelve competencies for internal communicators
19scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
some ineffective behaviors attached to theldquobusiness focusrdquo competency arebull Doesnrsquot make the link between
communication activity and the business ororganizational context
bull Delivers communication activity withoutconsidering whether it will serve any usefulpurpose
bull Lacks understanding of their business area
Building a framework for a specific role The next step in this project was to develop asimple table to map out the competencyframework for an individual role showingbull The competencies needed in this rolebull The level of competency needed in each casebull How much time we expect someone in this
role to spend on these types of behaviors
You can either build a competency frameworkfrom scratch or if you think the role fits one ofthe six types we identified from the survey use thecompetency framework for this type as a startingpoint (see the framework for a communicationleader Figure Three right)
In practice competency frameworks will varyaccording to the size of the organization thenumber of people in the internal-communicationteam the expectations of managers and thespecific requirements of each individual rolewhich is why wersquove built a flexible model
For example a communication leader in alarge multinational organization may spend muchof their time setting the vision and standardscoaching and consulting building relationshipsand developing other communicators and arelatively small amount of their time ldquomaking ithappenrdquo or on writing and design Howeversomeone in a stand-alone communication leaderrole in a much smaller organization wouldprobably have to be much more of a ldquoJack of alltradesrdquo dividing their time evenly between thedifferent competencies
Next stepsMore information about the 12 competencies andthe baseline competency maps for each of the sixrole types will be detailed in a forthcomingMelcrum report Ideas on how you use thesecompetencies to plan your development areavailable to download atwwwcompetentcommunicatorscom
We hope the framework will help bringstructure to the process of defining roles planningdevelopment and specifying recruitment andwould welcome your feedbackscm
1 The Inter-Comm skills matrix is described in an article in SCMFebruaryMarch 2005 (Volume 9 Issue 2) called Developingcore competencies for internal communicators
Figure Three Framework for a communication leader
COMPETENCY LEVEL TIME
Building effective relationships Advanced High
Business focus Advanced High
Consulting and coaching Advanced High
Cross-functional awareness Advanced Medium
Developing other communicators Advanced High
Innovation and creativity Advanced Medium
Listening Advanced Low
Making it happen Advanced Low
Planning Advanced Medium
Specialist NA NA
Vision and standards Advanced High
Craft (writing and design) Advanced Low
CONTACT DETAILS
Sue DewhurstCompetent Communicatorssuedewhurstcompetentcommunicatorscom
Liam FitzPatrickCompetent Communicatorsliamfitzpatrickcompetentcommunicatorscom
ldquoOUR RESEARCH FOUND A SMALL GROUP OFPEOPLE WORKING IN INTERNALCOMMUNICATION WHO SEE THEMSELVES ASSUBJECT-MATTER EXPERTSrdquo
20 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC President and CEO John Ryan joined theorganization in 1997 For the first few years hefocused on financial viability and positioning thecorporation for the future ndash articulating a newvision redefining strategic objectives expandingproduct and service offerings and identifyingpotential growth areas
The business results were outstanding double-digit growth increasing profits and great customerloyalty But something was missing
Like many successful organizations FCCoperated with a silo mentality Organizationalpolitics consumed energy that Ryan felt detractedfrom employee satisfaction and he worried aboutthe impact on the customer experience
He wanted his direct reports to work togetheras a real team ndash not to behave like individualleaders of functional areas Although the groupperformed well when there was a real challengeafter the challenge was gone so was the teamwork
This is not unusual for top executive groupsbut Ryan wasnrsquot willing to accept that fate ldquoTherehad to be a way to have a team-based
organization where leaders had the autonomythey needed to perform while actively collaboratingto achieve a new level of unprecedented resultsrdquohe said ldquoFCC had a very hierarchical culture withfirmly drawn divisional boundaries so I knew Ihad a challenge ahead of merdquo
Cultural transformation from the topIn 2002 John hired Malandro Communicationbased in Phoenix Arizona to guide FCCrsquos seniorleadership through a unique cultural transformationthat would lead to the creation of a high-performance team Leaders committed to being100-percent accountable for their impact onpeople and business results They let go of thetraditional 50-50 model ldquoIrsquoll do my part if you doyoursrdquo ndash a model that breeds a culture of blameconspiracies and distrust
In a series of formal training initiatives leaderswere taught to speak from the heart listen toother perspectives be open and responsive tofeedback and encourage personal andprofessional growth
Opportunity for internal communicationBy 2003 we were well on our way FCC producedremarkable business results with strong numbersright across the board The portfolio grew fromnearly CAN$9 billion to over CAN$10 billionThen two things happened that created anopportunity for internal communication tobecome a driver of business results 1 In 2003 we earned 50th place on Canadarsquos
ldquo50 Best Employersrdquo list and a respectableemployee engagement score of 69 percent
Defining the role ofstrategic comms atFarm Credit Canada
Farm Credit Canada (FCC) is in the fourth year of acultural-transformation program At the start of itsjourney clear expectations were set defining the role
to be played by internal communication In this summaryof the companyrsquos plans and achievements Kellie Garrettand Claire Watson describe the goals strategies andtactics employed by the internal communication teamand the impressive results achieved to date
Setting the stage for a cultural transformation
BY KELLIE GARRETT AND CLAIRE WATSON
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Farm Credit Canada isCanadarsquos largest provider offinancing to the agricultureindustry It serves 45000customers and has 1300employees working from 100rural offices across CanadaFCC is ranked eighth amongCanadarsquos 50 best employers
21scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC is a high performer in all otheroperational areas and employee engagementis a strong predictor of sustained corporateperformance But the survey showed therewas work to be done to align perceptionsbetween the senior leadership team andemployees Detailed results showed the gaps(see Figure One below)
2 Ryan became more determined to create ahigh-performance team that could deliver anextraordinary customer experience andsustainable business results
Establishing expected behaviorAs a first step towards creating a critical mass ofleaders who visibly demonstrate the behaviorsrequired to transform FCCrsquos culture middlemanagement and key cross-functional teams weretrained in responsible teamwork practices andcommunication skills
Ryan then created a set of 10 cultural practicesthat explicitly outlined how he expectedemployees at all levels to behave (see side barnext page) The foundation of these practices isthe belief that the drive for business results mustbe balanced by the attendant impact on people Inother words how the work was accomplished wasevery bit as important as what was accomplishedThe cultural practices were rolled out to allemployees in 2003
With the expected behavior from leaders andemployees clearly articulated it was time forinternal communication to find opportunities tosupport and promote these behaviors
Challenge 1 Creating a strategic frameworkOur first objective was to create a broaderstrategic framework for internal communicationA review of best-practice companies revealed thatformal media represents about 10 percent of allinternal communication channels with internalsystems accounting for another 10 percent Theremaining 80 percent is influenced by theorganizational culture
Our task was to put a formal strategy in placethat would strengthen the 10 percent ofcommunication we did have control over ndash theinternal communication channels
Within FCC the dominant employeecommunication channels were immediatemanagers e-mail and the intranet (Myinet)Front-line managers delivered corporate messagesdirectly to employees and their efforts weresupported by all-staff e-mails
There was nothing wrong with this approachbut it didnrsquot go far enough in the delivery of clearconsistent messages about strategic direction orcorporate priorities Nor did it create a line ofsight between individuals and business outcomes
For example a lack of central coordination wasresulting in unclear mixed messages thatconfused the internal audience A proliferation ofemployee surveys were independently conductedby various business units and the corporate e-mail system was choked with high volumecontributing to information overload
The intranetrsquos navigational structure and searchcapability needed major improvement datedinformation needed to be archived and majordocuments needed to be redeveloped in a web-friendly format
Defining our strategy and objectivesAware of these drawbacks we defined ourstrategy as To adopt a more integrated approachto internal communication and make sure allmessages focus employees on the businesspriorities Our strategies included the followingbull Segment the employee audience and define
communication needs based on demographicspsychographics and geographic location
bull Create a consistent voice across all groupsbull Ensure internal communication is mandatory
for all major corporate initiatives and isintegrated across channels and with othercommunication activities
bull Deliver targeted information through a varietyof channels and vehicles to reinforce messaginghelp with recall appeal to differentpreferences and create and sustain interest
bull Redevelop the intranet and position it as aninformation source for corporate businessemployee industry and technical information
bull Reduce the volume of corporate e-mailbull Implement a monthly employee survey to
replace the proliferation of one-off surveysindependently launched by business units
bull Create broad awareness and understanding ofkey corporate drivers such as business strategycorporate values and brand positioning 3
Kellie Garrett ABC MALeadership is senior VPStrategy Knowledge ampReputation at Farm CreditCanada and Chair of the IABCResearch Foundation Garrettis a frequent speaker onbusiness strategy leadershipand personal brand
Claire Watson ABC APR isthe master communicationstrategist for Farm CreditCanada Watson has won anumber of international andnational awards for her workis a published author and acertified change managementspecialist
MEASUREMENT EMPLOYEES SENIORMANAGERS
GAP
Senior management is open and honest incommunication
59 94 -35
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible
54 88 -34
Managers effectively support andimplement our people practices
48 81 -33
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 94 -23
Figure One Engagement survey results
22 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Defining the role of strategic comms at Farm Credit Canada
Successful tactics introducedSome of the tactics wersquove successfully introducedto bring this strategy to life include the following
1 Tracking key messagesWe created an employee key-message matrix thatis shared with leaders across the organization andhelps to ensure we deliver a consistent messageWe deliver the rewritten message through avariety of channels including e-mail letter featurearticle in the internal publication online throughour Monday Morning Update or directly to staffmeetings through managers and supervisors
2 Adopting a multi-channel approachWersquove expanded our channels beyond e-mail andthe intranet New channels now includebull AgriCulture ndash an employee print newsletter
published three times a year to communicatecorporate information and reinforce FCCrsquossocial and cultural fabric
bull An online feature called ldquoFrom the Desk ofthe CEOrdquo to keep employees in the loop
bull All staff e-mails from the CEO and VPsbull Discussion guides and QampAs for leadersbull Internal presentations and speeches delivered
by the senior leadership teambull Other printed material such as pocket cards
and brochures accompanied by a letter
3 Cutting down on information overloadSteps wersquove taken includebull Bundling all-staff messages into a Monday
Morning Update and bundling messages forcorporate headquarters staff into a CorporateOffice Update
bull Implementing a corporate e-mail policy withdefined subject-line conventions length andapproved topics
bull Restricting the use of all-staff e-mails to thesenior management team and certain keyindividuals
bull Improving the functionality of the intranetand redeveloping key business tools forefficient web use
bull Centralizing coordination of internal surveysbull Elevating the quality and clarity of internal
speeches and conferences to focus onstrategic business drivers
Challenge 2 Supporting leadershipThe results of our 2003 engagement survey alsorevealed an opportunity to increase trust betweenemployees and FCCrsquos senior management teamRyan and his VP responsible for communication(Kellie Garrett) believed that creating greatervisibility and better access to the senior managerswas vital to the establishment of a values-basedculture and a high-performance team
7
MEASUREMENT 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Senior management is open and honestin communication
59 73 81 83 91
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible to employees
54 71 82 83 81
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 81 87 87 85
I see strong evidence of effectiveleadership from the senior leadershipteam
69 83 87 88 93
I have a good understanding ofbusiness goals and objectives
76 77 81 81 88
Senior leadership has clearlycommunicated what we need to do tobe successful
NA NA 89 90 93
Figure Two Survey scores tracked from 2003-2007
FCCrsquoS 10 CULTURAL PRACTICESWe hold ourselves and each other accountable for
1 Our impact on business results and our impact on people
2 Delivering on commitments agreements and promises
3 Building and sustaining committed partnerships
4 Creating a safe environment where people can speak up without fear
5 We measure our success by how others perceive and respond to ourleadership not by our personal point of view
6 We talk straight in a responsible manner We are committed to the successof others ndash we do not engage in ldquoconspiracies againstrdquo people
7 We ldquolisten forrdquo contributions and commitment We do not listen againstpeople or ideas
8 We are highly coachable We actively seek and listen to coaching
9 We clean up and recover quickly
10 We acknowledge others often and celebrate both small and largesuccesses
ldquoLIKE DEVELOPING A COMPANYrsquoS IMAGE ORBRAND CULTURE CAN lsquoJUST HAPPENrsquo OR ITCAN BE DESIGNED STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONHAS PLAYED A CENTRAL ROLErdquo
23scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 FCC launched a culture-change program focused on
improving performance across the organization
bull Two key aims of the program are to encourage leaders and employeesto embody the values and improve staff engagement
bull Defining its strategy and goals at the outset internal communicationhas played a role in achieving these objectives
bull Results so far include less information overload a more accessibleleadership team and improved engagement scores
The challenge for internal communication wasto improve employeesrsquo perception of the visibilityaccessibility and trust for the senior managementteam Successful tactics introduced includebull A ldquoDine-Aroundrdquo program where three
senior leaders host a monthly lunch for ninepeople
bull An online forum called SMT Exchangewhere employees can anonymously askleaders tough questions and answers areposted for all to see
bull Senior leaders author more all-staff e-mailsare more visible and accessible at companyevents and deliver presentations that focus onconnecting employees to the business agenda
The goals we started with When we defined our internal communicationstrategy in 2003 we had some clear goals to worktowards These werebull To communicate relevant information in a
timely consistent and memorable waybull To reduce information overloadbull To influence an increase in the
communication-related elements of theengagement index
bull To contribute to an increase in employeeengagement from 69 to 74 percent
We also had specific year-one objectivesbull To increase understanding of business goals
and objectives beyond 78 percent bull To increase employee opinion about effective
senior leadership from 69 to 73 percentbull To improve employee opinions related to
senior management
Achievements and measurable resultsWith these goals guiding our efforts themeasurable results wersquove achieved so far includebull The bundling of all-staff e-mail has reduced
the volume by 88 percent ndash amounting toaround 350000 messages over one year
bull Over 450 employees have lunched with amember of the senior management team and170 QampAs have been posted on our seniormanagement online exchange
bull The survey scores relating to employeesrsquoperception of leadership and theirunderstanding of goals and objectives showsteady improvement since 2003 (see FigureTwo bottom left)
bull FCCrsquos engagement scores and subsequentranking among Canadarsquos 50 best employershas moved from 69 percent engagement and50th place in 2004 to 81 percent and 35thplace in 2005 84 percent and 12th place in2006 and 82 percent and 8th place in 2007
Cultural transformationThe internal communication strategy described inthis article has set the stage to communicatecultural transformation across the organization
Wersquore now in the fourth year of our culturaltransformation ndash creating an environment wherepeople are empowered feel safe and highperformance can flourish This involves aquantum shift in how employees behave andrelate to their co-workers and customers
Like developing a companyrsquos image or brandculture can ldquojust happenrdquo or it can be designedStrategic communication has played a central roleto create awareness understanding commitmentand motivate changes in behavior at every level ofthe organization
John Ryan has the final word ldquoOver the years Ihave learned that communication is at the heartof building a high-performance culture ndash a culturewhere people are fully engaged Communicationis vital Without it leaders cannot effect positivechange Our internal strategy recognizesemployees as a primary audience and a keyconduit to the customer the media stakeholdersand communities Our strategic approach tointernal communication significantly contributesto business resultsrdquo scm
CONTACT DETAILS
Kellie GarrettFarm Credit CanadaKellieGarrettfcc-facca
Claire WatsonFarm Credit CanadaClaireWatsonfcc-facca
24 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
In January 2004 Pfizer at Sandwich in Kent UKcommissioned a review of its existing charitablecontributions program which included matchedpayroll giving volunteering and grants for localcommunity charities and voluntary groups CCWorks the community investment consultancywas also approached to manage the day-to-dayadministration of grant applications from thecommunity
However it was decided that the administrationcould not be effectively managed until suitablecriteria were put in place for the grants programEssentially a company cannot outsourceresponsibility for its charitable donations unlesstherersquos a clear strategy in place for doing this
Although there were various policies in placefor the different elements of the existingcommunity investment program there was a lackof strategic direction to the program as a whole
Auditing the community grants programAs a first step CC Works examined the existinggrants program and also conducted external
benchmarking with voluntary organizations in thecommunity to gage perceptions of Pfizer
It emerged that many organizations werereceiving small grants ndash although some werenrsquotsure why ndash but only 16 percent of the currentspend was going on health-related causes ForPfizer a major global healthcare company thiswasnrsquot strategic It was clear that as a healthcarecompany Pfizer should be trying to improve thehealth of its local area by focusing on three coreareas health community and education
There was also a need for grants to be morelocally focused A significant amount of the spendwas going outside of the immediate East Kentarea CC Works recommended that to allow thecompany maximum freedom to operate in itscommunity it should focus grants on theimmediate community of East Kent which alsohappened to be a deprived area
Segmenting current grantsWorking in partnership with CC Works currentgrant allocation was examined by sector localarea and size of grant and in May 2004 two-yeartargets were set to increase the strategic impact ofcommunity grantsbull Increase grants allocated to health-related
projects to 50 percentbull Increase average grant from UKpound300 to
UKpound1000bull Increase East Kent allocation to 90 percent
This change was designed to be gradual so thatthe shift in allocation could be well managed
The new focus on the community mirrors
Engaging employees inPfizerrsquos communityinvestment program
In 2003 Pfizer at Sandwich UK was running manyelements of a community investment program butthere was little awareness among employees and no
real focus By July 2006 the program had beentransformed and now actively contributes to employeeand community relationships Here Pam Baker andChristine Jenkins describe the journey from disconnectedpolicies to award-winning program
Communicating an approach with clear links toemployees and the local community
BY PAM BAKER AND CHRISTINE JENKINS
scm FEATURES
Pfizerrsquos site at Sandwich inKent is the UK manufacturingheadquarters of Pfizer Incglobal pharmaceuticalcompany Its workforce of4000 makes it the largestprivate employer in East Kent
1 2 3 4 5
25scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pfizerrsquos global mission to be ldquothe most valuedcompany to patients customers colleaguesinvestors business partners and the communitieswhere we work and liverdquo For the communityinvestment program a measurable mission wascreated ldquoto improve the health indicators of thepeople of East Kentrdquo
Focus on colleague involvementThe next step in July 2004 was to conduct areview of the employee engagement elements ofcommunity investment to examine how thesecould be better integrated These elementsincluded payroll giving volunteering and staff-matched fundraising
For Pfizer at Sandwich the obvious first choicewas to look at volunteering Eighty-five percent ofPfizer employees are minimum graduate level ndashoffering much-needed skills to a deprived areaAll employees have five paid days a year they canuse for volunteering ndash this not only supports thecommunity it boosts employee engagement andcreates opportunities for employees to visiblyconnect with the community and vice versa
In October 2004 volunteering was identified asa key area for development but for employeevolunteering to be a success it had to beproactively marketed inside Pfizer and thereneeded to be adequate support andadministration behind the program
A database of volunteering opportunitiesIn conjunction with CC Works a searchable data-base of local volunteering opportunities was createdPfizer felt it was important to create a tailoreddatabase that would be furnished internally inorder to ensure a local bias and to maintain thequality of the information supplied to employees
In order to tie in with employeesrsquo personaldevelopment plans opportunities in the databasehad to meet at least two of Pfizerrsquos six keycompetencies 1 Team development2 Project management3 Coaching and development4 Decision making5 Effective partnership6 Working with change
To fill the database with relevant opportunities allorganizations that had contacted Pfizer for grantsor funding in the past three years were re-contacted and asked if they would also beinterested in volunteering
Over 70 percent responded positively and 300volunteering opportunities were sourced CCWorks helped the voluntary organizations puttogether opportunities that were most likely totake advantage of Pfizer employeesrsquo range of
specialist skillsThese opportunities were categorized on the
database according to skill geographic area andtype of charity allowing employees to search forsomething suitable for them Pfizer wasnrsquotprescriptive in its approach and allowed staff tovolunteer where the opportunity matched theirpersonal-development goals interests or wasgeographically convenient
Opportunities were wide-ranging from helpingin a charity shop to teaching in a schoolImportantly because database management isoutsourced to CC Works therersquos constantproactivitiy around seeking new opportunities andproviding administrative support that would havebeen difficult to maintain in-house
Launching the ldquoReaching Outrdquo programTo encourage involvement and awarenessemployees were asked to suggest a name for therevitalized volunteering program ldquoReaching Outrdquowas chosen and the new volunteering website waslaunched in May 2005 The site sits on PfizerSandwichrsquos intranet and any employee orcontractor can access it
A charity week was also held to help promotethe Reaching Out program Various charitiesvisited Pfizer during lunch breaks to explain whatthey do and the opportunities to work with themA soft incentive for staff to register on theReaching Out site was that Pfizer would donate20 rehydration sachets to Unicef (monetary valueof about pound2)
Reaching Out was also featured in a webcastfrom a senior leader that went to all employees(about 3000 staff plus contractors) at the start ofthe week and it was profiled in the weekly onlinemagazine Pipeline 3
Pam Baker is directorStrategic Operations andCommunity Affairs at Pfizer UK
Christine Jenkins is founderof CC Works a consultancyoffering communityinvestment advice andpractical solutions to thecorporate and voluntarysectors Previously she heldsenior manager roles in thevoluntary and private sectors
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 an audit of Pfizer at Sandwichrsquos community investment
program revealed a lack of strategic direction
bull In partnership with consultancy CC Works a decision was made tofocus the program on the local community
bull An effort to raise employee involvement through volunteering hasboosted the program and linked it to employee engagement
bull The ldquoReaching Outrdquo website gives employees the freedom to work withcharities of their choice
bull By July 2006 the ldquoHealthy Communitiesrdquo program had beentransformed and won a National Example of Excellence award fromBusiness in the Community
26 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TOP TIPS FOR COMMUNITY INVESTMENTbull Ask yourself why yoursquore undertaking this program and seek clarity around
your objectives
bull Focus on likely ldquowinsrdquondash ie areas with scope for improvement such asemployee engagement or external awareness
bull Tackle one area at a time in stages and aim for excellence in each arearather than trying to boil the ocean
bull Communication is key to success Create a distinct brand and identity forthe program to encourage awareness and involvement
bull Integrate different community programs ndash a holistic approach can maximizebenefits for the community staff engagement and corporate reputation
Over 450 employees registered to use thesite over the next two months with 230 employees(8 percent of staff) actively volunteering duringthe first year This beat a target to have 5 percentof employees volunteering 12 months after launchIn 2005 employees volunteered 4800 hours
Helping employees select the right optionEmployees can search the volunteering databaseby skill geographic area or type of charity and aregiven a range of choices Then the onus is on theemployee to speak to the charity and obtainfurther details on current opportunities inaddition to whatrsquos on the database The employeethen applies to his or her line manager Anintegrated work process enables staff to obtainapproval from their manager interact with thevoluntary organization and record their effortskeeping administration to a minimum
Managers at Pfizer Sandwich are keen foremployees to volunteer because theyrsquore aware ofthe potential benefits in terms of employeeengagement and skills development ndash a largenumber of managers are volunteers themselvesPfizer also held briefing sessions for managers toensure they were aware of the volunteeringprogram its benefits and how it works
7
Engaging employees in Pfizerrsquos community investment program
Incorporating employee feedbackThe database tracks employeesrsquo volunteeringefforts including how many hours theyrsquove doneand their feedback on the opportunitiesEmployee feedback can then be accessed by otherstaff looking for an opportunity The databasegives employees better insight into the availableopportunities and allows them to select somethingthat appeals to them so that both the employeeand the organization where they volunteer gets abetter ldquofitrdquo
The database also allows for better integrationof the whole program where volunteering canprovide an alternative or an addition to fundingFor example a well-known national charityapplied to Pfizer at Sandwich for some fundingaround a diversity initiative Pfizer suggested theirdiversity manager volunteer for them instead whohelped create the charityrsquos diversity program thatis now being launched nationally
Creating an integrated programIn May 2005 the decision was taken to bringtogether all the strands of community investmentunder one brand Healthy Communities Thisprogram was to includebull Charitable grantsbull Employee volunteeringbull Gifts in kind Community investment via gifts
in kind such as the use of Pfizer premisesresources and expertise is more easilysustainable and can bring real long-termbenefit to the local community When Pfizerfacilities are used to support communityinitiatives the face-to-face contact withemployees allows relationship-building andnetworking with key influencers Also invitingthe community to use Pfizer resources on siteldquodemystifiesrdquo the company
The overarching strategy behind HealthyCommunities was to support communityinvestment holistically (ie using several of theabove elements in combination) whereverpossible Focusing grants on the areas of greatestneed helps Pfizer achieve its overall missionHowever the donation of gifts in kind can have awider-reaching impact on the community
Taking a holistic approachAn award-winning example of this holisticapproach is the Helping Hartsdown projectwhich was Pfizer Sandwichrsquos biggest ever gift inkindvolunteering project Pfizer donated andrenovated much-needed classrooms at a localschool As well as financial support and gifts inkind the project involved over 100 staff andcontractor volunteers across all departments Aspecific promotion on the Reaching Out website
ldquoBY JULY 2006 THE lsquoHEALTHY COMMUNITIESrsquoPROGRAM HAD BEEN TRANSFORMED AND WONA NATIONAL EXAMPLE OF EXCELLENCE AWARDFROM BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITYrdquo
27scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
POSITIVE IMPACTS OF THE PROGRAMThe Healthy Communities program has had the following positive impacts for Pfizer
bull The program supports and protects Pfizerrsquos freedom to operate effectivelyin East Kent UK
bull Supporting and involving employees in the program engages and motivatesthem The company is also seen to be living its values In a recent survey55 percent of colleagues felt the program was ldquofocused and effectiverdquo
bull The program provides opportunities for colleagues to develop skills Twentypercent of colleagues surveyed stated that they had improved personalskills through taking part in the program
bull A healthy community is a better place to live and work for employees andwill aid retention Retention of the most highly skilled scientists givesPfizer Global Research and Development a competitive edge
bull A vibrant and healthy community helps to attract and retain leadingscientists from around the world
bull Community is one of Pfizerrsquos six core values Communicating activitiesinternally and externally gives a positive perception of the company
helped attract this large number of volunteersincluding senior leaders
Momentum was maintained behind thecommunication of the program with monthlynetworking breakfasts and several themed minicharity fairs to give local good causes the chanceto showcase their volunteering Individuals andteamsrsquo volunteering efforts were also regularlyprofiled in Pipeline
The December 2006 employee survey showedan 85-percent awareness level of Reaching Outand the program won a ldquoNational Example ofExcellence Awardrdquo from Business in theCommunity1
Relaunching the websiteIn June 2006 the Reaching Out website wasrelaunched to incorporate payroll giving andmatched fundraising under the same brand asvolunteering and utilize the existing software Allelements can now be applied for on the same site
The number of employees registered with thesite increased to over 1000 and the number of adhoc staff enquiries handled by CC Worksincreased dramatically as awareness andinvolvement levels rose among the workforce
External communicationA quarterly newsletter containing a round-up ofPfizerrsquos community investment work is producedand distributed widely to external stakeholdersincluding 3000 local residents Following theBusiness in the Community award the magazineCommunity News was revamped its circulationincreased and it was also desk-dropped to allemployees The magazine also helps to raiseawareness of Pfizer among local organizations
A pocket-sized booklet was produced containingkey facts and figures about the Healthy Communitiesprogram This gives employees especially seniorleaders at-a-glance information on the programallowing them to act as ambassadors for Pfizerrsquoscommunity investment work
Senior leaders at Pfizer Sandwich are keenadvocates of the program and having a clearbrand helps them communicate its benefits andraise awareness both internally and externally
Next stepsDespite its award-winning status there are plansto take Healthy Communities even further Theseinclude further research into employee feedbackand closer links to personal development plans InPfizer at Sandwichrsquos Global Operations functionvolunteering forms part of personal objectives ndashthis is an aspiration for the rest of the business
Pfizer also wants to improve team volunteeringand a toolkit is being prepared for team leaderswho wish to get involved in volunteering
Finally in order to share knowledge and bestpractice around community investment with otherlocal businesses Pfizer is hosting a Kentmembership network in conjunction with KentCounty Council This will help Pfizer work closelywith the local authority and bring local businessestogether to share ideas and collaborate toimprove their impact on the community scm
1 httpwwwbitcorguk
CONTACT DETAILS
Pam BakerPfizerpambakerpfizercom
Christine JenkinsCC Workschristinejenkinsccworkscouk
28 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Editorrsquos noteSucceeding in internal communication probablyisnrsquot all that different to succeeding in anyprofession understand whatrsquos expected of you dothe job well and deliver results But when youspeak to practitioners about how they personallyturned the corner in their careers and started tomake an impact it soon becomes clear that thereare many dos and donrsquots that can help or hinderprogress This article provides a handy checklistfor those with ambitious development plans
John G ClemonsVice President CommunicationsRaytheon Technical Services Co Llc
Take the initiativeThere have been a few career-defining momentsfor me Among them was the time when I realizedthat I was moving from a manager level to the
decision-making role of a director I worked for a senior executive who hired me
from a rival telecommunications company Uponjoining the company I developed strategiccommunication plans to address various businesschallenges During the development process Iperiodically checked in with my supervisor to gethis input and approval ndash probably more thannecessary ndash before moving to the next steps in planning
One day he called me into his office and saidthat while he liked the work I was doing for himhis expectation when he hired me as a directorwas that I would take the initiative in the job relyless on his frequent input and move forward with implementation and measurement Hewanted results
His counsel was along the lines of ldquoI hired youto do a directorrsquos job so do the job of a directorYou donrsquot have to get permission to make adifferencerdquo
Meet commitments and think strategicallyHis direction motivated me to take moreresponsibility at this new job level This alsomeant that I had to not just manage but leadmeet commitments and think more strategicallyto continue to earn not only his confidence butthe support of the entire leadership team
Irsquove found that being a communicationprofessional who is also a leader that can betrusted can get things done and truly support thegoals and objectives of an organization will notonly impress others but help build your credibilityand lead to success
How to get ahead ininternal communication
The path that leads internal communicators to thetop of their profession isnrsquot always an obvious oneWhich is why we asked a range of senior practitioners
to share their thoughts and experiences on gaining therespect of those who matter Whether its senior leadersfellow employees or your own team yoursquore looking toimpress these responses provide useful insight into howto make sure you and your work gets noticed
Senior practitioners share their views on how togain influence and credibility
COMPILED BY MANDY THATCHER
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
29scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Mark DarbyHead of Internal CommunicationsVisaUK
Be smart sharp and stubbornThe biggest lesson Irsquove learned and keep havingto remind myself is that I need to be smart sharpand stubborn to get ahead This is what thosewords mean to me in a work context
Smart I need to understand what Visa is doingand what people think about the business Thismeans constantly spending time in differentdepartments and learning from them I know whoour customers are what our challenges are andwhat our current financial performance is I havecontacts in most departments who have a fingeron the pulse which means I can have a relevantconversation with a senior person from any department
Sharp Internal communication is rarely near thetop of the agenda for senior people and my timewith them is usually short I always try to talkabout the impact on business performance assoon as possible If I circulate a document it willbe summarized to a single page at most and Idonrsquot use PowerPoint I ask a lot of ldquoonerdquo questionssuch as ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing you want employeesto do differentlyrdquo or ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing youwant me to change over the next six monthsrdquo
Stubborn I know what I want internal communica-tion to achieve at Visa and it has the support ofthe senior team Irsquove built up knowledge frombooks and articles I use my education from theBlack Belt training course1 and I speak to formercolleagues With this knowledge Irsquove becomestubborn and good at saying no because I have theinformation to back up my arguments Irsquove stoppedmy team from picking up extra projects that wonrsquotdeliver much value We focus only on projects thatadd the most value to the business and we deliveron these really well Successful delivery is thebiggest influence on any senior person
Monika StaffordHead of Internal CommunicationLloyds TSBUK
Be creative and focus on a killer issueUsing creative solutions to bring to life importantndash but often dull ndash programs can create a shinethat stretches beyond project boundaries For
example I worked on the implementation of SAPndash a business-critical systems program ndash requiringbehavior change from swathes of key yetuninterested people Successful implementationwas a big risk to get right but it was as dull asdishwater to communicate
Luckily there was a ldquoEurekardquo moment Byaligning the SAP story with the metaphor ofFormula-1 racing we could tell the tale of how itwould fulfill our need to create winningperformances for both the individual driver aswell as the back-up team in order to perform wellon the road ahead This storyline was a perfectmatch for the programrsquos objectives
Launch speakers from Formula 1 great designwork not to mention fantastic collateral allresulted in a no-hitch implementation that reallyresonated with people The global companypicked it up as the approach for worldwide rollout So faced with tedium it can actually pay tostare out of the window for creative inspiration
My other piece of advice is Focus on a killerissue If you really want to get ahead (and do besure you really do as being at the center ofchange is often akin to being in the eye of ahurricane ndash itrsquos no place for the feint-hearted)learn what keeps your business leaders up atnight Use your stakeholder-management skills toget to the people you need to help you deliversolutions then execute execute execute
Focus on value-adding work only because ifyou end up working on your companyrsquos cul-de-sacprojects yoursquoll never shine brightly enough forthe leaders in your company to notice you 3
COMPETENCY
Planning internal communication 76
Linking corporate messages to corporate vision 73
CEO communication 63
Change communication 60
Communicating to diverse audiences 60
Using the intranet as a communication tool 54
Defending your department in internal political battles 43
Line manager communication 42
Professional development of internal communication staff 33
Helping employees cope with information overload 32
Securing the appropriate level of budget for internal communication 30
Measuring the effectiveness of internal communication 28
Figure One Table from The Pulse report showing the percentage of communicators who ratethemselves as effective or very effective at listed competencies
30 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
WHATrsquoS CHANGED IN THE LAST 25 YEARS
David MoorcroftSenior Vice PresidentCorporate CommunicationsRBC Financial Group Canada
Irsquom constantly amazed at the changes that have taken place in our professionover the last 25 years and the degree of talent and knowledge required bycommunicators today to do their jobs well
Back in 1979 when I started in corporate PR the major skill sets werewriting editing and great media contacts Today good editorial skills are justtable stakes and the ability to understand business adapt technology thinkstrategically plan consummately and influence stakeholders are what landsenior communicators a seat at the management table
This change has been driven by the globalization of business the advent ofnew 247 media including the Internet the growing sophistication ofcustomers and employees increased demands for corporate transparency andmore rigorous requirements for high standards of public disclosure andfinancial reporting
MORE SKILLS THAN EVER BEFOREAs a result todayrsquos business communicator has to be more capable andknowledgeable and have more skills than ever before They must befinancially literate and technologically savvy They must understand the impactof evolving accounting and disclosure rules They must deal with legal HRpolitical and business issues And they must be prepared to deal with amultitude of potential crises that can arise at any moment in any language inany part of the world
Perhaps most challenging senior management today expects clear bottom-line returns for their investments in communication Itrsquos no longer enough toinform audiences and measure communication outputs CEOs expectcommunication to engage audiences and produce outcomes ndash something thatrequires strategic thinking planning and foresight
A friend of mine who left a senior corporate PR job to become COO of amajor public utility recently summed up the role of todayrsquos communicator thisway ldquoItrsquos one of the most important and critical roles in organizations todayand yet itrsquos often one of the least recognized and appreciatedrdquo
That sentiment may be a reality in some organizations today but with moreand more CEOs beginning to realize the bottom-line value of communication itwonrsquot be 25 years from now
Christina FeeSenior Vice President InternalCommunicationsDeutsche Post AGGermany
Seek out the important projectsI canrsquot pretend to have employed a specificapproach to my ldquopersonal PRrdquo at all But in theorganizations Irsquove worked for Irsquove had theopportunity to work on a number of excitinghigh-profile projects that have connected me withsenior stakeholders and influential people atdifferent levels
7
Irsquove learned a great deal from the project teamsIrsquove worked with and also due to the significanceand scope of the projects been able todemonstrate my worth approach and skills Irsquovehad to be passionate stand up for what I believein and think outside the box constantly
My roles within DHLDeutsche Post haveallowed me the freedom and flexibility to developand deliver new ideas but Irsquove also had to practiceand embody excellent internal communicationskills myself Having developed credibility and trustwith those that matter based on my track record Iwas allowed to go ahead with other projects
I donrsquot actively pursue the ldquoright relationshipsrdquobut rather let my work and my interactions withpeople speak for themselves This has helped medevelop mentors and supporters naturally Mylearning and development has also been expandedby the opportunity to work abroad and learn moreabout intercultural communication and interaction
Marc SilversideHead of Internal CommunicationsMacmillan Cancer SupportUK
Understand whatrsquos expected of youA newly established role heightens the need formaking a good impression so that people trustyou and feel they can come to you for advice
When I joined Macmillan I very nearly got thiswrong Perhaps this is an example that otherrsquos canlearn from
When my new CEO at Macmillan CancerSupport asked for a meeting ldquoafter a few weeks tosettle inrdquo I was confident that my wide-ranginginduction would help me understand the businessand provide the basis for what Irsquod present tosenior management
Forty structured face-to-face managerinterviews allowed me to understand needs andkey issues and I started to build personal rapportMy profile was raised and at the same timeinternal communication gained good visibility
Externally I networked with contacts in similarroles in other charities and soon found thebeginnings of a voluntary-sector network This hassince grown to over 25 members
By the time my CEO slot arrived I was armedwith input from across the charity and the resultsof an audit I felt well prepared to present myvision and solutions So I was surprised to be metwith significant resistance
I later discovered that my CEO intelligence wasincorrect What he wanted was to be askedspecifically about his own views on what internalcommunication should do and what I could do for
How to get ahead in internal communication
31scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
HOW DO YOUR SKILLS MEASURE UPFor Melcrumrsquos study into budgets salaries and trends in internalcommunication in 200607 we asked survey respondents to rate their owneffectiveness at a range of key communication competencies from planning tomeasurement The results may surprise you
For example 76 percent of respondents rate themselves as effective or veryeffective at planning internal communication but only 28 percent ratethemselves as equally effective at measuring its effectiveness (see Figure Onepage 29)
In her commentary on the results development expert Sue Dewhurst hadthe following to say
OUR STRENGTHSIt seems where we see our strengths as internal communicators is towards theldquofront endrdquo of the communication planning process For example being able tolink a plan to the business strategy knowing our audiences and being able tojoin up the dots and show people how messages link to the business vision
These are powerful strengths We are one of the few functions that tends tohave an overarching view of our entire company and is able to view thecompany and its strategy from a number of different perspectives Being ableto understand the vision and strategy view it from an audience perspectiveand then create line of sight to show what those things mean in practicalterms for peoplersquos day-to-day roles is one of the ways that we help drivebusiness performance ndash by showing people what they need to do to take thestrategy forward
In turn by knowing and working with our audiences hopefully wersquore thenalso able to make sure their views and suggestions can help shape the strategyand how itrsquos put into practice
MEASURING EFFECTIVENESSWe see ourselves as less effective towards the back end of the planningprocess in measuring the effectiveness of internal communication which tiesin with the feeling from previous questions that in fact wersquore not doing muchmeasurement or demonstrating our return on investment
Research and measurement is an area where there is plenty of expertisearound to call on There are measurement conferences research reports andpublications to understand what other organizations are doing and practicaltraining that will give you the opportunity to work in a smaller group askquestions and practice techniques For help with specific techniques try yourinternal marketing team Marketers are generally great with data and well-versed in running focus groups and putting together surveys If you have anexternal provider to support your employee engagement research try them too
Source The Pulse Essential data on budgets salaries and trends 2006-07wwwmelcrumcom
him rather than how I could benefit the charity Ihad to change my approach fast
This could have cost me my best ambassadorfrom day one So my advice is make sure yoursquoreabsolutely clear about whatrsquos expected from you
Of course the insights I gained in my first fewmonths have been valuable and since then myresults have done the talking Fortunately theCEO soon became an internal communicationsconvert and advocate
Darren CrozierCommunications ManagerHBOS plcUK
Make things happenDelivery is key to career development ndash if you sayyoursquore going to do something make sure you doit Put in the effort get the results you want andbe known as someone who can make things happenIf yoursquore seen to ldquoget things donerdquo no matter howsmall the job is people are more likely to get youinvolved in activities and ask your opinion
Gaining credibility and respect from seniorcolleagues is important but everyone in yourorganization will form an opinion of you from thepeople in the canteen right through to the CEOSo try and make sure that their opinion of you is agood one
Itrsquos not just the people within your immediatesphere of influence who can have an impact onyour career so extend your network go oncourses and get involved in professionalorganizations Many of my close workingrelationships career opportunities and indeedpersonal friendships have come from meetingpeople at such events and taking the time to keepin touch You never know how things will develop
Itrsquos also vital to earn respect be trustworthy andhave good manners To recall what an ex-bossonce said ldquoBe careful how you treat people onthe way up as you never know when you maycome across them againrdquo
One of the biggest challenges Irsquove found inrecent times is recognizing my own success andselling myself Sometimes you need to take a stepback to realize just what yoursquove achieved Evenbetter keep a log or portfolio of your successesand donrsquot be shy to speak about them becauseothers wonrsquot be shy to speak about theirs
Finally try and have some fun along the wayWe all have to work for a living so learn to makethe most of it scm
1 For more about Melcrumrsquos Internal Communication Black Belttraining program go to wwwmelcrumcom
32 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pitney Bowes has followed an aggressive strategyof growth through acquisition completing 60+acquisitions since 2001 Expansion has broadenedits product mix to include an extensive range ofsolutions from office equipment to globalpositioning software
But the companyrsquos many different specialismsand huge outsourcing operations meant that themajority of its 34000 employees werenrsquot aware ofthe full range of its service offering and thepotential for different divisions to work together
As Rob Hallam vice president EmployeeCommunication explains there was a strongbusiness case for adopting a ldquoone companyrdquoapproach ldquoBecause the businesses tended to besomewhat siloed even senior managers werefocused on their divisions
ldquoAlso because we were acquiring companiesand evolving so rapidly managers werenrsquot awareof a lot of the businesses and how they all workedtogether in the mailstreamrdquo says Hallam ldquoWewere missing out on potential cross-sellingopportunitiesrdquo
Communicating a new visionFour years ago Pitney Bowes created a OneCompany Vision statement ldquoOur aim was toensure support and cooperation across thebusiness so we could provide a comprehensive setof customer solutions ndash not just a list of productsand services by business unitrdquo says Hallam Theinternal communication challenge was to drawtogether 34000 employees and build a unifiedcorporate culture The communication strategyfocused on three key elements
1 PeopleThis focused on involving the leadershipstrengthening a two-way dialogue betweenmanagement and employees communicating theculture through leadership messaging enterprise-wide events and roadshows and buildingengagement so that everyone was workingtogether towards a One Company approach
2 ProcessesThis meant integrating the One Companyapproach into the organizationrsquos operations andinfrastructure by shifting management roles andadjusting incentives and reward structuresthroughout the company
The first step was to consolidate the companyrsquosoperating activities by appointing Murray DMartin as president and chief operating officer inSeptember 2004 Martinrsquos mantra is ldquoThink AsOne Act as One Operate As One to deliverwhat no other company canrdquo
ldquoThe COO position had previously been heldby the chairman so elevating someone to that
Communicating a OneCompany culture atPitney Bowes
Following rapid growth in the form of more than 60acquisitions over six years silo-working haddeveloped at Pitney Bowes and leaders were failing
to take advantage of profitable cross-selling opportunitiesHere Rob Hallam describes the communication elementsof a ldquoOne Companyrdquo culture-change program which hasturned the situation around simultaneously improvingcustomer service and boosting profits
Persuading disparate businessunits to work together
AN INTERVIEW WITH ROB HALLAM
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Pitney Bowes is an 87-year-old company best known forthe manufacturing operationand oversight of postagemeters It has over two millioncustomers more than 3500active patents and annualrevenue of close to $6 billion
33scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
role was a big changerdquo explains Hallam ldquoAll thebusiness units now report to a single individual atoperating level It represented a huge positivemove to start the company operationalizing OneCompany behaviorrdquo
The internal communication function wasrestructured to ensure that consistent messagingreached the entire employee population Regularmeasurement was a key part of the changeinitiative This served to define the contributionof communicating a One Company approachwhere it was adding value to Pitney Bowes and itsclients and customers and where there was stillwork to do
3 TechnologyIt was important to find the best ways to cascademessages throughout the company and keeppeople informed about what was going onwithout bombarding them with irrelevantcommunication Hallam and his team deploy avariety of channels and media including internalprint and online publications voicemail and e-mail Pitney Bowes is also in the process ofintegrating its different voicemail systems and e-mail platforms into one global system
Involving senior leadership from the outsetThe One Company strategy was an overridingpolicy that started at the top of the organizationldquoThere was a big launch at the strategic leadersrsquomeeting which is held every Januaryrdquo saysHallam ldquoThe messaging was then driven throughthe organization via a companywide globalcommunication strategyrdquo
From the outset the policy was championed bythe CEO Michael Critelli who believes thatculture is central to the Pitney Bowes brand andsaid recently ldquoMy first measure of success iswhether we are behaving as one companyrdquo Thiscommitment helped to ensure that the culturalchange was reinforced by parallel changes to thecorporate infrastructure
Building a two-way dialogueThe next step was to get the employee populationinvolved and build enterprisewide enthusiasm forthe culture change Pitney Bowes has alwaysrecognized the value of a two-way dialoguebetween management and employees and hasheld annual jobholders meetings which aresimilar to shareholdersrsquo meetings for 61 years In2005 Hallam reinvented it as an initiative calledOne Forum ndash a series of roadshows focusing oncommunicating the One Company culturethroughout the organization
Launching the One ForumIn 2005 Hallam and his team created an original
and memorable One Forum launch for the 90percent of Pitney Bowes employees based in theUS Around a quarter of US employees saw thisin person the others received a link to a websitewith streaming highlights
ldquoWe put together a two-hour roadshow eventwhich helped people to understand our OneCompany approach and made them aware of allthe businesses we were inrdquo says Hallam ldquoThethinking was that high change requires high touchFace-to-face can have far greater impact on theindividuals touched From there itrsquos a matter ofripple effect such as seeing improved One Forumbrand awareness among employees who didnrsquotactually attend one of the eventsrdquo
ldquoWe wanted the roadshow to be entertainingand energizing so we used gameshow techniquescustom-written songs and comedy specificallytailored to Pitney Bowes employees It was a funevent but it also included a keynote speech fromthe CEO and a lot of question-and-answersessions with employees It was entertainmentwith a purpose and it was a great success with employeesrdquo
The post-event employee evaluations provedthe success of this approach ldquoIn some cities anincredible 90 percent of employees gave the eventa top-box rating This shows that there was ahunger for both the knowledge and theapproachrdquo adds Hallam
Taking the show on the roadThe One Forum roadshow has become an annualevent ldquoIn a five-month period during 2005 therewere 17 One Forum events in 12 US citiesreaching about 6000 peoplerdquo says Hallam ldquoAftersome testing in March and April the first bigroadshows started in early May and continued forsix months with the final one in early Decemberin Seattle 3
Rob Hallam is vice presidentEmployee Communication atPitney Bowes (PB) in StamfordConnecticut where hersquos beenresponsible for internalcommunication strategy andimplementation since 2004Hallam has led a team ofprofessionals in reshapingcommunication at PB resultedin the communication teamearning the top ranking in HRdepartment satisfaction fromall PBrsquos US managers in 2005and 2006
KEY POINTSbull Internal communication has played an important role in embedding a
One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
bull The communication strategy focused on three key elements peopleprocess and technology
bull The campaign has been championed by the CEO from the outset andhas won senior leadership support over time
bull An entertaining roadshow helped win employee commitment
bull Cross-selling ratios have jumped substantially since the culture-changeeffort began
34 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ldquoIn 2006 we compressed the programsubstantially and drove down costs while stilltouching 6000 employees Together with ourcorporate marketing group we also introduced anextremely successful lsquoelevator speechrsquo that helpsemployees answer the much-feared questionlsquoWhat does Pitney Bowes dorsquordquo
Local variationsAlthough the entertainment component in theroadshows contributed to their success it wasspecific to the US so Hallam gave business unitsand internal communicators in other regions theresponsibility for communicating the OneCompany approach to local employees ldquoInCanada and the UK they conducted town-hallmeetings and in Latin America and other parts ofthe world they produced their own variations onthe One Forum theme We made sure that theyhad the information they needed but we limitedthe entertainment to English-speaking regionsrdquo
A commitment to employee engagementThe appointment of the new COO and the launchof the One Forum roadshows coincided with thefirst employee engagement survey in late 2004ldquoWe see engagement as very much tied to ourability to execute a One Company strategy andchange our culturerdquo says Hallam He sets outfour ways in which employee engagement isinstilled at all levels in the organization
1 Visible leadership commitment to engagementThe CEO underlines his commitment by sendingregular messages to employees via a variety ofmedia including voicemail and print and onlinepublications He also uses engagement scores todetermine a unitrsquos overall performance rating andbonus pool ldquoWhen one senior execrsquos bonus poolwas reduced due to poor engagement scores that
was a message requiring no communication planrdquosays Hallam ldquoWord spread quicklyrdquo
2 Celebrating top performers Pitney Bowes celebrates its top engagementperformers by running cover stories in its globalprint and online publication PB Today ldquoThisprogram was called lsquoThe Faces of Pitney Bowesrsquordquosays Hallam ldquoWe did 10 of these last year so theyran twice in five editions Wersquove also producedlarge mural-sized photos of those managers andtheir teamsrdquo he says ldquoWe celebrate success andpublish it everywhere Our CEO loves it and wersquoreactually selling part of our contemporary artcollection which decorates the building to makeroom for an expansion of additional OneCompany and Engagement photography all ofwhich will focus on our employeesrdquo
3 Incentivizing managers via the reward systemEmployee engagement is recognized andreinforced in the companyrsquos formal processesincluding its reward system ldquoWe use a tool calledthe Strategic Architecture which is our balancedscorecardrdquo explains Hallam ldquoItrsquos a Six-Sigma toolwhich measures employee shareholder andcustomer value Managersrsquo engagement scoresalso factor into their annual reviews soengagement has a direct impact on remunerationrdquo
4 Rewarding engagementA further program called Rapid Rewards awardscash bonuses to managers and employees foroutstanding behavior including that related toemployee engagement
Aligning the communication strategyHallam and his team are responsible fordelivering the overall employee communicationstrategy ldquoWe had to dramatically improve ourstrategic approach in order to make OneCompany a realityrdquo he says
In addition to organizing campaigns such as theOne Forum roadshows to publicize the culturechange across the enterprise Hallam hasintroduced initiatives aimed at improving thereach and delivery of internal communication andmaking sure messages get to their intendedaudiences He has also aligned the structure ofthe internal communication function with thecompanyrsquos unified culture
ldquoThere were a lot of different communicationgroups so we brought together all thecommunication leaders and formed a singleInternal Communications Councilrdquo explainsHallam ldquoThis means that the communicationfunctions in the different business units areworking together to help drive change andimprove coordinationrdquo
Communicating a One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
ldquoWHEN A SENIOR EXECrsquoS BONUS WAS REDUCEDDUE TO POOR ENGAGEMENT SCORES THAT WASA MESSAGE REQUIRING NO COMMUNICATIONPLAN WORD SPREAD QUICKLYrdquo
7
FURTHER RESOURCES3 THE IMPACT OF CULTURE AND CLIMATE ON CHANGE PROGRAMS
An article published in SCM Volume 10 Issue 6 OctoberNovember 2006
3 DRIVING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE CORPORATE CULTUREMelcrumrsquos report on communication tools techniques and best practicefrom leading organizationswwwmelcrumcom
35scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Developing a global approachHallam is also responsible for a globalcommunication project called Universal Reachwhich is sponsored by the chairman and designedto support and maintain a unified corporateculture ldquoOur goal is to provide 90 percentmessage accessibility within our key customer-facing audiencesrdquo he explains ldquoThe biggestchallenge is integrating our online communicationinfrastructure which has nine different voicemailsystems operating across the world and multiplee-mail and web platforms Wersquore pulling all thattogether to provide better reachrdquo
Since 911 the CEO and other top executiveshave broadcast weekly audio messages calledPower Talks Hallamrsquos team has worked with theleadership to ensure that they incorporate OneCompany messages and as he explains they reachmost of the employee population ldquoAbout 20000of our employees have voicemail Those whodonrsquot receive the Power Talk message either inprint or online In some divisions managers playthe Power Talk messages in staff meetingsrdquo
Engaging leadership reinforces the cultureBuilding on the CEOrsquos commitment to a OneCompany approach Hallam and his team haveorganized leadership events ndash most recently at thestrategic leadersrsquo meeting in December 2006 ndashshowing Pitney Bowes as one company in actionThis campaign has helped to engage the top 150managers in the culture change
ldquoOur post-event evaluations show a strongmove numerically in senior leadershiprsquos belief thatwersquore operating as one companyrdquo says Hallam(see Figure One above) ldquoAs theyrsquore our toughestjudges wersquore pleased by the significant differencein pre- and post-event measurementrdquo There wasalso an improvement in leadersrsquo understanding ofthe companyrsquos new mailstream category
Sustaining the new cultureAccording to Hallam rippling out the OneCompany messaging requires a consistent andcoordinated approach Communication leaders inthe various divisions are now working to weaveOne Company messages into the business-unitmeetings ldquoA lot of the messaging that welaunched at the strategic leadersrsquo meeting arebeing reiterated at the business unit level Thatrsquosbeen facilitated through the InternalCommunications Councilrdquo he says
ldquoKey metrics for the culture change programfocus on cross-selling ratios which have jumpedsubstantially since the culture change effortbeganrdquo says Hallam ldquoIn 2002 we also institutedthe ldquoPB1 Awardsrdquo which is a chairmanrecognition award that goes to teams who bestembody cross-functional behavior in working on
projects which improve our clientsrsquo profitabilityour profitability or bothrdquo
ldquoHowever wersquore only really a year into thisMuch of the evidence is anecdotal but what haschanged is that our managers have broadenedtheir vision and are thinking as solutions-providers rather than product-sellers As suchtheyrsquore involving other business units out of theirdesire to eliminate customer pain points ndashregardless of which part of Pitney Bowes gets the salerdquo
Adding value to customersUltimately managers and employees who arewell-informed about the companyrsquos products andservices are in a good position to take advantageof cross-selling opportunities Realizing thispotential enables Pitney Bowes to make extrasales to existing customers thereby increasing itsprofit margins and allowing customers to benefitfrom a mix of products and services
Shifting to a unified culture directly benefitsboth Pitney Bowes and its customers ldquoByfocusing on the whole cadre of products andservices we can help our customers improve theirbusinessesrdquo says Hallam ldquoThatrsquos where OneCompany is critical It enables our clients tobenefit from all our servicesrdquo scm
Figure One Measuring the impact of the strategic leadersrsquo meeting
CONTACT DETAILS
Rob HallamPitney Bowesrobhallampbcom
I BELIEVE THAT OUR SENIOR LEADERS (MEANING THE TOP 15 EXECS) AREWORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO DELIVER INTEGRATED HIGH-VALUESOLUTIONS TO OUR CUSTOMERS
Pre SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 73
Post SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 92
Gain in two months time 19
ldquoMANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WELL-INFORMED ABOUT THE COMPANYrsquoS PRODUCTSAND SERVICES ARE IN A GOOD POSITION TOTAKE ADVANTAGE OF CROSS-SELLINGrdquo
2007
36 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
MELCRUM TRAINING amp EVENTS
CALENDAR 2007UKEUROPESOCIAL MEDIA FORUM FORINTERNAL COMMUNICATORS UK
3 21-22 March 2007 Hilton Canary WharfLondon UKThis forum is designed for practitioners who wantto make social media part of their internalcommunication strategy Over two dayscompanies such as IBM Microsoft and BT willshare case studies demonstrating their use ofsocial-media tools Technology experts will also beon hand to provide training and show you how touse these tools
THE 3RD ANNUAL EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT CONFERENCE UK
3 22-24 May 2007 Millennium GloucesterLondon UK22 May ndash Practical workshops23-24 May ndash Two-day conferenceThis event will focus on transforming yourstrategies into action Listen to case studies fromcompanies that have achieved real andmeasurable results from their engagement effortsLearn how they did it what they achieved and howthe results were measured
THE 6TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT UK
3 16-18 October 2007 London UK After the huge success of the 2006 UK StrategicCommunication Management Summit next yearrsquosevent will once again provide you withpresentations from key figures in the industry anda chance to network with your peers Mark yourdiaries now ndash more details to follow
THE 3RD ANNUAL INTERNALCOMMUNICATION MEASUREMENTCONFERENCE UK
3 27-29 November 2007 London UKDetails available soon ndash mark your diary now
NORTH AMERICATHE 3RD ANNUAL CONFERENCEON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENTBUILDING AND SUSTAINING ACULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT
3 28 February ndash 1 March 2007 Crowne PlazaAtlanta-Buckhead Atlanta USLearn how to foster an environment whereemployees feel valued and respected Hear fromcompanies including Dow Corning CorporationAmerican Express Delta Hotels and Merck
THE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT US
3 26-28 March 2007 Crowne Plaza UnionSquare San Francisco26 March ndash Pre-conference workshops27-28 March ndash Two-day summitAttend this conference and discover how toimprove employee alignment with all segments ofyour internal audience ndash from your front-lineemployees to your executive officers bothnationally and worldwide
AUSTRALIATHE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION ENGAGEMENTSUMMIT SYDNEY
3 31 July ndash 2 August 2007 Sydney Australia Details available soon ndash mark your diary now
WEBINARSDEVELOPING PROFESSIONALCOMPETENCE
3 Thursday 22 February 2007 with LiamFitzPatrick and Sue Dewhurst
HELPING YOUR ORGANIZATIONTHRIVE DURING TURBULENTTIMES
3 Thursday 29 March 2007 with Carol KinseyGoman
TRAININGTHE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT PROGRAM
3 24-25 April and 1-2 May 2007 HenleyManagement College UK3 11-12 and 27-28 September 2007 Cranfield
School of Management UK
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT MASTERCLASSEFFECTIVE MEASUREMENT
3 14-15 March 2007 Hendon Hall Hendon UKAn essential two-day intensive training courses forinternal communicators on effective measurementRegister early as places are strictly limited to 20people per Masterclass
CSR DELIVERY ENGAGEMENT amp LEADERSHIP
3 19-20 April 2007 Central LondonOsney MediaWith an excellent speaker line-up from high-profile companies including Procter amp Gamble The BodyShop ExxonMobil Microsoft Belgium Vodafone UK Dell Ericsson and Alliance Boots this case studybased event will answer questions including how do Ibull Build a CSR-oriented leadershipbull Get people on boardbull Integrate CSR with the global strategy of the companybull Deliver CSR throughout the company to make it really happen
For more information visit wwwcsrleadershipcom or e-mail mariame_lindellosneymediacouk (Reference code 910MLC3)
38 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
DESIGN
YELLOW
The future success of all organisations will be builton trust understanding passion empowermentintegrity and relationships
The future is cool exciting sparkling organisationsbursting with energy life and action
The future of brand is the internal brand first andforemost
The future is colleague as customer
Turning communications upside down
No just inside-out
Be part of the future say hello to Yellow
We help large organisations bring their communicationsstrategies to life through the imaginative use of liveevents multimedia web and design ndash distributed acrossall media platforms including DVD TV mobile devicesintranet and extranet
Ultimately developing internal brands and ongoingcommunications that have a measurable impact onpeople-performance advocacy and the bottom line
Contact Paul MiddletonTel +44 (0)161 228 6700E-mail paulmiddletonyellowcomcomWebsite wwwyellowcomcom
NEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
DESIGN
BLUE GOOSE
blue goose specialize in visual communications We make communications work faster and better We will link what wedo back to your objectives but we donrsquot talk (or charge for) ldquostrategyrdquo when you simply want tactical implementation Weuse design and creativity tobull differentiate products and services bull develop and manage corporate and brand identity bull align external communications with agreed values bull internalize corporate and brand identitybull align internal communications with agreed values bull support organizational change and bull help organizations better understand and define who they are
We work for clients as diverse as PricewaterhouseCoopers Ford Europe Centrica plc Greene King City of London Policeand Le Meacuteridien
blue goose is for any organization more interested in designing their future than watching it happen
Contact Chris BarringtonE-mail thinkingbluegoosecoukTel +44 (0)20 8869 8500Web site wwwbluegoosecouk
CONSULTANCY
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION ampSURVEYS PTY LTD
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd is aboutique consultancy based in Sydney Australia Itspecializes in employee communication strategiessystems research and employee surveys of all kindsPrincipal Rodney Gray has been involved inorganizational consulting for over 20 years following a15-year career as a corporate human resourcesexecutive Services includebull Employee communication audits and surveys by
questionnaires focus groups and interviewsbull Employee communication systems strategies and
processesbull Employee communication training workshops and
talksbull Employee culture climate and opinion surveysbull Qualitative organizational diagnosis (focus groups
and interviews)bull Internal service quality research (qualitative and
quantitative)
Contact Rodney GrayTel +61 (0)2 9909 2900 Fax +61 (0)2 9909 2911E-mail rodneyrodneygraycomauWeb site wwwemployee-communicationcomau
CONSULTANCY
HEDRON
Internal and change communication that helps teamsand individuals to develop strategies relationshipsprocesses and skills to engage stakeholders supporthigh performance and deliver change
ldquoSharp strategic thinking quality execution effectiveinterpersonallyhelliprdquo ldquoCreativity drive resourcefulnessresults great funhelliprdquo say clients
All sectors ndash ABN AMRO AXA BT Cadbury SchweppesDepartment for Constitutional Affairs HealthcareCommission Group 4 Securicor SABMiller SiemensSouthern Rail Unilever Wincanton
Our clients are happy to tell you what itrsquos like workingwith us
Contact Helena MemoryTel + 44 (0) 20 7493 0735Fax + 44 (0) 20 7493 0743E-mail helena-mhedroncomWeb site wwwhedroncom
CONSULTANCY
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
39scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
CONSULTANCY
SYNOPSIS
Founded by change and communication authority Bill Quirke in 1992 Synopsis is one of Europersquos leading internalcommunication consultancies Our clients include such companies as ABN Amro BBC BP British Airways DiageoEricsson HP Lloyds TSB Roche Shell and Vodafone
We help clients use internal communication to engage their employees in delivering business strategy and get most valuefrom their internal communication
We can help youbull Develop communication strategies that support your business strategybull Coach leadersbull Develop line managersrsquo communication skillsbull Plan and coordinate your communication with colleagues onlinebull Check the health of your communication channels and improve return on investmentbull Build and develop the communication functionbull Measure and track employee engagement attitudes and opinions
To take a tour of our online planning tool go to wwwsynopsisonlinecomproductplanningtoolasp
Contact Jane LebeauE-mail janelebeausynopsisonlinecomTel +44 (0) 20 7490 2900Web site wwwsynopsisonlinecom
CONSULTANCY
HARKNESS KENNETT
We specialize in internal communication To us thatmeansbull motivating people through inspiring leadershipbull guiding people through organizational changebull engaging people in delivering the brand
Working in partnership with our clients is central to ourethos enabling us to help deliver practical solutionssupported by solid strategic thinking All of ourconsultants have held senior positions ldquoclient siderdquo sowe know what itrsquos like to be in your shoes The vastmajority of our work comes from recommendations fromexisting clients ndash 82 percent of our clients haverequested repeat work in the last two years
Our clients include Abbey Atkins BDO Stoy HaywardThe Environment Agency Marks amp Spencer NHS Blood ampTransplant Morgan Stanley Europe Nestleacute PoliceInformation Technology Organisation Royal ampSunAlliance South West Trains and Vodafone
Our vision is simple ndash we want to be the first callyou make
Contact James HarknessTel +44 (0)1483 222730E-mail jamesharknessharknesskennettcomWeb site wwwharknesskennettcom
CONSULTANCY
TRIDENT COMMUNICATIONS
Trident Communications is uniquely positioned to definedevelop and deliver award-winning solutions that aligncommunication with business goals
We advise and partner with organizations of all sizes tocreate high-value practical applications Our talentedproject teams provide innovative research designeditorial and imagery for print and online
We connect ideas and deliver results
Contact Peter Agertoft Tel +44 (0)207 536 8900E-mail peteragertoft
tridentcommunicationsnetWeb site wwwtridentcommunicationsnet
CONSULTANCY
FLEISHMAN-HILLARD
Fleishman-Hillardrsquos dedicated internal and changecommunication practice helps businesses focus onperforming ndash not just informing
We help organisations plan and implement programmeswith the right mix of information dialogue and trainingso that employees are engaged aligned and motivatedto achieve business objectives
Because effective internal communication is vital tobottom-line performance we partner with our clients tocreate a daily dialogue ndash not a monologue ndash withemployees
Contact Nick AndrewsTel +32 (0)2 230 05 45 E-mail nickandrewsfleishmancomWeb site wwwfleishmaneuropecom
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE A listing in our Directory of Services will giveyou a chance to reach communicationprofessionals at some of the worldrsquos largestand most admired companies and to tap intodecision-making practitioners
ContactVincent SorelTel +44 (0)208 600 4670E-mail vincentsorelmelcrumcom
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
INCLUDE YOUR COMPANY BY CONTACTING US ON +44(0)20 8600 4670 OR AT INFOMELCRUMCOM
CONSULTANCY
HILL amp KNOWLTON
Better business results the bottom line
How do I manage more change Motivate managers Getthe right information to the right people Show the bestreturn on communication investment
Sound familiar Hill amp Knowltonrsquos change and internalcommunication consultants work with companies aroundthe world to find the right answers for their situation
We offer strategy insight and creativity drawing on ourconsultancy expertise and in-house experience Plus wedeliver practical hands-on help
We know that effective employee communication has adirect impact on the bottom line Working together wecan make it happen for you
Contact EMEA DavidFerrabeehillandknowltoncom
+44 (0) 7413 3176USA BarbaraEdlerhillandknowltoncom
+1 415 281-7160Canada KristaThompsonhillandknowltoncom
+1 613 786-9961
RECRUITMENT
VMA GROUP
VMA Group is one of the UKrsquos leading executive searchand selection consultancies specializing in internal andcorporate communication recruitment
For over 25 years VMA Group has provided the highestlevel of service to some of the most demanding globalorganizations developing a strong track record for thequality and professionalism of our search and selection work
We have in-depth specialist knowledge of the internalcommunication market and can provide high-qualitypermanent and interim candidates with expertise acrossinternal communication change management and widercorporate communication We understand the needs ofour clients intrinsically and strive to develop long-termrelationships with clients and candidates alike
Please call to discuss how we can help you find theideal candidate or if you wish to make a career move
Contact David BroomeTel +44 (0)20 7436 4243E-mail dbroomevmagroupcoukWeb site wwwvmagroupcouk
40 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONALCOMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS E-mail gaitensunityncsueduWeb site wwwconsultingsuccessorgTel 919 469 3895
CIB ndash BRITISH ASSOCIATION OFCOMMUNICATORS IN BUSINESSE-mail enquiriescibukcomWeb site wwwcibukcomTel +44 (0)870 121 7606
CCM ndash COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATIONMANAGEMENT E-mail membership
ccmconnectioncomWeb site wwwccmconnectioncomTel 866 463 4226
CPRS ndash THE CANADIAN PUBLICRELATIONS SOCIETYE-mail admincprscaWeb site wwwcprscaTel 416 239 7034
IABC ndash THE INTERNATIONALASSOCIATION OF BUSINESSCOMMUNICATORS E-mail service_centreiabccomWeb site wwwiabccomTel 415 544 4700
ICA ndash THE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONALLIANCE E-mail amandafoistericaukorgWeb site wwwiprorgukicaTel +44 (0)1628 642 044
CIPR ndash THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OFPUBLIC RELATIONS UKE-mail infoiprorgukWeb site wwwiprorgukTel +44 (0)20 7253 5151
IPRA ndash THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICRELATIONS ASSOCIATIONE-mail ipraseccompuservecomWeb site wwwipraorgTel +44 (0) 1372 461 188
PRSA ndash PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OFAMERICAE-mail resourcesprsaorgWeb site wwwprsaorgTel 212 460 1459
DIRECTORY OF SERVICESNEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
CONSULTANCY
3scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
BLOGGING FOR A GOOD CAUSE
3 httpwwwnfp2couk
Steve Bridgerrsquos blogon how not-for-profit organizations(NFPs) can benefitfrom the Web 20revolution is
inspired by his own experiences workingfor NFPs
Bridgerrsquos ldquoabout the authorrdquo blurbstates that his credentials lie in anunderstanding of NFPs knowledge ofweb-based technologies and experiencedesigning webs for organizations such asUK charity the British Heart Foundation
Postings cover topics such as the useof video blogs and online photo-sharingcommunities like Flickr to enhance theeffect of storytelling ndash a popularinexpensive and effective engagement
tool available to NFPs This blog could be a useful resource
for communicators dealing with theunique challenges faced by NFPs andthose keen to take advantage of blogsand online communities SH
BUZZWORD HELL
3 httpbuzzwordhellcom
The raison drsquoetrefor this blog is toallow people tovent their angerabout the growingnumber of
technical buzzwords creeping into ourdaily language Or as the blogrsquos ownstated mission puts it ldquoWe willlsquocondemnrsquo buzzwords to the circles ofhell from Dantersquos Infernordquo
Most will already be familiar with
MASTERING BUSINESS IN ASIANEGOTIATION
3 by Peter Nixon John Wiley 2005
In the global village wework in today many ofus deal withsubsidiaries partnerssuppliers andcustomers throughoutAsia Yet many of usknow little about Asia
This is a book aboutnegotiation rather than communicationbut therersquos much to learn about doingbusiness in Asia especially if yoursquore acommunication advisor to line managersin your organization
The main message of the book is thatthe solution is always in dialogueDifferences with the West are describedin terms ofbull People relationships (families and
networks) are more important thancontracts groups are more importantthan individuals gender age andhierarchy matter
bull Process bargaining and variablepricing financial risks security risksand health risks Asians fear of
BOOKS EVENTS RESEARCH REPORTS BLOGS SURVEYS URLS
making mistakes (there is littleperformance management and evenone mistake can cost a career familyloyalty significant financialincentives) feedback (giving respectand saving face) and the widevariety of legal financial andgovernance frameworks
bull Content conflict avoidance (youcanrsquot openly discuss problems)variable pricing (negotiationdialogue) volume and marginscorruption and multiple currencies
Much of the book covers the stages inthe negotiation process introductionobjection creating contracting andfollow-up It also provides detailed how-to guidelines with templates lists anddiagrams that appear to apply tonegotiations everywhere not just in Asia
The rest of the book covers key aspectssuch as communication how to usetactics how to control and manageinformation peoplersquos motivation andbehavior and managing specificsituations and meetings
The communication chapter coverscountless aspects of face-to-facecommunication and much of this applies
ldquoWE WILL CONDEMNBUZZWORDS TO THECIRCLES OF HELL FROMDANTErsquoS INFERNOrdquo
ldquoTHIS BOOK ISRECOMMENDED IF YOUHAVE BUSINESSDEALINGS IN ASIA ORADVISE THOSE WHO DOrdquo
BLOGS
BOOKS
to communication within all cultures notjust in Asia
Although what is covered is handledwell there are some areas that couldhave received greater attention Forexample there is little discussion of thedifferences among the various countriesand cultures in Asia And Irsquod have likedmore on business etiquette and the useof humor entertainment and gifts
This book isnrsquot going to help youmanage corporate communication inAsia But it is recommended if you havebusiness dealings in Asia or advise thosewho do The author has vast experienceworking training and communicating inAsian countries He writes well andexplains things clearly
Review by Rodney GrayEmployee Communication amp Surveys Sydney
terms such as folksonomy monetizationblogosphere and social networking Forbetter or worse these terms have slippedinto our corporate language and areprobably here to stay
Still next time yoursquore working on acommunication about somethingtechnical it might be a good idea tocheck that not too many of the termsyoursquove used have recently beenconsigned to Buzzword Hell MT
4 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Keith HardieBerwin Leighton PaisnerDepending on the level ofcommitment in the seniorteam you may want to
consider a General Electric approachcalled WorkOut Essentially you getpeople together from a cross-section ofthe company give them a strategypresentation outline the problems tosolve and then get them to come up withideas The senior-manager host has tolisten to the presentations decide (onthe spot) whether to take the ideasforward and then help mentor theproject teams identified to take thesuccessful ideas forward
Q Does anybody have any ideasfor creating a cascade withparticular focus on trainingmiddle managers to do thismore effectively
Angela SinickasSinickas Communications IncMy experience and clientsurvey results show that
cascading as a way of broadcasting newinformation is not effective In factcompanies in my survey database whopurposely use cascading as a way ofbroadcasting new information are theones with the largest percentage ofemployees hearing things on the grapevine
This is because as soon as the directoror vice president conducts the firstmeeting the attendees go away and discussit with their friends in the office whosemanagers have not yet had a meetingMy experience shows that employees atall levels have higher information levelson key company topics in organizationswhere they rely on mass communicationto provide consistent and timely informationto all employees This is followed byface-to-face meetings to discuss thecontext of the information for each workgroup and how it might affect them
I would recommend using e-mailnewsletters to those with online accessand posting PDFs of the sameinformation on as many bulletin boardsas possible to reach employees withoutonline access
The training Irsquod recommend formanagers is how to provide local context
At the end you can either simply wrap upwith a summary of the ideas or have a15-minute break then reassemble tostart evaluating the ideas and identifyingwhich ones are worthy of furtherinvestigation or development Yourbiggest challenge is involving field-basedstaff The nature of brainstorming is thatit needs to be dynamic ndash itrsquos almostimpossible to get the full benefit viaremote links
Richard HareBritish American TobaccoIrsquom not sure how you caninvolve field-based staffwithout bringing
them in I believe you get the maximumvalue from people collaborating byphysically getting them together I knowonline collaboration is possible and thereare numerous examples on the web butthe will to collaborate to solve problemsin this fashion tends to come from thepeople involved
For the past couple of years wersquovebeen facilitating ldquoDeep Diverdquo eventsbased on the method developed by Ideo1
This was licensed by a company turnedinto a product and sold as ldquoinnovation ina boxrdquo Used in an event lasting aminimum of a day the participants talkto experts in the area of the challengetheyrsquore facing Itrsquos an innovative way toquickly get new ideas from a group Wefly people in to take part and have ateam of facilitators to help them with the challenge1 Learn more about the Ideo process at
httpwwwideocommedianightlineasp
Denise Baron Baron Communications ampEditorial ServicesEmployees will be moreinclined to participate in
brainstorming or other idea-generatingexercises when therersquos clear evidencethat senior management cares about whatthey think and is willing to take the timeto listen It also helps immensely if someof the suggestions are actually implemented
Unless senior managers intend to giveserious consideration to the ldquovoice of thepeoplerdquo in some tangible way ndash regardlessof the format employees will view therequest as an empty exercise and will behard-pressed to want to ldquoengagerdquo Sobefore you embark on yet another ldquothinktankrdquo clone the first question to askyourself is not how but why
Tom BrannanYes CityThe ideal genuine brain-storming session only lastsabout an hour any longer
and people will start to lose theircreativity Try going back to basics1 Decide what problem you want
to solve2 Nominate a ldquoproblem ownerrdquo Itrsquos
their task to give a five-minute briefon the issue to the rest of the group
3 Donrsquot involve more than a dozenpeople in the session
4 Give them 45 minutes to be creativein suggesting solutions
5 Capture everything but donrsquot allow anyevaluation ndash even the wildest ideashave value in sparking other thoughts
the communicatorsrsquo
NETWORK
A ROUND-UP OF THE LATEST HOT DEBATES AND SHARED ADVICE
In this issue we share some suggestions from the Communicatorsrsquo Network onhow to conduct the most effective brainstorming sessions There was alsodebate surrounding the idea of cascading information ndash to some it spellsdisaster to others itrsquos an efficient way to save both time and resources Andfind out what practitioners think about the use of logos for internal projects ndashare they helpful or just confusing
Q Does anyone have any ideas on how to create successful brainstormingsessions between managers and employees including field-based staff
QA
5scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
to higher-level information and how tofacilitate discussions ndash not on how topresent corporate bullet points effectively
Naomi CohenBSI British StandardsCascading has the benefitof high levels of trust(research shows the closer
to the employee the messenger is themore likely the message is to bebelieved) but low levels of reliability(therersquos great potential for distortion ofkey messages going through a thirdparty) I tend to apply a mixed approachdepending on the message
One factor for example is the sensitivityof the information If itrsquos somethingthatrsquos going to affect or threaten peoplersquosjobs go for face-to-face discussions assoon as possible both to limit theamount of time staff have to speculateand to demonstrate due careprocess
If itrsquos information that wonrsquot have animmediate impact there can be value ininitiating mass communication and thenallowing time for face-to-face briefingsThis gives staff the opportunity to thinkthrough what theyrsquove heard and considerquestions for discussion
Dealing with feedbackThe key is that the cascade works bothways Itrsquos vital that any questions raisedfor which the line manager doesnrsquot havethe answer can be sent back ldquouprdquo foranswering and any feedback is equallyfed back into the center
I agree that training middle managersis useful but so is training teamlinemanagers as theyrsquore the ones who usuallydeliver the information
One approach that can work well is toidentify internal ambassadors and usethem as your grapevine This is a groupof people at mixed levels that betweenthem touch all parts of the business andare the natural communicators eitherbecause of their roles or theirpersonalities
Brief them train them make them feelspecial explain to them the CEOrsquosthinking and use them to communicatekey messages as a supplement to formalcascades through the managementstructures
But if the objective is to communicateyour CEOrsquos messages then Irsquod personalizethem from the CEO consistently usinghisher name face and tone of voice Themore authentic the better
Q Does the use of logos to brandinternal communicationprojects create confusion ordo they help staff to quicklyidentify a message and itsmeanings
Nicholas Ranken Atos OriginIt greatly depends on yourcontext I worked on amajor change project for a
multinational company where the companyidentity and colors were consistently usedin their internal communication
Our project followed a previousattempt that had been a very costlyfailure So we intentionally wanted tocreate a totally different and clearlyidentifiable image and logo The projectwas also of high strategic importance sowe wanted it to stand apart from otherprojects going on at the same time
Given that the corporate colors at thetime were dark blue and gray which wefelt were quite conservative andunderstated we chose bright bold colors(orange with dark blue text as a link backto the corporate colors) and a dynamicpattern to reflect the modern innovativenature of our project
That said as a consumer of internalcommunication myself (in a differentcompany) Irsquom definitely sensitive to thenotion of too many competing logos andcolors An overload of logos and project names can really detract from theoverall message
Deborah GogartyBritish EnergyWe used a logo to brand aproject a few years agoThe project was never fully
embraced by the whole organizationbecause they identified the logo asrepresenting the project teamrsquosresponsibilities So the audience wasconstantly looking for direction from theteam rather than taking up the causethemselves The logo (and the collateralthat carried it) seemed to create anunconscious helplessness in the audiencewhich took a long time to overcome
What Irsquove learned is that logos arepowerful devices and need to beunleashed only when their full potentialon behavior has been gaged
JOIN THE COMMUNICATORSrsquoNETWORK NOWAs a valued scm subscriber you are entitled tojoin The Communicatorsrsquo Network an onlinediscussion forum for communication practitionersworldwide Itrsquos a lively community that helpsyou find answers to your communicationquestions fast The discussion is monitored soyou will receive no unsolicited e-mail and wewill seek your permission first if we would liketo print any of your ideas in scm
E-mail commsnetwork-onmelcrumcomto join and gain instant access to a globalnetwork of your peers
commsnetwork-onmelcrumcom
LATEST ON THEMELCRUM BLOG
Is good writing essential to being a goodcommunicator This question was posed bySCMrsquos editor Mandy Thatcher and responsesfrom around the globe suggested it certainly isldquoEffective communication by those who cannotwrite is a contradictionrdquo was one commentBut the broader debate in this discussionstream was whether the traditional route ofprofessional development ndash where you masterthe tactics first and then become a goodstrategist is being replaced by a new processwhereby communicators are free to pursuewhatever it is they do best Developmentexpert Sue Dewhurst replied ldquoEven wherepeople do pursue strategic roles thefundamentals are still importantrdquo
What came first Googlersquos culture or itssuccess Melcrum editor Alex Manchesterposed the question and commenters discussedthe effectiveness of Googlersquos famous ldquo20-percent free time for employeesrdquo project
Is it time internal comms became ICInternal communication consultant DeniseBaron took issue with the suggestion that theterm ldquoInternal communicationrdquo would soon bereplaced by the ldquotrendyrdquo acronym ldquoICrdquoBaronrsquos response was ldquoFor my money IC comestoo close to ICK Nothing trendy lsquobout thatrdquo
wwwmelcrumblogcomldquoThoughts and revelations on internalcommunication and beyondrdquo
6 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PEO
PLE
scm
Tell me about your roleUntil recently I was head of globalinternal communication at Dell but Imoved into a new role six months ago toleverage my consulting and agencybackground The best way to describe myrole is lead consultant for thecommunication function with a focus ondriving strategy and innovation
What does this role entailA priority right now is to develop andimplement Dellrsquos new digital-mediastrategy More broadly my mandate is tolook at what wersquore doing and should bedoing over the next six months and figureout how we can have more of an impactacross all our audiences
How would you describe the Dell cultureThe company is much bigger than it usedto be but the culture still has a strongbias for action and lack of complacencyThe expectation for our team is to remainnimble and proactive and look for waysto constantly improve and reinvent howwe do things My new position is a directreflection of that Therersquos a need for anoverarching perspective someone with acommunication and consultingbackground who can dive in developstrategies and direct projects
What projects are you working onWersquove already launched an internal andexternal blog and have just introduced
Studio Dell an online vlog outlet gearedto core customer groups containing videoclips product profiles and interviewsDell also recently established a presencein Second Life Part of my role is to helpkeep all these initiatives coordinated
What issues do you faceOne question wersquore looking to answer ishow to develop and expand our blogsShould we have external blogs for differentlanguage groups such as Japanese andMandarin And if so how do weproceed Internally should we developblogs for some of the regions orparticular divisions of the company
What have you learned about the social-media environmentWe were one of the first major globalcompanies to join the blogosphere Butthe general consensus initially amongobservers was that we were talking aboutissues that were relevant to us ratherthan customers or pundits outside DellWersquove learned from that and madechanges to ensure we listen as well as talk
What can social media do internallyLast year was a tumultuous year for Dell
in terms of our performance Employeesnow need regular updates and discussionaround the situation and what we plan todo to improve So the internalphilosophy is to be even more candidand transparent with employees thanwersquove been For example wersquore using theblog to facilitate conversations betweenemployees and executives
Have leaders resisted this approachTherersquos an understanding among leader-ship that we need to be candid and willingto listen to criticism and respond to itThe leadership team understand thatcredibility is paramount and are willingto share the facts wherever they can
What advice would you offer toorganizations about to start a blogSome companies make the mistake ofbeing enamoured with new technologybut donrsquot have a clear reason for using it
We were very clear about why we weregetting involved ndash to have betterconversations with our stakeholdersparticularly our customers This goalhelps us to define the rules ofengagement and guides the editorialcontent Externally if it isnrsquot relevant orhelpful to customers we donrsquot blog aboutit Our strategic purpose internally is tobe more transparent relevant andcredible when we talk to employees
Also do your homework We did a lotof benchmarking and looked at whatother companies were doing ndash good andbad ndash to get a sense of what we should bestriving for
Finally donrsquot just add to the noiseTherersquos already a huge volume ofinformation out there Thing about howyour blog can add something useful
How would you respond to the criticismDell received in the blogosphere last yearWe knew Dell would be criticized bysome of the influential bloggers Weknew there would be skepticism in viewof the companyrsquos customer service andfinancial issues in 2006 But we listenedadapted and learned from that Now thatwersquore part of the conversation amentality of continuous improvement isalways critical to doing well
DEVELOPING DELLrsquoS DIGITALMEDIA STRATEGY
Bernard Charland acts as lead in-house consultant for Dellrsquos global corporatecommunication function focusing on communication strategy and innovation Previousto this role he was director of Global Internal Communications for the company
Have a clear strategicreason for entering theblogosphere internally
or externally
Bernard Charlandrsquos varied background is proving valuable in his new role which isto focus on strategy and innovation within Dellrsquos global corporate communicationfunction A large part of this role currently is developing and coordinating Dellrsquosdigital-media strategy Here he describes whatrsquos been achieved so far future plansand lessons learned
PROFILE BERNARD CHARLAND
THOUGHT LEADER LEE SMITH
7scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PEO
PLE
scm
Lee Smith FCIPR is a director of Gatehouse specializing in internal communicationfor professional and financial services businesses He also authors the TalkingInternal Communication blog at wwwtalkingictypepadcom
had to give and I canrsquot pretend I wasalways a joy to be with during that period
It didnrsquot help that I lived nearly 80miles away in Birmingham During thoseyears I saw more of the M6 motorwaythan your average lorry driver I alsospent far too many nights eating badfood in cheap Manchester hotels all ofwhich eventually took its toll
Then came the exams nearly 30 hours of them Again Irsquod done myhomework so I managed to come awaywith decent marks
My final hurdle the dreadeddissertation took around two years tocomplete I chose to focus onorganizational identity and just to makemy life tougher decided to use a ratherobscure psychological researchtechnique Getting to grips with thatfinding the time to conduct lengthyinterviews analyze results and craft mytome was incredibly difficult
Being a perfectionist I took it right to the wire ndash submitting my finaldocument just before the universityrsquosultimate deadline
Time to celebrate Last month saw the end of my long andarduous journey The ritual of thegraduation ceremony was a fitting endingand helped draw a line under thatparticular chapter of my professionaldevelopment story
Therersquos no doubt that the course wasbeneficial and although the journey wassometimes difficult the experience wasmostly enjoyable I fell just 3 percentshort of the distinction grade I wantedbut Irsquom still very proud of myachievement And I know Irsquom now amuch more thoughtful and effectivecommunicator
Would I recommend the MSc route toother communicators Yes but I wouldmake sure they realize the enormity ofthe challenge A part-time MSc is not foreveryone It will demand considerabletime energy and effort and may welltake its toll on your personal life andyour waistline But if you persevere overthe long run it might just be worth itNow about that PhD
Irsquove always taken my professionaldevelopment seriously From themoment I entered the communicationprofession in 1991 Irsquove worked hard tohone existing skills build new ones andbroaden my knowledge Some havecalled me dedicated others obsessive
During those 16 years Irsquove participatedin dozens of training courses attendedmore than 50 conferences sacrificedmany an evening to study supported twoprofessional bodies judged industryawards written articles organizedevents volunteered for charities andmentored many aspiring communicators
My biggest development featYet all of this pales into insignificancewhen compared to my biggestdevelopmental feat so far ndash earning anMSc in Corporate Communication andReputation Management Itrsquos likecomparing a gentle stroll to scaling alarge mountain
I finally graduated from the Universityof Manchester Business School inDecember 2006 but it took me five longyears to reach that point Havingenrolled as a svelte twenty-something Igraduated an overweight and slightlygraying 35-year-old It was a slow andoccasionally painful assent
The first stepsBack in 2001 what appealed to me aboutthe course was its strategic focus Unlikesome post-graduate courses theManchester MSc is genuinely multi-
disciplinary touching on communicationtheory branding psychologystakeholder management ethics andbusiness strategy ndash to name a few
Itrsquos also refreshingly practicalcombining robust academic thinking withreal-world case studies While I wantedacademic rigor it was very important tome to be able to practically apply thelearning at work
It took me some time to understandthe relevance of the ldquoScrdquo in MSc Sciencewas a subject I detested at school but Irecognized its importance to my futureas a communicator I was also very awareof my own weakness in that area Thatrsquosone of the benefits Irsquove gained from thecourse ndash a real appreciation of goodresearch and the knowledge to do it well
Things went well academically though juggling part-time study with afull-time career is never easy I wasdisciplined enough to invest thenecessary time and to gradually work myway through the course reading list andgood marks followed
A balancing actThe course proved a little morechallenging on a personal level Work-life balance is hard enough to achieve letalone work-study-life balance Something
IS FURTHER STUDY THEROUTE FOR YOU
It takes dedicationbut a post-graduate
degree can beprofessionally and
personally beneficial
Who said professional development was easy Commitment perseverance andpatience are some of the attributes Lee Smith found invaluable as he workedtowards obtaining his masters degree
8 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TEC
HN
OLO
GY
scm
Creating dialogue within an organizationand encouraging involvement are two ofthe major attractions associated withblogs These were also the primary reasonsbehind the World Bankrsquos decision tolaunch their first internal blog last year
The occasion was the organizationrsquosannual meeting a series of events held inSingapore in 2006 This 10-day eventbrings together around 10000 peopleincluding media representatives to discussissues related to poverty reduction andinternational economic development
According to Egan traditionalmethods used previously to report on theevent such as articles video and audiolinks on the internet and intranet siteshad failed to spark employeesrsquo interest inthe progress and outcomes of the meetingsBlogging seemed like a good way drive toemployeesrsquo interest and involvement
Objectives of the blogEgan summarizes the objectives andrationale behind the blog as follows bull To provide an alternate voice to share
the business outcomes of the meetingsusing informal first-person reportingof behind-the-scenes activities
bull To encourage the use of otherresources by linking blog readers tomore serious information
bull To encourage employee interactionand increase dialogue
Throughout the event the blog wasupdated daily by the head of internalcommunication The entries wereunedited but reader comments weremoderated before they were posted
Outcomes and evaluationAccording to Egan this blogging experimentsurpassed their expectations by helpingto achieve the following three outcomes1 Renewed credibility for the voice of
internal communication ldquoCorporatecommunication always suffers thereputation of towing managementrsquosline The tone and delivery of theblog entries very clearly did not Wehad many comments along the linesof lsquoFinally the real storyrsquordquo
2 A feeling of inclusion ldquoBy providinga sense of the context and atmosphereemployees who didnrsquot attend theevent still felt like they were part ofit Many commented that lsquoFor thefirst time I feel Irsquom therersquordquo
3 Better awareness of the outcomes ofthe meetings ldquoThe blog provided thehook into other channels ofinformation which staff may nototherwise have consulted The first
thing some of the readers did in themorning was to check the blogrdquo
Egan admits that there were some whowere initially skeptical about bloggingldquoWe did have a couple of comments onthe blog saying lsquoThis is frivolousrsquo butothers responded by saying lsquoLighten upThis makes a nice change from all theboring official informationrsquordquo
Another problem was a potentiallyoffensive remark which had to be removedprompting the composition of an officialblogging policy to define the roles andresponsibilities of authors and commenters
Optimistic about the new toolFollowing on from the success of thisfirst blog the communication team hassince launched a variety of blogs some ofwhich have been successful others lessso Ironically a blog set up to discuss aworldwide conference on communicationgot minimal response Staff participationin external blogs has also been low ButEgan remains optimistic about thepotential of this tool
ldquoThere are millions of blogs out thereand lots of participation in them But ina business setting it takes a bit moretime before a community of practicedevelops and people believe that this is atrusted space where they can commentwithout being ridiculed or scornedrdquo
Advice to corporate bloggersTo build confidence in the tool Egan hasplans to launch an internal marketingcampaign and the organizationrsquos newintranet site will provide a forum forfuture blogging developments
Eganrsquos primary advice to fellowcorporate bloggers is to keep the contentgenuine ldquoIt becomes very obvious veryquickly who is doing the writingrdquo Shealso suggests keeping blogs topic or event-specific and avoiding general musings
Her final reminder is that blogsshouldnrsquot replace traditional tools butcompliment them ldquoBlogs can be fabulousbut you need to put them in context withthe other tools that are available Be veryclear about their purposerdquo
USING BLOGS TO INVOLVE ATWORLD BANK
Michele Egan is a senior communications officer in the World Bank Grouprsquos internalcommunications unit Among other tasks she leads the development and delivery ofthe grouprsquos electronic communication tools
Experimenting with blogsat the World Bank has
shed light on what worksand what doesnrsquot
In 2006 the World Bank set up a blog to spark interest and involvement in amajor organizationwide planning event The positive response has inspired a moreadventurous and experimental approach to blogging Based on recent experiencessenior communications officer Michele Egan reflects on the potential benefits andpitfalls of using this tool
MICHELLE EGAN
by Sona Hathi
INTRANETS EMBRACESOCIAL MEDIA
Neilson Normanrsquos latest report on thetop 10 intranet designs of 2007 shows anincrease in the use of multimedia andsocial media on intranet sites
Although multimedia was a significantfeature in last yearrsquos list this year seesphotos video news feeds and webcamsput to more innovative use Indicatingthat social media has not been a passingfad of 2006 many of the intranets haveimplemented popular Web 20 featureslike blogs (with specific business angles)and business-relevant wikis
Video is being used for training andcorporate communication butorganizations such as American ElectricPower have pushed the use of thischannel by setting up a TV studio forintranet productions offering employeesstreaming video and live webcasts
News feeds have long been used onintranets but this year the bestselections offer more relevant internaland external news and involveemployees by allowing them to ratestories and comment
Translation comes out topsMany of the reportrsquos winning intranetsoffer language translation for theirinternational employees Dow Chemicalfor example uses English for most globalcontent but translates important contentinto Dutch German French ItalianPortuguese and Spanish Selectedcontent is also translated into ChineseGreek Japanese and Thai
A total of 49 different technologyproducts are used by the reportrsquos topintranets with Windows Server GoogleSearch Appliance and SharePoint beingamong the most popular SH
httpwwwnngroupcom
9scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TEC
HN
OLO
GY
scmUPDATECALCULATING THEROI ON BLOGGING
The difficulty of placing a precisemonetary value on corporate blogging isone of the setbacks of this tool But anew report from Forrester calledCalculating the ROI of blogging offersways to identify the benefits costs andrisks that corporate blogging involvesusing a three-stage process 1 Quantify and assign value to the key
benefits of blogging 2 Estimate the costs of blogging3 Incorporate risk calculations into the
ROI model
The report describes how to measure theimpact blogging has on the businessoutcomes using ldquometrics that everyone isfamiliar withrdquo For example themonetary value of press mentions can bemeasured by counting the number ofblog-driven stories by online press webmedia and high-profile bloggers andthen calculating the cost of advertising inthe same publications
General Motorsrsquo case studyThe report also features a case study onGeneral Motorsrsquo two-year-old blogFastLane to which the authors applytheir ROI process Rather thanpresenting the company with a finalnumerical figure theyrsquove come up withnew objectives advising them how to getthe maximum benefits from blogging andimprove its impact on business outcomes
Whether yoursquove already startedblogging or are about to take the plungethis report provides direction on how toevaluate how your blog and decide whichdirection it needs to go in to gainmaximum business value SH
httpwwwforrestercom
SENIOR EXECS BIG ONNEW MEDIA
A survey of 100 CEOs and CMOs fromFortune 2000 companies found that 76percent of senior executives areexperimenting with alternative mediasuch as blogs Second Life and socialnetworking
The study by Weber Shandwick andKRC Research found that 69 percent ofthose surveyed currently use socialnetworking while 37 percent plan to useit more over the next five years
Ninety-one percent of those surveyedcurrently make use of their companywebsite and 66 percent plan to use theirwebsite more over the next five yearsmaking it number one in the surveyrsquos listof media tools
Use of virtual worlds to growAvatar-based marketing (marketingthrough virtual worlds such as SecondLife) came last in the list of 20 mediatools senior executives plan to use overthe next five years However researchersbelieve that the use of virtual worlds incommunication and marketing willincrease as more companies learn how touse them more effectively
Billee Howard managing director ofthe Global Strategic Media Group atWeber Shandwick said ldquoWersquore in theearly days of a totally new media eraThose companies that do not combinethe new-media paradigm with the best oftraditional media will most certainlyproceed at their perilrdquo SH
Source The Changing Face of Marketingand Communications in Todayrsquos CreativityEconomy
httpwwwwebershandwickcom
TECHNOLOGY UPDATE
When talking about return on investment(ROI) for the intranet and other ldquosoftrdquobenefits these are the kinds of results oroutcomes usually referred to
Measurable ROI from hard benefitsinclude bull less paperbull less hardwarebull less headcount andbull increased sales
Soft benefits includebull increased employee productivitybull better customer satisfactionbull faster time to market andbull improved employee retention
IBM Oracle and Cisco all measure theimpact and benefits of their intranet Allof them have measured the value to begreater than US$1 billion In fact IBMhas realized benefits from e-learning viathe intranet alone to be more thanUS$284 million
BT the UK telecommunicationscompany uses an online idea jar foremployees called ldquoPersonnel TodayrdquoEmployee ideas have saved BT nearlyUKpound100 million over the past four years
Sodexhorsquos SuperSleuthOne of my personal favorites is theSodexho USA Sales SuperSleuthSuperSleuth is an intranet web page andapplication that encourages employees tosubmit sales leads and prospective clientsvia the intranet
The SuperSleuth intranet pagegenerates cash rewards of up toUS$1000 for the person making thesubmission Sodexho says it hascontributed to a 100-percent increase insales leads In fact the SuperSleuth toolhas led to US$90 million in managedvolume (net client sales including salesby client) This is proof positive of akiller application
Impressive numbers As impressive as those numbers are youdonrsquot have to be a large technologycompany to realize measured ROIbenefits ndash ROI isnrsquot reserved solely forbig multinationals
QAS is a world leader in address
management and data accuracy Basedon data secured from national postalauthorities and other leading sourcesQAS captures cleans and enhances theintegrity of name and address data QAShas 400 employees with offices in the UK(headquarters) US Canada SingaporeAustralia and across Europe
While awards are nice to receive theQAS intranet has received more thanjust kudos ndash itrsquos delivering measuredresults and value for the business Someof the measured ROI benefits include bull Online expenses saved four person-
days per monthbull Finance savings online workflow has
reduced administrative processingtime from two weeks to one day
bull Purchase ordering saved four person-days per month and an ROI savingsof US$20000 per year
bull Sales proposal builder streamlinedproposal and sales process savesalmost US$25000 per year
bull Intranet use 115-percent increase inusage of the intranet (infers a yet tobe measured productivity gain)
Of all the measurements perhaps thesingle most important is ROI Tomaximize the intranetrsquos value andpotential you must secure the support ofsenior management If you want theirattention and support you better talktheir talk Nothing gets their attentionmore than ROI
Sell the sizzleIf executives view the intranet as a costcenter then itrsquos your responsibility to sellthe sizzle and prove the value with harddata ROI is everything in someorganizations (for example in financialservices) Other more progressivecompanies are intent to know and trackemployee satisfaction and productivity
Still others want to know both It alldepends on your organization andculture However only throughmeasurement will the intranet become ameasured quantity and a proven asset
Source Transforming your intranetwwwmelcrumcom
DOES YOUR INTRANETPAY ITS WAY
Toby Ward is a broadcast journalist turned consultant He founded and launchedPrescient Digital Media (wwwPrescientDigitalcom) in early 2001 His specialismsare site evaluation and strategic planning He blogs at wwwIntranetBlogcom
Hard data demonstratingvalue generated by the
intranet will alter itsperception as a cost center
In Melcrumrsquos report on Transforming your intranet Toby Ward of Prescient DigitalMedia authors a chapter on how to measure the value and success of your intranetHere we share his thoughts on that frequently elusive indicator of success ndash returnon investment
TOBY WARD
10 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
RESE
AR
CH
amp M
EA
SUR
EM
EN
T
scm
ldquoTO MAXIMIZE THEINTRANETrsquoS POTENTIALYOU MUST SECURE THESUPPORT OF SENIORMANAGEMENTrdquo
There are three situations that are mostlikely to create plummeting surveyresponse rates1 When a group never hears the
findings of past surveys or anyresulting changes they begin to thinktheir opinions donrsquot matter If theirpast opinions were valued so lightlythey feel less urgency to sharefurther opinions
2 When the group being researched isrelatively small researchers typicallyneed to poll the entire group on eachsurvey rather than querying arandom sample For example if youhave 1000 employees you wouldneed to obtain 259 responses to haveresults accurate within a margin oferror of 5 percentage points If thecompany is typically receiving a 25-percent response rate on surveysthat means that all 1000 employeesneed to be invited to participate inthe survey to get about the minimumnecessary number of responses for asufficient level of accuracyUnfortunately even for largergroups researchers sometimessurvey the whole group on everysurvey instead of identifying the rightsize random sample
3 When surveys are badly designedrespondents quit them midwaythrough The respondentrsquos feeling isldquoIf the company canrsquot be bothered todesign a good survey Irsquom not going
to waste my time taking itrdquo Somemajor survey design flaws includequestions that are difficult tounderstand questions withinsufficient or inappropriateresponse options or questions thatseem to have little relevance for therespondent Other major designturn-offs are surveys that are toolong or that are composed mostly ofopen-ended essay questions both ofwhich take too much time to answerFinally asking too manydemographic questions especially atthe beginning of a surveycompromises respondentsrsquo sense ofanonymity and kills their desire toanswer even the first real question
The following steps will help overcomethese three problems
Coordinate surveysTo avoid asking the same people torespond to too many surveys within ashort time coordinate all employee orcustomer surveys through a clearinghouse so that the timing of surveys doesnrsquotoverlap and you donrsquot ask questions forwhich answers are already available
Send the survey to only a sample ofthe audience (although yoursquoll need astatisticianrsquos help in selecting a sample ofthe right size) If you know severalsurveys will be administered about thesame time pick mutually exclusiverandom samples at the same time so thatno one person receives more than onesurvey during that period
Use short surveysThe shorter the survey the more likelypeople are to give you their time If youhave 100 questions that must beanswered break them into threeseparate surveys of about 33 questionsand administer them to three mirror-image random samples Yoursquoll besurveying more people but eachparticipantrsquos time commitment will berelatively minor
Also consider doing very short ldquostealthsurveysrdquo by phone for which you donrsquotobtain advance permission People mightnot even know theyrsquove been surveyed Asyou (and a team of volunteers) have theseconversations with respondents you wouldrecord their answers on a questionnaire
Connect research to resultsSome companies have a long history ofnot communicating results or outcomesof previous surveys If thatrsquos true of yourorganization try these two techniquesbull On a regular basis when announcing
changes the company is makingconnect the changes with relatedsurvey results ndash even if a changewasnrsquot made solely because of theresearch Your audience will get themessage that stakeholder opinionsare a regular factor in the waymanagement makes decisions
bull In the invitation to a new surveybegin with key findings and changesthat were made based on a similarpast survey and ask respondents tolet you know through the new surveyif the company is still on track Thisway your potential respondents hearthat completing surveys does resultin changes ndash at the very momenttheyrsquore determining if your latestsurvey is worth their time
FINDING A CURE FORSURVEY FATIGUE
Angela Sinickas ABC is president of Sinickas Communications Inc an internationalcommunication consultancy specializing in helping corporations achieve businessresults through targeted diagnostics and practical solutions For more informationvisit wwwsinicomcom
A downward trend in survey response rates is often blamed on the fact that peoplesimply become tired of taking surveys But there are ways to avoid the malaisesetting in says Angela Sinickas a key one being making sure that people feel theiropinions are actually being listened to Here she shares three common causes ofsurvey fatigue and how to deal with them
11scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
RESE
AR
CH
amp M
EA
SUR
EM
EN
Tscm
ANGELA SINICKAS
Little feedback the wrongsample size and poorly
designed surveys all leadto low response rates
12 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Organizations today ndash driven byincreased competition merger-and-acquisition activity and large complextransformation programs ndash arecharacterized by the need for constantand rapid change In our experienceconsistent leadership communicationsare at the center of helping theirorganizations address these challenges
With all the complex transformationprograms we work on we encourage the
leadership team to create a simple one-page ldquomessage maprdquo to use over a definedtimeframe The message map which welink to key program milestones andsuccesses helps the leadership team toplan what theyrsquoll share with employeesand other stakeholders and when
Message maps can address commonfailures of leadership communicationDuring global cross-functional programswhen all leaders consistently reinforce
the same messages they emerge as ajoined-up forward-thinking team
Message maps are also effective whenbuilding up communication to employeesover time rather than overwhelmingstaff with changes or diminishingleadership credibility by waiting too longto communicate
Compiling a message mapThe process wersquove used in the past to helpleaders develop a message map is quitestraight forward This is what we dobull We encourage leaders to work
together to agree and articulate thestory Agreeing the story typicallyrequires experienced facilitationThis encourages leaders to definehow the story will build and thengain momentum and commitmentover time
bull The story is then converted into asimple message map The mapshould make sense to all change-program leaders as this tool willguide the majority of theircommunication to employees Itshould also provide a clear view ofwhatrsquos coming next Message mapsare often shown as straightforwardtimelines but there are othereffective ways to present them (seeFigure One below)
bull Once the change story has beenagreed and committed to paperleaders use the map to know whencommunications should be deliveredand what supporting documentationto use for a consistent cascade
Revisiting communication plansOf course the content of the message mapwill need to be revisited Message mapsas with all communications evolve overtime They should be frequently reviewedto ensure that the messages ndash and time-scales ndash remain relevant to the programand align with program milestones
USING MESSAGE MAPSTO GUIDE CHANGE
Sally Harris is director of theCommunications and Engagementpractice at Molten where shespecializes in managing large-scale communication and changeprograms for global clients
Facilitate a meeting withthe leadership team to
agree and articulate thechange story
Sally Harris director of the Communications and Engagement practice at Moltenbelieves itrsquos often the simplest tools that are most effective in encouraging leadersto think more strategically about their communications Here she explains why theldquomessage maprdquo is one such tool
SALLY HARRIS
LEA
DER
SHIP
CO
MM
UN
ICATIO
N
scm
Figure One Example of a global message map
13scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
brand image and set an example for thewhole company
At The Company Agency we find thatmany CEOs are looking for strategiccommunication support coaching andguidance that goes beyond what theyreceive from their rostered PR agencyThey operate in a world thatrsquos typicallyquite lonely where information isfrequently filtered theyrsquore under aconstant spotlight and a gap existsbetween them their people and theircustomers Internal communication canplay a key role in helping the CEObridge this gap
A simple checklist Every CEO is different and facesdifferent challenges but herersquos a simplechecklist if you find yourself workingwith a new CEO or in a new role with anestablished CEObull Ask your CEO what kind of person
they would like to be viewed as byemployees ndash coach them oncommunication behavior that canhelp them achieve this goal
bull Establish very quickly what theCEOrsquos key message is ndash askquestions until it is crystal clear
bull Know your business and brief yourCEO on what type of communicationis effective or not within yourorganization
bull Provide informed guidance onemerging communication trends ndashsuch as social media ndash and explainthe business impact
bull Understand how the CEO listens towhat people are saying
bull Determine the CEOscommunication preferences ndash howdoes he or she like to receive andshare information both inside andoutside work
You should expect to be the leaderrsquoscommunicator ndash developing messagesand ensuring theyrsquore conveyed in themost appropriate way But the balanceshould be tipping more towards beingthe communication leader ndash a role whereyoursquore providing strategic counsel to theCEO and coaching them so theyrsquore moreeffective in their new role and environment
In May last year the managementconsultants Booze Allen Hamiltonpublished their annual report on chiefexecutive attrition The Crest of theTurnover Wave After studying the move-ments of CEOs from the largest 2500companies in the world they uncoveredsome rather startling facts An incredible1 in 7 CEOs will change job over thenext 12 months with poor-performingCEOs staying in office for two years Bycomparison the high-performing CEOstays in the job for just under eight years
Given that their tenure may be brief thisresearch only reinforces that the first 100days for the chief executive is a critical time
Creating myths and legendsOver the past 20 years Irsquove had the goodfortune to work for some great brandsand leaders Experience tells me thatduring their first 100 days the reputationthey bring from their previous job willeither be validated or contradictedEverything they say and do will bescrutinised Perceptions will be quicklyformed about their style and personalityMyths and legends will become thehottest gossip in the workplace
With this in mind itrsquos critical toquickly establish their reputation andwhat they stand for Internalcommunication can play a valuable rolein supporting the CEO and in turnestablish a long-term relationship withtheir new leader
Uncovering perceptionsDeveloping a personalized communica-tion strategy must start by finding outhow the new leader is perceived While aquantitative survey may satisfy those witha hunger for numbers qualitativeresearch will uncover how people reallyview the CEO as an individual and leader
With these insights itrsquos possible todevelop a plan to shape the existingreputation into one they would like tohave in the new organization This meansidentifying what they stand for andhelping them articulate how this supportsand builds the brand of the organization
Charismatic leadersIf you think about charismatic leaderssuch as Stuart Rose of Marks amp SpencerRichard Branson of Virgin or PhilKnight of Nike organizational culture isheavily influenced by the personality ofits chief executive
The behavior that resides within theorganization is typically a reflection ofthe CEOrsquos behavior and becomesassociated with the brand So itrsquosimportant to define what the new CEOwants the corporate brand to stand forand what they can do to achieve that
LEADERS IN TRANSITIONTHE FIRST 100 DAYSIn a recent Melcrum survey 44 percent of respondents said they plan to spend more ormuch more on communication training for leaders and managers With the topic firmlyon the agenda for the forseeable future this issue sees the launch of a new regularcolumn by leadership communication expert Darren Briggs He kicks off with adviceon making the most of the CEOrsquos first 100 days ndash a critical time for any new leader
LEA
DER
SHIP
CO
MM
UN
ICATIO
Nscm
DARREN BRIGGS
The first of a new regularcolumn on leadership
urges communicators tosupport new leaders
Darren Briggs is partner at The Company Agency where he advises and coachessenior leaders to be more effective communicators He has 20 years corporateexperience working at chief executive and board level with companies such as BritishAirways Microsoft Nike PepsiCo and Vodafone
The title of advertising guru PaulArdenrsquos book Itrsquos not how good you areitrsquos how good you want to be captures theessence of ambition And our recent surveysuggests that this is a message internalcommunicators should take to heart
As part of our research1 to define a listof core skills and competencies forprofessional communicators we askedpractitioners from around the worldabout their future career goals and howthey plan to achieve them Surprisinglyfor a profession that stresses the need forstrategies and plans most internalcommunicators appear to have a fairly adhoc approach to their own development
Results from the surveyAbout 70 percent of our sample said theyexpected to stay in internal communicationover the next three years Thirty-twopercent saw themselves gaining moreexperience within their existing jobswhile 37 percent aim to move into adifferent internal communication role
When we asked respondents what theywere doing to help develop their careersgaining wider experience being better
networked and finding a coach came topof their lists
Be honest with yourselfNow these seem like fairly informalactivities You might think they take lessorganizing than say investing the timeand budget to do a course or study for aformal qualification But if yoursquore beinghonest you know that getting the go-aheadto work on more challenging projectsfinding the right coach and building aprofessional network takes time andplanning These things donrsquot just happenovernight ndash unless yoursquore very lucky
Yet less than a quarter of internalcommunicators have a formal plan to helpstructure their thoughts about careerprogression and make sure their develop-ment objectives are met Twenty-onepercent say they have no plan whatsoeverand about half the respondents wecontacted say they have a plan but itrsquosnot formalized or agreed
Make the timeMaking time to discuss your career goalswith your manager and getting apersonal development plan down onpaper will pay dividends After all who
decides whether you get to work on themore interesting projects or not Andwhen yoursquore being dragged under byyour workload wouldnrsquot it be helpful tohave some targets to remind you to makethe time to network or read that articlesitting in your reading folder
If wersquove convinced you to think aboutyour own professional development hereare three important steps to get started
1 Be clear about where yoursquore startingfrom Think about what yoursquoveachieved so far in your career Whatskills do you have what are yourstrengths and which areas needfurther development
2 Look ahead to where you want to beWhat timeframe do you have inmind for your professional develop-ment What can you focus on rightaway and what are your longer-termcareer goals Be as specific as youcan about what you want to achieveand consider the followingbull Are there areas where yoursquod like
to be a ldquostar performerrdquo in yourcurrent role
bull How can you expand your networkor reach in the wider industry
bull How can you broaden your depthof skills or experience outsideyour current remit
bull How do you plan to move onwardsand upwards to a new role
3 Think about how yoursquoll close the gapWhat knowledge skills andexperience do you need What typeof development activity will help youget to where you want to be
If you know in your heart of hearts thatyou donrsquot invest enough time and effortin your own development make the timeto start doing this now
In our next column we plan to look atthe range of development optionsavailable and hear some reflections fromindustry leaders on what helped themreally accelerate their own learning andprofessional development
1 Turn to page 16 for a more detailed analysis of the study
GET YOUR DEVELOPMENT PLANON TRACK
Sue Dewhurst and Liam FitzPatrick run Competent Communicators acompany specializing in professional development for internalcommunicators and Melcrumrsquos official training and developmentpartner For more information go to wwwcompetentcommunicatorscom
A study into skills and competenciesfor communicators
reveals a lack ofclear career planning
The path to a senior role in internal communication is paved with good intentionsOr so suggests a recent study by development experts Sue Dewhurst and LiamFitzPatrick Here in the first of a new regular column on professional developmentthey review the studyrsquos findings lament the lack of a career plan and urge internalcommunicators to take action and plan their own development
SUE DEWHURST AND LIAM FITZPATRICK
14 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PR
OFE
SSION
AL D
EV
ELO
PM
EN
T
scm
ldquoTHESE THINGS DONrsquoTJUST HAPPENOVERNIGHT ndash UNLESSYOUrsquoRE VERY LUCKYrdquo
15scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PR
OFE
SSION
AL D
EV
ELO
PM
EN
Tscm
3 Cut the jargonJargon may have its place but it has noplace in employee communicationPhrases such as work-life balanceemployer of choice critical mass and thelike may make sense in behind-the-scenes discussions However when itrsquostime to communicate to the masses weneed to translate these concepts intoPlain English and provide a context tohelp employees understand Yes it takessome work but the payoff makes itworth the effort
Say the head of HR wants to share thelatest developments in ldquowork-life balancerdquothat will benefit employees He may betempted to relay the news using theterminology hersquos used to using with hisstaff However most employees havenrsquotbeen in on those discussions so theconcept may be foreign or fuzzy to themndash even if theyrsquod heard the term before
Any progress HR makes on the work-life balance front gives it the opportunityto communicate in a personal humanway and in the process capture employeesrsquoattention on an emotional level
The HR leaderrsquos message thereforemay go something like this Our liveshave never been busier and there are onlyso many hours in a day Because we atXYZ Company recognize how important itis to you to be able to spend real time withyour families while managing theresponsibilities you have on the job wersquovedesigned a program that we hope willmake your life less hectic
Most employees will relate to thatmessage It plays to their needs which isa powerful hook
Guarding against gremlinsKeeping an eye out for the jargonpassive voice and other gremlins thatmay infiltrate your writing is a goodtraining ground for being able toobjectively critique your own work Italso conditions you to look for otherways to improve your writing a habitthat will serve you well throughout yourlifelong apprenticeship
No onersquos work is as continually visible inan organization as the communicatorrsquosOur superiors our peers and the entireemployee population see us as theparagons of communications competenceThey look to the messages wersquove craftedas models of writing excellence and willpattern their own accordingly
When you think of it itrsquos one heck of aburden to bear After all how else didyou get the job if you couldnrsquot write well
But regardless of how well you dowrite how senior you are or how longyoursquove had that coveted ldquoseat at thetablerdquo when it comes to writing yoursquollalways have room to grow Thatrsquos becausewriting is as one learned professor sowisely termed it a ldquolifelong apprenticeshiprdquo
Here are three ways to improve yourwriting immediately
1 Avoid the passive voiceThe passive voice manages to creep intomessages to employees and itrsquos a sureroad to eroding their engagement It allowsthe writer to hide behind the message itclouds direction and itrsquos boring
Herersquos an example of really woefulwriting ndash a sentence structure that yoursquoresure to recognize Employees areencouraged to submit this form by the endof the month
Analyze that sentence and yoursquoll seethat not only is there no owner to thestatement but therersquos no clear directionEmployees are encouraged by whom
and what does ldquoencouragedrdquo meananyway Are employees required tosubmit the form If so then say so
The sad truth is this passive style ofwriting is all too common the happytruth is that we communicators are in aposition to do something about it Oftenall it takes is a quick rewrite Pleasesubmit this form by [insert specific date]Clear direct concise
2 Use second person Why talk at people when you can talk tothem When yoursquore communicating withemployees the use of ldquoyourdquo can befriendly and inviting
Take this message XYZ Companyemployees at customer locations shouldalways first check with their hosts to ensurethat connecting to the XYZ network ispermitted
Look what happens when itrsquos rewrittenfrom third person into second If yoursquoreworking at a customer site be sure to firstcheck with your host that itrsquos OK toconnect to our network
Yoursquove gone from impersonal toconversational
DO YOUR WRITING SKILLSLET YOU DOWNA recent discussion on the Melcrum blog raised the question of whether or not goodwriting skills are still important to the more strategically focused communicator Theconsensus was a definite yes ndash your writing ability makes an impression and itrsquos upto you whether thatrsquos good or bad Denise Baron provides some advice on how tomake sure itrsquos the former
DENISE BARON
However strategicyour role the ability
to write well remainsan important skill
Denise Baron is president of Baron Communications a business communicationsconsultancy providing strategic planning and marketing internal communicationproject management and editorial services to Fortune 500 companies
16 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Over the past five years wersquove found ourselvesbecoming more and more involved in conversationsabout careers in internal communication As theprofession matures expectations of itspractitioners are rising and for many people ajob in communication is no longer just a short-term stepping-stone en route to better things
But the question we hear time and time again isldquoWhat does lsquogoodrsquo look like when it comes to
internal communicationrdquo What skills knowledgeand experience should an effective internalcommunicator have at various stages in theircareer How do I know what I should bepersonally aspiring to and measuring myselfagainst How can I best develop my team Whereis the definitive framework to help me recruit thebest person for the job
In recent years there have been a number ofgood attempts to answer these questions In theUK a group of professional bodies got togetherto write the Inter-Comm matrix1 It listed theskills knowledge and experience a practitionermight need according to their level of experience
We were both involved in developing this skillsmatrix which was widely welcomed when it waslaunched in 2003 Some well-respectedconsultancies have also developed models to showhow a typical career path might progress whichhave helped structure career planning forindividuals and teams
A flexible model for a diverse professionDespite the success of the Inter-Comm matrix wefelt there was more to be done in the area ofprofessional development for internal communica-tors Fundamentally existing models tend to showa one-dimensional and predictable career pathstarting as a junior deliverer and developing into astrategic business-focused consultant
The implication is that if yoursquore deliveringcommunication or are tactically focused you musthave a junior role and if you have a more seniorrole you donrsquot get your hands dirty doingmundane things like writing or managing the
Building a learningframework for internalcommunicators
Planning your teamrsquos professional developmentmeans understanding the skills and experienceneeded to be successful Sue Dewhurst and Liam
FitzPatrick of Competent Communicators have beenresearching how internal communicators spend their timeat work and what behaviors the most effectivepractitioners display Here they describe a new learningframework that has emerged from the study
Identifying the typical roles andskills required for your team
BY SUE DEWHURST AND LIAM FITZPATRICK
scm FEATURES
ABOUT THE RESEARCHThe findings discussed in this article are based on research conducted at theend of 2006 More than 700 in-house practitioners replied to a survey aboutcareers competencies and development plans
A factor analysis of the data conducted by Ash Pattni Associates generated anumber of role types which were then discussed with 30 professionals atdifferent stages of their careers based in the UK Europe and North AmericaThese discussions mainly took the form of interviews and focus groups
The study also referred to data on competency modeling prepared by theUKrsquos Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
1 2 3 4 5
17scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
intranet or organizing eventsBut clearly the world of internal communication
isnrsquot quite that straightforward People join theprofession via all kinds of routes and at differentstages of their careers
We interviewed someone who started out as thedirectorrsquos PA a successful senior executive whostarted out as an engineer a former psychologylecturer and others who had joined through moreobvious routes in publishing and PR
Some had started out in junior roles Forothers their first role in internal communicationwas as a business partner Others had alreadyreached a senior position in another function andsimply moved across at the same level
A key objective of this study was to develop amodel that reflected the diverse reality of life ininternal communication one that was flexibleenough to be adapted to fit organizations andcommunication teams of all shapes and sizes
So we began our research by surveying communica-tors worldwide to find out how they actuallyspend their time on a daily basis and what skillsknowledge and experience they regularly use
The six types of practitionerStatistical analysis of the survey data suggestedthere were six stereotypical role types withininternal communication By ldquotypesrdquo we meansegments or groups of people who share verysimilar characteristics in terms of their skills andstrengths spend their time carrying out similartypes of activities and whose outputs tend to bejudged in similar ways
Most importantly these types can be plottedagainst two dimensions based on how they spendtheir time (advising or doing) and where theirfocus is (strategy or tactics) Figure One (right)illustrates these six types and how they plotagainst the two dimensions
Clearly every organization is slightly differentbut the six stereotypes described below shouldprovide a starting point for thinking about theroles and types of people you need in your team
1 The Leader Internal communication leaders manage teamsand lead the function either for an entire organiza-tion or for a large division or territory Theyspend much of their time managing and coachingteam members and working with senior managersThey see themselves as business people first andcommunicators second However itrsquos taken as readthat they have sound technical ability and will rollup their sleeves when needed Great internal andexternal networkers theyrsquore skilled at dealing withuncertainty and conflict Theyrsquore likely to bemeasured on business results and through thesubjective opinion of their senior customers
2 The Advisor Advisors support departments or major projectsby providing advice developing communicationplans and providing hands-on support to deliverthem Local managers trust them for their insightsinto business problems and understanding of howtheir organization really works Through well-developed networks and time spent understandingtheir audiences and carrying out research andfeedback they know whatrsquos really going onTheyrsquore judged on the quality of their advice andtheir ability to translate that advice into plansactivities and actions
3 The ManagerThe internal communication manager has excellentcraft skills and a sound knowledge of channelsThey spend most of their time on delivery Whenthey advise itrsquos normally about the best channelsto use or the most appropriate timing Goodmanagers arenrsquot easily intimidated and are greatat juggling different priorities Theyrsquore skilled attranslating between the boardroom and the shopfloor Their contribution is often measured bytheir ability to deliver activity against a plan andthe quality of work they and their team produce
4 The DelivererMost teams have someone in this role ndash a safepair of hands who can be trusted to make thingshappen That might range from compilingdistribution lists through to running a conferencesorting out the CEOrsquos open forum or writing andediting a newsletter Theyrsquore less likely tosupervise other communicators and depend ontheir organizational and craft skills to get the jobdone People value them for their ability to dothings on time and to a high standard 3
Sue Dewhurst and LiamFitzPatrick run CompetentCommunicators a firmspecializing in professionaldevelopment for internalcommunicators TheyrsquoreMelcrumrsquos official training anddevelopment advisors anddeliver Melcrumrsquos Black Belttraining program Theyrsquore alsothe authors of a forthcomingreport on competenciesdevelopment and standardsfor internal communicatorsand blog about developmentissues onwwwBlackBeltDojocouk
Figure One Six typical role types for internal communicators
TheLeader
TheLocal Agent
The Deliverer
TheAdvisor
TheManagerADVISE
STRATEGY
IMPLEMENT
TACTICS
TheSpecialist
KEY POINTSbull A new study has established how communicators spend their time and
what skills knowledge and experience they regularly use
bull The research identifies six stereotypical roles ranging from acommunication leader to a specialist (eg a web or events expert)
bull It also highlights 12 competencies that clarify the behaviors acompetent practitioner should display at each level An ldquoineffectiverdquocategory shows behaviors displayed by less able performers
bull The roles and competencies provide a framework for development
Building a learning framework for internal communicators
18 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
5 The Local AgentThis category covers a broad range of peoplefrom the plant managerrsquos personal assistant to aregional communication manager Internalcommunication is often one of severalresponsibilities for this person and they tend tohave a tactical focus Their agenda is normally setby the local management team although theirlocal knowledge and network makes them aninvaluable sounding board for the corporatecommunication team They tend to be judged onwhether activities happen and how satisfied theirlocal manager is with them
6 The SpecialistOur research found a small group of peopleworking in internal communication who see them-selves as subject-matter experts in a specialist areasuch as web management audio-visual productionor event management They have only a looseconnection to the mainstream profession andcould equally work in IT marketing or perhapsHR Because theyrsquore highly specialized they tendto work in large organizations
Building a competency frameworkOnce statistical analysis had suggested these sixrole types we began testing them out throughfocus groups and interviews with practitioners Inparticular we asked what skills knowledge andexperience people in each type of role neededwhat people saw outstanding practitioners doingwhat poor performance looked like and howpeople in the six role types spent their time
On the basis of this information we developeda series of 12 competencies (see Figure Two left)We found that each of the six role types could bedefined bybull Which of the competencies they need to carry
out their role (not everyone needs all 12)bull The level of skill knowledge and experience
they need in each competencybull How much of their time they spend using
each competency ndash a high medium or lowamount For instance there was commonagreement that the communication leadermust have strong craft skills (writing anddesign) but compared to say the delivererthey spend a relatively low percentage of theirtime working on this type of activity
Each of the 12 competencies has three levelsbasic intermediate and advanced Based on thedata we gathered we defined the behaviors youmight expect to see a competent internalcommunication professional display at each level
We also added an ldquoineffectiverdquo category listingthose behaviors our interviewees told us weredisplayed by less able performers For example
7
COMPETENCY DEFINITION
Building effectiverelationships
Developing and maintaining relationships that inspire trust and respectBuilding a network and influencing others to make things happen
Business focus Having a clear understanding of the business issues Usingcommunication to help solve organization issues and achieveorganizational problems
Consulting andcoaching
Recommending appropriate solutions Helping others make informeddecisions Building other peoplersquos communications competence
Cross-functionalawareness
Understanding the different contributions from other disciplines andworking with colleagues from across the organization to achieve betterresults
Developing othercommunicators
Helping other communicators build their communications competenceand develop their career
Innovation andcreativity
Looking for new ways of working exploring best practice and deliveringoriginal and imaginative approaches to communication problems
Listening Conducting research and managing mechanisms for gathering feedbackand employee reaction
Making it happen Turning plans into successfully implemented actions
Planning Planning communication programs and operations evaluating results
Specialist Having specific subject-matter expertise in a specialist area
Vision and standards Defining or applying a consistent approach to communication andmaintaining professional and ethical standards
Craft (writing anddesign)
Using and developing the right mix of practical communication abilitiesto hold the confidence of peers and colleagues (eg writing designmanagement etc)
Figure Two Twelve competencies for internal communicators
19scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
some ineffective behaviors attached to theldquobusiness focusrdquo competency arebull Doesnrsquot make the link between
communication activity and the business ororganizational context
bull Delivers communication activity withoutconsidering whether it will serve any usefulpurpose
bull Lacks understanding of their business area
Building a framework for a specific role The next step in this project was to develop asimple table to map out the competencyframework for an individual role showingbull The competencies needed in this rolebull The level of competency needed in each casebull How much time we expect someone in this
role to spend on these types of behaviors
You can either build a competency frameworkfrom scratch or if you think the role fits one ofthe six types we identified from the survey use thecompetency framework for this type as a startingpoint (see the framework for a communicationleader Figure Three right)
In practice competency frameworks will varyaccording to the size of the organization thenumber of people in the internal-communicationteam the expectations of managers and thespecific requirements of each individual rolewhich is why wersquove built a flexible model
For example a communication leader in alarge multinational organization may spend muchof their time setting the vision and standardscoaching and consulting building relationshipsand developing other communicators and arelatively small amount of their time ldquomaking ithappenrdquo or on writing and design Howeversomeone in a stand-alone communication leaderrole in a much smaller organization wouldprobably have to be much more of a ldquoJack of alltradesrdquo dividing their time evenly between thedifferent competencies
Next stepsMore information about the 12 competencies andthe baseline competency maps for each of the sixrole types will be detailed in a forthcomingMelcrum report Ideas on how you use thesecompetencies to plan your development areavailable to download atwwwcompetentcommunicatorscom
We hope the framework will help bringstructure to the process of defining roles planningdevelopment and specifying recruitment andwould welcome your feedbackscm
1 The Inter-Comm skills matrix is described in an article in SCMFebruaryMarch 2005 (Volume 9 Issue 2) called Developingcore competencies for internal communicators
Figure Three Framework for a communication leader
COMPETENCY LEVEL TIME
Building effective relationships Advanced High
Business focus Advanced High
Consulting and coaching Advanced High
Cross-functional awareness Advanced Medium
Developing other communicators Advanced High
Innovation and creativity Advanced Medium
Listening Advanced Low
Making it happen Advanced Low
Planning Advanced Medium
Specialist NA NA
Vision and standards Advanced High
Craft (writing and design) Advanced Low
CONTACT DETAILS
Sue DewhurstCompetent Communicatorssuedewhurstcompetentcommunicatorscom
Liam FitzPatrickCompetent Communicatorsliamfitzpatrickcompetentcommunicatorscom
ldquoOUR RESEARCH FOUND A SMALL GROUP OFPEOPLE WORKING IN INTERNALCOMMUNICATION WHO SEE THEMSELVES ASSUBJECT-MATTER EXPERTSrdquo
20 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC President and CEO John Ryan joined theorganization in 1997 For the first few years hefocused on financial viability and positioning thecorporation for the future ndash articulating a newvision redefining strategic objectives expandingproduct and service offerings and identifyingpotential growth areas
The business results were outstanding double-digit growth increasing profits and great customerloyalty But something was missing
Like many successful organizations FCCoperated with a silo mentality Organizationalpolitics consumed energy that Ryan felt detractedfrom employee satisfaction and he worried aboutthe impact on the customer experience
He wanted his direct reports to work togetheras a real team ndash not to behave like individualleaders of functional areas Although the groupperformed well when there was a real challengeafter the challenge was gone so was the teamwork
This is not unusual for top executive groupsbut Ryan wasnrsquot willing to accept that fate ldquoTherehad to be a way to have a team-based
organization where leaders had the autonomythey needed to perform while actively collaboratingto achieve a new level of unprecedented resultsrdquohe said ldquoFCC had a very hierarchical culture withfirmly drawn divisional boundaries so I knew Ihad a challenge ahead of merdquo
Cultural transformation from the topIn 2002 John hired Malandro Communicationbased in Phoenix Arizona to guide FCCrsquos seniorleadership through a unique cultural transformationthat would lead to the creation of a high-performance team Leaders committed to being100-percent accountable for their impact onpeople and business results They let go of thetraditional 50-50 model ldquoIrsquoll do my part if you doyoursrdquo ndash a model that breeds a culture of blameconspiracies and distrust
In a series of formal training initiatives leaderswere taught to speak from the heart listen toother perspectives be open and responsive tofeedback and encourage personal andprofessional growth
Opportunity for internal communicationBy 2003 we were well on our way FCC producedremarkable business results with strong numbersright across the board The portfolio grew fromnearly CAN$9 billion to over CAN$10 billionThen two things happened that created anopportunity for internal communication tobecome a driver of business results 1 In 2003 we earned 50th place on Canadarsquos
ldquo50 Best Employersrdquo list and a respectableemployee engagement score of 69 percent
Defining the role ofstrategic comms atFarm Credit Canada
Farm Credit Canada (FCC) is in the fourth year of acultural-transformation program At the start of itsjourney clear expectations were set defining the role
to be played by internal communication In this summaryof the companyrsquos plans and achievements Kellie Garrettand Claire Watson describe the goals strategies andtactics employed by the internal communication teamand the impressive results achieved to date
Setting the stage for a cultural transformation
BY KELLIE GARRETT AND CLAIRE WATSON
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Farm Credit Canada isCanadarsquos largest provider offinancing to the agricultureindustry It serves 45000customers and has 1300employees working from 100rural offices across CanadaFCC is ranked eighth amongCanadarsquos 50 best employers
21scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC is a high performer in all otheroperational areas and employee engagementis a strong predictor of sustained corporateperformance But the survey showed therewas work to be done to align perceptionsbetween the senior leadership team andemployees Detailed results showed the gaps(see Figure One below)
2 Ryan became more determined to create ahigh-performance team that could deliver anextraordinary customer experience andsustainable business results
Establishing expected behaviorAs a first step towards creating a critical mass ofleaders who visibly demonstrate the behaviorsrequired to transform FCCrsquos culture middlemanagement and key cross-functional teams weretrained in responsible teamwork practices andcommunication skills
Ryan then created a set of 10 cultural practicesthat explicitly outlined how he expectedemployees at all levels to behave (see side barnext page) The foundation of these practices isthe belief that the drive for business results mustbe balanced by the attendant impact on people Inother words how the work was accomplished wasevery bit as important as what was accomplishedThe cultural practices were rolled out to allemployees in 2003
With the expected behavior from leaders andemployees clearly articulated it was time forinternal communication to find opportunities tosupport and promote these behaviors
Challenge 1 Creating a strategic frameworkOur first objective was to create a broaderstrategic framework for internal communicationA review of best-practice companies revealed thatformal media represents about 10 percent of allinternal communication channels with internalsystems accounting for another 10 percent Theremaining 80 percent is influenced by theorganizational culture
Our task was to put a formal strategy in placethat would strengthen the 10 percent ofcommunication we did have control over ndash theinternal communication channels
Within FCC the dominant employeecommunication channels were immediatemanagers e-mail and the intranet (Myinet)Front-line managers delivered corporate messagesdirectly to employees and their efforts weresupported by all-staff e-mails
There was nothing wrong with this approachbut it didnrsquot go far enough in the delivery of clearconsistent messages about strategic direction orcorporate priorities Nor did it create a line ofsight between individuals and business outcomes
For example a lack of central coordination wasresulting in unclear mixed messages thatconfused the internal audience A proliferation ofemployee surveys were independently conductedby various business units and the corporate e-mail system was choked with high volumecontributing to information overload
The intranetrsquos navigational structure and searchcapability needed major improvement datedinformation needed to be archived and majordocuments needed to be redeveloped in a web-friendly format
Defining our strategy and objectivesAware of these drawbacks we defined ourstrategy as To adopt a more integrated approachto internal communication and make sure allmessages focus employees on the businesspriorities Our strategies included the followingbull Segment the employee audience and define
communication needs based on demographicspsychographics and geographic location
bull Create a consistent voice across all groupsbull Ensure internal communication is mandatory
for all major corporate initiatives and isintegrated across channels and with othercommunication activities
bull Deliver targeted information through a varietyof channels and vehicles to reinforce messaginghelp with recall appeal to differentpreferences and create and sustain interest
bull Redevelop the intranet and position it as aninformation source for corporate businessemployee industry and technical information
bull Reduce the volume of corporate e-mailbull Implement a monthly employee survey to
replace the proliferation of one-off surveysindependently launched by business units
bull Create broad awareness and understanding ofkey corporate drivers such as business strategycorporate values and brand positioning 3
Kellie Garrett ABC MALeadership is senior VPStrategy Knowledge ampReputation at Farm CreditCanada and Chair of the IABCResearch Foundation Garrettis a frequent speaker onbusiness strategy leadershipand personal brand
Claire Watson ABC APR isthe master communicationstrategist for Farm CreditCanada Watson has won anumber of international andnational awards for her workis a published author and acertified change managementspecialist
MEASUREMENT EMPLOYEES SENIORMANAGERS
GAP
Senior management is open and honest incommunication
59 94 -35
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible
54 88 -34
Managers effectively support andimplement our people practices
48 81 -33
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 94 -23
Figure One Engagement survey results
22 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Defining the role of strategic comms at Farm Credit Canada
Successful tactics introducedSome of the tactics wersquove successfully introducedto bring this strategy to life include the following
1 Tracking key messagesWe created an employee key-message matrix thatis shared with leaders across the organization andhelps to ensure we deliver a consistent messageWe deliver the rewritten message through avariety of channels including e-mail letter featurearticle in the internal publication online throughour Monday Morning Update or directly to staffmeetings through managers and supervisors
2 Adopting a multi-channel approachWersquove expanded our channels beyond e-mail andthe intranet New channels now includebull AgriCulture ndash an employee print newsletter
published three times a year to communicatecorporate information and reinforce FCCrsquossocial and cultural fabric
bull An online feature called ldquoFrom the Desk ofthe CEOrdquo to keep employees in the loop
bull All staff e-mails from the CEO and VPsbull Discussion guides and QampAs for leadersbull Internal presentations and speeches delivered
by the senior leadership teambull Other printed material such as pocket cards
and brochures accompanied by a letter
3 Cutting down on information overloadSteps wersquove taken includebull Bundling all-staff messages into a Monday
Morning Update and bundling messages forcorporate headquarters staff into a CorporateOffice Update
bull Implementing a corporate e-mail policy withdefined subject-line conventions length andapproved topics
bull Restricting the use of all-staff e-mails to thesenior management team and certain keyindividuals
bull Improving the functionality of the intranetand redeveloping key business tools forefficient web use
bull Centralizing coordination of internal surveysbull Elevating the quality and clarity of internal
speeches and conferences to focus onstrategic business drivers
Challenge 2 Supporting leadershipThe results of our 2003 engagement survey alsorevealed an opportunity to increase trust betweenemployees and FCCrsquos senior management teamRyan and his VP responsible for communication(Kellie Garrett) believed that creating greatervisibility and better access to the senior managerswas vital to the establishment of a values-basedculture and a high-performance team
7
MEASUREMENT 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Senior management is open and honestin communication
59 73 81 83 91
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible to employees
54 71 82 83 81
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 81 87 87 85
I see strong evidence of effectiveleadership from the senior leadershipteam
69 83 87 88 93
I have a good understanding ofbusiness goals and objectives
76 77 81 81 88
Senior leadership has clearlycommunicated what we need to do tobe successful
NA NA 89 90 93
Figure Two Survey scores tracked from 2003-2007
FCCrsquoS 10 CULTURAL PRACTICESWe hold ourselves and each other accountable for
1 Our impact on business results and our impact on people
2 Delivering on commitments agreements and promises
3 Building and sustaining committed partnerships
4 Creating a safe environment where people can speak up without fear
5 We measure our success by how others perceive and respond to ourleadership not by our personal point of view
6 We talk straight in a responsible manner We are committed to the successof others ndash we do not engage in ldquoconspiracies againstrdquo people
7 We ldquolisten forrdquo contributions and commitment We do not listen againstpeople or ideas
8 We are highly coachable We actively seek and listen to coaching
9 We clean up and recover quickly
10 We acknowledge others often and celebrate both small and largesuccesses
ldquoLIKE DEVELOPING A COMPANYrsquoS IMAGE ORBRAND CULTURE CAN lsquoJUST HAPPENrsquo OR ITCAN BE DESIGNED STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONHAS PLAYED A CENTRAL ROLErdquo
23scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 FCC launched a culture-change program focused on
improving performance across the organization
bull Two key aims of the program are to encourage leaders and employeesto embody the values and improve staff engagement
bull Defining its strategy and goals at the outset internal communicationhas played a role in achieving these objectives
bull Results so far include less information overload a more accessibleleadership team and improved engagement scores
The challenge for internal communication wasto improve employeesrsquo perception of the visibilityaccessibility and trust for the senior managementteam Successful tactics introduced includebull A ldquoDine-Aroundrdquo program where three
senior leaders host a monthly lunch for ninepeople
bull An online forum called SMT Exchangewhere employees can anonymously askleaders tough questions and answers areposted for all to see
bull Senior leaders author more all-staff e-mailsare more visible and accessible at companyevents and deliver presentations that focus onconnecting employees to the business agenda
The goals we started with When we defined our internal communicationstrategy in 2003 we had some clear goals to worktowards These werebull To communicate relevant information in a
timely consistent and memorable waybull To reduce information overloadbull To influence an increase in the
communication-related elements of theengagement index
bull To contribute to an increase in employeeengagement from 69 to 74 percent
We also had specific year-one objectivesbull To increase understanding of business goals
and objectives beyond 78 percent bull To increase employee opinion about effective
senior leadership from 69 to 73 percentbull To improve employee opinions related to
senior management
Achievements and measurable resultsWith these goals guiding our efforts themeasurable results wersquove achieved so far includebull The bundling of all-staff e-mail has reduced
the volume by 88 percent ndash amounting toaround 350000 messages over one year
bull Over 450 employees have lunched with amember of the senior management team and170 QampAs have been posted on our seniormanagement online exchange
bull The survey scores relating to employeesrsquoperception of leadership and theirunderstanding of goals and objectives showsteady improvement since 2003 (see FigureTwo bottom left)
bull FCCrsquos engagement scores and subsequentranking among Canadarsquos 50 best employershas moved from 69 percent engagement and50th place in 2004 to 81 percent and 35thplace in 2005 84 percent and 12th place in2006 and 82 percent and 8th place in 2007
Cultural transformationThe internal communication strategy described inthis article has set the stage to communicatecultural transformation across the organization
Wersquore now in the fourth year of our culturaltransformation ndash creating an environment wherepeople are empowered feel safe and highperformance can flourish This involves aquantum shift in how employees behave andrelate to their co-workers and customers
Like developing a companyrsquos image or brandculture can ldquojust happenrdquo or it can be designedStrategic communication has played a central roleto create awareness understanding commitmentand motivate changes in behavior at every level ofthe organization
John Ryan has the final word ldquoOver the years Ihave learned that communication is at the heartof building a high-performance culture ndash a culturewhere people are fully engaged Communicationis vital Without it leaders cannot effect positivechange Our internal strategy recognizesemployees as a primary audience and a keyconduit to the customer the media stakeholdersand communities Our strategic approach tointernal communication significantly contributesto business resultsrdquo scm
CONTACT DETAILS
Kellie GarrettFarm Credit CanadaKellieGarrettfcc-facca
Claire WatsonFarm Credit CanadaClaireWatsonfcc-facca
24 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
In January 2004 Pfizer at Sandwich in Kent UKcommissioned a review of its existing charitablecontributions program which included matchedpayroll giving volunteering and grants for localcommunity charities and voluntary groups CCWorks the community investment consultancywas also approached to manage the day-to-dayadministration of grant applications from thecommunity
However it was decided that the administrationcould not be effectively managed until suitablecriteria were put in place for the grants programEssentially a company cannot outsourceresponsibility for its charitable donations unlesstherersquos a clear strategy in place for doing this
Although there were various policies in placefor the different elements of the existingcommunity investment program there was a lackof strategic direction to the program as a whole
Auditing the community grants programAs a first step CC Works examined the existinggrants program and also conducted external
benchmarking with voluntary organizations in thecommunity to gage perceptions of Pfizer
It emerged that many organizations werereceiving small grants ndash although some werenrsquotsure why ndash but only 16 percent of the currentspend was going on health-related causes ForPfizer a major global healthcare company thiswasnrsquot strategic It was clear that as a healthcarecompany Pfizer should be trying to improve thehealth of its local area by focusing on three coreareas health community and education
There was also a need for grants to be morelocally focused A significant amount of the spendwas going outside of the immediate East Kentarea CC Works recommended that to allow thecompany maximum freedom to operate in itscommunity it should focus grants on theimmediate community of East Kent which alsohappened to be a deprived area
Segmenting current grantsWorking in partnership with CC Works currentgrant allocation was examined by sector localarea and size of grant and in May 2004 two-yeartargets were set to increase the strategic impact ofcommunity grantsbull Increase grants allocated to health-related
projects to 50 percentbull Increase average grant from UKpound300 to
UKpound1000bull Increase East Kent allocation to 90 percent
This change was designed to be gradual so thatthe shift in allocation could be well managed
The new focus on the community mirrors
Engaging employees inPfizerrsquos communityinvestment program
In 2003 Pfizer at Sandwich UK was running manyelements of a community investment program butthere was little awareness among employees and no
real focus By July 2006 the program had beentransformed and now actively contributes to employeeand community relationships Here Pam Baker andChristine Jenkins describe the journey from disconnectedpolicies to award-winning program
Communicating an approach with clear links toemployees and the local community
BY PAM BAKER AND CHRISTINE JENKINS
scm FEATURES
Pfizerrsquos site at Sandwich inKent is the UK manufacturingheadquarters of Pfizer Incglobal pharmaceuticalcompany Its workforce of4000 makes it the largestprivate employer in East Kent
1 2 3 4 5
25scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pfizerrsquos global mission to be ldquothe most valuedcompany to patients customers colleaguesinvestors business partners and the communitieswhere we work and liverdquo For the communityinvestment program a measurable mission wascreated ldquoto improve the health indicators of thepeople of East Kentrdquo
Focus on colleague involvementThe next step in July 2004 was to conduct areview of the employee engagement elements ofcommunity investment to examine how thesecould be better integrated These elementsincluded payroll giving volunteering and staff-matched fundraising
For Pfizer at Sandwich the obvious first choicewas to look at volunteering Eighty-five percent ofPfizer employees are minimum graduate level ndashoffering much-needed skills to a deprived areaAll employees have five paid days a year they canuse for volunteering ndash this not only supports thecommunity it boosts employee engagement andcreates opportunities for employees to visiblyconnect with the community and vice versa
In October 2004 volunteering was identified asa key area for development but for employeevolunteering to be a success it had to beproactively marketed inside Pfizer and thereneeded to be adequate support andadministration behind the program
A database of volunteering opportunitiesIn conjunction with CC Works a searchable data-base of local volunteering opportunities was createdPfizer felt it was important to create a tailoreddatabase that would be furnished internally inorder to ensure a local bias and to maintain thequality of the information supplied to employees
In order to tie in with employeesrsquo personaldevelopment plans opportunities in the databasehad to meet at least two of Pfizerrsquos six keycompetencies 1 Team development2 Project management3 Coaching and development4 Decision making5 Effective partnership6 Working with change
To fill the database with relevant opportunities allorganizations that had contacted Pfizer for grantsor funding in the past three years were re-contacted and asked if they would also beinterested in volunteering
Over 70 percent responded positively and 300volunteering opportunities were sourced CCWorks helped the voluntary organizations puttogether opportunities that were most likely totake advantage of Pfizer employeesrsquo range of
specialist skillsThese opportunities were categorized on the
database according to skill geographic area andtype of charity allowing employees to search forsomething suitable for them Pfizer wasnrsquotprescriptive in its approach and allowed staff tovolunteer where the opportunity matched theirpersonal-development goals interests or wasgeographically convenient
Opportunities were wide-ranging from helpingin a charity shop to teaching in a schoolImportantly because database management isoutsourced to CC Works therersquos constantproactivitiy around seeking new opportunities andproviding administrative support that would havebeen difficult to maintain in-house
Launching the ldquoReaching Outrdquo programTo encourage involvement and awarenessemployees were asked to suggest a name for therevitalized volunteering program ldquoReaching Outrdquowas chosen and the new volunteering website waslaunched in May 2005 The site sits on PfizerSandwichrsquos intranet and any employee orcontractor can access it
A charity week was also held to help promotethe Reaching Out program Various charitiesvisited Pfizer during lunch breaks to explain whatthey do and the opportunities to work with themA soft incentive for staff to register on theReaching Out site was that Pfizer would donate20 rehydration sachets to Unicef (monetary valueof about pound2)
Reaching Out was also featured in a webcastfrom a senior leader that went to all employees(about 3000 staff plus contractors) at the start ofthe week and it was profiled in the weekly onlinemagazine Pipeline 3
Pam Baker is directorStrategic Operations andCommunity Affairs at Pfizer UK
Christine Jenkins is founderof CC Works a consultancyoffering communityinvestment advice andpractical solutions to thecorporate and voluntarysectors Previously she heldsenior manager roles in thevoluntary and private sectors
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 an audit of Pfizer at Sandwichrsquos community investment
program revealed a lack of strategic direction
bull In partnership with consultancy CC Works a decision was made tofocus the program on the local community
bull An effort to raise employee involvement through volunteering hasboosted the program and linked it to employee engagement
bull The ldquoReaching Outrdquo website gives employees the freedom to work withcharities of their choice
bull By July 2006 the ldquoHealthy Communitiesrdquo program had beentransformed and won a National Example of Excellence award fromBusiness in the Community
26 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TOP TIPS FOR COMMUNITY INVESTMENTbull Ask yourself why yoursquore undertaking this program and seek clarity around
your objectives
bull Focus on likely ldquowinsrdquondash ie areas with scope for improvement such asemployee engagement or external awareness
bull Tackle one area at a time in stages and aim for excellence in each arearather than trying to boil the ocean
bull Communication is key to success Create a distinct brand and identity forthe program to encourage awareness and involvement
bull Integrate different community programs ndash a holistic approach can maximizebenefits for the community staff engagement and corporate reputation
Over 450 employees registered to use thesite over the next two months with 230 employees(8 percent of staff) actively volunteering duringthe first year This beat a target to have 5 percentof employees volunteering 12 months after launchIn 2005 employees volunteered 4800 hours
Helping employees select the right optionEmployees can search the volunteering databaseby skill geographic area or type of charity and aregiven a range of choices Then the onus is on theemployee to speak to the charity and obtainfurther details on current opportunities inaddition to whatrsquos on the database The employeethen applies to his or her line manager Anintegrated work process enables staff to obtainapproval from their manager interact with thevoluntary organization and record their effortskeeping administration to a minimum
Managers at Pfizer Sandwich are keen foremployees to volunteer because theyrsquore aware ofthe potential benefits in terms of employeeengagement and skills development ndash a largenumber of managers are volunteers themselvesPfizer also held briefing sessions for managers toensure they were aware of the volunteeringprogram its benefits and how it works
7
Engaging employees in Pfizerrsquos community investment program
Incorporating employee feedbackThe database tracks employeesrsquo volunteeringefforts including how many hours theyrsquove doneand their feedback on the opportunitiesEmployee feedback can then be accessed by otherstaff looking for an opportunity The databasegives employees better insight into the availableopportunities and allows them to select somethingthat appeals to them so that both the employeeand the organization where they volunteer gets abetter ldquofitrdquo
The database also allows for better integrationof the whole program where volunteering canprovide an alternative or an addition to fundingFor example a well-known national charityapplied to Pfizer at Sandwich for some fundingaround a diversity initiative Pfizer suggested theirdiversity manager volunteer for them instead whohelped create the charityrsquos diversity program thatis now being launched nationally
Creating an integrated programIn May 2005 the decision was taken to bringtogether all the strands of community investmentunder one brand Healthy Communities Thisprogram was to includebull Charitable grantsbull Employee volunteeringbull Gifts in kind Community investment via gifts
in kind such as the use of Pfizer premisesresources and expertise is more easilysustainable and can bring real long-termbenefit to the local community When Pfizerfacilities are used to support communityinitiatives the face-to-face contact withemployees allows relationship-building andnetworking with key influencers Also invitingthe community to use Pfizer resources on siteldquodemystifiesrdquo the company
The overarching strategy behind HealthyCommunities was to support communityinvestment holistically (ie using several of theabove elements in combination) whereverpossible Focusing grants on the areas of greatestneed helps Pfizer achieve its overall missionHowever the donation of gifts in kind can have awider-reaching impact on the community
Taking a holistic approachAn award-winning example of this holisticapproach is the Helping Hartsdown projectwhich was Pfizer Sandwichrsquos biggest ever gift inkindvolunteering project Pfizer donated andrenovated much-needed classrooms at a localschool As well as financial support and gifts inkind the project involved over 100 staff andcontractor volunteers across all departments Aspecific promotion on the Reaching Out website
ldquoBY JULY 2006 THE lsquoHEALTHY COMMUNITIESrsquoPROGRAM HAD BEEN TRANSFORMED AND WONA NATIONAL EXAMPLE OF EXCELLENCE AWARDFROM BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITYrdquo
27scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
POSITIVE IMPACTS OF THE PROGRAMThe Healthy Communities program has had the following positive impacts for Pfizer
bull The program supports and protects Pfizerrsquos freedom to operate effectivelyin East Kent UK
bull Supporting and involving employees in the program engages and motivatesthem The company is also seen to be living its values In a recent survey55 percent of colleagues felt the program was ldquofocused and effectiverdquo
bull The program provides opportunities for colleagues to develop skills Twentypercent of colleagues surveyed stated that they had improved personalskills through taking part in the program
bull A healthy community is a better place to live and work for employees andwill aid retention Retention of the most highly skilled scientists givesPfizer Global Research and Development a competitive edge
bull A vibrant and healthy community helps to attract and retain leadingscientists from around the world
bull Community is one of Pfizerrsquos six core values Communicating activitiesinternally and externally gives a positive perception of the company
helped attract this large number of volunteersincluding senior leaders
Momentum was maintained behind thecommunication of the program with monthlynetworking breakfasts and several themed minicharity fairs to give local good causes the chanceto showcase their volunteering Individuals andteamsrsquo volunteering efforts were also regularlyprofiled in Pipeline
The December 2006 employee survey showedan 85-percent awareness level of Reaching Outand the program won a ldquoNational Example ofExcellence Awardrdquo from Business in theCommunity1
Relaunching the websiteIn June 2006 the Reaching Out website wasrelaunched to incorporate payroll giving andmatched fundraising under the same brand asvolunteering and utilize the existing software Allelements can now be applied for on the same site
The number of employees registered with thesite increased to over 1000 and the number of adhoc staff enquiries handled by CC Worksincreased dramatically as awareness andinvolvement levels rose among the workforce
External communicationA quarterly newsletter containing a round-up ofPfizerrsquos community investment work is producedand distributed widely to external stakeholdersincluding 3000 local residents Following theBusiness in the Community award the magazineCommunity News was revamped its circulationincreased and it was also desk-dropped to allemployees The magazine also helps to raiseawareness of Pfizer among local organizations
A pocket-sized booklet was produced containingkey facts and figures about the Healthy Communitiesprogram This gives employees especially seniorleaders at-a-glance information on the programallowing them to act as ambassadors for Pfizerrsquoscommunity investment work
Senior leaders at Pfizer Sandwich are keenadvocates of the program and having a clearbrand helps them communicate its benefits andraise awareness both internally and externally
Next stepsDespite its award-winning status there are plansto take Healthy Communities even further Theseinclude further research into employee feedbackand closer links to personal development plans InPfizer at Sandwichrsquos Global Operations functionvolunteering forms part of personal objectives ndashthis is an aspiration for the rest of the business
Pfizer also wants to improve team volunteeringand a toolkit is being prepared for team leaderswho wish to get involved in volunteering
Finally in order to share knowledge and bestpractice around community investment with otherlocal businesses Pfizer is hosting a Kentmembership network in conjunction with KentCounty Council This will help Pfizer work closelywith the local authority and bring local businessestogether to share ideas and collaborate toimprove their impact on the community scm
1 httpwwwbitcorguk
CONTACT DETAILS
Pam BakerPfizerpambakerpfizercom
Christine JenkinsCC Workschristinejenkinsccworkscouk
28 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Editorrsquos noteSucceeding in internal communication probablyisnrsquot all that different to succeeding in anyprofession understand whatrsquos expected of you dothe job well and deliver results But when youspeak to practitioners about how they personallyturned the corner in their careers and started tomake an impact it soon becomes clear that thereare many dos and donrsquots that can help or hinderprogress This article provides a handy checklistfor those with ambitious development plans
John G ClemonsVice President CommunicationsRaytheon Technical Services Co Llc
Take the initiativeThere have been a few career-defining momentsfor me Among them was the time when I realizedthat I was moving from a manager level to the
decision-making role of a director I worked for a senior executive who hired me
from a rival telecommunications company Uponjoining the company I developed strategiccommunication plans to address various businesschallenges During the development process Iperiodically checked in with my supervisor to gethis input and approval ndash probably more thannecessary ndash before moving to the next steps in planning
One day he called me into his office and saidthat while he liked the work I was doing for himhis expectation when he hired me as a directorwas that I would take the initiative in the job relyless on his frequent input and move forward with implementation and measurement Hewanted results
His counsel was along the lines of ldquoI hired youto do a directorrsquos job so do the job of a directorYou donrsquot have to get permission to make adifferencerdquo
Meet commitments and think strategicallyHis direction motivated me to take moreresponsibility at this new job level This alsomeant that I had to not just manage but leadmeet commitments and think more strategicallyto continue to earn not only his confidence butthe support of the entire leadership team
Irsquove found that being a communicationprofessional who is also a leader that can betrusted can get things done and truly support thegoals and objectives of an organization will notonly impress others but help build your credibilityand lead to success
How to get ahead ininternal communication
The path that leads internal communicators to thetop of their profession isnrsquot always an obvious oneWhich is why we asked a range of senior practitioners
to share their thoughts and experiences on gaining therespect of those who matter Whether its senior leadersfellow employees or your own team yoursquore looking toimpress these responses provide useful insight into howto make sure you and your work gets noticed
Senior practitioners share their views on how togain influence and credibility
COMPILED BY MANDY THATCHER
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
29scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Mark DarbyHead of Internal CommunicationsVisaUK
Be smart sharp and stubbornThe biggest lesson Irsquove learned and keep havingto remind myself is that I need to be smart sharpand stubborn to get ahead This is what thosewords mean to me in a work context
Smart I need to understand what Visa is doingand what people think about the business Thismeans constantly spending time in differentdepartments and learning from them I know whoour customers are what our challenges are andwhat our current financial performance is I havecontacts in most departments who have a fingeron the pulse which means I can have a relevantconversation with a senior person from any department
Sharp Internal communication is rarely near thetop of the agenda for senior people and my timewith them is usually short I always try to talkabout the impact on business performance assoon as possible If I circulate a document it willbe summarized to a single page at most and Idonrsquot use PowerPoint I ask a lot of ldquoonerdquo questionssuch as ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing you want employeesto do differentlyrdquo or ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing youwant me to change over the next six monthsrdquo
Stubborn I know what I want internal communica-tion to achieve at Visa and it has the support ofthe senior team Irsquove built up knowledge frombooks and articles I use my education from theBlack Belt training course1 and I speak to formercolleagues With this knowledge Irsquove becomestubborn and good at saying no because I have theinformation to back up my arguments Irsquove stoppedmy team from picking up extra projects that wonrsquotdeliver much value We focus only on projects thatadd the most value to the business and we deliveron these really well Successful delivery is thebiggest influence on any senior person
Monika StaffordHead of Internal CommunicationLloyds TSBUK
Be creative and focus on a killer issueUsing creative solutions to bring to life importantndash but often dull ndash programs can create a shinethat stretches beyond project boundaries For
example I worked on the implementation of SAPndash a business-critical systems program ndash requiringbehavior change from swathes of key yetuninterested people Successful implementationwas a big risk to get right but it was as dull asdishwater to communicate
Luckily there was a ldquoEurekardquo moment Byaligning the SAP story with the metaphor ofFormula-1 racing we could tell the tale of how itwould fulfill our need to create winningperformances for both the individual driver aswell as the back-up team in order to perform wellon the road ahead This storyline was a perfectmatch for the programrsquos objectives
Launch speakers from Formula 1 great designwork not to mention fantastic collateral allresulted in a no-hitch implementation that reallyresonated with people The global companypicked it up as the approach for worldwide rollout So faced with tedium it can actually pay tostare out of the window for creative inspiration
My other piece of advice is Focus on a killerissue If you really want to get ahead (and do besure you really do as being at the center ofchange is often akin to being in the eye of ahurricane ndash itrsquos no place for the feint-hearted)learn what keeps your business leaders up atnight Use your stakeholder-management skills toget to the people you need to help you deliversolutions then execute execute execute
Focus on value-adding work only because ifyou end up working on your companyrsquos cul-de-sacprojects yoursquoll never shine brightly enough forthe leaders in your company to notice you 3
COMPETENCY
Planning internal communication 76
Linking corporate messages to corporate vision 73
CEO communication 63
Change communication 60
Communicating to diverse audiences 60
Using the intranet as a communication tool 54
Defending your department in internal political battles 43
Line manager communication 42
Professional development of internal communication staff 33
Helping employees cope with information overload 32
Securing the appropriate level of budget for internal communication 30
Measuring the effectiveness of internal communication 28
Figure One Table from The Pulse report showing the percentage of communicators who ratethemselves as effective or very effective at listed competencies
30 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
WHATrsquoS CHANGED IN THE LAST 25 YEARS
David MoorcroftSenior Vice PresidentCorporate CommunicationsRBC Financial Group Canada
Irsquom constantly amazed at the changes that have taken place in our professionover the last 25 years and the degree of talent and knowledge required bycommunicators today to do their jobs well
Back in 1979 when I started in corporate PR the major skill sets werewriting editing and great media contacts Today good editorial skills are justtable stakes and the ability to understand business adapt technology thinkstrategically plan consummately and influence stakeholders are what landsenior communicators a seat at the management table
This change has been driven by the globalization of business the advent ofnew 247 media including the Internet the growing sophistication ofcustomers and employees increased demands for corporate transparency andmore rigorous requirements for high standards of public disclosure andfinancial reporting
MORE SKILLS THAN EVER BEFOREAs a result todayrsquos business communicator has to be more capable andknowledgeable and have more skills than ever before They must befinancially literate and technologically savvy They must understand the impactof evolving accounting and disclosure rules They must deal with legal HRpolitical and business issues And they must be prepared to deal with amultitude of potential crises that can arise at any moment in any language inany part of the world
Perhaps most challenging senior management today expects clear bottom-line returns for their investments in communication Itrsquos no longer enough toinform audiences and measure communication outputs CEOs expectcommunication to engage audiences and produce outcomes ndash something thatrequires strategic thinking planning and foresight
A friend of mine who left a senior corporate PR job to become COO of amajor public utility recently summed up the role of todayrsquos communicator thisway ldquoItrsquos one of the most important and critical roles in organizations todayand yet itrsquos often one of the least recognized and appreciatedrdquo
That sentiment may be a reality in some organizations today but with moreand more CEOs beginning to realize the bottom-line value of communication itwonrsquot be 25 years from now
Christina FeeSenior Vice President InternalCommunicationsDeutsche Post AGGermany
Seek out the important projectsI canrsquot pretend to have employed a specificapproach to my ldquopersonal PRrdquo at all But in theorganizations Irsquove worked for Irsquove had theopportunity to work on a number of excitinghigh-profile projects that have connected me withsenior stakeholders and influential people atdifferent levels
7
Irsquove learned a great deal from the project teamsIrsquove worked with and also due to the significanceand scope of the projects been able todemonstrate my worth approach and skills Irsquovehad to be passionate stand up for what I believein and think outside the box constantly
My roles within DHLDeutsche Post haveallowed me the freedom and flexibility to developand deliver new ideas but Irsquove also had to practiceand embody excellent internal communicationskills myself Having developed credibility and trustwith those that matter based on my track record Iwas allowed to go ahead with other projects
I donrsquot actively pursue the ldquoright relationshipsrdquobut rather let my work and my interactions withpeople speak for themselves This has helped medevelop mentors and supporters naturally Mylearning and development has also been expandedby the opportunity to work abroad and learn moreabout intercultural communication and interaction
Marc SilversideHead of Internal CommunicationsMacmillan Cancer SupportUK
Understand whatrsquos expected of youA newly established role heightens the need formaking a good impression so that people trustyou and feel they can come to you for advice
When I joined Macmillan I very nearly got thiswrong Perhaps this is an example that otherrsquos canlearn from
When my new CEO at Macmillan CancerSupport asked for a meeting ldquoafter a few weeks tosettle inrdquo I was confident that my wide-ranginginduction would help me understand the businessand provide the basis for what Irsquod present tosenior management
Forty structured face-to-face managerinterviews allowed me to understand needs andkey issues and I started to build personal rapportMy profile was raised and at the same timeinternal communication gained good visibility
Externally I networked with contacts in similarroles in other charities and soon found thebeginnings of a voluntary-sector network This hassince grown to over 25 members
By the time my CEO slot arrived I was armedwith input from across the charity and the resultsof an audit I felt well prepared to present myvision and solutions So I was surprised to be metwith significant resistance
I later discovered that my CEO intelligence wasincorrect What he wanted was to be askedspecifically about his own views on what internalcommunication should do and what I could do for
How to get ahead in internal communication
31scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
HOW DO YOUR SKILLS MEASURE UPFor Melcrumrsquos study into budgets salaries and trends in internalcommunication in 200607 we asked survey respondents to rate their owneffectiveness at a range of key communication competencies from planning tomeasurement The results may surprise you
For example 76 percent of respondents rate themselves as effective or veryeffective at planning internal communication but only 28 percent ratethemselves as equally effective at measuring its effectiveness (see Figure Onepage 29)
In her commentary on the results development expert Sue Dewhurst hadthe following to say
OUR STRENGTHSIt seems where we see our strengths as internal communicators is towards theldquofront endrdquo of the communication planning process For example being able tolink a plan to the business strategy knowing our audiences and being able tojoin up the dots and show people how messages link to the business vision
These are powerful strengths We are one of the few functions that tends tohave an overarching view of our entire company and is able to view thecompany and its strategy from a number of different perspectives Being ableto understand the vision and strategy view it from an audience perspectiveand then create line of sight to show what those things mean in practicalterms for peoplersquos day-to-day roles is one of the ways that we help drivebusiness performance ndash by showing people what they need to do to take thestrategy forward
In turn by knowing and working with our audiences hopefully wersquore thenalso able to make sure their views and suggestions can help shape the strategyand how itrsquos put into practice
MEASURING EFFECTIVENESSWe see ourselves as less effective towards the back end of the planningprocess in measuring the effectiveness of internal communication which tiesin with the feeling from previous questions that in fact wersquore not doing muchmeasurement or demonstrating our return on investment
Research and measurement is an area where there is plenty of expertisearound to call on There are measurement conferences research reports andpublications to understand what other organizations are doing and practicaltraining that will give you the opportunity to work in a smaller group askquestions and practice techniques For help with specific techniques try yourinternal marketing team Marketers are generally great with data and well-versed in running focus groups and putting together surveys If you have anexternal provider to support your employee engagement research try them too
Source The Pulse Essential data on budgets salaries and trends 2006-07wwwmelcrumcom
him rather than how I could benefit the charity Ihad to change my approach fast
This could have cost me my best ambassadorfrom day one So my advice is make sure yoursquoreabsolutely clear about whatrsquos expected from you
Of course the insights I gained in my first fewmonths have been valuable and since then myresults have done the talking Fortunately theCEO soon became an internal communicationsconvert and advocate
Darren CrozierCommunications ManagerHBOS plcUK
Make things happenDelivery is key to career development ndash if you sayyoursquore going to do something make sure you doit Put in the effort get the results you want andbe known as someone who can make things happenIf yoursquore seen to ldquoget things donerdquo no matter howsmall the job is people are more likely to get youinvolved in activities and ask your opinion
Gaining credibility and respect from seniorcolleagues is important but everyone in yourorganization will form an opinion of you from thepeople in the canteen right through to the CEOSo try and make sure that their opinion of you is agood one
Itrsquos not just the people within your immediatesphere of influence who can have an impact onyour career so extend your network go oncourses and get involved in professionalorganizations Many of my close workingrelationships career opportunities and indeedpersonal friendships have come from meetingpeople at such events and taking the time to keepin touch You never know how things will develop
Itrsquos also vital to earn respect be trustworthy andhave good manners To recall what an ex-bossonce said ldquoBe careful how you treat people onthe way up as you never know when you maycome across them againrdquo
One of the biggest challenges Irsquove found inrecent times is recognizing my own success andselling myself Sometimes you need to take a stepback to realize just what yoursquove achieved Evenbetter keep a log or portfolio of your successesand donrsquot be shy to speak about them becauseothers wonrsquot be shy to speak about theirs
Finally try and have some fun along the wayWe all have to work for a living so learn to makethe most of it scm
1 For more about Melcrumrsquos Internal Communication Black Belttraining program go to wwwmelcrumcom
32 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pitney Bowes has followed an aggressive strategyof growth through acquisition completing 60+acquisitions since 2001 Expansion has broadenedits product mix to include an extensive range ofsolutions from office equipment to globalpositioning software
But the companyrsquos many different specialismsand huge outsourcing operations meant that themajority of its 34000 employees werenrsquot aware ofthe full range of its service offering and thepotential for different divisions to work together
As Rob Hallam vice president EmployeeCommunication explains there was a strongbusiness case for adopting a ldquoone companyrdquoapproach ldquoBecause the businesses tended to besomewhat siloed even senior managers werefocused on their divisions
ldquoAlso because we were acquiring companiesand evolving so rapidly managers werenrsquot awareof a lot of the businesses and how they all workedtogether in the mailstreamrdquo says Hallam ldquoWewere missing out on potential cross-sellingopportunitiesrdquo
Communicating a new visionFour years ago Pitney Bowes created a OneCompany Vision statement ldquoOur aim was toensure support and cooperation across thebusiness so we could provide a comprehensive setof customer solutions ndash not just a list of productsand services by business unitrdquo says Hallam Theinternal communication challenge was to drawtogether 34000 employees and build a unifiedcorporate culture The communication strategyfocused on three key elements
1 PeopleThis focused on involving the leadershipstrengthening a two-way dialogue betweenmanagement and employees communicating theculture through leadership messaging enterprise-wide events and roadshows and buildingengagement so that everyone was workingtogether towards a One Company approach
2 ProcessesThis meant integrating the One Companyapproach into the organizationrsquos operations andinfrastructure by shifting management roles andadjusting incentives and reward structuresthroughout the company
The first step was to consolidate the companyrsquosoperating activities by appointing Murray DMartin as president and chief operating officer inSeptember 2004 Martinrsquos mantra is ldquoThink AsOne Act as One Operate As One to deliverwhat no other company canrdquo
ldquoThe COO position had previously been heldby the chairman so elevating someone to that
Communicating a OneCompany culture atPitney Bowes
Following rapid growth in the form of more than 60acquisitions over six years silo-working haddeveloped at Pitney Bowes and leaders were failing
to take advantage of profitable cross-selling opportunitiesHere Rob Hallam describes the communication elementsof a ldquoOne Companyrdquo culture-change program which hasturned the situation around simultaneously improvingcustomer service and boosting profits
Persuading disparate businessunits to work together
AN INTERVIEW WITH ROB HALLAM
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Pitney Bowes is an 87-year-old company best known forthe manufacturing operationand oversight of postagemeters It has over two millioncustomers more than 3500active patents and annualrevenue of close to $6 billion
33scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
role was a big changerdquo explains Hallam ldquoAll thebusiness units now report to a single individual atoperating level It represented a huge positivemove to start the company operationalizing OneCompany behaviorrdquo
The internal communication function wasrestructured to ensure that consistent messagingreached the entire employee population Regularmeasurement was a key part of the changeinitiative This served to define the contributionof communicating a One Company approachwhere it was adding value to Pitney Bowes and itsclients and customers and where there was stillwork to do
3 TechnologyIt was important to find the best ways to cascademessages throughout the company and keeppeople informed about what was going onwithout bombarding them with irrelevantcommunication Hallam and his team deploy avariety of channels and media including internalprint and online publications voicemail and e-mail Pitney Bowes is also in the process ofintegrating its different voicemail systems and e-mail platforms into one global system
Involving senior leadership from the outsetThe One Company strategy was an overridingpolicy that started at the top of the organizationldquoThere was a big launch at the strategic leadersrsquomeeting which is held every Januaryrdquo saysHallam ldquoThe messaging was then driven throughthe organization via a companywide globalcommunication strategyrdquo
From the outset the policy was championed bythe CEO Michael Critelli who believes thatculture is central to the Pitney Bowes brand andsaid recently ldquoMy first measure of success iswhether we are behaving as one companyrdquo Thiscommitment helped to ensure that the culturalchange was reinforced by parallel changes to thecorporate infrastructure
Building a two-way dialogueThe next step was to get the employee populationinvolved and build enterprisewide enthusiasm forthe culture change Pitney Bowes has alwaysrecognized the value of a two-way dialoguebetween management and employees and hasheld annual jobholders meetings which aresimilar to shareholdersrsquo meetings for 61 years In2005 Hallam reinvented it as an initiative calledOne Forum ndash a series of roadshows focusing oncommunicating the One Company culturethroughout the organization
Launching the One ForumIn 2005 Hallam and his team created an original
and memorable One Forum launch for the 90percent of Pitney Bowes employees based in theUS Around a quarter of US employees saw thisin person the others received a link to a websitewith streaming highlights
ldquoWe put together a two-hour roadshow eventwhich helped people to understand our OneCompany approach and made them aware of allthe businesses we were inrdquo says Hallam ldquoThethinking was that high change requires high touchFace-to-face can have far greater impact on theindividuals touched From there itrsquos a matter ofripple effect such as seeing improved One Forumbrand awareness among employees who didnrsquotactually attend one of the eventsrdquo
ldquoWe wanted the roadshow to be entertainingand energizing so we used gameshow techniquescustom-written songs and comedy specificallytailored to Pitney Bowes employees It was a funevent but it also included a keynote speech fromthe CEO and a lot of question-and-answersessions with employees It was entertainmentwith a purpose and it was a great success with employeesrdquo
The post-event employee evaluations provedthe success of this approach ldquoIn some cities anincredible 90 percent of employees gave the eventa top-box rating This shows that there was ahunger for both the knowledge and theapproachrdquo adds Hallam
Taking the show on the roadThe One Forum roadshow has become an annualevent ldquoIn a five-month period during 2005 therewere 17 One Forum events in 12 US citiesreaching about 6000 peoplerdquo says Hallam ldquoAftersome testing in March and April the first bigroadshows started in early May and continued forsix months with the final one in early Decemberin Seattle 3
Rob Hallam is vice presidentEmployee Communication atPitney Bowes (PB) in StamfordConnecticut where hersquos beenresponsible for internalcommunication strategy andimplementation since 2004Hallam has led a team ofprofessionals in reshapingcommunication at PB resultedin the communication teamearning the top ranking in HRdepartment satisfaction fromall PBrsquos US managers in 2005and 2006
KEY POINTSbull Internal communication has played an important role in embedding a
One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
bull The communication strategy focused on three key elements peopleprocess and technology
bull The campaign has been championed by the CEO from the outset andhas won senior leadership support over time
bull An entertaining roadshow helped win employee commitment
bull Cross-selling ratios have jumped substantially since the culture-changeeffort began
34 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ldquoIn 2006 we compressed the programsubstantially and drove down costs while stilltouching 6000 employees Together with ourcorporate marketing group we also introduced anextremely successful lsquoelevator speechrsquo that helpsemployees answer the much-feared questionlsquoWhat does Pitney Bowes dorsquordquo
Local variationsAlthough the entertainment component in theroadshows contributed to their success it wasspecific to the US so Hallam gave business unitsand internal communicators in other regions theresponsibility for communicating the OneCompany approach to local employees ldquoInCanada and the UK they conducted town-hallmeetings and in Latin America and other parts ofthe world they produced their own variations onthe One Forum theme We made sure that theyhad the information they needed but we limitedthe entertainment to English-speaking regionsrdquo
A commitment to employee engagementThe appointment of the new COO and the launchof the One Forum roadshows coincided with thefirst employee engagement survey in late 2004ldquoWe see engagement as very much tied to ourability to execute a One Company strategy andchange our culturerdquo says Hallam He sets outfour ways in which employee engagement isinstilled at all levels in the organization
1 Visible leadership commitment to engagementThe CEO underlines his commitment by sendingregular messages to employees via a variety ofmedia including voicemail and print and onlinepublications He also uses engagement scores todetermine a unitrsquos overall performance rating andbonus pool ldquoWhen one senior execrsquos bonus poolwas reduced due to poor engagement scores that
was a message requiring no communication planrdquosays Hallam ldquoWord spread quicklyrdquo
2 Celebrating top performers Pitney Bowes celebrates its top engagementperformers by running cover stories in its globalprint and online publication PB Today ldquoThisprogram was called lsquoThe Faces of Pitney Bowesrsquordquosays Hallam ldquoWe did 10 of these last year so theyran twice in five editions Wersquove also producedlarge mural-sized photos of those managers andtheir teamsrdquo he says ldquoWe celebrate success andpublish it everywhere Our CEO loves it and wersquoreactually selling part of our contemporary artcollection which decorates the building to makeroom for an expansion of additional OneCompany and Engagement photography all ofwhich will focus on our employeesrdquo
3 Incentivizing managers via the reward systemEmployee engagement is recognized andreinforced in the companyrsquos formal processesincluding its reward system ldquoWe use a tool calledthe Strategic Architecture which is our balancedscorecardrdquo explains Hallam ldquoItrsquos a Six-Sigma toolwhich measures employee shareholder andcustomer value Managersrsquo engagement scoresalso factor into their annual reviews soengagement has a direct impact on remunerationrdquo
4 Rewarding engagementA further program called Rapid Rewards awardscash bonuses to managers and employees foroutstanding behavior including that related toemployee engagement
Aligning the communication strategyHallam and his team are responsible fordelivering the overall employee communicationstrategy ldquoWe had to dramatically improve ourstrategic approach in order to make OneCompany a realityrdquo he says
In addition to organizing campaigns such as theOne Forum roadshows to publicize the culturechange across the enterprise Hallam hasintroduced initiatives aimed at improving thereach and delivery of internal communication andmaking sure messages get to their intendedaudiences He has also aligned the structure ofthe internal communication function with thecompanyrsquos unified culture
ldquoThere were a lot of different communicationgroups so we brought together all thecommunication leaders and formed a singleInternal Communications Councilrdquo explainsHallam ldquoThis means that the communicationfunctions in the different business units areworking together to help drive change andimprove coordinationrdquo
Communicating a One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
ldquoWHEN A SENIOR EXECrsquoS BONUS WAS REDUCEDDUE TO POOR ENGAGEMENT SCORES THAT WASA MESSAGE REQUIRING NO COMMUNICATIONPLAN WORD SPREAD QUICKLYrdquo
7
FURTHER RESOURCES3 THE IMPACT OF CULTURE AND CLIMATE ON CHANGE PROGRAMS
An article published in SCM Volume 10 Issue 6 OctoberNovember 2006
3 DRIVING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE CORPORATE CULTUREMelcrumrsquos report on communication tools techniques and best practicefrom leading organizationswwwmelcrumcom
35scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Developing a global approachHallam is also responsible for a globalcommunication project called Universal Reachwhich is sponsored by the chairman and designedto support and maintain a unified corporateculture ldquoOur goal is to provide 90 percentmessage accessibility within our key customer-facing audiencesrdquo he explains ldquoThe biggestchallenge is integrating our online communicationinfrastructure which has nine different voicemailsystems operating across the world and multiplee-mail and web platforms Wersquore pulling all thattogether to provide better reachrdquo
Since 911 the CEO and other top executiveshave broadcast weekly audio messages calledPower Talks Hallamrsquos team has worked with theleadership to ensure that they incorporate OneCompany messages and as he explains they reachmost of the employee population ldquoAbout 20000of our employees have voicemail Those whodonrsquot receive the Power Talk message either inprint or online In some divisions managers playthe Power Talk messages in staff meetingsrdquo
Engaging leadership reinforces the cultureBuilding on the CEOrsquos commitment to a OneCompany approach Hallam and his team haveorganized leadership events ndash most recently at thestrategic leadersrsquo meeting in December 2006 ndashshowing Pitney Bowes as one company in actionThis campaign has helped to engage the top 150managers in the culture change
ldquoOur post-event evaluations show a strongmove numerically in senior leadershiprsquos belief thatwersquore operating as one companyrdquo says Hallam(see Figure One above) ldquoAs theyrsquore our toughestjudges wersquore pleased by the significant differencein pre- and post-event measurementrdquo There wasalso an improvement in leadersrsquo understanding ofthe companyrsquos new mailstream category
Sustaining the new cultureAccording to Hallam rippling out the OneCompany messaging requires a consistent andcoordinated approach Communication leaders inthe various divisions are now working to weaveOne Company messages into the business-unitmeetings ldquoA lot of the messaging that welaunched at the strategic leadersrsquo meeting arebeing reiterated at the business unit level Thatrsquosbeen facilitated through the InternalCommunications Councilrdquo he says
ldquoKey metrics for the culture change programfocus on cross-selling ratios which have jumpedsubstantially since the culture change effortbeganrdquo says Hallam ldquoIn 2002 we also institutedthe ldquoPB1 Awardsrdquo which is a chairmanrecognition award that goes to teams who bestembody cross-functional behavior in working on
projects which improve our clientsrsquo profitabilityour profitability or bothrdquo
ldquoHowever wersquore only really a year into thisMuch of the evidence is anecdotal but what haschanged is that our managers have broadenedtheir vision and are thinking as solutions-providers rather than product-sellers As suchtheyrsquore involving other business units out of theirdesire to eliminate customer pain points ndashregardless of which part of Pitney Bowes gets the salerdquo
Adding value to customersUltimately managers and employees who arewell-informed about the companyrsquos products andservices are in a good position to take advantageof cross-selling opportunities Realizing thispotential enables Pitney Bowes to make extrasales to existing customers thereby increasing itsprofit margins and allowing customers to benefitfrom a mix of products and services
Shifting to a unified culture directly benefitsboth Pitney Bowes and its customers ldquoByfocusing on the whole cadre of products andservices we can help our customers improve theirbusinessesrdquo says Hallam ldquoThatrsquos where OneCompany is critical It enables our clients tobenefit from all our servicesrdquo scm
Figure One Measuring the impact of the strategic leadersrsquo meeting
CONTACT DETAILS
Rob HallamPitney Bowesrobhallampbcom
I BELIEVE THAT OUR SENIOR LEADERS (MEANING THE TOP 15 EXECS) AREWORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO DELIVER INTEGRATED HIGH-VALUESOLUTIONS TO OUR CUSTOMERS
Pre SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 73
Post SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 92
Gain in two months time 19
ldquoMANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WELL-INFORMED ABOUT THE COMPANYrsquoS PRODUCTSAND SERVICES ARE IN A GOOD POSITION TOTAKE ADVANTAGE OF CROSS-SELLINGrdquo
2007
36 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
MELCRUM TRAINING amp EVENTS
CALENDAR 2007UKEUROPESOCIAL MEDIA FORUM FORINTERNAL COMMUNICATORS UK
3 21-22 March 2007 Hilton Canary WharfLondon UKThis forum is designed for practitioners who wantto make social media part of their internalcommunication strategy Over two dayscompanies such as IBM Microsoft and BT willshare case studies demonstrating their use ofsocial-media tools Technology experts will also beon hand to provide training and show you how touse these tools
THE 3RD ANNUAL EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT CONFERENCE UK
3 22-24 May 2007 Millennium GloucesterLondon UK22 May ndash Practical workshops23-24 May ndash Two-day conferenceThis event will focus on transforming yourstrategies into action Listen to case studies fromcompanies that have achieved real andmeasurable results from their engagement effortsLearn how they did it what they achieved and howthe results were measured
THE 6TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT UK
3 16-18 October 2007 London UK After the huge success of the 2006 UK StrategicCommunication Management Summit next yearrsquosevent will once again provide you withpresentations from key figures in the industry anda chance to network with your peers Mark yourdiaries now ndash more details to follow
THE 3RD ANNUAL INTERNALCOMMUNICATION MEASUREMENTCONFERENCE UK
3 27-29 November 2007 London UKDetails available soon ndash mark your diary now
NORTH AMERICATHE 3RD ANNUAL CONFERENCEON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENTBUILDING AND SUSTAINING ACULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT
3 28 February ndash 1 March 2007 Crowne PlazaAtlanta-Buckhead Atlanta USLearn how to foster an environment whereemployees feel valued and respected Hear fromcompanies including Dow Corning CorporationAmerican Express Delta Hotels and Merck
THE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT US
3 26-28 March 2007 Crowne Plaza UnionSquare San Francisco26 March ndash Pre-conference workshops27-28 March ndash Two-day summitAttend this conference and discover how toimprove employee alignment with all segments ofyour internal audience ndash from your front-lineemployees to your executive officers bothnationally and worldwide
AUSTRALIATHE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION ENGAGEMENTSUMMIT SYDNEY
3 31 July ndash 2 August 2007 Sydney Australia Details available soon ndash mark your diary now
WEBINARSDEVELOPING PROFESSIONALCOMPETENCE
3 Thursday 22 February 2007 with LiamFitzPatrick and Sue Dewhurst
HELPING YOUR ORGANIZATIONTHRIVE DURING TURBULENTTIMES
3 Thursday 29 March 2007 with Carol KinseyGoman
TRAININGTHE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT PROGRAM
3 24-25 April and 1-2 May 2007 HenleyManagement College UK3 11-12 and 27-28 September 2007 Cranfield
School of Management UK
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT MASTERCLASSEFFECTIVE MEASUREMENT
3 14-15 March 2007 Hendon Hall Hendon UKAn essential two-day intensive training courses forinternal communicators on effective measurementRegister early as places are strictly limited to 20people per Masterclass
CSR DELIVERY ENGAGEMENT amp LEADERSHIP
3 19-20 April 2007 Central LondonOsney MediaWith an excellent speaker line-up from high-profile companies including Procter amp Gamble The BodyShop ExxonMobil Microsoft Belgium Vodafone UK Dell Ericsson and Alliance Boots this case studybased event will answer questions including how do Ibull Build a CSR-oriented leadershipbull Get people on boardbull Integrate CSR with the global strategy of the companybull Deliver CSR throughout the company to make it really happen
For more information visit wwwcsrleadershipcom or e-mail mariame_lindellosneymediacouk (Reference code 910MLC3)
38 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
DESIGN
YELLOW
The future success of all organisations will be builton trust understanding passion empowermentintegrity and relationships
The future is cool exciting sparkling organisationsbursting with energy life and action
The future of brand is the internal brand first andforemost
The future is colleague as customer
Turning communications upside down
No just inside-out
Be part of the future say hello to Yellow
We help large organisations bring their communicationsstrategies to life through the imaginative use of liveevents multimedia web and design ndash distributed acrossall media platforms including DVD TV mobile devicesintranet and extranet
Ultimately developing internal brands and ongoingcommunications that have a measurable impact onpeople-performance advocacy and the bottom line
Contact Paul MiddletonTel +44 (0)161 228 6700E-mail paulmiddletonyellowcomcomWebsite wwwyellowcomcom
NEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
DESIGN
BLUE GOOSE
blue goose specialize in visual communications We make communications work faster and better We will link what wedo back to your objectives but we donrsquot talk (or charge for) ldquostrategyrdquo when you simply want tactical implementation Weuse design and creativity tobull differentiate products and services bull develop and manage corporate and brand identity bull align external communications with agreed values bull internalize corporate and brand identitybull align internal communications with agreed values bull support organizational change and bull help organizations better understand and define who they are
We work for clients as diverse as PricewaterhouseCoopers Ford Europe Centrica plc Greene King City of London Policeand Le Meacuteridien
blue goose is for any organization more interested in designing their future than watching it happen
Contact Chris BarringtonE-mail thinkingbluegoosecoukTel +44 (0)20 8869 8500Web site wwwbluegoosecouk
CONSULTANCY
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION ampSURVEYS PTY LTD
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd is aboutique consultancy based in Sydney Australia Itspecializes in employee communication strategiessystems research and employee surveys of all kindsPrincipal Rodney Gray has been involved inorganizational consulting for over 20 years following a15-year career as a corporate human resourcesexecutive Services includebull Employee communication audits and surveys by
questionnaires focus groups and interviewsbull Employee communication systems strategies and
processesbull Employee communication training workshops and
talksbull Employee culture climate and opinion surveysbull Qualitative organizational diagnosis (focus groups
and interviews)bull Internal service quality research (qualitative and
quantitative)
Contact Rodney GrayTel +61 (0)2 9909 2900 Fax +61 (0)2 9909 2911E-mail rodneyrodneygraycomauWeb site wwwemployee-communicationcomau
CONSULTANCY
HEDRON
Internal and change communication that helps teamsand individuals to develop strategies relationshipsprocesses and skills to engage stakeholders supporthigh performance and deliver change
ldquoSharp strategic thinking quality execution effectiveinterpersonallyhelliprdquo ldquoCreativity drive resourcefulnessresults great funhelliprdquo say clients
All sectors ndash ABN AMRO AXA BT Cadbury SchweppesDepartment for Constitutional Affairs HealthcareCommission Group 4 Securicor SABMiller SiemensSouthern Rail Unilever Wincanton
Our clients are happy to tell you what itrsquos like workingwith us
Contact Helena MemoryTel + 44 (0) 20 7493 0735Fax + 44 (0) 20 7493 0743E-mail helena-mhedroncomWeb site wwwhedroncom
CONSULTANCY
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
39scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
CONSULTANCY
SYNOPSIS
Founded by change and communication authority Bill Quirke in 1992 Synopsis is one of Europersquos leading internalcommunication consultancies Our clients include such companies as ABN Amro BBC BP British Airways DiageoEricsson HP Lloyds TSB Roche Shell and Vodafone
We help clients use internal communication to engage their employees in delivering business strategy and get most valuefrom their internal communication
We can help youbull Develop communication strategies that support your business strategybull Coach leadersbull Develop line managersrsquo communication skillsbull Plan and coordinate your communication with colleagues onlinebull Check the health of your communication channels and improve return on investmentbull Build and develop the communication functionbull Measure and track employee engagement attitudes and opinions
To take a tour of our online planning tool go to wwwsynopsisonlinecomproductplanningtoolasp
Contact Jane LebeauE-mail janelebeausynopsisonlinecomTel +44 (0) 20 7490 2900Web site wwwsynopsisonlinecom
CONSULTANCY
HARKNESS KENNETT
We specialize in internal communication To us thatmeansbull motivating people through inspiring leadershipbull guiding people through organizational changebull engaging people in delivering the brand
Working in partnership with our clients is central to ourethos enabling us to help deliver practical solutionssupported by solid strategic thinking All of ourconsultants have held senior positions ldquoclient siderdquo sowe know what itrsquos like to be in your shoes The vastmajority of our work comes from recommendations fromexisting clients ndash 82 percent of our clients haverequested repeat work in the last two years
Our clients include Abbey Atkins BDO Stoy HaywardThe Environment Agency Marks amp Spencer NHS Blood ampTransplant Morgan Stanley Europe Nestleacute PoliceInformation Technology Organisation Royal ampSunAlliance South West Trains and Vodafone
Our vision is simple ndash we want to be the first callyou make
Contact James HarknessTel +44 (0)1483 222730E-mail jamesharknessharknesskennettcomWeb site wwwharknesskennettcom
CONSULTANCY
TRIDENT COMMUNICATIONS
Trident Communications is uniquely positioned to definedevelop and deliver award-winning solutions that aligncommunication with business goals
We advise and partner with organizations of all sizes tocreate high-value practical applications Our talentedproject teams provide innovative research designeditorial and imagery for print and online
We connect ideas and deliver results
Contact Peter Agertoft Tel +44 (0)207 536 8900E-mail peteragertoft
tridentcommunicationsnetWeb site wwwtridentcommunicationsnet
CONSULTANCY
FLEISHMAN-HILLARD
Fleishman-Hillardrsquos dedicated internal and changecommunication practice helps businesses focus onperforming ndash not just informing
We help organisations plan and implement programmeswith the right mix of information dialogue and trainingso that employees are engaged aligned and motivatedto achieve business objectives
Because effective internal communication is vital tobottom-line performance we partner with our clients tocreate a daily dialogue ndash not a monologue ndash withemployees
Contact Nick AndrewsTel +32 (0)2 230 05 45 E-mail nickandrewsfleishmancomWeb site wwwfleishmaneuropecom
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE A listing in our Directory of Services will giveyou a chance to reach communicationprofessionals at some of the worldrsquos largestand most admired companies and to tap intodecision-making practitioners
ContactVincent SorelTel +44 (0)208 600 4670E-mail vincentsorelmelcrumcom
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
INCLUDE YOUR COMPANY BY CONTACTING US ON +44(0)20 8600 4670 OR AT INFOMELCRUMCOM
CONSULTANCY
HILL amp KNOWLTON
Better business results the bottom line
How do I manage more change Motivate managers Getthe right information to the right people Show the bestreturn on communication investment
Sound familiar Hill amp Knowltonrsquos change and internalcommunication consultants work with companies aroundthe world to find the right answers for their situation
We offer strategy insight and creativity drawing on ourconsultancy expertise and in-house experience Plus wedeliver practical hands-on help
We know that effective employee communication has adirect impact on the bottom line Working together wecan make it happen for you
Contact EMEA DavidFerrabeehillandknowltoncom
+44 (0) 7413 3176USA BarbaraEdlerhillandknowltoncom
+1 415 281-7160Canada KristaThompsonhillandknowltoncom
+1 613 786-9961
RECRUITMENT
VMA GROUP
VMA Group is one of the UKrsquos leading executive searchand selection consultancies specializing in internal andcorporate communication recruitment
For over 25 years VMA Group has provided the highestlevel of service to some of the most demanding globalorganizations developing a strong track record for thequality and professionalism of our search and selection work
We have in-depth specialist knowledge of the internalcommunication market and can provide high-qualitypermanent and interim candidates with expertise acrossinternal communication change management and widercorporate communication We understand the needs ofour clients intrinsically and strive to develop long-termrelationships with clients and candidates alike
Please call to discuss how we can help you find theideal candidate or if you wish to make a career move
Contact David BroomeTel +44 (0)20 7436 4243E-mail dbroomevmagroupcoukWeb site wwwvmagroupcouk
40 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONALCOMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS E-mail gaitensunityncsueduWeb site wwwconsultingsuccessorgTel 919 469 3895
CIB ndash BRITISH ASSOCIATION OFCOMMUNICATORS IN BUSINESSE-mail enquiriescibukcomWeb site wwwcibukcomTel +44 (0)870 121 7606
CCM ndash COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATIONMANAGEMENT E-mail membership
ccmconnectioncomWeb site wwwccmconnectioncomTel 866 463 4226
CPRS ndash THE CANADIAN PUBLICRELATIONS SOCIETYE-mail admincprscaWeb site wwwcprscaTel 416 239 7034
IABC ndash THE INTERNATIONALASSOCIATION OF BUSINESSCOMMUNICATORS E-mail service_centreiabccomWeb site wwwiabccomTel 415 544 4700
ICA ndash THE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONALLIANCE E-mail amandafoistericaukorgWeb site wwwiprorgukicaTel +44 (0)1628 642 044
CIPR ndash THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OFPUBLIC RELATIONS UKE-mail infoiprorgukWeb site wwwiprorgukTel +44 (0)20 7253 5151
IPRA ndash THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICRELATIONS ASSOCIATIONE-mail ipraseccompuservecomWeb site wwwipraorgTel +44 (0) 1372 461 188
PRSA ndash PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OFAMERICAE-mail resourcesprsaorgWeb site wwwprsaorgTel 212 460 1459
DIRECTORY OF SERVICESNEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
CONSULTANCY
4 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Keith HardieBerwin Leighton PaisnerDepending on the level ofcommitment in the seniorteam you may want to
consider a General Electric approachcalled WorkOut Essentially you getpeople together from a cross-section ofthe company give them a strategypresentation outline the problems tosolve and then get them to come up withideas The senior-manager host has tolisten to the presentations decide (onthe spot) whether to take the ideasforward and then help mentor theproject teams identified to take thesuccessful ideas forward
Q Does anybody have any ideasfor creating a cascade withparticular focus on trainingmiddle managers to do thismore effectively
Angela SinickasSinickas Communications IncMy experience and clientsurvey results show that
cascading as a way of broadcasting newinformation is not effective In factcompanies in my survey database whopurposely use cascading as a way ofbroadcasting new information are theones with the largest percentage ofemployees hearing things on the grapevine
This is because as soon as the directoror vice president conducts the firstmeeting the attendees go away and discussit with their friends in the office whosemanagers have not yet had a meetingMy experience shows that employees atall levels have higher information levelson key company topics in organizationswhere they rely on mass communicationto provide consistent and timely informationto all employees This is followed byface-to-face meetings to discuss thecontext of the information for each workgroup and how it might affect them
I would recommend using e-mailnewsletters to those with online accessand posting PDFs of the sameinformation on as many bulletin boardsas possible to reach employees withoutonline access
The training Irsquod recommend formanagers is how to provide local context
At the end you can either simply wrap upwith a summary of the ideas or have a15-minute break then reassemble tostart evaluating the ideas and identifyingwhich ones are worthy of furtherinvestigation or development Yourbiggest challenge is involving field-basedstaff The nature of brainstorming is thatit needs to be dynamic ndash itrsquos almostimpossible to get the full benefit viaremote links
Richard HareBritish American TobaccoIrsquom not sure how you caninvolve field-based staffwithout bringing
them in I believe you get the maximumvalue from people collaborating byphysically getting them together I knowonline collaboration is possible and thereare numerous examples on the web butthe will to collaborate to solve problemsin this fashion tends to come from thepeople involved
For the past couple of years wersquovebeen facilitating ldquoDeep Diverdquo eventsbased on the method developed by Ideo1
This was licensed by a company turnedinto a product and sold as ldquoinnovation ina boxrdquo Used in an event lasting aminimum of a day the participants talkto experts in the area of the challengetheyrsquore facing Itrsquos an innovative way toquickly get new ideas from a group Wefly people in to take part and have ateam of facilitators to help them with the challenge1 Learn more about the Ideo process at
httpwwwideocommedianightlineasp
Denise Baron Baron Communications ampEditorial ServicesEmployees will be moreinclined to participate in
brainstorming or other idea-generatingexercises when therersquos clear evidencethat senior management cares about whatthey think and is willing to take the timeto listen It also helps immensely if someof the suggestions are actually implemented
Unless senior managers intend to giveserious consideration to the ldquovoice of thepeoplerdquo in some tangible way ndash regardlessof the format employees will view therequest as an empty exercise and will behard-pressed to want to ldquoengagerdquo Sobefore you embark on yet another ldquothinktankrdquo clone the first question to askyourself is not how but why
Tom BrannanYes CityThe ideal genuine brain-storming session only lastsabout an hour any longer
and people will start to lose theircreativity Try going back to basics1 Decide what problem you want
to solve2 Nominate a ldquoproblem ownerrdquo Itrsquos
their task to give a five-minute briefon the issue to the rest of the group
3 Donrsquot involve more than a dozenpeople in the session
4 Give them 45 minutes to be creativein suggesting solutions
5 Capture everything but donrsquot allow anyevaluation ndash even the wildest ideashave value in sparking other thoughts
the communicatorsrsquo
NETWORK
A ROUND-UP OF THE LATEST HOT DEBATES AND SHARED ADVICE
In this issue we share some suggestions from the Communicatorsrsquo Network onhow to conduct the most effective brainstorming sessions There was alsodebate surrounding the idea of cascading information ndash to some it spellsdisaster to others itrsquos an efficient way to save both time and resources Andfind out what practitioners think about the use of logos for internal projects ndashare they helpful or just confusing
Q Does anyone have any ideas on how to create successful brainstormingsessions between managers and employees including field-based staff
QA
5scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
to higher-level information and how tofacilitate discussions ndash not on how topresent corporate bullet points effectively
Naomi CohenBSI British StandardsCascading has the benefitof high levels of trust(research shows the closer
to the employee the messenger is themore likely the message is to bebelieved) but low levels of reliability(therersquos great potential for distortion ofkey messages going through a thirdparty) I tend to apply a mixed approachdepending on the message
One factor for example is the sensitivityof the information If itrsquos somethingthatrsquos going to affect or threaten peoplersquosjobs go for face-to-face discussions assoon as possible both to limit theamount of time staff have to speculateand to demonstrate due careprocess
If itrsquos information that wonrsquot have animmediate impact there can be value ininitiating mass communication and thenallowing time for face-to-face briefingsThis gives staff the opportunity to thinkthrough what theyrsquove heard and considerquestions for discussion
Dealing with feedbackThe key is that the cascade works bothways Itrsquos vital that any questions raisedfor which the line manager doesnrsquot havethe answer can be sent back ldquouprdquo foranswering and any feedback is equallyfed back into the center
I agree that training middle managersis useful but so is training teamlinemanagers as theyrsquore the ones who usuallydeliver the information
One approach that can work well is toidentify internal ambassadors and usethem as your grapevine This is a groupof people at mixed levels that betweenthem touch all parts of the business andare the natural communicators eitherbecause of their roles or theirpersonalities
Brief them train them make them feelspecial explain to them the CEOrsquosthinking and use them to communicatekey messages as a supplement to formalcascades through the managementstructures
But if the objective is to communicateyour CEOrsquos messages then Irsquod personalizethem from the CEO consistently usinghisher name face and tone of voice Themore authentic the better
Q Does the use of logos to brandinternal communicationprojects create confusion ordo they help staff to quicklyidentify a message and itsmeanings
Nicholas Ranken Atos OriginIt greatly depends on yourcontext I worked on amajor change project for a
multinational company where the companyidentity and colors were consistently usedin their internal communication
Our project followed a previousattempt that had been a very costlyfailure So we intentionally wanted tocreate a totally different and clearlyidentifiable image and logo The projectwas also of high strategic importance sowe wanted it to stand apart from otherprojects going on at the same time
Given that the corporate colors at thetime were dark blue and gray which wefelt were quite conservative andunderstated we chose bright bold colors(orange with dark blue text as a link backto the corporate colors) and a dynamicpattern to reflect the modern innovativenature of our project
That said as a consumer of internalcommunication myself (in a differentcompany) Irsquom definitely sensitive to thenotion of too many competing logos andcolors An overload of logos and project names can really detract from theoverall message
Deborah GogartyBritish EnergyWe used a logo to brand aproject a few years agoThe project was never fully
embraced by the whole organizationbecause they identified the logo asrepresenting the project teamrsquosresponsibilities So the audience wasconstantly looking for direction from theteam rather than taking up the causethemselves The logo (and the collateralthat carried it) seemed to create anunconscious helplessness in the audiencewhich took a long time to overcome
What Irsquove learned is that logos arepowerful devices and need to beunleashed only when their full potentialon behavior has been gaged
JOIN THE COMMUNICATORSrsquoNETWORK NOWAs a valued scm subscriber you are entitled tojoin The Communicatorsrsquo Network an onlinediscussion forum for communication practitionersworldwide Itrsquos a lively community that helpsyou find answers to your communicationquestions fast The discussion is monitored soyou will receive no unsolicited e-mail and wewill seek your permission first if we would liketo print any of your ideas in scm
E-mail commsnetwork-onmelcrumcomto join and gain instant access to a globalnetwork of your peers
commsnetwork-onmelcrumcom
LATEST ON THEMELCRUM BLOG
Is good writing essential to being a goodcommunicator This question was posed bySCMrsquos editor Mandy Thatcher and responsesfrom around the globe suggested it certainly isldquoEffective communication by those who cannotwrite is a contradictionrdquo was one commentBut the broader debate in this discussionstream was whether the traditional route ofprofessional development ndash where you masterthe tactics first and then become a goodstrategist is being replaced by a new processwhereby communicators are free to pursuewhatever it is they do best Developmentexpert Sue Dewhurst replied ldquoEven wherepeople do pursue strategic roles thefundamentals are still importantrdquo
What came first Googlersquos culture or itssuccess Melcrum editor Alex Manchesterposed the question and commenters discussedthe effectiveness of Googlersquos famous ldquo20-percent free time for employeesrdquo project
Is it time internal comms became ICInternal communication consultant DeniseBaron took issue with the suggestion that theterm ldquoInternal communicationrdquo would soon bereplaced by the ldquotrendyrdquo acronym ldquoICrdquoBaronrsquos response was ldquoFor my money IC comestoo close to ICK Nothing trendy lsquobout thatrdquo
wwwmelcrumblogcomldquoThoughts and revelations on internalcommunication and beyondrdquo
6 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PEO
PLE
scm
Tell me about your roleUntil recently I was head of globalinternal communication at Dell but Imoved into a new role six months ago toleverage my consulting and agencybackground The best way to describe myrole is lead consultant for thecommunication function with a focus ondriving strategy and innovation
What does this role entailA priority right now is to develop andimplement Dellrsquos new digital-mediastrategy More broadly my mandate is tolook at what wersquore doing and should bedoing over the next six months and figureout how we can have more of an impactacross all our audiences
How would you describe the Dell cultureThe company is much bigger than it usedto be but the culture still has a strongbias for action and lack of complacencyThe expectation for our team is to remainnimble and proactive and look for waysto constantly improve and reinvent howwe do things My new position is a directreflection of that Therersquos a need for anoverarching perspective someone with acommunication and consultingbackground who can dive in developstrategies and direct projects
What projects are you working onWersquove already launched an internal andexternal blog and have just introduced
Studio Dell an online vlog outlet gearedto core customer groups containing videoclips product profiles and interviewsDell also recently established a presencein Second Life Part of my role is to helpkeep all these initiatives coordinated
What issues do you faceOne question wersquore looking to answer ishow to develop and expand our blogsShould we have external blogs for differentlanguage groups such as Japanese andMandarin And if so how do weproceed Internally should we developblogs for some of the regions orparticular divisions of the company
What have you learned about the social-media environmentWe were one of the first major globalcompanies to join the blogosphere Butthe general consensus initially amongobservers was that we were talking aboutissues that were relevant to us ratherthan customers or pundits outside DellWersquove learned from that and madechanges to ensure we listen as well as talk
What can social media do internallyLast year was a tumultuous year for Dell
in terms of our performance Employeesnow need regular updates and discussionaround the situation and what we plan todo to improve So the internalphilosophy is to be even more candidand transparent with employees thanwersquove been For example wersquore using theblog to facilitate conversations betweenemployees and executives
Have leaders resisted this approachTherersquos an understanding among leader-ship that we need to be candid and willingto listen to criticism and respond to itThe leadership team understand thatcredibility is paramount and are willingto share the facts wherever they can
What advice would you offer toorganizations about to start a blogSome companies make the mistake ofbeing enamoured with new technologybut donrsquot have a clear reason for using it
We were very clear about why we weregetting involved ndash to have betterconversations with our stakeholdersparticularly our customers This goalhelps us to define the rules ofengagement and guides the editorialcontent Externally if it isnrsquot relevant orhelpful to customers we donrsquot blog aboutit Our strategic purpose internally is tobe more transparent relevant andcredible when we talk to employees
Also do your homework We did a lotof benchmarking and looked at whatother companies were doing ndash good andbad ndash to get a sense of what we should bestriving for
Finally donrsquot just add to the noiseTherersquos already a huge volume ofinformation out there Thing about howyour blog can add something useful
How would you respond to the criticismDell received in the blogosphere last yearWe knew Dell would be criticized bysome of the influential bloggers Weknew there would be skepticism in viewof the companyrsquos customer service andfinancial issues in 2006 But we listenedadapted and learned from that Now thatwersquore part of the conversation amentality of continuous improvement isalways critical to doing well
DEVELOPING DELLrsquoS DIGITALMEDIA STRATEGY
Bernard Charland acts as lead in-house consultant for Dellrsquos global corporatecommunication function focusing on communication strategy and innovation Previousto this role he was director of Global Internal Communications for the company
Have a clear strategicreason for entering theblogosphere internally
or externally
Bernard Charlandrsquos varied background is proving valuable in his new role which isto focus on strategy and innovation within Dellrsquos global corporate communicationfunction A large part of this role currently is developing and coordinating Dellrsquosdigital-media strategy Here he describes whatrsquos been achieved so far future plansand lessons learned
PROFILE BERNARD CHARLAND
THOUGHT LEADER LEE SMITH
7scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PEO
PLE
scm
Lee Smith FCIPR is a director of Gatehouse specializing in internal communicationfor professional and financial services businesses He also authors the TalkingInternal Communication blog at wwwtalkingictypepadcom
had to give and I canrsquot pretend I wasalways a joy to be with during that period
It didnrsquot help that I lived nearly 80miles away in Birmingham During thoseyears I saw more of the M6 motorwaythan your average lorry driver I alsospent far too many nights eating badfood in cheap Manchester hotels all ofwhich eventually took its toll
Then came the exams nearly 30 hours of them Again Irsquod done myhomework so I managed to come awaywith decent marks
My final hurdle the dreadeddissertation took around two years tocomplete I chose to focus onorganizational identity and just to makemy life tougher decided to use a ratherobscure psychological researchtechnique Getting to grips with thatfinding the time to conduct lengthyinterviews analyze results and craft mytome was incredibly difficult
Being a perfectionist I took it right to the wire ndash submitting my finaldocument just before the universityrsquosultimate deadline
Time to celebrate Last month saw the end of my long andarduous journey The ritual of thegraduation ceremony was a fitting endingand helped draw a line under thatparticular chapter of my professionaldevelopment story
Therersquos no doubt that the course wasbeneficial and although the journey wassometimes difficult the experience wasmostly enjoyable I fell just 3 percentshort of the distinction grade I wantedbut Irsquom still very proud of myachievement And I know Irsquom now amuch more thoughtful and effectivecommunicator
Would I recommend the MSc route toother communicators Yes but I wouldmake sure they realize the enormity ofthe challenge A part-time MSc is not foreveryone It will demand considerabletime energy and effort and may welltake its toll on your personal life andyour waistline But if you persevere overthe long run it might just be worth itNow about that PhD
Irsquove always taken my professionaldevelopment seriously From themoment I entered the communicationprofession in 1991 Irsquove worked hard tohone existing skills build new ones andbroaden my knowledge Some havecalled me dedicated others obsessive
During those 16 years Irsquove participatedin dozens of training courses attendedmore than 50 conferences sacrificedmany an evening to study supported twoprofessional bodies judged industryawards written articles organizedevents volunteered for charities andmentored many aspiring communicators
My biggest development featYet all of this pales into insignificancewhen compared to my biggestdevelopmental feat so far ndash earning anMSc in Corporate Communication andReputation Management Itrsquos likecomparing a gentle stroll to scaling alarge mountain
I finally graduated from the Universityof Manchester Business School inDecember 2006 but it took me five longyears to reach that point Havingenrolled as a svelte twenty-something Igraduated an overweight and slightlygraying 35-year-old It was a slow andoccasionally painful assent
The first stepsBack in 2001 what appealed to me aboutthe course was its strategic focus Unlikesome post-graduate courses theManchester MSc is genuinely multi-
disciplinary touching on communicationtheory branding psychologystakeholder management ethics andbusiness strategy ndash to name a few
Itrsquos also refreshingly practicalcombining robust academic thinking withreal-world case studies While I wantedacademic rigor it was very important tome to be able to practically apply thelearning at work
It took me some time to understandthe relevance of the ldquoScrdquo in MSc Sciencewas a subject I detested at school but Irecognized its importance to my futureas a communicator I was also very awareof my own weakness in that area Thatrsquosone of the benefits Irsquove gained from thecourse ndash a real appreciation of goodresearch and the knowledge to do it well
Things went well academically though juggling part-time study with afull-time career is never easy I wasdisciplined enough to invest thenecessary time and to gradually work myway through the course reading list andgood marks followed
A balancing actThe course proved a little morechallenging on a personal level Work-life balance is hard enough to achieve letalone work-study-life balance Something
IS FURTHER STUDY THEROUTE FOR YOU
It takes dedicationbut a post-graduate
degree can beprofessionally and
personally beneficial
Who said professional development was easy Commitment perseverance andpatience are some of the attributes Lee Smith found invaluable as he workedtowards obtaining his masters degree
8 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TEC
HN
OLO
GY
scm
Creating dialogue within an organizationand encouraging involvement are two ofthe major attractions associated withblogs These were also the primary reasonsbehind the World Bankrsquos decision tolaunch their first internal blog last year
The occasion was the organizationrsquosannual meeting a series of events held inSingapore in 2006 This 10-day eventbrings together around 10000 peopleincluding media representatives to discussissues related to poverty reduction andinternational economic development
According to Egan traditionalmethods used previously to report on theevent such as articles video and audiolinks on the internet and intranet siteshad failed to spark employeesrsquo interest inthe progress and outcomes of the meetingsBlogging seemed like a good way drive toemployeesrsquo interest and involvement
Objectives of the blogEgan summarizes the objectives andrationale behind the blog as follows bull To provide an alternate voice to share
the business outcomes of the meetingsusing informal first-person reportingof behind-the-scenes activities
bull To encourage the use of otherresources by linking blog readers tomore serious information
bull To encourage employee interactionand increase dialogue
Throughout the event the blog wasupdated daily by the head of internalcommunication The entries wereunedited but reader comments weremoderated before they were posted
Outcomes and evaluationAccording to Egan this blogging experimentsurpassed their expectations by helpingto achieve the following three outcomes1 Renewed credibility for the voice of
internal communication ldquoCorporatecommunication always suffers thereputation of towing managementrsquosline The tone and delivery of theblog entries very clearly did not Wehad many comments along the linesof lsquoFinally the real storyrsquordquo
2 A feeling of inclusion ldquoBy providinga sense of the context and atmosphereemployees who didnrsquot attend theevent still felt like they were part ofit Many commented that lsquoFor thefirst time I feel Irsquom therersquordquo
3 Better awareness of the outcomes ofthe meetings ldquoThe blog provided thehook into other channels ofinformation which staff may nototherwise have consulted The first
thing some of the readers did in themorning was to check the blogrdquo
Egan admits that there were some whowere initially skeptical about bloggingldquoWe did have a couple of comments onthe blog saying lsquoThis is frivolousrsquo butothers responded by saying lsquoLighten upThis makes a nice change from all theboring official informationrsquordquo
Another problem was a potentiallyoffensive remark which had to be removedprompting the composition of an officialblogging policy to define the roles andresponsibilities of authors and commenters
Optimistic about the new toolFollowing on from the success of thisfirst blog the communication team hassince launched a variety of blogs some ofwhich have been successful others lessso Ironically a blog set up to discuss aworldwide conference on communicationgot minimal response Staff participationin external blogs has also been low ButEgan remains optimistic about thepotential of this tool
ldquoThere are millions of blogs out thereand lots of participation in them But ina business setting it takes a bit moretime before a community of practicedevelops and people believe that this is atrusted space where they can commentwithout being ridiculed or scornedrdquo
Advice to corporate bloggersTo build confidence in the tool Egan hasplans to launch an internal marketingcampaign and the organizationrsquos newintranet site will provide a forum forfuture blogging developments
Eganrsquos primary advice to fellowcorporate bloggers is to keep the contentgenuine ldquoIt becomes very obvious veryquickly who is doing the writingrdquo Shealso suggests keeping blogs topic or event-specific and avoiding general musings
Her final reminder is that blogsshouldnrsquot replace traditional tools butcompliment them ldquoBlogs can be fabulousbut you need to put them in context withthe other tools that are available Be veryclear about their purposerdquo
USING BLOGS TO INVOLVE ATWORLD BANK
Michele Egan is a senior communications officer in the World Bank Grouprsquos internalcommunications unit Among other tasks she leads the development and delivery ofthe grouprsquos electronic communication tools
Experimenting with blogsat the World Bank has
shed light on what worksand what doesnrsquot
In 2006 the World Bank set up a blog to spark interest and involvement in amajor organizationwide planning event The positive response has inspired a moreadventurous and experimental approach to blogging Based on recent experiencessenior communications officer Michele Egan reflects on the potential benefits andpitfalls of using this tool
MICHELLE EGAN
by Sona Hathi
INTRANETS EMBRACESOCIAL MEDIA
Neilson Normanrsquos latest report on thetop 10 intranet designs of 2007 shows anincrease in the use of multimedia andsocial media on intranet sites
Although multimedia was a significantfeature in last yearrsquos list this year seesphotos video news feeds and webcamsput to more innovative use Indicatingthat social media has not been a passingfad of 2006 many of the intranets haveimplemented popular Web 20 featureslike blogs (with specific business angles)and business-relevant wikis
Video is being used for training andcorporate communication butorganizations such as American ElectricPower have pushed the use of thischannel by setting up a TV studio forintranet productions offering employeesstreaming video and live webcasts
News feeds have long been used onintranets but this year the bestselections offer more relevant internaland external news and involveemployees by allowing them to ratestories and comment
Translation comes out topsMany of the reportrsquos winning intranetsoffer language translation for theirinternational employees Dow Chemicalfor example uses English for most globalcontent but translates important contentinto Dutch German French ItalianPortuguese and Spanish Selectedcontent is also translated into ChineseGreek Japanese and Thai
A total of 49 different technologyproducts are used by the reportrsquos topintranets with Windows Server GoogleSearch Appliance and SharePoint beingamong the most popular SH
httpwwwnngroupcom
9scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TEC
HN
OLO
GY
scmUPDATECALCULATING THEROI ON BLOGGING
The difficulty of placing a precisemonetary value on corporate blogging isone of the setbacks of this tool But anew report from Forrester calledCalculating the ROI of blogging offersways to identify the benefits costs andrisks that corporate blogging involvesusing a three-stage process 1 Quantify and assign value to the key
benefits of blogging 2 Estimate the costs of blogging3 Incorporate risk calculations into the
ROI model
The report describes how to measure theimpact blogging has on the businessoutcomes using ldquometrics that everyone isfamiliar withrdquo For example themonetary value of press mentions can bemeasured by counting the number ofblog-driven stories by online press webmedia and high-profile bloggers andthen calculating the cost of advertising inthe same publications
General Motorsrsquo case studyThe report also features a case study onGeneral Motorsrsquo two-year-old blogFastLane to which the authors applytheir ROI process Rather thanpresenting the company with a finalnumerical figure theyrsquove come up withnew objectives advising them how to getthe maximum benefits from blogging andimprove its impact on business outcomes
Whether yoursquove already startedblogging or are about to take the plungethis report provides direction on how toevaluate how your blog and decide whichdirection it needs to go in to gainmaximum business value SH
httpwwwforrestercom
SENIOR EXECS BIG ONNEW MEDIA
A survey of 100 CEOs and CMOs fromFortune 2000 companies found that 76percent of senior executives areexperimenting with alternative mediasuch as blogs Second Life and socialnetworking
The study by Weber Shandwick andKRC Research found that 69 percent ofthose surveyed currently use socialnetworking while 37 percent plan to useit more over the next five years
Ninety-one percent of those surveyedcurrently make use of their companywebsite and 66 percent plan to use theirwebsite more over the next five yearsmaking it number one in the surveyrsquos listof media tools
Use of virtual worlds to growAvatar-based marketing (marketingthrough virtual worlds such as SecondLife) came last in the list of 20 mediatools senior executives plan to use overthe next five years However researchersbelieve that the use of virtual worlds incommunication and marketing willincrease as more companies learn how touse them more effectively
Billee Howard managing director ofthe Global Strategic Media Group atWeber Shandwick said ldquoWersquore in theearly days of a totally new media eraThose companies that do not combinethe new-media paradigm with the best oftraditional media will most certainlyproceed at their perilrdquo SH
Source The Changing Face of Marketingand Communications in Todayrsquos CreativityEconomy
httpwwwwebershandwickcom
TECHNOLOGY UPDATE
When talking about return on investment(ROI) for the intranet and other ldquosoftrdquobenefits these are the kinds of results oroutcomes usually referred to
Measurable ROI from hard benefitsinclude bull less paperbull less hardwarebull less headcount andbull increased sales
Soft benefits includebull increased employee productivitybull better customer satisfactionbull faster time to market andbull improved employee retention
IBM Oracle and Cisco all measure theimpact and benefits of their intranet Allof them have measured the value to begreater than US$1 billion In fact IBMhas realized benefits from e-learning viathe intranet alone to be more thanUS$284 million
BT the UK telecommunicationscompany uses an online idea jar foremployees called ldquoPersonnel TodayrdquoEmployee ideas have saved BT nearlyUKpound100 million over the past four years
Sodexhorsquos SuperSleuthOne of my personal favorites is theSodexho USA Sales SuperSleuthSuperSleuth is an intranet web page andapplication that encourages employees tosubmit sales leads and prospective clientsvia the intranet
The SuperSleuth intranet pagegenerates cash rewards of up toUS$1000 for the person making thesubmission Sodexho says it hascontributed to a 100-percent increase insales leads In fact the SuperSleuth toolhas led to US$90 million in managedvolume (net client sales including salesby client) This is proof positive of akiller application
Impressive numbers As impressive as those numbers are youdonrsquot have to be a large technologycompany to realize measured ROIbenefits ndash ROI isnrsquot reserved solely forbig multinationals
QAS is a world leader in address
management and data accuracy Basedon data secured from national postalauthorities and other leading sourcesQAS captures cleans and enhances theintegrity of name and address data QAShas 400 employees with offices in the UK(headquarters) US Canada SingaporeAustralia and across Europe
While awards are nice to receive theQAS intranet has received more thanjust kudos ndash itrsquos delivering measuredresults and value for the business Someof the measured ROI benefits include bull Online expenses saved four person-
days per monthbull Finance savings online workflow has
reduced administrative processingtime from two weeks to one day
bull Purchase ordering saved four person-days per month and an ROI savingsof US$20000 per year
bull Sales proposal builder streamlinedproposal and sales process savesalmost US$25000 per year
bull Intranet use 115-percent increase inusage of the intranet (infers a yet tobe measured productivity gain)
Of all the measurements perhaps thesingle most important is ROI Tomaximize the intranetrsquos value andpotential you must secure the support ofsenior management If you want theirattention and support you better talktheir talk Nothing gets their attentionmore than ROI
Sell the sizzleIf executives view the intranet as a costcenter then itrsquos your responsibility to sellthe sizzle and prove the value with harddata ROI is everything in someorganizations (for example in financialservices) Other more progressivecompanies are intent to know and trackemployee satisfaction and productivity
Still others want to know both It alldepends on your organization andculture However only throughmeasurement will the intranet become ameasured quantity and a proven asset
Source Transforming your intranetwwwmelcrumcom
DOES YOUR INTRANETPAY ITS WAY
Toby Ward is a broadcast journalist turned consultant He founded and launchedPrescient Digital Media (wwwPrescientDigitalcom) in early 2001 His specialismsare site evaluation and strategic planning He blogs at wwwIntranetBlogcom
Hard data demonstratingvalue generated by the
intranet will alter itsperception as a cost center
In Melcrumrsquos report on Transforming your intranet Toby Ward of Prescient DigitalMedia authors a chapter on how to measure the value and success of your intranetHere we share his thoughts on that frequently elusive indicator of success ndash returnon investment
TOBY WARD
10 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
RESE
AR
CH
amp M
EA
SUR
EM
EN
T
scm
ldquoTO MAXIMIZE THEINTRANETrsquoS POTENTIALYOU MUST SECURE THESUPPORT OF SENIORMANAGEMENTrdquo
There are three situations that are mostlikely to create plummeting surveyresponse rates1 When a group never hears the
findings of past surveys or anyresulting changes they begin to thinktheir opinions donrsquot matter If theirpast opinions were valued so lightlythey feel less urgency to sharefurther opinions
2 When the group being researched isrelatively small researchers typicallyneed to poll the entire group on eachsurvey rather than querying arandom sample For example if youhave 1000 employees you wouldneed to obtain 259 responses to haveresults accurate within a margin oferror of 5 percentage points If thecompany is typically receiving a 25-percent response rate on surveysthat means that all 1000 employeesneed to be invited to participate inthe survey to get about the minimumnecessary number of responses for asufficient level of accuracyUnfortunately even for largergroups researchers sometimessurvey the whole group on everysurvey instead of identifying the rightsize random sample
3 When surveys are badly designedrespondents quit them midwaythrough The respondentrsquos feeling isldquoIf the company canrsquot be bothered todesign a good survey Irsquom not going
to waste my time taking itrdquo Somemajor survey design flaws includequestions that are difficult tounderstand questions withinsufficient or inappropriateresponse options or questions thatseem to have little relevance for therespondent Other major designturn-offs are surveys that are toolong or that are composed mostly ofopen-ended essay questions both ofwhich take too much time to answerFinally asking too manydemographic questions especially atthe beginning of a surveycompromises respondentsrsquo sense ofanonymity and kills their desire toanswer even the first real question
The following steps will help overcomethese three problems
Coordinate surveysTo avoid asking the same people torespond to too many surveys within ashort time coordinate all employee orcustomer surveys through a clearinghouse so that the timing of surveys doesnrsquotoverlap and you donrsquot ask questions forwhich answers are already available
Send the survey to only a sample ofthe audience (although yoursquoll need astatisticianrsquos help in selecting a sample ofthe right size) If you know severalsurveys will be administered about thesame time pick mutually exclusiverandom samples at the same time so thatno one person receives more than onesurvey during that period
Use short surveysThe shorter the survey the more likelypeople are to give you their time If youhave 100 questions that must beanswered break them into threeseparate surveys of about 33 questionsand administer them to three mirror-image random samples Yoursquoll besurveying more people but eachparticipantrsquos time commitment will berelatively minor
Also consider doing very short ldquostealthsurveysrdquo by phone for which you donrsquotobtain advance permission People mightnot even know theyrsquove been surveyed Asyou (and a team of volunteers) have theseconversations with respondents you wouldrecord their answers on a questionnaire
Connect research to resultsSome companies have a long history ofnot communicating results or outcomesof previous surveys If thatrsquos true of yourorganization try these two techniquesbull On a regular basis when announcing
changes the company is makingconnect the changes with relatedsurvey results ndash even if a changewasnrsquot made solely because of theresearch Your audience will get themessage that stakeholder opinionsare a regular factor in the waymanagement makes decisions
bull In the invitation to a new surveybegin with key findings and changesthat were made based on a similarpast survey and ask respondents tolet you know through the new surveyif the company is still on track Thisway your potential respondents hearthat completing surveys does resultin changes ndash at the very momenttheyrsquore determining if your latestsurvey is worth their time
FINDING A CURE FORSURVEY FATIGUE
Angela Sinickas ABC is president of Sinickas Communications Inc an internationalcommunication consultancy specializing in helping corporations achieve businessresults through targeted diagnostics and practical solutions For more informationvisit wwwsinicomcom
A downward trend in survey response rates is often blamed on the fact that peoplesimply become tired of taking surveys But there are ways to avoid the malaisesetting in says Angela Sinickas a key one being making sure that people feel theiropinions are actually being listened to Here she shares three common causes ofsurvey fatigue and how to deal with them
11scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
RESE
AR
CH
amp M
EA
SUR
EM
EN
Tscm
ANGELA SINICKAS
Little feedback the wrongsample size and poorly
designed surveys all leadto low response rates
12 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Organizations today ndash driven byincreased competition merger-and-acquisition activity and large complextransformation programs ndash arecharacterized by the need for constantand rapid change In our experienceconsistent leadership communicationsare at the center of helping theirorganizations address these challenges
With all the complex transformationprograms we work on we encourage the
leadership team to create a simple one-page ldquomessage maprdquo to use over a definedtimeframe The message map which welink to key program milestones andsuccesses helps the leadership team toplan what theyrsquoll share with employeesand other stakeholders and when
Message maps can address commonfailures of leadership communicationDuring global cross-functional programswhen all leaders consistently reinforce
the same messages they emerge as ajoined-up forward-thinking team
Message maps are also effective whenbuilding up communication to employeesover time rather than overwhelmingstaff with changes or diminishingleadership credibility by waiting too longto communicate
Compiling a message mapThe process wersquove used in the past to helpleaders develop a message map is quitestraight forward This is what we dobull We encourage leaders to work
together to agree and articulate thestory Agreeing the story typicallyrequires experienced facilitationThis encourages leaders to definehow the story will build and thengain momentum and commitmentover time
bull The story is then converted into asimple message map The mapshould make sense to all change-program leaders as this tool willguide the majority of theircommunication to employees Itshould also provide a clear view ofwhatrsquos coming next Message mapsare often shown as straightforwardtimelines but there are othereffective ways to present them (seeFigure One below)
bull Once the change story has beenagreed and committed to paperleaders use the map to know whencommunications should be deliveredand what supporting documentationto use for a consistent cascade
Revisiting communication plansOf course the content of the message mapwill need to be revisited Message mapsas with all communications evolve overtime They should be frequently reviewedto ensure that the messages ndash and time-scales ndash remain relevant to the programand align with program milestones
USING MESSAGE MAPSTO GUIDE CHANGE
Sally Harris is director of theCommunications and Engagementpractice at Molten where shespecializes in managing large-scale communication and changeprograms for global clients
Facilitate a meeting withthe leadership team to
agree and articulate thechange story
Sally Harris director of the Communications and Engagement practice at Moltenbelieves itrsquos often the simplest tools that are most effective in encouraging leadersto think more strategically about their communications Here she explains why theldquomessage maprdquo is one such tool
SALLY HARRIS
LEA
DER
SHIP
CO
MM
UN
ICATIO
N
scm
Figure One Example of a global message map
13scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
brand image and set an example for thewhole company
At The Company Agency we find thatmany CEOs are looking for strategiccommunication support coaching andguidance that goes beyond what theyreceive from their rostered PR agencyThey operate in a world thatrsquos typicallyquite lonely where information isfrequently filtered theyrsquore under aconstant spotlight and a gap existsbetween them their people and theircustomers Internal communication canplay a key role in helping the CEObridge this gap
A simple checklist Every CEO is different and facesdifferent challenges but herersquos a simplechecklist if you find yourself workingwith a new CEO or in a new role with anestablished CEObull Ask your CEO what kind of person
they would like to be viewed as byemployees ndash coach them oncommunication behavior that canhelp them achieve this goal
bull Establish very quickly what theCEOrsquos key message is ndash askquestions until it is crystal clear
bull Know your business and brief yourCEO on what type of communicationis effective or not within yourorganization
bull Provide informed guidance onemerging communication trends ndashsuch as social media ndash and explainthe business impact
bull Understand how the CEO listens towhat people are saying
bull Determine the CEOscommunication preferences ndash howdoes he or she like to receive andshare information both inside andoutside work
You should expect to be the leaderrsquoscommunicator ndash developing messagesand ensuring theyrsquore conveyed in themost appropriate way But the balanceshould be tipping more towards beingthe communication leader ndash a role whereyoursquore providing strategic counsel to theCEO and coaching them so theyrsquore moreeffective in their new role and environment
In May last year the managementconsultants Booze Allen Hamiltonpublished their annual report on chiefexecutive attrition The Crest of theTurnover Wave After studying the move-ments of CEOs from the largest 2500companies in the world they uncoveredsome rather startling facts An incredible1 in 7 CEOs will change job over thenext 12 months with poor-performingCEOs staying in office for two years Bycomparison the high-performing CEOstays in the job for just under eight years
Given that their tenure may be brief thisresearch only reinforces that the first 100days for the chief executive is a critical time
Creating myths and legendsOver the past 20 years Irsquove had the goodfortune to work for some great brandsand leaders Experience tells me thatduring their first 100 days the reputationthey bring from their previous job willeither be validated or contradictedEverything they say and do will bescrutinised Perceptions will be quicklyformed about their style and personalityMyths and legends will become thehottest gossip in the workplace
With this in mind itrsquos critical toquickly establish their reputation andwhat they stand for Internalcommunication can play a valuable rolein supporting the CEO and in turnestablish a long-term relationship withtheir new leader
Uncovering perceptionsDeveloping a personalized communica-tion strategy must start by finding outhow the new leader is perceived While aquantitative survey may satisfy those witha hunger for numbers qualitativeresearch will uncover how people reallyview the CEO as an individual and leader
With these insights itrsquos possible todevelop a plan to shape the existingreputation into one they would like tohave in the new organization This meansidentifying what they stand for andhelping them articulate how this supportsand builds the brand of the organization
Charismatic leadersIf you think about charismatic leaderssuch as Stuart Rose of Marks amp SpencerRichard Branson of Virgin or PhilKnight of Nike organizational culture isheavily influenced by the personality ofits chief executive
The behavior that resides within theorganization is typically a reflection ofthe CEOrsquos behavior and becomesassociated with the brand So itrsquosimportant to define what the new CEOwants the corporate brand to stand forand what they can do to achieve that
LEADERS IN TRANSITIONTHE FIRST 100 DAYSIn a recent Melcrum survey 44 percent of respondents said they plan to spend more ormuch more on communication training for leaders and managers With the topic firmlyon the agenda for the forseeable future this issue sees the launch of a new regularcolumn by leadership communication expert Darren Briggs He kicks off with adviceon making the most of the CEOrsquos first 100 days ndash a critical time for any new leader
LEA
DER
SHIP
CO
MM
UN
ICATIO
Nscm
DARREN BRIGGS
The first of a new regularcolumn on leadership
urges communicators tosupport new leaders
Darren Briggs is partner at The Company Agency where he advises and coachessenior leaders to be more effective communicators He has 20 years corporateexperience working at chief executive and board level with companies such as BritishAirways Microsoft Nike PepsiCo and Vodafone
The title of advertising guru PaulArdenrsquos book Itrsquos not how good you areitrsquos how good you want to be captures theessence of ambition And our recent surveysuggests that this is a message internalcommunicators should take to heart
As part of our research1 to define a listof core skills and competencies forprofessional communicators we askedpractitioners from around the worldabout their future career goals and howthey plan to achieve them Surprisinglyfor a profession that stresses the need forstrategies and plans most internalcommunicators appear to have a fairly adhoc approach to their own development
Results from the surveyAbout 70 percent of our sample said theyexpected to stay in internal communicationover the next three years Thirty-twopercent saw themselves gaining moreexperience within their existing jobswhile 37 percent aim to move into adifferent internal communication role
When we asked respondents what theywere doing to help develop their careersgaining wider experience being better
networked and finding a coach came topof their lists
Be honest with yourselfNow these seem like fairly informalactivities You might think they take lessorganizing than say investing the timeand budget to do a course or study for aformal qualification But if yoursquore beinghonest you know that getting the go-aheadto work on more challenging projectsfinding the right coach and building aprofessional network takes time andplanning These things donrsquot just happenovernight ndash unless yoursquore very lucky
Yet less than a quarter of internalcommunicators have a formal plan to helpstructure their thoughts about careerprogression and make sure their develop-ment objectives are met Twenty-onepercent say they have no plan whatsoeverand about half the respondents wecontacted say they have a plan but itrsquosnot formalized or agreed
Make the timeMaking time to discuss your career goalswith your manager and getting apersonal development plan down onpaper will pay dividends After all who
decides whether you get to work on themore interesting projects or not Andwhen yoursquore being dragged under byyour workload wouldnrsquot it be helpful tohave some targets to remind you to makethe time to network or read that articlesitting in your reading folder
If wersquove convinced you to think aboutyour own professional development hereare three important steps to get started
1 Be clear about where yoursquore startingfrom Think about what yoursquoveachieved so far in your career Whatskills do you have what are yourstrengths and which areas needfurther development
2 Look ahead to where you want to beWhat timeframe do you have inmind for your professional develop-ment What can you focus on rightaway and what are your longer-termcareer goals Be as specific as youcan about what you want to achieveand consider the followingbull Are there areas where yoursquod like
to be a ldquostar performerrdquo in yourcurrent role
bull How can you expand your networkor reach in the wider industry
bull How can you broaden your depthof skills or experience outsideyour current remit
bull How do you plan to move onwardsand upwards to a new role
3 Think about how yoursquoll close the gapWhat knowledge skills andexperience do you need What typeof development activity will help youget to where you want to be
If you know in your heart of hearts thatyou donrsquot invest enough time and effortin your own development make the timeto start doing this now
In our next column we plan to look atthe range of development optionsavailable and hear some reflections fromindustry leaders on what helped themreally accelerate their own learning andprofessional development
1 Turn to page 16 for a more detailed analysis of the study
GET YOUR DEVELOPMENT PLANON TRACK
Sue Dewhurst and Liam FitzPatrick run Competent Communicators acompany specializing in professional development for internalcommunicators and Melcrumrsquos official training and developmentpartner For more information go to wwwcompetentcommunicatorscom
A study into skills and competenciesfor communicators
reveals a lack ofclear career planning
The path to a senior role in internal communication is paved with good intentionsOr so suggests a recent study by development experts Sue Dewhurst and LiamFitzPatrick Here in the first of a new regular column on professional developmentthey review the studyrsquos findings lament the lack of a career plan and urge internalcommunicators to take action and plan their own development
SUE DEWHURST AND LIAM FITZPATRICK
14 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PR
OFE
SSION
AL D
EV
ELO
PM
EN
T
scm
ldquoTHESE THINGS DONrsquoTJUST HAPPENOVERNIGHT ndash UNLESSYOUrsquoRE VERY LUCKYrdquo
15scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PR
OFE
SSION
AL D
EV
ELO
PM
EN
Tscm
3 Cut the jargonJargon may have its place but it has noplace in employee communicationPhrases such as work-life balanceemployer of choice critical mass and thelike may make sense in behind-the-scenes discussions However when itrsquostime to communicate to the masses weneed to translate these concepts intoPlain English and provide a context tohelp employees understand Yes it takessome work but the payoff makes itworth the effort
Say the head of HR wants to share thelatest developments in ldquowork-life balancerdquothat will benefit employees He may betempted to relay the news using theterminology hersquos used to using with hisstaff However most employees havenrsquotbeen in on those discussions so theconcept may be foreign or fuzzy to themndash even if theyrsquod heard the term before
Any progress HR makes on the work-life balance front gives it the opportunityto communicate in a personal humanway and in the process capture employeesrsquoattention on an emotional level
The HR leaderrsquos message thereforemay go something like this Our liveshave never been busier and there are onlyso many hours in a day Because we atXYZ Company recognize how important itis to you to be able to spend real time withyour families while managing theresponsibilities you have on the job wersquovedesigned a program that we hope willmake your life less hectic
Most employees will relate to thatmessage It plays to their needs which isa powerful hook
Guarding against gremlinsKeeping an eye out for the jargonpassive voice and other gremlins thatmay infiltrate your writing is a goodtraining ground for being able toobjectively critique your own work Italso conditions you to look for otherways to improve your writing a habitthat will serve you well throughout yourlifelong apprenticeship
No onersquos work is as continually visible inan organization as the communicatorrsquosOur superiors our peers and the entireemployee population see us as theparagons of communications competenceThey look to the messages wersquove craftedas models of writing excellence and willpattern their own accordingly
When you think of it itrsquos one heck of aburden to bear After all how else didyou get the job if you couldnrsquot write well
But regardless of how well you dowrite how senior you are or how longyoursquove had that coveted ldquoseat at thetablerdquo when it comes to writing yoursquollalways have room to grow Thatrsquos becausewriting is as one learned professor sowisely termed it a ldquolifelong apprenticeshiprdquo
Here are three ways to improve yourwriting immediately
1 Avoid the passive voiceThe passive voice manages to creep intomessages to employees and itrsquos a sureroad to eroding their engagement It allowsthe writer to hide behind the message itclouds direction and itrsquos boring
Herersquos an example of really woefulwriting ndash a sentence structure that yoursquoresure to recognize Employees areencouraged to submit this form by the endof the month
Analyze that sentence and yoursquoll seethat not only is there no owner to thestatement but therersquos no clear directionEmployees are encouraged by whom
and what does ldquoencouragedrdquo meananyway Are employees required tosubmit the form If so then say so
The sad truth is this passive style ofwriting is all too common the happytruth is that we communicators are in aposition to do something about it Oftenall it takes is a quick rewrite Pleasesubmit this form by [insert specific date]Clear direct concise
2 Use second person Why talk at people when you can talk tothem When yoursquore communicating withemployees the use of ldquoyourdquo can befriendly and inviting
Take this message XYZ Companyemployees at customer locations shouldalways first check with their hosts to ensurethat connecting to the XYZ network ispermitted
Look what happens when itrsquos rewrittenfrom third person into second If yoursquoreworking at a customer site be sure to firstcheck with your host that itrsquos OK toconnect to our network
Yoursquove gone from impersonal toconversational
DO YOUR WRITING SKILLSLET YOU DOWNA recent discussion on the Melcrum blog raised the question of whether or not goodwriting skills are still important to the more strategically focused communicator Theconsensus was a definite yes ndash your writing ability makes an impression and itrsquos upto you whether thatrsquos good or bad Denise Baron provides some advice on how tomake sure itrsquos the former
DENISE BARON
However strategicyour role the ability
to write well remainsan important skill
Denise Baron is president of Baron Communications a business communicationsconsultancy providing strategic planning and marketing internal communicationproject management and editorial services to Fortune 500 companies
16 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Over the past five years wersquove found ourselvesbecoming more and more involved in conversationsabout careers in internal communication As theprofession matures expectations of itspractitioners are rising and for many people ajob in communication is no longer just a short-term stepping-stone en route to better things
But the question we hear time and time again isldquoWhat does lsquogoodrsquo look like when it comes to
internal communicationrdquo What skills knowledgeand experience should an effective internalcommunicator have at various stages in theircareer How do I know what I should bepersonally aspiring to and measuring myselfagainst How can I best develop my team Whereis the definitive framework to help me recruit thebest person for the job
In recent years there have been a number ofgood attempts to answer these questions In theUK a group of professional bodies got togetherto write the Inter-Comm matrix1 It listed theskills knowledge and experience a practitionermight need according to their level of experience
We were both involved in developing this skillsmatrix which was widely welcomed when it waslaunched in 2003 Some well-respectedconsultancies have also developed models to showhow a typical career path might progress whichhave helped structure career planning forindividuals and teams
A flexible model for a diverse professionDespite the success of the Inter-Comm matrix wefelt there was more to be done in the area ofprofessional development for internal communica-tors Fundamentally existing models tend to showa one-dimensional and predictable career pathstarting as a junior deliverer and developing into astrategic business-focused consultant
The implication is that if yoursquore deliveringcommunication or are tactically focused you musthave a junior role and if you have a more seniorrole you donrsquot get your hands dirty doingmundane things like writing or managing the
Building a learningframework for internalcommunicators
Planning your teamrsquos professional developmentmeans understanding the skills and experienceneeded to be successful Sue Dewhurst and Liam
FitzPatrick of Competent Communicators have beenresearching how internal communicators spend their timeat work and what behaviors the most effectivepractitioners display Here they describe a new learningframework that has emerged from the study
Identifying the typical roles andskills required for your team
BY SUE DEWHURST AND LIAM FITZPATRICK
scm FEATURES
ABOUT THE RESEARCHThe findings discussed in this article are based on research conducted at theend of 2006 More than 700 in-house practitioners replied to a survey aboutcareers competencies and development plans
A factor analysis of the data conducted by Ash Pattni Associates generated anumber of role types which were then discussed with 30 professionals atdifferent stages of their careers based in the UK Europe and North AmericaThese discussions mainly took the form of interviews and focus groups
The study also referred to data on competency modeling prepared by theUKrsquos Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
1 2 3 4 5
17scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
intranet or organizing eventsBut clearly the world of internal communication
isnrsquot quite that straightforward People join theprofession via all kinds of routes and at differentstages of their careers
We interviewed someone who started out as thedirectorrsquos PA a successful senior executive whostarted out as an engineer a former psychologylecturer and others who had joined through moreobvious routes in publishing and PR
Some had started out in junior roles Forothers their first role in internal communicationwas as a business partner Others had alreadyreached a senior position in another function andsimply moved across at the same level
A key objective of this study was to develop amodel that reflected the diverse reality of life ininternal communication one that was flexibleenough to be adapted to fit organizations andcommunication teams of all shapes and sizes
So we began our research by surveying communica-tors worldwide to find out how they actuallyspend their time on a daily basis and what skillsknowledge and experience they regularly use
The six types of practitionerStatistical analysis of the survey data suggestedthere were six stereotypical role types withininternal communication By ldquotypesrdquo we meansegments or groups of people who share verysimilar characteristics in terms of their skills andstrengths spend their time carrying out similartypes of activities and whose outputs tend to bejudged in similar ways
Most importantly these types can be plottedagainst two dimensions based on how they spendtheir time (advising or doing) and where theirfocus is (strategy or tactics) Figure One (right)illustrates these six types and how they plotagainst the two dimensions
Clearly every organization is slightly differentbut the six stereotypes described below shouldprovide a starting point for thinking about theroles and types of people you need in your team
1 The Leader Internal communication leaders manage teamsand lead the function either for an entire organiza-tion or for a large division or territory Theyspend much of their time managing and coachingteam members and working with senior managersThey see themselves as business people first andcommunicators second However itrsquos taken as readthat they have sound technical ability and will rollup their sleeves when needed Great internal andexternal networkers theyrsquore skilled at dealing withuncertainty and conflict Theyrsquore likely to bemeasured on business results and through thesubjective opinion of their senior customers
2 The Advisor Advisors support departments or major projectsby providing advice developing communicationplans and providing hands-on support to deliverthem Local managers trust them for their insightsinto business problems and understanding of howtheir organization really works Through well-developed networks and time spent understandingtheir audiences and carrying out research andfeedback they know whatrsquos really going onTheyrsquore judged on the quality of their advice andtheir ability to translate that advice into plansactivities and actions
3 The ManagerThe internal communication manager has excellentcraft skills and a sound knowledge of channelsThey spend most of their time on delivery Whenthey advise itrsquos normally about the best channelsto use or the most appropriate timing Goodmanagers arenrsquot easily intimidated and are greatat juggling different priorities Theyrsquore skilled attranslating between the boardroom and the shopfloor Their contribution is often measured bytheir ability to deliver activity against a plan andthe quality of work they and their team produce
4 The DelivererMost teams have someone in this role ndash a safepair of hands who can be trusted to make thingshappen That might range from compilingdistribution lists through to running a conferencesorting out the CEOrsquos open forum or writing andediting a newsletter Theyrsquore less likely tosupervise other communicators and depend ontheir organizational and craft skills to get the jobdone People value them for their ability to dothings on time and to a high standard 3
Sue Dewhurst and LiamFitzPatrick run CompetentCommunicators a firmspecializing in professionaldevelopment for internalcommunicators TheyrsquoreMelcrumrsquos official training anddevelopment advisors anddeliver Melcrumrsquos Black Belttraining program Theyrsquore alsothe authors of a forthcomingreport on competenciesdevelopment and standardsfor internal communicatorsand blog about developmentissues onwwwBlackBeltDojocouk
Figure One Six typical role types for internal communicators
TheLeader
TheLocal Agent
The Deliverer
TheAdvisor
TheManagerADVISE
STRATEGY
IMPLEMENT
TACTICS
TheSpecialist
KEY POINTSbull A new study has established how communicators spend their time and
what skills knowledge and experience they regularly use
bull The research identifies six stereotypical roles ranging from acommunication leader to a specialist (eg a web or events expert)
bull It also highlights 12 competencies that clarify the behaviors acompetent practitioner should display at each level An ldquoineffectiverdquocategory shows behaviors displayed by less able performers
bull The roles and competencies provide a framework for development
Building a learning framework for internal communicators
18 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
5 The Local AgentThis category covers a broad range of peoplefrom the plant managerrsquos personal assistant to aregional communication manager Internalcommunication is often one of severalresponsibilities for this person and they tend tohave a tactical focus Their agenda is normally setby the local management team although theirlocal knowledge and network makes them aninvaluable sounding board for the corporatecommunication team They tend to be judged onwhether activities happen and how satisfied theirlocal manager is with them
6 The SpecialistOur research found a small group of peopleworking in internal communication who see them-selves as subject-matter experts in a specialist areasuch as web management audio-visual productionor event management They have only a looseconnection to the mainstream profession andcould equally work in IT marketing or perhapsHR Because theyrsquore highly specialized they tendto work in large organizations
Building a competency frameworkOnce statistical analysis had suggested these sixrole types we began testing them out throughfocus groups and interviews with practitioners Inparticular we asked what skills knowledge andexperience people in each type of role neededwhat people saw outstanding practitioners doingwhat poor performance looked like and howpeople in the six role types spent their time
On the basis of this information we developeda series of 12 competencies (see Figure Two left)We found that each of the six role types could bedefined bybull Which of the competencies they need to carry
out their role (not everyone needs all 12)bull The level of skill knowledge and experience
they need in each competencybull How much of their time they spend using
each competency ndash a high medium or lowamount For instance there was commonagreement that the communication leadermust have strong craft skills (writing anddesign) but compared to say the delivererthey spend a relatively low percentage of theirtime working on this type of activity
Each of the 12 competencies has three levelsbasic intermediate and advanced Based on thedata we gathered we defined the behaviors youmight expect to see a competent internalcommunication professional display at each level
We also added an ldquoineffectiverdquo category listingthose behaviors our interviewees told us weredisplayed by less able performers For example
7
COMPETENCY DEFINITION
Building effectiverelationships
Developing and maintaining relationships that inspire trust and respectBuilding a network and influencing others to make things happen
Business focus Having a clear understanding of the business issues Usingcommunication to help solve organization issues and achieveorganizational problems
Consulting andcoaching
Recommending appropriate solutions Helping others make informeddecisions Building other peoplersquos communications competence
Cross-functionalawareness
Understanding the different contributions from other disciplines andworking with colleagues from across the organization to achieve betterresults
Developing othercommunicators
Helping other communicators build their communications competenceand develop their career
Innovation andcreativity
Looking for new ways of working exploring best practice and deliveringoriginal and imaginative approaches to communication problems
Listening Conducting research and managing mechanisms for gathering feedbackand employee reaction
Making it happen Turning plans into successfully implemented actions
Planning Planning communication programs and operations evaluating results
Specialist Having specific subject-matter expertise in a specialist area
Vision and standards Defining or applying a consistent approach to communication andmaintaining professional and ethical standards
Craft (writing anddesign)
Using and developing the right mix of practical communication abilitiesto hold the confidence of peers and colleagues (eg writing designmanagement etc)
Figure Two Twelve competencies for internal communicators
19scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
some ineffective behaviors attached to theldquobusiness focusrdquo competency arebull Doesnrsquot make the link between
communication activity and the business ororganizational context
bull Delivers communication activity withoutconsidering whether it will serve any usefulpurpose
bull Lacks understanding of their business area
Building a framework for a specific role The next step in this project was to develop asimple table to map out the competencyframework for an individual role showingbull The competencies needed in this rolebull The level of competency needed in each casebull How much time we expect someone in this
role to spend on these types of behaviors
You can either build a competency frameworkfrom scratch or if you think the role fits one ofthe six types we identified from the survey use thecompetency framework for this type as a startingpoint (see the framework for a communicationleader Figure Three right)
In practice competency frameworks will varyaccording to the size of the organization thenumber of people in the internal-communicationteam the expectations of managers and thespecific requirements of each individual rolewhich is why wersquove built a flexible model
For example a communication leader in alarge multinational organization may spend muchof their time setting the vision and standardscoaching and consulting building relationshipsand developing other communicators and arelatively small amount of their time ldquomaking ithappenrdquo or on writing and design Howeversomeone in a stand-alone communication leaderrole in a much smaller organization wouldprobably have to be much more of a ldquoJack of alltradesrdquo dividing their time evenly between thedifferent competencies
Next stepsMore information about the 12 competencies andthe baseline competency maps for each of the sixrole types will be detailed in a forthcomingMelcrum report Ideas on how you use thesecompetencies to plan your development areavailable to download atwwwcompetentcommunicatorscom
We hope the framework will help bringstructure to the process of defining roles planningdevelopment and specifying recruitment andwould welcome your feedbackscm
1 The Inter-Comm skills matrix is described in an article in SCMFebruaryMarch 2005 (Volume 9 Issue 2) called Developingcore competencies for internal communicators
Figure Three Framework for a communication leader
COMPETENCY LEVEL TIME
Building effective relationships Advanced High
Business focus Advanced High
Consulting and coaching Advanced High
Cross-functional awareness Advanced Medium
Developing other communicators Advanced High
Innovation and creativity Advanced Medium
Listening Advanced Low
Making it happen Advanced Low
Planning Advanced Medium
Specialist NA NA
Vision and standards Advanced High
Craft (writing and design) Advanced Low
CONTACT DETAILS
Sue DewhurstCompetent Communicatorssuedewhurstcompetentcommunicatorscom
Liam FitzPatrickCompetent Communicatorsliamfitzpatrickcompetentcommunicatorscom
ldquoOUR RESEARCH FOUND A SMALL GROUP OFPEOPLE WORKING IN INTERNALCOMMUNICATION WHO SEE THEMSELVES ASSUBJECT-MATTER EXPERTSrdquo
20 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC President and CEO John Ryan joined theorganization in 1997 For the first few years hefocused on financial viability and positioning thecorporation for the future ndash articulating a newvision redefining strategic objectives expandingproduct and service offerings and identifyingpotential growth areas
The business results were outstanding double-digit growth increasing profits and great customerloyalty But something was missing
Like many successful organizations FCCoperated with a silo mentality Organizationalpolitics consumed energy that Ryan felt detractedfrom employee satisfaction and he worried aboutthe impact on the customer experience
He wanted his direct reports to work togetheras a real team ndash not to behave like individualleaders of functional areas Although the groupperformed well when there was a real challengeafter the challenge was gone so was the teamwork
This is not unusual for top executive groupsbut Ryan wasnrsquot willing to accept that fate ldquoTherehad to be a way to have a team-based
organization where leaders had the autonomythey needed to perform while actively collaboratingto achieve a new level of unprecedented resultsrdquohe said ldquoFCC had a very hierarchical culture withfirmly drawn divisional boundaries so I knew Ihad a challenge ahead of merdquo
Cultural transformation from the topIn 2002 John hired Malandro Communicationbased in Phoenix Arizona to guide FCCrsquos seniorleadership through a unique cultural transformationthat would lead to the creation of a high-performance team Leaders committed to being100-percent accountable for their impact onpeople and business results They let go of thetraditional 50-50 model ldquoIrsquoll do my part if you doyoursrdquo ndash a model that breeds a culture of blameconspiracies and distrust
In a series of formal training initiatives leaderswere taught to speak from the heart listen toother perspectives be open and responsive tofeedback and encourage personal andprofessional growth
Opportunity for internal communicationBy 2003 we were well on our way FCC producedremarkable business results with strong numbersright across the board The portfolio grew fromnearly CAN$9 billion to over CAN$10 billionThen two things happened that created anopportunity for internal communication tobecome a driver of business results 1 In 2003 we earned 50th place on Canadarsquos
ldquo50 Best Employersrdquo list and a respectableemployee engagement score of 69 percent
Defining the role ofstrategic comms atFarm Credit Canada
Farm Credit Canada (FCC) is in the fourth year of acultural-transformation program At the start of itsjourney clear expectations were set defining the role
to be played by internal communication In this summaryof the companyrsquos plans and achievements Kellie Garrettand Claire Watson describe the goals strategies andtactics employed by the internal communication teamand the impressive results achieved to date
Setting the stage for a cultural transformation
BY KELLIE GARRETT AND CLAIRE WATSON
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Farm Credit Canada isCanadarsquos largest provider offinancing to the agricultureindustry It serves 45000customers and has 1300employees working from 100rural offices across CanadaFCC is ranked eighth amongCanadarsquos 50 best employers
21scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC is a high performer in all otheroperational areas and employee engagementis a strong predictor of sustained corporateperformance But the survey showed therewas work to be done to align perceptionsbetween the senior leadership team andemployees Detailed results showed the gaps(see Figure One below)
2 Ryan became more determined to create ahigh-performance team that could deliver anextraordinary customer experience andsustainable business results
Establishing expected behaviorAs a first step towards creating a critical mass ofleaders who visibly demonstrate the behaviorsrequired to transform FCCrsquos culture middlemanagement and key cross-functional teams weretrained in responsible teamwork practices andcommunication skills
Ryan then created a set of 10 cultural practicesthat explicitly outlined how he expectedemployees at all levels to behave (see side barnext page) The foundation of these practices isthe belief that the drive for business results mustbe balanced by the attendant impact on people Inother words how the work was accomplished wasevery bit as important as what was accomplishedThe cultural practices were rolled out to allemployees in 2003
With the expected behavior from leaders andemployees clearly articulated it was time forinternal communication to find opportunities tosupport and promote these behaviors
Challenge 1 Creating a strategic frameworkOur first objective was to create a broaderstrategic framework for internal communicationA review of best-practice companies revealed thatformal media represents about 10 percent of allinternal communication channels with internalsystems accounting for another 10 percent Theremaining 80 percent is influenced by theorganizational culture
Our task was to put a formal strategy in placethat would strengthen the 10 percent ofcommunication we did have control over ndash theinternal communication channels
Within FCC the dominant employeecommunication channels were immediatemanagers e-mail and the intranet (Myinet)Front-line managers delivered corporate messagesdirectly to employees and their efforts weresupported by all-staff e-mails
There was nothing wrong with this approachbut it didnrsquot go far enough in the delivery of clearconsistent messages about strategic direction orcorporate priorities Nor did it create a line ofsight between individuals and business outcomes
For example a lack of central coordination wasresulting in unclear mixed messages thatconfused the internal audience A proliferation ofemployee surveys were independently conductedby various business units and the corporate e-mail system was choked with high volumecontributing to information overload
The intranetrsquos navigational structure and searchcapability needed major improvement datedinformation needed to be archived and majordocuments needed to be redeveloped in a web-friendly format
Defining our strategy and objectivesAware of these drawbacks we defined ourstrategy as To adopt a more integrated approachto internal communication and make sure allmessages focus employees on the businesspriorities Our strategies included the followingbull Segment the employee audience and define
communication needs based on demographicspsychographics and geographic location
bull Create a consistent voice across all groupsbull Ensure internal communication is mandatory
for all major corporate initiatives and isintegrated across channels and with othercommunication activities
bull Deliver targeted information through a varietyof channels and vehicles to reinforce messaginghelp with recall appeal to differentpreferences and create and sustain interest
bull Redevelop the intranet and position it as aninformation source for corporate businessemployee industry and technical information
bull Reduce the volume of corporate e-mailbull Implement a monthly employee survey to
replace the proliferation of one-off surveysindependently launched by business units
bull Create broad awareness and understanding ofkey corporate drivers such as business strategycorporate values and brand positioning 3
Kellie Garrett ABC MALeadership is senior VPStrategy Knowledge ampReputation at Farm CreditCanada and Chair of the IABCResearch Foundation Garrettis a frequent speaker onbusiness strategy leadershipand personal brand
Claire Watson ABC APR isthe master communicationstrategist for Farm CreditCanada Watson has won anumber of international andnational awards for her workis a published author and acertified change managementspecialist
MEASUREMENT EMPLOYEES SENIORMANAGERS
GAP
Senior management is open and honest incommunication
59 94 -35
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible
54 88 -34
Managers effectively support andimplement our people practices
48 81 -33
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 94 -23
Figure One Engagement survey results
22 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Defining the role of strategic comms at Farm Credit Canada
Successful tactics introducedSome of the tactics wersquove successfully introducedto bring this strategy to life include the following
1 Tracking key messagesWe created an employee key-message matrix thatis shared with leaders across the organization andhelps to ensure we deliver a consistent messageWe deliver the rewritten message through avariety of channels including e-mail letter featurearticle in the internal publication online throughour Monday Morning Update or directly to staffmeetings through managers and supervisors
2 Adopting a multi-channel approachWersquove expanded our channels beyond e-mail andthe intranet New channels now includebull AgriCulture ndash an employee print newsletter
published three times a year to communicatecorporate information and reinforce FCCrsquossocial and cultural fabric
bull An online feature called ldquoFrom the Desk ofthe CEOrdquo to keep employees in the loop
bull All staff e-mails from the CEO and VPsbull Discussion guides and QampAs for leadersbull Internal presentations and speeches delivered
by the senior leadership teambull Other printed material such as pocket cards
and brochures accompanied by a letter
3 Cutting down on information overloadSteps wersquove taken includebull Bundling all-staff messages into a Monday
Morning Update and bundling messages forcorporate headquarters staff into a CorporateOffice Update
bull Implementing a corporate e-mail policy withdefined subject-line conventions length andapproved topics
bull Restricting the use of all-staff e-mails to thesenior management team and certain keyindividuals
bull Improving the functionality of the intranetand redeveloping key business tools forefficient web use
bull Centralizing coordination of internal surveysbull Elevating the quality and clarity of internal
speeches and conferences to focus onstrategic business drivers
Challenge 2 Supporting leadershipThe results of our 2003 engagement survey alsorevealed an opportunity to increase trust betweenemployees and FCCrsquos senior management teamRyan and his VP responsible for communication(Kellie Garrett) believed that creating greatervisibility and better access to the senior managerswas vital to the establishment of a values-basedculture and a high-performance team
7
MEASUREMENT 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Senior management is open and honestin communication
59 73 81 83 91
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible to employees
54 71 82 83 81
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 81 87 87 85
I see strong evidence of effectiveleadership from the senior leadershipteam
69 83 87 88 93
I have a good understanding ofbusiness goals and objectives
76 77 81 81 88
Senior leadership has clearlycommunicated what we need to do tobe successful
NA NA 89 90 93
Figure Two Survey scores tracked from 2003-2007
FCCrsquoS 10 CULTURAL PRACTICESWe hold ourselves and each other accountable for
1 Our impact on business results and our impact on people
2 Delivering on commitments agreements and promises
3 Building and sustaining committed partnerships
4 Creating a safe environment where people can speak up without fear
5 We measure our success by how others perceive and respond to ourleadership not by our personal point of view
6 We talk straight in a responsible manner We are committed to the successof others ndash we do not engage in ldquoconspiracies againstrdquo people
7 We ldquolisten forrdquo contributions and commitment We do not listen againstpeople or ideas
8 We are highly coachable We actively seek and listen to coaching
9 We clean up and recover quickly
10 We acknowledge others often and celebrate both small and largesuccesses
ldquoLIKE DEVELOPING A COMPANYrsquoS IMAGE ORBRAND CULTURE CAN lsquoJUST HAPPENrsquo OR ITCAN BE DESIGNED STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONHAS PLAYED A CENTRAL ROLErdquo
23scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 FCC launched a culture-change program focused on
improving performance across the organization
bull Two key aims of the program are to encourage leaders and employeesto embody the values and improve staff engagement
bull Defining its strategy and goals at the outset internal communicationhas played a role in achieving these objectives
bull Results so far include less information overload a more accessibleleadership team and improved engagement scores
The challenge for internal communication wasto improve employeesrsquo perception of the visibilityaccessibility and trust for the senior managementteam Successful tactics introduced includebull A ldquoDine-Aroundrdquo program where three
senior leaders host a monthly lunch for ninepeople
bull An online forum called SMT Exchangewhere employees can anonymously askleaders tough questions and answers areposted for all to see
bull Senior leaders author more all-staff e-mailsare more visible and accessible at companyevents and deliver presentations that focus onconnecting employees to the business agenda
The goals we started with When we defined our internal communicationstrategy in 2003 we had some clear goals to worktowards These werebull To communicate relevant information in a
timely consistent and memorable waybull To reduce information overloadbull To influence an increase in the
communication-related elements of theengagement index
bull To contribute to an increase in employeeengagement from 69 to 74 percent
We also had specific year-one objectivesbull To increase understanding of business goals
and objectives beyond 78 percent bull To increase employee opinion about effective
senior leadership from 69 to 73 percentbull To improve employee opinions related to
senior management
Achievements and measurable resultsWith these goals guiding our efforts themeasurable results wersquove achieved so far includebull The bundling of all-staff e-mail has reduced
the volume by 88 percent ndash amounting toaround 350000 messages over one year
bull Over 450 employees have lunched with amember of the senior management team and170 QampAs have been posted on our seniormanagement online exchange
bull The survey scores relating to employeesrsquoperception of leadership and theirunderstanding of goals and objectives showsteady improvement since 2003 (see FigureTwo bottom left)
bull FCCrsquos engagement scores and subsequentranking among Canadarsquos 50 best employershas moved from 69 percent engagement and50th place in 2004 to 81 percent and 35thplace in 2005 84 percent and 12th place in2006 and 82 percent and 8th place in 2007
Cultural transformationThe internal communication strategy described inthis article has set the stage to communicatecultural transformation across the organization
Wersquore now in the fourth year of our culturaltransformation ndash creating an environment wherepeople are empowered feel safe and highperformance can flourish This involves aquantum shift in how employees behave andrelate to their co-workers and customers
Like developing a companyrsquos image or brandculture can ldquojust happenrdquo or it can be designedStrategic communication has played a central roleto create awareness understanding commitmentand motivate changes in behavior at every level ofthe organization
John Ryan has the final word ldquoOver the years Ihave learned that communication is at the heartof building a high-performance culture ndash a culturewhere people are fully engaged Communicationis vital Without it leaders cannot effect positivechange Our internal strategy recognizesemployees as a primary audience and a keyconduit to the customer the media stakeholdersand communities Our strategic approach tointernal communication significantly contributesto business resultsrdquo scm
CONTACT DETAILS
Kellie GarrettFarm Credit CanadaKellieGarrettfcc-facca
Claire WatsonFarm Credit CanadaClaireWatsonfcc-facca
24 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
In January 2004 Pfizer at Sandwich in Kent UKcommissioned a review of its existing charitablecontributions program which included matchedpayroll giving volunteering and grants for localcommunity charities and voluntary groups CCWorks the community investment consultancywas also approached to manage the day-to-dayadministration of grant applications from thecommunity
However it was decided that the administrationcould not be effectively managed until suitablecriteria were put in place for the grants programEssentially a company cannot outsourceresponsibility for its charitable donations unlesstherersquos a clear strategy in place for doing this
Although there were various policies in placefor the different elements of the existingcommunity investment program there was a lackof strategic direction to the program as a whole
Auditing the community grants programAs a first step CC Works examined the existinggrants program and also conducted external
benchmarking with voluntary organizations in thecommunity to gage perceptions of Pfizer
It emerged that many organizations werereceiving small grants ndash although some werenrsquotsure why ndash but only 16 percent of the currentspend was going on health-related causes ForPfizer a major global healthcare company thiswasnrsquot strategic It was clear that as a healthcarecompany Pfizer should be trying to improve thehealth of its local area by focusing on three coreareas health community and education
There was also a need for grants to be morelocally focused A significant amount of the spendwas going outside of the immediate East Kentarea CC Works recommended that to allow thecompany maximum freedom to operate in itscommunity it should focus grants on theimmediate community of East Kent which alsohappened to be a deprived area
Segmenting current grantsWorking in partnership with CC Works currentgrant allocation was examined by sector localarea and size of grant and in May 2004 two-yeartargets were set to increase the strategic impact ofcommunity grantsbull Increase grants allocated to health-related
projects to 50 percentbull Increase average grant from UKpound300 to
UKpound1000bull Increase East Kent allocation to 90 percent
This change was designed to be gradual so thatthe shift in allocation could be well managed
The new focus on the community mirrors
Engaging employees inPfizerrsquos communityinvestment program
In 2003 Pfizer at Sandwich UK was running manyelements of a community investment program butthere was little awareness among employees and no
real focus By July 2006 the program had beentransformed and now actively contributes to employeeand community relationships Here Pam Baker andChristine Jenkins describe the journey from disconnectedpolicies to award-winning program
Communicating an approach with clear links toemployees and the local community
BY PAM BAKER AND CHRISTINE JENKINS
scm FEATURES
Pfizerrsquos site at Sandwich inKent is the UK manufacturingheadquarters of Pfizer Incglobal pharmaceuticalcompany Its workforce of4000 makes it the largestprivate employer in East Kent
1 2 3 4 5
25scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pfizerrsquos global mission to be ldquothe most valuedcompany to patients customers colleaguesinvestors business partners and the communitieswhere we work and liverdquo For the communityinvestment program a measurable mission wascreated ldquoto improve the health indicators of thepeople of East Kentrdquo
Focus on colleague involvementThe next step in July 2004 was to conduct areview of the employee engagement elements ofcommunity investment to examine how thesecould be better integrated These elementsincluded payroll giving volunteering and staff-matched fundraising
For Pfizer at Sandwich the obvious first choicewas to look at volunteering Eighty-five percent ofPfizer employees are minimum graduate level ndashoffering much-needed skills to a deprived areaAll employees have five paid days a year they canuse for volunteering ndash this not only supports thecommunity it boosts employee engagement andcreates opportunities for employees to visiblyconnect with the community and vice versa
In October 2004 volunteering was identified asa key area for development but for employeevolunteering to be a success it had to beproactively marketed inside Pfizer and thereneeded to be adequate support andadministration behind the program
A database of volunteering opportunitiesIn conjunction with CC Works a searchable data-base of local volunteering opportunities was createdPfizer felt it was important to create a tailoreddatabase that would be furnished internally inorder to ensure a local bias and to maintain thequality of the information supplied to employees
In order to tie in with employeesrsquo personaldevelopment plans opportunities in the databasehad to meet at least two of Pfizerrsquos six keycompetencies 1 Team development2 Project management3 Coaching and development4 Decision making5 Effective partnership6 Working with change
To fill the database with relevant opportunities allorganizations that had contacted Pfizer for grantsor funding in the past three years were re-contacted and asked if they would also beinterested in volunteering
Over 70 percent responded positively and 300volunteering opportunities were sourced CCWorks helped the voluntary organizations puttogether opportunities that were most likely totake advantage of Pfizer employeesrsquo range of
specialist skillsThese opportunities were categorized on the
database according to skill geographic area andtype of charity allowing employees to search forsomething suitable for them Pfizer wasnrsquotprescriptive in its approach and allowed staff tovolunteer where the opportunity matched theirpersonal-development goals interests or wasgeographically convenient
Opportunities were wide-ranging from helpingin a charity shop to teaching in a schoolImportantly because database management isoutsourced to CC Works therersquos constantproactivitiy around seeking new opportunities andproviding administrative support that would havebeen difficult to maintain in-house
Launching the ldquoReaching Outrdquo programTo encourage involvement and awarenessemployees were asked to suggest a name for therevitalized volunteering program ldquoReaching Outrdquowas chosen and the new volunteering website waslaunched in May 2005 The site sits on PfizerSandwichrsquos intranet and any employee orcontractor can access it
A charity week was also held to help promotethe Reaching Out program Various charitiesvisited Pfizer during lunch breaks to explain whatthey do and the opportunities to work with themA soft incentive for staff to register on theReaching Out site was that Pfizer would donate20 rehydration sachets to Unicef (monetary valueof about pound2)
Reaching Out was also featured in a webcastfrom a senior leader that went to all employees(about 3000 staff plus contractors) at the start ofthe week and it was profiled in the weekly onlinemagazine Pipeline 3
Pam Baker is directorStrategic Operations andCommunity Affairs at Pfizer UK
Christine Jenkins is founderof CC Works a consultancyoffering communityinvestment advice andpractical solutions to thecorporate and voluntarysectors Previously she heldsenior manager roles in thevoluntary and private sectors
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 an audit of Pfizer at Sandwichrsquos community investment
program revealed a lack of strategic direction
bull In partnership with consultancy CC Works a decision was made tofocus the program on the local community
bull An effort to raise employee involvement through volunteering hasboosted the program and linked it to employee engagement
bull The ldquoReaching Outrdquo website gives employees the freedom to work withcharities of their choice
bull By July 2006 the ldquoHealthy Communitiesrdquo program had beentransformed and won a National Example of Excellence award fromBusiness in the Community
26 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TOP TIPS FOR COMMUNITY INVESTMENTbull Ask yourself why yoursquore undertaking this program and seek clarity around
your objectives
bull Focus on likely ldquowinsrdquondash ie areas with scope for improvement such asemployee engagement or external awareness
bull Tackle one area at a time in stages and aim for excellence in each arearather than trying to boil the ocean
bull Communication is key to success Create a distinct brand and identity forthe program to encourage awareness and involvement
bull Integrate different community programs ndash a holistic approach can maximizebenefits for the community staff engagement and corporate reputation
Over 450 employees registered to use thesite over the next two months with 230 employees(8 percent of staff) actively volunteering duringthe first year This beat a target to have 5 percentof employees volunteering 12 months after launchIn 2005 employees volunteered 4800 hours
Helping employees select the right optionEmployees can search the volunteering databaseby skill geographic area or type of charity and aregiven a range of choices Then the onus is on theemployee to speak to the charity and obtainfurther details on current opportunities inaddition to whatrsquos on the database The employeethen applies to his or her line manager Anintegrated work process enables staff to obtainapproval from their manager interact with thevoluntary organization and record their effortskeeping administration to a minimum
Managers at Pfizer Sandwich are keen foremployees to volunteer because theyrsquore aware ofthe potential benefits in terms of employeeengagement and skills development ndash a largenumber of managers are volunteers themselvesPfizer also held briefing sessions for managers toensure they were aware of the volunteeringprogram its benefits and how it works
7
Engaging employees in Pfizerrsquos community investment program
Incorporating employee feedbackThe database tracks employeesrsquo volunteeringefforts including how many hours theyrsquove doneand their feedback on the opportunitiesEmployee feedback can then be accessed by otherstaff looking for an opportunity The databasegives employees better insight into the availableopportunities and allows them to select somethingthat appeals to them so that both the employeeand the organization where they volunteer gets abetter ldquofitrdquo
The database also allows for better integrationof the whole program where volunteering canprovide an alternative or an addition to fundingFor example a well-known national charityapplied to Pfizer at Sandwich for some fundingaround a diversity initiative Pfizer suggested theirdiversity manager volunteer for them instead whohelped create the charityrsquos diversity program thatis now being launched nationally
Creating an integrated programIn May 2005 the decision was taken to bringtogether all the strands of community investmentunder one brand Healthy Communities Thisprogram was to includebull Charitable grantsbull Employee volunteeringbull Gifts in kind Community investment via gifts
in kind such as the use of Pfizer premisesresources and expertise is more easilysustainable and can bring real long-termbenefit to the local community When Pfizerfacilities are used to support communityinitiatives the face-to-face contact withemployees allows relationship-building andnetworking with key influencers Also invitingthe community to use Pfizer resources on siteldquodemystifiesrdquo the company
The overarching strategy behind HealthyCommunities was to support communityinvestment holistically (ie using several of theabove elements in combination) whereverpossible Focusing grants on the areas of greatestneed helps Pfizer achieve its overall missionHowever the donation of gifts in kind can have awider-reaching impact on the community
Taking a holistic approachAn award-winning example of this holisticapproach is the Helping Hartsdown projectwhich was Pfizer Sandwichrsquos biggest ever gift inkindvolunteering project Pfizer donated andrenovated much-needed classrooms at a localschool As well as financial support and gifts inkind the project involved over 100 staff andcontractor volunteers across all departments Aspecific promotion on the Reaching Out website
ldquoBY JULY 2006 THE lsquoHEALTHY COMMUNITIESrsquoPROGRAM HAD BEEN TRANSFORMED AND WONA NATIONAL EXAMPLE OF EXCELLENCE AWARDFROM BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITYrdquo
27scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
POSITIVE IMPACTS OF THE PROGRAMThe Healthy Communities program has had the following positive impacts for Pfizer
bull The program supports and protects Pfizerrsquos freedom to operate effectivelyin East Kent UK
bull Supporting and involving employees in the program engages and motivatesthem The company is also seen to be living its values In a recent survey55 percent of colleagues felt the program was ldquofocused and effectiverdquo
bull The program provides opportunities for colleagues to develop skills Twentypercent of colleagues surveyed stated that they had improved personalskills through taking part in the program
bull A healthy community is a better place to live and work for employees andwill aid retention Retention of the most highly skilled scientists givesPfizer Global Research and Development a competitive edge
bull A vibrant and healthy community helps to attract and retain leadingscientists from around the world
bull Community is one of Pfizerrsquos six core values Communicating activitiesinternally and externally gives a positive perception of the company
helped attract this large number of volunteersincluding senior leaders
Momentum was maintained behind thecommunication of the program with monthlynetworking breakfasts and several themed minicharity fairs to give local good causes the chanceto showcase their volunteering Individuals andteamsrsquo volunteering efforts were also regularlyprofiled in Pipeline
The December 2006 employee survey showedan 85-percent awareness level of Reaching Outand the program won a ldquoNational Example ofExcellence Awardrdquo from Business in theCommunity1
Relaunching the websiteIn June 2006 the Reaching Out website wasrelaunched to incorporate payroll giving andmatched fundraising under the same brand asvolunteering and utilize the existing software Allelements can now be applied for on the same site
The number of employees registered with thesite increased to over 1000 and the number of adhoc staff enquiries handled by CC Worksincreased dramatically as awareness andinvolvement levels rose among the workforce
External communicationA quarterly newsletter containing a round-up ofPfizerrsquos community investment work is producedand distributed widely to external stakeholdersincluding 3000 local residents Following theBusiness in the Community award the magazineCommunity News was revamped its circulationincreased and it was also desk-dropped to allemployees The magazine also helps to raiseawareness of Pfizer among local organizations
A pocket-sized booklet was produced containingkey facts and figures about the Healthy Communitiesprogram This gives employees especially seniorleaders at-a-glance information on the programallowing them to act as ambassadors for Pfizerrsquoscommunity investment work
Senior leaders at Pfizer Sandwich are keenadvocates of the program and having a clearbrand helps them communicate its benefits andraise awareness both internally and externally
Next stepsDespite its award-winning status there are plansto take Healthy Communities even further Theseinclude further research into employee feedbackand closer links to personal development plans InPfizer at Sandwichrsquos Global Operations functionvolunteering forms part of personal objectives ndashthis is an aspiration for the rest of the business
Pfizer also wants to improve team volunteeringand a toolkit is being prepared for team leaderswho wish to get involved in volunteering
Finally in order to share knowledge and bestpractice around community investment with otherlocal businesses Pfizer is hosting a Kentmembership network in conjunction with KentCounty Council This will help Pfizer work closelywith the local authority and bring local businessestogether to share ideas and collaborate toimprove their impact on the community scm
1 httpwwwbitcorguk
CONTACT DETAILS
Pam BakerPfizerpambakerpfizercom
Christine JenkinsCC Workschristinejenkinsccworkscouk
28 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Editorrsquos noteSucceeding in internal communication probablyisnrsquot all that different to succeeding in anyprofession understand whatrsquos expected of you dothe job well and deliver results But when youspeak to practitioners about how they personallyturned the corner in their careers and started tomake an impact it soon becomes clear that thereare many dos and donrsquots that can help or hinderprogress This article provides a handy checklistfor those with ambitious development plans
John G ClemonsVice President CommunicationsRaytheon Technical Services Co Llc
Take the initiativeThere have been a few career-defining momentsfor me Among them was the time when I realizedthat I was moving from a manager level to the
decision-making role of a director I worked for a senior executive who hired me
from a rival telecommunications company Uponjoining the company I developed strategiccommunication plans to address various businesschallenges During the development process Iperiodically checked in with my supervisor to gethis input and approval ndash probably more thannecessary ndash before moving to the next steps in planning
One day he called me into his office and saidthat while he liked the work I was doing for himhis expectation when he hired me as a directorwas that I would take the initiative in the job relyless on his frequent input and move forward with implementation and measurement Hewanted results
His counsel was along the lines of ldquoI hired youto do a directorrsquos job so do the job of a directorYou donrsquot have to get permission to make adifferencerdquo
Meet commitments and think strategicallyHis direction motivated me to take moreresponsibility at this new job level This alsomeant that I had to not just manage but leadmeet commitments and think more strategicallyto continue to earn not only his confidence butthe support of the entire leadership team
Irsquove found that being a communicationprofessional who is also a leader that can betrusted can get things done and truly support thegoals and objectives of an organization will notonly impress others but help build your credibilityand lead to success
How to get ahead ininternal communication
The path that leads internal communicators to thetop of their profession isnrsquot always an obvious oneWhich is why we asked a range of senior practitioners
to share their thoughts and experiences on gaining therespect of those who matter Whether its senior leadersfellow employees or your own team yoursquore looking toimpress these responses provide useful insight into howto make sure you and your work gets noticed
Senior practitioners share their views on how togain influence and credibility
COMPILED BY MANDY THATCHER
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
29scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Mark DarbyHead of Internal CommunicationsVisaUK
Be smart sharp and stubbornThe biggest lesson Irsquove learned and keep havingto remind myself is that I need to be smart sharpand stubborn to get ahead This is what thosewords mean to me in a work context
Smart I need to understand what Visa is doingand what people think about the business Thismeans constantly spending time in differentdepartments and learning from them I know whoour customers are what our challenges are andwhat our current financial performance is I havecontacts in most departments who have a fingeron the pulse which means I can have a relevantconversation with a senior person from any department
Sharp Internal communication is rarely near thetop of the agenda for senior people and my timewith them is usually short I always try to talkabout the impact on business performance assoon as possible If I circulate a document it willbe summarized to a single page at most and Idonrsquot use PowerPoint I ask a lot of ldquoonerdquo questionssuch as ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing you want employeesto do differentlyrdquo or ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing youwant me to change over the next six monthsrdquo
Stubborn I know what I want internal communica-tion to achieve at Visa and it has the support ofthe senior team Irsquove built up knowledge frombooks and articles I use my education from theBlack Belt training course1 and I speak to formercolleagues With this knowledge Irsquove becomestubborn and good at saying no because I have theinformation to back up my arguments Irsquove stoppedmy team from picking up extra projects that wonrsquotdeliver much value We focus only on projects thatadd the most value to the business and we deliveron these really well Successful delivery is thebiggest influence on any senior person
Monika StaffordHead of Internal CommunicationLloyds TSBUK
Be creative and focus on a killer issueUsing creative solutions to bring to life importantndash but often dull ndash programs can create a shinethat stretches beyond project boundaries For
example I worked on the implementation of SAPndash a business-critical systems program ndash requiringbehavior change from swathes of key yetuninterested people Successful implementationwas a big risk to get right but it was as dull asdishwater to communicate
Luckily there was a ldquoEurekardquo moment Byaligning the SAP story with the metaphor ofFormula-1 racing we could tell the tale of how itwould fulfill our need to create winningperformances for both the individual driver aswell as the back-up team in order to perform wellon the road ahead This storyline was a perfectmatch for the programrsquos objectives
Launch speakers from Formula 1 great designwork not to mention fantastic collateral allresulted in a no-hitch implementation that reallyresonated with people The global companypicked it up as the approach for worldwide rollout So faced with tedium it can actually pay tostare out of the window for creative inspiration
My other piece of advice is Focus on a killerissue If you really want to get ahead (and do besure you really do as being at the center ofchange is often akin to being in the eye of ahurricane ndash itrsquos no place for the feint-hearted)learn what keeps your business leaders up atnight Use your stakeholder-management skills toget to the people you need to help you deliversolutions then execute execute execute
Focus on value-adding work only because ifyou end up working on your companyrsquos cul-de-sacprojects yoursquoll never shine brightly enough forthe leaders in your company to notice you 3
COMPETENCY
Planning internal communication 76
Linking corporate messages to corporate vision 73
CEO communication 63
Change communication 60
Communicating to diverse audiences 60
Using the intranet as a communication tool 54
Defending your department in internal political battles 43
Line manager communication 42
Professional development of internal communication staff 33
Helping employees cope with information overload 32
Securing the appropriate level of budget for internal communication 30
Measuring the effectiveness of internal communication 28
Figure One Table from The Pulse report showing the percentage of communicators who ratethemselves as effective or very effective at listed competencies
30 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
WHATrsquoS CHANGED IN THE LAST 25 YEARS
David MoorcroftSenior Vice PresidentCorporate CommunicationsRBC Financial Group Canada
Irsquom constantly amazed at the changes that have taken place in our professionover the last 25 years and the degree of talent and knowledge required bycommunicators today to do their jobs well
Back in 1979 when I started in corporate PR the major skill sets werewriting editing and great media contacts Today good editorial skills are justtable stakes and the ability to understand business adapt technology thinkstrategically plan consummately and influence stakeholders are what landsenior communicators a seat at the management table
This change has been driven by the globalization of business the advent ofnew 247 media including the Internet the growing sophistication ofcustomers and employees increased demands for corporate transparency andmore rigorous requirements for high standards of public disclosure andfinancial reporting
MORE SKILLS THAN EVER BEFOREAs a result todayrsquos business communicator has to be more capable andknowledgeable and have more skills than ever before They must befinancially literate and technologically savvy They must understand the impactof evolving accounting and disclosure rules They must deal with legal HRpolitical and business issues And they must be prepared to deal with amultitude of potential crises that can arise at any moment in any language inany part of the world
Perhaps most challenging senior management today expects clear bottom-line returns for their investments in communication Itrsquos no longer enough toinform audiences and measure communication outputs CEOs expectcommunication to engage audiences and produce outcomes ndash something thatrequires strategic thinking planning and foresight
A friend of mine who left a senior corporate PR job to become COO of amajor public utility recently summed up the role of todayrsquos communicator thisway ldquoItrsquos one of the most important and critical roles in organizations todayand yet itrsquos often one of the least recognized and appreciatedrdquo
That sentiment may be a reality in some organizations today but with moreand more CEOs beginning to realize the bottom-line value of communication itwonrsquot be 25 years from now
Christina FeeSenior Vice President InternalCommunicationsDeutsche Post AGGermany
Seek out the important projectsI canrsquot pretend to have employed a specificapproach to my ldquopersonal PRrdquo at all But in theorganizations Irsquove worked for Irsquove had theopportunity to work on a number of excitinghigh-profile projects that have connected me withsenior stakeholders and influential people atdifferent levels
7
Irsquove learned a great deal from the project teamsIrsquove worked with and also due to the significanceand scope of the projects been able todemonstrate my worth approach and skills Irsquovehad to be passionate stand up for what I believein and think outside the box constantly
My roles within DHLDeutsche Post haveallowed me the freedom and flexibility to developand deliver new ideas but Irsquove also had to practiceand embody excellent internal communicationskills myself Having developed credibility and trustwith those that matter based on my track record Iwas allowed to go ahead with other projects
I donrsquot actively pursue the ldquoright relationshipsrdquobut rather let my work and my interactions withpeople speak for themselves This has helped medevelop mentors and supporters naturally Mylearning and development has also been expandedby the opportunity to work abroad and learn moreabout intercultural communication and interaction
Marc SilversideHead of Internal CommunicationsMacmillan Cancer SupportUK
Understand whatrsquos expected of youA newly established role heightens the need formaking a good impression so that people trustyou and feel they can come to you for advice
When I joined Macmillan I very nearly got thiswrong Perhaps this is an example that otherrsquos canlearn from
When my new CEO at Macmillan CancerSupport asked for a meeting ldquoafter a few weeks tosettle inrdquo I was confident that my wide-ranginginduction would help me understand the businessand provide the basis for what Irsquod present tosenior management
Forty structured face-to-face managerinterviews allowed me to understand needs andkey issues and I started to build personal rapportMy profile was raised and at the same timeinternal communication gained good visibility
Externally I networked with contacts in similarroles in other charities and soon found thebeginnings of a voluntary-sector network This hassince grown to over 25 members
By the time my CEO slot arrived I was armedwith input from across the charity and the resultsof an audit I felt well prepared to present myvision and solutions So I was surprised to be metwith significant resistance
I later discovered that my CEO intelligence wasincorrect What he wanted was to be askedspecifically about his own views on what internalcommunication should do and what I could do for
How to get ahead in internal communication
31scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
HOW DO YOUR SKILLS MEASURE UPFor Melcrumrsquos study into budgets salaries and trends in internalcommunication in 200607 we asked survey respondents to rate their owneffectiveness at a range of key communication competencies from planning tomeasurement The results may surprise you
For example 76 percent of respondents rate themselves as effective or veryeffective at planning internal communication but only 28 percent ratethemselves as equally effective at measuring its effectiveness (see Figure Onepage 29)
In her commentary on the results development expert Sue Dewhurst hadthe following to say
OUR STRENGTHSIt seems where we see our strengths as internal communicators is towards theldquofront endrdquo of the communication planning process For example being able tolink a plan to the business strategy knowing our audiences and being able tojoin up the dots and show people how messages link to the business vision
These are powerful strengths We are one of the few functions that tends tohave an overarching view of our entire company and is able to view thecompany and its strategy from a number of different perspectives Being ableto understand the vision and strategy view it from an audience perspectiveand then create line of sight to show what those things mean in practicalterms for peoplersquos day-to-day roles is one of the ways that we help drivebusiness performance ndash by showing people what they need to do to take thestrategy forward
In turn by knowing and working with our audiences hopefully wersquore thenalso able to make sure their views and suggestions can help shape the strategyand how itrsquos put into practice
MEASURING EFFECTIVENESSWe see ourselves as less effective towards the back end of the planningprocess in measuring the effectiveness of internal communication which tiesin with the feeling from previous questions that in fact wersquore not doing muchmeasurement or demonstrating our return on investment
Research and measurement is an area where there is plenty of expertisearound to call on There are measurement conferences research reports andpublications to understand what other organizations are doing and practicaltraining that will give you the opportunity to work in a smaller group askquestions and practice techniques For help with specific techniques try yourinternal marketing team Marketers are generally great with data and well-versed in running focus groups and putting together surveys If you have anexternal provider to support your employee engagement research try them too
Source The Pulse Essential data on budgets salaries and trends 2006-07wwwmelcrumcom
him rather than how I could benefit the charity Ihad to change my approach fast
This could have cost me my best ambassadorfrom day one So my advice is make sure yoursquoreabsolutely clear about whatrsquos expected from you
Of course the insights I gained in my first fewmonths have been valuable and since then myresults have done the talking Fortunately theCEO soon became an internal communicationsconvert and advocate
Darren CrozierCommunications ManagerHBOS plcUK
Make things happenDelivery is key to career development ndash if you sayyoursquore going to do something make sure you doit Put in the effort get the results you want andbe known as someone who can make things happenIf yoursquore seen to ldquoget things donerdquo no matter howsmall the job is people are more likely to get youinvolved in activities and ask your opinion
Gaining credibility and respect from seniorcolleagues is important but everyone in yourorganization will form an opinion of you from thepeople in the canteen right through to the CEOSo try and make sure that their opinion of you is agood one
Itrsquos not just the people within your immediatesphere of influence who can have an impact onyour career so extend your network go oncourses and get involved in professionalorganizations Many of my close workingrelationships career opportunities and indeedpersonal friendships have come from meetingpeople at such events and taking the time to keepin touch You never know how things will develop
Itrsquos also vital to earn respect be trustworthy andhave good manners To recall what an ex-bossonce said ldquoBe careful how you treat people onthe way up as you never know when you maycome across them againrdquo
One of the biggest challenges Irsquove found inrecent times is recognizing my own success andselling myself Sometimes you need to take a stepback to realize just what yoursquove achieved Evenbetter keep a log or portfolio of your successesand donrsquot be shy to speak about them becauseothers wonrsquot be shy to speak about theirs
Finally try and have some fun along the wayWe all have to work for a living so learn to makethe most of it scm
1 For more about Melcrumrsquos Internal Communication Black Belttraining program go to wwwmelcrumcom
32 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pitney Bowes has followed an aggressive strategyof growth through acquisition completing 60+acquisitions since 2001 Expansion has broadenedits product mix to include an extensive range ofsolutions from office equipment to globalpositioning software
But the companyrsquos many different specialismsand huge outsourcing operations meant that themajority of its 34000 employees werenrsquot aware ofthe full range of its service offering and thepotential for different divisions to work together
As Rob Hallam vice president EmployeeCommunication explains there was a strongbusiness case for adopting a ldquoone companyrdquoapproach ldquoBecause the businesses tended to besomewhat siloed even senior managers werefocused on their divisions
ldquoAlso because we were acquiring companiesand evolving so rapidly managers werenrsquot awareof a lot of the businesses and how they all workedtogether in the mailstreamrdquo says Hallam ldquoWewere missing out on potential cross-sellingopportunitiesrdquo
Communicating a new visionFour years ago Pitney Bowes created a OneCompany Vision statement ldquoOur aim was toensure support and cooperation across thebusiness so we could provide a comprehensive setof customer solutions ndash not just a list of productsand services by business unitrdquo says Hallam Theinternal communication challenge was to drawtogether 34000 employees and build a unifiedcorporate culture The communication strategyfocused on three key elements
1 PeopleThis focused on involving the leadershipstrengthening a two-way dialogue betweenmanagement and employees communicating theculture through leadership messaging enterprise-wide events and roadshows and buildingengagement so that everyone was workingtogether towards a One Company approach
2 ProcessesThis meant integrating the One Companyapproach into the organizationrsquos operations andinfrastructure by shifting management roles andadjusting incentives and reward structuresthroughout the company
The first step was to consolidate the companyrsquosoperating activities by appointing Murray DMartin as president and chief operating officer inSeptember 2004 Martinrsquos mantra is ldquoThink AsOne Act as One Operate As One to deliverwhat no other company canrdquo
ldquoThe COO position had previously been heldby the chairman so elevating someone to that
Communicating a OneCompany culture atPitney Bowes
Following rapid growth in the form of more than 60acquisitions over six years silo-working haddeveloped at Pitney Bowes and leaders were failing
to take advantage of profitable cross-selling opportunitiesHere Rob Hallam describes the communication elementsof a ldquoOne Companyrdquo culture-change program which hasturned the situation around simultaneously improvingcustomer service and boosting profits
Persuading disparate businessunits to work together
AN INTERVIEW WITH ROB HALLAM
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Pitney Bowes is an 87-year-old company best known forthe manufacturing operationand oversight of postagemeters It has over two millioncustomers more than 3500active patents and annualrevenue of close to $6 billion
33scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
role was a big changerdquo explains Hallam ldquoAll thebusiness units now report to a single individual atoperating level It represented a huge positivemove to start the company operationalizing OneCompany behaviorrdquo
The internal communication function wasrestructured to ensure that consistent messagingreached the entire employee population Regularmeasurement was a key part of the changeinitiative This served to define the contributionof communicating a One Company approachwhere it was adding value to Pitney Bowes and itsclients and customers and where there was stillwork to do
3 TechnologyIt was important to find the best ways to cascademessages throughout the company and keeppeople informed about what was going onwithout bombarding them with irrelevantcommunication Hallam and his team deploy avariety of channels and media including internalprint and online publications voicemail and e-mail Pitney Bowes is also in the process ofintegrating its different voicemail systems and e-mail platforms into one global system
Involving senior leadership from the outsetThe One Company strategy was an overridingpolicy that started at the top of the organizationldquoThere was a big launch at the strategic leadersrsquomeeting which is held every Januaryrdquo saysHallam ldquoThe messaging was then driven throughthe organization via a companywide globalcommunication strategyrdquo
From the outset the policy was championed bythe CEO Michael Critelli who believes thatculture is central to the Pitney Bowes brand andsaid recently ldquoMy first measure of success iswhether we are behaving as one companyrdquo Thiscommitment helped to ensure that the culturalchange was reinforced by parallel changes to thecorporate infrastructure
Building a two-way dialogueThe next step was to get the employee populationinvolved and build enterprisewide enthusiasm forthe culture change Pitney Bowes has alwaysrecognized the value of a two-way dialoguebetween management and employees and hasheld annual jobholders meetings which aresimilar to shareholdersrsquo meetings for 61 years In2005 Hallam reinvented it as an initiative calledOne Forum ndash a series of roadshows focusing oncommunicating the One Company culturethroughout the organization
Launching the One ForumIn 2005 Hallam and his team created an original
and memorable One Forum launch for the 90percent of Pitney Bowes employees based in theUS Around a quarter of US employees saw thisin person the others received a link to a websitewith streaming highlights
ldquoWe put together a two-hour roadshow eventwhich helped people to understand our OneCompany approach and made them aware of allthe businesses we were inrdquo says Hallam ldquoThethinking was that high change requires high touchFace-to-face can have far greater impact on theindividuals touched From there itrsquos a matter ofripple effect such as seeing improved One Forumbrand awareness among employees who didnrsquotactually attend one of the eventsrdquo
ldquoWe wanted the roadshow to be entertainingand energizing so we used gameshow techniquescustom-written songs and comedy specificallytailored to Pitney Bowes employees It was a funevent but it also included a keynote speech fromthe CEO and a lot of question-and-answersessions with employees It was entertainmentwith a purpose and it was a great success with employeesrdquo
The post-event employee evaluations provedthe success of this approach ldquoIn some cities anincredible 90 percent of employees gave the eventa top-box rating This shows that there was ahunger for both the knowledge and theapproachrdquo adds Hallam
Taking the show on the roadThe One Forum roadshow has become an annualevent ldquoIn a five-month period during 2005 therewere 17 One Forum events in 12 US citiesreaching about 6000 peoplerdquo says Hallam ldquoAftersome testing in March and April the first bigroadshows started in early May and continued forsix months with the final one in early Decemberin Seattle 3
Rob Hallam is vice presidentEmployee Communication atPitney Bowes (PB) in StamfordConnecticut where hersquos beenresponsible for internalcommunication strategy andimplementation since 2004Hallam has led a team ofprofessionals in reshapingcommunication at PB resultedin the communication teamearning the top ranking in HRdepartment satisfaction fromall PBrsquos US managers in 2005and 2006
KEY POINTSbull Internal communication has played an important role in embedding a
One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
bull The communication strategy focused on three key elements peopleprocess and technology
bull The campaign has been championed by the CEO from the outset andhas won senior leadership support over time
bull An entertaining roadshow helped win employee commitment
bull Cross-selling ratios have jumped substantially since the culture-changeeffort began
34 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ldquoIn 2006 we compressed the programsubstantially and drove down costs while stilltouching 6000 employees Together with ourcorporate marketing group we also introduced anextremely successful lsquoelevator speechrsquo that helpsemployees answer the much-feared questionlsquoWhat does Pitney Bowes dorsquordquo
Local variationsAlthough the entertainment component in theroadshows contributed to their success it wasspecific to the US so Hallam gave business unitsand internal communicators in other regions theresponsibility for communicating the OneCompany approach to local employees ldquoInCanada and the UK they conducted town-hallmeetings and in Latin America and other parts ofthe world they produced their own variations onthe One Forum theme We made sure that theyhad the information they needed but we limitedthe entertainment to English-speaking regionsrdquo
A commitment to employee engagementThe appointment of the new COO and the launchof the One Forum roadshows coincided with thefirst employee engagement survey in late 2004ldquoWe see engagement as very much tied to ourability to execute a One Company strategy andchange our culturerdquo says Hallam He sets outfour ways in which employee engagement isinstilled at all levels in the organization
1 Visible leadership commitment to engagementThe CEO underlines his commitment by sendingregular messages to employees via a variety ofmedia including voicemail and print and onlinepublications He also uses engagement scores todetermine a unitrsquos overall performance rating andbonus pool ldquoWhen one senior execrsquos bonus poolwas reduced due to poor engagement scores that
was a message requiring no communication planrdquosays Hallam ldquoWord spread quicklyrdquo
2 Celebrating top performers Pitney Bowes celebrates its top engagementperformers by running cover stories in its globalprint and online publication PB Today ldquoThisprogram was called lsquoThe Faces of Pitney Bowesrsquordquosays Hallam ldquoWe did 10 of these last year so theyran twice in five editions Wersquove also producedlarge mural-sized photos of those managers andtheir teamsrdquo he says ldquoWe celebrate success andpublish it everywhere Our CEO loves it and wersquoreactually selling part of our contemporary artcollection which decorates the building to makeroom for an expansion of additional OneCompany and Engagement photography all ofwhich will focus on our employeesrdquo
3 Incentivizing managers via the reward systemEmployee engagement is recognized andreinforced in the companyrsquos formal processesincluding its reward system ldquoWe use a tool calledthe Strategic Architecture which is our balancedscorecardrdquo explains Hallam ldquoItrsquos a Six-Sigma toolwhich measures employee shareholder andcustomer value Managersrsquo engagement scoresalso factor into their annual reviews soengagement has a direct impact on remunerationrdquo
4 Rewarding engagementA further program called Rapid Rewards awardscash bonuses to managers and employees foroutstanding behavior including that related toemployee engagement
Aligning the communication strategyHallam and his team are responsible fordelivering the overall employee communicationstrategy ldquoWe had to dramatically improve ourstrategic approach in order to make OneCompany a realityrdquo he says
In addition to organizing campaigns such as theOne Forum roadshows to publicize the culturechange across the enterprise Hallam hasintroduced initiatives aimed at improving thereach and delivery of internal communication andmaking sure messages get to their intendedaudiences He has also aligned the structure ofthe internal communication function with thecompanyrsquos unified culture
ldquoThere were a lot of different communicationgroups so we brought together all thecommunication leaders and formed a singleInternal Communications Councilrdquo explainsHallam ldquoThis means that the communicationfunctions in the different business units areworking together to help drive change andimprove coordinationrdquo
Communicating a One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
ldquoWHEN A SENIOR EXECrsquoS BONUS WAS REDUCEDDUE TO POOR ENGAGEMENT SCORES THAT WASA MESSAGE REQUIRING NO COMMUNICATIONPLAN WORD SPREAD QUICKLYrdquo
7
FURTHER RESOURCES3 THE IMPACT OF CULTURE AND CLIMATE ON CHANGE PROGRAMS
An article published in SCM Volume 10 Issue 6 OctoberNovember 2006
3 DRIVING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE CORPORATE CULTUREMelcrumrsquos report on communication tools techniques and best practicefrom leading organizationswwwmelcrumcom
35scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Developing a global approachHallam is also responsible for a globalcommunication project called Universal Reachwhich is sponsored by the chairman and designedto support and maintain a unified corporateculture ldquoOur goal is to provide 90 percentmessage accessibility within our key customer-facing audiencesrdquo he explains ldquoThe biggestchallenge is integrating our online communicationinfrastructure which has nine different voicemailsystems operating across the world and multiplee-mail and web platforms Wersquore pulling all thattogether to provide better reachrdquo
Since 911 the CEO and other top executiveshave broadcast weekly audio messages calledPower Talks Hallamrsquos team has worked with theleadership to ensure that they incorporate OneCompany messages and as he explains they reachmost of the employee population ldquoAbout 20000of our employees have voicemail Those whodonrsquot receive the Power Talk message either inprint or online In some divisions managers playthe Power Talk messages in staff meetingsrdquo
Engaging leadership reinforces the cultureBuilding on the CEOrsquos commitment to a OneCompany approach Hallam and his team haveorganized leadership events ndash most recently at thestrategic leadersrsquo meeting in December 2006 ndashshowing Pitney Bowes as one company in actionThis campaign has helped to engage the top 150managers in the culture change
ldquoOur post-event evaluations show a strongmove numerically in senior leadershiprsquos belief thatwersquore operating as one companyrdquo says Hallam(see Figure One above) ldquoAs theyrsquore our toughestjudges wersquore pleased by the significant differencein pre- and post-event measurementrdquo There wasalso an improvement in leadersrsquo understanding ofthe companyrsquos new mailstream category
Sustaining the new cultureAccording to Hallam rippling out the OneCompany messaging requires a consistent andcoordinated approach Communication leaders inthe various divisions are now working to weaveOne Company messages into the business-unitmeetings ldquoA lot of the messaging that welaunched at the strategic leadersrsquo meeting arebeing reiterated at the business unit level Thatrsquosbeen facilitated through the InternalCommunications Councilrdquo he says
ldquoKey metrics for the culture change programfocus on cross-selling ratios which have jumpedsubstantially since the culture change effortbeganrdquo says Hallam ldquoIn 2002 we also institutedthe ldquoPB1 Awardsrdquo which is a chairmanrecognition award that goes to teams who bestembody cross-functional behavior in working on
projects which improve our clientsrsquo profitabilityour profitability or bothrdquo
ldquoHowever wersquore only really a year into thisMuch of the evidence is anecdotal but what haschanged is that our managers have broadenedtheir vision and are thinking as solutions-providers rather than product-sellers As suchtheyrsquore involving other business units out of theirdesire to eliminate customer pain points ndashregardless of which part of Pitney Bowes gets the salerdquo
Adding value to customersUltimately managers and employees who arewell-informed about the companyrsquos products andservices are in a good position to take advantageof cross-selling opportunities Realizing thispotential enables Pitney Bowes to make extrasales to existing customers thereby increasing itsprofit margins and allowing customers to benefitfrom a mix of products and services
Shifting to a unified culture directly benefitsboth Pitney Bowes and its customers ldquoByfocusing on the whole cadre of products andservices we can help our customers improve theirbusinessesrdquo says Hallam ldquoThatrsquos where OneCompany is critical It enables our clients tobenefit from all our servicesrdquo scm
Figure One Measuring the impact of the strategic leadersrsquo meeting
CONTACT DETAILS
Rob HallamPitney Bowesrobhallampbcom
I BELIEVE THAT OUR SENIOR LEADERS (MEANING THE TOP 15 EXECS) AREWORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO DELIVER INTEGRATED HIGH-VALUESOLUTIONS TO OUR CUSTOMERS
Pre SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 73
Post SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 92
Gain in two months time 19
ldquoMANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WELL-INFORMED ABOUT THE COMPANYrsquoS PRODUCTSAND SERVICES ARE IN A GOOD POSITION TOTAKE ADVANTAGE OF CROSS-SELLINGrdquo
2007
36 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
MELCRUM TRAINING amp EVENTS
CALENDAR 2007UKEUROPESOCIAL MEDIA FORUM FORINTERNAL COMMUNICATORS UK
3 21-22 March 2007 Hilton Canary WharfLondon UKThis forum is designed for practitioners who wantto make social media part of their internalcommunication strategy Over two dayscompanies such as IBM Microsoft and BT willshare case studies demonstrating their use ofsocial-media tools Technology experts will also beon hand to provide training and show you how touse these tools
THE 3RD ANNUAL EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT CONFERENCE UK
3 22-24 May 2007 Millennium GloucesterLondon UK22 May ndash Practical workshops23-24 May ndash Two-day conferenceThis event will focus on transforming yourstrategies into action Listen to case studies fromcompanies that have achieved real andmeasurable results from their engagement effortsLearn how they did it what they achieved and howthe results were measured
THE 6TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT UK
3 16-18 October 2007 London UK After the huge success of the 2006 UK StrategicCommunication Management Summit next yearrsquosevent will once again provide you withpresentations from key figures in the industry anda chance to network with your peers Mark yourdiaries now ndash more details to follow
THE 3RD ANNUAL INTERNALCOMMUNICATION MEASUREMENTCONFERENCE UK
3 27-29 November 2007 London UKDetails available soon ndash mark your diary now
NORTH AMERICATHE 3RD ANNUAL CONFERENCEON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENTBUILDING AND SUSTAINING ACULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT
3 28 February ndash 1 March 2007 Crowne PlazaAtlanta-Buckhead Atlanta USLearn how to foster an environment whereemployees feel valued and respected Hear fromcompanies including Dow Corning CorporationAmerican Express Delta Hotels and Merck
THE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT US
3 26-28 March 2007 Crowne Plaza UnionSquare San Francisco26 March ndash Pre-conference workshops27-28 March ndash Two-day summitAttend this conference and discover how toimprove employee alignment with all segments ofyour internal audience ndash from your front-lineemployees to your executive officers bothnationally and worldwide
AUSTRALIATHE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION ENGAGEMENTSUMMIT SYDNEY
3 31 July ndash 2 August 2007 Sydney Australia Details available soon ndash mark your diary now
WEBINARSDEVELOPING PROFESSIONALCOMPETENCE
3 Thursday 22 February 2007 with LiamFitzPatrick and Sue Dewhurst
HELPING YOUR ORGANIZATIONTHRIVE DURING TURBULENTTIMES
3 Thursday 29 March 2007 with Carol KinseyGoman
TRAININGTHE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT PROGRAM
3 24-25 April and 1-2 May 2007 HenleyManagement College UK3 11-12 and 27-28 September 2007 Cranfield
School of Management UK
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT MASTERCLASSEFFECTIVE MEASUREMENT
3 14-15 March 2007 Hendon Hall Hendon UKAn essential two-day intensive training courses forinternal communicators on effective measurementRegister early as places are strictly limited to 20people per Masterclass
CSR DELIVERY ENGAGEMENT amp LEADERSHIP
3 19-20 April 2007 Central LondonOsney MediaWith an excellent speaker line-up from high-profile companies including Procter amp Gamble The BodyShop ExxonMobil Microsoft Belgium Vodafone UK Dell Ericsson and Alliance Boots this case studybased event will answer questions including how do Ibull Build a CSR-oriented leadershipbull Get people on boardbull Integrate CSR with the global strategy of the companybull Deliver CSR throughout the company to make it really happen
For more information visit wwwcsrleadershipcom or e-mail mariame_lindellosneymediacouk (Reference code 910MLC3)
38 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
DESIGN
YELLOW
The future success of all organisations will be builton trust understanding passion empowermentintegrity and relationships
The future is cool exciting sparkling organisationsbursting with energy life and action
The future of brand is the internal brand first andforemost
The future is colleague as customer
Turning communications upside down
No just inside-out
Be part of the future say hello to Yellow
We help large organisations bring their communicationsstrategies to life through the imaginative use of liveevents multimedia web and design ndash distributed acrossall media platforms including DVD TV mobile devicesintranet and extranet
Ultimately developing internal brands and ongoingcommunications that have a measurable impact onpeople-performance advocacy and the bottom line
Contact Paul MiddletonTel +44 (0)161 228 6700E-mail paulmiddletonyellowcomcomWebsite wwwyellowcomcom
NEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
DESIGN
BLUE GOOSE
blue goose specialize in visual communications We make communications work faster and better We will link what wedo back to your objectives but we donrsquot talk (or charge for) ldquostrategyrdquo when you simply want tactical implementation Weuse design and creativity tobull differentiate products and services bull develop and manage corporate and brand identity bull align external communications with agreed values bull internalize corporate and brand identitybull align internal communications with agreed values bull support organizational change and bull help organizations better understand and define who they are
We work for clients as diverse as PricewaterhouseCoopers Ford Europe Centrica plc Greene King City of London Policeand Le Meacuteridien
blue goose is for any organization more interested in designing their future than watching it happen
Contact Chris BarringtonE-mail thinkingbluegoosecoukTel +44 (0)20 8869 8500Web site wwwbluegoosecouk
CONSULTANCY
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION ampSURVEYS PTY LTD
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd is aboutique consultancy based in Sydney Australia Itspecializes in employee communication strategiessystems research and employee surveys of all kindsPrincipal Rodney Gray has been involved inorganizational consulting for over 20 years following a15-year career as a corporate human resourcesexecutive Services includebull Employee communication audits and surveys by
questionnaires focus groups and interviewsbull Employee communication systems strategies and
processesbull Employee communication training workshops and
talksbull Employee culture climate and opinion surveysbull Qualitative organizational diagnosis (focus groups
and interviews)bull Internal service quality research (qualitative and
quantitative)
Contact Rodney GrayTel +61 (0)2 9909 2900 Fax +61 (0)2 9909 2911E-mail rodneyrodneygraycomauWeb site wwwemployee-communicationcomau
CONSULTANCY
HEDRON
Internal and change communication that helps teamsand individuals to develop strategies relationshipsprocesses and skills to engage stakeholders supporthigh performance and deliver change
ldquoSharp strategic thinking quality execution effectiveinterpersonallyhelliprdquo ldquoCreativity drive resourcefulnessresults great funhelliprdquo say clients
All sectors ndash ABN AMRO AXA BT Cadbury SchweppesDepartment for Constitutional Affairs HealthcareCommission Group 4 Securicor SABMiller SiemensSouthern Rail Unilever Wincanton
Our clients are happy to tell you what itrsquos like workingwith us
Contact Helena MemoryTel + 44 (0) 20 7493 0735Fax + 44 (0) 20 7493 0743E-mail helena-mhedroncomWeb site wwwhedroncom
CONSULTANCY
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
39scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
CONSULTANCY
SYNOPSIS
Founded by change and communication authority Bill Quirke in 1992 Synopsis is one of Europersquos leading internalcommunication consultancies Our clients include such companies as ABN Amro BBC BP British Airways DiageoEricsson HP Lloyds TSB Roche Shell and Vodafone
We help clients use internal communication to engage their employees in delivering business strategy and get most valuefrom their internal communication
We can help youbull Develop communication strategies that support your business strategybull Coach leadersbull Develop line managersrsquo communication skillsbull Plan and coordinate your communication with colleagues onlinebull Check the health of your communication channels and improve return on investmentbull Build and develop the communication functionbull Measure and track employee engagement attitudes and opinions
To take a tour of our online planning tool go to wwwsynopsisonlinecomproductplanningtoolasp
Contact Jane LebeauE-mail janelebeausynopsisonlinecomTel +44 (0) 20 7490 2900Web site wwwsynopsisonlinecom
CONSULTANCY
HARKNESS KENNETT
We specialize in internal communication To us thatmeansbull motivating people through inspiring leadershipbull guiding people through organizational changebull engaging people in delivering the brand
Working in partnership with our clients is central to ourethos enabling us to help deliver practical solutionssupported by solid strategic thinking All of ourconsultants have held senior positions ldquoclient siderdquo sowe know what itrsquos like to be in your shoes The vastmajority of our work comes from recommendations fromexisting clients ndash 82 percent of our clients haverequested repeat work in the last two years
Our clients include Abbey Atkins BDO Stoy HaywardThe Environment Agency Marks amp Spencer NHS Blood ampTransplant Morgan Stanley Europe Nestleacute PoliceInformation Technology Organisation Royal ampSunAlliance South West Trains and Vodafone
Our vision is simple ndash we want to be the first callyou make
Contact James HarknessTel +44 (0)1483 222730E-mail jamesharknessharknesskennettcomWeb site wwwharknesskennettcom
CONSULTANCY
TRIDENT COMMUNICATIONS
Trident Communications is uniquely positioned to definedevelop and deliver award-winning solutions that aligncommunication with business goals
We advise and partner with organizations of all sizes tocreate high-value practical applications Our talentedproject teams provide innovative research designeditorial and imagery for print and online
We connect ideas and deliver results
Contact Peter Agertoft Tel +44 (0)207 536 8900E-mail peteragertoft
tridentcommunicationsnetWeb site wwwtridentcommunicationsnet
CONSULTANCY
FLEISHMAN-HILLARD
Fleishman-Hillardrsquos dedicated internal and changecommunication practice helps businesses focus onperforming ndash not just informing
We help organisations plan and implement programmeswith the right mix of information dialogue and trainingso that employees are engaged aligned and motivatedto achieve business objectives
Because effective internal communication is vital tobottom-line performance we partner with our clients tocreate a daily dialogue ndash not a monologue ndash withemployees
Contact Nick AndrewsTel +32 (0)2 230 05 45 E-mail nickandrewsfleishmancomWeb site wwwfleishmaneuropecom
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE A listing in our Directory of Services will giveyou a chance to reach communicationprofessionals at some of the worldrsquos largestand most admired companies and to tap intodecision-making practitioners
ContactVincent SorelTel +44 (0)208 600 4670E-mail vincentsorelmelcrumcom
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
INCLUDE YOUR COMPANY BY CONTACTING US ON +44(0)20 8600 4670 OR AT INFOMELCRUMCOM
CONSULTANCY
HILL amp KNOWLTON
Better business results the bottom line
How do I manage more change Motivate managers Getthe right information to the right people Show the bestreturn on communication investment
Sound familiar Hill amp Knowltonrsquos change and internalcommunication consultants work with companies aroundthe world to find the right answers for their situation
We offer strategy insight and creativity drawing on ourconsultancy expertise and in-house experience Plus wedeliver practical hands-on help
We know that effective employee communication has adirect impact on the bottom line Working together wecan make it happen for you
Contact EMEA DavidFerrabeehillandknowltoncom
+44 (0) 7413 3176USA BarbaraEdlerhillandknowltoncom
+1 415 281-7160Canada KristaThompsonhillandknowltoncom
+1 613 786-9961
RECRUITMENT
VMA GROUP
VMA Group is one of the UKrsquos leading executive searchand selection consultancies specializing in internal andcorporate communication recruitment
For over 25 years VMA Group has provided the highestlevel of service to some of the most demanding globalorganizations developing a strong track record for thequality and professionalism of our search and selection work
We have in-depth specialist knowledge of the internalcommunication market and can provide high-qualitypermanent and interim candidates with expertise acrossinternal communication change management and widercorporate communication We understand the needs ofour clients intrinsically and strive to develop long-termrelationships with clients and candidates alike
Please call to discuss how we can help you find theideal candidate or if you wish to make a career move
Contact David BroomeTel +44 (0)20 7436 4243E-mail dbroomevmagroupcoukWeb site wwwvmagroupcouk
40 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONALCOMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS E-mail gaitensunityncsueduWeb site wwwconsultingsuccessorgTel 919 469 3895
CIB ndash BRITISH ASSOCIATION OFCOMMUNICATORS IN BUSINESSE-mail enquiriescibukcomWeb site wwwcibukcomTel +44 (0)870 121 7606
CCM ndash COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATIONMANAGEMENT E-mail membership
ccmconnectioncomWeb site wwwccmconnectioncomTel 866 463 4226
CPRS ndash THE CANADIAN PUBLICRELATIONS SOCIETYE-mail admincprscaWeb site wwwcprscaTel 416 239 7034
IABC ndash THE INTERNATIONALASSOCIATION OF BUSINESSCOMMUNICATORS E-mail service_centreiabccomWeb site wwwiabccomTel 415 544 4700
ICA ndash THE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONALLIANCE E-mail amandafoistericaukorgWeb site wwwiprorgukicaTel +44 (0)1628 642 044
CIPR ndash THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OFPUBLIC RELATIONS UKE-mail infoiprorgukWeb site wwwiprorgukTel +44 (0)20 7253 5151
IPRA ndash THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICRELATIONS ASSOCIATIONE-mail ipraseccompuservecomWeb site wwwipraorgTel +44 (0) 1372 461 188
PRSA ndash PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OFAMERICAE-mail resourcesprsaorgWeb site wwwprsaorgTel 212 460 1459
DIRECTORY OF SERVICESNEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
CONSULTANCY
5scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
to higher-level information and how tofacilitate discussions ndash not on how topresent corporate bullet points effectively
Naomi CohenBSI British StandardsCascading has the benefitof high levels of trust(research shows the closer
to the employee the messenger is themore likely the message is to bebelieved) but low levels of reliability(therersquos great potential for distortion ofkey messages going through a thirdparty) I tend to apply a mixed approachdepending on the message
One factor for example is the sensitivityof the information If itrsquos somethingthatrsquos going to affect or threaten peoplersquosjobs go for face-to-face discussions assoon as possible both to limit theamount of time staff have to speculateand to demonstrate due careprocess
If itrsquos information that wonrsquot have animmediate impact there can be value ininitiating mass communication and thenallowing time for face-to-face briefingsThis gives staff the opportunity to thinkthrough what theyrsquove heard and considerquestions for discussion
Dealing with feedbackThe key is that the cascade works bothways Itrsquos vital that any questions raisedfor which the line manager doesnrsquot havethe answer can be sent back ldquouprdquo foranswering and any feedback is equallyfed back into the center
I agree that training middle managersis useful but so is training teamlinemanagers as theyrsquore the ones who usuallydeliver the information
One approach that can work well is toidentify internal ambassadors and usethem as your grapevine This is a groupof people at mixed levels that betweenthem touch all parts of the business andare the natural communicators eitherbecause of their roles or theirpersonalities
Brief them train them make them feelspecial explain to them the CEOrsquosthinking and use them to communicatekey messages as a supplement to formalcascades through the managementstructures
But if the objective is to communicateyour CEOrsquos messages then Irsquod personalizethem from the CEO consistently usinghisher name face and tone of voice Themore authentic the better
Q Does the use of logos to brandinternal communicationprojects create confusion ordo they help staff to quicklyidentify a message and itsmeanings
Nicholas Ranken Atos OriginIt greatly depends on yourcontext I worked on amajor change project for a
multinational company where the companyidentity and colors were consistently usedin their internal communication
Our project followed a previousattempt that had been a very costlyfailure So we intentionally wanted tocreate a totally different and clearlyidentifiable image and logo The projectwas also of high strategic importance sowe wanted it to stand apart from otherprojects going on at the same time
Given that the corporate colors at thetime were dark blue and gray which wefelt were quite conservative andunderstated we chose bright bold colors(orange with dark blue text as a link backto the corporate colors) and a dynamicpattern to reflect the modern innovativenature of our project
That said as a consumer of internalcommunication myself (in a differentcompany) Irsquom definitely sensitive to thenotion of too many competing logos andcolors An overload of logos and project names can really detract from theoverall message
Deborah GogartyBritish EnergyWe used a logo to brand aproject a few years agoThe project was never fully
embraced by the whole organizationbecause they identified the logo asrepresenting the project teamrsquosresponsibilities So the audience wasconstantly looking for direction from theteam rather than taking up the causethemselves The logo (and the collateralthat carried it) seemed to create anunconscious helplessness in the audiencewhich took a long time to overcome
What Irsquove learned is that logos arepowerful devices and need to beunleashed only when their full potentialon behavior has been gaged
JOIN THE COMMUNICATORSrsquoNETWORK NOWAs a valued scm subscriber you are entitled tojoin The Communicatorsrsquo Network an onlinediscussion forum for communication practitionersworldwide Itrsquos a lively community that helpsyou find answers to your communicationquestions fast The discussion is monitored soyou will receive no unsolicited e-mail and wewill seek your permission first if we would liketo print any of your ideas in scm
E-mail commsnetwork-onmelcrumcomto join and gain instant access to a globalnetwork of your peers
commsnetwork-onmelcrumcom
LATEST ON THEMELCRUM BLOG
Is good writing essential to being a goodcommunicator This question was posed bySCMrsquos editor Mandy Thatcher and responsesfrom around the globe suggested it certainly isldquoEffective communication by those who cannotwrite is a contradictionrdquo was one commentBut the broader debate in this discussionstream was whether the traditional route ofprofessional development ndash where you masterthe tactics first and then become a goodstrategist is being replaced by a new processwhereby communicators are free to pursuewhatever it is they do best Developmentexpert Sue Dewhurst replied ldquoEven wherepeople do pursue strategic roles thefundamentals are still importantrdquo
What came first Googlersquos culture or itssuccess Melcrum editor Alex Manchesterposed the question and commenters discussedthe effectiveness of Googlersquos famous ldquo20-percent free time for employeesrdquo project
Is it time internal comms became ICInternal communication consultant DeniseBaron took issue with the suggestion that theterm ldquoInternal communicationrdquo would soon bereplaced by the ldquotrendyrdquo acronym ldquoICrdquoBaronrsquos response was ldquoFor my money IC comestoo close to ICK Nothing trendy lsquobout thatrdquo
wwwmelcrumblogcomldquoThoughts and revelations on internalcommunication and beyondrdquo
6 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PEO
PLE
scm
Tell me about your roleUntil recently I was head of globalinternal communication at Dell but Imoved into a new role six months ago toleverage my consulting and agencybackground The best way to describe myrole is lead consultant for thecommunication function with a focus ondriving strategy and innovation
What does this role entailA priority right now is to develop andimplement Dellrsquos new digital-mediastrategy More broadly my mandate is tolook at what wersquore doing and should bedoing over the next six months and figureout how we can have more of an impactacross all our audiences
How would you describe the Dell cultureThe company is much bigger than it usedto be but the culture still has a strongbias for action and lack of complacencyThe expectation for our team is to remainnimble and proactive and look for waysto constantly improve and reinvent howwe do things My new position is a directreflection of that Therersquos a need for anoverarching perspective someone with acommunication and consultingbackground who can dive in developstrategies and direct projects
What projects are you working onWersquove already launched an internal andexternal blog and have just introduced
Studio Dell an online vlog outlet gearedto core customer groups containing videoclips product profiles and interviewsDell also recently established a presencein Second Life Part of my role is to helpkeep all these initiatives coordinated
What issues do you faceOne question wersquore looking to answer ishow to develop and expand our blogsShould we have external blogs for differentlanguage groups such as Japanese andMandarin And if so how do weproceed Internally should we developblogs for some of the regions orparticular divisions of the company
What have you learned about the social-media environmentWe were one of the first major globalcompanies to join the blogosphere Butthe general consensus initially amongobservers was that we were talking aboutissues that were relevant to us ratherthan customers or pundits outside DellWersquove learned from that and madechanges to ensure we listen as well as talk
What can social media do internallyLast year was a tumultuous year for Dell
in terms of our performance Employeesnow need regular updates and discussionaround the situation and what we plan todo to improve So the internalphilosophy is to be even more candidand transparent with employees thanwersquove been For example wersquore using theblog to facilitate conversations betweenemployees and executives
Have leaders resisted this approachTherersquos an understanding among leader-ship that we need to be candid and willingto listen to criticism and respond to itThe leadership team understand thatcredibility is paramount and are willingto share the facts wherever they can
What advice would you offer toorganizations about to start a blogSome companies make the mistake ofbeing enamoured with new technologybut donrsquot have a clear reason for using it
We were very clear about why we weregetting involved ndash to have betterconversations with our stakeholdersparticularly our customers This goalhelps us to define the rules ofengagement and guides the editorialcontent Externally if it isnrsquot relevant orhelpful to customers we donrsquot blog aboutit Our strategic purpose internally is tobe more transparent relevant andcredible when we talk to employees
Also do your homework We did a lotof benchmarking and looked at whatother companies were doing ndash good andbad ndash to get a sense of what we should bestriving for
Finally donrsquot just add to the noiseTherersquos already a huge volume ofinformation out there Thing about howyour blog can add something useful
How would you respond to the criticismDell received in the blogosphere last yearWe knew Dell would be criticized bysome of the influential bloggers Weknew there would be skepticism in viewof the companyrsquos customer service andfinancial issues in 2006 But we listenedadapted and learned from that Now thatwersquore part of the conversation amentality of continuous improvement isalways critical to doing well
DEVELOPING DELLrsquoS DIGITALMEDIA STRATEGY
Bernard Charland acts as lead in-house consultant for Dellrsquos global corporatecommunication function focusing on communication strategy and innovation Previousto this role he was director of Global Internal Communications for the company
Have a clear strategicreason for entering theblogosphere internally
or externally
Bernard Charlandrsquos varied background is proving valuable in his new role which isto focus on strategy and innovation within Dellrsquos global corporate communicationfunction A large part of this role currently is developing and coordinating Dellrsquosdigital-media strategy Here he describes whatrsquos been achieved so far future plansand lessons learned
PROFILE BERNARD CHARLAND
THOUGHT LEADER LEE SMITH
7scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PEO
PLE
scm
Lee Smith FCIPR is a director of Gatehouse specializing in internal communicationfor professional and financial services businesses He also authors the TalkingInternal Communication blog at wwwtalkingictypepadcom
had to give and I canrsquot pretend I wasalways a joy to be with during that period
It didnrsquot help that I lived nearly 80miles away in Birmingham During thoseyears I saw more of the M6 motorwaythan your average lorry driver I alsospent far too many nights eating badfood in cheap Manchester hotels all ofwhich eventually took its toll
Then came the exams nearly 30 hours of them Again Irsquod done myhomework so I managed to come awaywith decent marks
My final hurdle the dreadeddissertation took around two years tocomplete I chose to focus onorganizational identity and just to makemy life tougher decided to use a ratherobscure psychological researchtechnique Getting to grips with thatfinding the time to conduct lengthyinterviews analyze results and craft mytome was incredibly difficult
Being a perfectionist I took it right to the wire ndash submitting my finaldocument just before the universityrsquosultimate deadline
Time to celebrate Last month saw the end of my long andarduous journey The ritual of thegraduation ceremony was a fitting endingand helped draw a line under thatparticular chapter of my professionaldevelopment story
Therersquos no doubt that the course wasbeneficial and although the journey wassometimes difficult the experience wasmostly enjoyable I fell just 3 percentshort of the distinction grade I wantedbut Irsquom still very proud of myachievement And I know Irsquom now amuch more thoughtful and effectivecommunicator
Would I recommend the MSc route toother communicators Yes but I wouldmake sure they realize the enormity ofthe challenge A part-time MSc is not foreveryone It will demand considerabletime energy and effort and may welltake its toll on your personal life andyour waistline But if you persevere overthe long run it might just be worth itNow about that PhD
Irsquove always taken my professionaldevelopment seriously From themoment I entered the communicationprofession in 1991 Irsquove worked hard tohone existing skills build new ones andbroaden my knowledge Some havecalled me dedicated others obsessive
During those 16 years Irsquove participatedin dozens of training courses attendedmore than 50 conferences sacrificedmany an evening to study supported twoprofessional bodies judged industryawards written articles organizedevents volunteered for charities andmentored many aspiring communicators
My biggest development featYet all of this pales into insignificancewhen compared to my biggestdevelopmental feat so far ndash earning anMSc in Corporate Communication andReputation Management Itrsquos likecomparing a gentle stroll to scaling alarge mountain
I finally graduated from the Universityof Manchester Business School inDecember 2006 but it took me five longyears to reach that point Havingenrolled as a svelte twenty-something Igraduated an overweight and slightlygraying 35-year-old It was a slow andoccasionally painful assent
The first stepsBack in 2001 what appealed to me aboutthe course was its strategic focus Unlikesome post-graduate courses theManchester MSc is genuinely multi-
disciplinary touching on communicationtheory branding psychologystakeholder management ethics andbusiness strategy ndash to name a few
Itrsquos also refreshingly practicalcombining robust academic thinking withreal-world case studies While I wantedacademic rigor it was very important tome to be able to practically apply thelearning at work
It took me some time to understandthe relevance of the ldquoScrdquo in MSc Sciencewas a subject I detested at school but Irecognized its importance to my futureas a communicator I was also very awareof my own weakness in that area Thatrsquosone of the benefits Irsquove gained from thecourse ndash a real appreciation of goodresearch and the knowledge to do it well
Things went well academically though juggling part-time study with afull-time career is never easy I wasdisciplined enough to invest thenecessary time and to gradually work myway through the course reading list andgood marks followed
A balancing actThe course proved a little morechallenging on a personal level Work-life balance is hard enough to achieve letalone work-study-life balance Something
IS FURTHER STUDY THEROUTE FOR YOU
It takes dedicationbut a post-graduate
degree can beprofessionally and
personally beneficial
Who said professional development was easy Commitment perseverance andpatience are some of the attributes Lee Smith found invaluable as he workedtowards obtaining his masters degree
8 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TEC
HN
OLO
GY
scm
Creating dialogue within an organizationand encouraging involvement are two ofthe major attractions associated withblogs These were also the primary reasonsbehind the World Bankrsquos decision tolaunch their first internal blog last year
The occasion was the organizationrsquosannual meeting a series of events held inSingapore in 2006 This 10-day eventbrings together around 10000 peopleincluding media representatives to discussissues related to poverty reduction andinternational economic development
According to Egan traditionalmethods used previously to report on theevent such as articles video and audiolinks on the internet and intranet siteshad failed to spark employeesrsquo interest inthe progress and outcomes of the meetingsBlogging seemed like a good way drive toemployeesrsquo interest and involvement
Objectives of the blogEgan summarizes the objectives andrationale behind the blog as follows bull To provide an alternate voice to share
the business outcomes of the meetingsusing informal first-person reportingof behind-the-scenes activities
bull To encourage the use of otherresources by linking blog readers tomore serious information
bull To encourage employee interactionand increase dialogue
Throughout the event the blog wasupdated daily by the head of internalcommunication The entries wereunedited but reader comments weremoderated before they were posted
Outcomes and evaluationAccording to Egan this blogging experimentsurpassed their expectations by helpingto achieve the following three outcomes1 Renewed credibility for the voice of
internal communication ldquoCorporatecommunication always suffers thereputation of towing managementrsquosline The tone and delivery of theblog entries very clearly did not Wehad many comments along the linesof lsquoFinally the real storyrsquordquo
2 A feeling of inclusion ldquoBy providinga sense of the context and atmosphereemployees who didnrsquot attend theevent still felt like they were part ofit Many commented that lsquoFor thefirst time I feel Irsquom therersquordquo
3 Better awareness of the outcomes ofthe meetings ldquoThe blog provided thehook into other channels ofinformation which staff may nototherwise have consulted The first
thing some of the readers did in themorning was to check the blogrdquo
Egan admits that there were some whowere initially skeptical about bloggingldquoWe did have a couple of comments onthe blog saying lsquoThis is frivolousrsquo butothers responded by saying lsquoLighten upThis makes a nice change from all theboring official informationrsquordquo
Another problem was a potentiallyoffensive remark which had to be removedprompting the composition of an officialblogging policy to define the roles andresponsibilities of authors and commenters
Optimistic about the new toolFollowing on from the success of thisfirst blog the communication team hassince launched a variety of blogs some ofwhich have been successful others lessso Ironically a blog set up to discuss aworldwide conference on communicationgot minimal response Staff participationin external blogs has also been low ButEgan remains optimistic about thepotential of this tool
ldquoThere are millions of blogs out thereand lots of participation in them But ina business setting it takes a bit moretime before a community of practicedevelops and people believe that this is atrusted space where they can commentwithout being ridiculed or scornedrdquo
Advice to corporate bloggersTo build confidence in the tool Egan hasplans to launch an internal marketingcampaign and the organizationrsquos newintranet site will provide a forum forfuture blogging developments
Eganrsquos primary advice to fellowcorporate bloggers is to keep the contentgenuine ldquoIt becomes very obvious veryquickly who is doing the writingrdquo Shealso suggests keeping blogs topic or event-specific and avoiding general musings
Her final reminder is that blogsshouldnrsquot replace traditional tools butcompliment them ldquoBlogs can be fabulousbut you need to put them in context withthe other tools that are available Be veryclear about their purposerdquo
USING BLOGS TO INVOLVE ATWORLD BANK
Michele Egan is a senior communications officer in the World Bank Grouprsquos internalcommunications unit Among other tasks she leads the development and delivery ofthe grouprsquos electronic communication tools
Experimenting with blogsat the World Bank has
shed light on what worksand what doesnrsquot
In 2006 the World Bank set up a blog to spark interest and involvement in amajor organizationwide planning event The positive response has inspired a moreadventurous and experimental approach to blogging Based on recent experiencessenior communications officer Michele Egan reflects on the potential benefits andpitfalls of using this tool
MICHELLE EGAN
by Sona Hathi
INTRANETS EMBRACESOCIAL MEDIA
Neilson Normanrsquos latest report on thetop 10 intranet designs of 2007 shows anincrease in the use of multimedia andsocial media on intranet sites
Although multimedia was a significantfeature in last yearrsquos list this year seesphotos video news feeds and webcamsput to more innovative use Indicatingthat social media has not been a passingfad of 2006 many of the intranets haveimplemented popular Web 20 featureslike blogs (with specific business angles)and business-relevant wikis
Video is being used for training andcorporate communication butorganizations such as American ElectricPower have pushed the use of thischannel by setting up a TV studio forintranet productions offering employeesstreaming video and live webcasts
News feeds have long been used onintranets but this year the bestselections offer more relevant internaland external news and involveemployees by allowing them to ratestories and comment
Translation comes out topsMany of the reportrsquos winning intranetsoffer language translation for theirinternational employees Dow Chemicalfor example uses English for most globalcontent but translates important contentinto Dutch German French ItalianPortuguese and Spanish Selectedcontent is also translated into ChineseGreek Japanese and Thai
A total of 49 different technologyproducts are used by the reportrsquos topintranets with Windows Server GoogleSearch Appliance and SharePoint beingamong the most popular SH
httpwwwnngroupcom
9scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TEC
HN
OLO
GY
scmUPDATECALCULATING THEROI ON BLOGGING
The difficulty of placing a precisemonetary value on corporate blogging isone of the setbacks of this tool But anew report from Forrester calledCalculating the ROI of blogging offersways to identify the benefits costs andrisks that corporate blogging involvesusing a three-stage process 1 Quantify and assign value to the key
benefits of blogging 2 Estimate the costs of blogging3 Incorporate risk calculations into the
ROI model
The report describes how to measure theimpact blogging has on the businessoutcomes using ldquometrics that everyone isfamiliar withrdquo For example themonetary value of press mentions can bemeasured by counting the number ofblog-driven stories by online press webmedia and high-profile bloggers andthen calculating the cost of advertising inthe same publications
General Motorsrsquo case studyThe report also features a case study onGeneral Motorsrsquo two-year-old blogFastLane to which the authors applytheir ROI process Rather thanpresenting the company with a finalnumerical figure theyrsquove come up withnew objectives advising them how to getthe maximum benefits from blogging andimprove its impact on business outcomes
Whether yoursquove already startedblogging or are about to take the plungethis report provides direction on how toevaluate how your blog and decide whichdirection it needs to go in to gainmaximum business value SH
httpwwwforrestercom
SENIOR EXECS BIG ONNEW MEDIA
A survey of 100 CEOs and CMOs fromFortune 2000 companies found that 76percent of senior executives areexperimenting with alternative mediasuch as blogs Second Life and socialnetworking
The study by Weber Shandwick andKRC Research found that 69 percent ofthose surveyed currently use socialnetworking while 37 percent plan to useit more over the next five years
Ninety-one percent of those surveyedcurrently make use of their companywebsite and 66 percent plan to use theirwebsite more over the next five yearsmaking it number one in the surveyrsquos listof media tools
Use of virtual worlds to growAvatar-based marketing (marketingthrough virtual worlds such as SecondLife) came last in the list of 20 mediatools senior executives plan to use overthe next five years However researchersbelieve that the use of virtual worlds incommunication and marketing willincrease as more companies learn how touse them more effectively
Billee Howard managing director ofthe Global Strategic Media Group atWeber Shandwick said ldquoWersquore in theearly days of a totally new media eraThose companies that do not combinethe new-media paradigm with the best oftraditional media will most certainlyproceed at their perilrdquo SH
Source The Changing Face of Marketingand Communications in Todayrsquos CreativityEconomy
httpwwwwebershandwickcom
TECHNOLOGY UPDATE
When talking about return on investment(ROI) for the intranet and other ldquosoftrdquobenefits these are the kinds of results oroutcomes usually referred to
Measurable ROI from hard benefitsinclude bull less paperbull less hardwarebull less headcount andbull increased sales
Soft benefits includebull increased employee productivitybull better customer satisfactionbull faster time to market andbull improved employee retention
IBM Oracle and Cisco all measure theimpact and benefits of their intranet Allof them have measured the value to begreater than US$1 billion In fact IBMhas realized benefits from e-learning viathe intranet alone to be more thanUS$284 million
BT the UK telecommunicationscompany uses an online idea jar foremployees called ldquoPersonnel TodayrdquoEmployee ideas have saved BT nearlyUKpound100 million over the past four years
Sodexhorsquos SuperSleuthOne of my personal favorites is theSodexho USA Sales SuperSleuthSuperSleuth is an intranet web page andapplication that encourages employees tosubmit sales leads and prospective clientsvia the intranet
The SuperSleuth intranet pagegenerates cash rewards of up toUS$1000 for the person making thesubmission Sodexho says it hascontributed to a 100-percent increase insales leads In fact the SuperSleuth toolhas led to US$90 million in managedvolume (net client sales including salesby client) This is proof positive of akiller application
Impressive numbers As impressive as those numbers are youdonrsquot have to be a large technologycompany to realize measured ROIbenefits ndash ROI isnrsquot reserved solely forbig multinationals
QAS is a world leader in address
management and data accuracy Basedon data secured from national postalauthorities and other leading sourcesQAS captures cleans and enhances theintegrity of name and address data QAShas 400 employees with offices in the UK(headquarters) US Canada SingaporeAustralia and across Europe
While awards are nice to receive theQAS intranet has received more thanjust kudos ndash itrsquos delivering measuredresults and value for the business Someof the measured ROI benefits include bull Online expenses saved four person-
days per monthbull Finance savings online workflow has
reduced administrative processingtime from two weeks to one day
bull Purchase ordering saved four person-days per month and an ROI savingsof US$20000 per year
bull Sales proposal builder streamlinedproposal and sales process savesalmost US$25000 per year
bull Intranet use 115-percent increase inusage of the intranet (infers a yet tobe measured productivity gain)
Of all the measurements perhaps thesingle most important is ROI Tomaximize the intranetrsquos value andpotential you must secure the support ofsenior management If you want theirattention and support you better talktheir talk Nothing gets their attentionmore than ROI
Sell the sizzleIf executives view the intranet as a costcenter then itrsquos your responsibility to sellthe sizzle and prove the value with harddata ROI is everything in someorganizations (for example in financialservices) Other more progressivecompanies are intent to know and trackemployee satisfaction and productivity
Still others want to know both It alldepends on your organization andculture However only throughmeasurement will the intranet become ameasured quantity and a proven asset
Source Transforming your intranetwwwmelcrumcom
DOES YOUR INTRANETPAY ITS WAY
Toby Ward is a broadcast journalist turned consultant He founded and launchedPrescient Digital Media (wwwPrescientDigitalcom) in early 2001 His specialismsare site evaluation and strategic planning He blogs at wwwIntranetBlogcom
Hard data demonstratingvalue generated by the
intranet will alter itsperception as a cost center
In Melcrumrsquos report on Transforming your intranet Toby Ward of Prescient DigitalMedia authors a chapter on how to measure the value and success of your intranetHere we share his thoughts on that frequently elusive indicator of success ndash returnon investment
TOBY WARD
10 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
RESE
AR
CH
amp M
EA
SUR
EM
EN
T
scm
ldquoTO MAXIMIZE THEINTRANETrsquoS POTENTIALYOU MUST SECURE THESUPPORT OF SENIORMANAGEMENTrdquo
There are three situations that are mostlikely to create plummeting surveyresponse rates1 When a group never hears the
findings of past surveys or anyresulting changes they begin to thinktheir opinions donrsquot matter If theirpast opinions were valued so lightlythey feel less urgency to sharefurther opinions
2 When the group being researched isrelatively small researchers typicallyneed to poll the entire group on eachsurvey rather than querying arandom sample For example if youhave 1000 employees you wouldneed to obtain 259 responses to haveresults accurate within a margin oferror of 5 percentage points If thecompany is typically receiving a 25-percent response rate on surveysthat means that all 1000 employeesneed to be invited to participate inthe survey to get about the minimumnecessary number of responses for asufficient level of accuracyUnfortunately even for largergroups researchers sometimessurvey the whole group on everysurvey instead of identifying the rightsize random sample
3 When surveys are badly designedrespondents quit them midwaythrough The respondentrsquos feeling isldquoIf the company canrsquot be bothered todesign a good survey Irsquom not going
to waste my time taking itrdquo Somemajor survey design flaws includequestions that are difficult tounderstand questions withinsufficient or inappropriateresponse options or questions thatseem to have little relevance for therespondent Other major designturn-offs are surveys that are toolong or that are composed mostly ofopen-ended essay questions both ofwhich take too much time to answerFinally asking too manydemographic questions especially atthe beginning of a surveycompromises respondentsrsquo sense ofanonymity and kills their desire toanswer even the first real question
The following steps will help overcomethese three problems
Coordinate surveysTo avoid asking the same people torespond to too many surveys within ashort time coordinate all employee orcustomer surveys through a clearinghouse so that the timing of surveys doesnrsquotoverlap and you donrsquot ask questions forwhich answers are already available
Send the survey to only a sample ofthe audience (although yoursquoll need astatisticianrsquos help in selecting a sample ofthe right size) If you know severalsurveys will be administered about thesame time pick mutually exclusiverandom samples at the same time so thatno one person receives more than onesurvey during that period
Use short surveysThe shorter the survey the more likelypeople are to give you their time If youhave 100 questions that must beanswered break them into threeseparate surveys of about 33 questionsand administer them to three mirror-image random samples Yoursquoll besurveying more people but eachparticipantrsquos time commitment will berelatively minor
Also consider doing very short ldquostealthsurveysrdquo by phone for which you donrsquotobtain advance permission People mightnot even know theyrsquove been surveyed Asyou (and a team of volunteers) have theseconversations with respondents you wouldrecord their answers on a questionnaire
Connect research to resultsSome companies have a long history ofnot communicating results or outcomesof previous surveys If thatrsquos true of yourorganization try these two techniquesbull On a regular basis when announcing
changes the company is makingconnect the changes with relatedsurvey results ndash even if a changewasnrsquot made solely because of theresearch Your audience will get themessage that stakeholder opinionsare a regular factor in the waymanagement makes decisions
bull In the invitation to a new surveybegin with key findings and changesthat were made based on a similarpast survey and ask respondents tolet you know through the new surveyif the company is still on track Thisway your potential respondents hearthat completing surveys does resultin changes ndash at the very momenttheyrsquore determining if your latestsurvey is worth their time
FINDING A CURE FORSURVEY FATIGUE
Angela Sinickas ABC is president of Sinickas Communications Inc an internationalcommunication consultancy specializing in helping corporations achieve businessresults through targeted diagnostics and practical solutions For more informationvisit wwwsinicomcom
A downward trend in survey response rates is often blamed on the fact that peoplesimply become tired of taking surveys But there are ways to avoid the malaisesetting in says Angela Sinickas a key one being making sure that people feel theiropinions are actually being listened to Here she shares three common causes ofsurvey fatigue and how to deal with them
11scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
RESE
AR
CH
amp M
EA
SUR
EM
EN
Tscm
ANGELA SINICKAS
Little feedback the wrongsample size and poorly
designed surveys all leadto low response rates
12 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Organizations today ndash driven byincreased competition merger-and-acquisition activity and large complextransformation programs ndash arecharacterized by the need for constantand rapid change In our experienceconsistent leadership communicationsare at the center of helping theirorganizations address these challenges
With all the complex transformationprograms we work on we encourage the
leadership team to create a simple one-page ldquomessage maprdquo to use over a definedtimeframe The message map which welink to key program milestones andsuccesses helps the leadership team toplan what theyrsquoll share with employeesand other stakeholders and when
Message maps can address commonfailures of leadership communicationDuring global cross-functional programswhen all leaders consistently reinforce
the same messages they emerge as ajoined-up forward-thinking team
Message maps are also effective whenbuilding up communication to employeesover time rather than overwhelmingstaff with changes or diminishingleadership credibility by waiting too longto communicate
Compiling a message mapThe process wersquove used in the past to helpleaders develop a message map is quitestraight forward This is what we dobull We encourage leaders to work
together to agree and articulate thestory Agreeing the story typicallyrequires experienced facilitationThis encourages leaders to definehow the story will build and thengain momentum and commitmentover time
bull The story is then converted into asimple message map The mapshould make sense to all change-program leaders as this tool willguide the majority of theircommunication to employees Itshould also provide a clear view ofwhatrsquos coming next Message mapsare often shown as straightforwardtimelines but there are othereffective ways to present them (seeFigure One below)
bull Once the change story has beenagreed and committed to paperleaders use the map to know whencommunications should be deliveredand what supporting documentationto use for a consistent cascade
Revisiting communication plansOf course the content of the message mapwill need to be revisited Message mapsas with all communications evolve overtime They should be frequently reviewedto ensure that the messages ndash and time-scales ndash remain relevant to the programand align with program milestones
USING MESSAGE MAPSTO GUIDE CHANGE
Sally Harris is director of theCommunications and Engagementpractice at Molten where shespecializes in managing large-scale communication and changeprograms for global clients
Facilitate a meeting withthe leadership team to
agree and articulate thechange story
Sally Harris director of the Communications and Engagement practice at Moltenbelieves itrsquos often the simplest tools that are most effective in encouraging leadersto think more strategically about their communications Here she explains why theldquomessage maprdquo is one such tool
SALLY HARRIS
LEA
DER
SHIP
CO
MM
UN
ICATIO
N
scm
Figure One Example of a global message map
13scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
brand image and set an example for thewhole company
At The Company Agency we find thatmany CEOs are looking for strategiccommunication support coaching andguidance that goes beyond what theyreceive from their rostered PR agencyThey operate in a world thatrsquos typicallyquite lonely where information isfrequently filtered theyrsquore under aconstant spotlight and a gap existsbetween them their people and theircustomers Internal communication canplay a key role in helping the CEObridge this gap
A simple checklist Every CEO is different and facesdifferent challenges but herersquos a simplechecklist if you find yourself workingwith a new CEO or in a new role with anestablished CEObull Ask your CEO what kind of person
they would like to be viewed as byemployees ndash coach them oncommunication behavior that canhelp them achieve this goal
bull Establish very quickly what theCEOrsquos key message is ndash askquestions until it is crystal clear
bull Know your business and brief yourCEO on what type of communicationis effective or not within yourorganization
bull Provide informed guidance onemerging communication trends ndashsuch as social media ndash and explainthe business impact
bull Understand how the CEO listens towhat people are saying
bull Determine the CEOscommunication preferences ndash howdoes he or she like to receive andshare information both inside andoutside work
You should expect to be the leaderrsquoscommunicator ndash developing messagesand ensuring theyrsquore conveyed in themost appropriate way But the balanceshould be tipping more towards beingthe communication leader ndash a role whereyoursquore providing strategic counsel to theCEO and coaching them so theyrsquore moreeffective in their new role and environment
In May last year the managementconsultants Booze Allen Hamiltonpublished their annual report on chiefexecutive attrition The Crest of theTurnover Wave After studying the move-ments of CEOs from the largest 2500companies in the world they uncoveredsome rather startling facts An incredible1 in 7 CEOs will change job over thenext 12 months with poor-performingCEOs staying in office for two years Bycomparison the high-performing CEOstays in the job for just under eight years
Given that their tenure may be brief thisresearch only reinforces that the first 100days for the chief executive is a critical time
Creating myths and legendsOver the past 20 years Irsquove had the goodfortune to work for some great brandsand leaders Experience tells me thatduring their first 100 days the reputationthey bring from their previous job willeither be validated or contradictedEverything they say and do will bescrutinised Perceptions will be quicklyformed about their style and personalityMyths and legends will become thehottest gossip in the workplace
With this in mind itrsquos critical toquickly establish their reputation andwhat they stand for Internalcommunication can play a valuable rolein supporting the CEO and in turnestablish a long-term relationship withtheir new leader
Uncovering perceptionsDeveloping a personalized communica-tion strategy must start by finding outhow the new leader is perceived While aquantitative survey may satisfy those witha hunger for numbers qualitativeresearch will uncover how people reallyview the CEO as an individual and leader
With these insights itrsquos possible todevelop a plan to shape the existingreputation into one they would like tohave in the new organization This meansidentifying what they stand for andhelping them articulate how this supportsand builds the brand of the organization
Charismatic leadersIf you think about charismatic leaderssuch as Stuart Rose of Marks amp SpencerRichard Branson of Virgin or PhilKnight of Nike organizational culture isheavily influenced by the personality ofits chief executive
The behavior that resides within theorganization is typically a reflection ofthe CEOrsquos behavior and becomesassociated with the brand So itrsquosimportant to define what the new CEOwants the corporate brand to stand forand what they can do to achieve that
LEADERS IN TRANSITIONTHE FIRST 100 DAYSIn a recent Melcrum survey 44 percent of respondents said they plan to spend more ormuch more on communication training for leaders and managers With the topic firmlyon the agenda for the forseeable future this issue sees the launch of a new regularcolumn by leadership communication expert Darren Briggs He kicks off with adviceon making the most of the CEOrsquos first 100 days ndash a critical time for any new leader
LEA
DER
SHIP
CO
MM
UN
ICATIO
Nscm
DARREN BRIGGS
The first of a new regularcolumn on leadership
urges communicators tosupport new leaders
Darren Briggs is partner at The Company Agency where he advises and coachessenior leaders to be more effective communicators He has 20 years corporateexperience working at chief executive and board level with companies such as BritishAirways Microsoft Nike PepsiCo and Vodafone
The title of advertising guru PaulArdenrsquos book Itrsquos not how good you areitrsquos how good you want to be captures theessence of ambition And our recent surveysuggests that this is a message internalcommunicators should take to heart
As part of our research1 to define a listof core skills and competencies forprofessional communicators we askedpractitioners from around the worldabout their future career goals and howthey plan to achieve them Surprisinglyfor a profession that stresses the need forstrategies and plans most internalcommunicators appear to have a fairly adhoc approach to their own development
Results from the surveyAbout 70 percent of our sample said theyexpected to stay in internal communicationover the next three years Thirty-twopercent saw themselves gaining moreexperience within their existing jobswhile 37 percent aim to move into adifferent internal communication role
When we asked respondents what theywere doing to help develop their careersgaining wider experience being better
networked and finding a coach came topof their lists
Be honest with yourselfNow these seem like fairly informalactivities You might think they take lessorganizing than say investing the timeand budget to do a course or study for aformal qualification But if yoursquore beinghonest you know that getting the go-aheadto work on more challenging projectsfinding the right coach and building aprofessional network takes time andplanning These things donrsquot just happenovernight ndash unless yoursquore very lucky
Yet less than a quarter of internalcommunicators have a formal plan to helpstructure their thoughts about careerprogression and make sure their develop-ment objectives are met Twenty-onepercent say they have no plan whatsoeverand about half the respondents wecontacted say they have a plan but itrsquosnot formalized or agreed
Make the timeMaking time to discuss your career goalswith your manager and getting apersonal development plan down onpaper will pay dividends After all who
decides whether you get to work on themore interesting projects or not Andwhen yoursquore being dragged under byyour workload wouldnrsquot it be helpful tohave some targets to remind you to makethe time to network or read that articlesitting in your reading folder
If wersquove convinced you to think aboutyour own professional development hereare three important steps to get started
1 Be clear about where yoursquore startingfrom Think about what yoursquoveachieved so far in your career Whatskills do you have what are yourstrengths and which areas needfurther development
2 Look ahead to where you want to beWhat timeframe do you have inmind for your professional develop-ment What can you focus on rightaway and what are your longer-termcareer goals Be as specific as youcan about what you want to achieveand consider the followingbull Are there areas where yoursquod like
to be a ldquostar performerrdquo in yourcurrent role
bull How can you expand your networkor reach in the wider industry
bull How can you broaden your depthof skills or experience outsideyour current remit
bull How do you plan to move onwardsand upwards to a new role
3 Think about how yoursquoll close the gapWhat knowledge skills andexperience do you need What typeof development activity will help youget to where you want to be
If you know in your heart of hearts thatyou donrsquot invest enough time and effortin your own development make the timeto start doing this now
In our next column we plan to look atthe range of development optionsavailable and hear some reflections fromindustry leaders on what helped themreally accelerate their own learning andprofessional development
1 Turn to page 16 for a more detailed analysis of the study
GET YOUR DEVELOPMENT PLANON TRACK
Sue Dewhurst and Liam FitzPatrick run Competent Communicators acompany specializing in professional development for internalcommunicators and Melcrumrsquos official training and developmentpartner For more information go to wwwcompetentcommunicatorscom
A study into skills and competenciesfor communicators
reveals a lack ofclear career planning
The path to a senior role in internal communication is paved with good intentionsOr so suggests a recent study by development experts Sue Dewhurst and LiamFitzPatrick Here in the first of a new regular column on professional developmentthey review the studyrsquos findings lament the lack of a career plan and urge internalcommunicators to take action and plan their own development
SUE DEWHURST AND LIAM FITZPATRICK
14 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PR
OFE
SSION
AL D
EV
ELO
PM
EN
T
scm
ldquoTHESE THINGS DONrsquoTJUST HAPPENOVERNIGHT ndash UNLESSYOUrsquoRE VERY LUCKYrdquo
15scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PR
OFE
SSION
AL D
EV
ELO
PM
EN
Tscm
3 Cut the jargonJargon may have its place but it has noplace in employee communicationPhrases such as work-life balanceemployer of choice critical mass and thelike may make sense in behind-the-scenes discussions However when itrsquostime to communicate to the masses weneed to translate these concepts intoPlain English and provide a context tohelp employees understand Yes it takessome work but the payoff makes itworth the effort
Say the head of HR wants to share thelatest developments in ldquowork-life balancerdquothat will benefit employees He may betempted to relay the news using theterminology hersquos used to using with hisstaff However most employees havenrsquotbeen in on those discussions so theconcept may be foreign or fuzzy to themndash even if theyrsquod heard the term before
Any progress HR makes on the work-life balance front gives it the opportunityto communicate in a personal humanway and in the process capture employeesrsquoattention on an emotional level
The HR leaderrsquos message thereforemay go something like this Our liveshave never been busier and there are onlyso many hours in a day Because we atXYZ Company recognize how important itis to you to be able to spend real time withyour families while managing theresponsibilities you have on the job wersquovedesigned a program that we hope willmake your life less hectic
Most employees will relate to thatmessage It plays to their needs which isa powerful hook
Guarding against gremlinsKeeping an eye out for the jargonpassive voice and other gremlins thatmay infiltrate your writing is a goodtraining ground for being able toobjectively critique your own work Italso conditions you to look for otherways to improve your writing a habitthat will serve you well throughout yourlifelong apprenticeship
No onersquos work is as continually visible inan organization as the communicatorrsquosOur superiors our peers and the entireemployee population see us as theparagons of communications competenceThey look to the messages wersquove craftedas models of writing excellence and willpattern their own accordingly
When you think of it itrsquos one heck of aburden to bear After all how else didyou get the job if you couldnrsquot write well
But regardless of how well you dowrite how senior you are or how longyoursquove had that coveted ldquoseat at thetablerdquo when it comes to writing yoursquollalways have room to grow Thatrsquos becausewriting is as one learned professor sowisely termed it a ldquolifelong apprenticeshiprdquo
Here are three ways to improve yourwriting immediately
1 Avoid the passive voiceThe passive voice manages to creep intomessages to employees and itrsquos a sureroad to eroding their engagement It allowsthe writer to hide behind the message itclouds direction and itrsquos boring
Herersquos an example of really woefulwriting ndash a sentence structure that yoursquoresure to recognize Employees areencouraged to submit this form by the endof the month
Analyze that sentence and yoursquoll seethat not only is there no owner to thestatement but therersquos no clear directionEmployees are encouraged by whom
and what does ldquoencouragedrdquo meananyway Are employees required tosubmit the form If so then say so
The sad truth is this passive style ofwriting is all too common the happytruth is that we communicators are in aposition to do something about it Oftenall it takes is a quick rewrite Pleasesubmit this form by [insert specific date]Clear direct concise
2 Use second person Why talk at people when you can talk tothem When yoursquore communicating withemployees the use of ldquoyourdquo can befriendly and inviting
Take this message XYZ Companyemployees at customer locations shouldalways first check with their hosts to ensurethat connecting to the XYZ network ispermitted
Look what happens when itrsquos rewrittenfrom third person into second If yoursquoreworking at a customer site be sure to firstcheck with your host that itrsquos OK toconnect to our network
Yoursquove gone from impersonal toconversational
DO YOUR WRITING SKILLSLET YOU DOWNA recent discussion on the Melcrum blog raised the question of whether or not goodwriting skills are still important to the more strategically focused communicator Theconsensus was a definite yes ndash your writing ability makes an impression and itrsquos upto you whether thatrsquos good or bad Denise Baron provides some advice on how tomake sure itrsquos the former
DENISE BARON
However strategicyour role the ability
to write well remainsan important skill
Denise Baron is president of Baron Communications a business communicationsconsultancy providing strategic planning and marketing internal communicationproject management and editorial services to Fortune 500 companies
16 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Over the past five years wersquove found ourselvesbecoming more and more involved in conversationsabout careers in internal communication As theprofession matures expectations of itspractitioners are rising and for many people ajob in communication is no longer just a short-term stepping-stone en route to better things
But the question we hear time and time again isldquoWhat does lsquogoodrsquo look like when it comes to
internal communicationrdquo What skills knowledgeand experience should an effective internalcommunicator have at various stages in theircareer How do I know what I should bepersonally aspiring to and measuring myselfagainst How can I best develop my team Whereis the definitive framework to help me recruit thebest person for the job
In recent years there have been a number ofgood attempts to answer these questions In theUK a group of professional bodies got togetherto write the Inter-Comm matrix1 It listed theskills knowledge and experience a practitionermight need according to their level of experience
We were both involved in developing this skillsmatrix which was widely welcomed when it waslaunched in 2003 Some well-respectedconsultancies have also developed models to showhow a typical career path might progress whichhave helped structure career planning forindividuals and teams
A flexible model for a diverse professionDespite the success of the Inter-Comm matrix wefelt there was more to be done in the area ofprofessional development for internal communica-tors Fundamentally existing models tend to showa one-dimensional and predictable career pathstarting as a junior deliverer and developing into astrategic business-focused consultant
The implication is that if yoursquore deliveringcommunication or are tactically focused you musthave a junior role and if you have a more seniorrole you donrsquot get your hands dirty doingmundane things like writing or managing the
Building a learningframework for internalcommunicators
Planning your teamrsquos professional developmentmeans understanding the skills and experienceneeded to be successful Sue Dewhurst and Liam
FitzPatrick of Competent Communicators have beenresearching how internal communicators spend their timeat work and what behaviors the most effectivepractitioners display Here they describe a new learningframework that has emerged from the study
Identifying the typical roles andskills required for your team
BY SUE DEWHURST AND LIAM FITZPATRICK
scm FEATURES
ABOUT THE RESEARCHThe findings discussed in this article are based on research conducted at theend of 2006 More than 700 in-house practitioners replied to a survey aboutcareers competencies and development plans
A factor analysis of the data conducted by Ash Pattni Associates generated anumber of role types which were then discussed with 30 professionals atdifferent stages of their careers based in the UK Europe and North AmericaThese discussions mainly took the form of interviews and focus groups
The study also referred to data on competency modeling prepared by theUKrsquos Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
1 2 3 4 5
17scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
intranet or organizing eventsBut clearly the world of internal communication
isnrsquot quite that straightforward People join theprofession via all kinds of routes and at differentstages of their careers
We interviewed someone who started out as thedirectorrsquos PA a successful senior executive whostarted out as an engineer a former psychologylecturer and others who had joined through moreobvious routes in publishing and PR
Some had started out in junior roles Forothers their first role in internal communicationwas as a business partner Others had alreadyreached a senior position in another function andsimply moved across at the same level
A key objective of this study was to develop amodel that reflected the diverse reality of life ininternal communication one that was flexibleenough to be adapted to fit organizations andcommunication teams of all shapes and sizes
So we began our research by surveying communica-tors worldwide to find out how they actuallyspend their time on a daily basis and what skillsknowledge and experience they regularly use
The six types of practitionerStatistical analysis of the survey data suggestedthere were six stereotypical role types withininternal communication By ldquotypesrdquo we meansegments or groups of people who share verysimilar characteristics in terms of their skills andstrengths spend their time carrying out similartypes of activities and whose outputs tend to bejudged in similar ways
Most importantly these types can be plottedagainst two dimensions based on how they spendtheir time (advising or doing) and where theirfocus is (strategy or tactics) Figure One (right)illustrates these six types and how they plotagainst the two dimensions
Clearly every organization is slightly differentbut the six stereotypes described below shouldprovide a starting point for thinking about theroles and types of people you need in your team
1 The Leader Internal communication leaders manage teamsand lead the function either for an entire organiza-tion or for a large division or territory Theyspend much of their time managing and coachingteam members and working with senior managersThey see themselves as business people first andcommunicators second However itrsquos taken as readthat they have sound technical ability and will rollup their sleeves when needed Great internal andexternal networkers theyrsquore skilled at dealing withuncertainty and conflict Theyrsquore likely to bemeasured on business results and through thesubjective opinion of their senior customers
2 The Advisor Advisors support departments or major projectsby providing advice developing communicationplans and providing hands-on support to deliverthem Local managers trust them for their insightsinto business problems and understanding of howtheir organization really works Through well-developed networks and time spent understandingtheir audiences and carrying out research andfeedback they know whatrsquos really going onTheyrsquore judged on the quality of their advice andtheir ability to translate that advice into plansactivities and actions
3 The ManagerThe internal communication manager has excellentcraft skills and a sound knowledge of channelsThey spend most of their time on delivery Whenthey advise itrsquos normally about the best channelsto use or the most appropriate timing Goodmanagers arenrsquot easily intimidated and are greatat juggling different priorities Theyrsquore skilled attranslating between the boardroom and the shopfloor Their contribution is often measured bytheir ability to deliver activity against a plan andthe quality of work they and their team produce
4 The DelivererMost teams have someone in this role ndash a safepair of hands who can be trusted to make thingshappen That might range from compilingdistribution lists through to running a conferencesorting out the CEOrsquos open forum or writing andediting a newsletter Theyrsquore less likely tosupervise other communicators and depend ontheir organizational and craft skills to get the jobdone People value them for their ability to dothings on time and to a high standard 3
Sue Dewhurst and LiamFitzPatrick run CompetentCommunicators a firmspecializing in professionaldevelopment for internalcommunicators TheyrsquoreMelcrumrsquos official training anddevelopment advisors anddeliver Melcrumrsquos Black Belttraining program Theyrsquore alsothe authors of a forthcomingreport on competenciesdevelopment and standardsfor internal communicatorsand blog about developmentissues onwwwBlackBeltDojocouk
Figure One Six typical role types for internal communicators
TheLeader
TheLocal Agent
The Deliverer
TheAdvisor
TheManagerADVISE
STRATEGY
IMPLEMENT
TACTICS
TheSpecialist
KEY POINTSbull A new study has established how communicators spend their time and
what skills knowledge and experience they regularly use
bull The research identifies six stereotypical roles ranging from acommunication leader to a specialist (eg a web or events expert)
bull It also highlights 12 competencies that clarify the behaviors acompetent practitioner should display at each level An ldquoineffectiverdquocategory shows behaviors displayed by less able performers
bull The roles and competencies provide a framework for development
Building a learning framework for internal communicators
18 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
5 The Local AgentThis category covers a broad range of peoplefrom the plant managerrsquos personal assistant to aregional communication manager Internalcommunication is often one of severalresponsibilities for this person and they tend tohave a tactical focus Their agenda is normally setby the local management team although theirlocal knowledge and network makes them aninvaluable sounding board for the corporatecommunication team They tend to be judged onwhether activities happen and how satisfied theirlocal manager is with them
6 The SpecialistOur research found a small group of peopleworking in internal communication who see them-selves as subject-matter experts in a specialist areasuch as web management audio-visual productionor event management They have only a looseconnection to the mainstream profession andcould equally work in IT marketing or perhapsHR Because theyrsquore highly specialized they tendto work in large organizations
Building a competency frameworkOnce statistical analysis had suggested these sixrole types we began testing them out throughfocus groups and interviews with practitioners Inparticular we asked what skills knowledge andexperience people in each type of role neededwhat people saw outstanding practitioners doingwhat poor performance looked like and howpeople in the six role types spent their time
On the basis of this information we developeda series of 12 competencies (see Figure Two left)We found that each of the six role types could bedefined bybull Which of the competencies they need to carry
out their role (not everyone needs all 12)bull The level of skill knowledge and experience
they need in each competencybull How much of their time they spend using
each competency ndash a high medium or lowamount For instance there was commonagreement that the communication leadermust have strong craft skills (writing anddesign) but compared to say the delivererthey spend a relatively low percentage of theirtime working on this type of activity
Each of the 12 competencies has three levelsbasic intermediate and advanced Based on thedata we gathered we defined the behaviors youmight expect to see a competent internalcommunication professional display at each level
We also added an ldquoineffectiverdquo category listingthose behaviors our interviewees told us weredisplayed by less able performers For example
7
COMPETENCY DEFINITION
Building effectiverelationships
Developing and maintaining relationships that inspire trust and respectBuilding a network and influencing others to make things happen
Business focus Having a clear understanding of the business issues Usingcommunication to help solve organization issues and achieveorganizational problems
Consulting andcoaching
Recommending appropriate solutions Helping others make informeddecisions Building other peoplersquos communications competence
Cross-functionalawareness
Understanding the different contributions from other disciplines andworking with colleagues from across the organization to achieve betterresults
Developing othercommunicators
Helping other communicators build their communications competenceand develop their career
Innovation andcreativity
Looking for new ways of working exploring best practice and deliveringoriginal and imaginative approaches to communication problems
Listening Conducting research and managing mechanisms for gathering feedbackand employee reaction
Making it happen Turning plans into successfully implemented actions
Planning Planning communication programs and operations evaluating results
Specialist Having specific subject-matter expertise in a specialist area
Vision and standards Defining or applying a consistent approach to communication andmaintaining professional and ethical standards
Craft (writing anddesign)
Using and developing the right mix of practical communication abilitiesto hold the confidence of peers and colleagues (eg writing designmanagement etc)
Figure Two Twelve competencies for internal communicators
19scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
some ineffective behaviors attached to theldquobusiness focusrdquo competency arebull Doesnrsquot make the link between
communication activity and the business ororganizational context
bull Delivers communication activity withoutconsidering whether it will serve any usefulpurpose
bull Lacks understanding of their business area
Building a framework for a specific role The next step in this project was to develop asimple table to map out the competencyframework for an individual role showingbull The competencies needed in this rolebull The level of competency needed in each casebull How much time we expect someone in this
role to spend on these types of behaviors
You can either build a competency frameworkfrom scratch or if you think the role fits one ofthe six types we identified from the survey use thecompetency framework for this type as a startingpoint (see the framework for a communicationleader Figure Three right)
In practice competency frameworks will varyaccording to the size of the organization thenumber of people in the internal-communicationteam the expectations of managers and thespecific requirements of each individual rolewhich is why wersquove built a flexible model
For example a communication leader in alarge multinational organization may spend muchof their time setting the vision and standardscoaching and consulting building relationshipsand developing other communicators and arelatively small amount of their time ldquomaking ithappenrdquo or on writing and design Howeversomeone in a stand-alone communication leaderrole in a much smaller organization wouldprobably have to be much more of a ldquoJack of alltradesrdquo dividing their time evenly between thedifferent competencies
Next stepsMore information about the 12 competencies andthe baseline competency maps for each of the sixrole types will be detailed in a forthcomingMelcrum report Ideas on how you use thesecompetencies to plan your development areavailable to download atwwwcompetentcommunicatorscom
We hope the framework will help bringstructure to the process of defining roles planningdevelopment and specifying recruitment andwould welcome your feedbackscm
1 The Inter-Comm skills matrix is described in an article in SCMFebruaryMarch 2005 (Volume 9 Issue 2) called Developingcore competencies for internal communicators
Figure Three Framework for a communication leader
COMPETENCY LEVEL TIME
Building effective relationships Advanced High
Business focus Advanced High
Consulting and coaching Advanced High
Cross-functional awareness Advanced Medium
Developing other communicators Advanced High
Innovation and creativity Advanced Medium
Listening Advanced Low
Making it happen Advanced Low
Planning Advanced Medium
Specialist NA NA
Vision and standards Advanced High
Craft (writing and design) Advanced Low
CONTACT DETAILS
Sue DewhurstCompetent Communicatorssuedewhurstcompetentcommunicatorscom
Liam FitzPatrickCompetent Communicatorsliamfitzpatrickcompetentcommunicatorscom
ldquoOUR RESEARCH FOUND A SMALL GROUP OFPEOPLE WORKING IN INTERNALCOMMUNICATION WHO SEE THEMSELVES ASSUBJECT-MATTER EXPERTSrdquo
20 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC President and CEO John Ryan joined theorganization in 1997 For the first few years hefocused on financial viability and positioning thecorporation for the future ndash articulating a newvision redefining strategic objectives expandingproduct and service offerings and identifyingpotential growth areas
The business results were outstanding double-digit growth increasing profits and great customerloyalty But something was missing
Like many successful organizations FCCoperated with a silo mentality Organizationalpolitics consumed energy that Ryan felt detractedfrom employee satisfaction and he worried aboutthe impact on the customer experience
He wanted his direct reports to work togetheras a real team ndash not to behave like individualleaders of functional areas Although the groupperformed well when there was a real challengeafter the challenge was gone so was the teamwork
This is not unusual for top executive groupsbut Ryan wasnrsquot willing to accept that fate ldquoTherehad to be a way to have a team-based
organization where leaders had the autonomythey needed to perform while actively collaboratingto achieve a new level of unprecedented resultsrdquohe said ldquoFCC had a very hierarchical culture withfirmly drawn divisional boundaries so I knew Ihad a challenge ahead of merdquo
Cultural transformation from the topIn 2002 John hired Malandro Communicationbased in Phoenix Arizona to guide FCCrsquos seniorleadership through a unique cultural transformationthat would lead to the creation of a high-performance team Leaders committed to being100-percent accountable for their impact onpeople and business results They let go of thetraditional 50-50 model ldquoIrsquoll do my part if you doyoursrdquo ndash a model that breeds a culture of blameconspiracies and distrust
In a series of formal training initiatives leaderswere taught to speak from the heart listen toother perspectives be open and responsive tofeedback and encourage personal andprofessional growth
Opportunity for internal communicationBy 2003 we were well on our way FCC producedremarkable business results with strong numbersright across the board The portfolio grew fromnearly CAN$9 billion to over CAN$10 billionThen two things happened that created anopportunity for internal communication tobecome a driver of business results 1 In 2003 we earned 50th place on Canadarsquos
ldquo50 Best Employersrdquo list and a respectableemployee engagement score of 69 percent
Defining the role ofstrategic comms atFarm Credit Canada
Farm Credit Canada (FCC) is in the fourth year of acultural-transformation program At the start of itsjourney clear expectations were set defining the role
to be played by internal communication In this summaryof the companyrsquos plans and achievements Kellie Garrettand Claire Watson describe the goals strategies andtactics employed by the internal communication teamand the impressive results achieved to date
Setting the stage for a cultural transformation
BY KELLIE GARRETT AND CLAIRE WATSON
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Farm Credit Canada isCanadarsquos largest provider offinancing to the agricultureindustry It serves 45000customers and has 1300employees working from 100rural offices across CanadaFCC is ranked eighth amongCanadarsquos 50 best employers
21scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC is a high performer in all otheroperational areas and employee engagementis a strong predictor of sustained corporateperformance But the survey showed therewas work to be done to align perceptionsbetween the senior leadership team andemployees Detailed results showed the gaps(see Figure One below)
2 Ryan became more determined to create ahigh-performance team that could deliver anextraordinary customer experience andsustainable business results
Establishing expected behaviorAs a first step towards creating a critical mass ofleaders who visibly demonstrate the behaviorsrequired to transform FCCrsquos culture middlemanagement and key cross-functional teams weretrained in responsible teamwork practices andcommunication skills
Ryan then created a set of 10 cultural practicesthat explicitly outlined how he expectedemployees at all levels to behave (see side barnext page) The foundation of these practices isthe belief that the drive for business results mustbe balanced by the attendant impact on people Inother words how the work was accomplished wasevery bit as important as what was accomplishedThe cultural practices were rolled out to allemployees in 2003
With the expected behavior from leaders andemployees clearly articulated it was time forinternal communication to find opportunities tosupport and promote these behaviors
Challenge 1 Creating a strategic frameworkOur first objective was to create a broaderstrategic framework for internal communicationA review of best-practice companies revealed thatformal media represents about 10 percent of allinternal communication channels with internalsystems accounting for another 10 percent Theremaining 80 percent is influenced by theorganizational culture
Our task was to put a formal strategy in placethat would strengthen the 10 percent ofcommunication we did have control over ndash theinternal communication channels
Within FCC the dominant employeecommunication channels were immediatemanagers e-mail and the intranet (Myinet)Front-line managers delivered corporate messagesdirectly to employees and their efforts weresupported by all-staff e-mails
There was nothing wrong with this approachbut it didnrsquot go far enough in the delivery of clearconsistent messages about strategic direction orcorporate priorities Nor did it create a line ofsight between individuals and business outcomes
For example a lack of central coordination wasresulting in unclear mixed messages thatconfused the internal audience A proliferation ofemployee surveys were independently conductedby various business units and the corporate e-mail system was choked with high volumecontributing to information overload
The intranetrsquos navigational structure and searchcapability needed major improvement datedinformation needed to be archived and majordocuments needed to be redeveloped in a web-friendly format
Defining our strategy and objectivesAware of these drawbacks we defined ourstrategy as To adopt a more integrated approachto internal communication and make sure allmessages focus employees on the businesspriorities Our strategies included the followingbull Segment the employee audience and define
communication needs based on demographicspsychographics and geographic location
bull Create a consistent voice across all groupsbull Ensure internal communication is mandatory
for all major corporate initiatives and isintegrated across channels and with othercommunication activities
bull Deliver targeted information through a varietyof channels and vehicles to reinforce messaginghelp with recall appeal to differentpreferences and create and sustain interest
bull Redevelop the intranet and position it as aninformation source for corporate businessemployee industry and technical information
bull Reduce the volume of corporate e-mailbull Implement a monthly employee survey to
replace the proliferation of one-off surveysindependently launched by business units
bull Create broad awareness and understanding ofkey corporate drivers such as business strategycorporate values and brand positioning 3
Kellie Garrett ABC MALeadership is senior VPStrategy Knowledge ampReputation at Farm CreditCanada and Chair of the IABCResearch Foundation Garrettis a frequent speaker onbusiness strategy leadershipand personal brand
Claire Watson ABC APR isthe master communicationstrategist for Farm CreditCanada Watson has won anumber of international andnational awards for her workis a published author and acertified change managementspecialist
MEASUREMENT EMPLOYEES SENIORMANAGERS
GAP
Senior management is open and honest incommunication
59 94 -35
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible
54 88 -34
Managers effectively support andimplement our people practices
48 81 -33
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 94 -23
Figure One Engagement survey results
22 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Defining the role of strategic comms at Farm Credit Canada
Successful tactics introducedSome of the tactics wersquove successfully introducedto bring this strategy to life include the following
1 Tracking key messagesWe created an employee key-message matrix thatis shared with leaders across the organization andhelps to ensure we deliver a consistent messageWe deliver the rewritten message through avariety of channels including e-mail letter featurearticle in the internal publication online throughour Monday Morning Update or directly to staffmeetings through managers and supervisors
2 Adopting a multi-channel approachWersquove expanded our channels beyond e-mail andthe intranet New channels now includebull AgriCulture ndash an employee print newsletter
published three times a year to communicatecorporate information and reinforce FCCrsquossocial and cultural fabric
bull An online feature called ldquoFrom the Desk ofthe CEOrdquo to keep employees in the loop
bull All staff e-mails from the CEO and VPsbull Discussion guides and QampAs for leadersbull Internal presentations and speeches delivered
by the senior leadership teambull Other printed material such as pocket cards
and brochures accompanied by a letter
3 Cutting down on information overloadSteps wersquove taken includebull Bundling all-staff messages into a Monday
Morning Update and bundling messages forcorporate headquarters staff into a CorporateOffice Update
bull Implementing a corporate e-mail policy withdefined subject-line conventions length andapproved topics
bull Restricting the use of all-staff e-mails to thesenior management team and certain keyindividuals
bull Improving the functionality of the intranetand redeveloping key business tools forefficient web use
bull Centralizing coordination of internal surveysbull Elevating the quality and clarity of internal
speeches and conferences to focus onstrategic business drivers
Challenge 2 Supporting leadershipThe results of our 2003 engagement survey alsorevealed an opportunity to increase trust betweenemployees and FCCrsquos senior management teamRyan and his VP responsible for communication(Kellie Garrett) believed that creating greatervisibility and better access to the senior managerswas vital to the establishment of a values-basedculture and a high-performance team
7
MEASUREMENT 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Senior management is open and honestin communication
59 73 81 83 91
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible to employees
54 71 82 83 81
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 81 87 87 85
I see strong evidence of effectiveleadership from the senior leadershipteam
69 83 87 88 93
I have a good understanding ofbusiness goals and objectives
76 77 81 81 88
Senior leadership has clearlycommunicated what we need to do tobe successful
NA NA 89 90 93
Figure Two Survey scores tracked from 2003-2007
FCCrsquoS 10 CULTURAL PRACTICESWe hold ourselves and each other accountable for
1 Our impact on business results and our impact on people
2 Delivering on commitments agreements and promises
3 Building and sustaining committed partnerships
4 Creating a safe environment where people can speak up without fear
5 We measure our success by how others perceive and respond to ourleadership not by our personal point of view
6 We talk straight in a responsible manner We are committed to the successof others ndash we do not engage in ldquoconspiracies againstrdquo people
7 We ldquolisten forrdquo contributions and commitment We do not listen againstpeople or ideas
8 We are highly coachable We actively seek and listen to coaching
9 We clean up and recover quickly
10 We acknowledge others often and celebrate both small and largesuccesses
ldquoLIKE DEVELOPING A COMPANYrsquoS IMAGE ORBRAND CULTURE CAN lsquoJUST HAPPENrsquo OR ITCAN BE DESIGNED STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONHAS PLAYED A CENTRAL ROLErdquo
23scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 FCC launched a culture-change program focused on
improving performance across the organization
bull Two key aims of the program are to encourage leaders and employeesto embody the values and improve staff engagement
bull Defining its strategy and goals at the outset internal communicationhas played a role in achieving these objectives
bull Results so far include less information overload a more accessibleleadership team and improved engagement scores
The challenge for internal communication wasto improve employeesrsquo perception of the visibilityaccessibility and trust for the senior managementteam Successful tactics introduced includebull A ldquoDine-Aroundrdquo program where three
senior leaders host a monthly lunch for ninepeople
bull An online forum called SMT Exchangewhere employees can anonymously askleaders tough questions and answers areposted for all to see
bull Senior leaders author more all-staff e-mailsare more visible and accessible at companyevents and deliver presentations that focus onconnecting employees to the business agenda
The goals we started with When we defined our internal communicationstrategy in 2003 we had some clear goals to worktowards These werebull To communicate relevant information in a
timely consistent and memorable waybull To reduce information overloadbull To influence an increase in the
communication-related elements of theengagement index
bull To contribute to an increase in employeeengagement from 69 to 74 percent
We also had specific year-one objectivesbull To increase understanding of business goals
and objectives beyond 78 percent bull To increase employee opinion about effective
senior leadership from 69 to 73 percentbull To improve employee opinions related to
senior management
Achievements and measurable resultsWith these goals guiding our efforts themeasurable results wersquove achieved so far includebull The bundling of all-staff e-mail has reduced
the volume by 88 percent ndash amounting toaround 350000 messages over one year
bull Over 450 employees have lunched with amember of the senior management team and170 QampAs have been posted on our seniormanagement online exchange
bull The survey scores relating to employeesrsquoperception of leadership and theirunderstanding of goals and objectives showsteady improvement since 2003 (see FigureTwo bottom left)
bull FCCrsquos engagement scores and subsequentranking among Canadarsquos 50 best employershas moved from 69 percent engagement and50th place in 2004 to 81 percent and 35thplace in 2005 84 percent and 12th place in2006 and 82 percent and 8th place in 2007
Cultural transformationThe internal communication strategy described inthis article has set the stage to communicatecultural transformation across the organization
Wersquore now in the fourth year of our culturaltransformation ndash creating an environment wherepeople are empowered feel safe and highperformance can flourish This involves aquantum shift in how employees behave andrelate to their co-workers and customers
Like developing a companyrsquos image or brandculture can ldquojust happenrdquo or it can be designedStrategic communication has played a central roleto create awareness understanding commitmentand motivate changes in behavior at every level ofthe organization
John Ryan has the final word ldquoOver the years Ihave learned that communication is at the heartof building a high-performance culture ndash a culturewhere people are fully engaged Communicationis vital Without it leaders cannot effect positivechange Our internal strategy recognizesemployees as a primary audience and a keyconduit to the customer the media stakeholdersand communities Our strategic approach tointernal communication significantly contributesto business resultsrdquo scm
CONTACT DETAILS
Kellie GarrettFarm Credit CanadaKellieGarrettfcc-facca
Claire WatsonFarm Credit CanadaClaireWatsonfcc-facca
24 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
In January 2004 Pfizer at Sandwich in Kent UKcommissioned a review of its existing charitablecontributions program which included matchedpayroll giving volunteering and grants for localcommunity charities and voluntary groups CCWorks the community investment consultancywas also approached to manage the day-to-dayadministration of grant applications from thecommunity
However it was decided that the administrationcould not be effectively managed until suitablecriteria were put in place for the grants programEssentially a company cannot outsourceresponsibility for its charitable donations unlesstherersquos a clear strategy in place for doing this
Although there were various policies in placefor the different elements of the existingcommunity investment program there was a lackof strategic direction to the program as a whole
Auditing the community grants programAs a first step CC Works examined the existinggrants program and also conducted external
benchmarking with voluntary organizations in thecommunity to gage perceptions of Pfizer
It emerged that many organizations werereceiving small grants ndash although some werenrsquotsure why ndash but only 16 percent of the currentspend was going on health-related causes ForPfizer a major global healthcare company thiswasnrsquot strategic It was clear that as a healthcarecompany Pfizer should be trying to improve thehealth of its local area by focusing on three coreareas health community and education
There was also a need for grants to be morelocally focused A significant amount of the spendwas going outside of the immediate East Kentarea CC Works recommended that to allow thecompany maximum freedom to operate in itscommunity it should focus grants on theimmediate community of East Kent which alsohappened to be a deprived area
Segmenting current grantsWorking in partnership with CC Works currentgrant allocation was examined by sector localarea and size of grant and in May 2004 two-yeartargets were set to increase the strategic impact ofcommunity grantsbull Increase grants allocated to health-related
projects to 50 percentbull Increase average grant from UKpound300 to
UKpound1000bull Increase East Kent allocation to 90 percent
This change was designed to be gradual so thatthe shift in allocation could be well managed
The new focus on the community mirrors
Engaging employees inPfizerrsquos communityinvestment program
In 2003 Pfizer at Sandwich UK was running manyelements of a community investment program butthere was little awareness among employees and no
real focus By July 2006 the program had beentransformed and now actively contributes to employeeand community relationships Here Pam Baker andChristine Jenkins describe the journey from disconnectedpolicies to award-winning program
Communicating an approach with clear links toemployees and the local community
BY PAM BAKER AND CHRISTINE JENKINS
scm FEATURES
Pfizerrsquos site at Sandwich inKent is the UK manufacturingheadquarters of Pfizer Incglobal pharmaceuticalcompany Its workforce of4000 makes it the largestprivate employer in East Kent
1 2 3 4 5
25scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pfizerrsquos global mission to be ldquothe most valuedcompany to patients customers colleaguesinvestors business partners and the communitieswhere we work and liverdquo For the communityinvestment program a measurable mission wascreated ldquoto improve the health indicators of thepeople of East Kentrdquo
Focus on colleague involvementThe next step in July 2004 was to conduct areview of the employee engagement elements ofcommunity investment to examine how thesecould be better integrated These elementsincluded payroll giving volunteering and staff-matched fundraising
For Pfizer at Sandwich the obvious first choicewas to look at volunteering Eighty-five percent ofPfizer employees are minimum graduate level ndashoffering much-needed skills to a deprived areaAll employees have five paid days a year they canuse for volunteering ndash this not only supports thecommunity it boosts employee engagement andcreates opportunities for employees to visiblyconnect with the community and vice versa
In October 2004 volunteering was identified asa key area for development but for employeevolunteering to be a success it had to beproactively marketed inside Pfizer and thereneeded to be adequate support andadministration behind the program
A database of volunteering opportunitiesIn conjunction with CC Works a searchable data-base of local volunteering opportunities was createdPfizer felt it was important to create a tailoreddatabase that would be furnished internally inorder to ensure a local bias and to maintain thequality of the information supplied to employees
In order to tie in with employeesrsquo personaldevelopment plans opportunities in the databasehad to meet at least two of Pfizerrsquos six keycompetencies 1 Team development2 Project management3 Coaching and development4 Decision making5 Effective partnership6 Working with change
To fill the database with relevant opportunities allorganizations that had contacted Pfizer for grantsor funding in the past three years were re-contacted and asked if they would also beinterested in volunteering
Over 70 percent responded positively and 300volunteering opportunities were sourced CCWorks helped the voluntary organizations puttogether opportunities that were most likely totake advantage of Pfizer employeesrsquo range of
specialist skillsThese opportunities were categorized on the
database according to skill geographic area andtype of charity allowing employees to search forsomething suitable for them Pfizer wasnrsquotprescriptive in its approach and allowed staff tovolunteer where the opportunity matched theirpersonal-development goals interests or wasgeographically convenient
Opportunities were wide-ranging from helpingin a charity shop to teaching in a schoolImportantly because database management isoutsourced to CC Works therersquos constantproactivitiy around seeking new opportunities andproviding administrative support that would havebeen difficult to maintain in-house
Launching the ldquoReaching Outrdquo programTo encourage involvement and awarenessemployees were asked to suggest a name for therevitalized volunteering program ldquoReaching Outrdquowas chosen and the new volunteering website waslaunched in May 2005 The site sits on PfizerSandwichrsquos intranet and any employee orcontractor can access it
A charity week was also held to help promotethe Reaching Out program Various charitiesvisited Pfizer during lunch breaks to explain whatthey do and the opportunities to work with themA soft incentive for staff to register on theReaching Out site was that Pfizer would donate20 rehydration sachets to Unicef (monetary valueof about pound2)
Reaching Out was also featured in a webcastfrom a senior leader that went to all employees(about 3000 staff plus contractors) at the start ofthe week and it was profiled in the weekly onlinemagazine Pipeline 3
Pam Baker is directorStrategic Operations andCommunity Affairs at Pfizer UK
Christine Jenkins is founderof CC Works a consultancyoffering communityinvestment advice andpractical solutions to thecorporate and voluntarysectors Previously she heldsenior manager roles in thevoluntary and private sectors
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 an audit of Pfizer at Sandwichrsquos community investment
program revealed a lack of strategic direction
bull In partnership with consultancy CC Works a decision was made tofocus the program on the local community
bull An effort to raise employee involvement through volunteering hasboosted the program and linked it to employee engagement
bull The ldquoReaching Outrdquo website gives employees the freedom to work withcharities of their choice
bull By July 2006 the ldquoHealthy Communitiesrdquo program had beentransformed and won a National Example of Excellence award fromBusiness in the Community
26 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TOP TIPS FOR COMMUNITY INVESTMENTbull Ask yourself why yoursquore undertaking this program and seek clarity around
your objectives
bull Focus on likely ldquowinsrdquondash ie areas with scope for improvement such asemployee engagement or external awareness
bull Tackle one area at a time in stages and aim for excellence in each arearather than trying to boil the ocean
bull Communication is key to success Create a distinct brand and identity forthe program to encourage awareness and involvement
bull Integrate different community programs ndash a holistic approach can maximizebenefits for the community staff engagement and corporate reputation
Over 450 employees registered to use thesite over the next two months with 230 employees(8 percent of staff) actively volunteering duringthe first year This beat a target to have 5 percentof employees volunteering 12 months after launchIn 2005 employees volunteered 4800 hours
Helping employees select the right optionEmployees can search the volunteering databaseby skill geographic area or type of charity and aregiven a range of choices Then the onus is on theemployee to speak to the charity and obtainfurther details on current opportunities inaddition to whatrsquos on the database The employeethen applies to his or her line manager Anintegrated work process enables staff to obtainapproval from their manager interact with thevoluntary organization and record their effortskeeping administration to a minimum
Managers at Pfizer Sandwich are keen foremployees to volunteer because theyrsquore aware ofthe potential benefits in terms of employeeengagement and skills development ndash a largenumber of managers are volunteers themselvesPfizer also held briefing sessions for managers toensure they were aware of the volunteeringprogram its benefits and how it works
7
Engaging employees in Pfizerrsquos community investment program
Incorporating employee feedbackThe database tracks employeesrsquo volunteeringefforts including how many hours theyrsquove doneand their feedback on the opportunitiesEmployee feedback can then be accessed by otherstaff looking for an opportunity The databasegives employees better insight into the availableopportunities and allows them to select somethingthat appeals to them so that both the employeeand the organization where they volunteer gets abetter ldquofitrdquo
The database also allows for better integrationof the whole program where volunteering canprovide an alternative or an addition to fundingFor example a well-known national charityapplied to Pfizer at Sandwich for some fundingaround a diversity initiative Pfizer suggested theirdiversity manager volunteer for them instead whohelped create the charityrsquos diversity program thatis now being launched nationally
Creating an integrated programIn May 2005 the decision was taken to bringtogether all the strands of community investmentunder one brand Healthy Communities Thisprogram was to includebull Charitable grantsbull Employee volunteeringbull Gifts in kind Community investment via gifts
in kind such as the use of Pfizer premisesresources and expertise is more easilysustainable and can bring real long-termbenefit to the local community When Pfizerfacilities are used to support communityinitiatives the face-to-face contact withemployees allows relationship-building andnetworking with key influencers Also invitingthe community to use Pfizer resources on siteldquodemystifiesrdquo the company
The overarching strategy behind HealthyCommunities was to support communityinvestment holistically (ie using several of theabove elements in combination) whereverpossible Focusing grants on the areas of greatestneed helps Pfizer achieve its overall missionHowever the donation of gifts in kind can have awider-reaching impact on the community
Taking a holistic approachAn award-winning example of this holisticapproach is the Helping Hartsdown projectwhich was Pfizer Sandwichrsquos biggest ever gift inkindvolunteering project Pfizer donated andrenovated much-needed classrooms at a localschool As well as financial support and gifts inkind the project involved over 100 staff andcontractor volunteers across all departments Aspecific promotion on the Reaching Out website
ldquoBY JULY 2006 THE lsquoHEALTHY COMMUNITIESrsquoPROGRAM HAD BEEN TRANSFORMED AND WONA NATIONAL EXAMPLE OF EXCELLENCE AWARDFROM BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITYrdquo
27scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
POSITIVE IMPACTS OF THE PROGRAMThe Healthy Communities program has had the following positive impacts for Pfizer
bull The program supports and protects Pfizerrsquos freedom to operate effectivelyin East Kent UK
bull Supporting and involving employees in the program engages and motivatesthem The company is also seen to be living its values In a recent survey55 percent of colleagues felt the program was ldquofocused and effectiverdquo
bull The program provides opportunities for colleagues to develop skills Twentypercent of colleagues surveyed stated that they had improved personalskills through taking part in the program
bull A healthy community is a better place to live and work for employees andwill aid retention Retention of the most highly skilled scientists givesPfizer Global Research and Development a competitive edge
bull A vibrant and healthy community helps to attract and retain leadingscientists from around the world
bull Community is one of Pfizerrsquos six core values Communicating activitiesinternally and externally gives a positive perception of the company
helped attract this large number of volunteersincluding senior leaders
Momentum was maintained behind thecommunication of the program with monthlynetworking breakfasts and several themed minicharity fairs to give local good causes the chanceto showcase their volunteering Individuals andteamsrsquo volunteering efforts were also regularlyprofiled in Pipeline
The December 2006 employee survey showedan 85-percent awareness level of Reaching Outand the program won a ldquoNational Example ofExcellence Awardrdquo from Business in theCommunity1
Relaunching the websiteIn June 2006 the Reaching Out website wasrelaunched to incorporate payroll giving andmatched fundraising under the same brand asvolunteering and utilize the existing software Allelements can now be applied for on the same site
The number of employees registered with thesite increased to over 1000 and the number of adhoc staff enquiries handled by CC Worksincreased dramatically as awareness andinvolvement levels rose among the workforce
External communicationA quarterly newsletter containing a round-up ofPfizerrsquos community investment work is producedand distributed widely to external stakeholdersincluding 3000 local residents Following theBusiness in the Community award the magazineCommunity News was revamped its circulationincreased and it was also desk-dropped to allemployees The magazine also helps to raiseawareness of Pfizer among local organizations
A pocket-sized booklet was produced containingkey facts and figures about the Healthy Communitiesprogram This gives employees especially seniorleaders at-a-glance information on the programallowing them to act as ambassadors for Pfizerrsquoscommunity investment work
Senior leaders at Pfizer Sandwich are keenadvocates of the program and having a clearbrand helps them communicate its benefits andraise awareness both internally and externally
Next stepsDespite its award-winning status there are plansto take Healthy Communities even further Theseinclude further research into employee feedbackand closer links to personal development plans InPfizer at Sandwichrsquos Global Operations functionvolunteering forms part of personal objectives ndashthis is an aspiration for the rest of the business
Pfizer also wants to improve team volunteeringand a toolkit is being prepared for team leaderswho wish to get involved in volunteering
Finally in order to share knowledge and bestpractice around community investment with otherlocal businesses Pfizer is hosting a Kentmembership network in conjunction with KentCounty Council This will help Pfizer work closelywith the local authority and bring local businessestogether to share ideas and collaborate toimprove their impact on the community scm
1 httpwwwbitcorguk
CONTACT DETAILS
Pam BakerPfizerpambakerpfizercom
Christine JenkinsCC Workschristinejenkinsccworkscouk
28 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Editorrsquos noteSucceeding in internal communication probablyisnrsquot all that different to succeeding in anyprofession understand whatrsquos expected of you dothe job well and deliver results But when youspeak to practitioners about how they personallyturned the corner in their careers and started tomake an impact it soon becomes clear that thereare many dos and donrsquots that can help or hinderprogress This article provides a handy checklistfor those with ambitious development plans
John G ClemonsVice President CommunicationsRaytheon Technical Services Co Llc
Take the initiativeThere have been a few career-defining momentsfor me Among them was the time when I realizedthat I was moving from a manager level to the
decision-making role of a director I worked for a senior executive who hired me
from a rival telecommunications company Uponjoining the company I developed strategiccommunication plans to address various businesschallenges During the development process Iperiodically checked in with my supervisor to gethis input and approval ndash probably more thannecessary ndash before moving to the next steps in planning
One day he called me into his office and saidthat while he liked the work I was doing for himhis expectation when he hired me as a directorwas that I would take the initiative in the job relyless on his frequent input and move forward with implementation and measurement Hewanted results
His counsel was along the lines of ldquoI hired youto do a directorrsquos job so do the job of a directorYou donrsquot have to get permission to make adifferencerdquo
Meet commitments and think strategicallyHis direction motivated me to take moreresponsibility at this new job level This alsomeant that I had to not just manage but leadmeet commitments and think more strategicallyto continue to earn not only his confidence butthe support of the entire leadership team
Irsquove found that being a communicationprofessional who is also a leader that can betrusted can get things done and truly support thegoals and objectives of an organization will notonly impress others but help build your credibilityand lead to success
How to get ahead ininternal communication
The path that leads internal communicators to thetop of their profession isnrsquot always an obvious oneWhich is why we asked a range of senior practitioners
to share their thoughts and experiences on gaining therespect of those who matter Whether its senior leadersfellow employees or your own team yoursquore looking toimpress these responses provide useful insight into howto make sure you and your work gets noticed
Senior practitioners share their views on how togain influence and credibility
COMPILED BY MANDY THATCHER
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
29scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Mark DarbyHead of Internal CommunicationsVisaUK
Be smart sharp and stubbornThe biggest lesson Irsquove learned and keep havingto remind myself is that I need to be smart sharpand stubborn to get ahead This is what thosewords mean to me in a work context
Smart I need to understand what Visa is doingand what people think about the business Thismeans constantly spending time in differentdepartments and learning from them I know whoour customers are what our challenges are andwhat our current financial performance is I havecontacts in most departments who have a fingeron the pulse which means I can have a relevantconversation with a senior person from any department
Sharp Internal communication is rarely near thetop of the agenda for senior people and my timewith them is usually short I always try to talkabout the impact on business performance assoon as possible If I circulate a document it willbe summarized to a single page at most and Idonrsquot use PowerPoint I ask a lot of ldquoonerdquo questionssuch as ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing you want employeesto do differentlyrdquo or ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing youwant me to change over the next six monthsrdquo
Stubborn I know what I want internal communica-tion to achieve at Visa and it has the support ofthe senior team Irsquove built up knowledge frombooks and articles I use my education from theBlack Belt training course1 and I speak to formercolleagues With this knowledge Irsquove becomestubborn and good at saying no because I have theinformation to back up my arguments Irsquove stoppedmy team from picking up extra projects that wonrsquotdeliver much value We focus only on projects thatadd the most value to the business and we deliveron these really well Successful delivery is thebiggest influence on any senior person
Monika StaffordHead of Internal CommunicationLloyds TSBUK
Be creative and focus on a killer issueUsing creative solutions to bring to life importantndash but often dull ndash programs can create a shinethat stretches beyond project boundaries For
example I worked on the implementation of SAPndash a business-critical systems program ndash requiringbehavior change from swathes of key yetuninterested people Successful implementationwas a big risk to get right but it was as dull asdishwater to communicate
Luckily there was a ldquoEurekardquo moment Byaligning the SAP story with the metaphor ofFormula-1 racing we could tell the tale of how itwould fulfill our need to create winningperformances for both the individual driver aswell as the back-up team in order to perform wellon the road ahead This storyline was a perfectmatch for the programrsquos objectives
Launch speakers from Formula 1 great designwork not to mention fantastic collateral allresulted in a no-hitch implementation that reallyresonated with people The global companypicked it up as the approach for worldwide rollout So faced with tedium it can actually pay tostare out of the window for creative inspiration
My other piece of advice is Focus on a killerissue If you really want to get ahead (and do besure you really do as being at the center ofchange is often akin to being in the eye of ahurricane ndash itrsquos no place for the feint-hearted)learn what keeps your business leaders up atnight Use your stakeholder-management skills toget to the people you need to help you deliversolutions then execute execute execute
Focus on value-adding work only because ifyou end up working on your companyrsquos cul-de-sacprojects yoursquoll never shine brightly enough forthe leaders in your company to notice you 3
COMPETENCY
Planning internal communication 76
Linking corporate messages to corporate vision 73
CEO communication 63
Change communication 60
Communicating to diverse audiences 60
Using the intranet as a communication tool 54
Defending your department in internal political battles 43
Line manager communication 42
Professional development of internal communication staff 33
Helping employees cope with information overload 32
Securing the appropriate level of budget for internal communication 30
Measuring the effectiveness of internal communication 28
Figure One Table from The Pulse report showing the percentage of communicators who ratethemselves as effective or very effective at listed competencies
30 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
WHATrsquoS CHANGED IN THE LAST 25 YEARS
David MoorcroftSenior Vice PresidentCorporate CommunicationsRBC Financial Group Canada
Irsquom constantly amazed at the changes that have taken place in our professionover the last 25 years and the degree of talent and knowledge required bycommunicators today to do their jobs well
Back in 1979 when I started in corporate PR the major skill sets werewriting editing and great media contacts Today good editorial skills are justtable stakes and the ability to understand business adapt technology thinkstrategically plan consummately and influence stakeholders are what landsenior communicators a seat at the management table
This change has been driven by the globalization of business the advent ofnew 247 media including the Internet the growing sophistication ofcustomers and employees increased demands for corporate transparency andmore rigorous requirements for high standards of public disclosure andfinancial reporting
MORE SKILLS THAN EVER BEFOREAs a result todayrsquos business communicator has to be more capable andknowledgeable and have more skills than ever before They must befinancially literate and technologically savvy They must understand the impactof evolving accounting and disclosure rules They must deal with legal HRpolitical and business issues And they must be prepared to deal with amultitude of potential crises that can arise at any moment in any language inany part of the world
Perhaps most challenging senior management today expects clear bottom-line returns for their investments in communication Itrsquos no longer enough toinform audiences and measure communication outputs CEOs expectcommunication to engage audiences and produce outcomes ndash something thatrequires strategic thinking planning and foresight
A friend of mine who left a senior corporate PR job to become COO of amajor public utility recently summed up the role of todayrsquos communicator thisway ldquoItrsquos one of the most important and critical roles in organizations todayand yet itrsquos often one of the least recognized and appreciatedrdquo
That sentiment may be a reality in some organizations today but with moreand more CEOs beginning to realize the bottom-line value of communication itwonrsquot be 25 years from now
Christina FeeSenior Vice President InternalCommunicationsDeutsche Post AGGermany
Seek out the important projectsI canrsquot pretend to have employed a specificapproach to my ldquopersonal PRrdquo at all But in theorganizations Irsquove worked for Irsquove had theopportunity to work on a number of excitinghigh-profile projects that have connected me withsenior stakeholders and influential people atdifferent levels
7
Irsquove learned a great deal from the project teamsIrsquove worked with and also due to the significanceand scope of the projects been able todemonstrate my worth approach and skills Irsquovehad to be passionate stand up for what I believein and think outside the box constantly
My roles within DHLDeutsche Post haveallowed me the freedom and flexibility to developand deliver new ideas but Irsquove also had to practiceand embody excellent internal communicationskills myself Having developed credibility and trustwith those that matter based on my track record Iwas allowed to go ahead with other projects
I donrsquot actively pursue the ldquoright relationshipsrdquobut rather let my work and my interactions withpeople speak for themselves This has helped medevelop mentors and supporters naturally Mylearning and development has also been expandedby the opportunity to work abroad and learn moreabout intercultural communication and interaction
Marc SilversideHead of Internal CommunicationsMacmillan Cancer SupportUK
Understand whatrsquos expected of youA newly established role heightens the need formaking a good impression so that people trustyou and feel they can come to you for advice
When I joined Macmillan I very nearly got thiswrong Perhaps this is an example that otherrsquos canlearn from
When my new CEO at Macmillan CancerSupport asked for a meeting ldquoafter a few weeks tosettle inrdquo I was confident that my wide-ranginginduction would help me understand the businessand provide the basis for what Irsquod present tosenior management
Forty structured face-to-face managerinterviews allowed me to understand needs andkey issues and I started to build personal rapportMy profile was raised and at the same timeinternal communication gained good visibility
Externally I networked with contacts in similarroles in other charities and soon found thebeginnings of a voluntary-sector network This hassince grown to over 25 members
By the time my CEO slot arrived I was armedwith input from across the charity and the resultsof an audit I felt well prepared to present myvision and solutions So I was surprised to be metwith significant resistance
I later discovered that my CEO intelligence wasincorrect What he wanted was to be askedspecifically about his own views on what internalcommunication should do and what I could do for
How to get ahead in internal communication
31scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
HOW DO YOUR SKILLS MEASURE UPFor Melcrumrsquos study into budgets salaries and trends in internalcommunication in 200607 we asked survey respondents to rate their owneffectiveness at a range of key communication competencies from planning tomeasurement The results may surprise you
For example 76 percent of respondents rate themselves as effective or veryeffective at planning internal communication but only 28 percent ratethemselves as equally effective at measuring its effectiveness (see Figure Onepage 29)
In her commentary on the results development expert Sue Dewhurst hadthe following to say
OUR STRENGTHSIt seems where we see our strengths as internal communicators is towards theldquofront endrdquo of the communication planning process For example being able tolink a plan to the business strategy knowing our audiences and being able tojoin up the dots and show people how messages link to the business vision
These are powerful strengths We are one of the few functions that tends tohave an overarching view of our entire company and is able to view thecompany and its strategy from a number of different perspectives Being ableto understand the vision and strategy view it from an audience perspectiveand then create line of sight to show what those things mean in practicalterms for peoplersquos day-to-day roles is one of the ways that we help drivebusiness performance ndash by showing people what they need to do to take thestrategy forward
In turn by knowing and working with our audiences hopefully wersquore thenalso able to make sure their views and suggestions can help shape the strategyand how itrsquos put into practice
MEASURING EFFECTIVENESSWe see ourselves as less effective towards the back end of the planningprocess in measuring the effectiveness of internal communication which tiesin with the feeling from previous questions that in fact wersquore not doing muchmeasurement or demonstrating our return on investment
Research and measurement is an area where there is plenty of expertisearound to call on There are measurement conferences research reports andpublications to understand what other organizations are doing and practicaltraining that will give you the opportunity to work in a smaller group askquestions and practice techniques For help with specific techniques try yourinternal marketing team Marketers are generally great with data and well-versed in running focus groups and putting together surveys If you have anexternal provider to support your employee engagement research try them too
Source The Pulse Essential data on budgets salaries and trends 2006-07wwwmelcrumcom
him rather than how I could benefit the charity Ihad to change my approach fast
This could have cost me my best ambassadorfrom day one So my advice is make sure yoursquoreabsolutely clear about whatrsquos expected from you
Of course the insights I gained in my first fewmonths have been valuable and since then myresults have done the talking Fortunately theCEO soon became an internal communicationsconvert and advocate
Darren CrozierCommunications ManagerHBOS plcUK
Make things happenDelivery is key to career development ndash if you sayyoursquore going to do something make sure you doit Put in the effort get the results you want andbe known as someone who can make things happenIf yoursquore seen to ldquoget things donerdquo no matter howsmall the job is people are more likely to get youinvolved in activities and ask your opinion
Gaining credibility and respect from seniorcolleagues is important but everyone in yourorganization will form an opinion of you from thepeople in the canteen right through to the CEOSo try and make sure that their opinion of you is agood one
Itrsquos not just the people within your immediatesphere of influence who can have an impact onyour career so extend your network go oncourses and get involved in professionalorganizations Many of my close workingrelationships career opportunities and indeedpersonal friendships have come from meetingpeople at such events and taking the time to keepin touch You never know how things will develop
Itrsquos also vital to earn respect be trustworthy andhave good manners To recall what an ex-bossonce said ldquoBe careful how you treat people onthe way up as you never know when you maycome across them againrdquo
One of the biggest challenges Irsquove found inrecent times is recognizing my own success andselling myself Sometimes you need to take a stepback to realize just what yoursquove achieved Evenbetter keep a log or portfolio of your successesand donrsquot be shy to speak about them becauseothers wonrsquot be shy to speak about theirs
Finally try and have some fun along the wayWe all have to work for a living so learn to makethe most of it scm
1 For more about Melcrumrsquos Internal Communication Black Belttraining program go to wwwmelcrumcom
32 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pitney Bowes has followed an aggressive strategyof growth through acquisition completing 60+acquisitions since 2001 Expansion has broadenedits product mix to include an extensive range ofsolutions from office equipment to globalpositioning software
But the companyrsquos many different specialismsand huge outsourcing operations meant that themajority of its 34000 employees werenrsquot aware ofthe full range of its service offering and thepotential for different divisions to work together
As Rob Hallam vice president EmployeeCommunication explains there was a strongbusiness case for adopting a ldquoone companyrdquoapproach ldquoBecause the businesses tended to besomewhat siloed even senior managers werefocused on their divisions
ldquoAlso because we were acquiring companiesand evolving so rapidly managers werenrsquot awareof a lot of the businesses and how they all workedtogether in the mailstreamrdquo says Hallam ldquoWewere missing out on potential cross-sellingopportunitiesrdquo
Communicating a new visionFour years ago Pitney Bowes created a OneCompany Vision statement ldquoOur aim was toensure support and cooperation across thebusiness so we could provide a comprehensive setof customer solutions ndash not just a list of productsand services by business unitrdquo says Hallam Theinternal communication challenge was to drawtogether 34000 employees and build a unifiedcorporate culture The communication strategyfocused on three key elements
1 PeopleThis focused on involving the leadershipstrengthening a two-way dialogue betweenmanagement and employees communicating theculture through leadership messaging enterprise-wide events and roadshows and buildingengagement so that everyone was workingtogether towards a One Company approach
2 ProcessesThis meant integrating the One Companyapproach into the organizationrsquos operations andinfrastructure by shifting management roles andadjusting incentives and reward structuresthroughout the company
The first step was to consolidate the companyrsquosoperating activities by appointing Murray DMartin as president and chief operating officer inSeptember 2004 Martinrsquos mantra is ldquoThink AsOne Act as One Operate As One to deliverwhat no other company canrdquo
ldquoThe COO position had previously been heldby the chairman so elevating someone to that
Communicating a OneCompany culture atPitney Bowes
Following rapid growth in the form of more than 60acquisitions over six years silo-working haddeveloped at Pitney Bowes and leaders were failing
to take advantage of profitable cross-selling opportunitiesHere Rob Hallam describes the communication elementsof a ldquoOne Companyrdquo culture-change program which hasturned the situation around simultaneously improvingcustomer service and boosting profits
Persuading disparate businessunits to work together
AN INTERVIEW WITH ROB HALLAM
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Pitney Bowes is an 87-year-old company best known forthe manufacturing operationand oversight of postagemeters It has over two millioncustomers more than 3500active patents and annualrevenue of close to $6 billion
33scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
role was a big changerdquo explains Hallam ldquoAll thebusiness units now report to a single individual atoperating level It represented a huge positivemove to start the company operationalizing OneCompany behaviorrdquo
The internal communication function wasrestructured to ensure that consistent messagingreached the entire employee population Regularmeasurement was a key part of the changeinitiative This served to define the contributionof communicating a One Company approachwhere it was adding value to Pitney Bowes and itsclients and customers and where there was stillwork to do
3 TechnologyIt was important to find the best ways to cascademessages throughout the company and keeppeople informed about what was going onwithout bombarding them with irrelevantcommunication Hallam and his team deploy avariety of channels and media including internalprint and online publications voicemail and e-mail Pitney Bowes is also in the process ofintegrating its different voicemail systems and e-mail platforms into one global system
Involving senior leadership from the outsetThe One Company strategy was an overridingpolicy that started at the top of the organizationldquoThere was a big launch at the strategic leadersrsquomeeting which is held every Januaryrdquo saysHallam ldquoThe messaging was then driven throughthe organization via a companywide globalcommunication strategyrdquo
From the outset the policy was championed bythe CEO Michael Critelli who believes thatculture is central to the Pitney Bowes brand andsaid recently ldquoMy first measure of success iswhether we are behaving as one companyrdquo Thiscommitment helped to ensure that the culturalchange was reinforced by parallel changes to thecorporate infrastructure
Building a two-way dialogueThe next step was to get the employee populationinvolved and build enterprisewide enthusiasm forthe culture change Pitney Bowes has alwaysrecognized the value of a two-way dialoguebetween management and employees and hasheld annual jobholders meetings which aresimilar to shareholdersrsquo meetings for 61 years In2005 Hallam reinvented it as an initiative calledOne Forum ndash a series of roadshows focusing oncommunicating the One Company culturethroughout the organization
Launching the One ForumIn 2005 Hallam and his team created an original
and memorable One Forum launch for the 90percent of Pitney Bowes employees based in theUS Around a quarter of US employees saw thisin person the others received a link to a websitewith streaming highlights
ldquoWe put together a two-hour roadshow eventwhich helped people to understand our OneCompany approach and made them aware of allthe businesses we were inrdquo says Hallam ldquoThethinking was that high change requires high touchFace-to-face can have far greater impact on theindividuals touched From there itrsquos a matter ofripple effect such as seeing improved One Forumbrand awareness among employees who didnrsquotactually attend one of the eventsrdquo
ldquoWe wanted the roadshow to be entertainingand energizing so we used gameshow techniquescustom-written songs and comedy specificallytailored to Pitney Bowes employees It was a funevent but it also included a keynote speech fromthe CEO and a lot of question-and-answersessions with employees It was entertainmentwith a purpose and it was a great success with employeesrdquo
The post-event employee evaluations provedthe success of this approach ldquoIn some cities anincredible 90 percent of employees gave the eventa top-box rating This shows that there was ahunger for both the knowledge and theapproachrdquo adds Hallam
Taking the show on the roadThe One Forum roadshow has become an annualevent ldquoIn a five-month period during 2005 therewere 17 One Forum events in 12 US citiesreaching about 6000 peoplerdquo says Hallam ldquoAftersome testing in March and April the first bigroadshows started in early May and continued forsix months with the final one in early Decemberin Seattle 3
Rob Hallam is vice presidentEmployee Communication atPitney Bowes (PB) in StamfordConnecticut where hersquos beenresponsible for internalcommunication strategy andimplementation since 2004Hallam has led a team ofprofessionals in reshapingcommunication at PB resultedin the communication teamearning the top ranking in HRdepartment satisfaction fromall PBrsquos US managers in 2005and 2006
KEY POINTSbull Internal communication has played an important role in embedding a
One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
bull The communication strategy focused on three key elements peopleprocess and technology
bull The campaign has been championed by the CEO from the outset andhas won senior leadership support over time
bull An entertaining roadshow helped win employee commitment
bull Cross-selling ratios have jumped substantially since the culture-changeeffort began
34 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ldquoIn 2006 we compressed the programsubstantially and drove down costs while stilltouching 6000 employees Together with ourcorporate marketing group we also introduced anextremely successful lsquoelevator speechrsquo that helpsemployees answer the much-feared questionlsquoWhat does Pitney Bowes dorsquordquo
Local variationsAlthough the entertainment component in theroadshows contributed to their success it wasspecific to the US so Hallam gave business unitsand internal communicators in other regions theresponsibility for communicating the OneCompany approach to local employees ldquoInCanada and the UK they conducted town-hallmeetings and in Latin America and other parts ofthe world they produced their own variations onthe One Forum theme We made sure that theyhad the information they needed but we limitedthe entertainment to English-speaking regionsrdquo
A commitment to employee engagementThe appointment of the new COO and the launchof the One Forum roadshows coincided with thefirst employee engagement survey in late 2004ldquoWe see engagement as very much tied to ourability to execute a One Company strategy andchange our culturerdquo says Hallam He sets outfour ways in which employee engagement isinstilled at all levels in the organization
1 Visible leadership commitment to engagementThe CEO underlines his commitment by sendingregular messages to employees via a variety ofmedia including voicemail and print and onlinepublications He also uses engagement scores todetermine a unitrsquos overall performance rating andbonus pool ldquoWhen one senior execrsquos bonus poolwas reduced due to poor engagement scores that
was a message requiring no communication planrdquosays Hallam ldquoWord spread quicklyrdquo
2 Celebrating top performers Pitney Bowes celebrates its top engagementperformers by running cover stories in its globalprint and online publication PB Today ldquoThisprogram was called lsquoThe Faces of Pitney Bowesrsquordquosays Hallam ldquoWe did 10 of these last year so theyran twice in five editions Wersquove also producedlarge mural-sized photos of those managers andtheir teamsrdquo he says ldquoWe celebrate success andpublish it everywhere Our CEO loves it and wersquoreactually selling part of our contemporary artcollection which decorates the building to makeroom for an expansion of additional OneCompany and Engagement photography all ofwhich will focus on our employeesrdquo
3 Incentivizing managers via the reward systemEmployee engagement is recognized andreinforced in the companyrsquos formal processesincluding its reward system ldquoWe use a tool calledthe Strategic Architecture which is our balancedscorecardrdquo explains Hallam ldquoItrsquos a Six-Sigma toolwhich measures employee shareholder andcustomer value Managersrsquo engagement scoresalso factor into their annual reviews soengagement has a direct impact on remunerationrdquo
4 Rewarding engagementA further program called Rapid Rewards awardscash bonuses to managers and employees foroutstanding behavior including that related toemployee engagement
Aligning the communication strategyHallam and his team are responsible fordelivering the overall employee communicationstrategy ldquoWe had to dramatically improve ourstrategic approach in order to make OneCompany a realityrdquo he says
In addition to organizing campaigns such as theOne Forum roadshows to publicize the culturechange across the enterprise Hallam hasintroduced initiatives aimed at improving thereach and delivery of internal communication andmaking sure messages get to their intendedaudiences He has also aligned the structure ofthe internal communication function with thecompanyrsquos unified culture
ldquoThere were a lot of different communicationgroups so we brought together all thecommunication leaders and formed a singleInternal Communications Councilrdquo explainsHallam ldquoThis means that the communicationfunctions in the different business units areworking together to help drive change andimprove coordinationrdquo
Communicating a One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
ldquoWHEN A SENIOR EXECrsquoS BONUS WAS REDUCEDDUE TO POOR ENGAGEMENT SCORES THAT WASA MESSAGE REQUIRING NO COMMUNICATIONPLAN WORD SPREAD QUICKLYrdquo
7
FURTHER RESOURCES3 THE IMPACT OF CULTURE AND CLIMATE ON CHANGE PROGRAMS
An article published in SCM Volume 10 Issue 6 OctoberNovember 2006
3 DRIVING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE CORPORATE CULTUREMelcrumrsquos report on communication tools techniques and best practicefrom leading organizationswwwmelcrumcom
35scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Developing a global approachHallam is also responsible for a globalcommunication project called Universal Reachwhich is sponsored by the chairman and designedto support and maintain a unified corporateculture ldquoOur goal is to provide 90 percentmessage accessibility within our key customer-facing audiencesrdquo he explains ldquoThe biggestchallenge is integrating our online communicationinfrastructure which has nine different voicemailsystems operating across the world and multiplee-mail and web platforms Wersquore pulling all thattogether to provide better reachrdquo
Since 911 the CEO and other top executiveshave broadcast weekly audio messages calledPower Talks Hallamrsquos team has worked with theleadership to ensure that they incorporate OneCompany messages and as he explains they reachmost of the employee population ldquoAbout 20000of our employees have voicemail Those whodonrsquot receive the Power Talk message either inprint or online In some divisions managers playthe Power Talk messages in staff meetingsrdquo
Engaging leadership reinforces the cultureBuilding on the CEOrsquos commitment to a OneCompany approach Hallam and his team haveorganized leadership events ndash most recently at thestrategic leadersrsquo meeting in December 2006 ndashshowing Pitney Bowes as one company in actionThis campaign has helped to engage the top 150managers in the culture change
ldquoOur post-event evaluations show a strongmove numerically in senior leadershiprsquos belief thatwersquore operating as one companyrdquo says Hallam(see Figure One above) ldquoAs theyrsquore our toughestjudges wersquore pleased by the significant differencein pre- and post-event measurementrdquo There wasalso an improvement in leadersrsquo understanding ofthe companyrsquos new mailstream category
Sustaining the new cultureAccording to Hallam rippling out the OneCompany messaging requires a consistent andcoordinated approach Communication leaders inthe various divisions are now working to weaveOne Company messages into the business-unitmeetings ldquoA lot of the messaging that welaunched at the strategic leadersrsquo meeting arebeing reiterated at the business unit level Thatrsquosbeen facilitated through the InternalCommunications Councilrdquo he says
ldquoKey metrics for the culture change programfocus on cross-selling ratios which have jumpedsubstantially since the culture change effortbeganrdquo says Hallam ldquoIn 2002 we also institutedthe ldquoPB1 Awardsrdquo which is a chairmanrecognition award that goes to teams who bestembody cross-functional behavior in working on
projects which improve our clientsrsquo profitabilityour profitability or bothrdquo
ldquoHowever wersquore only really a year into thisMuch of the evidence is anecdotal but what haschanged is that our managers have broadenedtheir vision and are thinking as solutions-providers rather than product-sellers As suchtheyrsquore involving other business units out of theirdesire to eliminate customer pain points ndashregardless of which part of Pitney Bowes gets the salerdquo
Adding value to customersUltimately managers and employees who arewell-informed about the companyrsquos products andservices are in a good position to take advantageof cross-selling opportunities Realizing thispotential enables Pitney Bowes to make extrasales to existing customers thereby increasing itsprofit margins and allowing customers to benefitfrom a mix of products and services
Shifting to a unified culture directly benefitsboth Pitney Bowes and its customers ldquoByfocusing on the whole cadre of products andservices we can help our customers improve theirbusinessesrdquo says Hallam ldquoThatrsquos where OneCompany is critical It enables our clients tobenefit from all our servicesrdquo scm
Figure One Measuring the impact of the strategic leadersrsquo meeting
CONTACT DETAILS
Rob HallamPitney Bowesrobhallampbcom
I BELIEVE THAT OUR SENIOR LEADERS (MEANING THE TOP 15 EXECS) AREWORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO DELIVER INTEGRATED HIGH-VALUESOLUTIONS TO OUR CUSTOMERS
Pre SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 73
Post SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 92
Gain in two months time 19
ldquoMANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WELL-INFORMED ABOUT THE COMPANYrsquoS PRODUCTSAND SERVICES ARE IN A GOOD POSITION TOTAKE ADVANTAGE OF CROSS-SELLINGrdquo
2007
36 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
MELCRUM TRAINING amp EVENTS
CALENDAR 2007UKEUROPESOCIAL MEDIA FORUM FORINTERNAL COMMUNICATORS UK
3 21-22 March 2007 Hilton Canary WharfLondon UKThis forum is designed for practitioners who wantto make social media part of their internalcommunication strategy Over two dayscompanies such as IBM Microsoft and BT willshare case studies demonstrating their use ofsocial-media tools Technology experts will also beon hand to provide training and show you how touse these tools
THE 3RD ANNUAL EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT CONFERENCE UK
3 22-24 May 2007 Millennium GloucesterLondon UK22 May ndash Practical workshops23-24 May ndash Two-day conferenceThis event will focus on transforming yourstrategies into action Listen to case studies fromcompanies that have achieved real andmeasurable results from their engagement effortsLearn how they did it what they achieved and howthe results were measured
THE 6TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT UK
3 16-18 October 2007 London UK After the huge success of the 2006 UK StrategicCommunication Management Summit next yearrsquosevent will once again provide you withpresentations from key figures in the industry anda chance to network with your peers Mark yourdiaries now ndash more details to follow
THE 3RD ANNUAL INTERNALCOMMUNICATION MEASUREMENTCONFERENCE UK
3 27-29 November 2007 London UKDetails available soon ndash mark your diary now
NORTH AMERICATHE 3RD ANNUAL CONFERENCEON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENTBUILDING AND SUSTAINING ACULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT
3 28 February ndash 1 March 2007 Crowne PlazaAtlanta-Buckhead Atlanta USLearn how to foster an environment whereemployees feel valued and respected Hear fromcompanies including Dow Corning CorporationAmerican Express Delta Hotels and Merck
THE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT US
3 26-28 March 2007 Crowne Plaza UnionSquare San Francisco26 March ndash Pre-conference workshops27-28 March ndash Two-day summitAttend this conference and discover how toimprove employee alignment with all segments ofyour internal audience ndash from your front-lineemployees to your executive officers bothnationally and worldwide
AUSTRALIATHE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION ENGAGEMENTSUMMIT SYDNEY
3 31 July ndash 2 August 2007 Sydney Australia Details available soon ndash mark your diary now
WEBINARSDEVELOPING PROFESSIONALCOMPETENCE
3 Thursday 22 February 2007 with LiamFitzPatrick and Sue Dewhurst
HELPING YOUR ORGANIZATIONTHRIVE DURING TURBULENTTIMES
3 Thursday 29 March 2007 with Carol KinseyGoman
TRAININGTHE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT PROGRAM
3 24-25 April and 1-2 May 2007 HenleyManagement College UK3 11-12 and 27-28 September 2007 Cranfield
School of Management UK
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT MASTERCLASSEFFECTIVE MEASUREMENT
3 14-15 March 2007 Hendon Hall Hendon UKAn essential two-day intensive training courses forinternal communicators on effective measurementRegister early as places are strictly limited to 20people per Masterclass
CSR DELIVERY ENGAGEMENT amp LEADERSHIP
3 19-20 April 2007 Central LondonOsney MediaWith an excellent speaker line-up from high-profile companies including Procter amp Gamble The BodyShop ExxonMobil Microsoft Belgium Vodafone UK Dell Ericsson and Alliance Boots this case studybased event will answer questions including how do Ibull Build a CSR-oriented leadershipbull Get people on boardbull Integrate CSR with the global strategy of the companybull Deliver CSR throughout the company to make it really happen
For more information visit wwwcsrleadershipcom or e-mail mariame_lindellosneymediacouk (Reference code 910MLC3)
38 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
DESIGN
YELLOW
The future success of all organisations will be builton trust understanding passion empowermentintegrity and relationships
The future is cool exciting sparkling organisationsbursting with energy life and action
The future of brand is the internal brand first andforemost
The future is colleague as customer
Turning communications upside down
No just inside-out
Be part of the future say hello to Yellow
We help large organisations bring their communicationsstrategies to life through the imaginative use of liveevents multimedia web and design ndash distributed acrossall media platforms including DVD TV mobile devicesintranet and extranet
Ultimately developing internal brands and ongoingcommunications that have a measurable impact onpeople-performance advocacy and the bottom line
Contact Paul MiddletonTel +44 (0)161 228 6700E-mail paulmiddletonyellowcomcomWebsite wwwyellowcomcom
NEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
DESIGN
BLUE GOOSE
blue goose specialize in visual communications We make communications work faster and better We will link what wedo back to your objectives but we donrsquot talk (or charge for) ldquostrategyrdquo when you simply want tactical implementation Weuse design and creativity tobull differentiate products and services bull develop and manage corporate and brand identity bull align external communications with agreed values bull internalize corporate and brand identitybull align internal communications with agreed values bull support organizational change and bull help organizations better understand and define who they are
We work for clients as diverse as PricewaterhouseCoopers Ford Europe Centrica plc Greene King City of London Policeand Le Meacuteridien
blue goose is for any organization more interested in designing their future than watching it happen
Contact Chris BarringtonE-mail thinkingbluegoosecoukTel +44 (0)20 8869 8500Web site wwwbluegoosecouk
CONSULTANCY
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION ampSURVEYS PTY LTD
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd is aboutique consultancy based in Sydney Australia Itspecializes in employee communication strategiessystems research and employee surveys of all kindsPrincipal Rodney Gray has been involved inorganizational consulting for over 20 years following a15-year career as a corporate human resourcesexecutive Services includebull Employee communication audits and surveys by
questionnaires focus groups and interviewsbull Employee communication systems strategies and
processesbull Employee communication training workshops and
talksbull Employee culture climate and opinion surveysbull Qualitative organizational diagnosis (focus groups
and interviews)bull Internal service quality research (qualitative and
quantitative)
Contact Rodney GrayTel +61 (0)2 9909 2900 Fax +61 (0)2 9909 2911E-mail rodneyrodneygraycomauWeb site wwwemployee-communicationcomau
CONSULTANCY
HEDRON
Internal and change communication that helps teamsand individuals to develop strategies relationshipsprocesses and skills to engage stakeholders supporthigh performance and deliver change
ldquoSharp strategic thinking quality execution effectiveinterpersonallyhelliprdquo ldquoCreativity drive resourcefulnessresults great funhelliprdquo say clients
All sectors ndash ABN AMRO AXA BT Cadbury SchweppesDepartment for Constitutional Affairs HealthcareCommission Group 4 Securicor SABMiller SiemensSouthern Rail Unilever Wincanton
Our clients are happy to tell you what itrsquos like workingwith us
Contact Helena MemoryTel + 44 (0) 20 7493 0735Fax + 44 (0) 20 7493 0743E-mail helena-mhedroncomWeb site wwwhedroncom
CONSULTANCY
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
39scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
CONSULTANCY
SYNOPSIS
Founded by change and communication authority Bill Quirke in 1992 Synopsis is one of Europersquos leading internalcommunication consultancies Our clients include such companies as ABN Amro BBC BP British Airways DiageoEricsson HP Lloyds TSB Roche Shell and Vodafone
We help clients use internal communication to engage their employees in delivering business strategy and get most valuefrom their internal communication
We can help youbull Develop communication strategies that support your business strategybull Coach leadersbull Develop line managersrsquo communication skillsbull Plan and coordinate your communication with colleagues onlinebull Check the health of your communication channels and improve return on investmentbull Build and develop the communication functionbull Measure and track employee engagement attitudes and opinions
To take a tour of our online planning tool go to wwwsynopsisonlinecomproductplanningtoolasp
Contact Jane LebeauE-mail janelebeausynopsisonlinecomTel +44 (0) 20 7490 2900Web site wwwsynopsisonlinecom
CONSULTANCY
HARKNESS KENNETT
We specialize in internal communication To us thatmeansbull motivating people through inspiring leadershipbull guiding people through organizational changebull engaging people in delivering the brand
Working in partnership with our clients is central to ourethos enabling us to help deliver practical solutionssupported by solid strategic thinking All of ourconsultants have held senior positions ldquoclient siderdquo sowe know what itrsquos like to be in your shoes The vastmajority of our work comes from recommendations fromexisting clients ndash 82 percent of our clients haverequested repeat work in the last two years
Our clients include Abbey Atkins BDO Stoy HaywardThe Environment Agency Marks amp Spencer NHS Blood ampTransplant Morgan Stanley Europe Nestleacute PoliceInformation Technology Organisation Royal ampSunAlliance South West Trains and Vodafone
Our vision is simple ndash we want to be the first callyou make
Contact James HarknessTel +44 (0)1483 222730E-mail jamesharknessharknesskennettcomWeb site wwwharknesskennettcom
CONSULTANCY
TRIDENT COMMUNICATIONS
Trident Communications is uniquely positioned to definedevelop and deliver award-winning solutions that aligncommunication with business goals
We advise and partner with organizations of all sizes tocreate high-value practical applications Our talentedproject teams provide innovative research designeditorial and imagery for print and online
We connect ideas and deliver results
Contact Peter Agertoft Tel +44 (0)207 536 8900E-mail peteragertoft
tridentcommunicationsnetWeb site wwwtridentcommunicationsnet
CONSULTANCY
FLEISHMAN-HILLARD
Fleishman-Hillardrsquos dedicated internal and changecommunication practice helps businesses focus onperforming ndash not just informing
We help organisations plan and implement programmeswith the right mix of information dialogue and trainingso that employees are engaged aligned and motivatedto achieve business objectives
Because effective internal communication is vital tobottom-line performance we partner with our clients tocreate a daily dialogue ndash not a monologue ndash withemployees
Contact Nick AndrewsTel +32 (0)2 230 05 45 E-mail nickandrewsfleishmancomWeb site wwwfleishmaneuropecom
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE A listing in our Directory of Services will giveyou a chance to reach communicationprofessionals at some of the worldrsquos largestand most admired companies and to tap intodecision-making practitioners
ContactVincent SorelTel +44 (0)208 600 4670E-mail vincentsorelmelcrumcom
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
INCLUDE YOUR COMPANY BY CONTACTING US ON +44(0)20 8600 4670 OR AT INFOMELCRUMCOM
CONSULTANCY
HILL amp KNOWLTON
Better business results the bottom line
How do I manage more change Motivate managers Getthe right information to the right people Show the bestreturn on communication investment
Sound familiar Hill amp Knowltonrsquos change and internalcommunication consultants work with companies aroundthe world to find the right answers for their situation
We offer strategy insight and creativity drawing on ourconsultancy expertise and in-house experience Plus wedeliver practical hands-on help
We know that effective employee communication has adirect impact on the bottom line Working together wecan make it happen for you
Contact EMEA DavidFerrabeehillandknowltoncom
+44 (0) 7413 3176USA BarbaraEdlerhillandknowltoncom
+1 415 281-7160Canada KristaThompsonhillandknowltoncom
+1 613 786-9961
RECRUITMENT
VMA GROUP
VMA Group is one of the UKrsquos leading executive searchand selection consultancies specializing in internal andcorporate communication recruitment
For over 25 years VMA Group has provided the highestlevel of service to some of the most demanding globalorganizations developing a strong track record for thequality and professionalism of our search and selection work
We have in-depth specialist knowledge of the internalcommunication market and can provide high-qualitypermanent and interim candidates with expertise acrossinternal communication change management and widercorporate communication We understand the needs ofour clients intrinsically and strive to develop long-termrelationships with clients and candidates alike
Please call to discuss how we can help you find theideal candidate or if you wish to make a career move
Contact David BroomeTel +44 (0)20 7436 4243E-mail dbroomevmagroupcoukWeb site wwwvmagroupcouk
40 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONALCOMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS E-mail gaitensunityncsueduWeb site wwwconsultingsuccessorgTel 919 469 3895
CIB ndash BRITISH ASSOCIATION OFCOMMUNICATORS IN BUSINESSE-mail enquiriescibukcomWeb site wwwcibukcomTel +44 (0)870 121 7606
CCM ndash COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATIONMANAGEMENT E-mail membership
ccmconnectioncomWeb site wwwccmconnectioncomTel 866 463 4226
CPRS ndash THE CANADIAN PUBLICRELATIONS SOCIETYE-mail admincprscaWeb site wwwcprscaTel 416 239 7034
IABC ndash THE INTERNATIONALASSOCIATION OF BUSINESSCOMMUNICATORS E-mail service_centreiabccomWeb site wwwiabccomTel 415 544 4700
ICA ndash THE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONALLIANCE E-mail amandafoistericaukorgWeb site wwwiprorgukicaTel +44 (0)1628 642 044
CIPR ndash THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OFPUBLIC RELATIONS UKE-mail infoiprorgukWeb site wwwiprorgukTel +44 (0)20 7253 5151
IPRA ndash THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICRELATIONS ASSOCIATIONE-mail ipraseccompuservecomWeb site wwwipraorgTel +44 (0) 1372 461 188
PRSA ndash PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OFAMERICAE-mail resourcesprsaorgWeb site wwwprsaorgTel 212 460 1459
DIRECTORY OF SERVICESNEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
CONSULTANCY
6 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PEO
PLE
scm
Tell me about your roleUntil recently I was head of globalinternal communication at Dell but Imoved into a new role six months ago toleverage my consulting and agencybackground The best way to describe myrole is lead consultant for thecommunication function with a focus ondriving strategy and innovation
What does this role entailA priority right now is to develop andimplement Dellrsquos new digital-mediastrategy More broadly my mandate is tolook at what wersquore doing and should bedoing over the next six months and figureout how we can have more of an impactacross all our audiences
How would you describe the Dell cultureThe company is much bigger than it usedto be but the culture still has a strongbias for action and lack of complacencyThe expectation for our team is to remainnimble and proactive and look for waysto constantly improve and reinvent howwe do things My new position is a directreflection of that Therersquos a need for anoverarching perspective someone with acommunication and consultingbackground who can dive in developstrategies and direct projects
What projects are you working onWersquove already launched an internal andexternal blog and have just introduced
Studio Dell an online vlog outlet gearedto core customer groups containing videoclips product profiles and interviewsDell also recently established a presencein Second Life Part of my role is to helpkeep all these initiatives coordinated
What issues do you faceOne question wersquore looking to answer ishow to develop and expand our blogsShould we have external blogs for differentlanguage groups such as Japanese andMandarin And if so how do weproceed Internally should we developblogs for some of the regions orparticular divisions of the company
What have you learned about the social-media environmentWe were one of the first major globalcompanies to join the blogosphere Butthe general consensus initially amongobservers was that we were talking aboutissues that were relevant to us ratherthan customers or pundits outside DellWersquove learned from that and madechanges to ensure we listen as well as talk
What can social media do internallyLast year was a tumultuous year for Dell
in terms of our performance Employeesnow need regular updates and discussionaround the situation and what we plan todo to improve So the internalphilosophy is to be even more candidand transparent with employees thanwersquove been For example wersquore using theblog to facilitate conversations betweenemployees and executives
Have leaders resisted this approachTherersquos an understanding among leader-ship that we need to be candid and willingto listen to criticism and respond to itThe leadership team understand thatcredibility is paramount and are willingto share the facts wherever they can
What advice would you offer toorganizations about to start a blogSome companies make the mistake ofbeing enamoured with new technologybut donrsquot have a clear reason for using it
We were very clear about why we weregetting involved ndash to have betterconversations with our stakeholdersparticularly our customers This goalhelps us to define the rules ofengagement and guides the editorialcontent Externally if it isnrsquot relevant orhelpful to customers we donrsquot blog aboutit Our strategic purpose internally is tobe more transparent relevant andcredible when we talk to employees
Also do your homework We did a lotof benchmarking and looked at whatother companies were doing ndash good andbad ndash to get a sense of what we should bestriving for
Finally donrsquot just add to the noiseTherersquos already a huge volume ofinformation out there Thing about howyour blog can add something useful
How would you respond to the criticismDell received in the blogosphere last yearWe knew Dell would be criticized bysome of the influential bloggers Weknew there would be skepticism in viewof the companyrsquos customer service andfinancial issues in 2006 But we listenedadapted and learned from that Now thatwersquore part of the conversation amentality of continuous improvement isalways critical to doing well
DEVELOPING DELLrsquoS DIGITALMEDIA STRATEGY
Bernard Charland acts as lead in-house consultant for Dellrsquos global corporatecommunication function focusing on communication strategy and innovation Previousto this role he was director of Global Internal Communications for the company
Have a clear strategicreason for entering theblogosphere internally
or externally
Bernard Charlandrsquos varied background is proving valuable in his new role which isto focus on strategy and innovation within Dellrsquos global corporate communicationfunction A large part of this role currently is developing and coordinating Dellrsquosdigital-media strategy Here he describes whatrsquos been achieved so far future plansand lessons learned
PROFILE BERNARD CHARLAND
THOUGHT LEADER LEE SMITH
7scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PEO
PLE
scm
Lee Smith FCIPR is a director of Gatehouse specializing in internal communicationfor professional and financial services businesses He also authors the TalkingInternal Communication blog at wwwtalkingictypepadcom
had to give and I canrsquot pretend I wasalways a joy to be with during that period
It didnrsquot help that I lived nearly 80miles away in Birmingham During thoseyears I saw more of the M6 motorwaythan your average lorry driver I alsospent far too many nights eating badfood in cheap Manchester hotels all ofwhich eventually took its toll
Then came the exams nearly 30 hours of them Again Irsquod done myhomework so I managed to come awaywith decent marks
My final hurdle the dreadeddissertation took around two years tocomplete I chose to focus onorganizational identity and just to makemy life tougher decided to use a ratherobscure psychological researchtechnique Getting to grips with thatfinding the time to conduct lengthyinterviews analyze results and craft mytome was incredibly difficult
Being a perfectionist I took it right to the wire ndash submitting my finaldocument just before the universityrsquosultimate deadline
Time to celebrate Last month saw the end of my long andarduous journey The ritual of thegraduation ceremony was a fitting endingand helped draw a line under thatparticular chapter of my professionaldevelopment story
Therersquos no doubt that the course wasbeneficial and although the journey wassometimes difficult the experience wasmostly enjoyable I fell just 3 percentshort of the distinction grade I wantedbut Irsquom still very proud of myachievement And I know Irsquom now amuch more thoughtful and effectivecommunicator
Would I recommend the MSc route toother communicators Yes but I wouldmake sure they realize the enormity ofthe challenge A part-time MSc is not foreveryone It will demand considerabletime energy and effort and may welltake its toll on your personal life andyour waistline But if you persevere overthe long run it might just be worth itNow about that PhD
Irsquove always taken my professionaldevelopment seriously From themoment I entered the communicationprofession in 1991 Irsquove worked hard tohone existing skills build new ones andbroaden my knowledge Some havecalled me dedicated others obsessive
During those 16 years Irsquove participatedin dozens of training courses attendedmore than 50 conferences sacrificedmany an evening to study supported twoprofessional bodies judged industryawards written articles organizedevents volunteered for charities andmentored many aspiring communicators
My biggest development featYet all of this pales into insignificancewhen compared to my biggestdevelopmental feat so far ndash earning anMSc in Corporate Communication andReputation Management Itrsquos likecomparing a gentle stroll to scaling alarge mountain
I finally graduated from the Universityof Manchester Business School inDecember 2006 but it took me five longyears to reach that point Havingenrolled as a svelte twenty-something Igraduated an overweight and slightlygraying 35-year-old It was a slow andoccasionally painful assent
The first stepsBack in 2001 what appealed to me aboutthe course was its strategic focus Unlikesome post-graduate courses theManchester MSc is genuinely multi-
disciplinary touching on communicationtheory branding psychologystakeholder management ethics andbusiness strategy ndash to name a few
Itrsquos also refreshingly practicalcombining robust academic thinking withreal-world case studies While I wantedacademic rigor it was very important tome to be able to practically apply thelearning at work
It took me some time to understandthe relevance of the ldquoScrdquo in MSc Sciencewas a subject I detested at school but Irecognized its importance to my futureas a communicator I was also very awareof my own weakness in that area Thatrsquosone of the benefits Irsquove gained from thecourse ndash a real appreciation of goodresearch and the knowledge to do it well
Things went well academically though juggling part-time study with afull-time career is never easy I wasdisciplined enough to invest thenecessary time and to gradually work myway through the course reading list andgood marks followed
A balancing actThe course proved a little morechallenging on a personal level Work-life balance is hard enough to achieve letalone work-study-life balance Something
IS FURTHER STUDY THEROUTE FOR YOU
It takes dedicationbut a post-graduate
degree can beprofessionally and
personally beneficial
Who said professional development was easy Commitment perseverance andpatience are some of the attributes Lee Smith found invaluable as he workedtowards obtaining his masters degree
8 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TEC
HN
OLO
GY
scm
Creating dialogue within an organizationand encouraging involvement are two ofthe major attractions associated withblogs These were also the primary reasonsbehind the World Bankrsquos decision tolaunch their first internal blog last year
The occasion was the organizationrsquosannual meeting a series of events held inSingapore in 2006 This 10-day eventbrings together around 10000 peopleincluding media representatives to discussissues related to poverty reduction andinternational economic development
According to Egan traditionalmethods used previously to report on theevent such as articles video and audiolinks on the internet and intranet siteshad failed to spark employeesrsquo interest inthe progress and outcomes of the meetingsBlogging seemed like a good way drive toemployeesrsquo interest and involvement
Objectives of the blogEgan summarizes the objectives andrationale behind the blog as follows bull To provide an alternate voice to share
the business outcomes of the meetingsusing informal first-person reportingof behind-the-scenes activities
bull To encourage the use of otherresources by linking blog readers tomore serious information
bull To encourage employee interactionand increase dialogue
Throughout the event the blog wasupdated daily by the head of internalcommunication The entries wereunedited but reader comments weremoderated before they were posted
Outcomes and evaluationAccording to Egan this blogging experimentsurpassed their expectations by helpingto achieve the following three outcomes1 Renewed credibility for the voice of
internal communication ldquoCorporatecommunication always suffers thereputation of towing managementrsquosline The tone and delivery of theblog entries very clearly did not Wehad many comments along the linesof lsquoFinally the real storyrsquordquo
2 A feeling of inclusion ldquoBy providinga sense of the context and atmosphereemployees who didnrsquot attend theevent still felt like they were part ofit Many commented that lsquoFor thefirst time I feel Irsquom therersquordquo
3 Better awareness of the outcomes ofthe meetings ldquoThe blog provided thehook into other channels ofinformation which staff may nototherwise have consulted The first
thing some of the readers did in themorning was to check the blogrdquo
Egan admits that there were some whowere initially skeptical about bloggingldquoWe did have a couple of comments onthe blog saying lsquoThis is frivolousrsquo butothers responded by saying lsquoLighten upThis makes a nice change from all theboring official informationrsquordquo
Another problem was a potentiallyoffensive remark which had to be removedprompting the composition of an officialblogging policy to define the roles andresponsibilities of authors and commenters
Optimistic about the new toolFollowing on from the success of thisfirst blog the communication team hassince launched a variety of blogs some ofwhich have been successful others lessso Ironically a blog set up to discuss aworldwide conference on communicationgot minimal response Staff participationin external blogs has also been low ButEgan remains optimistic about thepotential of this tool
ldquoThere are millions of blogs out thereand lots of participation in them But ina business setting it takes a bit moretime before a community of practicedevelops and people believe that this is atrusted space where they can commentwithout being ridiculed or scornedrdquo
Advice to corporate bloggersTo build confidence in the tool Egan hasplans to launch an internal marketingcampaign and the organizationrsquos newintranet site will provide a forum forfuture blogging developments
Eganrsquos primary advice to fellowcorporate bloggers is to keep the contentgenuine ldquoIt becomes very obvious veryquickly who is doing the writingrdquo Shealso suggests keeping blogs topic or event-specific and avoiding general musings
Her final reminder is that blogsshouldnrsquot replace traditional tools butcompliment them ldquoBlogs can be fabulousbut you need to put them in context withthe other tools that are available Be veryclear about their purposerdquo
USING BLOGS TO INVOLVE ATWORLD BANK
Michele Egan is a senior communications officer in the World Bank Grouprsquos internalcommunications unit Among other tasks she leads the development and delivery ofthe grouprsquos electronic communication tools
Experimenting with blogsat the World Bank has
shed light on what worksand what doesnrsquot
In 2006 the World Bank set up a blog to spark interest and involvement in amajor organizationwide planning event The positive response has inspired a moreadventurous and experimental approach to blogging Based on recent experiencessenior communications officer Michele Egan reflects on the potential benefits andpitfalls of using this tool
MICHELLE EGAN
by Sona Hathi
INTRANETS EMBRACESOCIAL MEDIA
Neilson Normanrsquos latest report on thetop 10 intranet designs of 2007 shows anincrease in the use of multimedia andsocial media on intranet sites
Although multimedia was a significantfeature in last yearrsquos list this year seesphotos video news feeds and webcamsput to more innovative use Indicatingthat social media has not been a passingfad of 2006 many of the intranets haveimplemented popular Web 20 featureslike blogs (with specific business angles)and business-relevant wikis
Video is being used for training andcorporate communication butorganizations such as American ElectricPower have pushed the use of thischannel by setting up a TV studio forintranet productions offering employeesstreaming video and live webcasts
News feeds have long been used onintranets but this year the bestselections offer more relevant internaland external news and involveemployees by allowing them to ratestories and comment
Translation comes out topsMany of the reportrsquos winning intranetsoffer language translation for theirinternational employees Dow Chemicalfor example uses English for most globalcontent but translates important contentinto Dutch German French ItalianPortuguese and Spanish Selectedcontent is also translated into ChineseGreek Japanese and Thai
A total of 49 different technologyproducts are used by the reportrsquos topintranets with Windows Server GoogleSearch Appliance and SharePoint beingamong the most popular SH
httpwwwnngroupcom
9scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TEC
HN
OLO
GY
scmUPDATECALCULATING THEROI ON BLOGGING
The difficulty of placing a precisemonetary value on corporate blogging isone of the setbacks of this tool But anew report from Forrester calledCalculating the ROI of blogging offersways to identify the benefits costs andrisks that corporate blogging involvesusing a three-stage process 1 Quantify and assign value to the key
benefits of blogging 2 Estimate the costs of blogging3 Incorporate risk calculations into the
ROI model
The report describes how to measure theimpact blogging has on the businessoutcomes using ldquometrics that everyone isfamiliar withrdquo For example themonetary value of press mentions can bemeasured by counting the number ofblog-driven stories by online press webmedia and high-profile bloggers andthen calculating the cost of advertising inthe same publications
General Motorsrsquo case studyThe report also features a case study onGeneral Motorsrsquo two-year-old blogFastLane to which the authors applytheir ROI process Rather thanpresenting the company with a finalnumerical figure theyrsquove come up withnew objectives advising them how to getthe maximum benefits from blogging andimprove its impact on business outcomes
Whether yoursquove already startedblogging or are about to take the plungethis report provides direction on how toevaluate how your blog and decide whichdirection it needs to go in to gainmaximum business value SH
httpwwwforrestercom
SENIOR EXECS BIG ONNEW MEDIA
A survey of 100 CEOs and CMOs fromFortune 2000 companies found that 76percent of senior executives areexperimenting with alternative mediasuch as blogs Second Life and socialnetworking
The study by Weber Shandwick andKRC Research found that 69 percent ofthose surveyed currently use socialnetworking while 37 percent plan to useit more over the next five years
Ninety-one percent of those surveyedcurrently make use of their companywebsite and 66 percent plan to use theirwebsite more over the next five yearsmaking it number one in the surveyrsquos listof media tools
Use of virtual worlds to growAvatar-based marketing (marketingthrough virtual worlds such as SecondLife) came last in the list of 20 mediatools senior executives plan to use overthe next five years However researchersbelieve that the use of virtual worlds incommunication and marketing willincrease as more companies learn how touse them more effectively
Billee Howard managing director ofthe Global Strategic Media Group atWeber Shandwick said ldquoWersquore in theearly days of a totally new media eraThose companies that do not combinethe new-media paradigm with the best oftraditional media will most certainlyproceed at their perilrdquo SH
Source The Changing Face of Marketingand Communications in Todayrsquos CreativityEconomy
httpwwwwebershandwickcom
TECHNOLOGY UPDATE
When talking about return on investment(ROI) for the intranet and other ldquosoftrdquobenefits these are the kinds of results oroutcomes usually referred to
Measurable ROI from hard benefitsinclude bull less paperbull less hardwarebull less headcount andbull increased sales
Soft benefits includebull increased employee productivitybull better customer satisfactionbull faster time to market andbull improved employee retention
IBM Oracle and Cisco all measure theimpact and benefits of their intranet Allof them have measured the value to begreater than US$1 billion In fact IBMhas realized benefits from e-learning viathe intranet alone to be more thanUS$284 million
BT the UK telecommunicationscompany uses an online idea jar foremployees called ldquoPersonnel TodayrdquoEmployee ideas have saved BT nearlyUKpound100 million over the past four years
Sodexhorsquos SuperSleuthOne of my personal favorites is theSodexho USA Sales SuperSleuthSuperSleuth is an intranet web page andapplication that encourages employees tosubmit sales leads and prospective clientsvia the intranet
The SuperSleuth intranet pagegenerates cash rewards of up toUS$1000 for the person making thesubmission Sodexho says it hascontributed to a 100-percent increase insales leads In fact the SuperSleuth toolhas led to US$90 million in managedvolume (net client sales including salesby client) This is proof positive of akiller application
Impressive numbers As impressive as those numbers are youdonrsquot have to be a large technologycompany to realize measured ROIbenefits ndash ROI isnrsquot reserved solely forbig multinationals
QAS is a world leader in address
management and data accuracy Basedon data secured from national postalauthorities and other leading sourcesQAS captures cleans and enhances theintegrity of name and address data QAShas 400 employees with offices in the UK(headquarters) US Canada SingaporeAustralia and across Europe
While awards are nice to receive theQAS intranet has received more thanjust kudos ndash itrsquos delivering measuredresults and value for the business Someof the measured ROI benefits include bull Online expenses saved four person-
days per monthbull Finance savings online workflow has
reduced administrative processingtime from two weeks to one day
bull Purchase ordering saved four person-days per month and an ROI savingsof US$20000 per year
bull Sales proposal builder streamlinedproposal and sales process savesalmost US$25000 per year
bull Intranet use 115-percent increase inusage of the intranet (infers a yet tobe measured productivity gain)
Of all the measurements perhaps thesingle most important is ROI Tomaximize the intranetrsquos value andpotential you must secure the support ofsenior management If you want theirattention and support you better talktheir talk Nothing gets their attentionmore than ROI
Sell the sizzleIf executives view the intranet as a costcenter then itrsquos your responsibility to sellthe sizzle and prove the value with harddata ROI is everything in someorganizations (for example in financialservices) Other more progressivecompanies are intent to know and trackemployee satisfaction and productivity
Still others want to know both It alldepends on your organization andculture However only throughmeasurement will the intranet become ameasured quantity and a proven asset
Source Transforming your intranetwwwmelcrumcom
DOES YOUR INTRANETPAY ITS WAY
Toby Ward is a broadcast journalist turned consultant He founded and launchedPrescient Digital Media (wwwPrescientDigitalcom) in early 2001 His specialismsare site evaluation and strategic planning He blogs at wwwIntranetBlogcom
Hard data demonstratingvalue generated by the
intranet will alter itsperception as a cost center
In Melcrumrsquos report on Transforming your intranet Toby Ward of Prescient DigitalMedia authors a chapter on how to measure the value and success of your intranetHere we share his thoughts on that frequently elusive indicator of success ndash returnon investment
TOBY WARD
10 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
RESE
AR
CH
amp M
EA
SUR
EM
EN
T
scm
ldquoTO MAXIMIZE THEINTRANETrsquoS POTENTIALYOU MUST SECURE THESUPPORT OF SENIORMANAGEMENTrdquo
There are three situations that are mostlikely to create plummeting surveyresponse rates1 When a group never hears the
findings of past surveys or anyresulting changes they begin to thinktheir opinions donrsquot matter If theirpast opinions were valued so lightlythey feel less urgency to sharefurther opinions
2 When the group being researched isrelatively small researchers typicallyneed to poll the entire group on eachsurvey rather than querying arandom sample For example if youhave 1000 employees you wouldneed to obtain 259 responses to haveresults accurate within a margin oferror of 5 percentage points If thecompany is typically receiving a 25-percent response rate on surveysthat means that all 1000 employeesneed to be invited to participate inthe survey to get about the minimumnecessary number of responses for asufficient level of accuracyUnfortunately even for largergroups researchers sometimessurvey the whole group on everysurvey instead of identifying the rightsize random sample
3 When surveys are badly designedrespondents quit them midwaythrough The respondentrsquos feeling isldquoIf the company canrsquot be bothered todesign a good survey Irsquom not going
to waste my time taking itrdquo Somemajor survey design flaws includequestions that are difficult tounderstand questions withinsufficient or inappropriateresponse options or questions thatseem to have little relevance for therespondent Other major designturn-offs are surveys that are toolong or that are composed mostly ofopen-ended essay questions both ofwhich take too much time to answerFinally asking too manydemographic questions especially atthe beginning of a surveycompromises respondentsrsquo sense ofanonymity and kills their desire toanswer even the first real question
The following steps will help overcomethese three problems
Coordinate surveysTo avoid asking the same people torespond to too many surveys within ashort time coordinate all employee orcustomer surveys through a clearinghouse so that the timing of surveys doesnrsquotoverlap and you donrsquot ask questions forwhich answers are already available
Send the survey to only a sample ofthe audience (although yoursquoll need astatisticianrsquos help in selecting a sample ofthe right size) If you know severalsurveys will be administered about thesame time pick mutually exclusiverandom samples at the same time so thatno one person receives more than onesurvey during that period
Use short surveysThe shorter the survey the more likelypeople are to give you their time If youhave 100 questions that must beanswered break them into threeseparate surveys of about 33 questionsand administer them to three mirror-image random samples Yoursquoll besurveying more people but eachparticipantrsquos time commitment will berelatively minor
Also consider doing very short ldquostealthsurveysrdquo by phone for which you donrsquotobtain advance permission People mightnot even know theyrsquove been surveyed Asyou (and a team of volunteers) have theseconversations with respondents you wouldrecord their answers on a questionnaire
Connect research to resultsSome companies have a long history ofnot communicating results or outcomesof previous surveys If thatrsquos true of yourorganization try these two techniquesbull On a regular basis when announcing
changes the company is makingconnect the changes with relatedsurvey results ndash even if a changewasnrsquot made solely because of theresearch Your audience will get themessage that stakeholder opinionsare a regular factor in the waymanagement makes decisions
bull In the invitation to a new surveybegin with key findings and changesthat were made based on a similarpast survey and ask respondents tolet you know through the new surveyif the company is still on track Thisway your potential respondents hearthat completing surveys does resultin changes ndash at the very momenttheyrsquore determining if your latestsurvey is worth their time
FINDING A CURE FORSURVEY FATIGUE
Angela Sinickas ABC is president of Sinickas Communications Inc an internationalcommunication consultancy specializing in helping corporations achieve businessresults through targeted diagnostics and practical solutions For more informationvisit wwwsinicomcom
A downward trend in survey response rates is often blamed on the fact that peoplesimply become tired of taking surveys But there are ways to avoid the malaisesetting in says Angela Sinickas a key one being making sure that people feel theiropinions are actually being listened to Here she shares three common causes ofsurvey fatigue and how to deal with them
11scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
RESE
AR
CH
amp M
EA
SUR
EM
EN
Tscm
ANGELA SINICKAS
Little feedback the wrongsample size and poorly
designed surveys all leadto low response rates
12 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Organizations today ndash driven byincreased competition merger-and-acquisition activity and large complextransformation programs ndash arecharacterized by the need for constantand rapid change In our experienceconsistent leadership communicationsare at the center of helping theirorganizations address these challenges
With all the complex transformationprograms we work on we encourage the
leadership team to create a simple one-page ldquomessage maprdquo to use over a definedtimeframe The message map which welink to key program milestones andsuccesses helps the leadership team toplan what theyrsquoll share with employeesand other stakeholders and when
Message maps can address commonfailures of leadership communicationDuring global cross-functional programswhen all leaders consistently reinforce
the same messages they emerge as ajoined-up forward-thinking team
Message maps are also effective whenbuilding up communication to employeesover time rather than overwhelmingstaff with changes or diminishingleadership credibility by waiting too longto communicate
Compiling a message mapThe process wersquove used in the past to helpleaders develop a message map is quitestraight forward This is what we dobull We encourage leaders to work
together to agree and articulate thestory Agreeing the story typicallyrequires experienced facilitationThis encourages leaders to definehow the story will build and thengain momentum and commitmentover time
bull The story is then converted into asimple message map The mapshould make sense to all change-program leaders as this tool willguide the majority of theircommunication to employees Itshould also provide a clear view ofwhatrsquos coming next Message mapsare often shown as straightforwardtimelines but there are othereffective ways to present them (seeFigure One below)
bull Once the change story has beenagreed and committed to paperleaders use the map to know whencommunications should be deliveredand what supporting documentationto use for a consistent cascade
Revisiting communication plansOf course the content of the message mapwill need to be revisited Message mapsas with all communications evolve overtime They should be frequently reviewedto ensure that the messages ndash and time-scales ndash remain relevant to the programand align with program milestones
USING MESSAGE MAPSTO GUIDE CHANGE
Sally Harris is director of theCommunications and Engagementpractice at Molten where shespecializes in managing large-scale communication and changeprograms for global clients
Facilitate a meeting withthe leadership team to
agree and articulate thechange story
Sally Harris director of the Communications and Engagement practice at Moltenbelieves itrsquos often the simplest tools that are most effective in encouraging leadersto think more strategically about their communications Here she explains why theldquomessage maprdquo is one such tool
SALLY HARRIS
LEA
DER
SHIP
CO
MM
UN
ICATIO
N
scm
Figure One Example of a global message map
13scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
brand image and set an example for thewhole company
At The Company Agency we find thatmany CEOs are looking for strategiccommunication support coaching andguidance that goes beyond what theyreceive from their rostered PR agencyThey operate in a world thatrsquos typicallyquite lonely where information isfrequently filtered theyrsquore under aconstant spotlight and a gap existsbetween them their people and theircustomers Internal communication canplay a key role in helping the CEObridge this gap
A simple checklist Every CEO is different and facesdifferent challenges but herersquos a simplechecklist if you find yourself workingwith a new CEO or in a new role with anestablished CEObull Ask your CEO what kind of person
they would like to be viewed as byemployees ndash coach them oncommunication behavior that canhelp them achieve this goal
bull Establish very quickly what theCEOrsquos key message is ndash askquestions until it is crystal clear
bull Know your business and brief yourCEO on what type of communicationis effective or not within yourorganization
bull Provide informed guidance onemerging communication trends ndashsuch as social media ndash and explainthe business impact
bull Understand how the CEO listens towhat people are saying
bull Determine the CEOscommunication preferences ndash howdoes he or she like to receive andshare information both inside andoutside work
You should expect to be the leaderrsquoscommunicator ndash developing messagesand ensuring theyrsquore conveyed in themost appropriate way But the balanceshould be tipping more towards beingthe communication leader ndash a role whereyoursquore providing strategic counsel to theCEO and coaching them so theyrsquore moreeffective in their new role and environment
In May last year the managementconsultants Booze Allen Hamiltonpublished their annual report on chiefexecutive attrition The Crest of theTurnover Wave After studying the move-ments of CEOs from the largest 2500companies in the world they uncoveredsome rather startling facts An incredible1 in 7 CEOs will change job over thenext 12 months with poor-performingCEOs staying in office for two years Bycomparison the high-performing CEOstays in the job for just under eight years
Given that their tenure may be brief thisresearch only reinforces that the first 100days for the chief executive is a critical time
Creating myths and legendsOver the past 20 years Irsquove had the goodfortune to work for some great brandsand leaders Experience tells me thatduring their first 100 days the reputationthey bring from their previous job willeither be validated or contradictedEverything they say and do will bescrutinised Perceptions will be quicklyformed about their style and personalityMyths and legends will become thehottest gossip in the workplace
With this in mind itrsquos critical toquickly establish their reputation andwhat they stand for Internalcommunication can play a valuable rolein supporting the CEO and in turnestablish a long-term relationship withtheir new leader
Uncovering perceptionsDeveloping a personalized communica-tion strategy must start by finding outhow the new leader is perceived While aquantitative survey may satisfy those witha hunger for numbers qualitativeresearch will uncover how people reallyview the CEO as an individual and leader
With these insights itrsquos possible todevelop a plan to shape the existingreputation into one they would like tohave in the new organization This meansidentifying what they stand for andhelping them articulate how this supportsand builds the brand of the organization
Charismatic leadersIf you think about charismatic leaderssuch as Stuart Rose of Marks amp SpencerRichard Branson of Virgin or PhilKnight of Nike organizational culture isheavily influenced by the personality ofits chief executive
The behavior that resides within theorganization is typically a reflection ofthe CEOrsquos behavior and becomesassociated with the brand So itrsquosimportant to define what the new CEOwants the corporate brand to stand forand what they can do to achieve that
LEADERS IN TRANSITIONTHE FIRST 100 DAYSIn a recent Melcrum survey 44 percent of respondents said they plan to spend more ormuch more on communication training for leaders and managers With the topic firmlyon the agenda for the forseeable future this issue sees the launch of a new regularcolumn by leadership communication expert Darren Briggs He kicks off with adviceon making the most of the CEOrsquos first 100 days ndash a critical time for any new leader
LEA
DER
SHIP
CO
MM
UN
ICATIO
Nscm
DARREN BRIGGS
The first of a new regularcolumn on leadership
urges communicators tosupport new leaders
Darren Briggs is partner at The Company Agency where he advises and coachessenior leaders to be more effective communicators He has 20 years corporateexperience working at chief executive and board level with companies such as BritishAirways Microsoft Nike PepsiCo and Vodafone
The title of advertising guru PaulArdenrsquos book Itrsquos not how good you areitrsquos how good you want to be captures theessence of ambition And our recent surveysuggests that this is a message internalcommunicators should take to heart
As part of our research1 to define a listof core skills and competencies forprofessional communicators we askedpractitioners from around the worldabout their future career goals and howthey plan to achieve them Surprisinglyfor a profession that stresses the need forstrategies and plans most internalcommunicators appear to have a fairly adhoc approach to their own development
Results from the surveyAbout 70 percent of our sample said theyexpected to stay in internal communicationover the next three years Thirty-twopercent saw themselves gaining moreexperience within their existing jobswhile 37 percent aim to move into adifferent internal communication role
When we asked respondents what theywere doing to help develop their careersgaining wider experience being better
networked and finding a coach came topof their lists
Be honest with yourselfNow these seem like fairly informalactivities You might think they take lessorganizing than say investing the timeand budget to do a course or study for aformal qualification But if yoursquore beinghonest you know that getting the go-aheadto work on more challenging projectsfinding the right coach and building aprofessional network takes time andplanning These things donrsquot just happenovernight ndash unless yoursquore very lucky
Yet less than a quarter of internalcommunicators have a formal plan to helpstructure their thoughts about careerprogression and make sure their develop-ment objectives are met Twenty-onepercent say they have no plan whatsoeverand about half the respondents wecontacted say they have a plan but itrsquosnot formalized or agreed
Make the timeMaking time to discuss your career goalswith your manager and getting apersonal development plan down onpaper will pay dividends After all who
decides whether you get to work on themore interesting projects or not Andwhen yoursquore being dragged under byyour workload wouldnrsquot it be helpful tohave some targets to remind you to makethe time to network or read that articlesitting in your reading folder
If wersquove convinced you to think aboutyour own professional development hereare three important steps to get started
1 Be clear about where yoursquore startingfrom Think about what yoursquoveachieved so far in your career Whatskills do you have what are yourstrengths and which areas needfurther development
2 Look ahead to where you want to beWhat timeframe do you have inmind for your professional develop-ment What can you focus on rightaway and what are your longer-termcareer goals Be as specific as youcan about what you want to achieveand consider the followingbull Are there areas where yoursquod like
to be a ldquostar performerrdquo in yourcurrent role
bull How can you expand your networkor reach in the wider industry
bull How can you broaden your depthof skills or experience outsideyour current remit
bull How do you plan to move onwardsand upwards to a new role
3 Think about how yoursquoll close the gapWhat knowledge skills andexperience do you need What typeof development activity will help youget to where you want to be
If you know in your heart of hearts thatyou donrsquot invest enough time and effortin your own development make the timeto start doing this now
In our next column we plan to look atthe range of development optionsavailable and hear some reflections fromindustry leaders on what helped themreally accelerate their own learning andprofessional development
1 Turn to page 16 for a more detailed analysis of the study
GET YOUR DEVELOPMENT PLANON TRACK
Sue Dewhurst and Liam FitzPatrick run Competent Communicators acompany specializing in professional development for internalcommunicators and Melcrumrsquos official training and developmentpartner For more information go to wwwcompetentcommunicatorscom
A study into skills and competenciesfor communicators
reveals a lack ofclear career planning
The path to a senior role in internal communication is paved with good intentionsOr so suggests a recent study by development experts Sue Dewhurst and LiamFitzPatrick Here in the first of a new regular column on professional developmentthey review the studyrsquos findings lament the lack of a career plan and urge internalcommunicators to take action and plan their own development
SUE DEWHURST AND LIAM FITZPATRICK
14 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PR
OFE
SSION
AL D
EV
ELO
PM
EN
T
scm
ldquoTHESE THINGS DONrsquoTJUST HAPPENOVERNIGHT ndash UNLESSYOUrsquoRE VERY LUCKYrdquo
15scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PR
OFE
SSION
AL D
EV
ELO
PM
EN
Tscm
3 Cut the jargonJargon may have its place but it has noplace in employee communicationPhrases such as work-life balanceemployer of choice critical mass and thelike may make sense in behind-the-scenes discussions However when itrsquostime to communicate to the masses weneed to translate these concepts intoPlain English and provide a context tohelp employees understand Yes it takessome work but the payoff makes itworth the effort
Say the head of HR wants to share thelatest developments in ldquowork-life balancerdquothat will benefit employees He may betempted to relay the news using theterminology hersquos used to using with hisstaff However most employees havenrsquotbeen in on those discussions so theconcept may be foreign or fuzzy to themndash even if theyrsquod heard the term before
Any progress HR makes on the work-life balance front gives it the opportunityto communicate in a personal humanway and in the process capture employeesrsquoattention on an emotional level
The HR leaderrsquos message thereforemay go something like this Our liveshave never been busier and there are onlyso many hours in a day Because we atXYZ Company recognize how important itis to you to be able to spend real time withyour families while managing theresponsibilities you have on the job wersquovedesigned a program that we hope willmake your life less hectic
Most employees will relate to thatmessage It plays to their needs which isa powerful hook
Guarding against gremlinsKeeping an eye out for the jargonpassive voice and other gremlins thatmay infiltrate your writing is a goodtraining ground for being able toobjectively critique your own work Italso conditions you to look for otherways to improve your writing a habitthat will serve you well throughout yourlifelong apprenticeship
No onersquos work is as continually visible inan organization as the communicatorrsquosOur superiors our peers and the entireemployee population see us as theparagons of communications competenceThey look to the messages wersquove craftedas models of writing excellence and willpattern their own accordingly
When you think of it itrsquos one heck of aburden to bear After all how else didyou get the job if you couldnrsquot write well
But regardless of how well you dowrite how senior you are or how longyoursquove had that coveted ldquoseat at thetablerdquo when it comes to writing yoursquollalways have room to grow Thatrsquos becausewriting is as one learned professor sowisely termed it a ldquolifelong apprenticeshiprdquo
Here are three ways to improve yourwriting immediately
1 Avoid the passive voiceThe passive voice manages to creep intomessages to employees and itrsquos a sureroad to eroding their engagement It allowsthe writer to hide behind the message itclouds direction and itrsquos boring
Herersquos an example of really woefulwriting ndash a sentence structure that yoursquoresure to recognize Employees areencouraged to submit this form by the endof the month
Analyze that sentence and yoursquoll seethat not only is there no owner to thestatement but therersquos no clear directionEmployees are encouraged by whom
and what does ldquoencouragedrdquo meananyway Are employees required tosubmit the form If so then say so
The sad truth is this passive style ofwriting is all too common the happytruth is that we communicators are in aposition to do something about it Oftenall it takes is a quick rewrite Pleasesubmit this form by [insert specific date]Clear direct concise
2 Use second person Why talk at people when you can talk tothem When yoursquore communicating withemployees the use of ldquoyourdquo can befriendly and inviting
Take this message XYZ Companyemployees at customer locations shouldalways first check with their hosts to ensurethat connecting to the XYZ network ispermitted
Look what happens when itrsquos rewrittenfrom third person into second If yoursquoreworking at a customer site be sure to firstcheck with your host that itrsquos OK toconnect to our network
Yoursquove gone from impersonal toconversational
DO YOUR WRITING SKILLSLET YOU DOWNA recent discussion on the Melcrum blog raised the question of whether or not goodwriting skills are still important to the more strategically focused communicator Theconsensus was a definite yes ndash your writing ability makes an impression and itrsquos upto you whether thatrsquos good or bad Denise Baron provides some advice on how tomake sure itrsquos the former
DENISE BARON
However strategicyour role the ability
to write well remainsan important skill
Denise Baron is president of Baron Communications a business communicationsconsultancy providing strategic planning and marketing internal communicationproject management and editorial services to Fortune 500 companies
16 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Over the past five years wersquove found ourselvesbecoming more and more involved in conversationsabout careers in internal communication As theprofession matures expectations of itspractitioners are rising and for many people ajob in communication is no longer just a short-term stepping-stone en route to better things
But the question we hear time and time again isldquoWhat does lsquogoodrsquo look like when it comes to
internal communicationrdquo What skills knowledgeand experience should an effective internalcommunicator have at various stages in theircareer How do I know what I should bepersonally aspiring to and measuring myselfagainst How can I best develop my team Whereis the definitive framework to help me recruit thebest person for the job
In recent years there have been a number ofgood attempts to answer these questions In theUK a group of professional bodies got togetherto write the Inter-Comm matrix1 It listed theskills knowledge and experience a practitionermight need according to their level of experience
We were both involved in developing this skillsmatrix which was widely welcomed when it waslaunched in 2003 Some well-respectedconsultancies have also developed models to showhow a typical career path might progress whichhave helped structure career planning forindividuals and teams
A flexible model for a diverse professionDespite the success of the Inter-Comm matrix wefelt there was more to be done in the area ofprofessional development for internal communica-tors Fundamentally existing models tend to showa one-dimensional and predictable career pathstarting as a junior deliverer and developing into astrategic business-focused consultant
The implication is that if yoursquore deliveringcommunication or are tactically focused you musthave a junior role and if you have a more seniorrole you donrsquot get your hands dirty doingmundane things like writing or managing the
Building a learningframework for internalcommunicators
Planning your teamrsquos professional developmentmeans understanding the skills and experienceneeded to be successful Sue Dewhurst and Liam
FitzPatrick of Competent Communicators have beenresearching how internal communicators spend their timeat work and what behaviors the most effectivepractitioners display Here they describe a new learningframework that has emerged from the study
Identifying the typical roles andskills required for your team
BY SUE DEWHURST AND LIAM FITZPATRICK
scm FEATURES
ABOUT THE RESEARCHThe findings discussed in this article are based on research conducted at theend of 2006 More than 700 in-house practitioners replied to a survey aboutcareers competencies and development plans
A factor analysis of the data conducted by Ash Pattni Associates generated anumber of role types which were then discussed with 30 professionals atdifferent stages of their careers based in the UK Europe and North AmericaThese discussions mainly took the form of interviews and focus groups
The study also referred to data on competency modeling prepared by theUKrsquos Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
1 2 3 4 5
17scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
intranet or organizing eventsBut clearly the world of internal communication
isnrsquot quite that straightforward People join theprofession via all kinds of routes and at differentstages of their careers
We interviewed someone who started out as thedirectorrsquos PA a successful senior executive whostarted out as an engineer a former psychologylecturer and others who had joined through moreobvious routes in publishing and PR
Some had started out in junior roles Forothers their first role in internal communicationwas as a business partner Others had alreadyreached a senior position in another function andsimply moved across at the same level
A key objective of this study was to develop amodel that reflected the diverse reality of life ininternal communication one that was flexibleenough to be adapted to fit organizations andcommunication teams of all shapes and sizes
So we began our research by surveying communica-tors worldwide to find out how they actuallyspend their time on a daily basis and what skillsknowledge and experience they regularly use
The six types of practitionerStatistical analysis of the survey data suggestedthere were six stereotypical role types withininternal communication By ldquotypesrdquo we meansegments or groups of people who share verysimilar characteristics in terms of their skills andstrengths spend their time carrying out similartypes of activities and whose outputs tend to bejudged in similar ways
Most importantly these types can be plottedagainst two dimensions based on how they spendtheir time (advising or doing) and where theirfocus is (strategy or tactics) Figure One (right)illustrates these six types and how they plotagainst the two dimensions
Clearly every organization is slightly differentbut the six stereotypes described below shouldprovide a starting point for thinking about theroles and types of people you need in your team
1 The Leader Internal communication leaders manage teamsand lead the function either for an entire organiza-tion or for a large division or territory Theyspend much of their time managing and coachingteam members and working with senior managersThey see themselves as business people first andcommunicators second However itrsquos taken as readthat they have sound technical ability and will rollup their sleeves when needed Great internal andexternal networkers theyrsquore skilled at dealing withuncertainty and conflict Theyrsquore likely to bemeasured on business results and through thesubjective opinion of their senior customers
2 The Advisor Advisors support departments or major projectsby providing advice developing communicationplans and providing hands-on support to deliverthem Local managers trust them for their insightsinto business problems and understanding of howtheir organization really works Through well-developed networks and time spent understandingtheir audiences and carrying out research andfeedback they know whatrsquos really going onTheyrsquore judged on the quality of their advice andtheir ability to translate that advice into plansactivities and actions
3 The ManagerThe internal communication manager has excellentcraft skills and a sound knowledge of channelsThey spend most of their time on delivery Whenthey advise itrsquos normally about the best channelsto use or the most appropriate timing Goodmanagers arenrsquot easily intimidated and are greatat juggling different priorities Theyrsquore skilled attranslating between the boardroom and the shopfloor Their contribution is often measured bytheir ability to deliver activity against a plan andthe quality of work they and their team produce
4 The DelivererMost teams have someone in this role ndash a safepair of hands who can be trusted to make thingshappen That might range from compilingdistribution lists through to running a conferencesorting out the CEOrsquos open forum or writing andediting a newsletter Theyrsquore less likely tosupervise other communicators and depend ontheir organizational and craft skills to get the jobdone People value them for their ability to dothings on time and to a high standard 3
Sue Dewhurst and LiamFitzPatrick run CompetentCommunicators a firmspecializing in professionaldevelopment for internalcommunicators TheyrsquoreMelcrumrsquos official training anddevelopment advisors anddeliver Melcrumrsquos Black Belttraining program Theyrsquore alsothe authors of a forthcomingreport on competenciesdevelopment and standardsfor internal communicatorsand blog about developmentissues onwwwBlackBeltDojocouk
Figure One Six typical role types for internal communicators
TheLeader
TheLocal Agent
The Deliverer
TheAdvisor
TheManagerADVISE
STRATEGY
IMPLEMENT
TACTICS
TheSpecialist
KEY POINTSbull A new study has established how communicators spend their time and
what skills knowledge and experience they regularly use
bull The research identifies six stereotypical roles ranging from acommunication leader to a specialist (eg a web or events expert)
bull It also highlights 12 competencies that clarify the behaviors acompetent practitioner should display at each level An ldquoineffectiverdquocategory shows behaviors displayed by less able performers
bull The roles and competencies provide a framework for development
Building a learning framework for internal communicators
18 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
5 The Local AgentThis category covers a broad range of peoplefrom the plant managerrsquos personal assistant to aregional communication manager Internalcommunication is often one of severalresponsibilities for this person and they tend tohave a tactical focus Their agenda is normally setby the local management team although theirlocal knowledge and network makes them aninvaluable sounding board for the corporatecommunication team They tend to be judged onwhether activities happen and how satisfied theirlocal manager is with them
6 The SpecialistOur research found a small group of peopleworking in internal communication who see them-selves as subject-matter experts in a specialist areasuch as web management audio-visual productionor event management They have only a looseconnection to the mainstream profession andcould equally work in IT marketing or perhapsHR Because theyrsquore highly specialized they tendto work in large organizations
Building a competency frameworkOnce statistical analysis had suggested these sixrole types we began testing them out throughfocus groups and interviews with practitioners Inparticular we asked what skills knowledge andexperience people in each type of role neededwhat people saw outstanding practitioners doingwhat poor performance looked like and howpeople in the six role types spent their time
On the basis of this information we developeda series of 12 competencies (see Figure Two left)We found that each of the six role types could bedefined bybull Which of the competencies they need to carry
out their role (not everyone needs all 12)bull The level of skill knowledge and experience
they need in each competencybull How much of their time they spend using
each competency ndash a high medium or lowamount For instance there was commonagreement that the communication leadermust have strong craft skills (writing anddesign) but compared to say the delivererthey spend a relatively low percentage of theirtime working on this type of activity
Each of the 12 competencies has three levelsbasic intermediate and advanced Based on thedata we gathered we defined the behaviors youmight expect to see a competent internalcommunication professional display at each level
We also added an ldquoineffectiverdquo category listingthose behaviors our interviewees told us weredisplayed by less able performers For example
7
COMPETENCY DEFINITION
Building effectiverelationships
Developing and maintaining relationships that inspire trust and respectBuilding a network and influencing others to make things happen
Business focus Having a clear understanding of the business issues Usingcommunication to help solve organization issues and achieveorganizational problems
Consulting andcoaching
Recommending appropriate solutions Helping others make informeddecisions Building other peoplersquos communications competence
Cross-functionalawareness
Understanding the different contributions from other disciplines andworking with colleagues from across the organization to achieve betterresults
Developing othercommunicators
Helping other communicators build their communications competenceand develop their career
Innovation andcreativity
Looking for new ways of working exploring best practice and deliveringoriginal and imaginative approaches to communication problems
Listening Conducting research and managing mechanisms for gathering feedbackand employee reaction
Making it happen Turning plans into successfully implemented actions
Planning Planning communication programs and operations evaluating results
Specialist Having specific subject-matter expertise in a specialist area
Vision and standards Defining or applying a consistent approach to communication andmaintaining professional and ethical standards
Craft (writing anddesign)
Using and developing the right mix of practical communication abilitiesto hold the confidence of peers and colleagues (eg writing designmanagement etc)
Figure Two Twelve competencies for internal communicators
19scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
some ineffective behaviors attached to theldquobusiness focusrdquo competency arebull Doesnrsquot make the link between
communication activity and the business ororganizational context
bull Delivers communication activity withoutconsidering whether it will serve any usefulpurpose
bull Lacks understanding of their business area
Building a framework for a specific role The next step in this project was to develop asimple table to map out the competencyframework for an individual role showingbull The competencies needed in this rolebull The level of competency needed in each casebull How much time we expect someone in this
role to spend on these types of behaviors
You can either build a competency frameworkfrom scratch or if you think the role fits one ofthe six types we identified from the survey use thecompetency framework for this type as a startingpoint (see the framework for a communicationleader Figure Three right)
In practice competency frameworks will varyaccording to the size of the organization thenumber of people in the internal-communicationteam the expectations of managers and thespecific requirements of each individual rolewhich is why wersquove built a flexible model
For example a communication leader in alarge multinational organization may spend muchof their time setting the vision and standardscoaching and consulting building relationshipsand developing other communicators and arelatively small amount of their time ldquomaking ithappenrdquo or on writing and design Howeversomeone in a stand-alone communication leaderrole in a much smaller organization wouldprobably have to be much more of a ldquoJack of alltradesrdquo dividing their time evenly between thedifferent competencies
Next stepsMore information about the 12 competencies andthe baseline competency maps for each of the sixrole types will be detailed in a forthcomingMelcrum report Ideas on how you use thesecompetencies to plan your development areavailable to download atwwwcompetentcommunicatorscom
We hope the framework will help bringstructure to the process of defining roles planningdevelopment and specifying recruitment andwould welcome your feedbackscm
1 The Inter-Comm skills matrix is described in an article in SCMFebruaryMarch 2005 (Volume 9 Issue 2) called Developingcore competencies for internal communicators
Figure Three Framework for a communication leader
COMPETENCY LEVEL TIME
Building effective relationships Advanced High
Business focus Advanced High
Consulting and coaching Advanced High
Cross-functional awareness Advanced Medium
Developing other communicators Advanced High
Innovation and creativity Advanced Medium
Listening Advanced Low
Making it happen Advanced Low
Planning Advanced Medium
Specialist NA NA
Vision and standards Advanced High
Craft (writing and design) Advanced Low
CONTACT DETAILS
Sue DewhurstCompetent Communicatorssuedewhurstcompetentcommunicatorscom
Liam FitzPatrickCompetent Communicatorsliamfitzpatrickcompetentcommunicatorscom
ldquoOUR RESEARCH FOUND A SMALL GROUP OFPEOPLE WORKING IN INTERNALCOMMUNICATION WHO SEE THEMSELVES ASSUBJECT-MATTER EXPERTSrdquo
20 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC President and CEO John Ryan joined theorganization in 1997 For the first few years hefocused on financial viability and positioning thecorporation for the future ndash articulating a newvision redefining strategic objectives expandingproduct and service offerings and identifyingpotential growth areas
The business results were outstanding double-digit growth increasing profits and great customerloyalty But something was missing
Like many successful organizations FCCoperated with a silo mentality Organizationalpolitics consumed energy that Ryan felt detractedfrom employee satisfaction and he worried aboutthe impact on the customer experience
He wanted his direct reports to work togetheras a real team ndash not to behave like individualleaders of functional areas Although the groupperformed well when there was a real challengeafter the challenge was gone so was the teamwork
This is not unusual for top executive groupsbut Ryan wasnrsquot willing to accept that fate ldquoTherehad to be a way to have a team-based
organization where leaders had the autonomythey needed to perform while actively collaboratingto achieve a new level of unprecedented resultsrdquohe said ldquoFCC had a very hierarchical culture withfirmly drawn divisional boundaries so I knew Ihad a challenge ahead of merdquo
Cultural transformation from the topIn 2002 John hired Malandro Communicationbased in Phoenix Arizona to guide FCCrsquos seniorleadership through a unique cultural transformationthat would lead to the creation of a high-performance team Leaders committed to being100-percent accountable for their impact onpeople and business results They let go of thetraditional 50-50 model ldquoIrsquoll do my part if you doyoursrdquo ndash a model that breeds a culture of blameconspiracies and distrust
In a series of formal training initiatives leaderswere taught to speak from the heart listen toother perspectives be open and responsive tofeedback and encourage personal andprofessional growth
Opportunity for internal communicationBy 2003 we were well on our way FCC producedremarkable business results with strong numbersright across the board The portfolio grew fromnearly CAN$9 billion to over CAN$10 billionThen two things happened that created anopportunity for internal communication tobecome a driver of business results 1 In 2003 we earned 50th place on Canadarsquos
ldquo50 Best Employersrdquo list and a respectableemployee engagement score of 69 percent
Defining the role ofstrategic comms atFarm Credit Canada
Farm Credit Canada (FCC) is in the fourth year of acultural-transformation program At the start of itsjourney clear expectations were set defining the role
to be played by internal communication In this summaryof the companyrsquos plans and achievements Kellie Garrettand Claire Watson describe the goals strategies andtactics employed by the internal communication teamand the impressive results achieved to date
Setting the stage for a cultural transformation
BY KELLIE GARRETT AND CLAIRE WATSON
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Farm Credit Canada isCanadarsquos largest provider offinancing to the agricultureindustry It serves 45000customers and has 1300employees working from 100rural offices across CanadaFCC is ranked eighth amongCanadarsquos 50 best employers
21scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC is a high performer in all otheroperational areas and employee engagementis a strong predictor of sustained corporateperformance But the survey showed therewas work to be done to align perceptionsbetween the senior leadership team andemployees Detailed results showed the gaps(see Figure One below)
2 Ryan became more determined to create ahigh-performance team that could deliver anextraordinary customer experience andsustainable business results
Establishing expected behaviorAs a first step towards creating a critical mass ofleaders who visibly demonstrate the behaviorsrequired to transform FCCrsquos culture middlemanagement and key cross-functional teams weretrained in responsible teamwork practices andcommunication skills
Ryan then created a set of 10 cultural practicesthat explicitly outlined how he expectedemployees at all levels to behave (see side barnext page) The foundation of these practices isthe belief that the drive for business results mustbe balanced by the attendant impact on people Inother words how the work was accomplished wasevery bit as important as what was accomplishedThe cultural practices were rolled out to allemployees in 2003
With the expected behavior from leaders andemployees clearly articulated it was time forinternal communication to find opportunities tosupport and promote these behaviors
Challenge 1 Creating a strategic frameworkOur first objective was to create a broaderstrategic framework for internal communicationA review of best-practice companies revealed thatformal media represents about 10 percent of allinternal communication channels with internalsystems accounting for another 10 percent Theremaining 80 percent is influenced by theorganizational culture
Our task was to put a formal strategy in placethat would strengthen the 10 percent ofcommunication we did have control over ndash theinternal communication channels
Within FCC the dominant employeecommunication channels were immediatemanagers e-mail and the intranet (Myinet)Front-line managers delivered corporate messagesdirectly to employees and their efforts weresupported by all-staff e-mails
There was nothing wrong with this approachbut it didnrsquot go far enough in the delivery of clearconsistent messages about strategic direction orcorporate priorities Nor did it create a line ofsight between individuals and business outcomes
For example a lack of central coordination wasresulting in unclear mixed messages thatconfused the internal audience A proliferation ofemployee surveys were independently conductedby various business units and the corporate e-mail system was choked with high volumecontributing to information overload
The intranetrsquos navigational structure and searchcapability needed major improvement datedinformation needed to be archived and majordocuments needed to be redeveloped in a web-friendly format
Defining our strategy and objectivesAware of these drawbacks we defined ourstrategy as To adopt a more integrated approachto internal communication and make sure allmessages focus employees on the businesspriorities Our strategies included the followingbull Segment the employee audience and define
communication needs based on demographicspsychographics and geographic location
bull Create a consistent voice across all groupsbull Ensure internal communication is mandatory
for all major corporate initiatives and isintegrated across channels and with othercommunication activities
bull Deliver targeted information through a varietyof channels and vehicles to reinforce messaginghelp with recall appeal to differentpreferences and create and sustain interest
bull Redevelop the intranet and position it as aninformation source for corporate businessemployee industry and technical information
bull Reduce the volume of corporate e-mailbull Implement a monthly employee survey to
replace the proliferation of one-off surveysindependently launched by business units
bull Create broad awareness and understanding ofkey corporate drivers such as business strategycorporate values and brand positioning 3
Kellie Garrett ABC MALeadership is senior VPStrategy Knowledge ampReputation at Farm CreditCanada and Chair of the IABCResearch Foundation Garrettis a frequent speaker onbusiness strategy leadershipand personal brand
Claire Watson ABC APR isthe master communicationstrategist for Farm CreditCanada Watson has won anumber of international andnational awards for her workis a published author and acertified change managementspecialist
MEASUREMENT EMPLOYEES SENIORMANAGERS
GAP
Senior management is open and honest incommunication
59 94 -35
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible
54 88 -34
Managers effectively support andimplement our people practices
48 81 -33
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 94 -23
Figure One Engagement survey results
22 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Defining the role of strategic comms at Farm Credit Canada
Successful tactics introducedSome of the tactics wersquove successfully introducedto bring this strategy to life include the following
1 Tracking key messagesWe created an employee key-message matrix thatis shared with leaders across the organization andhelps to ensure we deliver a consistent messageWe deliver the rewritten message through avariety of channels including e-mail letter featurearticle in the internal publication online throughour Monday Morning Update or directly to staffmeetings through managers and supervisors
2 Adopting a multi-channel approachWersquove expanded our channels beyond e-mail andthe intranet New channels now includebull AgriCulture ndash an employee print newsletter
published three times a year to communicatecorporate information and reinforce FCCrsquossocial and cultural fabric
bull An online feature called ldquoFrom the Desk ofthe CEOrdquo to keep employees in the loop
bull All staff e-mails from the CEO and VPsbull Discussion guides and QampAs for leadersbull Internal presentations and speeches delivered
by the senior leadership teambull Other printed material such as pocket cards
and brochures accompanied by a letter
3 Cutting down on information overloadSteps wersquove taken includebull Bundling all-staff messages into a Monday
Morning Update and bundling messages forcorporate headquarters staff into a CorporateOffice Update
bull Implementing a corporate e-mail policy withdefined subject-line conventions length andapproved topics
bull Restricting the use of all-staff e-mails to thesenior management team and certain keyindividuals
bull Improving the functionality of the intranetand redeveloping key business tools forefficient web use
bull Centralizing coordination of internal surveysbull Elevating the quality and clarity of internal
speeches and conferences to focus onstrategic business drivers
Challenge 2 Supporting leadershipThe results of our 2003 engagement survey alsorevealed an opportunity to increase trust betweenemployees and FCCrsquos senior management teamRyan and his VP responsible for communication(Kellie Garrett) believed that creating greatervisibility and better access to the senior managerswas vital to the establishment of a values-basedculture and a high-performance team
7
MEASUREMENT 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Senior management is open and honestin communication
59 73 81 83 91
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible to employees
54 71 82 83 81
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 81 87 87 85
I see strong evidence of effectiveleadership from the senior leadershipteam
69 83 87 88 93
I have a good understanding ofbusiness goals and objectives
76 77 81 81 88
Senior leadership has clearlycommunicated what we need to do tobe successful
NA NA 89 90 93
Figure Two Survey scores tracked from 2003-2007
FCCrsquoS 10 CULTURAL PRACTICESWe hold ourselves and each other accountable for
1 Our impact on business results and our impact on people
2 Delivering on commitments agreements and promises
3 Building and sustaining committed partnerships
4 Creating a safe environment where people can speak up without fear
5 We measure our success by how others perceive and respond to ourleadership not by our personal point of view
6 We talk straight in a responsible manner We are committed to the successof others ndash we do not engage in ldquoconspiracies againstrdquo people
7 We ldquolisten forrdquo contributions and commitment We do not listen againstpeople or ideas
8 We are highly coachable We actively seek and listen to coaching
9 We clean up and recover quickly
10 We acknowledge others often and celebrate both small and largesuccesses
ldquoLIKE DEVELOPING A COMPANYrsquoS IMAGE ORBRAND CULTURE CAN lsquoJUST HAPPENrsquo OR ITCAN BE DESIGNED STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONHAS PLAYED A CENTRAL ROLErdquo
23scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 FCC launched a culture-change program focused on
improving performance across the organization
bull Two key aims of the program are to encourage leaders and employeesto embody the values and improve staff engagement
bull Defining its strategy and goals at the outset internal communicationhas played a role in achieving these objectives
bull Results so far include less information overload a more accessibleleadership team and improved engagement scores
The challenge for internal communication wasto improve employeesrsquo perception of the visibilityaccessibility and trust for the senior managementteam Successful tactics introduced includebull A ldquoDine-Aroundrdquo program where three
senior leaders host a monthly lunch for ninepeople
bull An online forum called SMT Exchangewhere employees can anonymously askleaders tough questions and answers areposted for all to see
bull Senior leaders author more all-staff e-mailsare more visible and accessible at companyevents and deliver presentations that focus onconnecting employees to the business agenda
The goals we started with When we defined our internal communicationstrategy in 2003 we had some clear goals to worktowards These werebull To communicate relevant information in a
timely consistent and memorable waybull To reduce information overloadbull To influence an increase in the
communication-related elements of theengagement index
bull To contribute to an increase in employeeengagement from 69 to 74 percent
We also had specific year-one objectivesbull To increase understanding of business goals
and objectives beyond 78 percent bull To increase employee opinion about effective
senior leadership from 69 to 73 percentbull To improve employee opinions related to
senior management
Achievements and measurable resultsWith these goals guiding our efforts themeasurable results wersquove achieved so far includebull The bundling of all-staff e-mail has reduced
the volume by 88 percent ndash amounting toaround 350000 messages over one year
bull Over 450 employees have lunched with amember of the senior management team and170 QampAs have been posted on our seniormanagement online exchange
bull The survey scores relating to employeesrsquoperception of leadership and theirunderstanding of goals and objectives showsteady improvement since 2003 (see FigureTwo bottom left)
bull FCCrsquos engagement scores and subsequentranking among Canadarsquos 50 best employershas moved from 69 percent engagement and50th place in 2004 to 81 percent and 35thplace in 2005 84 percent and 12th place in2006 and 82 percent and 8th place in 2007
Cultural transformationThe internal communication strategy described inthis article has set the stage to communicatecultural transformation across the organization
Wersquore now in the fourth year of our culturaltransformation ndash creating an environment wherepeople are empowered feel safe and highperformance can flourish This involves aquantum shift in how employees behave andrelate to their co-workers and customers
Like developing a companyrsquos image or brandculture can ldquojust happenrdquo or it can be designedStrategic communication has played a central roleto create awareness understanding commitmentand motivate changes in behavior at every level ofthe organization
John Ryan has the final word ldquoOver the years Ihave learned that communication is at the heartof building a high-performance culture ndash a culturewhere people are fully engaged Communicationis vital Without it leaders cannot effect positivechange Our internal strategy recognizesemployees as a primary audience and a keyconduit to the customer the media stakeholdersand communities Our strategic approach tointernal communication significantly contributesto business resultsrdquo scm
CONTACT DETAILS
Kellie GarrettFarm Credit CanadaKellieGarrettfcc-facca
Claire WatsonFarm Credit CanadaClaireWatsonfcc-facca
24 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
In January 2004 Pfizer at Sandwich in Kent UKcommissioned a review of its existing charitablecontributions program which included matchedpayroll giving volunteering and grants for localcommunity charities and voluntary groups CCWorks the community investment consultancywas also approached to manage the day-to-dayadministration of grant applications from thecommunity
However it was decided that the administrationcould not be effectively managed until suitablecriteria were put in place for the grants programEssentially a company cannot outsourceresponsibility for its charitable donations unlesstherersquos a clear strategy in place for doing this
Although there were various policies in placefor the different elements of the existingcommunity investment program there was a lackof strategic direction to the program as a whole
Auditing the community grants programAs a first step CC Works examined the existinggrants program and also conducted external
benchmarking with voluntary organizations in thecommunity to gage perceptions of Pfizer
It emerged that many organizations werereceiving small grants ndash although some werenrsquotsure why ndash but only 16 percent of the currentspend was going on health-related causes ForPfizer a major global healthcare company thiswasnrsquot strategic It was clear that as a healthcarecompany Pfizer should be trying to improve thehealth of its local area by focusing on three coreareas health community and education
There was also a need for grants to be morelocally focused A significant amount of the spendwas going outside of the immediate East Kentarea CC Works recommended that to allow thecompany maximum freedom to operate in itscommunity it should focus grants on theimmediate community of East Kent which alsohappened to be a deprived area
Segmenting current grantsWorking in partnership with CC Works currentgrant allocation was examined by sector localarea and size of grant and in May 2004 two-yeartargets were set to increase the strategic impact ofcommunity grantsbull Increase grants allocated to health-related
projects to 50 percentbull Increase average grant from UKpound300 to
UKpound1000bull Increase East Kent allocation to 90 percent
This change was designed to be gradual so thatthe shift in allocation could be well managed
The new focus on the community mirrors
Engaging employees inPfizerrsquos communityinvestment program
In 2003 Pfizer at Sandwich UK was running manyelements of a community investment program butthere was little awareness among employees and no
real focus By July 2006 the program had beentransformed and now actively contributes to employeeand community relationships Here Pam Baker andChristine Jenkins describe the journey from disconnectedpolicies to award-winning program
Communicating an approach with clear links toemployees and the local community
BY PAM BAKER AND CHRISTINE JENKINS
scm FEATURES
Pfizerrsquos site at Sandwich inKent is the UK manufacturingheadquarters of Pfizer Incglobal pharmaceuticalcompany Its workforce of4000 makes it the largestprivate employer in East Kent
1 2 3 4 5
25scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pfizerrsquos global mission to be ldquothe most valuedcompany to patients customers colleaguesinvestors business partners and the communitieswhere we work and liverdquo For the communityinvestment program a measurable mission wascreated ldquoto improve the health indicators of thepeople of East Kentrdquo
Focus on colleague involvementThe next step in July 2004 was to conduct areview of the employee engagement elements ofcommunity investment to examine how thesecould be better integrated These elementsincluded payroll giving volunteering and staff-matched fundraising
For Pfizer at Sandwich the obvious first choicewas to look at volunteering Eighty-five percent ofPfizer employees are minimum graduate level ndashoffering much-needed skills to a deprived areaAll employees have five paid days a year they canuse for volunteering ndash this not only supports thecommunity it boosts employee engagement andcreates opportunities for employees to visiblyconnect with the community and vice versa
In October 2004 volunteering was identified asa key area for development but for employeevolunteering to be a success it had to beproactively marketed inside Pfizer and thereneeded to be adequate support andadministration behind the program
A database of volunteering opportunitiesIn conjunction with CC Works a searchable data-base of local volunteering opportunities was createdPfizer felt it was important to create a tailoreddatabase that would be furnished internally inorder to ensure a local bias and to maintain thequality of the information supplied to employees
In order to tie in with employeesrsquo personaldevelopment plans opportunities in the databasehad to meet at least two of Pfizerrsquos six keycompetencies 1 Team development2 Project management3 Coaching and development4 Decision making5 Effective partnership6 Working with change
To fill the database with relevant opportunities allorganizations that had contacted Pfizer for grantsor funding in the past three years were re-contacted and asked if they would also beinterested in volunteering
Over 70 percent responded positively and 300volunteering opportunities were sourced CCWorks helped the voluntary organizations puttogether opportunities that were most likely totake advantage of Pfizer employeesrsquo range of
specialist skillsThese opportunities were categorized on the
database according to skill geographic area andtype of charity allowing employees to search forsomething suitable for them Pfizer wasnrsquotprescriptive in its approach and allowed staff tovolunteer where the opportunity matched theirpersonal-development goals interests or wasgeographically convenient
Opportunities were wide-ranging from helpingin a charity shop to teaching in a schoolImportantly because database management isoutsourced to CC Works therersquos constantproactivitiy around seeking new opportunities andproviding administrative support that would havebeen difficult to maintain in-house
Launching the ldquoReaching Outrdquo programTo encourage involvement and awarenessemployees were asked to suggest a name for therevitalized volunteering program ldquoReaching Outrdquowas chosen and the new volunteering website waslaunched in May 2005 The site sits on PfizerSandwichrsquos intranet and any employee orcontractor can access it
A charity week was also held to help promotethe Reaching Out program Various charitiesvisited Pfizer during lunch breaks to explain whatthey do and the opportunities to work with themA soft incentive for staff to register on theReaching Out site was that Pfizer would donate20 rehydration sachets to Unicef (monetary valueof about pound2)
Reaching Out was also featured in a webcastfrom a senior leader that went to all employees(about 3000 staff plus contractors) at the start ofthe week and it was profiled in the weekly onlinemagazine Pipeline 3
Pam Baker is directorStrategic Operations andCommunity Affairs at Pfizer UK
Christine Jenkins is founderof CC Works a consultancyoffering communityinvestment advice andpractical solutions to thecorporate and voluntarysectors Previously she heldsenior manager roles in thevoluntary and private sectors
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 an audit of Pfizer at Sandwichrsquos community investment
program revealed a lack of strategic direction
bull In partnership with consultancy CC Works a decision was made tofocus the program on the local community
bull An effort to raise employee involvement through volunteering hasboosted the program and linked it to employee engagement
bull The ldquoReaching Outrdquo website gives employees the freedom to work withcharities of their choice
bull By July 2006 the ldquoHealthy Communitiesrdquo program had beentransformed and won a National Example of Excellence award fromBusiness in the Community
26 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TOP TIPS FOR COMMUNITY INVESTMENTbull Ask yourself why yoursquore undertaking this program and seek clarity around
your objectives
bull Focus on likely ldquowinsrdquondash ie areas with scope for improvement such asemployee engagement or external awareness
bull Tackle one area at a time in stages and aim for excellence in each arearather than trying to boil the ocean
bull Communication is key to success Create a distinct brand and identity forthe program to encourage awareness and involvement
bull Integrate different community programs ndash a holistic approach can maximizebenefits for the community staff engagement and corporate reputation
Over 450 employees registered to use thesite over the next two months with 230 employees(8 percent of staff) actively volunteering duringthe first year This beat a target to have 5 percentof employees volunteering 12 months after launchIn 2005 employees volunteered 4800 hours
Helping employees select the right optionEmployees can search the volunteering databaseby skill geographic area or type of charity and aregiven a range of choices Then the onus is on theemployee to speak to the charity and obtainfurther details on current opportunities inaddition to whatrsquos on the database The employeethen applies to his or her line manager Anintegrated work process enables staff to obtainapproval from their manager interact with thevoluntary organization and record their effortskeeping administration to a minimum
Managers at Pfizer Sandwich are keen foremployees to volunteer because theyrsquore aware ofthe potential benefits in terms of employeeengagement and skills development ndash a largenumber of managers are volunteers themselvesPfizer also held briefing sessions for managers toensure they were aware of the volunteeringprogram its benefits and how it works
7
Engaging employees in Pfizerrsquos community investment program
Incorporating employee feedbackThe database tracks employeesrsquo volunteeringefforts including how many hours theyrsquove doneand their feedback on the opportunitiesEmployee feedback can then be accessed by otherstaff looking for an opportunity The databasegives employees better insight into the availableopportunities and allows them to select somethingthat appeals to them so that both the employeeand the organization where they volunteer gets abetter ldquofitrdquo
The database also allows for better integrationof the whole program where volunteering canprovide an alternative or an addition to fundingFor example a well-known national charityapplied to Pfizer at Sandwich for some fundingaround a diversity initiative Pfizer suggested theirdiversity manager volunteer for them instead whohelped create the charityrsquos diversity program thatis now being launched nationally
Creating an integrated programIn May 2005 the decision was taken to bringtogether all the strands of community investmentunder one brand Healthy Communities Thisprogram was to includebull Charitable grantsbull Employee volunteeringbull Gifts in kind Community investment via gifts
in kind such as the use of Pfizer premisesresources and expertise is more easilysustainable and can bring real long-termbenefit to the local community When Pfizerfacilities are used to support communityinitiatives the face-to-face contact withemployees allows relationship-building andnetworking with key influencers Also invitingthe community to use Pfizer resources on siteldquodemystifiesrdquo the company
The overarching strategy behind HealthyCommunities was to support communityinvestment holistically (ie using several of theabove elements in combination) whereverpossible Focusing grants on the areas of greatestneed helps Pfizer achieve its overall missionHowever the donation of gifts in kind can have awider-reaching impact on the community
Taking a holistic approachAn award-winning example of this holisticapproach is the Helping Hartsdown projectwhich was Pfizer Sandwichrsquos biggest ever gift inkindvolunteering project Pfizer donated andrenovated much-needed classrooms at a localschool As well as financial support and gifts inkind the project involved over 100 staff andcontractor volunteers across all departments Aspecific promotion on the Reaching Out website
ldquoBY JULY 2006 THE lsquoHEALTHY COMMUNITIESrsquoPROGRAM HAD BEEN TRANSFORMED AND WONA NATIONAL EXAMPLE OF EXCELLENCE AWARDFROM BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITYrdquo
27scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
POSITIVE IMPACTS OF THE PROGRAMThe Healthy Communities program has had the following positive impacts for Pfizer
bull The program supports and protects Pfizerrsquos freedom to operate effectivelyin East Kent UK
bull Supporting and involving employees in the program engages and motivatesthem The company is also seen to be living its values In a recent survey55 percent of colleagues felt the program was ldquofocused and effectiverdquo
bull The program provides opportunities for colleagues to develop skills Twentypercent of colleagues surveyed stated that they had improved personalskills through taking part in the program
bull A healthy community is a better place to live and work for employees andwill aid retention Retention of the most highly skilled scientists givesPfizer Global Research and Development a competitive edge
bull A vibrant and healthy community helps to attract and retain leadingscientists from around the world
bull Community is one of Pfizerrsquos six core values Communicating activitiesinternally and externally gives a positive perception of the company
helped attract this large number of volunteersincluding senior leaders
Momentum was maintained behind thecommunication of the program with monthlynetworking breakfasts and several themed minicharity fairs to give local good causes the chanceto showcase their volunteering Individuals andteamsrsquo volunteering efforts were also regularlyprofiled in Pipeline
The December 2006 employee survey showedan 85-percent awareness level of Reaching Outand the program won a ldquoNational Example ofExcellence Awardrdquo from Business in theCommunity1
Relaunching the websiteIn June 2006 the Reaching Out website wasrelaunched to incorporate payroll giving andmatched fundraising under the same brand asvolunteering and utilize the existing software Allelements can now be applied for on the same site
The number of employees registered with thesite increased to over 1000 and the number of adhoc staff enquiries handled by CC Worksincreased dramatically as awareness andinvolvement levels rose among the workforce
External communicationA quarterly newsletter containing a round-up ofPfizerrsquos community investment work is producedand distributed widely to external stakeholdersincluding 3000 local residents Following theBusiness in the Community award the magazineCommunity News was revamped its circulationincreased and it was also desk-dropped to allemployees The magazine also helps to raiseawareness of Pfizer among local organizations
A pocket-sized booklet was produced containingkey facts and figures about the Healthy Communitiesprogram This gives employees especially seniorleaders at-a-glance information on the programallowing them to act as ambassadors for Pfizerrsquoscommunity investment work
Senior leaders at Pfizer Sandwich are keenadvocates of the program and having a clearbrand helps them communicate its benefits andraise awareness both internally and externally
Next stepsDespite its award-winning status there are plansto take Healthy Communities even further Theseinclude further research into employee feedbackand closer links to personal development plans InPfizer at Sandwichrsquos Global Operations functionvolunteering forms part of personal objectives ndashthis is an aspiration for the rest of the business
Pfizer also wants to improve team volunteeringand a toolkit is being prepared for team leaderswho wish to get involved in volunteering
Finally in order to share knowledge and bestpractice around community investment with otherlocal businesses Pfizer is hosting a Kentmembership network in conjunction with KentCounty Council This will help Pfizer work closelywith the local authority and bring local businessestogether to share ideas and collaborate toimprove their impact on the community scm
1 httpwwwbitcorguk
CONTACT DETAILS
Pam BakerPfizerpambakerpfizercom
Christine JenkinsCC Workschristinejenkinsccworkscouk
28 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Editorrsquos noteSucceeding in internal communication probablyisnrsquot all that different to succeeding in anyprofession understand whatrsquos expected of you dothe job well and deliver results But when youspeak to practitioners about how they personallyturned the corner in their careers and started tomake an impact it soon becomes clear that thereare many dos and donrsquots that can help or hinderprogress This article provides a handy checklistfor those with ambitious development plans
John G ClemonsVice President CommunicationsRaytheon Technical Services Co Llc
Take the initiativeThere have been a few career-defining momentsfor me Among them was the time when I realizedthat I was moving from a manager level to the
decision-making role of a director I worked for a senior executive who hired me
from a rival telecommunications company Uponjoining the company I developed strategiccommunication plans to address various businesschallenges During the development process Iperiodically checked in with my supervisor to gethis input and approval ndash probably more thannecessary ndash before moving to the next steps in planning
One day he called me into his office and saidthat while he liked the work I was doing for himhis expectation when he hired me as a directorwas that I would take the initiative in the job relyless on his frequent input and move forward with implementation and measurement Hewanted results
His counsel was along the lines of ldquoI hired youto do a directorrsquos job so do the job of a directorYou donrsquot have to get permission to make adifferencerdquo
Meet commitments and think strategicallyHis direction motivated me to take moreresponsibility at this new job level This alsomeant that I had to not just manage but leadmeet commitments and think more strategicallyto continue to earn not only his confidence butthe support of the entire leadership team
Irsquove found that being a communicationprofessional who is also a leader that can betrusted can get things done and truly support thegoals and objectives of an organization will notonly impress others but help build your credibilityand lead to success
How to get ahead ininternal communication
The path that leads internal communicators to thetop of their profession isnrsquot always an obvious oneWhich is why we asked a range of senior practitioners
to share their thoughts and experiences on gaining therespect of those who matter Whether its senior leadersfellow employees or your own team yoursquore looking toimpress these responses provide useful insight into howto make sure you and your work gets noticed
Senior practitioners share their views on how togain influence and credibility
COMPILED BY MANDY THATCHER
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
29scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Mark DarbyHead of Internal CommunicationsVisaUK
Be smart sharp and stubbornThe biggest lesson Irsquove learned and keep havingto remind myself is that I need to be smart sharpand stubborn to get ahead This is what thosewords mean to me in a work context
Smart I need to understand what Visa is doingand what people think about the business Thismeans constantly spending time in differentdepartments and learning from them I know whoour customers are what our challenges are andwhat our current financial performance is I havecontacts in most departments who have a fingeron the pulse which means I can have a relevantconversation with a senior person from any department
Sharp Internal communication is rarely near thetop of the agenda for senior people and my timewith them is usually short I always try to talkabout the impact on business performance assoon as possible If I circulate a document it willbe summarized to a single page at most and Idonrsquot use PowerPoint I ask a lot of ldquoonerdquo questionssuch as ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing you want employeesto do differentlyrdquo or ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing youwant me to change over the next six monthsrdquo
Stubborn I know what I want internal communica-tion to achieve at Visa and it has the support ofthe senior team Irsquove built up knowledge frombooks and articles I use my education from theBlack Belt training course1 and I speak to formercolleagues With this knowledge Irsquove becomestubborn and good at saying no because I have theinformation to back up my arguments Irsquove stoppedmy team from picking up extra projects that wonrsquotdeliver much value We focus only on projects thatadd the most value to the business and we deliveron these really well Successful delivery is thebiggest influence on any senior person
Monika StaffordHead of Internal CommunicationLloyds TSBUK
Be creative and focus on a killer issueUsing creative solutions to bring to life importantndash but often dull ndash programs can create a shinethat stretches beyond project boundaries For
example I worked on the implementation of SAPndash a business-critical systems program ndash requiringbehavior change from swathes of key yetuninterested people Successful implementationwas a big risk to get right but it was as dull asdishwater to communicate
Luckily there was a ldquoEurekardquo moment Byaligning the SAP story with the metaphor ofFormula-1 racing we could tell the tale of how itwould fulfill our need to create winningperformances for both the individual driver aswell as the back-up team in order to perform wellon the road ahead This storyline was a perfectmatch for the programrsquos objectives
Launch speakers from Formula 1 great designwork not to mention fantastic collateral allresulted in a no-hitch implementation that reallyresonated with people The global companypicked it up as the approach for worldwide rollout So faced with tedium it can actually pay tostare out of the window for creative inspiration
My other piece of advice is Focus on a killerissue If you really want to get ahead (and do besure you really do as being at the center ofchange is often akin to being in the eye of ahurricane ndash itrsquos no place for the feint-hearted)learn what keeps your business leaders up atnight Use your stakeholder-management skills toget to the people you need to help you deliversolutions then execute execute execute
Focus on value-adding work only because ifyou end up working on your companyrsquos cul-de-sacprojects yoursquoll never shine brightly enough forthe leaders in your company to notice you 3
COMPETENCY
Planning internal communication 76
Linking corporate messages to corporate vision 73
CEO communication 63
Change communication 60
Communicating to diverse audiences 60
Using the intranet as a communication tool 54
Defending your department in internal political battles 43
Line manager communication 42
Professional development of internal communication staff 33
Helping employees cope with information overload 32
Securing the appropriate level of budget for internal communication 30
Measuring the effectiveness of internal communication 28
Figure One Table from The Pulse report showing the percentage of communicators who ratethemselves as effective or very effective at listed competencies
30 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
WHATrsquoS CHANGED IN THE LAST 25 YEARS
David MoorcroftSenior Vice PresidentCorporate CommunicationsRBC Financial Group Canada
Irsquom constantly amazed at the changes that have taken place in our professionover the last 25 years and the degree of talent and knowledge required bycommunicators today to do their jobs well
Back in 1979 when I started in corporate PR the major skill sets werewriting editing and great media contacts Today good editorial skills are justtable stakes and the ability to understand business adapt technology thinkstrategically plan consummately and influence stakeholders are what landsenior communicators a seat at the management table
This change has been driven by the globalization of business the advent ofnew 247 media including the Internet the growing sophistication ofcustomers and employees increased demands for corporate transparency andmore rigorous requirements for high standards of public disclosure andfinancial reporting
MORE SKILLS THAN EVER BEFOREAs a result todayrsquos business communicator has to be more capable andknowledgeable and have more skills than ever before They must befinancially literate and technologically savvy They must understand the impactof evolving accounting and disclosure rules They must deal with legal HRpolitical and business issues And they must be prepared to deal with amultitude of potential crises that can arise at any moment in any language inany part of the world
Perhaps most challenging senior management today expects clear bottom-line returns for their investments in communication Itrsquos no longer enough toinform audiences and measure communication outputs CEOs expectcommunication to engage audiences and produce outcomes ndash something thatrequires strategic thinking planning and foresight
A friend of mine who left a senior corporate PR job to become COO of amajor public utility recently summed up the role of todayrsquos communicator thisway ldquoItrsquos one of the most important and critical roles in organizations todayand yet itrsquos often one of the least recognized and appreciatedrdquo
That sentiment may be a reality in some organizations today but with moreand more CEOs beginning to realize the bottom-line value of communication itwonrsquot be 25 years from now
Christina FeeSenior Vice President InternalCommunicationsDeutsche Post AGGermany
Seek out the important projectsI canrsquot pretend to have employed a specificapproach to my ldquopersonal PRrdquo at all But in theorganizations Irsquove worked for Irsquove had theopportunity to work on a number of excitinghigh-profile projects that have connected me withsenior stakeholders and influential people atdifferent levels
7
Irsquove learned a great deal from the project teamsIrsquove worked with and also due to the significanceand scope of the projects been able todemonstrate my worth approach and skills Irsquovehad to be passionate stand up for what I believein and think outside the box constantly
My roles within DHLDeutsche Post haveallowed me the freedom and flexibility to developand deliver new ideas but Irsquove also had to practiceand embody excellent internal communicationskills myself Having developed credibility and trustwith those that matter based on my track record Iwas allowed to go ahead with other projects
I donrsquot actively pursue the ldquoright relationshipsrdquobut rather let my work and my interactions withpeople speak for themselves This has helped medevelop mentors and supporters naturally Mylearning and development has also been expandedby the opportunity to work abroad and learn moreabout intercultural communication and interaction
Marc SilversideHead of Internal CommunicationsMacmillan Cancer SupportUK
Understand whatrsquos expected of youA newly established role heightens the need formaking a good impression so that people trustyou and feel they can come to you for advice
When I joined Macmillan I very nearly got thiswrong Perhaps this is an example that otherrsquos canlearn from
When my new CEO at Macmillan CancerSupport asked for a meeting ldquoafter a few weeks tosettle inrdquo I was confident that my wide-ranginginduction would help me understand the businessand provide the basis for what Irsquod present tosenior management
Forty structured face-to-face managerinterviews allowed me to understand needs andkey issues and I started to build personal rapportMy profile was raised and at the same timeinternal communication gained good visibility
Externally I networked with contacts in similarroles in other charities and soon found thebeginnings of a voluntary-sector network This hassince grown to over 25 members
By the time my CEO slot arrived I was armedwith input from across the charity and the resultsof an audit I felt well prepared to present myvision and solutions So I was surprised to be metwith significant resistance
I later discovered that my CEO intelligence wasincorrect What he wanted was to be askedspecifically about his own views on what internalcommunication should do and what I could do for
How to get ahead in internal communication
31scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
HOW DO YOUR SKILLS MEASURE UPFor Melcrumrsquos study into budgets salaries and trends in internalcommunication in 200607 we asked survey respondents to rate their owneffectiveness at a range of key communication competencies from planning tomeasurement The results may surprise you
For example 76 percent of respondents rate themselves as effective or veryeffective at planning internal communication but only 28 percent ratethemselves as equally effective at measuring its effectiveness (see Figure Onepage 29)
In her commentary on the results development expert Sue Dewhurst hadthe following to say
OUR STRENGTHSIt seems where we see our strengths as internal communicators is towards theldquofront endrdquo of the communication planning process For example being able tolink a plan to the business strategy knowing our audiences and being able tojoin up the dots and show people how messages link to the business vision
These are powerful strengths We are one of the few functions that tends tohave an overarching view of our entire company and is able to view thecompany and its strategy from a number of different perspectives Being ableto understand the vision and strategy view it from an audience perspectiveand then create line of sight to show what those things mean in practicalterms for peoplersquos day-to-day roles is one of the ways that we help drivebusiness performance ndash by showing people what they need to do to take thestrategy forward
In turn by knowing and working with our audiences hopefully wersquore thenalso able to make sure their views and suggestions can help shape the strategyand how itrsquos put into practice
MEASURING EFFECTIVENESSWe see ourselves as less effective towards the back end of the planningprocess in measuring the effectiveness of internal communication which tiesin with the feeling from previous questions that in fact wersquore not doing muchmeasurement or demonstrating our return on investment
Research and measurement is an area where there is plenty of expertisearound to call on There are measurement conferences research reports andpublications to understand what other organizations are doing and practicaltraining that will give you the opportunity to work in a smaller group askquestions and practice techniques For help with specific techniques try yourinternal marketing team Marketers are generally great with data and well-versed in running focus groups and putting together surveys If you have anexternal provider to support your employee engagement research try them too
Source The Pulse Essential data on budgets salaries and trends 2006-07wwwmelcrumcom
him rather than how I could benefit the charity Ihad to change my approach fast
This could have cost me my best ambassadorfrom day one So my advice is make sure yoursquoreabsolutely clear about whatrsquos expected from you
Of course the insights I gained in my first fewmonths have been valuable and since then myresults have done the talking Fortunately theCEO soon became an internal communicationsconvert and advocate
Darren CrozierCommunications ManagerHBOS plcUK
Make things happenDelivery is key to career development ndash if you sayyoursquore going to do something make sure you doit Put in the effort get the results you want andbe known as someone who can make things happenIf yoursquore seen to ldquoget things donerdquo no matter howsmall the job is people are more likely to get youinvolved in activities and ask your opinion
Gaining credibility and respect from seniorcolleagues is important but everyone in yourorganization will form an opinion of you from thepeople in the canteen right through to the CEOSo try and make sure that their opinion of you is agood one
Itrsquos not just the people within your immediatesphere of influence who can have an impact onyour career so extend your network go oncourses and get involved in professionalorganizations Many of my close workingrelationships career opportunities and indeedpersonal friendships have come from meetingpeople at such events and taking the time to keepin touch You never know how things will develop
Itrsquos also vital to earn respect be trustworthy andhave good manners To recall what an ex-bossonce said ldquoBe careful how you treat people onthe way up as you never know when you maycome across them againrdquo
One of the biggest challenges Irsquove found inrecent times is recognizing my own success andselling myself Sometimes you need to take a stepback to realize just what yoursquove achieved Evenbetter keep a log or portfolio of your successesand donrsquot be shy to speak about them becauseothers wonrsquot be shy to speak about theirs
Finally try and have some fun along the wayWe all have to work for a living so learn to makethe most of it scm
1 For more about Melcrumrsquos Internal Communication Black Belttraining program go to wwwmelcrumcom
32 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pitney Bowes has followed an aggressive strategyof growth through acquisition completing 60+acquisitions since 2001 Expansion has broadenedits product mix to include an extensive range ofsolutions from office equipment to globalpositioning software
But the companyrsquos many different specialismsand huge outsourcing operations meant that themajority of its 34000 employees werenrsquot aware ofthe full range of its service offering and thepotential for different divisions to work together
As Rob Hallam vice president EmployeeCommunication explains there was a strongbusiness case for adopting a ldquoone companyrdquoapproach ldquoBecause the businesses tended to besomewhat siloed even senior managers werefocused on their divisions
ldquoAlso because we were acquiring companiesand evolving so rapidly managers werenrsquot awareof a lot of the businesses and how they all workedtogether in the mailstreamrdquo says Hallam ldquoWewere missing out on potential cross-sellingopportunitiesrdquo
Communicating a new visionFour years ago Pitney Bowes created a OneCompany Vision statement ldquoOur aim was toensure support and cooperation across thebusiness so we could provide a comprehensive setof customer solutions ndash not just a list of productsand services by business unitrdquo says Hallam Theinternal communication challenge was to drawtogether 34000 employees and build a unifiedcorporate culture The communication strategyfocused on three key elements
1 PeopleThis focused on involving the leadershipstrengthening a two-way dialogue betweenmanagement and employees communicating theculture through leadership messaging enterprise-wide events and roadshows and buildingengagement so that everyone was workingtogether towards a One Company approach
2 ProcessesThis meant integrating the One Companyapproach into the organizationrsquos operations andinfrastructure by shifting management roles andadjusting incentives and reward structuresthroughout the company
The first step was to consolidate the companyrsquosoperating activities by appointing Murray DMartin as president and chief operating officer inSeptember 2004 Martinrsquos mantra is ldquoThink AsOne Act as One Operate As One to deliverwhat no other company canrdquo
ldquoThe COO position had previously been heldby the chairman so elevating someone to that
Communicating a OneCompany culture atPitney Bowes
Following rapid growth in the form of more than 60acquisitions over six years silo-working haddeveloped at Pitney Bowes and leaders were failing
to take advantage of profitable cross-selling opportunitiesHere Rob Hallam describes the communication elementsof a ldquoOne Companyrdquo culture-change program which hasturned the situation around simultaneously improvingcustomer service and boosting profits
Persuading disparate businessunits to work together
AN INTERVIEW WITH ROB HALLAM
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Pitney Bowes is an 87-year-old company best known forthe manufacturing operationand oversight of postagemeters It has over two millioncustomers more than 3500active patents and annualrevenue of close to $6 billion
33scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
role was a big changerdquo explains Hallam ldquoAll thebusiness units now report to a single individual atoperating level It represented a huge positivemove to start the company operationalizing OneCompany behaviorrdquo
The internal communication function wasrestructured to ensure that consistent messagingreached the entire employee population Regularmeasurement was a key part of the changeinitiative This served to define the contributionof communicating a One Company approachwhere it was adding value to Pitney Bowes and itsclients and customers and where there was stillwork to do
3 TechnologyIt was important to find the best ways to cascademessages throughout the company and keeppeople informed about what was going onwithout bombarding them with irrelevantcommunication Hallam and his team deploy avariety of channels and media including internalprint and online publications voicemail and e-mail Pitney Bowes is also in the process ofintegrating its different voicemail systems and e-mail platforms into one global system
Involving senior leadership from the outsetThe One Company strategy was an overridingpolicy that started at the top of the organizationldquoThere was a big launch at the strategic leadersrsquomeeting which is held every Januaryrdquo saysHallam ldquoThe messaging was then driven throughthe organization via a companywide globalcommunication strategyrdquo
From the outset the policy was championed bythe CEO Michael Critelli who believes thatculture is central to the Pitney Bowes brand andsaid recently ldquoMy first measure of success iswhether we are behaving as one companyrdquo Thiscommitment helped to ensure that the culturalchange was reinforced by parallel changes to thecorporate infrastructure
Building a two-way dialogueThe next step was to get the employee populationinvolved and build enterprisewide enthusiasm forthe culture change Pitney Bowes has alwaysrecognized the value of a two-way dialoguebetween management and employees and hasheld annual jobholders meetings which aresimilar to shareholdersrsquo meetings for 61 years In2005 Hallam reinvented it as an initiative calledOne Forum ndash a series of roadshows focusing oncommunicating the One Company culturethroughout the organization
Launching the One ForumIn 2005 Hallam and his team created an original
and memorable One Forum launch for the 90percent of Pitney Bowes employees based in theUS Around a quarter of US employees saw thisin person the others received a link to a websitewith streaming highlights
ldquoWe put together a two-hour roadshow eventwhich helped people to understand our OneCompany approach and made them aware of allthe businesses we were inrdquo says Hallam ldquoThethinking was that high change requires high touchFace-to-face can have far greater impact on theindividuals touched From there itrsquos a matter ofripple effect such as seeing improved One Forumbrand awareness among employees who didnrsquotactually attend one of the eventsrdquo
ldquoWe wanted the roadshow to be entertainingand energizing so we used gameshow techniquescustom-written songs and comedy specificallytailored to Pitney Bowes employees It was a funevent but it also included a keynote speech fromthe CEO and a lot of question-and-answersessions with employees It was entertainmentwith a purpose and it was a great success with employeesrdquo
The post-event employee evaluations provedthe success of this approach ldquoIn some cities anincredible 90 percent of employees gave the eventa top-box rating This shows that there was ahunger for both the knowledge and theapproachrdquo adds Hallam
Taking the show on the roadThe One Forum roadshow has become an annualevent ldquoIn a five-month period during 2005 therewere 17 One Forum events in 12 US citiesreaching about 6000 peoplerdquo says Hallam ldquoAftersome testing in March and April the first bigroadshows started in early May and continued forsix months with the final one in early Decemberin Seattle 3
Rob Hallam is vice presidentEmployee Communication atPitney Bowes (PB) in StamfordConnecticut where hersquos beenresponsible for internalcommunication strategy andimplementation since 2004Hallam has led a team ofprofessionals in reshapingcommunication at PB resultedin the communication teamearning the top ranking in HRdepartment satisfaction fromall PBrsquos US managers in 2005and 2006
KEY POINTSbull Internal communication has played an important role in embedding a
One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
bull The communication strategy focused on three key elements peopleprocess and technology
bull The campaign has been championed by the CEO from the outset andhas won senior leadership support over time
bull An entertaining roadshow helped win employee commitment
bull Cross-selling ratios have jumped substantially since the culture-changeeffort began
34 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ldquoIn 2006 we compressed the programsubstantially and drove down costs while stilltouching 6000 employees Together with ourcorporate marketing group we also introduced anextremely successful lsquoelevator speechrsquo that helpsemployees answer the much-feared questionlsquoWhat does Pitney Bowes dorsquordquo
Local variationsAlthough the entertainment component in theroadshows contributed to their success it wasspecific to the US so Hallam gave business unitsand internal communicators in other regions theresponsibility for communicating the OneCompany approach to local employees ldquoInCanada and the UK they conducted town-hallmeetings and in Latin America and other parts ofthe world they produced their own variations onthe One Forum theme We made sure that theyhad the information they needed but we limitedthe entertainment to English-speaking regionsrdquo
A commitment to employee engagementThe appointment of the new COO and the launchof the One Forum roadshows coincided with thefirst employee engagement survey in late 2004ldquoWe see engagement as very much tied to ourability to execute a One Company strategy andchange our culturerdquo says Hallam He sets outfour ways in which employee engagement isinstilled at all levels in the organization
1 Visible leadership commitment to engagementThe CEO underlines his commitment by sendingregular messages to employees via a variety ofmedia including voicemail and print and onlinepublications He also uses engagement scores todetermine a unitrsquos overall performance rating andbonus pool ldquoWhen one senior execrsquos bonus poolwas reduced due to poor engagement scores that
was a message requiring no communication planrdquosays Hallam ldquoWord spread quicklyrdquo
2 Celebrating top performers Pitney Bowes celebrates its top engagementperformers by running cover stories in its globalprint and online publication PB Today ldquoThisprogram was called lsquoThe Faces of Pitney Bowesrsquordquosays Hallam ldquoWe did 10 of these last year so theyran twice in five editions Wersquove also producedlarge mural-sized photos of those managers andtheir teamsrdquo he says ldquoWe celebrate success andpublish it everywhere Our CEO loves it and wersquoreactually selling part of our contemporary artcollection which decorates the building to makeroom for an expansion of additional OneCompany and Engagement photography all ofwhich will focus on our employeesrdquo
3 Incentivizing managers via the reward systemEmployee engagement is recognized andreinforced in the companyrsquos formal processesincluding its reward system ldquoWe use a tool calledthe Strategic Architecture which is our balancedscorecardrdquo explains Hallam ldquoItrsquos a Six-Sigma toolwhich measures employee shareholder andcustomer value Managersrsquo engagement scoresalso factor into their annual reviews soengagement has a direct impact on remunerationrdquo
4 Rewarding engagementA further program called Rapid Rewards awardscash bonuses to managers and employees foroutstanding behavior including that related toemployee engagement
Aligning the communication strategyHallam and his team are responsible fordelivering the overall employee communicationstrategy ldquoWe had to dramatically improve ourstrategic approach in order to make OneCompany a realityrdquo he says
In addition to organizing campaigns such as theOne Forum roadshows to publicize the culturechange across the enterprise Hallam hasintroduced initiatives aimed at improving thereach and delivery of internal communication andmaking sure messages get to their intendedaudiences He has also aligned the structure ofthe internal communication function with thecompanyrsquos unified culture
ldquoThere were a lot of different communicationgroups so we brought together all thecommunication leaders and formed a singleInternal Communications Councilrdquo explainsHallam ldquoThis means that the communicationfunctions in the different business units areworking together to help drive change andimprove coordinationrdquo
Communicating a One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
ldquoWHEN A SENIOR EXECrsquoS BONUS WAS REDUCEDDUE TO POOR ENGAGEMENT SCORES THAT WASA MESSAGE REQUIRING NO COMMUNICATIONPLAN WORD SPREAD QUICKLYrdquo
7
FURTHER RESOURCES3 THE IMPACT OF CULTURE AND CLIMATE ON CHANGE PROGRAMS
An article published in SCM Volume 10 Issue 6 OctoberNovember 2006
3 DRIVING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE CORPORATE CULTUREMelcrumrsquos report on communication tools techniques and best practicefrom leading organizationswwwmelcrumcom
35scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Developing a global approachHallam is also responsible for a globalcommunication project called Universal Reachwhich is sponsored by the chairman and designedto support and maintain a unified corporateculture ldquoOur goal is to provide 90 percentmessage accessibility within our key customer-facing audiencesrdquo he explains ldquoThe biggestchallenge is integrating our online communicationinfrastructure which has nine different voicemailsystems operating across the world and multiplee-mail and web platforms Wersquore pulling all thattogether to provide better reachrdquo
Since 911 the CEO and other top executiveshave broadcast weekly audio messages calledPower Talks Hallamrsquos team has worked with theleadership to ensure that they incorporate OneCompany messages and as he explains they reachmost of the employee population ldquoAbout 20000of our employees have voicemail Those whodonrsquot receive the Power Talk message either inprint or online In some divisions managers playthe Power Talk messages in staff meetingsrdquo
Engaging leadership reinforces the cultureBuilding on the CEOrsquos commitment to a OneCompany approach Hallam and his team haveorganized leadership events ndash most recently at thestrategic leadersrsquo meeting in December 2006 ndashshowing Pitney Bowes as one company in actionThis campaign has helped to engage the top 150managers in the culture change
ldquoOur post-event evaluations show a strongmove numerically in senior leadershiprsquos belief thatwersquore operating as one companyrdquo says Hallam(see Figure One above) ldquoAs theyrsquore our toughestjudges wersquore pleased by the significant differencein pre- and post-event measurementrdquo There wasalso an improvement in leadersrsquo understanding ofthe companyrsquos new mailstream category
Sustaining the new cultureAccording to Hallam rippling out the OneCompany messaging requires a consistent andcoordinated approach Communication leaders inthe various divisions are now working to weaveOne Company messages into the business-unitmeetings ldquoA lot of the messaging that welaunched at the strategic leadersrsquo meeting arebeing reiterated at the business unit level Thatrsquosbeen facilitated through the InternalCommunications Councilrdquo he says
ldquoKey metrics for the culture change programfocus on cross-selling ratios which have jumpedsubstantially since the culture change effortbeganrdquo says Hallam ldquoIn 2002 we also institutedthe ldquoPB1 Awardsrdquo which is a chairmanrecognition award that goes to teams who bestembody cross-functional behavior in working on
projects which improve our clientsrsquo profitabilityour profitability or bothrdquo
ldquoHowever wersquore only really a year into thisMuch of the evidence is anecdotal but what haschanged is that our managers have broadenedtheir vision and are thinking as solutions-providers rather than product-sellers As suchtheyrsquore involving other business units out of theirdesire to eliminate customer pain points ndashregardless of which part of Pitney Bowes gets the salerdquo
Adding value to customersUltimately managers and employees who arewell-informed about the companyrsquos products andservices are in a good position to take advantageof cross-selling opportunities Realizing thispotential enables Pitney Bowes to make extrasales to existing customers thereby increasing itsprofit margins and allowing customers to benefitfrom a mix of products and services
Shifting to a unified culture directly benefitsboth Pitney Bowes and its customers ldquoByfocusing on the whole cadre of products andservices we can help our customers improve theirbusinessesrdquo says Hallam ldquoThatrsquos where OneCompany is critical It enables our clients tobenefit from all our servicesrdquo scm
Figure One Measuring the impact of the strategic leadersrsquo meeting
CONTACT DETAILS
Rob HallamPitney Bowesrobhallampbcom
I BELIEVE THAT OUR SENIOR LEADERS (MEANING THE TOP 15 EXECS) AREWORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO DELIVER INTEGRATED HIGH-VALUESOLUTIONS TO OUR CUSTOMERS
Pre SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 73
Post SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 92
Gain in two months time 19
ldquoMANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WELL-INFORMED ABOUT THE COMPANYrsquoS PRODUCTSAND SERVICES ARE IN A GOOD POSITION TOTAKE ADVANTAGE OF CROSS-SELLINGrdquo
2007
36 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
MELCRUM TRAINING amp EVENTS
CALENDAR 2007UKEUROPESOCIAL MEDIA FORUM FORINTERNAL COMMUNICATORS UK
3 21-22 March 2007 Hilton Canary WharfLondon UKThis forum is designed for practitioners who wantto make social media part of their internalcommunication strategy Over two dayscompanies such as IBM Microsoft and BT willshare case studies demonstrating their use ofsocial-media tools Technology experts will also beon hand to provide training and show you how touse these tools
THE 3RD ANNUAL EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT CONFERENCE UK
3 22-24 May 2007 Millennium GloucesterLondon UK22 May ndash Practical workshops23-24 May ndash Two-day conferenceThis event will focus on transforming yourstrategies into action Listen to case studies fromcompanies that have achieved real andmeasurable results from their engagement effortsLearn how they did it what they achieved and howthe results were measured
THE 6TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT UK
3 16-18 October 2007 London UK After the huge success of the 2006 UK StrategicCommunication Management Summit next yearrsquosevent will once again provide you withpresentations from key figures in the industry anda chance to network with your peers Mark yourdiaries now ndash more details to follow
THE 3RD ANNUAL INTERNALCOMMUNICATION MEASUREMENTCONFERENCE UK
3 27-29 November 2007 London UKDetails available soon ndash mark your diary now
NORTH AMERICATHE 3RD ANNUAL CONFERENCEON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENTBUILDING AND SUSTAINING ACULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT
3 28 February ndash 1 March 2007 Crowne PlazaAtlanta-Buckhead Atlanta USLearn how to foster an environment whereemployees feel valued and respected Hear fromcompanies including Dow Corning CorporationAmerican Express Delta Hotels and Merck
THE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT US
3 26-28 March 2007 Crowne Plaza UnionSquare San Francisco26 March ndash Pre-conference workshops27-28 March ndash Two-day summitAttend this conference and discover how toimprove employee alignment with all segments ofyour internal audience ndash from your front-lineemployees to your executive officers bothnationally and worldwide
AUSTRALIATHE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION ENGAGEMENTSUMMIT SYDNEY
3 31 July ndash 2 August 2007 Sydney Australia Details available soon ndash mark your diary now
WEBINARSDEVELOPING PROFESSIONALCOMPETENCE
3 Thursday 22 February 2007 with LiamFitzPatrick and Sue Dewhurst
HELPING YOUR ORGANIZATIONTHRIVE DURING TURBULENTTIMES
3 Thursday 29 March 2007 with Carol KinseyGoman
TRAININGTHE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT PROGRAM
3 24-25 April and 1-2 May 2007 HenleyManagement College UK3 11-12 and 27-28 September 2007 Cranfield
School of Management UK
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT MASTERCLASSEFFECTIVE MEASUREMENT
3 14-15 March 2007 Hendon Hall Hendon UKAn essential two-day intensive training courses forinternal communicators on effective measurementRegister early as places are strictly limited to 20people per Masterclass
CSR DELIVERY ENGAGEMENT amp LEADERSHIP
3 19-20 April 2007 Central LondonOsney MediaWith an excellent speaker line-up from high-profile companies including Procter amp Gamble The BodyShop ExxonMobil Microsoft Belgium Vodafone UK Dell Ericsson and Alliance Boots this case studybased event will answer questions including how do Ibull Build a CSR-oriented leadershipbull Get people on boardbull Integrate CSR with the global strategy of the companybull Deliver CSR throughout the company to make it really happen
For more information visit wwwcsrleadershipcom or e-mail mariame_lindellosneymediacouk (Reference code 910MLC3)
38 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
DESIGN
YELLOW
The future success of all organisations will be builton trust understanding passion empowermentintegrity and relationships
The future is cool exciting sparkling organisationsbursting with energy life and action
The future of brand is the internal brand first andforemost
The future is colleague as customer
Turning communications upside down
No just inside-out
Be part of the future say hello to Yellow
We help large organisations bring their communicationsstrategies to life through the imaginative use of liveevents multimedia web and design ndash distributed acrossall media platforms including DVD TV mobile devicesintranet and extranet
Ultimately developing internal brands and ongoingcommunications that have a measurable impact onpeople-performance advocacy and the bottom line
Contact Paul MiddletonTel +44 (0)161 228 6700E-mail paulmiddletonyellowcomcomWebsite wwwyellowcomcom
NEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
DESIGN
BLUE GOOSE
blue goose specialize in visual communications We make communications work faster and better We will link what wedo back to your objectives but we donrsquot talk (or charge for) ldquostrategyrdquo when you simply want tactical implementation Weuse design and creativity tobull differentiate products and services bull develop and manage corporate and brand identity bull align external communications with agreed values bull internalize corporate and brand identitybull align internal communications with agreed values bull support organizational change and bull help organizations better understand and define who they are
We work for clients as diverse as PricewaterhouseCoopers Ford Europe Centrica plc Greene King City of London Policeand Le Meacuteridien
blue goose is for any organization more interested in designing their future than watching it happen
Contact Chris BarringtonE-mail thinkingbluegoosecoukTel +44 (0)20 8869 8500Web site wwwbluegoosecouk
CONSULTANCY
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION ampSURVEYS PTY LTD
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd is aboutique consultancy based in Sydney Australia Itspecializes in employee communication strategiessystems research and employee surveys of all kindsPrincipal Rodney Gray has been involved inorganizational consulting for over 20 years following a15-year career as a corporate human resourcesexecutive Services includebull Employee communication audits and surveys by
questionnaires focus groups and interviewsbull Employee communication systems strategies and
processesbull Employee communication training workshops and
talksbull Employee culture climate and opinion surveysbull Qualitative organizational diagnosis (focus groups
and interviews)bull Internal service quality research (qualitative and
quantitative)
Contact Rodney GrayTel +61 (0)2 9909 2900 Fax +61 (0)2 9909 2911E-mail rodneyrodneygraycomauWeb site wwwemployee-communicationcomau
CONSULTANCY
HEDRON
Internal and change communication that helps teamsand individuals to develop strategies relationshipsprocesses and skills to engage stakeholders supporthigh performance and deliver change
ldquoSharp strategic thinking quality execution effectiveinterpersonallyhelliprdquo ldquoCreativity drive resourcefulnessresults great funhelliprdquo say clients
All sectors ndash ABN AMRO AXA BT Cadbury SchweppesDepartment for Constitutional Affairs HealthcareCommission Group 4 Securicor SABMiller SiemensSouthern Rail Unilever Wincanton
Our clients are happy to tell you what itrsquos like workingwith us
Contact Helena MemoryTel + 44 (0) 20 7493 0735Fax + 44 (0) 20 7493 0743E-mail helena-mhedroncomWeb site wwwhedroncom
CONSULTANCY
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
39scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
CONSULTANCY
SYNOPSIS
Founded by change and communication authority Bill Quirke in 1992 Synopsis is one of Europersquos leading internalcommunication consultancies Our clients include such companies as ABN Amro BBC BP British Airways DiageoEricsson HP Lloyds TSB Roche Shell and Vodafone
We help clients use internal communication to engage their employees in delivering business strategy and get most valuefrom their internal communication
We can help youbull Develop communication strategies that support your business strategybull Coach leadersbull Develop line managersrsquo communication skillsbull Plan and coordinate your communication with colleagues onlinebull Check the health of your communication channels and improve return on investmentbull Build and develop the communication functionbull Measure and track employee engagement attitudes and opinions
To take a tour of our online planning tool go to wwwsynopsisonlinecomproductplanningtoolasp
Contact Jane LebeauE-mail janelebeausynopsisonlinecomTel +44 (0) 20 7490 2900Web site wwwsynopsisonlinecom
CONSULTANCY
HARKNESS KENNETT
We specialize in internal communication To us thatmeansbull motivating people through inspiring leadershipbull guiding people through organizational changebull engaging people in delivering the brand
Working in partnership with our clients is central to ourethos enabling us to help deliver practical solutionssupported by solid strategic thinking All of ourconsultants have held senior positions ldquoclient siderdquo sowe know what itrsquos like to be in your shoes The vastmajority of our work comes from recommendations fromexisting clients ndash 82 percent of our clients haverequested repeat work in the last two years
Our clients include Abbey Atkins BDO Stoy HaywardThe Environment Agency Marks amp Spencer NHS Blood ampTransplant Morgan Stanley Europe Nestleacute PoliceInformation Technology Organisation Royal ampSunAlliance South West Trains and Vodafone
Our vision is simple ndash we want to be the first callyou make
Contact James HarknessTel +44 (0)1483 222730E-mail jamesharknessharknesskennettcomWeb site wwwharknesskennettcom
CONSULTANCY
TRIDENT COMMUNICATIONS
Trident Communications is uniquely positioned to definedevelop and deliver award-winning solutions that aligncommunication with business goals
We advise and partner with organizations of all sizes tocreate high-value practical applications Our talentedproject teams provide innovative research designeditorial and imagery for print and online
We connect ideas and deliver results
Contact Peter Agertoft Tel +44 (0)207 536 8900E-mail peteragertoft
tridentcommunicationsnetWeb site wwwtridentcommunicationsnet
CONSULTANCY
FLEISHMAN-HILLARD
Fleishman-Hillardrsquos dedicated internal and changecommunication practice helps businesses focus onperforming ndash not just informing
We help organisations plan and implement programmeswith the right mix of information dialogue and trainingso that employees are engaged aligned and motivatedto achieve business objectives
Because effective internal communication is vital tobottom-line performance we partner with our clients tocreate a daily dialogue ndash not a monologue ndash withemployees
Contact Nick AndrewsTel +32 (0)2 230 05 45 E-mail nickandrewsfleishmancomWeb site wwwfleishmaneuropecom
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE A listing in our Directory of Services will giveyou a chance to reach communicationprofessionals at some of the worldrsquos largestand most admired companies and to tap intodecision-making practitioners
ContactVincent SorelTel +44 (0)208 600 4670E-mail vincentsorelmelcrumcom
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
INCLUDE YOUR COMPANY BY CONTACTING US ON +44(0)20 8600 4670 OR AT INFOMELCRUMCOM
CONSULTANCY
HILL amp KNOWLTON
Better business results the bottom line
How do I manage more change Motivate managers Getthe right information to the right people Show the bestreturn on communication investment
Sound familiar Hill amp Knowltonrsquos change and internalcommunication consultants work with companies aroundthe world to find the right answers for their situation
We offer strategy insight and creativity drawing on ourconsultancy expertise and in-house experience Plus wedeliver practical hands-on help
We know that effective employee communication has adirect impact on the bottom line Working together wecan make it happen for you
Contact EMEA DavidFerrabeehillandknowltoncom
+44 (0) 7413 3176USA BarbaraEdlerhillandknowltoncom
+1 415 281-7160Canada KristaThompsonhillandknowltoncom
+1 613 786-9961
RECRUITMENT
VMA GROUP
VMA Group is one of the UKrsquos leading executive searchand selection consultancies specializing in internal andcorporate communication recruitment
For over 25 years VMA Group has provided the highestlevel of service to some of the most demanding globalorganizations developing a strong track record for thequality and professionalism of our search and selection work
We have in-depth specialist knowledge of the internalcommunication market and can provide high-qualitypermanent and interim candidates with expertise acrossinternal communication change management and widercorporate communication We understand the needs ofour clients intrinsically and strive to develop long-termrelationships with clients and candidates alike
Please call to discuss how we can help you find theideal candidate or if you wish to make a career move
Contact David BroomeTel +44 (0)20 7436 4243E-mail dbroomevmagroupcoukWeb site wwwvmagroupcouk
40 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONALCOMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS E-mail gaitensunityncsueduWeb site wwwconsultingsuccessorgTel 919 469 3895
CIB ndash BRITISH ASSOCIATION OFCOMMUNICATORS IN BUSINESSE-mail enquiriescibukcomWeb site wwwcibukcomTel +44 (0)870 121 7606
CCM ndash COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATIONMANAGEMENT E-mail membership
ccmconnectioncomWeb site wwwccmconnectioncomTel 866 463 4226
CPRS ndash THE CANADIAN PUBLICRELATIONS SOCIETYE-mail admincprscaWeb site wwwcprscaTel 416 239 7034
IABC ndash THE INTERNATIONALASSOCIATION OF BUSINESSCOMMUNICATORS E-mail service_centreiabccomWeb site wwwiabccomTel 415 544 4700
ICA ndash THE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONALLIANCE E-mail amandafoistericaukorgWeb site wwwiprorgukicaTel +44 (0)1628 642 044
CIPR ndash THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OFPUBLIC RELATIONS UKE-mail infoiprorgukWeb site wwwiprorgukTel +44 (0)20 7253 5151
IPRA ndash THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICRELATIONS ASSOCIATIONE-mail ipraseccompuservecomWeb site wwwipraorgTel +44 (0) 1372 461 188
PRSA ndash PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OFAMERICAE-mail resourcesprsaorgWeb site wwwprsaorgTel 212 460 1459
DIRECTORY OF SERVICESNEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
CONSULTANCY
THOUGHT LEADER LEE SMITH
7scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PEO
PLE
scm
Lee Smith FCIPR is a director of Gatehouse specializing in internal communicationfor professional and financial services businesses He also authors the TalkingInternal Communication blog at wwwtalkingictypepadcom
had to give and I canrsquot pretend I wasalways a joy to be with during that period
It didnrsquot help that I lived nearly 80miles away in Birmingham During thoseyears I saw more of the M6 motorwaythan your average lorry driver I alsospent far too many nights eating badfood in cheap Manchester hotels all ofwhich eventually took its toll
Then came the exams nearly 30 hours of them Again Irsquod done myhomework so I managed to come awaywith decent marks
My final hurdle the dreadeddissertation took around two years tocomplete I chose to focus onorganizational identity and just to makemy life tougher decided to use a ratherobscure psychological researchtechnique Getting to grips with thatfinding the time to conduct lengthyinterviews analyze results and craft mytome was incredibly difficult
Being a perfectionist I took it right to the wire ndash submitting my finaldocument just before the universityrsquosultimate deadline
Time to celebrate Last month saw the end of my long andarduous journey The ritual of thegraduation ceremony was a fitting endingand helped draw a line under thatparticular chapter of my professionaldevelopment story
Therersquos no doubt that the course wasbeneficial and although the journey wassometimes difficult the experience wasmostly enjoyable I fell just 3 percentshort of the distinction grade I wantedbut Irsquom still very proud of myachievement And I know Irsquom now amuch more thoughtful and effectivecommunicator
Would I recommend the MSc route toother communicators Yes but I wouldmake sure they realize the enormity ofthe challenge A part-time MSc is not foreveryone It will demand considerabletime energy and effort and may welltake its toll on your personal life andyour waistline But if you persevere overthe long run it might just be worth itNow about that PhD
Irsquove always taken my professionaldevelopment seriously From themoment I entered the communicationprofession in 1991 Irsquove worked hard tohone existing skills build new ones andbroaden my knowledge Some havecalled me dedicated others obsessive
During those 16 years Irsquove participatedin dozens of training courses attendedmore than 50 conferences sacrificedmany an evening to study supported twoprofessional bodies judged industryawards written articles organizedevents volunteered for charities andmentored many aspiring communicators
My biggest development featYet all of this pales into insignificancewhen compared to my biggestdevelopmental feat so far ndash earning anMSc in Corporate Communication andReputation Management Itrsquos likecomparing a gentle stroll to scaling alarge mountain
I finally graduated from the Universityof Manchester Business School inDecember 2006 but it took me five longyears to reach that point Havingenrolled as a svelte twenty-something Igraduated an overweight and slightlygraying 35-year-old It was a slow andoccasionally painful assent
The first stepsBack in 2001 what appealed to me aboutthe course was its strategic focus Unlikesome post-graduate courses theManchester MSc is genuinely multi-
disciplinary touching on communicationtheory branding psychologystakeholder management ethics andbusiness strategy ndash to name a few
Itrsquos also refreshingly practicalcombining robust academic thinking withreal-world case studies While I wantedacademic rigor it was very important tome to be able to practically apply thelearning at work
It took me some time to understandthe relevance of the ldquoScrdquo in MSc Sciencewas a subject I detested at school but Irecognized its importance to my futureas a communicator I was also very awareof my own weakness in that area Thatrsquosone of the benefits Irsquove gained from thecourse ndash a real appreciation of goodresearch and the knowledge to do it well
Things went well academically though juggling part-time study with afull-time career is never easy I wasdisciplined enough to invest thenecessary time and to gradually work myway through the course reading list andgood marks followed
A balancing actThe course proved a little morechallenging on a personal level Work-life balance is hard enough to achieve letalone work-study-life balance Something
IS FURTHER STUDY THEROUTE FOR YOU
It takes dedicationbut a post-graduate
degree can beprofessionally and
personally beneficial
Who said professional development was easy Commitment perseverance andpatience are some of the attributes Lee Smith found invaluable as he workedtowards obtaining his masters degree
8 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TEC
HN
OLO
GY
scm
Creating dialogue within an organizationand encouraging involvement are two ofthe major attractions associated withblogs These were also the primary reasonsbehind the World Bankrsquos decision tolaunch their first internal blog last year
The occasion was the organizationrsquosannual meeting a series of events held inSingapore in 2006 This 10-day eventbrings together around 10000 peopleincluding media representatives to discussissues related to poverty reduction andinternational economic development
According to Egan traditionalmethods used previously to report on theevent such as articles video and audiolinks on the internet and intranet siteshad failed to spark employeesrsquo interest inthe progress and outcomes of the meetingsBlogging seemed like a good way drive toemployeesrsquo interest and involvement
Objectives of the blogEgan summarizes the objectives andrationale behind the blog as follows bull To provide an alternate voice to share
the business outcomes of the meetingsusing informal first-person reportingof behind-the-scenes activities
bull To encourage the use of otherresources by linking blog readers tomore serious information
bull To encourage employee interactionand increase dialogue
Throughout the event the blog wasupdated daily by the head of internalcommunication The entries wereunedited but reader comments weremoderated before they were posted
Outcomes and evaluationAccording to Egan this blogging experimentsurpassed their expectations by helpingto achieve the following three outcomes1 Renewed credibility for the voice of
internal communication ldquoCorporatecommunication always suffers thereputation of towing managementrsquosline The tone and delivery of theblog entries very clearly did not Wehad many comments along the linesof lsquoFinally the real storyrsquordquo
2 A feeling of inclusion ldquoBy providinga sense of the context and atmosphereemployees who didnrsquot attend theevent still felt like they were part ofit Many commented that lsquoFor thefirst time I feel Irsquom therersquordquo
3 Better awareness of the outcomes ofthe meetings ldquoThe blog provided thehook into other channels ofinformation which staff may nototherwise have consulted The first
thing some of the readers did in themorning was to check the blogrdquo
Egan admits that there were some whowere initially skeptical about bloggingldquoWe did have a couple of comments onthe blog saying lsquoThis is frivolousrsquo butothers responded by saying lsquoLighten upThis makes a nice change from all theboring official informationrsquordquo
Another problem was a potentiallyoffensive remark which had to be removedprompting the composition of an officialblogging policy to define the roles andresponsibilities of authors and commenters
Optimistic about the new toolFollowing on from the success of thisfirst blog the communication team hassince launched a variety of blogs some ofwhich have been successful others lessso Ironically a blog set up to discuss aworldwide conference on communicationgot minimal response Staff participationin external blogs has also been low ButEgan remains optimistic about thepotential of this tool
ldquoThere are millions of blogs out thereand lots of participation in them But ina business setting it takes a bit moretime before a community of practicedevelops and people believe that this is atrusted space where they can commentwithout being ridiculed or scornedrdquo
Advice to corporate bloggersTo build confidence in the tool Egan hasplans to launch an internal marketingcampaign and the organizationrsquos newintranet site will provide a forum forfuture blogging developments
Eganrsquos primary advice to fellowcorporate bloggers is to keep the contentgenuine ldquoIt becomes very obvious veryquickly who is doing the writingrdquo Shealso suggests keeping blogs topic or event-specific and avoiding general musings
Her final reminder is that blogsshouldnrsquot replace traditional tools butcompliment them ldquoBlogs can be fabulousbut you need to put them in context withthe other tools that are available Be veryclear about their purposerdquo
USING BLOGS TO INVOLVE ATWORLD BANK
Michele Egan is a senior communications officer in the World Bank Grouprsquos internalcommunications unit Among other tasks she leads the development and delivery ofthe grouprsquos electronic communication tools
Experimenting with blogsat the World Bank has
shed light on what worksand what doesnrsquot
In 2006 the World Bank set up a blog to spark interest and involvement in amajor organizationwide planning event The positive response has inspired a moreadventurous and experimental approach to blogging Based on recent experiencessenior communications officer Michele Egan reflects on the potential benefits andpitfalls of using this tool
MICHELLE EGAN
by Sona Hathi
INTRANETS EMBRACESOCIAL MEDIA
Neilson Normanrsquos latest report on thetop 10 intranet designs of 2007 shows anincrease in the use of multimedia andsocial media on intranet sites
Although multimedia was a significantfeature in last yearrsquos list this year seesphotos video news feeds and webcamsput to more innovative use Indicatingthat social media has not been a passingfad of 2006 many of the intranets haveimplemented popular Web 20 featureslike blogs (with specific business angles)and business-relevant wikis
Video is being used for training andcorporate communication butorganizations such as American ElectricPower have pushed the use of thischannel by setting up a TV studio forintranet productions offering employeesstreaming video and live webcasts
News feeds have long been used onintranets but this year the bestselections offer more relevant internaland external news and involveemployees by allowing them to ratestories and comment
Translation comes out topsMany of the reportrsquos winning intranetsoffer language translation for theirinternational employees Dow Chemicalfor example uses English for most globalcontent but translates important contentinto Dutch German French ItalianPortuguese and Spanish Selectedcontent is also translated into ChineseGreek Japanese and Thai
A total of 49 different technologyproducts are used by the reportrsquos topintranets with Windows Server GoogleSearch Appliance and SharePoint beingamong the most popular SH
httpwwwnngroupcom
9scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TEC
HN
OLO
GY
scmUPDATECALCULATING THEROI ON BLOGGING
The difficulty of placing a precisemonetary value on corporate blogging isone of the setbacks of this tool But anew report from Forrester calledCalculating the ROI of blogging offersways to identify the benefits costs andrisks that corporate blogging involvesusing a three-stage process 1 Quantify and assign value to the key
benefits of blogging 2 Estimate the costs of blogging3 Incorporate risk calculations into the
ROI model
The report describes how to measure theimpact blogging has on the businessoutcomes using ldquometrics that everyone isfamiliar withrdquo For example themonetary value of press mentions can bemeasured by counting the number ofblog-driven stories by online press webmedia and high-profile bloggers andthen calculating the cost of advertising inthe same publications
General Motorsrsquo case studyThe report also features a case study onGeneral Motorsrsquo two-year-old blogFastLane to which the authors applytheir ROI process Rather thanpresenting the company with a finalnumerical figure theyrsquove come up withnew objectives advising them how to getthe maximum benefits from blogging andimprove its impact on business outcomes
Whether yoursquove already startedblogging or are about to take the plungethis report provides direction on how toevaluate how your blog and decide whichdirection it needs to go in to gainmaximum business value SH
httpwwwforrestercom
SENIOR EXECS BIG ONNEW MEDIA
A survey of 100 CEOs and CMOs fromFortune 2000 companies found that 76percent of senior executives areexperimenting with alternative mediasuch as blogs Second Life and socialnetworking
The study by Weber Shandwick andKRC Research found that 69 percent ofthose surveyed currently use socialnetworking while 37 percent plan to useit more over the next five years
Ninety-one percent of those surveyedcurrently make use of their companywebsite and 66 percent plan to use theirwebsite more over the next five yearsmaking it number one in the surveyrsquos listof media tools
Use of virtual worlds to growAvatar-based marketing (marketingthrough virtual worlds such as SecondLife) came last in the list of 20 mediatools senior executives plan to use overthe next five years However researchersbelieve that the use of virtual worlds incommunication and marketing willincrease as more companies learn how touse them more effectively
Billee Howard managing director ofthe Global Strategic Media Group atWeber Shandwick said ldquoWersquore in theearly days of a totally new media eraThose companies that do not combinethe new-media paradigm with the best oftraditional media will most certainlyproceed at their perilrdquo SH
Source The Changing Face of Marketingand Communications in Todayrsquos CreativityEconomy
httpwwwwebershandwickcom
TECHNOLOGY UPDATE
When talking about return on investment(ROI) for the intranet and other ldquosoftrdquobenefits these are the kinds of results oroutcomes usually referred to
Measurable ROI from hard benefitsinclude bull less paperbull less hardwarebull less headcount andbull increased sales
Soft benefits includebull increased employee productivitybull better customer satisfactionbull faster time to market andbull improved employee retention
IBM Oracle and Cisco all measure theimpact and benefits of their intranet Allof them have measured the value to begreater than US$1 billion In fact IBMhas realized benefits from e-learning viathe intranet alone to be more thanUS$284 million
BT the UK telecommunicationscompany uses an online idea jar foremployees called ldquoPersonnel TodayrdquoEmployee ideas have saved BT nearlyUKpound100 million over the past four years
Sodexhorsquos SuperSleuthOne of my personal favorites is theSodexho USA Sales SuperSleuthSuperSleuth is an intranet web page andapplication that encourages employees tosubmit sales leads and prospective clientsvia the intranet
The SuperSleuth intranet pagegenerates cash rewards of up toUS$1000 for the person making thesubmission Sodexho says it hascontributed to a 100-percent increase insales leads In fact the SuperSleuth toolhas led to US$90 million in managedvolume (net client sales including salesby client) This is proof positive of akiller application
Impressive numbers As impressive as those numbers are youdonrsquot have to be a large technologycompany to realize measured ROIbenefits ndash ROI isnrsquot reserved solely forbig multinationals
QAS is a world leader in address
management and data accuracy Basedon data secured from national postalauthorities and other leading sourcesQAS captures cleans and enhances theintegrity of name and address data QAShas 400 employees with offices in the UK(headquarters) US Canada SingaporeAustralia and across Europe
While awards are nice to receive theQAS intranet has received more thanjust kudos ndash itrsquos delivering measuredresults and value for the business Someof the measured ROI benefits include bull Online expenses saved four person-
days per monthbull Finance savings online workflow has
reduced administrative processingtime from two weeks to one day
bull Purchase ordering saved four person-days per month and an ROI savingsof US$20000 per year
bull Sales proposal builder streamlinedproposal and sales process savesalmost US$25000 per year
bull Intranet use 115-percent increase inusage of the intranet (infers a yet tobe measured productivity gain)
Of all the measurements perhaps thesingle most important is ROI Tomaximize the intranetrsquos value andpotential you must secure the support ofsenior management If you want theirattention and support you better talktheir talk Nothing gets their attentionmore than ROI
Sell the sizzleIf executives view the intranet as a costcenter then itrsquos your responsibility to sellthe sizzle and prove the value with harddata ROI is everything in someorganizations (for example in financialservices) Other more progressivecompanies are intent to know and trackemployee satisfaction and productivity
Still others want to know both It alldepends on your organization andculture However only throughmeasurement will the intranet become ameasured quantity and a proven asset
Source Transforming your intranetwwwmelcrumcom
DOES YOUR INTRANETPAY ITS WAY
Toby Ward is a broadcast journalist turned consultant He founded and launchedPrescient Digital Media (wwwPrescientDigitalcom) in early 2001 His specialismsare site evaluation and strategic planning He blogs at wwwIntranetBlogcom
Hard data demonstratingvalue generated by the
intranet will alter itsperception as a cost center
In Melcrumrsquos report on Transforming your intranet Toby Ward of Prescient DigitalMedia authors a chapter on how to measure the value and success of your intranetHere we share his thoughts on that frequently elusive indicator of success ndash returnon investment
TOBY WARD
10 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
RESE
AR
CH
amp M
EA
SUR
EM
EN
T
scm
ldquoTO MAXIMIZE THEINTRANETrsquoS POTENTIALYOU MUST SECURE THESUPPORT OF SENIORMANAGEMENTrdquo
There are three situations that are mostlikely to create plummeting surveyresponse rates1 When a group never hears the
findings of past surveys or anyresulting changes they begin to thinktheir opinions donrsquot matter If theirpast opinions were valued so lightlythey feel less urgency to sharefurther opinions
2 When the group being researched isrelatively small researchers typicallyneed to poll the entire group on eachsurvey rather than querying arandom sample For example if youhave 1000 employees you wouldneed to obtain 259 responses to haveresults accurate within a margin oferror of 5 percentage points If thecompany is typically receiving a 25-percent response rate on surveysthat means that all 1000 employeesneed to be invited to participate inthe survey to get about the minimumnecessary number of responses for asufficient level of accuracyUnfortunately even for largergroups researchers sometimessurvey the whole group on everysurvey instead of identifying the rightsize random sample
3 When surveys are badly designedrespondents quit them midwaythrough The respondentrsquos feeling isldquoIf the company canrsquot be bothered todesign a good survey Irsquom not going
to waste my time taking itrdquo Somemajor survey design flaws includequestions that are difficult tounderstand questions withinsufficient or inappropriateresponse options or questions thatseem to have little relevance for therespondent Other major designturn-offs are surveys that are toolong or that are composed mostly ofopen-ended essay questions both ofwhich take too much time to answerFinally asking too manydemographic questions especially atthe beginning of a surveycompromises respondentsrsquo sense ofanonymity and kills their desire toanswer even the first real question
The following steps will help overcomethese three problems
Coordinate surveysTo avoid asking the same people torespond to too many surveys within ashort time coordinate all employee orcustomer surveys through a clearinghouse so that the timing of surveys doesnrsquotoverlap and you donrsquot ask questions forwhich answers are already available
Send the survey to only a sample ofthe audience (although yoursquoll need astatisticianrsquos help in selecting a sample ofthe right size) If you know severalsurveys will be administered about thesame time pick mutually exclusiverandom samples at the same time so thatno one person receives more than onesurvey during that period
Use short surveysThe shorter the survey the more likelypeople are to give you their time If youhave 100 questions that must beanswered break them into threeseparate surveys of about 33 questionsand administer them to three mirror-image random samples Yoursquoll besurveying more people but eachparticipantrsquos time commitment will berelatively minor
Also consider doing very short ldquostealthsurveysrdquo by phone for which you donrsquotobtain advance permission People mightnot even know theyrsquove been surveyed Asyou (and a team of volunteers) have theseconversations with respondents you wouldrecord their answers on a questionnaire
Connect research to resultsSome companies have a long history ofnot communicating results or outcomesof previous surveys If thatrsquos true of yourorganization try these two techniquesbull On a regular basis when announcing
changes the company is makingconnect the changes with relatedsurvey results ndash even if a changewasnrsquot made solely because of theresearch Your audience will get themessage that stakeholder opinionsare a regular factor in the waymanagement makes decisions
bull In the invitation to a new surveybegin with key findings and changesthat were made based on a similarpast survey and ask respondents tolet you know through the new surveyif the company is still on track Thisway your potential respondents hearthat completing surveys does resultin changes ndash at the very momenttheyrsquore determining if your latestsurvey is worth their time
FINDING A CURE FORSURVEY FATIGUE
Angela Sinickas ABC is president of Sinickas Communications Inc an internationalcommunication consultancy specializing in helping corporations achieve businessresults through targeted diagnostics and practical solutions For more informationvisit wwwsinicomcom
A downward trend in survey response rates is often blamed on the fact that peoplesimply become tired of taking surveys But there are ways to avoid the malaisesetting in says Angela Sinickas a key one being making sure that people feel theiropinions are actually being listened to Here she shares three common causes ofsurvey fatigue and how to deal with them
11scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
RESE
AR
CH
amp M
EA
SUR
EM
EN
Tscm
ANGELA SINICKAS
Little feedback the wrongsample size and poorly
designed surveys all leadto low response rates
12 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Organizations today ndash driven byincreased competition merger-and-acquisition activity and large complextransformation programs ndash arecharacterized by the need for constantand rapid change In our experienceconsistent leadership communicationsare at the center of helping theirorganizations address these challenges
With all the complex transformationprograms we work on we encourage the
leadership team to create a simple one-page ldquomessage maprdquo to use over a definedtimeframe The message map which welink to key program milestones andsuccesses helps the leadership team toplan what theyrsquoll share with employeesand other stakeholders and when
Message maps can address commonfailures of leadership communicationDuring global cross-functional programswhen all leaders consistently reinforce
the same messages they emerge as ajoined-up forward-thinking team
Message maps are also effective whenbuilding up communication to employeesover time rather than overwhelmingstaff with changes or diminishingleadership credibility by waiting too longto communicate
Compiling a message mapThe process wersquove used in the past to helpleaders develop a message map is quitestraight forward This is what we dobull We encourage leaders to work
together to agree and articulate thestory Agreeing the story typicallyrequires experienced facilitationThis encourages leaders to definehow the story will build and thengain momentum and commitmentover time
bull The story is then converted into asimple message map The mapshould make sense to all change-program leaders as this tool willguide the majority of theircommunication to employees Itshould also provide a clear view ofwhatrsquos coming next Message mapsare often shown as straightforwardtimelines but there are othereffective ways to present them (seeFigure One below)
bull Once the change story has beenagreed and committed to paperleaders use the map to know whencommunications should be deliveredand what supporting documentationto use for a consistent cascade
Revisiting communication plansOf course the content of the message mapwill need to be revisited Message mapsas with all communications evolve overtime They should be frequently reviewedto ensure that the messages ndash and time-scales ndash remain relevant to the programand align with program milestones
USING MESSAGE MAPSTO GUIDE CHANGE
Sally Harris is director of theCommunications and Engagementpractice at Molten where shespecializes in managing large-scale communication and changeprograms for global clients
Facilitate a meeting withthe leadership team to
agree and articulate thechange story
Sally Harris director of the Communications and Engagement practice at Moltenbelieves itrsquos often the simplest tools that are most effective in encouraging leadersto think more strategically about their communications Here she explains why theldquomessage maprdquo is one such tool
SALLY HARRIS
LEA
DER
SHIP
CO
MM
UN
ICATIO
N
scm
Figure One Example of a global message map
13scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
brand image and set an example for thewhole company
At The Company Agency we find thatmany CEOs are looking for strategiccommunication support coaching andguidance that goes beyond what theyreceive from their rostered PR agencyThey operate in a world thatrsquos typicallyquite lonely where information isfrequently filtered theyrsquore under aconstant spotlight and a gap existsbetween them their people and theircustomers Internal communication canplay a key role in helping the CEObridge this gap
A simple checklist Every CEO is different and facesdifferent challenges but herersquos a simplechecklist if you find yourself workingwith a new CEO or in a new role with anestablished CEObull Ask your CEO what kind of person
they would like to be viewed as byemployees ndash coach them oncommunication behavior that canhelp them achieve this goal
bull Establish very quickly what theCEOrsquos key message is ndash askquestions until it is crystal clear
bull Know your business and brief yourCEO on what type of communicationis effective or not within yourorganization
bull Provide informed guidance onemerging communication trends ndashsuch as social media ndash and explainthe business impact
bull Understand how the CEO listens towhat people are saying
bull Determine the CEOscommunication preferences ndash howdoes he or she like to receive andshare information both inside andoutside work
You should expect to be the leaderrsquoscommunicator ndash developing messagesand ensuring theyrsquore conveyed in themost appropriate way But the balanceshould be tipping more towards beingthe communication leader ndash a role whereyoursquore providing strategic counsel to theCEO and coaching them so theyrsquore moreeffective in their new role and environment
In May last year the managementconsultants Booze Allen Hamiltonpublished their annual report on chiefexecutive attrition The Crest of theTurnover Wave After studying the move-ments of CEOs from the largest 2500companies in the world they uncoveredsome rather startling facts An incredible1 in 7 CEOs will change job over thenext 12 months with poor-performingCEOs staying in office for two years Bycomparison the high-performing CEOstays in the job for just under eight years
Given that their tenure may be brief thisresearch only reinforces that the first 100days for the chief executive is a critical time
Creating myths and legendsOver the past 20 years Irsquove had the goodfortune to work for some great brandsand leaders Experience tells me thatduring their first 100 days the reputationthey bring from their previous job willeither be validated or contradictedEverything they say and do will bescrutinised Perceptions will be quicklyformed about their style and personalityMyths and legends will become thehottest gossip in the workplace
With this in mind itrsquos critical toquickly establish their reputation andwhat they stand for Internalcommunication can play a valuable rolein supporting the CEO and in turnestablish a long-term relationship withtheir new leader
Uncovering perceptionsDeveloping a personalized communica-tion strategy must start by finding outhow the new leader is perceived While aquantitative survey may satisfy those witha hunger for numbers qualitativeresearch will uncover how people reallyview the CEO as an individual and leader
With these insights itrsquos possible todevelop a plan to shape the existingreputation into one they would like tohave in the new organization This meansidentifying what they stand for andhelping them articulate how this supportsand builds the brand of the organization
Charismatic leadersIf you think about charismatic leaderssuch as Stuart Rose of Marks amp SpencerRichard Branson of Virgin or PhilKnight of Nike organizational culture isheavily influenced by the personality ofits chief executive
The behavior that resides within theorganization is typically a reflection ofthe CEOrsquos behavior and becomesassociated with the brand So itrsquosimportant to define what the new CEOwants the corporate brand to stand forand what they can do to achieve that
LEADERS IN TRANSITIONTHE FIRST 100 DAYSIn a recent Melcrum survey 44 percent of respondents said they plan to spend more ormuch more on communication training for leaders and managers With the topic firmlyon the agenda for the forseeable future this issue sees the launch of a new regularcolumn by leadership communication expert Darren Briggs He kicks off with adviceon making the most of the CEOrsquos first 100 days ndash a critical time for any new leader
LEA
DER
SHIP
CO
MM
UN
ICATIO
Nscm
DARREN BRIGGS
The first of a new regularcolumn on leadership
urges communicators tosupport new leaders
Darren Briggs is partner at The Company Agency where he advises and coachessenior leaders to be more effective communicators He has 20 years corporateexperience working at chief executive and board level with companies such as BritishAirways Microsoft Nike PepsiCo and Vodafone
The title of advertising guru PaulArdenrsquos book Itrsquos not how good you areitrsquos how good you want to be captures theessence of ambition And our recent surveysuggests that this is a message internalcommunicators should take to heart
As part of our research1 to define a listof core skills and competencies forprofessional communicators we askedpractitioners from around the worldabout their future career goals and howthey plan to achieve them Surprisinglyfor a profession that stresses the need forstrategies and plans most internalcommunicators appear to have a fairly adhoc approach to their own development
Results from the surveyAbout 70 percent of our sample said theyexpected to stay in internal communicationover the next three years Thirty-twopercent saw themselves gaining moreexperience within their existing jobswhile 37 percent aim to move into adifferent internal communication role
When we asked respondents what theywere doing to help develop their careersgaining wider experience being better
networked and finding a coach came topof their lists
Be honest with yourselfNow these seem like fairly informalactivities You might think they take lessorganizing than say investing the timeand budget to do a course or study for aformal qualification But if yoursquore beinghonest you know that getting the go-aheadto work on more challenging projectsfinding the right coach and building aprofessional network takes time andplanning These things donrsquot just happenovernight ndash unless yoursquore very lucky
Yet less than a quarter of internalcommunicators have a formal plan to helpstructure their thoughts about careerprogression and make sure their develop-ment objectives are met Twenty-onepercent say they have no plan whatsoeverand about half the respondents wecontacted say they have a plan but itrsquosnot formalized or agreed
Make the timeMaking time to discuss your career goalswith your manager and getting apersonal development plan down onpaper will pay dividends After all who
decides whether you get to work on themore interesting projects or not Andwhen yoursquore being dragged under byyour workload wouldnrsquot it be helpful tohave some targets to remind you to makethe time to network or read that articlesitting in your reading folder
If wersquove convinced you to think aboutyour own professional development hereare three important steps to get started
1 Be clear about where yoursquore startingfrom Think about what yoursquoveachieved so far in your career Whatskills do you have what are yourstrengths and which areas needfurther development
2 Look ahead to where you want to beWhat timeframe do you have inmind for your professional develop-ment What can you focus on rightaway and what are your longer-termcareer goals Be as specific as youcan about what you want to achieveand consider the followingbull Are there areas where yoursquod like
to be a ldquostar performerrdquo in yourcurrent role
bull How can you expand your networkor reach in the wider industry
bull How can you broaden your depthof skills or experience outsideyour current remit
bull How do you plan to move onwardsand upwards to a new role
3 Think about how yoursquoll close the gapWhat knowledge skills andexperience do you need What typeof development activity will help youget to where you want to be
If you know in your heart of hearts thatyou donrsquot invest enough time and effortin your own development make the timeto start doing this now
In our next column we plan to look atthe range of development optionsavailable and hear some reflections fromindustry leaders on what helped themreally accelerate their own learning andprofessional development
1 Turn to page 16 for a more detailed analysis of the study
GET YOUR DEVELOPMENT PLANON TRACK
Sue Dewhurst and Liam FitzPatrick run Competent Communicators acompany specializing in professional development for internalcommunicators and Melcrumrsquos official training and developmentpartner For more information go to wwwcompetentcommunicatorscom
A study into skills and competenciesfor communicators
reveals a lack ofclear career planning
The path to a senior role in internal communication is paved with good intentionsOr so suggests a recent study by development experts Sue Dewhurst and LiamFitzPatrick Here in the first of a new regular column on professional developmentthey review the studyrsquos findings lament the lack of a career plan and urge internalcommunicators to take action and plan their own development
SUE DEWHURST AND LIAM FITZPATRICK
14 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PR
OFE
SSION
AL D
EV
ELO
PM
EN
T
scm
ldquoTHESE THINGS DONrsquoTJUST HAPPENOVERNIGHT ndash UNLESSYOUrsquoRE VERY LUCKYrdquo
15scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PR
OFE
SSION
AL D
EV
ELO
PM
EN
Tscm
3 Cut the jargonJargon may have its place but it has noplace in employee communicationPhrases such as work-life balanceemployer of choice critical mass and thelike may make sense in behind-the-scenes discussions However when itrsquostime to communicate to the masses weneed to translate these concepts intoPlain English and provide a context tohelp employees understand Yes it takessome work but the payoff makes itworth the effort
Say the head of HR wants to share thelatest developments in ldquowork-life balancerdquothat will benefit employees He may betempted to relay the news using theterminology hersquos used to using with hisstaff However most employees havenrsquotbeen in on those discussions so theconcept may be foreign or fuzzy to themndash even if theyrsquod heard the term before
Any progress HR makes on the work-life balance front gives it the opportunityto communicate in a personal humanway and in the process capture employeesrsquoattention on an emotional level
The HR leaderrsquos message thereforemay go something like this Our liveshave never been busier and there are onlyso many hours in a day Because we atXYZ Company recognize how important itis to you to be able to spend real time withyour families while managing theresponsibilities you have on the job wersquovedesigned a program that we hope willmake your life less hectic
Most employees will relate to thatmessage It plays to their needs which isa powerful hook
Guarding against gremlinsKeeping an eye out for the jargonpassive voice and other gremlins thatmay infiltrate your writing is a goodtraining ground for being able toobjectively critique your own work Italso conditions you to look for otherways to improve your writing a habitthat will serve you well throughout yourlifelong apprenticeship
No onersquos work is as continually visible inan organization as the communicatorrsquosOur superiors our peers and the entireemployee population see us as theparagons of communications competenceThey look to the messages wersquove craftedas models of writing excellence and willpattern their own accordingly
When you think of it itrsquos one heck of aburden to bear After all how else didyou get the job if you couldnrsquot write well
But regardless of how well you dowrite how senior you are or how longyoursquove had that coveted ldquoseat at thetablerdquo when it comes to writing yoursquollalways have room to grow Thatrsquos becausewriting is as one learned professor sowisely termed it a ldquolifelong apprenticeshiprdquo
Here are three ways to improve yourwriting immediately
1 Avoid the passive voiceThe passive voice manages to creep intomessages to employees and itrsquos a sureroad to eroding their engagement It allowsthe writer to hide behind the message itclouds direction and itrsquos boring
Herersquos an example of really woefulwriting ndash a sentence structure that yoursquoresure to recognize Employees areencouraged to submit this form by the endof the month
Analyze that sentence and yoursquoll seethat not only is there no owner to thestatement but therersquos no clear directionEmployees are encouraged by whom
and what does ldquoencouragedrdquo meananyway Are employees required tosubmit the form If so then say so
The sad truth is this passive style ofwriting is all too common the happytruth is that we communicators are in aposition to do something about it Oftenall it takes is a quick rewrite Pleasesubmit this form by [insert specific date]Clear direct concise
2 Use second person Why talk at people when you can talk tothem When yoursquore communicating withemployees the use of ldquoyourdquo can befriendly and inviting
Take this message XYZ Companyemployees at customer locations shouldalways first check with their hosts to ensurethat connecting to the XYZ network ispermitted
Look what happens when itrsquos rewrittenfrom third person into second If yoursquoreworking at a customer site be sure to firstcheck with your host that itrsquos OK toconnect to our network
Yoursquove gone from impersonal toconversational
DO YOUR WRITING SKILLSLET YOU DOWNA recent discussion on the Melcrum blog raised the question of whether or not goodwriting skills are still important to the more strategically focused communicator Theconsensus was a definite yes ndash your writing ability makes an impression and itrsquos upto you whether thatrsquos good or bad Denise Baron provides some advice on how tomake sure itrsquos the former
DENISE BARON
However strategicyour role the ability
to write well remainsan important skill
Denise Baron is president of Baron Communications a business communicationsconsultancy providing strategic planning and marketing internal communicationproject management and editorial services to Fortune 500 companies
16 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Over the past five years wersquove found ourselvesbecoming more and more involved in conversationsabout careers in internal communication As theprofession matures expectations of itspractitioners are rising and for many people ajob in communication is no longer just a short-term stepping-stone en route to better things
But the question we hear time and time again isldquoWhat does lsquogoodrsquo look like when it comes to
internal communicationrdquo What skills knowledgeand experience should an effective internalcommunicator have at various stages in theircareer How do I know what I should bepersonally aspiring to and measuring myselfagainst How can I best develop my team Whereis the definitive framework to help me recruit thebest person for the job
In recent years there have been a number ofgood attempts to answer these questions In theUK a group of professional bodies got togetherto write the Inter-Comm matrix1 It listed theskills knowledge and experience a practitionermight need according to their level of experience
We were both involved in developing this skillsmatrix which was widely welcomed when it waslaunched in 2003 Some well-respectedconsultancies have also developed models to showhow a typical career path might progress whichhave helped structure career planning forindividuals and teams
A flexible model for a diverse professionDespite the success of the Inter-Comm matrix wefelt there was more to be done in the area ofprofessional development for internal communica-tors Fundamentally existing models tend to showa one-dimensional and predictable career pathstarting as a junior deliverer and developing into astrategic business-focused consultant
The implication is that if yoursquore deliveringcommunication or are tactically focused you musthave a junior role and if you have a more seniorrole you donrsquot get your hands dirty doingmundane things like writing or managing the
Building a learningframework for internalcommunicators
Planning your teamrsquos professional developmentmeans understanding the skills and experienceneeded to be successful Sue Dewhurst and Liam
FitzPatrick of Competent Communicators have beenresearching how internal communicators spend their timeat work and what behaviors the most effectivepractitioners display Here they describe a new learningframework that has emerged from the study
Identifying the typical roles andskills required for your team
BY SUE DEWHURST AND LIAM FITZPATRICK
scm FEATURES
ABOUT THE RESEARCHThe findings discussed in this article are based on research conducted at theend of 2006 More than 700 in-house practitioners replied to a survey aboutcareers competencies and development plans
A factor analysis of the data conducted by Ash Pattni Associates generated anumber of role types which were then discussed with 30 professionals atdifferent stages of their careers based in the UK Europe and North AmericaThese discussions mainly took the form of interviews and focus groups
The study also referred to data on competency modeling prepared by theUKrsquos Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
1 2 3 4 5
17scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
intranet or organizing eventsBut clearly the world of internal communication
isnrsquot quite that straightforward People join theprofession via all kinds of routes and at differentstages of their careers
We interviewed someone who started out as thedirectorrsquos PA a successful senior executive whostarted out as an engineer a former psychologylecturer and others who had joined through moreobvious routes in publishing and PR
Some had started out in junior roles Forothers their first role in internal communicationwas as a business partner Others had alreadyreached a senior position in another function andsimply moved across at the same level
A key objective of this study was to develop amodel that reflected the diverse reality of life ininternal communication one that was flexibleenough to be adapted to fit organizations andcommunication teams of all shapes and sizes
So we began our research by surveying communica-tors worldwide to find out how they actuallyspend their time on a daily basis and what skillsknowledge and experience they regularly use
The six types of practitionerStatistical analysis of the survey data suggestedthere were six stereotypical role types withininternal communication By ldquotypesrdquo we meansegments or groups of people who share verysimilar characteristics in terms of their skills andstrengths spend their time carrying out similartypes of activities and whose outputs tend to bejudged in similar ways
Most importantly these types can be plottedagainst two dimensions based on how they spendtheir time (advising or doing) and where theirfocus is (strategy or tactics) Figure One (right)illustrates these six types and how they plotagainst the two dimensions
Clearly every organization is slightly differentbut the six stereotypes described below shouldprovide a starting point for thinking about theroles and types of people you need in your team
1 The Leader Internal communication leaders manage teamsand lead the function either for an entire organiza-tion or for a large division or territory Theyspend much of their time managing and coachingteam members and working with senior managersThey see themselves as business people first andcommunicators second However itrsquos taken as readthat they have sound technical ability and will rollup their sleeves when needed Great internal andexternal networkers theyrsquore skilled at dealing withuncertainty and conflict Theyrsquore likely to bemeasured on business results and through thesubjective opinion of their senior customers
2 The Advisor Advisors support departments or major projectsby providing advice developing communicationplans and providing hands-on support to deliverthem Local managers trust them for their insightsinto business problems and understanding of howtheir organization really works Through well-developed networks and time spent understandingtheir audiences and carrying out research andfeedback they know whatrsquos really going onTheyrsquore judged on the quality of their advice andtheir ability to translate that advice into plansactivities and actions
3 The ManagerThe internal communication manager has excellentcraft skills and a sound knowledge of channelsThey spend most of their time on delivery Whenthey advise itrsquos normally about the best channelsto use or the most appropriate timing Goodmanagers arenrsquot easily intimidated and are greatat juggling different priorities Theyrsquore skilled attranslating between the boardroom and the shopfloor Their contribution is often measured bytheir ability to deliver activity against a plan andthe quality of work they and their team produce
4 The DelivererMost teams have someone in this role ndash a safepair of hands who can be trusted to make thingshappen That might range from compilingdistribution lists through to running a conferencesorting out the CEOrsquos open forum or writing andediting a newsletter Theyrsquore less likely tosupervise other communicators and depend ontheir organizational and craft skills to get the jobdone People value them for their ability to dothings on time and to a high standard 3
Sue Dewhurst and LiamFitzPatrick run CompetentCommunicators a firmspecializing in professionaldevelopment for internalcommunicators TheyrsquoreMelcrumrsquos official training anddevelopment advisors anddeliver Melcrumrsquos Black Belttraining program Theyrsquore alsothe authors of a forthcomingreport on competenciesdevelopment and standardsfor internal communicatorsand blog about developmentissues onwwwBlackBeltDojocouk
Figure One Six typical role types for internal communicators
TheLeader
TheLocal Agent
The Deliverer
TheAdvisor
TheManagerADVISE
STRATEGY
IMPLEMENT
TACTICS
TheSpecialist
KEY POINTSbull A new study has established how communicators spend their time and
what skills knowledge and experience they regularly use
bull The research identifies six stereotypical roles ranging from acommunication leader to a specialist (eg a web or events expert)
bull It also highlights 12 competencies that clarify the behaviors acompetent practitioner should display at each level An ldquoineffectiverdquocategory shows behaviors displayed by less able performers
bull The roles and competencies provide a framework for development
Building a learning framework for internal communicators
18 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
5 The Local AgentThis category covers a broad range of peoplefrom the plant managerrsquos personal assistant to aregional communication manager Internalcommunication is often one of severalresponsibilities for this person and they tend tohave a tactical focus Their agenda is normally setby the local management team although theirlocal knowledge and network makes them aninvaluable sounding board for the corporatecommunication team They tend to be judged onwhether activities happen and how satisfied theirlocal manager is with them
6 The SpecialistOur research found a small group of peopleworking in internal communication who see them-selves as subject-matter experts in a specialist areasuch as web management audio-visual productionor event management They have only a looseconnection to the mainstream profession andcould equally work in IT marketing or perhapsHR Because theyrsquore highly specialized they tendto work in large organizations
Building a competency frameworkOnce statistical analysis had suggested these sixrole types we began testing them out throughfocus groups and interviews with practitioners Inparticular we asked what skills knowledge andexperience people in each type of role neededwhat people saw outstanding practitioners doingwhat poor performance looked like and howpeople in the six role types spent their time
On the basis of this information we developeda series of 12 competencies (see Figure Two left)We found that each of the six role types could bedefined bybull Which of the competencies they need to carry
out their role (not everyone needs all 12)bull The level of skill knowledge and experience
they need in each competencybull How much of their time they spend using
each competency ndash a high medium or lowamount For instance there was commonagreement that the communication leadermust have strong craft skills (writing anddesign) but compared to say the delivererthey spend a relatively low percentage of theirtime working on this type of activity
Each of the 12 competencies has three levelsbasic intermediate and advanced Based on thedata we gathered we defined the behaviors youmight expect to see a competent internalcommunication professional display at each level
We also added an ldquoineffectiverdquo category listingthose behaviors our interviewees told us weredisplayed by less able performers For example
7
COMPETENCY DEFINITION
Building effectiverelationships
Developing and maintaining relationships that inspire trust and respectBuilding a network and influencing others to make things happen
Business focus Having a clear understanding of the business issues Usingcommunication to help solve organization issues and achieveorganizational problems
Consulting andcoaching
Recommending appropriate solutions Helping others make informeddecisions Building other peoplersquos communications competence
Cross-functionalawareness
Understanding the different contributions from other disciplines andworking with colleagues from across the organization to achieve betterresults
Developing othercommunicators
Helping other communicators build their communications competenceand develop their career
Innovation andcreativity
Looking for new ways of working exploring best practice and deliveringoriginal and imaginative approaches to communication problems
Listening Conducting research and managing mechanisms for gathering feedbackand employee reaction
Making it happen Turning plans into successfully implemented actions
Planning Planning communication programs and operations evaluating results
Specialist Having specific subject-matter expertise in a specialist area
Vision and standards Defining or applying a consistent approach to communication andmaintaining professional and ethical standards
Craft (writing anddesign)
Using and developing the right mix of practical communication abilitiesto hold the confidence of peers and colleagues (eg writing designmanagement etc)
Figure Two Twelve competencies for internal communicators
19scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
some ineffective behaviors attached to theldquobusiness focusrdquo competency arebull Doesnrsquot make the link between
communication activity and the business ororganizational context
bull Delivers communication activity withoutconsidering whether it will serve any usefulpurpose
bull Lacks understanding of their business area
Building a framework for a specific role The next step in this project was to develop asimple table to map out the competencyframework for an individual role showingbull The competencies needed in this rolebull The level of competency needed in each casebull How much time we expect someone in this
role to spend on these types of behaviors
You can either build a competency frameworkfrom scratch or if you think the role fits one ofthe six types we identified from the survey use thecompetency framework for this type as a startingpoint (see the framework for a communicationleader Figure Three right)
In practice competency frameworks will varyaccording to the size of the organization thenumber of people in the internal-communicationteam the expectations of managers and thespecific requirements of each individual rolewhich is why wersquove built a flexible model
For example a communication leader in alarge multinational organization may spend muchof their time setting the vision and standardscoaching and consulting building relationshipsand developing other communicators and arelatively small amount of their time ldquomaking ithappenrdquo or on writing and design Howeversomeone in a stand-alone communication leaderrole in a much smaller organization wouldprobably have to be much more of a ldquoJack of alltradesrdquo dividing their time evenly between thedifferent competencies
Next stepsMore information about the 12 competencies andthe baseline competency maps for each of the sixrole types will be detailed in a forthcomingMelcrum report Ideas on how you use thesecompetencies to plan your development areavailable to download atwwwcompetentcommunicatorscom
We hope the framework will help bringstructure to the process of defining roles planningdevelopment and specifying recruitment andwould welcome your feedbackscm
1 The Inter-Comm skills matrix is described in an article in SCMFebruaryMarch 2005 (Volume 9 Issue 2) called Developingcore competencies for internal communicators
Figure Three Framework for a communication leader
COMPETENCY LEVEL TIME
Building effective relationships Advanced High
Business focus Advanced High
Consulting and coaching Advanced High
Cross-functional awareness Advanced Medium
Developing other communicators Advanced High
Innovation and creativity Advanced Medium
Listening Advanced Low
Making it happen Advanced Low
Planning Advanced Medium
Specialist NA NA
Vision and standards Advanced High
Craft (writing and design) Advanced Low
CONTACT DETAILS
Sue DewhurstCompetent Communicatorssuedewhurstcompetentcommunicatorscom
Liam FitzPatrickCompetent Communicatorsliamfitzpatrickcompetentcommunicatorscom
ldquoOUR RESEARCH FOUND A SMALL GROUP OFPEOPLE WORKING IN INTERNALCOMMUNICATION WHO SEE THEMSELVES ASSUBJECT-MATTER EXPERTSrdquo
20 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC President and CEO John Ryan joined theorganization in 1997 For the first few years hefocused on financial viability and positioning thecorporation for the future ndash articulating a newvision redefining strategic objectives expandingproduct and service offerings and identifyingpotential growth areas
The business results were outstanding double-digit growth increasing profits and great customerloyalty But something was missing
Like many successful organizations FCCoperated with a silo mentality Organizationalpolitics consumed energy that Ryan felt detractedfrom employee satisfaction and he worried aboutthe impact on the customer experience
He wanted his direct reports to work togetheras a real team ndash not to behave like individualleaders of functional areas Although the groupperformed well when there was a real challengeafter the challenge was gone so was the teamwork
This is not unusual for top executive groupsbut Ryan wasnrsquot willing to accept that fate ldquoTherehad to be a way to have a team-based
organization where leaders had the autonomythey needed to perform while actively collaboratingto achieve a new level of unprecedented resultsrdquohe said ldquoFCC had a very hierarchical culture withfirmly drawn divisional boundaries so I knew Ihad a challenge ahead of merdquo
Cultural transformation from the topIn 2002 John hired Malandro Communicationbased in Phoenix Arizona to guide FCCrsquos seniorleadership through a unique cultural transformationthat would lead to the creation of a high-performance team Leaders committed to being100-percent accountable for their impact onpeople and business results They let go of thetraditional 50-50 model ldquoIrsquoll do my part if you doyoursrdquo ndash a model that breeds a culture of blameconspiracies and distrust
In a series of formal training initiatives leaderswere taught to speak from the heart listen toother perspectives be open and responsive tofeedback and encourage personal andprofessional growth
Opportunity for internal communicationBy 2003 we were well on our way FCC producedremarkable business results with strong numbersright across the board The portfolio grew fromnearly CAN$9 billion to over CAN$10 billionThen two things happened that created anopportunity for internal communication tobecome a driver of business results 1 In 2003 we earned 50th place on Canadarsquos
ldquo50 Best Employersrdquo list and a respectableemployee engagement score of 69 percent
Defining the role ofstrategic comms atFarm Credit Canada
Farm Credit Canada (FCC) is in the fourth year of acultural-transformation program At the start of itsjourney clear expectations were set defining the role
to be played by internal communication In this summaryof the companyrsquos plans and achievements Kellie Garrettand Claire Watson describe the goals strategies andtactics employed by the internal communication teamand the impressive results achieved to date
Setting the stage for a cultural transformation
BY KELLIE GARRETT AND CLAIRE WATSON
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Farm Credit Canada isCanadarsquos largest provider offinancing to the agricultureindustry It serves 45000customers and has 1300employees working from 100rural offices across CanadaFCC is ranked eighth amongCanadarsquos 50 best employers
21scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC is a high performer in all otheroperational areas and employee engagementis a strong predictor of sustained corporateperformance But the survey showed therewas work to be done to align perceptionsbetween the senior leadership team andemployees Detailed results showed the gaps(see Figure One below)
2 Ryan became more determined to create ahigh-performance team that could deliver anextraordinary customer experience andsustainable business results
Establishing expected behaviorAs a first step towards creating a critical mass ofleaders who visibly demonstrate the behaviorsrequired to transform FCCrsquos culture middlemanagement and key cross-functional teams weretrained in responsible teamwork practices andcommunication skills
Ryan then created a set of 10 cultural practicesthat explicitly outlined how he expectedemployees at all levels to behave (see side barnext page) The foundation of these practices isthe belief that the drive for business results mustbe balanced by the attendant impact on people Inother words how the work was accomplished wasevery bit as important as what was accomplishedThe cultural practices were rolled out to allemployees in 2003
With the expected behavior from leaders andemployees clearly articulated it was time forinternal communication to find opportunities tosupport and promote these behaviors
Challenge 1 Creating a strategic frameworkOur first objective was to create a broaderstrategic framework for internal communicationA review of best-practice companies revealed thatformal media represents about 10 percent of allinternal communication channels with internalsystems accounting for another 10 percent Theremaining 80 percent is influenced by theorganizational culture
Our task was to put a formal strategy in placethat would strengthen the 10 percent ofcommunication we did have control over ndash theinternal communication channels
Within FCC the dominant employeecommunication channels were immediatemanagers e-mail and the intranet (Myinet)Front-line managers delivered corporate messagesdirectly to employees and their efforts weresupported by all-staff e-mails
There was nothing wrong with this approachbut it didnrsquot go far enough in the delivery of clearconsistent messages about strategic direction orcorporate priorities Nor did it create a line ofsight between individuals and business outcomes
For example a lack of central coordination wasresulting in unclear mixed messages thatconfused the internal audience A proliferation ofemployee surveys were independently conductedby various business units and the corporate e-mail system was choked with high volumecontributing to information overload
The intranetrsquos navigational structure and searchcapability needed major improvement datedinformation needed to be archived and majordocuments needed to be redeveloped in a web-friendly format
Defining our strategy and objectivesAware of these drawbacks we defined ourstrategy as To adopt a more integrated approachto internal communication and make sure allmessages focus employees on the businesspriorities Our strategies included the followingbull Segment the employee audience and define
communication needs based on demographicspsychographics and geographic location
bull Create a consistent voice across all groupsbull Ensure internal communication is mandatory
for all major corporate initiatives and isintegrated across channels and with othercommunication activities
bull Deliver targeted information through a varietyof channels and vehicles to reinforce messaginghelp with recall appeal to differentpreferences and create and sustain interest
bull Redevelop the intranet and position it as aninformation source for corporate businessemployee industry and technical information
bull Reduce the volume of corporate e-mailbull Implement a monthly employee survey to
replace the proliferation of one-off surveysindependently launched by business units
bull Create broad awareness and understanding ofkey corporate drivers such as business strategycorporate values and brand positioning 3
Kellie Garrett ABC MALeadership is senior VPStrategy Knowledge ampReputation at Farm CreditCanada and Chair of the IABCResearch Foundation Garrettis a frequent speaker onbusiness strategy leadershipand personal brand
Claire Watson ABC APR isthe master communicationstrategist for Farm CreditCanada Watson has won anumber of international andnational awards for her workis a published author and acertified change managementspecialist
MEASUREMENT EMPLOYEES SENIORMANAGERS
GAP
Senior management is open and honest incommunication
59 94 -35
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible
54 88 -34
Managers effectively support andimplement our people practices
48 81 -33
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 94 -23
Figure One Engagement survey results
22 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Defining the role of strategic comms at Farm Credit Canada
Successful tactics introducedSome of the tactics wersquove successfully introducedto bring this strategy to life include the following
1 Tracking key messagesWe created an employee key-message matrix thatis shared with leaders across the organization andhelps to ensure we deliver a consistent messageWe deliver the rewritten message through avariety of channels including e-mail letter featurearticle in the internal publication online throughour Monday Morning Update or directly to staffmeetings through managers and supervisors
2 Adopting a multi-channel approachWersquove expanded our channels beyond e-mail andthe intranet New channels now includebull AgriCulture ndash an employee print newsletter
published three times a year to communicatecorporate information and reinforce FCCrsquossocial and cultural fabric
bull An online feature called ldquoFrom the Desk ofthe CEOrdquo to keep employees in the loop
bull All staff e-mails from the CEO and VPsbull Discussion guides and QampAs for leadersbull Internal presentations and speeches delivered
by the senior leadership teambull Other printed material such as pocket cards
and brochures accompanied by a letter
3 Cutting down on information overloadSteps wersquove taken includebull Bundling all-staff messages into a Monday
Morning Update and bundling messages forcorporate headquarters staff into a CorporateOffice Update
bull Implementing a corporate e-mail policy withdefined subject-line conventions length andapproved topics
bull Restricting the use of all-staff e-mails to thesenior management team and certain keyindividuals
bull Improving the functionality of the intranetand redeveloping key business tools forefficient web use
bull Centralizing coordination of internal surveysbull Elevating the quality and clarity of internal
speeches and conferences to focus onstrategic business drivers
Challenge 2 Supporting leadershipThe results of our 2003 engagement survey alsorevealed an opportunity to increase trust betweenemployees and FCCrsquos senior management teamRyan and his VP responsible for communication(Kellie Garrett) believed that creating greatervisibility and better access to the senior managerswas vital to the establishment of a values-basedculture and a high-performance team
7
MEASUREMENT 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Senior management is open and honestin communication
59 73 81 83 91
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible to employees
54 71 82 83 81
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 81 87 87 85
I see strong evidence of effectiveleadership from the senior leadershipteam
69 83 87 88 93
I have a good understanding ofbusiness goals and objectives
76 77 81 81 88
Senior leadership has clearlycommunicated what we need to do tobe successful
NA NA 89 90 93
Figure Two Survey scores tracked from 2003-2007
FCCrsquoS 10 CULTURAL PRACTICESWe hold ourselves and each other accountable for
1 Our impact on business results and our impact on people
2 Delivering on commitments agreements and promises
3 Building and sustaining committed partnerships
4 Creating a safe environment where people can speak up without fear
5 We measure our success by how others perceive and respond to ourleadership not by our personal point of view
6 We talk straight in a responsible manner We are committed to the successof others ndash we do not engage in ldquoconspiracies againstrdquo people
7 We ldquolisten forrdquo contributions and commitment We do not listen againstpeople or ideas
8 We are highly coachable We actively seek and listen to coaching
9 We clean up and recover quickly
10 We acknowledge others often and celebrate both small and largesuccesses
ldquoLIKE DEVELOPING A COMPANYrsquoS IMAGE ORBRAND CULTURE CAN lsquoJUST HAPPENrsquo OR ITCAN BE DESIGNED STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONHAS PLAYED A CENTRAL ROLErdquo
23scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 FCC launched a culture-change program focused on
improving performance across the organization
bull Two key aims of the program are to encourage leaders and employeesto embody the values and improve staff engagement
bull Defining its strategy and goals at the outset internal communicationhas played a role in achieving these objectives
bull Results so far include less information overload a more accessibleleadership team and improved engagement scores
The challenge for internal communication wasto improve employeesrsquo perception of the visibilityaccessibility and trust for the senior managementteam Successful tactics introduced includebull A ldquoDine-Aroundrdquo program where three
senior leaders host a monthly lunch for ninepeople
bull An online forum called SMT Exchangewhere employees can anonymously askleaders tough questions and answers areposted for all to see
bull Senior leaders author more all-staff e-mailsare more visible and accessible at companyevents and deliver presentations that focus onconnecting employees to the business agenda
The goals we started with When we defined our internal communicationstrategy in 2003 we had some clear goals to worktowards These werebull To communicate relevant information in a
timely consistent and memorable waybull To reduce information overloadbull To influence an increase in the
communication-related elements of theengagement index
bull To contribute to an increase in employeeengagement from 69 to 74 percent
We also had specific year-one objectivesbull To increase understanding of business goals
and objectives beyond 78 percent bull To increase employee opinion about effective
senior leadership from 69 to 73 percentbull To improve employee opinions related to
senior management
Achievements and measurable resultsWith these goals guiding our efforts themeasurable results wersquove achieved so far includebull The bundling of all-staff e-mail has reduced
the volume by 88 percent ndash amounting toaround 350000 messages over one year
bull Over 450 employees have lunched with amember of the senior management team and170 QampAs have been posted on our seniormanagement online exchange
bull The survey scores relating to employeesrsquoperception of leadership and theirunderstanding of goals and objectives showsteady improvement since 2003 (see FigureTwo bottom left)
bull FCCrsquos engagement scores and subsequentranking among Canadarsquos 50 best employershas moved from 69 percent engagement and50th place in 2004 to 81 percent and 35thplace in 2005 84 percent and 12th place in2006 and 82 percent and 8th place in 2007
Cultural transformationThe internal communication strategy described inthis article has set the stage to communicatecultural transformation across the organization
Wersquore now in the fourth year of our culturaltransformation ndash creating an environment wherepeople are empowered feel safe and highperformance can flourish This involves aquantum shift in how employees behave andrelate to their co-workers and customers
Like developing a companyrsquos image or brandculture can ldquojust happenrdquo or it can be designedStrategic communication has played a central roleto create awareness understanding commitmentand motivate changes in behavior at every level ofthe organization
John Ryan has the final word ldquoOver the years Ihave learned that communication is at the heartof building a high-performance culture ndash a culturewhere people are fully engaged Communicationis vital Without it leaders cannot effect positivechange Our internal strategy recognizesemployees as a primary audience and a keyconduit to the customer the media stakeholdersand communities Our strategic approach tointernal communication significantly contributesto business resultsrdquo scm
CONTACT DETAILS
Kellie GarrettFarm Credit CanadaKellieGarrettfcc-facca
Claire WatsonFarm Credit CanadaClaireWatsonfcc-facca
24 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
In January 2004 Pfizer at Sandwich in Kent UKcommissioned a review of its existing charitablecontributions program which included matchedpayroll giving volunteering and grants for localcommunity charities and voluntary groups CCWorks the community investment consultancywas also approached to manage the day-to-dayadministration of grant applications from thecommunity
However it was decided that the administrationcould not be effectively managed until suitablecriteria were put in place for the grants programEssentially a company cannot outsourceresponsibility for its charitable donations unlesstherersquos a clear strategy in place for doing this
Although there were various policies in placefor the different elements of the existingcommunity investment program there was a lackof strategic direction to the program as a whole
Auditing the community grants programAs a first step CC Works examined the existinggrants program and also conducted external
benchmarking with voluntary organizations in thecommunity to gage perceptions of Pfizer
It emerged that many organizations werereceiving small grants ndash although some werenrsquotsure why ndash but only 16 percent of the currentspend was going on health-related causes ForPfizer a major global healthcare company thiswasnrsquot strategic It was clear that as a healthcarecompany Pfizer should be trying to improve thehealth of its local area by focusing on three coreareas health community and education
There was also a need for grants to be morelocally focused A significant amount of the spendwas going outside of the immediate East Kentarea CC Works recommended that to allow thecompany maximum freedom to operate in itscommunity it should focus grants on theimmediate community of East Kent which alsohappened to be a deprived area
Segmenting current grantsWorking in partnership with CC Works currentgrant allocation was examined by sector localarea and size of grant and in May 2004 two-yeartargets were set to increase the strategic impact ofcommunity grantsbull Increase grants allocated to health-related
projects to 50 percentbull Increase average grant from UKpound300 to
UKpound1000bull Increase East Kent allocation to 90 percent
This change was designed to be gradual so thatthe shift in allocation could be well managed
The new focus on the community mirrors
Engaging employees inPfizerrsquos communityinvestment program
In 2003 Pfizer at Sandwich UK was running manyelements of a community investment program butthere was little awareness among employees and no
real focus By July 2006 the program had beentransformed and now actively contributes to employeeand community relationships Here Pam Baker andChristine Jenkins describe the journey from disconnectedpolicies to award-winning program
Communicating an approach with clear links toemployees and the local community
BY PAM BAKER AND CHRISTINE JENKINS
scm FEATURES
Pfizerrsquos site at Sandwich inKent is the UK manufacturingheadquarters of Pfizer Incglobal pharmaceuticalcompany Its workforce of4000 makes it the largestprivate employer in East Kent
1 2 3 4 5
25scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pfizerrsquos global mission to be ldquothe most valuedcompany to patients customers colleaguesinvestors business partners and the communitieswhere we work and liverdquo For the communityinvestment program a measurable mission wascreated ldquoto improve the health indicators of thepeople of East Kentrdquo
Focus on colleague involvementThe next step in July 2004 was to conduct areview of the employee engagement elements ofcommunity investment to examine how thesecould be better integrated These elementsincluded payroll giving volunteering and staff-matched fundraising
For Pfizer at Sandwich the obvious first choicewas to look at volunteering Eighty-five percent ofPfizer employees are minimum graduate level ndashoffering much-needed skills to a deprived areaAll employees have five paid days a year they canuse for volunteering ndash this not only supports thecommunity it boosts employee engagement andcreates opportunities for employees to visiblyconnect with the community and vice versa
In October 2004 volunteering was identified asa key area for development but for employeevolunteering to be a success it had to beproactively marketed inside Pfizer and thereneeded to be adequate support andadministration behind the program
A database of volunteering opportunitiesIn conjunction with CC Works a searchable data-base of local volunteering opportunities was createdPfizer felt it was important to create a tailoreddatabase that would be furnished internally inorder to ensure a local bias and to maintain thequality of the information supplied to employees
In order to tie in with employeesrsquo personaldevelopment plans opportunities in the databasehad to meet at least two of Pfizerrsquos six keycompetencies 1 Team development2 Project management3 Coaching and development4 Decision making5 Effective partnership6 Working with change
To fill the database with relevant opportunities allorganizations that had contacted Pfizer for grantsor funding in the past three years were re-contacted and asked if they would also beinterested in volunteering
Over 70 percent responded positively and 300volunteering opportunities were sourced CCWorks helped the voluntary organizations puttogether opportunities that were most likely totake advantage of Pfizer employeesrsquo range of
specialist skillsThese opportunities were categorized on the
database according to skill geographic area andtype of charity allowing employees to search forsomething suitable for them Pfizer wasnrsquotprescriptive in its approach and allowed staff tovolunteer where the opportunity matched theirpersonal-development goals interests or wasgeographically convenient
Opportunities were wide-ranging from helpingin a charity shop to teaching in a schoolImportantly because database management isoutsourced to CC Works therersquos constantproactivitiy around seeking new opportunities andproviding administrative support that would havebeen difficult to maintain in-house
Launching the ldquoReaching Outrdquo programTo encourage involvement and awarenessemployees were asked to suggest a name for therevitalized volunteering program ldquoReaching Outrdquowas chosen and the new volunteering website waslaunched in May 2005 The site sits on PfizerSandwichrsquos intranet and any employee orcontractor can access it
A charity week was also held to help promotethe Reaching Out program Various charitiesvisited Pfizer during lunch breaks to explain whatthey do and the opportunities to work with themA soft incentive for staff to register on theReaching Out site was that Pfizer would donate20 rehydration sachets to Unicef (monetary valueof about pound2)
Reaching Out was also featured in a webcastfrom a senior leader that went to all employees(about 3000 staff plus contractors) at the start ofthe week and it was profiled in the weekly onlinemagazine Pipeline 3
Pam Baker is directorStrategic Operations andCommunity Affairs at Pfizer UK
Christine Jenkins is founderof CC Works a consultancyoffering communityinvestment advice andpractical solutions to thecorporate and voluntarysectors Previously she heldsenior manager roles in thevoluntary and private sectors
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 an audit of Pfizer at Sandwichrsquos community investment
program revealed a lack of strategic direction
bull In partnership with consultancy CC Works a decision was made tofocus the program on the local community
bull An effort to raise employee involvement through volunteering hasboosted the program and linked it to employee engagement
bull The ldquoReaching Outrdquo website gives employees the freedom to work withcharities of their choice
bull By July 2006 the ldquoHealthy Communitiesrdquo program had beentransformed and won a National Example of Excellence award fromBusiness in the Community
26 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TOP TIPS FOR COMMUNITY INVESTMENTbull Ask yourself why yoursquore undertaking this program and seek clarity around
your objectives
bull Focus on likely ldquowinsrdquondash ie areas with scope for improvement such asemployee engagement or external awareness
bull Tackle one area at a time in stages and aim for excellence in each arearather than trying to boil the ocean
bull Communication is key to success Create a distinct brand and identity forthe program to encourage awareness and involvement
bull Integrate different community programs ndash a holistic approach can maximizebenefits for the community staff engagement and corporate reputation
Over 450 employees registered to use thesite over the next two months with 230 employees(8 percent of staff) actively volunteering duringthe first year This beat a target to have 5 percentof employees volunteering 12 months after launchIn 2005 employees volunteered 4800 hours
Helping employees select the right optionEmployees can search the volunteering databaseby skill geographic area or type of charity and aregiven a range of choices Then the onus is on theemployee to speak to the charity and obtainfurther details on current opportunities inaddition to whatrsquos on the database The employeethen applies to his or her line manager Anintegrated work process enables staff to obtainapproval from their manager interact with thevoluntary organization and record their effortskeeping administration to a minimum
Managers at Pfizer Sandwich are keen foremployees to volunteer because theyrsquore aware ofthe potential benefits in terms of employeeengagement and skills development ndash a largenumber of managers are volunteers themselvesPfizer also held briefing sessions for managers toensure they were aware of the volunteeringprogram its benefits and how it works
7
Engaging employees in Pfizerrsquos community investment program
Incorporating employee feedbackThe database tracks employeesrsquo volunteeringefforts including how many hours theyrsquove doneand their feedback on the opportunitiesEmployee feedback can then be accessed by otherstaff looking for an opportunity The databasegives employees better insight into the availableopportunities and allows them to select somethingthat appeals to them so that both the employeeand the organization where they volunteer gets abetter ldquofitrdquo
The database also allows for better integrationof the whole program where volunteering canprovide an alternative or an addition to fundingFor example a well-known national charityapplied to Pfizer at Sandwich for some fundingaround a diversity initiative Pfizer suggested theirdiversity manager volunteer for them instead whohelped create the charityrsquos diversity program thatis now being launched nationally
Creating an integrated programIn May 2005 the decision was taken to bringtogether all the strands of community investmentunder one brand Healthy Communities Thisprogram was to includebull Charitable grantsbull Employee volunteeringbull Gifts in kind Community investment via gifts
in kind such as the use of Pfizer premisesresources and expertise is more easilysustainable and can bring real long-termbenefit to the local community When Pfizerfacilities are used to support communityinitiatives the face-to-face contact withemployees allows relationship-building andnetworking with key influencers Also invitingthe community to use Pfizer resources on siteldquodemystifiesrdquo the company
The overarching strategy behind HealthyCommunities was to support communityinvestment holistically (ie using several of theabove elements in combination) whereverpossible Focusing grants on the areas of greatestneed helps Pfizer achieve its overall missionHowever the donation of gifts in kind can have awider-reaching impact on the community
Taking a holistic approachAn award-winning example of this holisticapproach is the Helping Hartsdown projectwhich was Pfizer Sandwichrsquos biggest ever gift inkindvolunteering project Pfizer donated andrenovated much-needed classrooms at a localschool As well as financial support and gifts inkind the project involved over 100 staff andcontractor volunteers across all departments Aspecific promotion on the Reaching Out website
ldquoBY JULY 2006 THE lsquoHEALTHY COMMUNITIESrsquoPROGRAM HAD BEEN TRANSFORMED AND WONA NATIONAL EXAMPLE OF EXCELLENCE AWARDFROM BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITYrdquo
27scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
POSITIVE IMPACTS OF THE PROGRAMThe Healthy Communities program has had the following positive impacts for Pfizer
bull The program supports and protects Pfizerrsquos freedom to operate effectivelyin East Kent UK
bull Supporting and involving employees in the program engages and motivatesthem The company is also seen to be living its values In a recent survey55 percent of colleagues felt the program was ldquofocused and effectiverdquo
bull The program provides opportunities for colleagues to develop skills Twentypercent of colleagues surveyed stated that they had improved personalskills through taking part in the program
bull A healthy community is a better place to live and work for employees andwill aid retention Retention of the most highly skilled scientists givesPfizer Global Research and Development a competitive edge
bull A vibrant and healthy community helps to attract and retain leadingscientists from around the world
bull Community is one of Pfizerrsquos six core values Communicating activitiesinternally and externally gives a positive perception of the company
helped attract this large number of volunteersincluding senior leaders
Momentum was maintained behind thecommunication of the program with monthlynetworking breakfasts and several themed minicharity fairs to give local good causes the chanceto showcase their volunteering Individuals andteamsrsquo volunteering efforts were also regularlyprofiled in Pipeline
The December 2006 employee survey showedan 85-percent awareness level of Reaching Outand the program won a ldquoNational Example ofExcellence Awardrdquo from Business in theCommunity1
Relaunching the websiteIn June 2006 the Reaching Out website wasrelaunched to incorporate payroll giving andmatched fundraising under the same brand asvolunteering and utilize the existing software Allelements can now be applied for on the same site
The number of employees registered with thesite increased to over 1000 and the number of adhoc staff enquiries handled by CC Worksincreased dramatically as awareness andinvolvement levels rose among the workforce
External communicationA quarterly newsletter containing a round-up ofPfizerrsquos community investment work is producedand distributed widely to external stakeholdersincluding 3000 local residents Following theBusiness in the Community award the magazineCommunity News was revamped its circulationincreased and it was also desk-dropped to allemployees The magazine also helps to raiseawareness of Pfizer among local organizations
A pocket-sized booklet was produced containingkey facts and figures about the Healthy Communitiesprogram This gives employees especially seniorleaders at-a-glance information on the programallowing them to act as ambassadors for Pfizerrsquoscommunity investment work
Senior leaders at Pfizer Sandwich are keenadvocates of the program and having a clearbrand helps them communicate its benefits andraise awareness both internally and externally
Next stepsDespite its award-winning status there are plansto take Healthy Communities even further Theseinclude further research into employee feedbackand closer links to personal development plans InPfizer at Sandwichrsquos Global Operations functionvolunteering forms part of personal objectives ndashthis is an aspiration for the rest of the business
Pfizer also wants to improve team volunteeringand a toolkit is being prepared for team leaderswho wish to get involved in volunteering
Finally in order to share knowledge and bestpractice around community investment with otherlocal businesses Pfizer is hosting a Kentmembership network in conjunction with KentCounty Council This will help Pfizer work closelywith the local authority and bring local businessestogether to share ideas and collaborate toimprove their impact on the community scm
1 httpwwwbitcorguk
CONTACT DETAILS
Pam BakerPfizerpambakerpfizercom
Christine JenkinsCC Workschristinejenkinsccworkscouk
28 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Editorrsquos noteSucceeding in internal communication probablyisnrsquot all that different to succeeding in anyprofession understand whatrsquos expected of you dothe job well and deliver results But when youspeak to practitioners about how they personallyturned the corner in their careers and started tomake an impact it soon becomes clear that thereare many dos and donrsquots that can help or hinderprogress This article provides a handy checklistfor those with ambitious development plans
John G ClemonsVice President CommunicationsRaytheon Technical Services Co Llc
Take the initiativeThere have been a few career-defining momentsfor me Among them was the time when I realizedthat I was moving from a manager level to the
decision-making role of a director I worked for a senior executive who hired me
from a rival telecommunications company Uponjoining the company I developed strategiccommunication plans to address various businesschallenges During the development process Iperiodically checked in with my supervisor to gethis input and approval ndash probably more thannecessary ndash before moving to the next steps in planning
One day he called me into his office and saidthat while he liked the work I was doing for himhis expectation when he hired me as a directorwas that I would take the initiative in the job relyless on his frequent input and move forward with implementation and measurement Hewanted results
His counsel was along the lines of ldquoI hired youto do a directorrsquos job so do the job of a directorYou donrsquot have to get permission to make adifferencerdquo
Meet commitments and think strategicallyHis direction motivated me to take moreresponsibility at this new job level This alsomeant that I had to not just manage but leadmeet commitments and think more strategicallyto continue to earn not only his confidence butthe support of the entire leadership team
Irsquove found that being a communicationprofessional who is also a leader that can betrusted can get things done and truly support thegoals and objectives of an organization will notonly impress others but help build your credibilityand lead to success
How to get ahead ininternal communication
The path that leads internal communicators to thetop of their profession isnrsquot always an obvious oneWhich is why we asked a range of senior practitioners
to share their thoughts and experiences on gaining therespect of those who matter Whether its senior leadersfellow employees or your own team yoursquore looking toimpress these responses provide useful insight into howto make sure you and your work gets noticed
Senior practitioners share their views on how togain influence and credibility
COMPILED BY MANDY THATCHER
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
29scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Mark DarbyHead of Internal CommunicationsVisaUK
Be smart sharp and stubbornThe biggest lesson Irsquove learned and keep havingto remind myself is that I need to be smart sharpand stubborn to get ahead This is what thosewords mean to me in a work context
Smart I need to understand what Visa is doingand what people think about the business Thismeans constantly spending time in differentdepartments and learning from them I know whoour customers are what our challenges are andwhat our current financial performance is I havecontacts in most departments who have a fingeron the pulse which means I can have a relevantconversation with a senior person from any department
Sharp Internal communication is rarely near thetop of the agenda for senior people and my timewith them is usually short I always try to talkabout the impact on business performance assoon as possible If I circulate a document it willbe summarized to a single page at most and Idonrsquot use PowerPoint I ask a lot of ldquoonerdquo questionssuch as ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing you want employeesto do differentlyrdquo or ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing youwant me to change over the next six monthsrdquo
Stubborn I know what I want internal communica-tion to achieve at Visa and it has the support ofthe senior team Irsquove built up knowledge frombooks and articles I use my education from theBlack Belt training course1 and I speak to formercolleagues With this knowledge Irsquove becomestubborn and good at saying no because I have theinformation to back up my arguments Irsquove stoppedmy team from picking up extra projects that wonrsquotdeliver much value We focus only on projects thatadd the most value to the business and we deliveron these really well Successful delivery is thebiggest influence on any senior person
Monika StaffordHead of Internal CommunicationLloyds TSBUK
Be creative and focus on a killer issueUsing creative solutions to bring to life importantndash but often dull ndash programs can create a shinethat stretches beyond project boundaries For
example I worked on the implementation of SAPndash a business-critical systems program ndash requiringbehavior change from swathes of key yetuninterested people Successful implementationwas a big risk to get right but it was as dull asdishwater to communicate
Luckily there was a ldquoEurekardquo moment Byaligning the SAP story with the metaphor ofFormula-1 racing we could tell the tale of how itwould fulfill our need to create winningperformances for both the individual driver aswell as the back-up team in order to perform wellon the road ahead This storyline was a perfectmatch for the programrsquos objectives
Launch speakers from Formula 1 great designwork not to mention fantastic collateral allresulted in a no-hitch implementation that reallyresonated with people The global companypicked it up as the approach for worldwide rollout So faced with tedium it can actually pay tostare out of the window for creative inspiration
My other piece of advice is Focus on a killerissue If you really want to get ahead (and do besure you really do as being at the center ofchange is often akin to being in the eye of ahurricane ndash itrsquos no place for the feint-hearted)learn what keeps your business leaders up atnight Use your stakeholder-management skills toget to the people you need to help you deliversolutions then execute execute execute
Focus on value-adding work only because ifyou end up working on your companyrsquos cul-de-sacprojects yoursquoll never shine brightly enough forthe leaders in your company to notice you 3
COMPETENCY
Planning internal communication 76
Linking corporate messages to corporate vision 73
CEO communication 63
Change communication 60
Communicating to diverse audiences 60
Using the intranet as a communication tool 54
Defending your department in internal political battles 43
Line manager communication 42
Professional development of internal communication staff 33
Helping employees cope with information overload 32
Securing the appropriate level of budget for internal communication 30
Measuring the effectiveness of internal communication 28
Figure One Table from The Pulse report showing the percentage of communicators who ratethemselves as effective or very effective at listed competencies
30 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
WHATrsquoS CHANGED IN THE LAST 25 YEARS
David MoorcroftSenior Vice PresidentCorporate CommunicationsRBC Financial Group Canada
Irsquom constantly amazed at the changes that have taken place in our professionover the last 25 years and the degree of talent and knowledge required bycommunicators today to do their jobs well
Back in 1979 when I started in corporate PR the major skill sets werewriting editing and great media contacts Today good editorial skills are justtable stakes and the ability to understand business adapt technology thinkstrategically plan consummately and influence stakeholders are what landsenior communicators a seat at the management table
This change has been driven by the globalization of business the advent ofnew 247 media including the Internet the growing sophistication ofcustomers and employees increased demands for corporate transparency andmore rigorous requirements for high standards of public disclosure andfinancial reporting
MORE SKILLS THAN EVER BEFOREAs a result todayrsquos business communicator has to be more capable andknowledgeable and have more skills than ever before They must befinancially literate and technologically savvy They must understand the impactof evolving accounting and disclosure rules They must deal with legal HRpolitical and business issues And they must be prepared to deal with amultitude of potential crises that can arise at any moment in any language inany part of the world
Perhaps most challenging senior management today expects clear bottom-line returns for their investments in communication Itrsquos no longer enough toinform audiences and measure communication outputs CEOs expectcommunication to engage audiences and produce outcomes ndash something thatrequires strategic thinking planning and foresight
A friend of mine who left a senior corporate PR job to become COO of amajor public utility recently summed up the role of todayrsquos communicator thisway ldquoItrsquos one of the most important and critical roles in organizations todayand yet itrsquos often one of the least recognized and appreciatedrdquo
That sentiment may be a reality in some organizations today but with moreand more CEOs beginning to realize the bottom-line value of communication itwonrsquot be 25 years from now
Christina FeeSenior Vice President InternalCommunicationsDeutsche Post AGGermany
Seek out the important projectsI canrsquot pretend to have employed a specificapproach to my ldquopersonal PRrdquo at all But in theorganizations Irsquove worked for Irsquove had theopportunity to work on a number of excitinghigh-profile projects that have connected me withsenior stakeholders and influential people atdifferent levels
7
Irsquove learned a great deal from the project teamsIrsquove worked with and also due to the significanceand scope of the projects been able todemonstrate my worth approach and skills Irsquovehad to be passionate stand up for what I believein and think outside the box constantly
My roles within DHLDeutsche Post haveallowed me the freedom and flexibility to developand deliver new ideas but Irsquove also had to practiceand embody excellent internal communicationskills myself Having developed credibility and trustwith those that matter based on my track record Iwas allowed to go ahead with other projects
I donrsquot actively pursue the ldquoright relationshipsrdquobut rather let my work and my interactions withpeople speak for themselves This has helped medevelop mentors and supporters naturally Mylearning and development has also been expandedby the opportunity to work abroad and learn moreabout intercultural communication and interaction
Marc SilversideHead of Internal CommunicationsMacmillan Cancer SupportUK
Understand whatrsquos expected of youA newly established role heightens the need formaking a good impression so that people trustyou and feel they can come to you for advice
When I joined Macmillan I very nearly got thiswrong Perhaps this is an example that otherrsquos canlearn from
When my new CEO at Macmillan CancerSupport asked for a meeting ldquoafter a few weeks tosettle inrdquo I was confident that my wide-ranginginduction would help me understand the businessand provide the basis for what Irsquod present tosenior management
Forty structured face-to-face managerinterviews allowed me to understand needs andkey issues and I started to build personal rapportMy profile was raised and at the same timeinternal communication gained good visibility
Externally I networked with contacts in similarroles in other charities and soon found thebeginnings of a voluntary-sector network This hassince grown to over 25 members
By the time my CEO slot arrived I was armedwith input from across the charity and the resultsof an audit I felt well prepared to present myvision and solutions So I was surprised to be metwith significant resistance
I later discovered that my CEO intelligence wasincorrect What he wanted was to be askedspecifically about his own views on what internalcommunication should do and what I could do for
How to get ahead in internal communication
31scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
HOW DO YOUR SKILLS MEASURE UPFor Melcrumrsquos study into budgets salaries and trends in internalcommunication in 200607 we asked survey respondents to rate their owneffectiveness at a range of key communication competencies from planning tomeasurement The results may surprise you
For example 76 percent of respondents rate themselves as effective or veryeffective at planning internal communication but only 28 percent ratethemselves as equally effective at measuring its effectiveness (see Figure Onepage 29)
In her commentary on the results development expert Sue Dewhurst hadthe following to say
OUR STRENGTHSIt seems where we see our strengths as internal communicators is towards theldquofront endrdquo of the communication planning process For example being able tolink a plan to the business strategy knowing our audiences and being able tojoin up the dots and show people how messages link to the business vision
These are powerful strengths We are one of the few functions that tends tohave an overarching view of our entire company and is able to view thecompany and its strategy from a number of different perspectives Being ableto understand the vision and strategy view it from an audience perspectiveand then create line of sight to show what those things mean in practicalterms for peoplersquos day-to-day roles is one of the ways that we help drivebusiness performance ndash by showing people what they need to do to take thestrategy forward
In turn by knowing and working with our audiences hopefully wersquore thenalso able to make sure their views and suggestions can help shape the strategyand how itrsquos put into practice
MEASURING EFFECTIVENESSWe see ourselves as less effective towards the back end of the planningprocess in measuring the effectiveness of internal communication which tiesin with the feeling from previous questions that in fact wersquore not doing muchmeasurement or demonstrating our return on investment
Research and measurement is an area where there is plenty of expertisearound to call on There are measurement conferences research reports andpublications to understand what other organizations are doing and practicaltraining that will give you the opportunity to work in a smaller group askquestions and practice techniques For help with specific techniques try yourinternal marketing team Marketers are generally great with data and well-versed in running focus groups and putting together surveys If you have anexternal provider to support your employee engagement research try them too
Source The Pulse Essential data on budgets salaries and trends 2006-07wwwmelcrumcom
him rather than how I could benefit the charity Ihad to change my approach fast
This could have cost me my best ambassadorfrom day one So my advice is make sure yoursquoreabsolutely clear about whatrsquos expected from you
Of course the insights I gained in my first fewmonths have been valuable and since then myresults have done the talking Fortunately theCEO soon became an internal communicationsconvert and advocate
Darren CrozierCommunications ManagerHBOS plcUK
Make things happenDelivery is key to career development ndash if you sayyoursquore going to do something make sure you doit Put in the effort get the results you want andbe known as someone who can make things happenIf yoursquore seen to ldquoget things donerdquo no matter howsmall the job is people are more likely to get youinvolved in activities and ask your opinion
Gaining credibility and respect from seniorcolleagues is important but everyone in yourorganization will form an opinion of you from thepeople in the canteen right through to the CEOSo try and make sure that their opinion of you is agood one
Itrsquos not just the people within your immediatesphere of influence who can have an impact onyour career so extend your network go oncourses and get involved in professionalorganizations Many of my close workingrelationships career opportunities and indeedpersonal friendships have come from meetingpeople at such events and taking the time to keepin touch You never know how things will develop
Itrsquos also vital to earn respect be trustworthy andhave good manners To recall what an ex-bossonce said ldquoBe careful how you treat people onthe way up as you never know when you maycome across them againrdquo
One of the biggest challenges Irsquove found inrecent times is recognizing my own success andselling myself Sometimes you need to take a stepback to realize just what yoursquove achieved Evenbetter keep a log or portfolio of your successesand donrsquot be shy to speak about them becauseothers wonrsquot be shy to speak about theirs
Finally try and have some fun along the wayWe all have to work for a living so learn to makethe most of it scm
1 For more about Melcrumrsquos Internal Communication Black Belttraining program go to wwwmelcrumcom
32 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pitney Bowes has followed an aggressive strategyof growth through acquisition completing 60+acquisitions since 2001 Expansion has broadenedits product mix to include an extensive range ofsolutions from office equipment to globalpositioning software
But the companyrsquos many different specialismsand huge outsourcing operations meant that themajority of its 34000 employees werenrsquot aware ofthe full range of its service offering and thepotential for different divisions to work together
As Rob Hallam vice president EmployeeCommunication explains there was a strongbusiness case for adopting a ldquoone companyrdquoapproach ldquoBecause the businesses tended to besomewhat siloed even senior managers werefocused on their divisions
ldquoAlso because we were acquiring companiesand evolving so rapidly managers werenrsquot awareof a lot of the businesses and how they all workedtogether in the mailstreamrdquo says Hallam ldquoWewere missing out on potential cross-sellingopportunitiesrdquo
Communicating a new visionFour years ago Pitney Bowes created a OneCompany Vision statement ldquoOur aim was toensure support and cooperation across thebusiness so we could provide a comprehensive setof customer solutions ndash not just a list of productsand services by business unitrdquo says Hallam Theinternal communication challenge was to drawtogether 34000 employees and build a unifiedcorporate culture The communication strategyfocused on three key elements
1 PeopleThis focused on involving the leadershipstrengthening a two-way dialogue betweenmanagement and employees communicating theculture through leadership messaging enterprise-wide events and roadshows and buildingengagement so that everyone was workingtogether towards a One Company approach
2 ProcessesThis meant integrating the One Companyapproach into the organizationrsquos operations andinfrastructure by shifting management roles andadjusting incentives and reward structuresthroughout the company
The first step was to consolidate the companyrsquosoperating activities by appointing Murray DMartin as president and chief operating officer inSeptember 2004 Martinrsquos mantra is ldquoThink AsOne Act as One Operate As One to deliverwhat no other company canrdquo
ldquoThe COO position had previously been heldby the chairman so elevating someone to that
Communicating a OneCompany culture atPitney Bowes
Following rapid growth in the form of more than 60acquisitions over six years silo-working haddeveloped at Pitney Bowes and leaders were failing
to take advantage of profitable cross-selling opportunitiesHere Rob Hallam describes the communication elementsof a ldquoOne Companyrdquo culture-change program which hasturned the situation around simultaneously improvingcustomer service and boosting profits
Persuading disparate businessunits to work together
AN INTERVIEW WITH ROB HALLAM
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Pitney Bowes is an 87-year-old company best known forthe manufacturing operationand oversight of postagemeters It has over two millioncustomers more than 3500active patents and annualrevenue of close to $6 billion
33scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
role was a big changerdquo explains Hallam ldquoAll thebusiness units now report to a single individual atoperating level It represented a huge positivemove to start the company operationalizing OneCompany behaviorrdquo
The internal communication function wasrestructured to ensure that consistent messagingreached the entire employee population Regularmeasurement was a key part of the changeinitiative This served to define the contributionof communicating a One Company approachwhere it was adding value to Pitney Bowes and itsclients and customers and where there was stillwork to do
3 TechnologyIt was important to find the best ways to cascademessages throughout the company and keeppeople informed about what was going onwithout bombarding them with irrelevantcommunication Hallam and his team deploy avariety of channels and media including internalprint and online publications voicemail and e-mail Pitney Bowes is also in the process ofintegrating its different voicemail systems and e-mail platforms into one global system
Involving senior leadership from the outsetThe One Company strategy was an overridingpolicy that started at the top of the organizationldquoThere was a big launch at the strategic leadersrsquomeeting which is held every Januaryrdquo saysHallam ldquoThe messaging was then driven throughthe organization via a companywide globalcommunication strategyrdquo
From the outset the policy was championed bythe CEO Michael Critelli who believes thatculture is central to the Pitney Bowes brand andsaid recently ldquoMy first measure of success iswhether we are behaving as one companyrdquo Thiscommitment helped to ensure that the culturalchange was reinforced by parallel changes to thecorporate infrastructure
Building a two-way dialogueThe next step was to get the employee populationinvolved and build enterprisewide enthusiasm forthe culture change Pitney Bowes has alwaysrecognized the value of a two-way dialoguebetween management and employees and hasheld annual jobholders meetings which aresimilar to shareholdersrsquo meetings for 61 years In2005 Hallam reinvented it as an initiative calledOne Forum ndash a series of roadshows focusing oncommunicating the One Company culturethroughout the organization
Launching the One ForumIn 2005 Hallam and his team created an original
and memorable One Forum launch for the 90percent of Pitney Bowes employees based in theUS Around a quarter of US employees saw thisin person the others received a link to a websitewith streaming highlights
ldquoWe put together a two-hour roadshow eventwhich helped people to understand our OneCompany approach and made them aware of allthe businesses we were inrdquo says Hallam ldquoThethinking was that high change requires high touchFace-to-face can have far greater impact on theindividuals touched From there itrsquos a matter ofripple effect such as seeing improved One Forumbrand awareness among employees who didnrsquotactually attend one of the eventsrdquo
ldquoWe wanted the roadshow to be entertainingand energizing so we used gameshow techniquescustom-written songs and comedy specificallytailored to Pitney Bowes employees It was a funevent but it also included a keynote speech fromthe CEO and a lot of question-and-answersessions with employees It was entertainmentwith a purpose and it was a great success with employeesrdquo
The post-event employee evaluations provedthe success of this approach ldquoIn some cities anincredible 90 percent of employees gave the eventa top-box rating This shows that there was ahunger for both the knowledge and theapproachrdquo adds Hallam
Taking the show on the roadThe One Forum roadshow has become an annualevent ldquoIn a five-month period during 2005 therewere 17 One Forum events in 12 US citiesreaching about 6000 peoplerdquo says Hallam ldquoAftersome testing in March and April the first bigroadshows started in early May and continued forsix months with the final one in early Decemberin Seattle 3
Rob Hallam is vice presidentEmployee Communication atPitney Bowes (PB) in StamfordConnecticut where hersquos beenresponsible for internalcommunication strategy andimplementation since 2004Hallam has led a team ofprofessionals in reshapingcommunication at PB resultedin the communication teamearning the top ranking in HRdepartment satisfaction fromall PBrsquos US managers in 2005and 2006
KEY POINTSbull Internal communication has played an important role in embedding a
One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
bull The communication strategy focused on three key elements peopleprocess and technology
bull The campaign has been championed by the CEO from the outset andhas won senior leadership support over time
bull An entertaining roadshow helped win employee commitment
bull Cross-selling ratios have jumped substantially since the culture-changeeffort began
34 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ldquoIn 2006 we compressed the programsubstantially and drove down costs while stilltouching 6000 employees Together with ourcorporate marketing group we also introduced anextremely successful lsquoelevator speechrsquo that helpsemployees answer the much-feared questionlsquoWhat does Pitney Bowes dorsquordquo
Local variationsAlthough the entertainment component in theroadshows contributed to their success it wasspecific to the US so Hallam gave business unitsand internal communicators in other regions theresponsibility for communicating the OneCompany approach to local employees ldquoInCanada and the UK they conducted town-hallmeetings and in Latin America and other parts ofthe world they produced their own variations onthe One Forum theme We made sure that theyhad the information they needed but we limitedthe entertainment to English-speaking regionsrdquo
A commitment to employee engagementThe appointment of the new COO and the launchof the One Forum roadshows coincided with thefirst employee engagement survey in late 2004ldquoWe see engagement as very much tied to ourability to execute a One Company strategy andchange our culturerdquo says Hallam He sets outfour ways in which employee engagement isinstilled at all levels in the organization
1 Visible leadership commitment to engagementThe CEO underlines his commitment by sendingregular messages to employees via a variety ofmedia including voicemail and print and onlinepublications He also uses engagement scores todetermine a unitrsquos overall performance rating andbonus pool ldquoWhen one senior execrsquos bonus poolwas reduced due to poor engagement scores that
was a message requiring no communication planrdquosays Hallam ldquoWord spread quicklyrdquo
2 Celebrating top performers Pitney Bowes celebrates its top engagementperformers by running cover stories in its globalprint and online publication PB Today ldquoThisprogram was called lsquoThe Faces of Pitney Bowesrsquordquosays Hallam ldquoWe did 10 of these last year so theyran twice in five editions Wersquove also producedlarge mural-sized photos of those managers andtheir teamsrdquo he says ldquoWe celebrate success andpublish it everywhere Our CEO loves it and wersquoreactually selling part of our contemporary artcollection which decorates the building to makeroom for an expansion of additional OneCompany and Engagement photography all ofwhich will focus on our employeesrdquo
3 Incentivizing managers via the reward systemEmployee engagement is recognized andreinforced in the companyrsquos formal processesincluding its reward system ldquoWe use a tool calledthe Strategic Architecture which is our balancedscorecardrdquo explains Hallam ldquoItrsquos a Six-Sigma toolwhich measures employee shareholder andcustomer value Managersrsquo engagement scoresalso factor into their annual reviews soengagement has a direct impact on remunerationrdquo
4 Rewarding engagementA further program called Rapid Rewards awardscash bonuses to managers and employees foroutstanding behavior including that related toemployee engagement
Aligning the communication strategyHallam and his team are responsible fordelivering the overall employee communicationstrategy ldquoWe had to dramatically improve ourstrategic approach in order to make OneCompany a realityrdquo he says
In addition to organizing campaigns such as theOne Forum roadshows to publicize the culturechange across the enterprise Hallam hasintroduced initiatives aimed at improving thereach and delivery of internal communication andmaking sure messages get to their intendedaudiences He has also aligned the structure ofthe internal communication function with thecompanyrsquos unified culture
ldquoThere were a lot of different communicationgroups so we brought together all thecommunication leaders and formed a singleInternal Communications Councilrdquo explainsHallam ldquoThis means that the communicationfunctions in the different business units areworking together to help drive change andimprove coordinationrdquo
Communicating a One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
ldquoWHEN A SENIOR EXECrsquoS BONUS WAS REDUCEDDUE TO POOR ENGAGEMENT SCORES THAT WASA MESSAGE REQUIRING NO COMMUNICATIONPLAN WORD SPREAD QUICKLYrdquo
7
FURTHER RESOURCES3 THE IMPACT OF CULTURE AND CLIMATE ON CHANGE PROGRAMS
An article published in SCM Volume 10 Issue 6 OctoberNovember 2006
3 DRIVING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE CORPORATE CULTUREMelcrumrsquos report on communication tools techniques and best practicefrom leading organizationswwwmelcrumcom
35scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Developing a global approachHallam is also responsible for a globalcommunication project called Universal Reachwhich is sponsored by the chairman and designedto support and maintain a unified corporateculture ldquoOur goal is to provide 90 percentmessage accessibility within our key customer-facing audiencesrdquo he explains ldquoThe biggestchallenge is integrating our online communicationinfrastructure which has nine different voicemailsystems operating across the world and multiplee-mail and web platforms Wersquore pulling all thattogether to provide better reachrdquo
Since 911 the CEO and other top executiveshave broadcast weekly audio messages calledPower Talks Hallamrsquos team has worked with theleadership to ensure that they incorporate OneCompany messages and as he explains they reachmost of the employee population ldquoAbout 20000of our employees have voicemail Those whodonrsquot receive the Power Talk message either inprint or online In some divisions managers playthe Power Talk messages in staff meetingsrdquo
Engaging leadership reinforces the cultureBuilding on the CEOrsquos commitment to a OneCompany approach Hallam and his team haveorganized leadership events ndash most recently at thestrategic leadersrsquo meeting in December 2006 ndashshowing Pitney Bowes as one company in actionThis campaign has helped to engage the top 150managers in the culture change
ldquoOur post-event evaluations show a strongmove numerically in senior leadershiprsquos belief thatwersquore operating as one companyrdquo says Hallam(see Figure One above) ldquoAs theyrsquore our toughestjudges wersquore pleased by the significant differencein pre- and post-event measurementrdquo There wasalso an improvement in leadersrsquo understanding ofthe companyrsquos new mailstream category
Sustaining the new cultureAccording to Hallam rippling out the OneCompany messaging requires a consistent andcoordinated approach Communication leaders inthe various divisions are now working to weaveOne Company messages into the business-unitmeetings ldquoA lot of the messaging that welaunched at the strategic leadersrsquo meeting arebeing reiterated at the business unit level Thatrsquosbeen facilitated through the InternalCommunications Councilrdquo he says
ldquoKey metrics for the culture change programfocus on cross-selling ratios which have jumpedsubstantially since the culture change effortbeganrdquo says Hallam ldquoIn 2002 we also institutedthe ldquoPB1 Awardsrdquo which is a chairmanrecognition award that goes to teams who bestembody cross-functional behavior in working on
projects which improve our clientsrsquo profitabilityour profitability or bothrdquo
ldquoHowever wersquore only really a year into thisMuch of the evidence is anecdotal but what haschanged is that our managers have broadenedtheir vision and are thinking as solutions-providers rather than product-sellers As suchtheyrsquore involving other business units out of theirdesire to eliminate customer pain points ndashregardless of which part of Pitney Bowes gets the salerdquo
Adding value to customersUltimately managers and employees who arewell-informed about the companyrsquos products andservices are in a good position to take advantageof cross-selling opportunities Realizing thispotential enables Pitney Bowes to make extrasales to existing customers thereby increasing itsprofit margins and allowing customers to benefitfrom a mix of products and services
Shifting to a unified culture directly benefitsboth Pitney Bowes and its customers ldquoByfocusing on the whole cadre of products andservices we can help our customers improve theirbusinessesrdquo says Hallam ldquoThatrsquos where OneCompany is critical It enables our clients tobenefit from all our servicesrdquo scm
Figure One Measuring the impact of the strategic leadersrsquo meeting
CONTACT DETAILS
Rob HallamPitney Bowesrobhallampbcom
I BELIEVE THAT OUR SENIOR LEADERS (MEANING THE TOP 15 EXECS) AREWORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO DELIVER INTEGRATED HIGH-VALUESOLUTIONS TO OUR CUSTOMERS
Pre SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 73
Post SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 92
Gain in two months time 19
ldquoMANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WELL-INFORMED ABOUT THE COMPANYrsquoS PRODUCTSAND SERVICES ARE IN A GOOD POSITION TOTAKE ADVANTAGE OF CROSS-SELLINGrdquo
2007
36 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
MELCRUM TRAINING amp EVENTS
CALENDAR 2007UKEUROPESOCIAL MEDIA FORUM FORINTERNAL COMMUNICATORS UK
3 21-22 March 2007 Hilton Canary WharfLondon UKThis forum is designed for practitioners who wantto make social media part of their internalcommunication strategy Over two dayscompanies such as IBM Microsoft and BT willshare case studies demonstrating their use ofsocial-media tools Technology experts will also beon hand to provide training and show you how touse these tools
THE 3RD ANNUAL EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT CONFERENCE UK
3 22-24 May 2007 Millennium GloucesterLondon UK22 May ndash Practical workshops23-24 May ndash Two-day conferenceThis event will focus on transforming yourstrategies into action Listen to case studies fromcompanies that have achieved real andmeasurable results from their engagement effortsLearn how they did it what they achieved and howthe results were measured
THE 6TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT UK
3 16-18 October 2007 London UK After the huge success of the 2006 UK StrategicCommunication Management Summit next yearrsquosevent will once again provide you withpresentations from key figures in the industry anda chance to network with your peers Mark yourdiaries now ndash more details to follow
THE 3RD ANNUAL INTERNALCOMMUNICATION MEASUREMENTCONFERENCE UK
3 27-29 November 2007 London UKDetails available soon ndash mark your diary now
NORTH AMERICATHE 3RD ANNUAL CONFERENCEON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENTBUILDING AND SUSTAINING ACULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT
3 28 February ndash 1 March 2007 Crowne PlazaAtlanta-Buckhead Atlanta USLearn how to foster an environment whereemployees feel valued and respected Hear fromcompanies including Dow Corning CorporationAmerican Express Delta Hotels and Merck
THE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT US
3 26-28 March 2007 Crowne Plaza UnionSquare San Francisco26 March ndash Pre-conference workshops27-28 March ndash Two-day summitAttend this conference and discover how toimprove employee alignment with all segments ofyour internal audience ndash from your front-lineemployees to your executive officers bothnationally and worldwide
AUSTRALIATHE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION ENGAGEMENTSUMMIT SYDNEY
3 31 July ndash 2 August 2007 Sydney Australia Details available soon ndash mark your diary now
WEBINARSDEVELOPING PROFESSIONALCOMPETENCE
3 Thursday 22 February 2007 with LiamFitzPatrick and Sue Dewhurst
HELPING YOUR ORGANIZATIONTHRIVE DURING TURBULENTTIMES
3 Thursday 29 March 2007 with Carol KinseyGoman
TRAININGTHE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT PROGRAM
3 24-25 April and 1-2 May 2007 HenleyManagement College UK3 11-12 and 27-28 September 2007 Cranfield
School of Management UK
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT MASTERCLASSEFFECTIVE MEASUREMENT
3 14-15 March 2007 Hendon Hall Hendon UKAn essential two-day intensive training courses forinternal communicators on effective measurementRegister early as places are strictly limited to 20people per Masterclass
CSR DELIVERY ENGAGEMENT amp LEADERSHIP
3 19-20 April 2007 Central LondonOsney MediaWith an excellent speaker line-up from high-profile companies including Procter amp Gamble The BodyShop ExxonMobil Microsoft Belgium Vodafone UK Dell Ericsson and Alliance Boots this case studybased event will answer questions including how do Ibull Build a CSR-oriented leadershipbull Get people on boardbull Integrate CSR with the global strategy of the companybull Deliver CSR throughout the company to make it really happen
For more information visit wwwcsrleadershipcom or e-mail mariame_lindellosneymediacouk (Reference code 910MLC3)
38 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
DESIGN
YELLOW
The future success of all organisations will be builton trust understanding passion empowermentintegrity and relationships
The future is cool exciting sparkling organisationsbursting with energy life and action
The future of brand is the internal brand first andforemost
The future is colleague as customer
Turning communications upside down
No just inside-out
Be part of the future say hello to Yellow
We help large organisations bring their communicationsstrategies to life through the imaginative use of liveevents multimedia web and design ndash distributed acrossall media platforms including DVD TV mobile devicesintranet and extranet
Ultimately developing internal brands and ongoingcommunications that have a measurable impact onpeople-performance advocacy and the bottom line
Contact Paul MiddletonTel +44 (0)161 228 6700E-mail paulmiddletonyellowcomcomWebsite wwwyellowcomcom
NEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
DESIGN
BLUE GOOSE
blue goose specialize in visual communications We make communications work faster and better We will link what wedo back to your objectives but we donrsquot talk (or charge for) ldquostrategyrdquo when you simply want tactical implementation Weuse design and creativity tobull differentiate products and services bull develop and manage corporate and brand identity bull align external communications with agreed values bull internalize corporate and brand identitybull align internal communications with agreed values bull support organizational change and bull help organizations better understand and define who they are
We work for clients as diverse as PricewaterhouseCoopers Ford Europe Centrica plc Greene King City of London Policeand Le Meacuteridien
blue goose is for any organization more interested in designing their future than watching it happen
Contact Chris BarringtonE-mail thinkingbluegoosecoukTel +44 (0)20 8869 8500Web site wwwbluegoosecouk
CONSULTANCY
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION ampSURVEYS PTY LTD
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd is aboutique consultancy based in Sydney Australia Itspecializes in employee communication strategiessystems research and employee surveys of all kindsPrincipal Rodney Gray has been involved inorganizational consulting for over 20 years following a15-year career as a corporate human resourcesexecutive Services includebull Employee communication audits and surveys by
questionnaires focus groups and interviewsbull Employee communication systems strategies and
processesbull Employee communication training workshops and
talksbull Employee culture climate and opinion surveysbull Qualitative organizational diagnosis (focus groups
and interviews)bull Internal service quality research (qualitative and
quantitative)
Contact Rodney GrayTel +61 (0)2 9909 2900 Fax +61 (0)2 9909 2911E-mail rodneyrodneygraycomauWeb site wwwemployee-communicationcomau
CONSULTANCY
HEDRON
Internal and change communication that helps teamsand individuals to develop strategies relationshipsprocesses and skills to engage stakeholders supporthigh performance and deliver change
ldquoSharp strategic thinking quality execution effectiveinterpersonallyhelliprdquo ldquoCreativity drive resourcefulnessresults great funhelliprdquo say clients
All sectors ndash ABN AMRO AXA BT Cadbury SchweppesDepartment for Constitutional Affairs HealthcareCommission Group 4 Securicor SABMiller SiemensSouthern Rail Unilever Wincanton
Our clients are happy to tell you what itrsquos like workingwith us
Contact Helena MemoryTel + 44 (0) 20 7493 0735Fax + 44 (0) 20 7493 0743E-mail helena-mhedroncomWeb site wwwhedroncom
CONSULTANCY
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
39scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
CONSULTANCY
SYNOPSIS
Founded by change and communication authority Bill Quirke in 1992 Synopsis is one of Europersquos leading internalcommunication consultancies Our clients include such companies as ABN Amro BBC BP British Airways DiageoEricsson HP Lloyds TSB Roche Shell and Vodafone
We help clients use internal communication to engage their employees in delivering business strategy and get most valuefrom their internal communication
We can help youbull Develop communication strategies that support your business strategybull Coach leadersbull Develop line managersrsquo communication skillsbull Plan and coordinate your communication with colleagues onlinebull Check the health of your communication channels and improve return on investmentbull Build and develop the communication functionbull Measure and track employee engagement attitudes and opinions
To take a tour of our online planning tool go to wwwsynopsisonlinecomproductplanningtoolasp
Contact Jane LebeauE-mail janelebeausynopsisonlinecomTel +44 (0) 20 7490 2900Web site wwwsynopsisonlinecom
CONSULTANCY
HARKNESS KENNETT
We specialize in internal communication To us thatmeansbull motivating people through inspiring leadershipbull guiding people through organizational changebull engaging people in delivering the brand
Working in partnership with our clients is central to ourethos enabling us to help deliver practical solutionssupported by solid strategic thinking All of ourconsultants have held senior positions ldquoclient siderdquo sowe know what itrsquos like to be in your shoes The vastmajority of our work comes from recommendations fromexisting clients ndash 82 percent of our clients haverequested repeat work in the last two years
Our clients include Abbey Atkins BDO Stoy HaywardThe Environment Agency Marks amp Spencer NHS Blood ampTransplant Morgan Stanley Europe Nestleacute PoliceInformation Technology Organisation Royal ampSunAlliance South West Trains and Vodafone
Our vision is simple ndash we want to be the first callyou make
Contact James HarknessTel +44 (0)1483 222730E-mail jamesharknessharknesskennettcomWeb site wwwharknesskennettcom
CONSULTANCY
TRIDENT COMMUNICATIONS
Trident Communications is uniquely positioned to definedevelop and deliver award-winning solutions that aligncommunication with business goals
We advise and partner with organizations of all sizes tocreate high-value practical applications Our talentedproject teams provide innovative research designeditorial and imagery for print and online
We connect ideas and deliver results
Contact Peter Agertoft Tel +44 (0)207 536 8900E-mail peteragertoft
tridentcommunicationsnetWeb site wwwtridentcommunicationsnet
CONSULTANCY
FLEISHMAN-HILLARD
Fleishman-Hillardrsquos dedicated internal and changecommunication practice helps businesses focus onperforming ndash not just informing
We help organisations plan and implement programmeswith the right mix of information dialogue and trainingso that employees are engaged aligned and motivatedto achieve business objectives
Because effective internal communication is vital tobottom-line performance we partner with our clients tocreate a daily dialogue ndash not a monologue ndash withemployees
Contact Nick AndrewsTel +32 (0)2 230 05 45 E-mail nickandrewsfleishmancomWeb site wwwfleishmaneuropecom
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE A listing in our Directory of Services will giveyou a chance to reach communicationprofessionals at some of the worldrsquos largestand most admired companies and to tap intodecision-making practitioners
ContactVincent SorelTel +44 (0)208 600 4670E-mail vincentsorelmelcrumcom
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
INCLUDE YOUR COMPANY BY CONTACTING US ON +44(0)20 8600 4670 OR AT INFOMELCRUMCOM
CONSULTANCY
HILL amp KNOWLTON
Better business results the bottom line
How do I manage more change Motivate managers Getthe right information to the right people Show the bestreturn on communication investment
Sound familiar Hill amp Knowltonrsquos change and internalcommunication consultants work with companies aroundthe world to find the right answers for their situation
We offer strategy insight and creativity drawing on ourconsultancy expertise and in-house experience Plus wedeliver practical hands-on help
We know that effective employee communication has adirect impact on the bottom line Working together wecan make it happen for you
Contact EMEA DavidFerrabeehillandknowltoncom
+44 (0) 7413 3176USA BarbaraEdlerhillandknowltoncom
+1 415 281-7160Canada KristaThompsonhillandknowltoncom
+1 613 786-9961
RECRUITMENT
VMA GROUP
VMA Group is one of the UKrsquos leading executive searchand selection consultancies specializing in internal andcorporate communication recruitment
For over 25 years VMA Group has provided the highestlevel of service to some of the most demanding globalorganizations developing a strong track record for thequality and professionalism of our search and selection work
We have in-depth specialist knowledge of the internalcommunication market and can provide high-qualitypermanent and interim candidates with expertise acrossinternal communication change management and widercorporate communication We understand the needs ofour clients intrinsically and strive to develop long-termrelationships with clients and candidates alike
Please call to discuss how we can help you find theideal candidate or if you wish to make a career move
Contact David BroomeTel +44 (0)20 7436 4243E-mail dbroomevmagroupcoukWeb site wwwvmagroupcouk
40 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONALCOMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS E-mail gaitensunityncsueduWeb site wwwconsultingsuccessorgTel 919 469 3895
CIB ndash BRITISH ASSOCIATION OFCOMMUNICATORS IN BUSINESSE-mail enquiriescibukcomWeb site wwwcibukcomTel +44 (0)870 121 7606
CCM ndash COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATIONMANAGEMENT E-mail membership
ccmconnectioncomWeb site wwwccmconnectioncomTel 866 463 4226
CPRS ndash THE CANADIAN PUBLICRELATIONS SOCIETYE-mail admincprscaWeb site wwwcprscaTel 416 239 7034
IABC ndash THE INTERNATIONALASSOCIATION OF BUSINESSCOMMUNICATORS E-mail service_centreiabccomWeb site wwwiabccomTel 415 544 4700
ICA ndash THE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONALLIANCE E-mail amandafoistericaukorgWeb site wwwiprorgukicaTel +44 (0)1628 642 044
CIPR ndash THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OFPUBLIC RELATIONS UKE-mail infoiprorgukWeb site wwwiprorgukTel +44 (0)20 7253 5151
IPRA ndash THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICRELATIONS ASSOCIATIONE-mail ipraseccompuservecomWeb site wwwipraorgTel +44 (0) 1372 461 188
PRSA ndash PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OFAMERICAE-mail resourcesprsaorgWeb site wwwprsaorgTel 212 460 1459
DIRECTORY OF SERVICESNEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
CONSULTANCY
8 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TEC
HN
OLO
GY
scm
Creating dialogue within an organizationand encouraging involvement are two ofthe major attractions associated withblogs These were also the primary reasonsbehind the World Bankrsquos decision tolaunch their first internal blog last year
The occasion was the organizationrsquosannual meeting a series of events held inSingapore in 2006 This 10-day eventbrings together around 10000 peopleincluding media representatives to discussissues related to poverty reduction andinternational economic development
According to Egan traditionalmethods used previously to report on theevent such as articles video and audiolinks on the internet and intranet siteshad failed to spark employeesrsquo interest inthe progress and outcomes of the meetingsBlogging seemed like a good way drive toemployeesrsquo interest and involvement
Objectives of the blogEgan summarizes the objectives andrationale behind the blog as follows bull To provide an alternate voice to share
the business outcomes of the meetingsusing informal first-person reportingof behind-the-scenes activities
bull To encourage the use of otherresources by linking blog readers tomore serious information
bull To encourage employee interactionand increase dialogue
Throughout the event the blog wasupdated daily by the head of internalcommunication The entries wereunedited but reader comments weremoderated before they were posted
Outcomes and evaluationAccording to Egan this blogging experimentsurpassed their expectations by helpingto achieve the following three outcomes1 Renewed credibility for the voice of
internal communication ldquoCorporatecommunication always suffers thereputation of towing managementrsquosline The tone and delivery of theblog entries very clearly did not Wehad many comments along the linesof lsquoFinally the real storyrsquordquo
2 A feeling of inclusion ldquoBy providinga sense of the context and atmosphereemployees who didnrsquot attend theevent still felt like they were part ofit Many commented that lsquoFor thefirst time I feel Irsquom therersquordquo
3 Better awareness of the outcomes ofthe meetings ldquoThe blog provided thehook into other channels ofinformation which staff may nototherwise have consulted The first
thing some of the readers did in themorning was to check the blogrdquo
Egan admits that there were some whowere initially skeptical about bloggingldquoWe did have a couple of comments onthe blog saying lsquoThis is frivolousrsquo butothers responded by saying lsquoLighten upThis makes a nice change from all theboring official informationrsquordquo
Another problem was a potentiallyoffensive remark which had to be removedprompting the composition of an officialblogging policy to define the roles andresponsibilities of authors and commenters
Optimistic about the new toolFollowing on from the success of thisfirst blog the communication team hassince launched a variety of blogs some ofwhich have been successful others lessso Ironically a blog set up to discuss aworldwide conference on communicationgot minimal response Staff participationin external blogs has also been low ButEgan remains optimistic about thepotential of this tool
ldquoThere are millions of blogs out thereand lots of participation in them But ina business setting it takes a bit moretime before a community of practicedevelops and people believe that this is atrusted space where they can commentwithout being ridiculed or scornedrdquo
Advice to corporate bloggersTo build confidence in the tool Egan hasplans to launch an internal marketingcampaign and the organizationrsquos newintranet site will provide a forum forfuture blogging developments
Eganrsquos primary advice to fellowcorporate bloggers is to keep the contentgenuine ldquoIt becomes very obvious veryquickly who is doing the writingrdquo Shealso suggests keeping blogs topic or event-specific and avoiding general musings
Her final reminder is that blogsshouldnrsquot replace traditional tools butcompliment them ldquoBlogs can be fabulousbut you need to put them in context withthe other tools that are available Be veryclear about their purposerdquo
USING BLOGS TO INVOLVE ATWORLD BANK
Michele Egan is a senior communications officer in the World Bank Grouprsquos internalcommunications unit Among other tasks she leads the development and delivery ofthe grouprsquos electronic communication tools
Experimenting with blogsat the World Bank has
shed light on what worksand what doesnrsquot
In 2006 the World Bank set up a blog to spark interest and involvement in amajor organizationwide planning event The positive response has inspired a moreadventurous and experimental approach to blogging Based on recent experiencessenior communications officer Michele Egan reflects on the potential benefits andpitfalls of using this tool
MICHELLE EGAN
by Sona Hathi
INTRANETS EMBRACESOCIAL MEDIA
Neilson Normanrsquos latest report on thetop 10 intranet designs of 2007 shows anincrease in the use of multimedia andsocial media on intranet sites
Although multimedia was a significantfeature in last yearrsquos list this year seesphotos video news feeds and webcamsput to more innovative use Indicatingthat social media has not been a passingfad of 2006 many of the intranets haveimplemented popular Web 20 featureslike blogs (with specific business angles)and business-relevant wikis
Video is being used for training andcorporate communication butorganizations such as American ElectricPower have pushed the use of thischannel by setting up a TV studio forintranet productions offering employeesstreaming video and live webcasts
News feeds have long been used onintranets but this year the bestselections offer more relevant internaland external news and involveemployees by allowing them to ratestories and comment
Translation comes out topsMany of the reportrsquos winning intranetsoffer language translation for theirinternational employees Dow Chemicalfor example uses English for most globalcontent but translates important contentinto Dutch German French ItalianPortuguese and Spanish Selectedcontent is also translated into ChineseGreek Japanese and Thai
A total of 49 different technologyproducts are used by the reportrsquos topintranets with Windows Server GoogleSearch Appliance and SharePoint beingamong the most popular SH
httpwwwnngroupcom
9scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TEC
HN
OLO
GY
scmUPDATECALCULATING THEROI ON BLOGGING
The difficulty of placing a precisemonetary value on corporate blogging isone of the setbacks of this tool But anew report from Forrester calledCalculating the ROI of blogging offersways to identify the benefits costs andrisks that corporate blogging involvesusing a three-stage process 1 Quantify and assign value to the key
benefits of blogging 2 Estimate the costs of blogging3 Incorporate risk calculations into the
ROI model
The report describes how to measure theimpact blogging has on the businessoutcomes using ldquometrics that everyone isfamiliar withrdquo For example themonetary value of press mentions can bemeasured by counting the number ofblog-driven stories by online press webmedia and high-profile bloggers andthen calculating the cost of advertising inthe same publications
General Motorsrsquo case studyThe report also features a case study onGeneral Motorsrsquo two-year-old blogFastLane to which the authors applytheir ROI process Rather thanpresenting the company with a finalnumerical figure theyrsquove come up withnew objectives advising them how to getthe maximum benefits from blogging andimprove its impact on business outcomes
Whether yoursquove already startedblogging or are about to take the plungethis report provides direction on how toevaluate how your blog and decide whichdirection it needs to go in to gainmaximum business value SH
httpwwwforrestercom
SENIOR EXECS BIG ONNEW MEDIA
A survey of 100 CEOs and CMOs fromFortune 2000 companies found that 76percent of senior executives areexperimenting with alternative mediasuch as blogs Second Life and socialnetworking
The study by Weber Shandwick andKRC Research found that 69 percent ofthose surveyed currently use socialnetworking while 37 percent plan to useit more over the next five years
Ninety-one percent of those surveyedcurrently make use of their companywebsite and 66 percent plan to use theirwebsite more over the next five yearsmaking it number one in the surveyrsquos listof media tools
Use of virtual worlds to growAvatar-based marketing (marketingthrough virtual worlds such as SecondLife) came last in the list of 20 mediatools senior executives plan to use overthe next five years However researchersbelieve that the use of virtual worlds incommunication and marketing willincrease as more companies learn how touse them more effectively
Billee Howard managing director ofthe Global Strategic Media Group atWeber Shandwick said ldquoWersquore in theearly days of a totally new media eraThose companies that do not combinethe new-media paradigm with the best oftraditional media will most certainlyproceed at their perilrdquo SH
Source The Changing Face of Marketingand Communications in Todayrsquos CreativityEconomy
httpwwwwebershandwickcom
TECHNOLOGY UPDATE
When talking about return on investment(ROI) for the intranet and other ldquosoftrdquobenefits these are the kinds of results oroutcomes usually referred to
Measurable ROI from hard benefitsinclude bull less paperbull less hardwarebull less headcount andbull increased sales
Soft benefits includebull increased employee productivitybull better customer satisfactionbull faster time to market andbull improved employee retention
IBM Oracle and Cisco all measure theimpact and benefits of their intranet Allof them have measured the value to begreater than US$1 billion In fact IBMhas realized benefits from e-learning viathe intranet alone to be more thanUS$284 million
BT the UK telecommunicationscompany uses an online idea jar foremployees called ldquoPersonnel TodayrdquoEmployee ideas have saved BT nearlyUKpound100 million over the past four years
Sodexhorsquos SuperSleuthOne of my personal favorites is theSodexho USA Sales SuperSleuthSuperSleuth is an intranet web page andapplication that encourages employees tosubmit sales leads and prospective clientsvia the intranet
The SuperSleuth intranet pagegenerates cash rewards of up toUS$1000 for the person making thesubmission Sodexho says it hascontributed to a 100-percent increase insales leads In fact the SuperSleuth toolhas led to US$90 million in managedvolume (net client sales including salesby client) This is proof positive of akiller application
Impressive numbers As impressive as those numbers are youdonrsquot have to be a large technologycompany to realize measured ROIbenefits ndash ROI isnrsquot reserved solely forbig multinationals
QAS is a world leader in address
management and data accuracy Basedon data secured from national postalauthorities and other leading sourcesQAS captures cleans and enhances theintegrity of name and address data QAShas 400 employees with offices in the UK(headquarters) US Canada SingaporeAustralia and across Europe
While awards are nice to receive theQAS intranet has received more thanjust kudos ndash itrsquos delivering measuredresults and value for the business Someof the measured ROI benefits include bull Online expenses saved four person-
days per monthbull Finance savings online workflow has
reduced administrative processingtime from two weeks to one day
bull Purchase ordering saved four person-days per month and an ROI savingsof US$20000 per year
bull Sales proposal builder streamlinedproposal and sales process savesalmost US$25000 per year
bull Intranet use 115-percent increase inusage of the intranet (infers a yet tobe measured productivity gain)
Of all the measurements perhaps thesingle most important is ROI Tomaximize the intranetrsquos value andpotential you must secure the support ofsenior management If you want theirattention and support you better talktheir talk Nothing gets their attentionmore than ROI
Sell the sizzleIf executives view the intranet as a costcenter then itrsquos your responsibility to sellthe sizzle and prove the value with harddata ROI is everything in someorganizations (for example in financialservices) Other more progressivecompanies are intent to know and trackemployee satisfaction and productivity
Still others want to know both It alldepends on your organization andculture However only throughmeasurement will the intranet become ameasured quantity and a proven asset
Source Transforming your intranetwwwmelcrumcom
DOES YOUR INTRANETPAY ITS WAY
Toby Ward is a broadcast journalist turned consultant He founded and launchedPrescient Digital Media (wwwPrescientDigitalcom) in early 2001 His specialismsare site evaluation and strategic planning He blogs at wwwIntranetBlogcom
Hard data demonstratingvalue generated by the
intranet will alter itsperception as a cost center
In Melcrumrsquos report on Transforming your intranet Toby Ward of Prescient DigitalMedia authors a chapter on how to measure the value and success of your intranetHere we share his thoughts on that frequently elusive indicator of success ndash returnon investment
TOBY WARD
10 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
RESE
AR
CH
amp M
EA
SUR
EM
EN
T
scm
ldquoTO MAXIMIZE THEINTRANETrsquoS POTENTIALYOU MUST SECURE THESUPPORT OF SENIORMANAGEMENTrdquo
There are three situations that are mostlikely to create plummeting surveyresponse rates1 When a group never hears the
findings of past surveys or anyresulting changes they begin to thinktheir opinions donrsquot matter If theirpast opinions were valued so lightlythey feel less urgency to sharefurther opinions
2 When the group being researched isrelatively small researchers typicallyneed to poll the entire group on eachsurvey rather than querying arandom sample For example if youhave 1000 employees you wouldneed to obtain 259 responses to haveresults accurate within a margin oferror of 5 percentage points If thecompany is typically receiving a 25-percent response rate on surveysthat means that all 1000 employeesneed to be invited to participate inthe survey to get about the minimumnecessary number of responses for asufficient level of accuracyUnfortunately even for largergroups researchers sometimessurvey the whole group on everysurvey instead of identifying the rightsize random sample
3 When surveys are badly designedrespondents quit them midwaythrough The respondentrsquos feeling isldquoIf the company canrsquot be bothered todesign a good survey Irsquom not going
to waste my time taking itrdquo Somemajor survey design flaws includequestions that are difficult tounderstand questions withinsufficient or inappropriateresponse options or questions thatseem to have little relevance for therespondent Other major designturn-offs are surveys that are toolong or that are composed mostly ofopen-ended essay questions both ofwhich take too much time to answerFinally asking too manydemographic questions especially atthe beginning of a surveycompromises respondentsrsquo sense ofanonymity and kills their desire toanswer even the first real question
The following steps will help overcomethese three problems
Coordinate surveysTo avoid asking the same people torespond to too many surveys within ashort time coordinate all employee orcustomer surveys through a clearinghouse so that the timing of surveys doesnrsquotoverlap and you donrsquot ask questions forwhich answers are already available
Send the survey to only a sample ofthe audience (although yoursquoll need astatisticianrsquos help in selecting a sample ofthe right size) If you know severalsurveys will be administered about thesame time pick mutually exclusiverandom samples at the same time so thatno one person receives more than onesurvey during that period
Use short surveysThe shorter the survey the more likelypeople are to give you their time If youhave 100 questions that must beanswered break them into threeseparate surveys of about 33 questionsand administer them to three mirror-image random samples Yoursquoll besurveying more people but eachparticipantrsquos time commitment will berelatively minor
Also consider doing very short ldquostealthsurveysrdquo by phone for which you donrsquotobtain advance permission People mightnot even know theyrsquove been surveyed Asyou (and a team of volunteers) have theseconversations with respondents you wouldrecord their answers on a questionnaire
Connect research to resultsSome companies have a long history ofnot communicating results or outcomesof previous surveys If thatrsquos true of yourorganization try these two techniquesbull On a regular basis when announcing
changes the company is makingconnect the changes with relatedsurvey results ndash even if a changewasnrsquot made solely because of theresearch Your audience will get themessage that stakeholder opinionsare a regular factor in the waymanagement makes decisions
bull In the invitation to a new surveybegin with key findings and changesthat were made based on a similarpast survey and ask respondents tolet you know through the new surveyif the company is still on track Thisway your potential respondents hearthat completing surveys does resultin changes ndash at the very momenttheyrsquore determining if your latestsurvey is worth their time
FINDING A CURE FORSURVEY FATIGUE
Angela Sinickas ABC is president of Sinickas Communications Inc an internationalcommunication consultancy specializing in helping corporations achieve businessresults through targeted diagnostics and practical solutions For more informationvisit wwwsinicomcom
A downward trend in survey response rates is often blamed on the fact that peoplesimply become tired of taking surveys But there are ways to avoid the malaisesetting in says Angela Sinickas a key one being making sure that people feel theiropinions are actually being listened to Here she shares three common causes ofsurvey fatigue and how to deal with them
11scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
RESE
AR
CH
amp M
EA
SUR
EM
EN
Tscm
ANGELA SINICKAS
Little feedback the wrongsample size and poorly
designed surveys all leadto low response rates
12 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Organizations today ndash driven byincreased competition merger-and-acquisition activity and large complextransformation programs ndash arecharacterized by the need for constantand rapid change In our experienceconsistent leadership communicationsare at the center of helping theirorganizations address these challenges
With all the complex transformationprograms we work on we encourage the
leadership team to create a simple one-page ldquomessage maprdquo to use over a definedtimeframe The message map which welink to key program milestones andsuccesses helps the leadership team toplan what theyrsquoll share with employeesand other stakeholders and when
Message maps can address commonfailures of leadership communicationDuring global cross-functional programswhen all leaders consistently reinforce
the same messages they emerge as ajoined-up forward-thinking team
Message maps are also effective whenbuilding up communication to employeesover time rather than overwhelmingstaff with changes or diminishingleadership credibility by waiting too longto communicate
Compiling a message mapThe process wersquove used in the past to helpleaders develop a message map is quitestraight forward This is what we dobull We encourage leaders to work
together to agree and articulate thestory Agreeing the story typicallyrequires experienced facilitationThis encourages leaders to definehow the story will build and thengain momentum and commitmentover time
bull The story is then converted into asimple message map The mapshould make sense to all change-program leaders as this tool willguide the majority of theircommunication to employees Itshould also provide a clear view ofwhatrsquos coming next Message mapsare often shown as straightforwardtimelines but there are othereffective ways to present them (seeFigure One below)
bull Once the change story has beenagreed and committed to paperleaders use the map to know whencommunications should be deliveredand what supporting documentationto use for a consistent cascade
Revisiting communication plansOf course the content of the message mapwill need to be revisited Message mapsas with all communications evolve overtime They should be frequently reviewedto ensure that the messages ndash and time-scales ndash remain relevant to the programand align with program milestones
USING MESSAGE MAPSTO GUIDE CHANGE
Sally Harris is director of theCommunications and Engagementpractice at Molten where shespecializes in managing large-scale communication and changeprograms for global clients
Facilitate a meeting withthe leadership team to
agree and articulate thechange story
Sally Harris director of the Communications and Engagement practice at Moltenbelieves itrsquos often the simplest tools that are most effective in encouraging leadersto think more strategically about their communications Here she explains why theldquomessage maprdquo is one such tool
SALLY HARRIS
LEA
DER
SHIP
CO
MM
UN
ICATIO
N
scm
Figure One Example of a global message map
13scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
brand image and set an example for thewhole company
At The Company Agency we find thatmany CEOs are looking for strategiccommunication support coaching andguidance that goes beyond what theyreceive from their rostered PR agencyThey operate in a world thatrsquos typicallyquite lonely where information isfrequently filtered theyrsquore under aconstant spotlight and a gap existsbetween them their people and theircustomers Internal communication canplay a key role in helping the CEObridge this gap
A simple checklist Every CEO is different and facesdifferent challenges but herersquos a simplechecklist if you find yourself workingwith a new CEO or in a new role with anestablished CEObull Ask your CEO what kind of person
they would like to be viewed as byemployees ndash coach them oncommunication behavior that canhelp them achieve this goal
bull Establish very quickly what theCEOrsquos key message is ndash askquestions until it is crystal clear
bull Know your business and brief yourCEO on what type of communicationis effective or not within yourorganization
bull Provide informed guidance onemerging communication trends ndashsuch as social media ndash and explainthe business impact
bull Understand how the CEO listens towhat people are saying
bull Determine the CEOscommunication preferences ndash howdoes he or she like to receive andshare information both inside andoutside work
You should expect to be the leaderrsquoscommunicator ndash developing messagesand ensuring theyrsquore conveyed in themost appropriate way But the balanceshould be tipping more towards beingthe communication leader ndash a role whereyoursquore providing strategic counsel to theCEO and coaching them so theyrsquore moreeffective in their new role and environment
In May last year the managementconsultants Booze Allen Hamiltonpublished their annual report on chiefexecutive attrition The Crest of theTurnover Wave After studying the move-ments of CEOs from the largest 2500companies in the world they uncoveredsome rather startling facts An incredible1 in 7 CEOs will change job over thenext 12 months with poor-performingCEOs staying in office for two years Bycomparison the high-performing CEOstays in the job for just under eight years
Given that their tenure may be brief thisresearch only reinforces that the first 100days for the chief executive is a critical time
Creating myths and legendsOver the past 20 years Irsquove had the goodfortune to work for some great brandsand leaders Experience tells me thatduring their first 100 days the reputationthey bring from their previous job willeither be validated or contradictedEverything they say and do will bescrutinised Perceptions will be quicklyformed about their style and personalityMyths and legends will become thehottest gossip in the workplace
With this in mind itrsquos critical toquickly establish their reputation andwhat they stand for Internalcommunication can play a valuable rolein supporting the CEO and in turnestablish a long-term relationship withtheir new leader
Uncovering perceptionsDeveloping a personalized communica-tion strategy must start by finding outhow the new leader is perceived While aquantitative survey may satisfy those witha hunger for numbers qualitativeresearch will uncover how people reallyview the CEO as an individual and leader
With these insights itrsquos possible todevelop a plan to shape the existingreputation into one they would like tohave in the new organization This meansidentifying what they stand for andhelping them articulate how this supportsand builds the brand of the organization
Charismatic leadersIf you think about charismatic leaderssuch as Stuart Rose of Marks amp SpencerRichard Branson of Virgin or PhilKnight of Nike organizational culture isheavily influenced by the personality ofits chief executive
The behavior that resides within theorganization is typically a reflection ofthe CEOrsquos behavior and becomesassociated with the brand So itrsquosimportant to define what the new CEOwants the corporate brand to stand forand what they can do to achieve that
LEADERS IN TRANSITIONTHE FIRST 100 DAYSIn a recent Melcrum survey 44 percent of respondents said they plan to spend more ormuch more on communication training for leaders and managers With the topic firmlyon the agenda for the forseeable future this issue sees the launch of a new regularcolumn by leadership communication expert Darren Briggs He kicks off with adviceon making the most of the CEOrsquos first 100 days ndash a critical time for any new leader
LEA
DER
SHIP
CO
MM
UN
ICATIO
Nscm
DARREN BRIGGS
The first of a new regularcolumn on leadership
urges communicators tosupport new leaders
Darren Briggs is partner at The Company Agency where he advises and coachessenior leaders to be more effective communicators He has 20 years corporateexperience working at chief executive and board level with companies such as BritishAirways Microsoft Nike PepsiCo and Vodafone
The title of advertising guru PaulArdenrsquos book Itrsquos not how good you areitrsquos how good you want to be captures theessence of ambition And our recent surveysuggests that this is a message internalcommunicators should take to heart
As part of our research1 to define a listof core skills and competencies forprofessional communicators we askedpractitioners from around the worldabout their future career goals and howthey plan to achieve them Surprisinglyfor a profession that stresses the need forstrategies and plans most internalcommunicators appear to have a fairly adhoc approach to their own development
Results from the surveyAbout 70 percent of our sample said theyexpected to stay in internal communicationover the next three years Thirty-twopercent saw themselves gaining moreexperience within their existing jobswhile 37 percent aim to move into adifferent internal communication role
When we asked respondents what theywere doing to help develop their careersgaining wider experience being better
networked and finding a coach came topof their lists
Be honest with yourselfNow these seem like fairly informalactivities You might think they take lessorganizing than say investing the timeand budget to do a course or study for aformal qualification But if yoursquore beinghonest you know that getting the go-aheadto work on more challenging projectsfinding the right coach and building aprofessional network takes time andplanning These things donrsquot just happenovernight ndash unless yoursquore very lucky
Yet less than a quarter of internalcommunicators have a formal plan to helpstructure their thoughts about careerprogression and make sure their develop-ment objectives are met Twenty-onepercent say they have no plan whatsoeverand about half the respondents wecontacted say they have a plan but itrsquosnot formalized or agreed
Make the timeMaking time to discuss your career goalswith your manager and getting apersonal development plan down onpaper will pay dividends After all who
decides whether you get to work on themore interesting projects or not Andwhen yoursquore being dragged under byyour workload wouldnrsquot it be helpful tohave some targets to remind you to makethe time to network or read that articlesitting in your reading folder
If wersquove convinced you to think aboutyour own professional development hereare three important steps to get started
1 Be clear about where yoursquore startingfrom Think about what yoursquoveachieved so far in your career Whatskills do you have what are yourstrengths and which areas needfurther development
2 Look ahead to where you want to beWhat timeframe do you have inmind for your professional develop-ment What can you focus on rightaway and what are your longer-termcareer goals Be as specific as youcan about what you want to achieveand consider the followingbull Are there areas where yoursquod like
to be a ldquostar performerrdquo in yourcurrent role
bull How can you expand your networkor reach in the wider industry
bull How can you broaden your depthof skills or experience outsideyour current remit
bull How do you plan to move onwardsand upwards to a new role
3 Think about how yoursquoll close the gapWhat knowledge skills andexperience do you need What typeof development activity will help youget to where you want to be
If you know in your heart of hearts thatyou donrsquot invest enough time and effortin your own development make the timeto start doing this now
In our next column we plan to look atthe range of development optionsavailable and hear some reflections fromindustry leaders on what helped themreally accelerate their own learning andprofessional development
1 Turn to page 16 for a more detailed analysis of the study
GET YOUR DEVELOPMENT PLANON TRACK
Sue Dewhurst and Liam FitzPatrick run Competent Communicators acompany specializing in professional development for internalcommunicators and Melcrumrsquos official training and developmentpartner For more information go to wwwcompetentcommunicatorscom
A study into skills and competenciesfor communicators
reveals a lack ofclear career planning
The path to a senior role in internal communication is paved with good intentionsOr so suggests a recent study by development experts Sue Dewhurst and LiamFitzPatrick Here in the first of a new regular column on professional developmentthey review the studyrsquos findings lament the lack of a career plan and urge internalcommunicators to take action and plan their own development
SUE DEWHURST AND LIAM FITZPATRICK
14 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PR
OFE
SSION
AL D
EV
ELO
PM
EN
T
scm
ldquoTHESE THINGS DONrsquoTJUST HAPPENOVERNIGHT ndash UNLESSYOUrsquoRE VERY LUCKYrdquo
15scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PR
OFE
SSION
AL D
EV
ELO
PM
EN
Tscm
3 Cut the jargonJargon may have its place but it has noplace in employee communicationPhrases such as work-life balanceemployer of choice critical mass and thelike may make sense in behind-the-scenes discussions However when itrsquostime to communicate to the masses weneed to translate these concepts intoPlain English and provide a context tohelp employees understand Yes it takessome work but the payoff makes itworth the effort
Say the head of HR wants to share thelatest developments in ldquowork-life balancerdquothat will benefit employees He may betempted to relay the news using theterminology hersquos used to using with hisstaff However most employees havenrsquotbeen in on those discussions so theconcept may be foreign or fuzzy to themndash even if theyrsquod heard the term before
Any progress HR makes on the work-life balance front gives it the opportunityto communicate in a personal humanway and in the process capture employeesrsquoattention on an emotional level
The HR leaderrsquos message thereforemay go something like this Our liveshave never been busier and there are onlyso many hours in a day Because we atXYZ Company recognize how important itis to you to be able to spend real time withyour families while managing theresponsibilities you have on the job wersquovedesigned a program that we hope willmake your life less hectic
Most employees will relate to thatmessage It plays to their needs which isa powerful hook
Guarding against gremlinsKeeping an eye out for the jargonpassive voice and other gremlins thatmay infiltrate your writing is a goodtraining ground for being able toobjectively critique your own work Italso conditions you to look for otherways to improve your writing a habitthat will serve you well throughout yourlifelong apprenticeship
No onersquos work is as continually visible inan organization as the communicatorrsquosOur superiors our peers and the entireemployee population see us as theparagons of communications competenceThey look to the messages wersquove craftedas models of writing excellence and willpattern their own accordingly
When you think of it itrsquos one heck of aburden to bear After all how else didyou get the job if you couldnrsquot write well
But regardless of how well you dowrite how senior you are or how longyoursquove had that coveted ldquoseat at thetablerdquo when it comes to writing yoursquollalways have room to grow Thatrsquos becausewriting is as one learned professor sowisely termed it a ldquolifelong apprenticeshiprdquo
Here are three ways to improve yourwriting immediately
1 Avoid the passive voiceThe passive voice manages to creep intomessages to employees and itrsquos a sureroad to eroding their engagement It allowsthe writer to hide behind the message itclouds direction and itrsquos boring
Herersquos an example of really woefulwriting ndash a sentence structure that yoursquoresure to recognize Employees areencouraged to submit this form by the endof the month
Analyze that sentence and yoursquoll seethat not only is there no owner to thestatement but therersquos no clear directionEmployees are encouraged by whom
and what does ldquoencouragedrdquo meananyway Are employees required tosubmit the form If so then say so
The sad truth is this passive style ofwriting is all too common the happytruth is that we communicators are in aposition to do something about it Oftenall it takes is a quick rewrite Pleasesubmit this form by [insert specific date]Clear direct concise
2 Use second person Why talk at people when you can talk tothem When yoursquore communicating withemployees the use of ldquoyourdquo can befriendly and inviting
Take this message XYZ Companyemployees at customer locations shouldalways first check with their hosts to ensurethat connecting to the XYZ network ispermitted
Look what happens when itrsquos rewrittenfrom third person into second If yoursquoreworking at a customer site be sure to firstcheck with your host that itrsquos OK toconnect to our network
Yoursquove gone from impersonal toconversational
DO YOUR WRITING SKILLSLET YOU DOWNA recent discussion on the Melcrum blog raised the question of whether or not goodwriting skills are still important to the more strategically focused communicator Theconsensus was a definite yes ndash your writing ability makes an impression and itrsquos upto you whether thatrsquos good or bad Denise Baron provides some advice on how tomake sure itrsquos the former
DENISE BARON
However strategicyour role the ability
to write well remainsan important skill
Denise Baron is president of Baron Communications a business communicationsconsultancy providing strategic planning and marketing internal communicationproject management and editorial services to Fortune 500 companies
16 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Over the past five years wersquove found ourselvesbecoming more and more involved in conversationsabout careers in internal communication As theprofession matures expectations of itspractitioners are rising and for many people ajob in communication is no longer just a short-term stepping-stone en route to better things
But the question we hear time and time again isldquoWhat does lsquogoodrsquo look like when it comes to
internal communicationrdquo What skills knowledgeand experience should an effective internalcommunicator have at various stages in theircareer How do I know what I should bepersonally aspiring to and measuring myselfagainst How can I best develop my team Whereis the definitive framework to help me recruit thebest person for the job
In recent years there have been a number ofgood attempts to answer these questions In theUK a group of professional bodies got togetherto write the Inter-Comm matrix1 It listed theskills knowledge and experience a practitionermight need according to their level of experience
We were both involved in developing this skillsmatrix which was widely welcomed when it waslaunched in 2003 Some well-respectedconsultancies have also developed models to showhow a typical career path might progress whichhave helped structure career planning forindividuals and teams
A flexible model for a diverse professionDespite the success of the Inter-Comm matrix wefelt there was more to be done in the area ofprofessional development for internal communica-tors Fundamentally existing models tend to showa one-dimensional and predictable career pathstarting as a junior deliverer and developing into astrategic business-focused consultant
The implication is that if yoursquore deliveringcommunication or are tactically focused you musthave a junior role and if you have a more seniorrole you donrsquot get your hands dirty doingmundane things like writing or managing the
Building a learningframework for internalcommunicators
Planning your teamrsquos professional developmentmeans understanding the skills and experienceneeded to be successful Sue Dewhurst and Liam
FitzPatrick of Competent Communicators have beenresearching how internal communicators spend their timeat work and what behaviors the most effectivepractitioners display Here they describe a new learningframework that has emerged from the study
Identifying the typical roles andskills required for your team
BY SUE DEWHURST AND LIAM FITZPATRICK
scm FEATURES
ABOUT THE RESEARCHThe findings discussed in this article are based on research conducted at theend of 2006 More than 700 in-house practitioners replied to a survey aboutcareers competencies and development plans
A factor analysis of the data conducted by Ash Pattni Associates generated anumber of role types which were then discussed with 30 professionals atdifferent stages of their careers based in the UK Europe and North AmericaThese discussions mainly took the form of interviews and focus groups
The study also referred to data on competency modeling prepared by theUKrsquos Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
1 2 3 4 5
17scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
intranet or organizing eventsBut clearly the world of internal communication
isnrsquot quite that straightforward People join theprofession via all kinds of routes and at differentstages of their careers
We interviewed someone who started out as thedirectorrsquos PA a successful senior executive whostarted out as an engineer a former psychologylecturer and others who had joined through moreobvious routes in publishing and PR
Some had started out in junior roles Forothers their first role in internal communicationwas as a business partner Others had alreadyreached a senior position in another function andsimply moved across at the same level
A key objective of this study was to develop amodel that reflected the diverse reality of life ininternal communication one that was flexibleenough to be adapted to fit organizations andcommunication teams of all shapes and sizes
So we began our research by surveying communica-tors worldwide to find out how they actuallyspend their time on a daily basis and what skillsknowledge and experience they regularly use
The six types of practitionerStatistical analysis of the survey data suggestedthere were six stereotypical role types withininternal communication By ldquotypesrdquo we meansegments or groups of people who share verysimilar characteristics in terms of their skills andstrengths spend their time carrying out similartypes of activities and whose outputs tend to bejudged in similar ways
Most importantly these types can be plottedagainst two dimensions based on how they spendtheir time (advising or doing) and where theirfocus is (strategy or tactics) Figure One (right)illustrates these six types and how they plotagainst the two dimensions
Clearly every organization is slightly differentbut the six stereotypes described below shouldprovide a starting point for thinking about theroles and types of people you need in your team
1 The Leader Internal communication leaders manage teamsand lead the function either for an entire organiza-tion or for a large division or territory Theyspend much of their time managing and coachingteam members and working with senior managersThey see themselves as business people first andcommunicators second However itrsquos taken as readthat they have sound technical ability and will rollup their sleeves when needed Great internal andexternal networkers theyrsquore skilled at dealing withuncertainty and conflict Theyrsquore likely to bemeasured on business results and through thesubjective opinion of their senior customers
2 The Advisor Advisors support departments or major projectsby providing advice developing communicationplans and providing hands-on support to deliverthem Local managers trust them for their insightsinto business problems and understanding of howtheir organization really works Through well-developed networks and time spent understandingtheir audiences and carrying out research andfeedback they know whatrsquos really going onTheyrsquore judged on the quality of their advice andtheir ability to translate that advice into plansactivities and actions
3 The ManagerThe internal communication manager has excellentcraft skills and a sound knowledge of channelsThey spend most of their time on delivery Whenthey advise itrsquos normally about the best channelsto use or the most appropriate timing Goodmanagers arenrsquot easily intimidated and are greatat juggling different priorities Theyrsquore skilled attranslating between the boardroom and the shopfloor Their contribution is often measured bytheir ability to deliver activity against a plan andthe quality of work they and their team produce
4 The DelivererMost teams have someone in this role ndash a safepair of hands who can be trusted to make thingshappen That might range from compilingdistribution lists through to running a conferencesorting out the CEOrsquos open forum or writing andediting a newsletter Theyrsquore less likely tosupervise other communicators and depend ontheir organizational and craft skills to get the jobdone People value them for their ability to dothings on time and to a high standard 3
Sue Dewhurst and LiamFitzPatrick run CompetentCommunicators a firmspecializing in professionaldevelopment for internalcommunicators TheyrsquoreMelcrumrsquos official training anddevelopment advisors anddeliver Melcrumrsquos Black Belttraining program Theyrsquore alsothe authors of a forthcomingreport on competenciesdevelopment and standardsfor internal communicatorsand blog about developmentissues onwwwBlackBeltDojocouk
Figure One Six typical role types for internal communicators
TheLeader
TheLocal Agent
The Deliverer
TheAdvisor
TheManagerADVISE
STRATEGY
IMPLEMENT
TACTICS
TheSpecialist
KEY POINTSbull A new study has established how communicators spend their time and
what skills knowledge and experience they regularly use
bull The research identifies six stereotypical roles ranging from acommunication leader to a specialist (eg a web or events expert)
bull It also highlights 12 competencies that clarify the behaviors acompetent practitioner should display at each level An ldquoineffectiverdquocategory shows behaviors displayed by less able performers
bull The roles and competencies provide a framework for development
Building a learning framework for internal communicators
18 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
5 The Local AgentThis category covers a broad range of peoplefrom the plant managerrsquos personal assistant to aregional communication manager Internalcommunication is often one of severalresponsibilities for this person and they tend tohave a tactical focus Their agenda is normally setby the local management team although theirlocal knowledge and network makes them aninvaluable sounding board for the corporatecommunication team They tend to be judged onwhether activities happen and how satisfied theirlocal manager is with them
6 The SpecialistOur research found a small group of peopleworking in internal communication who see them-selves as subject-matter experts in a specialist areasuch as web management audio-visual productionor event management They have only a looseconnection to the mainstream profession andcould equally work in IT marketing or perhapsHR Because theyrsquore highly specialized they tendto work in large organizations
Building a competency frameworkOnce statistical analysis had suggested these sixrole types we began testing them out throughfocus groups and interviews with practitioners Inparticular we asked what skills knowledge andexperience people in each type of role neededwhat people saw outstanding practitioners doingwhat poor performance looked like and howpeople in the six role types spent their time
On the basis of this information we developeda series of 12 competencies (see Figure Two left)We found that each of the six role types could bedefined bybull Which of the competencies they need to carry
out their role (not everyone needs all 12)bull The level of skill knowledge and experience
they need in each competencybull How much of their time they spend using
each competency ndash a high medium or lowamount For instance there was commonagreement that the communication leadermust have strong craft skills (writing anddesign) but compared to say the delivererthey spend a relatively low percentage of theirtime working on this type of activity
Each of the 12 competencies has three levelsbasic intermediate and advanced Based on thedata we gathered we defined the behaviors youmight expect to see a competent internalcommunication professional display at each level
We also added an ldquoineffectiverdquo category listingthose behaviors our interviewees told us weredisplayed by less able performers For example
7
COMPETENCY DEFINITION
Building effectiverelationships
Developing and maintaining relationships that inspire trust and respectBuilding a network and influencing others to make things happen
Business focus Having a clear understanding of the business issues Usingcommunication to help solve organization issues and achieveorganizational problems
Consulting andcoaching
Recommending appropriate solutions Helping others make informeddecisions Building other peoplersquos communications competence
Cross-functionalawareness
Understanding the different contributions from other disciplines andworking with colleagues from across the organization to achieve betterresults
Developing othercommunicators
Helping other communicators build their communications competenceand develop their career
Innovation andcreativity
Looking for new ways of working exploring best practice and deliveringoriginal and imaginative approaches to communication problems
Listening Conducting research and managing mechanisms for gathering feedbackand employee reaction
Making it happen Turning plans into successfully implemented actions
Planning Planning communication programs and operations evaluating results
Specialist Having specific subject-matter expertise in a specialist area
Vision and standards Defining or applying a consistent approach to communication andmaintaining professional and ethical standards
Craft (writing anddesign)
Using and developing the right mix of practical communication abilitiesto hold the confidence of peers and colleagues (eg writing designmanagement etc)
Figure Two Twelve competencies for internal communicators
19scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
some ineffective behaviors attached to theldquobusiness focusrdquo competency arebull Doesnrsquot make the link between
communication activity and the business ororganizational context
bull Delivers communication activity withoutconsidering whether it will serve any usefulpurpose
bull Lacks understanding of their business area
Building a framework for a specific role The next step in this project was to develop asimple table to map out the competencyframework for an individual role showingbull The competencies needed in this rolebull The level of competency needed in each casebull How much time we expect someone in this
role to spend on these types of behaviors
You can either build a competency frameworkfrom scratch or if you think the role fits one ofthe six types we identified from the survey use thecompetency framework for this type as a startingpoint (see the framework for a communicationleader Figure Three right)
In practice competency frameworks will varyaccording to the size of the organization thenumber of people in the internal-communicationteam the expectations of managers and thespecific requirements of each individual rolewhich is why wersquove built a flexible model
For example a communication leader in alarge multinational organization may spend muchof their time setting the vision and standardscoaching and consulting building relationshipsand developing other communicators and arelatively small amount of their time ldquomaking ithappenrdquo or on writing and design Howeversomeone in a stand-alone communication leaderrole in a much smaller organization wouldprobably have to be much more of a ldquoJack of alltradesrdquo dividing their time evenly between thedifferent competencies
Next stepsMore information about the 12 competencies andthe baseline competency maps for each of the sixrole types will be detailed in a forthcomingMelcrum report Ideas on how you use thesecompetencies to plan your development areavailable to download atwwwcompetentcommunicatorscom
We hope the framework will help bringstructure to the process of defining roles planningdevelopment and specifying recruitment andwould welcome your feedbackscm
1 The Inter-Comm skills matrix is described in an article in SCMFebruaryMarch 2005 (Volume 9 Issue 2) called Developingcore competencies for internal communicators
Figure Three Framework for a communication leader
COMPETENCY LEVEL TIME
Building effective relationships Advanced High
Business focus Advanced High
Consulting and coaching Advanced High
Cross-functional awareness Advanced Medium
Developing other communicators Advanced High
Innovation and creativity Advanced Medium
Listening Advanced Low
Making it happen Advanced Low
Planning Advanced Medium
Specialist NA NA
Vision and standards Advanced High
Craft (writing and design) Advanced Low
CONTACT DETAILS
Sue DewhurstCompetent Communicatorssuedewhurstcompetentcommunicatorscom
Liam FitzPatrickCompetent Communicatorsliamfitzpatrickcompetentcommunicatorscom
ldquoOUR RESEARCH FOUND A SMALL GROUP OFPEOPLE WORKING IN INTERNALCOMMUNICATION WHO SEE THEMSELVES ASSUBJECT-MATTER EXPERTSrdquo
20 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC President and CEO John Ryan joined theorganization in 1997 For the first few years hefocused on financial viability and positioning thecorporation for the future ndash articulating a newvision redefining strategic objectives expandingproduct and service offerings and identifyingpotential growth areas
The business results were outstanding double-digit growth increasing profits and great customerloyalty But something was missing
Like many successful organizations FCCoperated with a silo mentality Organizationalpolitics consumed energy that Ryan felt detractedfrom employee satisfaction and he worried aboutthe impact on the customer experience
He wanted his direct reports to work togetheras a real team ndash not to behave like individualleaders of functional areas Although the groupperformed well when there was a real challengeafter the challenge was gone so was the teamwork
This is not unusual for top executive groupsbut Ryan wasnrsquot willing to accept that fate ldquoTherehad to be a way to have a team-based
organization where leaders had the autonomythey needed to perform while actively collaboratingto achieve a new level of unprecedented resultsrdquohe said ldquoFCC had a very hierarchical culture withfirmly drawn divisional boundaries so I knew Ihad a challenge ahead of merdquo
Cultural transformation from the topIn 2002 John hired Malandro Communicationbased in Phoenix Arizona to guide FCCrsquos seniorleadership through a unique cultural transformationthat would lead to the creation of a high-performance team Leaders committed to being100-percent accountable for their impact onpeople and business results They let go of thetraditional 50-50 model ldquoIrsquoll do my part if you doyoursrdquo ndash a model that breeds a culture of blameconspiracies and distrust
In a series of formal training initiatives leaderswere taught to speak from the heart listen toother perspectives be open and responsive tofeedback and encourage personal andprofessional growth
Opportunity for internal communicationBy 2003 we were well on our way FCC producedremarkable business results with strong numbersright across the board The portfolio grew fromnearly CAN$9 billion to over CAN$10 billionThen two things happened that created anopportunity for internal communication tobecome a driver of business results 1 In 2003 we earned 50th place on Canadarsquos
ldquo50 Best Employersrdquo list and a respectableemployee engagement score of 69 percent
Defining the role ofstrategic comms atFarm Credit Canada
Farm Credit Canada (FCC) is in the fourth year of acultural-transformation program At the start of itsjourney clear expectations were set defining the role
to be played by internal communication In this summaryof the companyrsquos plans and achievements Kellie Garrettand Claire Watson describe the goals strategies andtactics employed by the internal communication teamand the impressive results achieved to date
Setting the stage for a cultural transformation
BY KELLIE GARRETT AND CLAIRE WATSON
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Farm Credit Canada isCanadarsquos largest provider offinancing to the agricultureindustry It serves 45000customers and has 1300employees working from 100rural offices across CanadaFCC is ranked eighth amongCanadarsquos 50 best employers
21scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC is a high performer in all otheroperational areas and employee engagementis a strong predictor of sustained corporateperformance But the survey showed therewas work to be done to align perceptionsbetween the senior leadership team andemployees Detailed results showed the gaps(see Figure One below)
2 Ryan became more determined to create ahigh-performance team that could deliver anextraordinary customer experience andsustainable business results
Establishing expected behaviorAs a first step towards creating a critical mass ofleaders who visibly demonstrate the behaviorsrequired to transform FCCrsquos culture middlemanagement and key cross-functional teams weretrained in responsible teamwork practices andcommunication skills
Ryan then created a set of 10 cultural practicesthat explicitly outlined how he expectedemployees at all levels to behave (see side barnext page) The foundation of these practices isthe belief that the drive for business results mustbe balanced by the attendant impact on people Inother words how the work was accomplished wasevery bit as important as what was accomplishedThe cultural practices were rolled out to allemployees in 2003
With the expected behavior from leaders andemployees clearly articulated it was time forinternal communication to find opportunities tosupport and promote these behaviors
Challenge 1 Creating a strategic frameworkOur first objective was to create a broaderstrategic framework for internal communicationA review of best-practice companies revealed thatformal media represents about 10 percent of allinternal communication channels with internalsystems accounting for another 10 percent Theremaining 80 percent is influenced by theorganizational culture
Our task was to put a formal strategy in placethat would strengthen the 10 percent ofcommunication we did have control over ndash theinternal communication channels
Within FCC the dominant employeecommunication channels were immediatemanagers e-mail and the intranet (Myinet)Front-line managers delivered corporate messagesdirectly to employees and their efforts weresupported by all-staff e-mails
There was nothing wrong with this approachbut it didnrsquot go far enough in the delivery of clearconsistent messages about strategic direction orcorporate priorities Nor did it create a line ofsight between individuals and business outcomes
For example a lack of central coordination wasresulting in unclear mixed messages thatconfused the internal audience A proliferation ofemployee surveys were independently conductedby various business units and the corporate e-mail system was choked with high volumecontributing to information overload
The intranetrsquos navigational structure and searchcapability needed major improvement datedinformation needed to be archived and majordocuments needed to be redeveloped in a web-friendly format
Defining our strategy and objectivesAware of these drawbacks we defined ourstrategy as To adopt a more integrated approachto internal communication and make sure allmessages focus employees on the businesspriorities Our strategies included the followingbull Segment the employee audience and define
communication needs based on demographicspsychographics and geographic location
bull Create a consistent voice across all groupsbull Ensure internal communication is mandatory
for all major corporate initiatives and isintegrated across channels and with othercommunication activities
bull Deliver targeted information through a varietyof channels and vehicles to reinforce messaginghelp with recall appeal to differentpreferences and create and sustain interest
bull Redevelop the intranet and position it as aninformation source for corporate businessemployee industry and technical information
bull Reduce the volume of corporate e-mailbull Implement a monthly employee survey to
replace the proliferation of one-off surveysindependently launched by business units
bull Create broad awareness and understanding ofkey corporate drivers such as business strategycorporate values and brand positioning 3
Kellie Garrett ABC MALeadership is senior VPStrategy Knowledge ampReputation at Farm CreditCanada and Chair of the IABCResearch Foundation Garrettis a frequent speaker onbusiness strategy leadershipand personal brand
Claire Watson ABC APR isthe master communicationstrategist for Farm CreditCanada Watson has won anumber of international andnational awards for her workis a published author and acertified change managementspecialist
MEASUREMENT EMPLOYEES SENIORMANAGERS
GAP
Senior management is open and honest incommunication
59 94 -35
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible
54 88 -34
Managers effectively support andimplement our people practices
48 81 -33
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 94 -23
Figure One Engagement survey results
22 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Defining the role of strategic comms at Farm Credit Canada
Successful tactics introducedSome of the tactics wersquove successfully introducedto bring this strategy to life include the following
1 Tracking key messagesWe created an employee key-message matrix thatis shared with leaders across the organization andhelps to ensure we deliver a consistent messageWe deliver the rewritten message through avariety of channels including e-mail letter featurearticle in the internal publication online throughour Monday Morning Update or directly to staffmeetings through managers and supervisors
2 Adopting a multi-channel approachWersquove expanded our channels beyond e-mail andthe intranet New channels now includebull AgriCulture ndash an employee print newsletter
published three times a year to communicatecorporate information and reinforce FCCrsquossocial and cultural fabric
bull An online feature called ldquoFrom the Desk ofthe CEOrdquo to keep employees in the loop
bull All staff e-mails from the CEO and VPsbull Discussion guides and QampAs for leadersbull Internal presentations and speeches delivered
by the senior leadership teambull Other printed material such as pocket cards
and brochures accompanied by a letter
3 Cutting down on information overloadSteps wersquove taken includebull Bundling all-staff messages into a Monday
Morning Update and bundling messages forcorporate headquarters staff into a CorporateOffice Update
bull Implementing a corporate e-mail policy withdefined subject-line conventions length andapproved topics
bull Restricting the use of all-staff e-mails to thesenior management team and certain keyindividuals
bull Improving the functionality of the intranetand redeveloping key business tools forefficient web use
bull Centralizing coordination of internal surveysbull Elevating the quality and clarity of internal
speeches and conferences to focus onstrategic business drivers
Challenge 2 Supporting leadershipThe results of our 2003 engagement survey alsorevealed an opportunity to increase trust betweenemployees and FCCrsquos senior management teamRyan and his VP responsible for communication(Kellie Garrett) believed that creating greatervisibility and better access to the senior managerswas vital to the establishment of a values-basedculture and a high-performance team
7
MEASUREMENT 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Senior management is open and honestin communication
59 73 81 83 91
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible to employees
54 71 82 83 81
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 81 87 87 85
I see strong evidence of effectiveleadership from the senior leadershipteam
69 83 87 88 93
I have a good understanding ofbusiness goals and objectives
76 77 81 81 88
Senior leadership has clearlycommunicated what we need to do tobe successful
NA NA 89 90 93
Figure Two Survey scores tracked from 2003-2007
FCCrsquoS 10 CULTURAL PRACTICESWe hold ourselves and each other accountable for
1 Our impact on business results and our impact on people
2 Delivering on commitments agreements and promises
3 Building and sustaining committed partnerships
4 Creating a safe environment where people can speak up without fear
5 We measure our success by how others perceive and respond to ourleadership not by our personal point of view
6 We talk straight in a responsible manner We are committed to the successof others ndash we do not engage in ldquoconspiracies againstrdquo people
7 We ldquolisten forrdquo contributions and commitment We do not listen againstpeople or ideas
8 We are highly coachable We actively seek and listen to coaching
9 We clean up and recover quickly
10 We acknowledge others often and celebrate both small and largesuccesses
ldquoLIKE DEVELOPING A COMPANYrsquoS IMAGE ORBRAND CULTURE CAN lsquoJUST HAPPENrsquo OR ITCAN BE DESIGNED STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONHAS PLAYED A CENTRAL ROLErdquo
23scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 FCC launched a culture-change program focused on
improving performance across the organization
bull Two key aims of the program are to encourage leaders and employeesto embody the values and improve staff engagement
bull Defining its strategy and goals at the outset internal communicationhas played a role in achieving these objectives
bull Results so far include less information overload a more accessibleleadership team and improved engagement scores
The challenge for internal communication wasto improve employeesrsquo perception of the visibilityaccessibility and trust for the senior managementteam Successful tactics introduced includebull A ldquoDine-Aroundrdquo program where three
senior leaders host a monthly lunch for ninepeople
bull An online forum called SMT Exchangewhere employees can anonymously askleaders tough questions and answers areposted for all to see
bull Senior leaders author more all-staff e-mailsare more visible and accessible at companyevents and deliver presentations that focus onconnecting employees to the business agenda
The goals we started with When we defined our internal communicationstrategy in 2003 we had some clear goals to worktowards These werebull To communicate relevant information in a
timely consistent and memorable waybull To reduce information overloadbull To influence an increase in the
communication-related elements of theengagement index
bull To contribute to an increase in employeeengagement from 69 to 74 percent
We also had specific year-one objectivesbull To increase understanding of business goals
and objectives beyond 78 percent bull To increase employee opinion about effective
senior leadership from 69 to 73 percentbull To improve employee opinions related to
senior management
Achievements and measurable resultsWith these goals guiding our efforts themeasurable results wersquove achieved so far includebull The bundling of all-staff e-mail has reduced
the volume by 88 percent ndash amounting toaround 350000 messages over one year
bull Over 450 employees have lunched with amember of the senior management team and170 QampAs have been posted on our seniormanagement online exchange
bull The survey scores relating to employeesrsquoperception of leadership and theirunderstanding of goals and objectives showsteady improvement since 2003 (see FigureTwo bottom left)
bull FCCrsquos engagement scores and subsequentranking among Canadarsquos 50 best employershas moved from 69 percent engagement and50th place in 2004 to 81 percent and 35thplace in 2005 84 percent and 12th place in2006 and 82 percent and 8th place in 2007
Cultural transformationThe internal communication strategy described inthis article has set the stage to communicatecultural transformation across the organization
Wersquore now in the fourth year of our culturaltransformation ndash creating an environment wherepeople are empowered feel safe and highperformance can flourish This involves aquantum shift in how employees behave andrelate to their co-workers and customers
Like developing a companyrsquos image or brandculture can ldquojust happenrdquo or it can be designedStrategic communication has played a central roleto create awareness understanding commitmentand motivate changes in behavior at every level ofthe organization
John Ryan has the final word ldquoOver the years Ihave learned that communication is at the heartof building a high-performance culture ndash a culturewhere people are fully engaged Communicationis vital Without it leaders cannot effect positivechange Our internal strategy recognizesemployees as a primary audience and a keyconduit to the customer the media stakeholdersand communities Our strategic approach tointernal communication significantly contributesto business resultsrdquo scm
CONTACT DETAILS
Kellie GarrettFarm Credit CanadaKellieGarrettfcc-facca
Claire WatsonFarm Credit CanadaClaireWatsonfcc-facca
24 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
In January 2004 Pfizer at Sandwich in Kent UKcommissioned a review of its existing charitablecontributions program which included matchedpayroll giving volunteering and grants for localcommunity charities and voluntary groups CCWorks the community investment consultancywas also approached to manage the day-to-dayadministration of grant applications from thecommunity
However it was decided that the administrationcould not be effectively managed until suitablecriteria were put in place for the grants programEssentially a company cannot outsourceresponsibility for its charitable donations unlesstherersquos a clear strategy in place for doing this
Although there were various policies in placefor the different elements of the existingcommunity investment program there was a lackof strategic direction to the program as a whole
Auditing the community grants programAs a first step CC Works examined the existinggrants program and also conducted external
benchmarking with voluntary organizations in thecommunity to gage perceptions of Pfizer
It emerged that many organizations werereceiving small grants ndash although some werenrsquotsure why ndash but only 16 percent of the currentspend was going on health-related causes ForPfizer a major global healthcare company thiswasnrsquot strategic It was clear that as a healthcarecompany Pfizer should be trying to improve thehealth of its local area by focusing on three coreareas health community and education
There was also a need for grants to be morelocally focused A significant amount of the spendwas going outside of the immediate East Kentarea CC Works recommended that to allow thecompany maximum freedom to operate in itscommunity it should focus grants on theimmediate community of East Kent which alsohappened to be a deprived area
Segmenting current grantsWorking in partnership with CC Works currentgrant allocation was examined by sector localarea and size of grant and in May 2004 two-yeartargets were set to increase the strategic impact ofcommunity grantsbull Increase grants allocated to health-related
projects to 50 percentbull Increase average grant from UKpound300 to
UKpound1000bull Increase East Kent allocation to 90 percent
This change was designed to be gradual so thatthe shift in allocation could be well managed
The new focus on the community mirrors
Engaging employees inPfizerrsquos communityinvestment program
In 2003 Pfizer at Sandwich UK was running manyelements of a community investment program butthere was little awareness among employees and no
real focus By July 2006 the program had beentransformed and now actively contributes to employeeand community relationships Here Pam Baker andChristine Jenkins describe the journey from disconnectedpolicies to award-winning program
Communicating an approach with clear links toemployees and the local community
BY PAM BAKER AND CHRISTINE JENKINS
scm FEATURES
Pfizerrsquos site at Sandwich inKent is the UK manufacturingheadquarters of Pfizer Incglobal pharmaceuticalcompany Its workforce of4000 makes it the largestprivate employer in East Kent
1 2 3 4 5
25scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pfizerrsquos global mission to be ldquothe most valuedcompany to patients customers colleaguesinvestors business partners and the communitieswhere we work and liverdquo For the communityinvestment program a measurable mission wascreated ldquoto improve the health indicators of thepeople of East Kentrdquo
Focus on colleague involvementThe next step in July 2004 was to conduct areview of the employee engagement elements ofcommunity investment to examine how thesecould be better integrated These elementsincluded payroll giving volunteering and staff-matched fundraising
For Pfizer at Sandwich the obvious first choicewas to look at volunteering Eighty-five percent ofPfizer employees are minimum graduate level ndashoffering much-needed skills to a deprived areaAll employees have five paid days a year they canuse for volunteering ndash this not only supports thecommunity it boosts employee engagement andcreates opportunities for employees to visiblyconnect with the community and vice versa
In October 2004 volunteering was identified asa key area for development but for employeevolunteering to be a success it had to beproactively marketed inside Pfizer and thereneeded to be adequate support andadministration behind the program
A database of volunteering opportunitiesIn conjunction with CC Works a searchable data-base of local volunteering opportunities was createdPfizer felt it was important to create a tailoreddatabase that would be furnished internally inorder to ensure a local bias and to maintain thequality of the information supplied to employees
In order to tie in with employeesrsquo personaldevelopment plans opportunities in the databasehad to meet at least two of Pfizerrsquos six keycompetencies 1 Team development2 Project management3 Coaching and development4 Decision making5 Effective partnership6 Working with change
To fill the database with relevant opportunities allorganizations that had contacted Pfizer for grantsor funding in the past three years were re-contacted and asked if they would also beinterested in volunteering
Over 70 percent responded positively and 300volunteering opportunities were sourced CCWorks helped the voluntary organizations puttogether opportunities that were most likely totake advantage of Pfizer employeesrsquo range of
specialist skillsThese opportunities were categorized on the
database according to skill geographic area andtype of charity allowing employees to search forsomething suitable for them Pfizer wasnrsquotprescriptive in its approach and allowed staff tovolunteer where the opportunity matched theirpersonal-development goals interests or wasgeographically convenient
Opportunities were wide-ranging from helpingin a charity shop to teaching in a schoolImportantly because database management isoutsourced to CC Works therersquos constantproactivitiy around seeking new opportunities andproviding administrative support that would havebeen difficult to maintain in-house
Launching the ldquoReaching Outrdquo programTo encourage involvement and awarenessemployees were asked to suggest a name for therevitalized volunteering program ldquoReaching Outrdquowas chosen and the new volunteering website waslaunched in May 2005 The site sits on PfizerSandwichrsquos intranet and any employee orcontractor can access it
A charity week was also held to help promotethe Reaching Out program Various charitiesvisited Pfizer during lunch breaks to explain whatthey do and the opportunities to work with themA soft incentive for staff to register on theReaching Out site was that Pfizer would donate20 rehydration sachets to Unicef (monetary valueof about pound2)
Reaching Out was also featured in a webcastfrom a senior leader that went to all employees(about 3000 staff plus contractors) at the start ofthe week and it was profiled in the weekly onlinemagazine Pipeline 3
Pam Baker is directorStrategic Operations andCommunity Affairs at Pfizer UK
Christine Jenkins is founderof CC Works a consultancyoffering communityinvestment advice andpractical solutions to thecorporate and voluntarysectors Previously she heldsenior manager roles in thevoluntary and private sectors
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 an audit of Pfizer at Sandwichrsquos community investment
program revealed a lack of strategic direction
bull In partnership with consultancy CC Works a decision was made tofocus the program on the local community
bull An effort to raise employee involvement through volunteering hasboosted the program and linked it to employee engagement
bull The ldquoReaching Outrdquo website gives employees the freedom to work withcharities of their choice
bull By July 2006 the ldquoHealthy Communitiesrdquo program had beentransformed and won a National Example of Excellence award fromBusiness in the Community
26 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TOP TIPS FOR COMMUNITY INVESTMENTbull Ask yourself why yoursquore undertaking this program and seek clarity around
your objectives
bull Focus on likely ldquowinsrdquondash ie areas with scope for improvement such asemployee engagement or external awareness
bull Tackle one area at a time in stages and aim for excellence in each arearather than trying to boil the ocean
bull Communication is key to success Create a distinct brand and identity forthe program to encourage awareness and involvement
bull Integrate different community programs ndash a holistic approach can maximizebenefits for the community staff engagement and corporate reputation
Over 450 employees registered to use thesite over the next two months with 230 employees(8 percent of staff) actively volunteering duringthe first year This beat a target to have 5 percentof employees volunteering 12 months after launchIn 2005 employees volunteered 4800 hours
Helping employees select the right optionEmployees can search the volunteering databaseby skill geographic area or type of charity and aregiven a range of choices Then the onus is on theemployee to speak to the charity and obtainfurther details on current opportunities inaddition to whatrsquos on the database The employeethen applies to his or her line manager Anintegrated work process enables staff to obtainapproval from their manager interact with thevoluntary organization and record their effortskeeping administration to a minimum
Managers at Pfizer Sandwich are keen foremployees to volunteer because theyrsquore aware ofthe potential benefits in terms of employeeengagement and skills development ndash a largenumber of managers are volunteers themselvesPfizer also held briefing sessions for managers toensure they were aware of the volunteeringprogram its benefits and how it works
7
Engaging employees in Pfizerrsquos community investment program
Incorporating employee feedbackThe database tracks employeesrsquo volunteeringefforts including how many hours theyrsquove doneand their feedback on the opportunitiesEmployee feedback can then be accessed by otherstaff looking for an opportunity The databasegives employees better insight into the availableopportunities and allows them to select somethingthat appeals to them so that both the employeeand the organization where they volunteer gets abetter ldquofitrdquo
The database also allows for better integrationof the whole program where volunteering canprovide an alternative or an addition to fundingFor example a well-known national charityapplied to Pfizer at Sandwich for some fundingaround a diversity initiative Pfizer suggested theirdiversity manager volunteer for them instead whohelped create the charityrsquos diversity program thatis now being launched nationally
Creating an integrated programIn May 2005 the decision was taken to bringtogether all the strands of community investmentunder one brand Healthy Communities Thisprogram was to includebull Charitable grantsbull Employee volunteeringbull Gifts in kind Community investment via gifts
in kind such as the use of Pfizer premisesresources and expertise is more easilysustainable and can bring real long-termbenefit to the local community When Pfizerfacilities are used to support communityinitiatives the face-to-face contact withemployees allows relationship-building andnetworking with key influencers Also invitingthe community to use Pfizer resources on siteldquodemystifiesrdquo the company
The overarching strategy behind HealthyCommunities was to support communityinvestment holistically (ie using several of theabove elements in combination) whereverpossible Focusing grants on the areas of greatestneed helps Pfizer achieve its overall missionHowever the donation of gifts in kind can have awider-reaching impact on the community
Taking a holistic approachAn award-winning example of this holisticapproach is the Helping Hartsdown projectwhich was Pfizer Sandwichrsquos biggest ever gift inkindvolunteering project Pfizer donated andrenovated much-needed classrooms at a localschool As well as financial support and gifts inkind the project involved over 100 staff andcontractor volunteers across all departments Aspecific promotion on the Reaching Out website
ldquoBY JULY 2006 THE lsquoHEALTHY COMMUNITIESrsquoPROGRAM HAD BEEN TRANSFORMED AND WONA NATIONAL EXAMPLE OF EXCELLENCE AWARDFROM BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITYrdquo
27scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
POSITIVE IMPACTS OF THE PROGRAMThe Healthy Communities program has had the following positive impacts for Pfizer
bull The program supports and protects Pfizerrsquos freedom to operate effectivelyin East Kent UK
bull Supporting and involving employees in the program engages and motivatesthem The company is also seen to be living its values In a recent survey55 percent of colleagues felt the program was ldquofocused and effectiverdquo
bull The program provides opportunities for colleagues to develop skills Twentypercent of colleagues surveyed stated that they had improved personalskills through taking part in the program
bull A healthy community is a better place to live and work for employees andwill aid retention Retention of the most highly skilled scientists givesPfizer Global Research and Development a competitive edge
bull A vibrant and healthy community helps to attract and retain leadingscientists from around the world
bull Community is one of Pfizerrsquos six core values Communicating activitiesinternally and externally gives a positive perception of the company
helped attract this large number of volunteersincluding senior leaders
Momentum was maintained behind thecommunication of the program with monthlynetworking breakfasts and several themed minicharity fairs to give local good causes the chanceto showcase their volunteering Individuals andteamsrsquo volunteering efforts were also regularlyprofiled in Pipeline
The December 2006 employee survey showedan 85-percent awareness level of Reaching Outand the program won a ldquoNational Example ofExcellence Awardrdquo from Business in theCommunity1
Relaunching the websiteIn June 2006 the Reaching Out website wasrelaunched to incorporate payroll giving andmatched fundraising under the same brand asvolunteering and utilize the existing software Allelements can now be applied for on the same site
The number of employees registered with thesite increased to over 1000 and the number of adhoc staff enquiries handled by CC Worksincreased dramatically as awareness andinvolvement levels rose among the workforce
External communicationA quarterly newsletter containing a round-up ofPfizerrsquos community investment work is producedand distributed widely to external stakeholdersincluding 3000 local residents Following theBusiness in the Community award the magazineCommunity News was revamped its circulationincreased and it was also desk-dropped to allemployees The magazine also helps to raiseawareness of Pfizer among local organizations
A pocket-sized booklet was produced containingkey facts and figures about the Healthy Communitiesprogram This gives employees especially seniorleaders at-a-glance information on the programallowing them to act as ambassadors for Pfizerrsquoscommunity investment work
Senior leaders at Pfizer Sandwich are keenadvocates of the program and having a clearbrand helps them communicate its benefits andraise awareness both internally and externally
Next stepsDespite its award-winning status there are plansto take Healthy Communities even further Theseinclude further research into employee feedbackand closer links to personal development plans InPfizer at Sandwichrsquos Global Operations functionvolunteering forms part of personal objectives ndashthis is an aspiration for the rest of the business
Pfizer also wants to improve team volunteeringand a toolkit is being prepared for team leaderswho wish to get involved in volunteering
Finally in order to share knowledge and bestpractice around community investment with otherlocal businesses Pfizer is hosting a Kentmembership network in conjunction with KentCounty Council This will help Pfizer work closelywith the local authority and bring local businessestogether to share ideas and collaborate toimprove their impact on the community scm
1 httpwwwbitcorguk
CONTACT DETAILS
Pam BakerPfizerpambakerpfizercom
Christine JenkinsCC Workschristinejenkinsccworkscouk
28 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Editorrsquos noteSucceeding in internal communication probablyisnrsquot all that different to succeeding in anyprofession understand whatrsquos expected of you dothe job well and deliver results But when youspeak to practitioners about how they personallyturned the corner in their careers and started tomake an impact it soon becomes clear that thereare many dos and donrsquots that can help or hinderprogress This article provides a handy checklistfor those with ambitious development plans
John G ClemonsVice President CommunicationsRaytheon Technical Services Co Llc
Take the initiativeThere have been a few career-defining momentsfor me Among them was the time when I realizedthat I was moving from a manager level to the
decision-making role of a director I worked for a senior executive who hired me
from a rival telecommunications company Uponjoining the company I developed strategiccommunication plans to address various businesschallenges During the development process Iperiodically checked in with my supervisor to gethis input and approval ndash probably more thannecessary ndash before moving to the next steps in planning
One day he called me into his office and saidthat while he liked the work I was doing for himhis expectation when he hired me as a directorwas that I would take the initiative in the job relyless on his frequent input and move forward with implementation and measurement Hewanted results
His counsel was along the lines of ldquoI hired youto do a directorrsquos job so do the job of a directorYou donrsquot have to get permission to make adifferencerdquo
Meet commitments and think strategicallyHis direction motivated me to take moreresponsibility at this new job level This alsomeant that I had to not just manage but leadmeet commitments and think more strategicallyto continue to earn not only his confidence butthe support of the entire leadership team
Irsquove found that being a communicationprofessional who is also a leader that can betrusted can get things done and truly support thegoals and objectives of an organization will notonly impress others but help build your credibilityand lead to success
How to get ahead ininternal communication
The path that leads internal communicators to thetop of their profession isnrsquot always an obvious oneWhich is why we asked a range of senior practitioners
to share their thoughts and experiences on gaining therespect of those who matter Whether its senior leadersfellow employees or your own team yoursquore looking toimpress these responses provide useful insight into howto make sure you and your work gets noticed
Senior practitioners share their views on how togain influence and credibility
COMPILED BY MANDY THATCHER
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
29scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Mark DarbyHead of Internal CommunicationsVisaUK
Be smart sharp and stubbornThe biggest lesson Irsquove learned and keep havingto remind myself is that I need to be smart sharpand stubborn to get ahead This is what thosewords mean to me in a work context
Smart I need to understand what Visa is doingand what people think about the business Thismeans constantly spending time in differentdepartments and learning from them I know whoour customers are what our challenges are andwhat our current financial performance is I havecontacts in most departments who have a fingeron the pulse which means I can have a relevantconversation with a senior person from any department
Sharp Internal communication is rarely near thetop of the agenda for senior people and my timewith them is usually short I always try to talkabout the impact on business performance assoon as possible If I circulate a document it willbe summarized to a single page at most and Idonrsquot use PowerPoint I ask a lot of ldquoonerdquo questionssuch as ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing you want employeesto do differentlyrdquo or ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing youwant me to change over the next six monthsrdquo
Stubborn I know what I want internal communica-tion to achieve at Visa and it has the support ofthe senior team Irsquove built up knowledge frombooks and articles I use my education from theBlack Belt training course1 and I speak to formercolleagues With this knowledge Irsquove becomestubborn and good at saying no because I have theinformation to back up my arguments Irsquove stoppedmy team from picking up extra projects that wonrsquotdeliver much value We focus only on projects thatadd the most value to the business and we deliveron these really well Successful delivery is thebiggest influence on any senior person
Monika StaffordHead of Internal CommunicationLloyds TSBUK
Be creative and focus on a killer issueUsing creative solutions to bring to life importantndash but often dull ndash programs can create a shinethat stretches beyond project boundaries For
example I worked on the implementation of SAPndash a business-critical systems program ndash requiringbehavior change from swathes of key yetuninterested people Successful implementationwas a big risk to get right but it was as dull asdishwater to communicate
Luckily there was a ldquoEurekardquo moment Byaligning the SAP story with the metaphor ofFormula-1 racing we could tell the tale of how itwould fulfill our need to create winningperformances for both the individual driver aswell as the back-up team in order to perform wellon the road ahead This storyline was a perfectmatch for the programrsquos objectives
Launch speakers from Formula 1 great designwork not to mention fantastic collateral allresulted in a no-hitch implementation that reallyresonated with people The global companypicked it up as the approach for worldwide rollout So faced with tedium it can actually pay tostare out of the window for creative inspiration
My other piece of advice is Focus on a killerissue If you really want to get ahead (and do besure you really do as being at the center ofchange is often akin to being in the eye of ahurricane ndash itrsquos no place for the feint-hearted)learn what keeps your business leaders up atnight Use your stakeholder-management skills toget to the people you need to help you deliversolutions then execute execute execute
Focus on value-adding work only because ifyou end up working on your companyrsquos cul-de-sacprojects yoursquoll never shine brightly enough forthe leaders in your company to notice you 3
COMPETENCY
Planning internal communication 76
Linking corporate messages to corporate vision 73
CEO communication 63
Change communication 60
Communicating to diverse audiences 60
Using the intranet as a communication tool 54
Defending your department in internal political battles 43
Line manager communication 42
Professional development of internal communication staff 33
Helping employees cope with information overload 32
Securing the appropriate level of budget for internal communication 30
Measuring the effectiveness of internal communication 28
Figure One Table from The Pulse report showing the percentage of communicators who ratethemselves as effective or very effective at listed competencies
30 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
WHATrsquoS CHANGED IN THE LAST 25 YEARS
David MoorcroftSenior Vice PresidentCorporate CommunicationsRBC Financial Group Canada
Irsquom constantly amazed at the changes that have taken place in our professionover the last 25 years and the degree of talent and knowledge required bycommunicators today to do their jobs well
Back in 1979 when I started in corporate PR the major skill sets werewriting editing and great media contacts Today good editorial skills are justtable stakes and the ability to understand business adapt technology thinkstrategically plan consummately and influence stakeholders are what landsenior communicators a seat at the management table
This change has been driven by the globalization of business the advent ofnew 247 media including the Internet the growing sophistication ofcustomers and employees increased demands for corporate transparency andmore rigorous requirements for high standards of public disclosure andfinancial reporting
MORE SKILLS THAN EVER BEFOREAs a result todayrsquos business communicator has to be more capable andknowledgeable and have more skills than ever before They must befinancially literate and technologically savvy They must understand the impactof evolving accounting and disclosure rules They must deal with legal HRpolitical and business issues And they must be prepared to deal with amultitude of potential crises that can arise at any moment in any language inany part of the world
Perhaps most challenging senior management today expects clear bottom-line returns for their investments in communication Itrsquos no longer enough toinform audiences and measure communication outputs CEOs expectcommunication to engage audiences and produce outcomes ndash something thatrequires strategic thinking planning and foresight
A friend of mine who left a senior corporate PR job to become COO of amajor public utility recently summed up the role of todayrsquos communicator thisway ldquoItrsquos one of the most important and critical roles in organizations todayand yet itrsquos often one of the least recognized and appreciatedrdquo
That sentiment may be a reality in some organizations today but with moreand more CEOs beginning to realize the bottom-line value of communication itwonrsquot be 25 years from now
Christina FeeSenior Vice President InternalCommunicationsDeutsche Post AGGermany
Seek out the important projectsI canrsquot pretend to have employed a specificapproach to my ldquopersonal PRrdquo at all But in theorganizations Irsquove worked for Irsquove had theopportunity to work on a number of excitinghigh-profile projects that have connected me withsenior stakeholders and influential people atdifferent levels
7
Irsquove learned a great deal from the project teamsIrsquove worked with and also due to the significanceand scope of the projects been able todemonstrate my worth approach and skills Irsquovehad to be passionate stand up for what I believein and think outside the box constantly
My roles within DHLDeutsche Post haveallowed me the freedom and flexibility to developand deliver new ideas but Irsquove also had to practiceand embody excellent internal communicationskills myself Having developed credibility and trustwith those that matter based on my track record Iwas allowed to go ahead with other projects
I donrsquot actively pursue the ldquoright relationshipsrdquobut rather let my work and my interactions withpeople speak for themselves This has helped medevelop mentors and supporters naturally Mylearning and development has also been expandedby the opportunity to work abroad and learn moreabout intercultural communication and interaction
Marc SilversideHead of Internal CommunicationsMacmillan Cancer SupportUK
Understand whatrsquos expected of youA newly established role heightens the need formaking a good impression so that people trustyou and feel they can come to you for advice
When I joined Macmillan I very nearly got thiswrong Perhaps this is an example that otherrsquos canlearn from
When my new CEO at Macmillan CancerSupport asked for a meeting ldquoafter a few weeks tosettle inrdquo I was confident that my wide-ranginginduction would help me understand the businessand provide the basis for what Irsquod present tosenior management
Forty structured face-to-face managerinterviews allowed me to understand needs andkey issues and I started to build personal rapportMy profile was raised and at the same timeinternal communication gained good visibility
Externally I networked with contacts in similarroles in other charities and soon found thebeginnings of a voluntary-sector network This hassince grown to over 25 members
By the time my CEO slot arrived I was armedwith input from across the charity and the resultsof an audit I felt well prepared to present myvision and solutions So I was surprised to be metwith significant resistance
I later discovered that my CEO intelligence wasincorrect What he wanted was to be askedspecifically about his own views on what internalcommunication should do and what I could do for
How to get ahead in internal communication
31scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
HOW DO YOUR SKILLS MEASURE UPFor Melcrumrsquos study into budgets salaries and trends in internalcommunication in 200607 we asked survey respondents to rate their owneffectiveness at a range of key communication competencies from planning tomeasurement The results may surprise you
For example 76 percent of respondents rate themselves as effective or veryeffective at planning internal communication but only 28 percent ratethemselves as equally effective at measuring its effectiveness (see Figure Onepage 29)
In her commentary on the results development expert Sue Dewhurst hadthe following to say
OUR STRENGTHSIt seems where we see our strengths as internal communicators is towards theldquofront endrdquo of the communication planning process For example being able tolink a plan to the business strategy knowing our audiences and being able tojoin up the dots and show people how messages link to the business vision
These are powerful strengths We are one of the few functions that tends tohave an overarching view of our entire company and is able to view thecompany and its strategy from a number of different perspectives Being ableto understand the vision and strategy view it from an audience perspectiveand then create line of sight to show what those things mean in practicalterms for peoplersquos day-to-day roles is one of the ways that we help drivebusiness performance ndash by showing people what they need to do to take thestrategy forward
In turn by knowing and working with our audiences hopefully wersquore thenalso able to make sure their views and suggestions can help shape the strategyand how itrsquos put into practice
MEASURING EFFECTIVENESSWe see ourselves as less effective towards the back end of the planningprocess in measuring the effectiveness of internal communication which tiesin with the feeling from previous questions that in fact wersquore not doing muchmeasurement or demonstrating our return on investment
Research and measurement is an area where there is plenty of expertisearound to call on There are measurement conferences research reports andpublications to understand what other organizations are doing and practicaltraining that will give you the opportunity to work in a smaller group askquestions and practice techniques For help with specific techniques try yourinternal marketing team Marketers are generally great with data and well-versed in running focus groups and putting together surveys If you have anexternal provider to support your employee engagement research try them too
Source The Pulse Essential data on budgets salaries and trends 2006-07wwwmelcrumcom
him rather than how I could benefit the charity Ihad to change my approach fast
This could have cost me my best ambassadorfrom day one So my advice is make sure yoursquoreabsolutely clear about whatrsquos expected from you
Of course the insights I gained in my first fewmonths have been valuable and since then myresults have done the talking Fortunately theCEO soon became an internal communicationsconvert and advocate
Darren CrozierCommunications ManagerHBOS plcUK
Make things happenDelivery is key to career development ndash if you sayyoursquore going to do something make sure you doit Put in the effort get the results you want andbe known as someone who can make things happenIf yoursquore seen to ldquoget things donerdquo no matter howsmall the job is people are more likely to get youinvolved in activities and ask your opinion
Gaining credibility and respect from seniorcolleagues is important but everyone in yourorganization will form an opinion of you from thepeople in the canteen right through to the CEOSo try and make sure that their opinion of you is agood one
Itrsquos not just the people within your immediatesphere of influence who can have an impact onyour career so extend your network go oncourses and get involved in professionalorganizations Many of my close workingrelationships career opportunities and indeedpersonal friendships have come from meetingpeople at such events and taking the time to keepin touch You never know how things will develop
Itrsquos also vital to earn respect be trustworthy andhave good manners To recall what an ex-bossonce said ldquoBe careful how you treat people onthe way up as you never know when you maycome across them againrdquo
One of the biggest challenges Irsquove found inrecent times is recognizing my own success andselling myself Sometimes you need to take a stepback to realize just what yoursquove achieved Evenbetter keep a log or portfolio of your successesand donrsquot be shy to speak about them becauseothers wonrsquot be shy to speak about theirs
Finally try and have some fun along the wayWe all have to work for a living so learn to makethe most of it scm
1 For more about Melcrumrsquos Internal Communication Black Belttraining program go to wwwmelcrumcom
32 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pitney Bowes has followed an aggressive strategyof growth through acquisition completing 60+acquisitions since 2001 Expansion has broadenedits product mix to include an extensive range ofsolutions from office equipment to globalpositioning software
But the companyrsquos many different specialismsand huge outsourcing operations meant that themajority of its 34000 employees werenrsquot aware ofthe full range of its service offering and thepotential for different divisions to work together
As Rob Hallam vice president EmployeeCommunication explains there was a strongbusiness case for adopting a ldquoone companyrdquoapproach ldquoBecause the businesses tended to besomewhat siloed even senior managers werefocused on their divisions
ldquoAlso because we were acquiring companiesand evolving so rapidly managers werenrsquot awareof a lot of the businesses and how they all workedtogether in the mailstreamrdquo says Hallam ldquoWewere missing out on potential cross-sellingopportunitiesrdquo
Communicating a new visionFour years ago Pitney Bowes created a OneCompany Vision statement ldquoOur aim was toensure support and cooperation across thebusiness so we could provide a comprehensive setof customer solutions ndash not just a list of productsand services by business unitrdquo says Hallam Theinternal communication challenge was to drawtogether 34000 employees and build a unifiedcorporate culture The communication strategyfocused on three key elements
1 PeopleThis focused on involving the leadershipstrengthening a two-way dialogue betweenmanagement and employees communicating theculture through leadership messaging enterprise-wide events and roadshows and buildingengagement so that everyone was workingtogether towards a One Company approach
2 ProcessesThis meant integrating the One Companyapproach into the organizationrsquos operations andinfrastructure by shifting management roles andadjusting incentives and reward structuresthroughout the company
The first step was to consolidate the companyrsquosoperating activities by appointing Murray DMartin as president and chief operating officer inSeptember 2004 Martinrsquos mantra is ldquoThink AsOne Act as One Operate As One to deliverwhat no other company canrdquo
ldquoThe COO position had previously been heldby the chairman so elevating someone to that
Communicating a OneCompany culture atPitney Bowes
Following rapid growth in the form of more than 60acquisitions over six years silo-working haddeveloped at Pitney Bowes and leaders were failing
to take advantage of profitable cross-selling opportunitiesHere Rob Hallam describes the communication elementsof a ldquoOne Companyrdquo culture-change program which hasturned the situation around simultaneously improvingcustomer service and boosting profits
Persuading disparate businessunits to work together
AN INTERVIEW WITH ROB HALLAM
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Pitney Bowes is an 87-year-old company best known forthe manufacturing operationand oversight of postagemeters It has over two millioncustomers more than 3500active patents and annualrevenue of close to $6 billion
33scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
role was a big changerdquo explains Hallam ldquoAll thebusiness units now report to a single individual atoperating level It represented a huge positivemove to start the company operationalizing OneCompany behaviorrdquo
The internal communication function wasrestructured to ensure that consistent messagingreached the entire employee population Regularmeasurement was a key part of the changeinitiative This served to define the contributionof communicating a One Company approachwhere it was adding value to Pitney Bowes and itsclients and customers and where there was stillwork to do
3 TechnologyIt was important to find the best ways to cascademessages throughout the company and keeppeople informed about what was going onwithout bombarding them with irrelevantcommunication Hallam and his team deploy avariety of channels and media including internalprint and online publications voicemail and e-mail Pitney Bowes is also in the process ofintegrating its different voicemail systems and e-mail platforms into one global system
Involving senior leadership from the outsetThe One Company strategy was an overridingpolicy that started at the top of the organizationldquoThere was a big launch at the strategic leadersrsquomeeting which is held every Januaryrdquo saysHallam ldquoThe messaging was then driven throughthe organization via a companywide globalcommunication strategyrdquo
From the outset the policy was championed bythe CEO Michael Critelli who believes thatculture is central to the Pitney Bowes brand andsaid recently ldquoMy first measure of success iswhether we are behaving as one companyrdquo Thiscommitment helped to ensure that the culturalchange was reinforced by parallel changes to thecorporate infrastructure
Building a two-way dialogueThe next step was to get the employee populationinvolved and build enterprisewide enthusiasm forthe culture change Pitney Bowes has alwaysrecognized the value of a two-way dialoguebetween management and employees and hasheld annual jobholders meetings which aresimilar to shareholdersrsquo meetings for 61 years In2005 Hallam reinvented it as an initiative calledOne Forum ndash a series of roadshows focusing oncommunicating the One Company culturethroughout the organization
Launching the One ForumIn 2005 Hallam and his team created an original
and memorable One Forum launch for the 90percent of Pitney Bowes employees based in theUS Around a quarter of US employees saw thisin person the others received a link to a websitewith streaming highlights
ldquoWe put together a two-hour roadshow eventwhich helped people to understand our OneCompany approach and made them aware of allthe businesses we were inrdquo says Hallam ldquoThethinking was that high change requires high touchFace-to-face can have far greater impact on theindividuals touched From there itrsquos a matter ofripple effect such as seeing improved One Forumbrand awareness among employees who didnrsquotactually attend one of the eventsrdquo
ldquoWe wanted the roadshow to be entertainingand energizing so we used gameshow techniquescustom-written songs and comedy specificallytailored to Pitney Bowes employees It was a funevent but it also included a keynote speech fromthe CEO and a lot of question-and-answersessions with employees It was entertainmentwith a purpose and it was a great success with employeesrdquo
The post-event employee evaluations provedthe success of this approach ldquoIn some cities anincredible 90 percent of employees gave the eventa top-box rating This shows that there was ahunger for both the knowledge and theapproachrdquo adds Hallam
Taking the show on the roadThe One Forum roadshow has become an annualevent ldquoIn a five-month period during 2005 therewere 17 One Forum events in 12 US citiesreaching about 6000 peoplerdquo says Hallam ldquoAftersome testing in March and April the first bigroadshows started in early May and continued forsix months with the final one in early Decemberin Seattle 3
Rob Hallam is vice presidentEmployee Communication atPitney Bowes (PB) in StamfordConnecticut where hersquos beenresponsible for internalcommunication strategy andimplementation since 2004Hallam has led a team ofprofessionals in reshapingcommunication at PB resultedin the communication teamearning the top ranking in HRdepartment satisfaction fromall PBrsquos US managers in 2005and 2006
KEY POINTSbull Internal communication has played an important role in embedding a
One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
bull The communication strategy focused on three key elements peopleprocess and technology
bull The campaign has been championed by the CEO from the outset andhas won senior leadership support over time
bull An entertaining roadshow helped win employee commitment
bull Cross-selling ratios have jumped substantially since the culture-changeeffort began
34 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ldquoIn 2006 we compressed the programsubstantially and drove down costs while stilltouching 6000 employees Together with ourcorporate marketing group we also introduced anextremely successful lsquoelevator speechrsquo that helpsemployees answer the much-feared questionlsquoWhat does Pitney Bowes dorsquordquo
Local variationsAlthough the entertainment component in theroadshows contributed to their success it wasspecific to the US so Hallam gave business unitsand internal communicators in other regions theresponsibility for communicating the OneCompany approach to local employees ldquoInCanada and the UK they conducted town-hallmeetings and in Latin America and other parts ofthe world they produced their own variations onthe One Forum theme We made sure that theyhad the information they needed but we limitedthe entertainment to English-speaking regionsrdquo
A commitment to employee engagementThe appointment of the new COO and the launchof the One Forum roadshows coincided with thefirst employee engagement survey in late 2004ldquoWe see engagement as very much tied to ourability to execute a One Company strategy andchange our culturerdquo says Hallam He sets outfour ways in which employee engagement isinstilled at all levels in the organization
1 Visible leadership commitment to engagementThe CEO underlines his commitment by sendingregular messages to employees via a variety ofmedia including voicemail and print and onlinepublications He also uses engagement scores todetermine a unitrsquos overall performance rating andbonus pool ldquoWhen one senior execrsquos bonus poolwas reduced due to poor engagement scores that
was a message requiring no communication planrdquosays Hallam ldquoWord spread quicklyrdquo
2 Celebrating top performers Pitney Bowes celebrates its top engagementperformers by running cover stories in its globalprint and online publication PB Today ldquoThisprogram was called lsquoThe Faces of Pitney Bowesrsquordquosays Hallam ldquoWe did 10 of these last year so theyran twice in five editions Wersquove also producedlarge mural-sized photos of those managers andtheir teamsrdquo he says ldquoWe celebrate success andpublish it everywhere Our CEO loves it and wersquoreactually selling part of our contemporary artcollection which decorates the building to makeroom for an expansion of additional OneCompany and Engagement photography all ofwhich will focus on our employeesrdquo
3 Incentivizing managers via the reward systemEmployee engagement is recognized andreinforced in the companyrsquos formal processesincluding its reward system ldquoWe use a tool calledthe Strategic Architecture which is our balancedscorecardrdquo explains Hallam ldquoItrsquos a Six-Sigma toolwhich measures employee shareholder andcustomer value Managersrsquo engagement scoresalso factor into their annual reviews soengagement has a direct impact on remunerationrdquo
4 Rewarding engagementA further program called Rapid Rewards awardscash bonuses to managers and employees foroutstanding behavior including that related toemployee engagement
Aligning the communication strategyHallam and his team are responsible fordelivering the overall employee communicationstrategy ldquoWe had to dramatically improve ourstrategic approach in order to make OneCompany a realityrdquo he says
In addition to organizing campaigns such as theOne Forum roadshows to publicize the culturechange across the enterprise Hallam hasintroduced initiatives aimed at improving thereach and delivery of internal communication andmaking sure messages get to their intendedaudiences He has also aligned the structure ofthe internal communication function with thecompanyrsquos unified culture
ldquoThere were a lot of different communicationgroups so we brought together all thecommunication leaders and formed a singleInternal Communications Councilrdquo explainsHallam ldquoThis means that the communicationfunctions in the different business units areworking together to help drive change andimprove coordinationrdquo
Communicating a One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
ldquoWHEN A SENIOR EXECrsquoS BONUS WAS REDUCEDDUE TO POOR ENGAGEMENT SCORES THAT WASA MESSAGE REQUIRING NO COMMUNICATIONPLAN WORD SPREAD QUICKLYrdquo
7
FURTHER RESOURCES3 THE IMPACT OF CULTURE AND CLIMATE ON CHANGE PROGRAMS
An article published in SCM Volume 10 Issue 6 OctoberNovember 2006
3 DRIVING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE CORPORATE CULTUREMelcrumrsquos report on communication tools techniques and best practicefrom leading organizationswwwmelcrumcom
35scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Developing a global approachHallam is also responsible for a globalcommunication project called Universal Reachwhich is sponsored by the chairman and designedto support and maintain a unified corporateculture ldquoOur goal is to provide 90 percentmessage accessibility within our key customer-facing audiencesrdquo he explains ldquoThe biggestchallenge is integrating our online communicationinfrastructure which has nine different voicemailsystems operating across the world and multiplee-mail and web platforms Wersquore pulling all thattogether to provide better reachrdquo
Since 911 the CEO and other top executiveshave broadcast weekly audio messages calledPower Talks Hallamrsquos team has worked with theleadership to ensure that they incorporate OneCompany messages and as he explains they reachmost of the employee population ldquoAbout 20000of our employees have voicemail Those whodonrsquot receive the Power Talk message either inprint or online In some divisions managers playthe Power Talk messages in staff meetingsrdquo
Engaging leadership reinforces the cultureBuilding on the CEOrsquos commitment to a OneCompany approach Hallam and his team haveorganized leadership events ndash most recently at thestrategic leadersrsquo meeting in December 2006 ndashshowing Pitney Bowes as one company in actionThis campaign has helped to engage the top 150managers in the culture change
ldquoOur post-event evaluations show a strongmove numerically in senior leadershiprsquos belief thatwersquore operating as one companyrdquo says Hallam(see Figure One above) ldquoAs theyrsquore our toughestjudges wersquore pleased by the significant differencein pre- and post-event measurementrdquo There wasalso an improvement in leadersrsquo understanding ofthe companyrsquos new mailstream category
Sustaining the new cultureAccording to Hallam rippling out the OneCompany messaging requires a consistent andcoordinated approach Communication leaders inthe various divisions are now working to weaveOne Company messages into the business-unitmeetings ldquoA lot of the messaging that welaunched at the strategic leadersrsquo meeting arebeing reiterated at the business unit level Thatrsquosbeen facilitated through the InternalCommunications Councilrdquo he says
ldquoKey metrics for the culture change programfocus on cross-selling ratios which have jumpedsubstantially since the culture change effortbeganrdquo says Hallam ldquoIn 2002 we also institutedthe ldquoPB1 Awardsrdquo which is a chairmanrecognition award that goes to teams who bestembody cross-functional behavior in working on
projects which improve our clientsrsquo profitabilityour profitability or bothrdquo
ldquoHowever wersquore only really a year into thisMuch of the evidence is anecdotal but what haschanged is that our managers have broadenedtheir vision and are thinking as solutions-providers rather than product-sellers As suchtheyrsquore involving other business units out of theirdesire to eliminate customer pain points ndashregardless of which part of Pitney Bowes gets the salerdquo
Adding value to customersUltimately managers and employees who arewell-informed about the companyrsquos products andservices are in a good position to take advantageof cross-selling opportunities Realizing thispotential enables Pitney Bowes to make extrasales to existing customers thereby increasing itsprofit margins and allowing customers to benefitfrom a mix of products and services
Shifting to a unified culture directly benefitsboth Pitney Bowes and its customers ldquoByfocusing on the whole cadre of products andservices we can help our customers improve theirbusinessesrdquo says Hallam ldquoThatrsquos where OneCompany is critical It enables our clients tobenefit from all our servicesrdquo scm
Figure One Measuring the impact of the strategic leadersrsquo meeting
CONTACT DETAILS
Rob HallamPitney Bowesrobhallampbcom
I BELIEVE THAT OUR SENIOR LEADERS (MEANING THE TOP 15 EXECS) AREWORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO DELIVER INTEGRATED HIGH-VALUESOLUTIONS TO OUR CUSTOMERS
Pre SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 73
Post SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 92
Gain in two months time 19
ldquoMANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WELL-INFORMED ABOUT THE COMPANYrsquoS PRODUCTSAND SERVICES ARE IN A GOOD POSITION TOTAKE ADVANTAGE OF CROSS-SELLINGrdquo
2007
36 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
MELCRUM TRAINING amp EVENTS
CALENDAR 2007UKEUROPESOCIAL MEDIA FORUM FORINTERNAL COMMUNICATORS UK
3 21-22 March 2007 Hilton Canary WharfLondon UKThis forum is designed for practitioners who wantto make social media part of their internalcommunication strategy Over two dayscompanies such as IBM Microsoft and BT willshare case studies demonstrating their use ofsocial-media tools Technology experts will also beon hand to provide training and show you how touse these tools
THE 3RD ANNUAL EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT CONFERENCE UK
3 22-24 May 2007 Millennium GloucesterLondon UK22 May ndash Practical workshops23-24 May ndash Two-day conferenceThis event will focus on transforming yourstrategies into action Listen to case studies fromcompanies that have achieved real andmeasurable results from their engagement effortsLearn how they did it what they achieved and howthe results were measured
THE 6TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT UK
3 16-18 October 2007 London UK After the huge success of the 2006 UK StrategicCommunication Management Summit next yearrsquosevent will once again provide you withpresentations from key figures in the industry anda chance to network with your peers Mark yourdiaries now ndash more details to follow
THE 3RD ANNUAL INTERNALCOMMUNICATION MEASUREMENTCONFERENCE UK
3 27-29 November 2007 London UKDetails available soon ndash mark your diary now
NORTH AMERICATHE 3RD ANNUAL CONFERENCEON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENTBUILDING AND SUSTAINING ACULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT
3 28 February ndash 1 March 2007 Crowne PlazaAtlanta-Buckhead Atlanta USLearn how to foster an environment whereemployees feel valued and respected Hear fromcompanies including Dow Corning CorporationAmerican Express Delta Hotels and Merck
THE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT US
3 26-28 March 2007 Crowne Plaza UnionSquare San Francisco26 March ndash Pre-conference workshops27-28 March ndash Two-day summitAttend this conference and discover how toimprove employee alignment with all segments ofyour internal audience ndash from your front-lineemployees to your executive officers bothnationally and worldwide
AUSTRALIATHE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION ENGAGEMENTSUMMIT SYDNEY
3 31 July ndash 2 August 2007 Sydney Australia Details available soon ndash mark your diary now
WEBINARSDEVELOPING PROFESSIONALCOMPETENCE
3 Thursday 22 February 2007 with LiamFitzPatrick and Sue Dewhurst
HELPING YOUR ORGANIZATIONTHRIVE DURING TURBULENTTIMES
3 Thursday 29 March 2007 with Carol KinseyGoman
TRAININGTHE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT PROGRAM
3 24-25 April and 1-2 May 2007 HenleyManagement College UK3 11-12 and 27-28 September 2007 Cranfield
School of Management UK
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT MASTERCLASSEFFECTIVE MEASUREMENT
3 14-15 March 2007 Hendon Hall Hendon UKAn essential two-day intensive training courses forinternal communicators on effective measurementRegister early as places are strictly limited to 20people per Masterclass
CSR DELIVERY ENGAGEMENT amp LEADERSHIP
3 19-20 April 2007 Central LondonOsney MediaWith an excellent speaker line-up from high-profile companies including Procter amp Gamble The BodyShop ExxonMobil Microsoft Belgium Vodafone UK Dell Ericsson and Alliance Boots this case studybased event will answer questions including how do Ibull Build a CSR-oriented leadershipbull Get people on boardbull Integrate CSR with the global strategy of the companybull Deliver CSR throughout the company to make it really happen
For more information visit wwwcsrleadershipcom or e-mail mariame_lindellosneymediacouk (Reference code 910MLC3)
38 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
DESIGN
YELLOW
The future success of all organisations will be builton trust understanding passion empowermentintegrity and relationships
The future is cool exciting sparkling organisationsbursting with energy life and action
The future of brand is the internal brand first andforemost
The future is colleague as customer
Turning communications upside down
No just inside-out
Be part of the future say hello to Yellow
We help large organisations bring their communicationsstrategies to life through the imaginative use of liveevents multimedia web and design ndash distributed acrossall media platforms including DVD TV mobile devicesintranet and extranet
Ultimately developing internal brands and ongoingcommunications that have a measurable impact onpeople-performance advocacy and the bottom line
Contact Paul MiddletonTel +44 (0)161 228 6700E-mail paulmiddletonyellowcomcomWebsite wwwyellowcomcom
NEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
DESIGN
BLUE GOOSE
blue goose specialize in visual communications We make communications work faster and better We will link what wedo back to your objectives but we donrsquot talk (or charge for) ldquostrategyrdquo when you simply want tactical implementation Weuse design and creativity tobull differentiate products and services bull develop and manage corporate and brand identity bull align external communications with agreed values bull internalize corporate and brand identitybull align internal communications with agreed values bull support organizational change and bull help organizations better understand and define who they are
We work for clients as diverse as PricewaterhouseCoopers Ford Europe Centrica plc Greene King City of London Policeand Le Meacuteridien
blue goose is for any organization more interested in designing their future than watching it happen
Contact Chris BarringtonE-mail thinkingbluegoosecoukTel +44 (0)20 8869 8500Web site wwwbluegoosecouk
CONSULTANCY
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION ampSURVEYS PTY LTD
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd is aboutique consultancy based in Sydney Australia Itspecializes in employee communication strategiessystems research and employee surveys of all kindsPrincipal Rodney Gray has been involved inorganizational consulting for over 20 years following a15-year career as a corporate human resourcesexecutive Services includebull Employee communication audits and surveys by
questionnaires focus groups and interviewsbull Employee communication systems strategies and
processesbull Employee communication training workshops and
talksbull Employee culture climate and opinion surveysbull Qualitative organizational diagnosis (focus groups
and interviews)bull Internal service quality research (qualitative and
quantitative)
Contact Rodney GrayTel +61 (0)2 9909 2900 Fax +61 (0)2 9909 2911E-mail rodneyrodneygraycomauWeb site wwwemployee-communicationcomau
CONSULTANCY
HEDRON
Internal and change communication that helps teamsand individuals to develop strategies relationshipsprocesses and skills to engage stakeholders supporthigh performance and deliver change
ldquoSharp strategic thinking quality execution effectiveinterpersonallyhelliprdquo ldquoCreativity drive resourcefulnessresults great funhelliprdquo say clients
All sectors ndash ABN AMRO AXA BT Cadbury SchweppesDepartment for Constitutional Affairs HealthcareCommission Group 4 Securicor SABMiller SiemensSouthern Rail Unilever Wincanton
Our clients are happy to tell you what itrsquos like workingwith us
Contact Helena MemoryTel + 44 (0) 20 7493 0735Fax + 44 (0) 20 7493 0743E-mail helena-mhedroncomWeb site wwwhedroncom
CONSULTANCY
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
39scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
CONSULTANCY
SYNOPSIS
Founded by change and communication authority Bill Quirke in 1992 Synopsis is one of Europersquos leading internalcommunication consultancies Our clients include such companies as ABN Amro BBC BP British Airways DiageoEricsson HP Lloyds TSB Roche Shell and Vodafone
We help clients use internal communication to engage their employees in delivering business strategy and get most valuefrom their internal communication
We can help youbull Develop communication strategies that support your business strategybull Coach leadersbull Develop line managersrsquo communication skillsbull Plan and coordinate your communication with colleagues onlinebull Check the health of your communication channels and improve return on investmentbull Build and develop the communication functionbull Measure and track employee engagement attitudes and opinions
To take a tour of our online planning tool go to wwwsynopsisonlinecomproductplanningtoolasp
Contact Jane LebeauE-mail janelebeausynopsisonlinecomTel +44 (0) 20 7490 2900Web site wwwsynopsisonlinecom
CONSULTANCY
HARKNESS KENNETT
We specialize in internal communication To us thatmeansbull motivating people through inspiring leadershipbull guiding people through organizational changebull engaging people in delivering the brand
Working in partnership with our clients is central to ourethos enabling us to help deliver practical solutionssupported by solid strategic thinking All of ourconsultants have held senior positions ldquoclient siderdquo sowe know what itrsquos like to be in your shoes The vastmajority of our work comes from recommendations fromexisting clients ndash 82 percent of our clients haverequested repeat work in the last two years
Our clients include Abbey Atkins BDO Stoy HaywardThe Environment Agency Marks amp Spencer NHS Blood ampTransplant Morgan Stanley Europe Nestleacute PoliceInformation Technology Organisation Royal ampSunAlliance South West Trains and Vodafone
Our vision is simple ndash we want to be the first callyou make
Contact James HarknessTel +44 (0)1483 222730E-mail jamesharknessharknesskennettcomWeb site wwwharknesskennettcom
CONSULTANCY
TRIDENT COMMUNICATIONS
Trident Communications is uniquely positioned to definedevelop and deliver award-winning solutions that aligncommunication with business goals
We advise and partner with organizations of all sizes tocreate high-value practical applications Our talentedproject teams provide innovative research designeditorial and imagery for print and online
We connect ideas and deliver results
Contact Peter Agertoft Tel +44 (0)207 536 8900E-mail peteragertoft
tridentcommunicationsnetWeb site wwwtridentcommunicationsnet
CONSULTANCY
FLEISHMAN-HILLARD
Fleishman-Hillardrsquos dedicated internal and changecommunication practice helps businesses focus onperforming ndash not just informing
We help organisations plan and implement programmeswith the right mix of information dialogue and trainingso that employees are engaged aligned and motivatedto achieve business objectives
Because effective internal communication is vital tobottom-line performance we partner with our clients tocreate a daily dialogue ndash not a monologue ndash withemployees
Contact Nick AndrewsTel +32 (0)2 230 05 45 E-mail nickandrewsfleishmancomWeb site wwwfleishmaneuropecom
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE A listing in our Directory of Services will giveyou a chance to reach communicationprofessionals at some of the worldrsquos largestand most admired companies and to tap intodecision-making practitioners
ContactVincent SorelTel +44 (0)208 600 4670E-mail vincentsorelmelcrumcom
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
INCLUDE YOUR COMPANY BY CONTACTING US ON +44(0)20 8600 4670 OR AT INFOMELCRUMCOM
CONSULTANCY
HILL amp KNOWLTON
Better business results the bottom line
How do I manage more change Motivate managers Getthe right information to the right people Show the bestreturn on communication investment
Sound familiar Hill amp Knowltonrsquos change and internalcommunication consultants work with companies aroundthe world to find the right answers for their situation
We offer strategy insight and creativity drawing on ourconsultancy expertise and in-house experience Plus wedeliver practical hands-on help
We know that effective employee communication has adirect impact on the bottom line Working together wecan make it happen for you
Contact EMEA DavidFerrabeehillandknowltoncom
+44 (0) 7413 3176USA BarbaraEdlerhillandknowltoncom
+1 415 281-7160Canada KristaThompsonhillandknowltoncom
+1 613 786-9961
RECRUITMENT
VMA GROUP
VMA Group is one of the UKrsquos leading executive searchand selection consultancies specializing in internal andcorporate communication recruitment
For over 25 years VMA Group has provided the highestlevel of service to some of the most demanding globalorganizations developing a strong track record for thequality and professionalism of our search and selection work
We have in-depth specialist knowledge of the internalcommunication market and can provide high-qualitypermanent and interim candidates with expertise acrossinternal communication change management and widercorporate communication We understand the needs ofour clients intrinsically and strive to develop long-termrelationships with clients and candidates alike
Please call to discuss how we can help you find theideal candidate or if you wish to make a career move
Contact David BroomeTel +44 (0)20 7436 4243E-mail dbroomevmagroupcoukWeb site wwwvmagroupcouk
40 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONALCOMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS E-mail gaitensunityncsueduWeb site wwwconsultingsuccessorgTel 919 469 3895
CIB ndash BRITISH ASSOCIATION OFCOMMUNICATORS IN BUSINESSE-mail enquiriescibukcomWeb site wwwcibukcomTel +44 (0)870 121 7606
CCM ndash COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATIONMANAGEMENT E-mail membership
ccmconnectioncomWeb site wwwccmconnectioncomTel 866 463 4226
CPRS ndash THE CANADIAN PUBLICRELATIONS SOCIETYE-mail admincprscaWeb site wwwcprscaTel 416 239 7034
IABC ndash THE INTERNATIONALASSOCIATION OF BUSINESSCOMMUNICATORS E-mail service_centreiabccomWeb site wwwiabccomTel 415 544 4700
ICA ndash THE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONALLIANCE E-mail amandafoistericaukorgWeb site wwwiprorgukicaTel +44 (0)1628 642 044
CIPR ndash THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OFPUBLIC RELATIONS UKE-mail infoiprorgukWeb site wwwiprorgukTel +44 (0)20 7253 5151
IPRA ndash THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICRELATIONS ASSOCIATIONE-mail ipraseccompuservecomWeb site wwwipraorgTel +44 (0) 1372 461 188
PRSA ndash PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OFAMERICAE-mail resourcesprsaorgWeb site wwwprsaorgTel 212 460 1459
DIRECTORY OF SERVICESNEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
CONSULTANCY
INTRANETS EMBRACESOCIAL MEDIA
Neilson Normanrsquos latest report on thetop 10 intranet designs of 2007 shows anincrease in the use of multimedia andsocial media on intranet sites
Although multimedia was a significantfeature in last yearrsquos list this year seesphotos video news feeds and webcamsput to more innovative use Indicatingthat social media has not been a passingfad of 2006 many of the intranets haveimplemented popular Web 20 featureslike blogs (with specific business angles)and business-relevant wikis
Video is being used for training andcorporate communication butorganizations such as American ElectricPower have pushed the use of thischannel by setting up a TV studio forintranet productions offering employeesstreaming video and live webcasts
News feeds have long been used onintranets but this year the bestselections offer more relevant internaland external news and involveemployees by allowing them to ratestories and comment
Translation comes out topsMany of the reportrsquos winning intranetsoffer language translation for theirinternational employees Dow Chemicalfor example uses English for most globalcontent but translates important contentinto Dutch German French ItalianPortuguese and Spanish Selectedcontent is also translated into ChineseGreek Japanese and Thai
A total of 49 different technologyproducts are used by the reportrsquos topintranets with Windows Server GoogleSearch Appliance and SharePoint beingamong the most popular SH
httpwwwnngroupcom
9scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TEC
HN
OLO
GY
scmUPDATECALCULATING THEROI ON BLOGGING
The difficulty of placing a precisemonetary value on corporate blogging isone of the setbacks of this tool But anew report from Forrester calledCalculating the ROI of blogging offersways to identify the benefits costs andrisks that corporate blogging involvesusing a three-stage process 1 Quantify and assign value to the key
benefits of blogging 2 Estimate the costs of blogging3 Incorporate risk calculations into the
ROI model
The report describes how to measure theimpact blogging has on the businessoutcomes using ldquometrics that everyone isfamiliar withrdquo For example themonetary value of press mentions can bemeasured by counting the number ofblog-driven stories by online press webmedia and high-profile bloggers andthen calculating the cost of advertising inthe same publications
General Motorsrsquo case studyThe report also features a case study onGeneral Motorsrsquo two-year-old blogFastLane to which the authors applytheir ROI process Rather thanpresenting the company with a finalnumerical figure theyrsquove come up withnew objectives advising them how to getthe maximum benefits from blogging andimprove its impact on business outcomes
Whether yoursquove already startedblogging or are about to take the plungethis report provides direction on how toevaluate how your blog and decide whichdirection it needs to go in to gainmaximum business value SH
httpwwwforrestercom
SENIOR EXECS BIG ONNEW MEDIA
A survey of 100 CEOs and CMOs fromFortune 2000 companies found that 76percent of senior executives areexperimenting with alternative mediasuch as blogs Second Life and socialnetworking
The study by Weber Shandwick andKRC Research found that 69 percent ofthose surveyed currently use socialnetworking while 37 percent plan to useit more over the next five years
Ninety-one percent of those surveyedcurrently make use of their companywebsite and 66 percent plan to use theirwebsite more over the next five yearsmaking it number one in the surveyrsquos listof media tools
Use of virtual worlds to growAvatar-based marketing (marketingthrough virtual worlds such as SecondLife) came last in the list of 20 mediatools senior executives plan to use overthe next five years However researchersbelieve that the use of virtual worlds incommunication and marketing willincrease as more companies learn how touse them more effectively
Billee Howard managing director ofthe Global Strategic Media Group atWeber Shandwick said ldquoWersquore in theearly days of a totally new media eraThose companies that do not combinethe new-media paradigm with the best oftraditional media will most certainlyproceed at their perilrdquo SH
Source The Changing Face of Marketingand Communications in Todayrsquos CreativityEconomy
httpwwwwebershandwickcom
TECHNOLOGY UPDATE
When talking about return on investment(ROI) for the intranet and other ldquosoftrdquobenefits these are the kinds of results oroutcomes usually referred to
Measurable ROI from hard benefitsinclude bull less paperbull less hardwarebull less headcount andbull increased sales
Soft benefits includebull increased employee productivitybull better customer satisfactionbull faster time to market andbull improved employee retention
IBM Oracle and Cisco all measure theimpact and benefits of their intranet Allof them have measured the value to begreater than US$1 billion In fact IBMhas realized benefits from e-learning viathe intranet alone to be more thanUS$284 million
BT the UK telecommunicationscompany uses an online idea jar foremployees called ldquoPersonnel TodayrdquoEmployee ideas have saved BT nearlyUKpound100 million over the past four years
Sodexhorsquos SuperSleuthOne of my personal favorites is theSodexho USA Sales SuperSleuthSuperSleuth is an intranet web page andapplication that encourages employees tosubmit sales leads and prospective clientsvia the intranet
The SuperSleuth intranet pagegenerates cash rewards of up toUS$1000 for the person making thesubmission Sodexho says it hascontributed to a 100-percent increase insales leads In fact the SuperSleuth toolhas led to US$90 million in managedvolume (net client sales including salesby client) This is proof positive of akiller application
Impressive numbers As impressive as those numbers are youdonrsquot have to be a large technologycompany to realize measured ROIbenefits ndash ROI isnrsquot reserved solely forbig multinationals
QAS is a world leader in address
management and data accuracy Basedon data secured from national postalauthorities and other leading sourcesQAS captures cleans and enhances theintegrity of name and address data QAShas 400 employees with offices in the UK(headquarters) US Canada SingaporeAustralia and across Europe
While awards are nice to receive theQAS intranet has received more thanjust kudos ndash itrsquos delivering measuredresults and value for the business Someof the measured ROI benefits include bull Online expenses saved four person-
days per monthbull Finance savings online workflow has
reduced administrative processingtime from two weeks to one day
bull Purchase ordering saved four person-days per month and an ROI savingsof US$20000 per year
bull Sales proposal builder streamlinedproposal and sales process savesalmost US$25000 per year
bull Intranet use 115-percent increase inusage of the intranet (infers a yet tobe measured productivity gain)
Of all the measurements perhaps thesingle most important is ROI Tomaximize the intranetrsquos value andpotential you must secure the support ofsenior management If you want theirattention and support you better talktheir talk Nothing gets their attentionmore than ROI
Sell the sizzleIf executives view the intranet as a costcenter then itrsquos your responsibility to sellthe sizzle and prove the value with harddata ROI is everything in someorganizations (for example in financialservices) Other more progressivecompanies are intent to know and trackemployee satisfaction and productivity
Still others want to know both It alldepends on your organization andculture However only throughmeasurement will the intranet become ameasured quantity and a proven asset
Source Transforming your intranetwwwmelcrumcom
DOES YOUR INTRANETPAY ITS WAY
Toby Ward is a broadcast journalist turned consultant He founded and launchedPrescient Digital Media (wwwPrescientDigitalcom) in early 2001 His specialismsare site evaluation and strategic planning He blogs at wwwIntranetBlogcom
Hard data demonstratingvalue generated by the
intranet will alter itsperception as a cost center
In Melcrumrsquos report on Transforming your intranet Toby Ward of Prescient DigitalMedia authors a chapter on how to measure the value and success of your intranetHere we share his thoughts on that frequently elusive indicator of success ndash returnon investment
TOBY WARD
10 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
RESE
AR
CH
amp M
EA
SUR
EM
EN
T
scm
ldquoTO MAXIMIZE THEINTRANETrsquoS POTENTIALYOU MUST SECURE THESUPPORT OF SENIORMANAGEMENTrdquo
There are three situations that are mostlikely to create plummeting surveyresponse rates1 When a group never hears the
findings of past surveys or anyresulting changes they begin to thinktheir opinions donrsquot matter If theirpast opinions were valued so lightlythey feel less urgency to sharefurther opinions
2 When the group being researched isrelatively small researchers typicallyneed to poll the entire group on eachsurvey rather than querying arandom sample For example if youhave 1000 employees you wouldneed to obtain 259 responses to haveresults accurate within a margin oferror of 5 percentage points If thecompany is typically receiving a 25-percent response rate on surveysthat means that all 1000 employeesneed to be invited to participate inthe survey to get about the minimumnecessary number of responses for asufficient level of accuracyUnfortunately even for largergroups researchers sometimessurvey the whole group on everysurvey instead of identifying the rightsize random sample
3 When surveys are badly designedrespondents quit them midwaythrough The respondentrsquos feeling isldquoIf the company canrsquot be bothered todesign a good survey Irsquom not going
to waste my time taking itrdquo Somemajor survey design flaws includequestions that are difficult tounderstand questions withinsufficient or inappropriateresponse options or questions thatseem to have little relevance for therespondent Other major designturn-offs are surveys that are toolong or that are composed mostly ofopen-ended essay questions both ofwhich take too much time to answerFinally asking too manydemographic questions especially atthe beginning of a surveycompromises respondentsrsquo sense ofanonymity and kills their desire toanswer even the first real question
The following steps will help overcomethese three problems
Coordinate surveysTo avoid asking the same people torespond to too many surveys within ashort time coordinate all employee orcustomer surveys through a clearinghouse so that the timing of surveys doesnrsquotoverlap and you donrsquot ask questions forwhich answers are already available
Send the survey to only a sample ofthe audience (although yoursquoll need astatisticianrsquos help in selecting a sample ofthe right size) If you know severalsurveys will be administered about thesame time pick mutually exclusiverandom samples at the same time so thatno one person receives more than onesurvey during that period
Use short surveysThe shorter the survey the more likelypeople are to give you their time If youhave 100 questions that must beanswered break them into threeseparate surveys of about 33 questionsand administer them to three mirror-image random samples Yoursquoll besurveying more people but eachparticipantrsquos time commitment will berelatively minor
Also consider doing very short ldquostealthsurveysrdquo by phone for which you donrsquotobtain advance permission People mightnot even know theyrsquove been surveyed Asyou (and a team of volunteers) have theseconversations with respondents you wouldrecord their answers on a questionnaire
Connect research to resultsSome companies have a long history ofnot communicating results or outcomesof previous surveys If thatrsquos true of yourorganization try these two techniquesbull On a regular basis when announcing
changes the company is makingconnect the changes with relatedsurvey results ndash even if a changewasnrsquot made solely because of theresearch Your audience will get themessage that stakeholder opinionsare a regular factor in the waymanagement makes decisions
bull In the invitation to a new surveybegin with key findings and changesthat were made based on a similarpast survey and ask respondents tolet you know through the new surveyif the company is still on track Thisway your potential respondents hearthat completing surveys does resultin changes ndash at the very momenttheyrsquore determining if your latestsurvey is worth their time
FINDING A CURE FORSURVEY FATIGUE
Angela Sinickas ABC is president of Sinickas Communications Inc an internationalcommunication consultancy specializing in helping corporations achieve businessresults through targeted diagnostics and practical solutions For more informationvisit wwwsinicomcom
A downward trend in survey response rates is often blamed on the fact that peoplesimply become tired of taking surveys But there are ways to avoid the malaisesetting in says Angela Sinickas a key one being making sure that people feel theiropinions are actually being listened to Here she shares three common causes ofsurvey fatigue and how to deal with them
11scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
RESE
AR
CH
amp M
EA
SUR
EM
EN
Tscm
ANGELA SINICKAS
Little feedback the wrongsample size and poorly
designed surveys all leadto low response rates
12 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Organizations today ndash driven byincreased competition merger-and-acquisition activity and large complextransformation programs ndash arecharacterized by the need for constantand rapid change In our experienceconsistent leadership communicationsare at the center of helping theirorganizations address these challenges
With all the complex transformationprograms we work on we encourage the
leadership team to create a simple one-page ldquomessage maprdquo to use over a definedtimeframe The message map which welink to key program milestones andsuccesses helps the leadership team toplan what theyrsquoll share with employeesand other stakeholders and when
Message maps can address commonfailures of leadership communicationDuring global cross-functional programswhen all leaders consistently reinforce
the same messages they emerge as ajoined-up forward-thinking team
Message maps are also effective whenbuilding up communication to employeesover time rather than overwhelmingstaff with changes or diminishingleadership credibility by waiting too longto communicate
Compiling a message mapThe process wersquove used in the past to helpleaders develop a message map is quitestraight forward This is what we dobull We encourage leaders to work
together to agree and articulate thestory Agreeing the story typicallyrequires experienced facilitationThis encourages leaders to definehow the story will build and thengain momentum and commitmentover time
bull The story is then converted into asimple message map The mapshould make sense to all change-program leaders as this tool willguide the majority of theircommunication to employees Itshould also provide a clear view ofwhatrsquos coming next Message mapsare often shown as straightforwardtimelines but there are othereffective ways to present them (seeFigure One below)
bull Once the change story has beenagreed and committed to paperleaders use the map to know whencommunications should be deliveredand what supporting documentationto use for a consistent cascade
Revisiting communication plansOf course the content of the message mapwill need to be revisited Message mapsas with all communications evolve overtime They should be frequently reviewedto ensure that the messages ndash and time-scales ndash remain relevant to the programand align with program milestones
USING MESSAGE MAPSTO GUIDE CHANGE
Sally Harris is director of theCommunications and Engagementpractice at Molten where shespecializes in managing large-scale communication and changeprograms for global clients
Facilitate a meeting withthe leadership team to
agree and articulate thechange story
Sally Harris director of the Communications and Engagement practice at Moltenbelieves itrsquos often the simplest tools that are most effective in encouraging leadersto think more strategically about their communications Here she explains why theldquomessage maprdquo is one such tool
SALLY HARRIS
LEA
DER
SHIP
CO
MM
UN
ICATIO
N
scm
Figure One Example of a global message map
13scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
brand image and set an example for thewhole company
At The Company Agency we find thatmany CEOs are looking for strategiccommunication support coaching andguidance that goes beyond what theyreceive from their rostered PR agencyThey operate in a world thatrsquos typicallyquite lonely where information isfrequently filtered theyrsquore under aconstant spotlight and a gap existsbetween them their people and theircustomers Internal communication canplay a key role in helping the CEObridge this gap
A simple checklist Every CEO is different and facesdifferent challenges but herersquos a simplechecklist if you find yourself workingwith a new CEO or in a new role with anestablished CEObull Ask your CEO what kind of person
they would like to be viewed as byemployees ndash coach them oncommunication behavior that canhelp them achieve this goal
bull Establish very quickly what theCEOrsquos key message is ndash askquestions until it is crystal clear
bull Know your business and brief yourCEO on what type of communicationis effective or not within yourorganization
bull Provide informed guidance onemerging communication trends ndashsuch as social media ndash and explainthe business impact
bull Understand how the CEO listens towhat people are saying
bull Determine the CEOscommunication preferences ndash howdoes he or she like to receive andshare information both inside andoutside work
You should expect to be the leaderrsquoscommunicator ndash developing messagesand ensuring theyrsquore conveyed in themost appropriate way But the balanceshould be tipping more towards beingthe communication leader ndash a role whereyoursquore providing strategic counsel to theCEO and coaching them so theyrsquore moreeffective in their new role and environment
In May last year the managementconsultants Booze Allen Hamiltonpublished their annual report on chiefexecutive attrition The Crest of theTurnover Wave After studying the move-ments of CEOs from the largest 2500companies in the world they uncoveredsome rather startling facts An incredible1 in 7 CEOs will change job over thenext 12 months with poor-performingCEOs staying in office for two years Bycomparison the high-performing CEOstays in the job for just under eight years
Given that their tenure may be brief thisresearch only reinforces that the first 100days for the chief executive is a critical time
Creating myths and legendsOver the past 20 years Irsquove had the goodfortune to work for some great brandsand leaders Experience tells me thatduring their first 100 days the reputationthey bring from their previous job willeither be validated or contradictedEverything they say and do will bescrutinised Perceptions will be quicklyformed about their style and personalityMyths and legends will become thehottest gossip in the workplace
With this in mind itrsquos critical toquickly establish their reputation andwhat they stand for Internalcommunication can play a valuable rolein supporting the CEO and in turnestablish a long-term relationship withtheir new leader
Uncovering perceptionsDeveloping a personalized communica-tion strategy must start by finding outhow the new leader is perceived While aquantitative survey may satisfy those witha hunger for numbers qualitativeresearch will uncover how people reallyview the CEO as an individual and leader
With these insights itrsquos possible todevelop a plan to shape the existingreputation into one they would like tohave in the new organization This meansidentifying what they stand for andhelping them articulate how this supportsand builds the brand of the organization
Charismatic leadersIf you think about charismatic leaderssuch as Stuart Rose of Marks amp SpencerRichard Branson of Virgin or PhilKnight of Nike organizational culture isheavily influenced by the personality ofits chief executive
The behavior that resides within theorganization is typically a reflection ofthe CEOrsquos behavior and becomesassociated with the brand So itrsquosimportant to define what the new CEOwants the corporate brand to stand forand what they can do to achieve that
LEADERS IN TRANSITIONTHE FIRST 100 DAYSIn a recent Melcrum survey 44 percent of respondents said they plan to spend more ormuch more on communication training for leaders and managers With the topic firmlyon the agenda for the forseeable future this issue sees the launch of a new regularcolumn by leadership communication expert Darren Briggs He kicks off with adviceon making the most of the CEOrsquos first 100 days ndash a critical time for any new leader
LEA
DER
SHIP
CO
MM
UN
ICATIO
Nscm
DARREN BRIGGS
The first of a new regularcolumn on leadership
urges communicators tosupport new leaders
Darren Briggs is partner at The Company Agency where he advises and coachessenior leaders to be more effective communicators He has 20 years corporateexperience working at chief executive and board level with companies such as BritishAirways Microsoft Nike PepsiCo and Vodafone
The title of advertising guru PaulArdenrsquos book Itrsquos not how good you areitrsquos how good you want to be captures theessence of ambition And our recent surveysuggests that this is a message internalcommunicators should take to heart
As part of our research1 to define a listof core skills and competencies forprofessional communicators we askedpractitioners from around the worldabout their future career goals and howthey plan to achieve them Surprisinglyfor a profession that stresses the need forstrategies and plans most internalcommunicators appear to have a fairly adhoc approach to their own development
Results from the surveyAbout 70 percent of our sample said theyexpected to stay in internal communicationover the next three years Thirty-twopercent saw themselves gaining moreexperience within their existing jobswhile 37 percent aim to move into adifferent internal communication role
When we asked respondents what theywere doing to help develop their careersgaining wider experience being better
networked and finding a coach came topof their lists
Be honest with yourselfNow these seem like fairly informalactivities You might think they take lessorganizing than say investing the timeand budget to do a course or study for aformal qualification But if yoursquore beinghonest you know that getting the go-aheadto work on more challenging projectsfinding the right coach and building aprofessional network takes time andplanning These things donrsquot just happenovernight ndash unless yoursquore very lucky
Yet less than a quarter of internalcommunicators have a formal plan to helpstructure their thoughts about careerprogression and make sure their develop-ment objectives are met Twenty-onepercent say they have no plan whatsoeverand about half the respondents wecontacted say they have a plan but itrsquosnot formalized or agreed
Make the timeMaking time to discuss your career goalswith your manager and getting apersonal development plan down onpaper will pay dividends After all who
decides whether you get to work on themore interesting projects or not Andwhen yoursquore being dragged under byyour workload wouldnrsquot it be helpful tohave some targets to remind you to makethe time to network or read that articlesitting in your reading folder
If wersquove convinced you to think aboutyour own professional development hereare three important steps to get started
1 Be clear about where yoursquore startingfrom Think about what yoursquoveachieved so far in your career Whatskills do you have what are yourstrengths and which areas needfurther development
2 Look ahead to where you want to beWhat timeframe do you have inmind for your professional develop-ment What can you focus on rightaway and what are your longer-termcareer goals Be as specific as youcan about what you want to achieveand consider the followingbull Are there areas where yoursquod like
to be a ldquostar performerrdquo in yourcurrent role
bull How can you expand your networkor reach in the wider industry
bull How can you broaden your depthof skills or experience outsideyour current remit
bull How do you plan to move onwardsand upwards to a new role
3 Think about how yoursquoll close the gapWhat knowledge skills andexperience do you need What typeof development activity will help youget to where you want to be
If you know in your heart of hearts thatyou donrsquot invest enough time and effortin your own development make the timeto start doing this now
In our next column we plan to look atthe range of development optionsavailable and hear some reflections fromindustry leaders on what helped themreally accelerate their own learning andprofessional development
1 Turn to page 16 for a more detailed analysis of the study
GET YOUR DEVELOPMENT PLANON TRACK
Sue Dewhurst and Liam FitzPatrick run Competent Communicators acompany specializing in professional development for internalcommunicators and Melcrumrsquos official training and developmentpartner For more information go to wwwcompetentcommunicatorscom
A study into skills and competenciesfor communicators
reveals a lack ofclear career planning
The path to a senior role in internal communication is paved with good intentionsOr so suggests a recent study by development experts Sue Dewhurst and LiamFitzPatrick Here in the first of a new regular column on professional developmentthey review the studyrsquos findings lament the lack of a career plan and urge internalcommunicators to take action and plan their own development
SUE DEWHURST AND LIAM FITZPATRICK
14 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PR
OFE
SSION
AL D
EV
ELO
PM
EN
T
scm
ldquoTHESE THINGS DONrsquoTJUST HAPPENOVERNIGHT ndash UNLESSYOUrsquoRE VERY LUCKYrdquo
15scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PR
OFE
SSION
AL D
EV
ELO
PM
EN
Tscm
3 Cut the jargonJargon may have its place but it has noplace in employee communicationPhrases such as work-life balanceemployer of choice critical mass and thelike may make sense in behind-the-scenes discussions However when itrsquostime to communicate to the masses weneed to translate these concepts intoPlain English and provide a context tohelp employees understand Yes it takessome work but the payoff makes itworth the effort
Say the head of HR wants to share thelatest developments in ldquowork-life balancerdquothat will benefit employees He may betempted to relay the news using theterminology hersquos used to using with hisstaff However most employees havenrsquotbeen in on those discussions so theconcept may be foreign or fuzzy to themndash even if theyrsquod heard the term before
Any progress HR makes on the work-life balance front gives it the opportunityto communicate in a personal humanway and in the process capture employeesrsquoattention on an emotional level
The HR leaderrsquos message thereforemay go something like this Our liveshave never been busier and there are onlyso many hours in a day Because we atXYZ Company recognize how important itis to you to be able to spend real time withyour families while managing theresponsibilities you have on the job wersquovedesigned a program that we hope willmake your life less hectic
Most employees will relate to thatmessage It plays to their needs which isa powerful hook
Guarding against gremlinsKeeping an eye out for the jargonpassive voice and other gremlins thatmay infiltrate your writing is a goodtraining ground for being able toobjectively critique your own work Italso conditions you to look for otherways to improve your writing a habitthat will serve you well throughout yourlifelong apprenticeship
No onersquos work is as continually visible inan organization as the communicatorrsquosOur superiors our peers and the entireemployee population see us as theparagons of communications competenceThey look to the messages wersquove craftedas models of writing excellence and willpattern their own accordingly
When you think of it itrsquos one heck of aburden to bear After all how else didyou get the job if you couldnrsquot write well
But regardless of how well you dowrite how senior you are or how longyoursquove had that coveted ldquoseat at thetablerdquo when it comes to writing yoursquollalways have room to grow Thatrsquos becausewriting is as one learned professor sowisely termed it a ldquolifelong apprenticeshiprdquo
Here are three ways to improve yourwriting immediately
1 Avoid the passive voiceThe passive voice manages to creep intomessages to employees and itrsquos a sureroad to eroding their engagement It allowsthe writer to hide behind the message itclouds direction and itrsquos boring
Herersquos an example of really woefulwriting ndash a sentence structure that yoursquoresure to recognize Employees areencouraged to submit this form by the endof the month
Analyze that sentence and yoursquoll seethat not only is there no owner to thestatement but therersquos no clear directionEmployees are encouraged by whom
and what does ldquoencouragedrdquo meananyway Are employees required tosubmit the form If so then say so
The sad truth is this passive style ofwriting is all too common the happytruth is that we communicators are in aposition to do something about it Oftenall it takes is a quick rewrite Pleasesubmit this form by [insert specific date]Clear direct concise
2 Use second person Why talk at people when you can talk tothem When yoursquore communicating withemployees the use of ldquoyourdquo can befriendly and inviting
Take this message XYZ Companyemployees at customer locations shouldalways first check with their hosts to ensurethat connecting to the XYZ network ispermitted
Look what happens when itrsquos rewrittenfrom third person into second If yoursquoreworking at a customer site be sure to firstcheck with your host that itrsquos OK toconnect to our network
Yoursquove gone from impersonal toconversational
DO YOUR WRITING SKILLSLET YOU DOWNA recent discussion on the Melcrum blog raised the question of whether or not goodwriting skills are still important to the more strategically focused communicator Theconsensus was a definite yes ndash your writing ability makes an impression and itrsquos upto you whether thatrsquos good or bad Denise Baron provides some advice on how tomake sure itrsquos the former
DENISE BARON
However strategicyour role the ability
to write well remainsan important skill
Denise Baron is president of Baron Communications a business communicationsconsultancy providing strategic planning and marketing internal communicationproject management and editorial services to Fortune 500 companies
16 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Over the past five years wersquove found ourselvesbecoming more and more involved in conversationsabout careers in internal communication As theprofession matures expectations of itspractitioners are rising and for many people ajob in communication is no longer just a short-term stepping-stone en route to better things
But the question we hear time and time again isldquoWhat does lsquogoodrsquo look like when it comes to
internal communicationrdquo What skills knowledgeand experience should an effective internalcommunicator have at various stages in theircareer How do I know what I should bepersonally aspiring to and measuring myselfagainst How can I best develop my team Whereis the definitive framework to help me recruit thebest person for the job
In recent years there have been a number ofgood attempts to answer these questions In theUK a group of professional bodies got togetherto write the Inter-Comm matrix1 It listed theskills knowledge and experience a practitionermight need according to their level of experience
We were both involved in developing this skillsmatrix which was widely welcomed when it waslaunched in 2003 Some well-respectedconsultancies have also developed models to showhow a typical career path might progress whichhave helped structure career planning forindividuals and teams
A flexible model for a diverse professionDespite the success of the Inter-Comm matrix wefelt there was more to be done in the area ofprofessional development for internal communica-tors Fundamentally existing models tend to showa one-dimensional and predictable career pathstarting as a junior deliverer and developing into astrategic business-focused consultant
The implication is that if yoursquore deliveringcommunication or are tactically focused you musthave a junior role and if you have a more seniorrole you donrsquot get your hands dirty doingmundane things like writing or managing the
Building a learningframework for internalcommunicators
Planning your teamrsquos professional developmentmeans understanding the skills and experienceneeded to be successful Sue Dewhurst and Liam
FitzPatrick of Competent Communicators have beenresearching how internal communicators spend their timeat work and what behaviors the most effectivepractitioners display Here they describe a new learningframework that has emerged from the study
Identifying the typical roles andskills required for your team
BY SUE DEWHURST AND LIAM FITZPATRICK
scm FEATURES
ABOUT THE RESEARCHThe findings discussed in this article are based on research conducted at theend of 2006 More than 700 in-house practitioners replied to a survey aboutcareers competencies and development plans
A factor analysis of the data conducted by Ash Pattni Associates generated anumber of role types which were then discussed with 30 professionals atdifferent stages of their careers based in the UK Europe and North AmericaThese discussions mainly took the form of interviews and focus groups
The study also referred to data on competency modeling prepared by theUKrsquos Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
1 2 3 4 5
17scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
intranet or organizing eventsBut clearly the world of internal communication
isnrsquot quite that straightforward People join theprofession via all kinds of routes and at differentstages of their careers
We interviewed someone who started out as thedirectorrsquos PA a successful senior executive whostarted out as an engineer a former psychologylecturer and others who had joined through moreobvious routes in publishing and PR
Some had started out in junior roles Forothers their first role in internal communicationwas as a business partner Others had alreadyreached a senior position in another function andsimply moved across at the same level
A key objective of this study was to develop amodel that reflected the diverse reality of life ininternal communication one that was flexibleenough to be adapted to fit organizations andcommunication teams of all shapes and sizes
So we began our research by surveying communica-tors worldwide to find out how they actuallyspend their time on a daily basis and what skillsknowledge and experience they regularly use
The six types of practitionerStatistical analysis of the survey data suggestedthere were six stereotypical role types withininternal communication By ldquotypesrdquo we meansegments or groups of people who share verysimilar characteristics in terms of their skills andstrengths spend their time carrying out similartypes of activities and whose outputs tend to bejudged in similar ways
Most importantly these types can be plottedagainst two dimensions based on how they spendtheir time (advising or doing) and where theirfocus is (strategy or tactics) Figure One (right)illustrates these six types and how they plotagainst the two dimensions
Clearly every organization is slightly differentbut the six stereotypes described below shouldprovide a starting point for thinking about theroles and types of people you need in your team
1 The Leader Internal communication leaders manage teamsand lead the function either for an entire organiza-tion or for a large division or territory Theyspend much of their time managing and coachingteam members and working with senior managersThey see themselves as business people first andcommunicators second However itrsquos taken as readthat they have sound technical ability and will rollup their sleeves when needed Great internal andexternal networkers theyrsquore skilled at dealing withuncertainty and conflict Theyrsquore likely to bemeasured on business results and through thesubjective opinion of their senior customers
2 The Advisor Advisors support departments or major projectsby providing advice developing communicationplans and providing hands-on support to deliverthem Local managers trust them for their insightsinto business problems and understanding of howtheir organization really works Through well-developed networks and time spent understandingtheir audiences and carrying out research andfeedback they know whatrsquos really going onTheyrsquore judged on the quality of their advice andtheir ability to translate that advice into plansactivities and actions
3 The ManagerThe internal communication manager has excellentcraft skills and a sound knowledge of channelsThey spend most of their time on delivery Whenthey advise itrsquos normally about the best channelsto use or the most appropriate timing Goodmanagers arenrsquot easily intimidated and are greatat juggling different priorities Theyrsquore skilled attranslating between the boardroom and the shopfloor Their contribution is often measured bytheir ability to deliver activity against a plan andthe quality of work they and their team produce
4 The DelivererMost teams have someone in this role ndash a safepair of hands who can be trusted to make thingshappen That might range from compilingdistribution lists through to running a conferencesorting out the CEOrsquos open forum or writing andediting a newsletter Theyrsquore less likely tosupervise other communicators and depend ontheir organizational and craft skills to get the jobdone People value them for their ability to dothings on time and to a high standard 3
Sue Dewhurst and LiamFitzPatrick run CompetentCommunicators a firmspecializing in professionaldevelopment for internalcommunicators TheyrsquoreMelcrumrsquos official training anddevelopment advisors anddeliver Melcrumrsquos Black Belttraining program Theyrsquore alsothe authors of a forthcomingreport on competenciesdevelopment and standardsfor internal communicatorsand blog about developmentissues onwwwBlackBeltDojocouk
Figure One Six typical role types for internal communicators
TheLeader
TheLocal Agent
The Deliverer
TheAdvisor
TheManagerADVISE
STRATEGY
IMPLEMENT
TACTICS
TheSpecialist
KEY POINTSbull A new study has established how communicators spend their time and
what skills knowledge and experience they regularly use
bull The research identifies six stereotypical roles ranging from acommunication leader to a specialist (eg a web or events expert)
bull It also highlights 12 competencies that clarify the behaviors acompetent practitioner should display at each level An ldquoineffectiverdquocategory shows behaviors displayed by less able performers
bull The roles and competencies provide a framework for development
Building a learning framework for internal communicators
18 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
5 The Local AgentThis category covers a broad range of peoplefrom the plant managerrsquos personal assistant to aregional communication manager Internalcommunication is often one of severalresponsibilities for this person and they tend tohave a tactical focus Their agenda is normally setby the local management team although theirlocal knowledge and network makes them aninvaluable sounding board for the corporatecommunication team They tend to be judged onwhether activities happen and how satisfied theirlocal manager is with them
6 The SpecialistOur research found a small group of peopleworking in internal communication who see them-selves as subject-matter experts in a specialist areasuch as web management audio-visual productionor event management They have only a looseconnection to the mainstream profession andcould equally work in IT marketing or perhapsHR Because theyrsquore highly specialized they tendto work in large organizations
Building a competency frameworkOnce statistical analysis had suggested these sixrole types we began testing them out throughfocus groups and interviews with practitioners Inparticular we asked what skills knowledge andexperience people in each type of role neededwhat people saw outstanding practitioners doingwhat poor performance looked like and howpeople in the six role types spent their time
On the basis of this information we developeda series of 12 competencies (see Figure Two left)We found that each of the six role types could bedefined bybull Which of the competencies they need to carry
out their role (not everyone needs all 12)bull The level of skill knowledge and experience
they need in each competencybull How much of their time they spend using
each competency ndash a high medium or lowamount For instance there was commonagreement that the communication leadermust have strong craft skills (writing anddesign) but compared to say the delivererthey spend a relatively low percentage of theirtime working on this type of activity
Each of the 12 competencies has three levelsbasic intermediate and advanced Based on thedata we gathered we defined the behaviors youmight expect to see a competent internalcommunication professional display at each level
We also added an ldquoineffectiverdquo category listingthose behaviors our interviewees told us weredisplayed by less able performers For example
7
COMPETENCY DEFINITION
Building effectiverelationships
Developing and maintaining relationships that inspire trust and respectBuilding a network and influencing others to make things happen
Business focus Having a clear understanding of the business issues Usingcommunication to help solve organization issues and achieveorganizational problems
Consulting andcoaching
Recommending appropriate solutions Helping others make informeddecisions Building other peoplersquos communications competence
Cross-functionalawareness
Understanding the different contributions from other disciplines andworking with colleagues from across the organization to achieve betterresults
Developing othercommunicators
Helping other communicators build their communications competenceand develop their career
Innovation andcreativity
Looking for new ways of working exploring best practice and deliveringoriginal and imaginative approaches to communication problems
Listening Conducting research and managing mechanisms for gathering feedbackand employee reaction
Making it happen Turning plans into successfully implemented actions
Planning Planning communication programs and operations evaluating results
Specialist Having specific subject-matter expertise in a specialist area
Vision and standards Defining or applying a consistent approach to communication andmaintaining professional and ethical standards
Craft (writing anddesign)
Using and developing the right mix of practical communication abilitiesto hold the confidence of peers and colleagues (eg writing designmanagement etc)
Figure Two Twelve competencies for internal communicators
19scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
some ineffective behaviors attached to theldquobusiness focusrdquo competency arebull Doesnrsquot make the link between
communication activity and the business ororganizational context
bull Delivers communication activity withoutconsidering whether it will serve any usefulpurpose
bull Lacks understanding of their business area
Building a framework for a specific role The next step in this project was to develop asimple table to map out the competencyframework for an individual role showingbull The competencies needed in this rolebull The level of competency needed in each casebull How much time we expect someone in this
role to spend on these types of behaviors
You can either build a competency frameworkfrom scratch or if you think the role fits one ofthe six types we identified from the survey use thecompetency framework for this type as a startingpoint (see the framework for a communicationleader Figure Three right)
In practice competency frameworks will varyaccording to the size of the organization thenumber of people in the internal-communicationteam the expectations of managers and thespecific requirements of each individual rolewhich is why wersquove built a flexible model
For example a communication leader in alarge multinational organization may spend muchof their time setting the vision and standardscoaching and consulting building relationshipsand developing other communicators and arelatively small amount of their time ldquomaking ithappenrdquo or on writing and design Howeversomeone in a stand-alone communication leaderrole in a much smaller organization wouldprobably have to be much more of a ldquoJack of alltradesrdquo dividing their time evenly between thedifferent competencies
Next stepsMore information about the 12 competencies andthe baseline competency maps for each of the sixrole types will be detailed in a forthcomingMelcrum report Ideas on how you use thesecompetencies to plan your development areavailable to download atwwwcompetentcommunicatorscom
We hope the framework will help bringstructure to the process of defining roles planningdevelopment and specifying recruitment andwould welcome your feedbackscm
1 The Inter-Comm skills matrix is described in an article in SCMFebruaryMarch 2005 (Volume 9 Issue 2) called Developingcore competencies for internal communicators
Figure Three Framework for a communication leader
COMPETENCY LEVEL TIME
Building effective relationships Advanced High
Business focus Advanced High
Consulting and coaching Advanced High
Cross-functional awareness Advanced Medium
Developing other communicators Advanced High
Innovation and creativity Advanced Medium
Listening Advanced Low
Making it happen Advanced Low
Planning Advanced Medium
Specialist NA NA
Vision and standards Advanced High
Craft (writing and design) Advanced Low
CONTACT DETAILS
Sue DewhurstCompetent Communicatorssuedewhurstcompetentcommunicatorscom
Liam FitzPatrickCompetent Communicatorsliamfitzpatrickcompetentcommunicatorscom
ldquoOUR RESEARCH FOUND A SMALL GROUP OFPEOPLE WORKING IN INTERNALCOMMUNICATION WHO SEE THEMSELVES ASSUBJECT-MATTER EXPERTSrdquo
20 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC President and CEO John Ryan joined theorganization in 1997 For the first few years hefocused on financial viability and positioning thecorporation for the future ndash articulating a newvision redefining strategic objectives expandingproduct and service offerings and identifyingpotential growth areas
The business results were outstanding double-digit growth increasing profits and great customerloyalty But something was missing
Like many successful organizations FCCoperated with a silo mentality Organizationalpolitics consumed energy that Ryan felt detractedfrom employee satisfaction and he worried aboutthe impact on the customer experience
He wanted his direct reports to work togetheras a real team ndash not to behave like individualleaders of functional areas Although the groupperformed well when there was a real challengeafter the challenge was gone so was the teamwork
This is not unusual for top executive groupsbut Ryan wasnrsquot willing to accept that fate ldquoTherehad to be a way to have a team-based
organization where leaders had the autonomythey needed to perform while actively collaboratingto achieve a new level of unprecedented resultsrdquohe said ldquoFCC had a very hierarchical culture withfirmly drawn divisional boundaries so I knew Ihad a challenge ahead of merdquo
Cultural transformation from the topIn 2002 John hired Malandro Communicationbased in Phoenix Arizona to guide FCCrsquos seniorleadership through a unique cultural transformationthat would lead to the creation of a high-performance team Leaders committed to being100-percent accountable for their impact onpeople and business results They let go of thetraditional 50-50 model ldquoIrsquoll do my part if you doyoursrdquo ndash a model that breeds a culture of blameconspiracies and distrust
In a series of formal training initiatives leaderswere taught to speak from the heart listen toother perspectives be open and responsive tofeedback and encourage personal andprofessional growth
Opportunity for internal communicationBy 2003 we were well on our way FCC producedremarkable business results with strong numbersright across the board The portfolio grew fromnearly CAN$9 billion to over CAN$10 billionThen two things happened that created anopportunity for internal communication tobecome a driver of business results 1 In 2003 we earned 50th place on Canadarsquos
ldquo50 Best Employersrdquo list and a respectableemployee engagement score of 69 percent
Defining the role ofstrategic comms atFarm Credit Canada
Farm Credit Canada (FCC) is in the fourth year of acultural-transformation program At the start of itsjourney clear expectations were set defining the role
to be played by internal communication In this summaryof the companyrsquos plans and achievements Kellie Garrettand Claire Watson describe the goals strategies andtactics employed by the internal communication teamand the impressive results achieved to date
Setting the stage for a cultural transformation
BY KELLIE GARRETT AND CLAIRE WATSON
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Farm Credit Canada isCanadarsquos largest provider offinancing to the agricultureindustry It serves 45000customers and has 1300employees working from 100rural offices across CanadaFCC is ranked eighth amongCanadarsquos 50 best employers
21scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC is a high performer in all otheroperational areas and employee engagementis a strong predictor of sustained corporateperformance But the survey showed therewas work to be done to align perceptionsbetween the senior leadership team andemployees Detailed results showed the gaps(see Figure One below)
2 Ryan became more determined to create ahigh-performance team that could deliver anextraordinary customer experience andsustainable business results
Establishing expected behaviorAs a first step towards creating a critical mass ofleaders who visibly demonstrate the behaviorsrequired to transform FCCrsquos culture middlemanagement and key cross-functional teams weretrained in responsible teamwork practices andcommunication skills
Ryan then created a set of 10 cultural practicesthat explicitly outlined how he expectedemployees at all levels to behave (see side barnext page) The foundation of these practices isthe belief that the drive for business results mustbe balanced by the attendant impact on people Inother words how the work was accomplished wasevery bit as important as what was accomplishedThe cultural practices were rolled out to allemployees in 2003
With the expected behavior from leaders andemployees clearly articulated it was time forinternal communication to find opportunities tosupport and promote these behaviors
Challenge 1 Creating a strategic frameworkOur first objective was to create a broaderstrategic framework for internal communicationA review of best-practice companies revealed thatformal media represents about 10 percent of allinternal communication channels with internalsystems accounting for another 10 percent Theremaining 80 percent is influenced by theorganizational culture
Our task was to put a formal strategy in placethat would strengthen the 10 percent ofcommunication we did have control over ndash theinternal communication channels
Within FCC the dominant employeecommunication channels were immediatemanagers e-mail and the intranet (Myinet)Front-line managers delivered corporate messagesdirectly to employees and their efforts weresupported by all-staff e-mails
There was nothing wrong with this approachbut it didnrsquot go far enough in the delivery of clearconsistent messages about strategic direction orcorporate priorities Nor did it create a line ofsight between individuals and business outcomes
For example a lack of central coordination wasresulting in unclear mixed messages thatconfused the internal audience A proliferation ofemployee surveys were independently conductedby various business units and the corporate e-mail system was choked with high volumecontributing to information overload
The intranetrsquos navigational structure and searchcapability needed major improvement datedinformation needed to be archived and majordocuments needed to be redeveloped in a web-friendly format
Defining our strategy and objectivesAware of these drawbacks we defined ourstrategy as To adopt a more integrated approachto internal communication and make sure allmessages focus employees on the businesspriorities Our strategies included the followingbull Segment the employee audience and define
communication needs based on demographicspsychographics and geographic location
bull Create a consistent voice across all groupsbull Ensure internal communication is mandatory
for all major corporate initiatives and isintegrated across channels and with othercommunication activities
bull Deliver targeted information through a varietyof channels and vehicles to reinforce messaginghelp with recall appeal to differentpreferences and create and sustain interest
bull Redevelop the intranet and position it as aninformation source for corporate businessemployee industry and technical information
bull Reduce the volume of corporate e-mailbull Implement a monthly employee survey to
replace the proliferation of one-off surveysindependently launched by business units
bull Create broad awareness and understanding ofkey corporate drivers such as business strategycorporate values and brand positioning 3
Kellie Garrett ABC MALeadership is senior VPStrategy Knowledge ampReputation at Farm CreditCanada and Chair of the IABCResearch Foundation Garrettis a frequent speaker onbusiness strategy leadershipand personal brand
Claire Watson ABC APR isthe master communicationstrategist for Farm CreditCanada Watson has won anumber of international andnational awards for her workis a published author and acertified change managementspecialist
MEASUREMENT EMPLOYEES SENIORMANAGERS
GAP
Senior management is open and honest incommunication
59 94 -35
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible
54 88 -34
Managers effectively support andimplement our people practices
48 81 -33
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 94 -23
Figure One Engagement survey results
22 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Defining the role of strategic comms at Farm Credit Canada
Successful tactics introducedSome of the tactics wersquove successfully introducedto bring this strategy to life include the following
1 Tracking key messagesWe created an employee key-message matrix thatis shared with leaders across the organization andhelps to ensure we deliver a consistent messageWe deliver the rewritten message through avariety of channels including e-mail letter featurearticle in the internal publication online throughour Monday Morning Update or directly to staffmeetings through managers and supervisors
2 Adopting a multi-channel approachWersquove expanded our channels beyond e-mail andthe intranet New channels now includebull AgriCulture ndash an employee print newsletter
published three times a year to communicatecorporate information and reinforce FCCrsquossocial and cultural fabric
bull An online feature called ldquoFrom the Desk ofthe CEOrdquo to keep employees in the loop
bull All staff e-mails from the CEO and VPsbull Discussion guides and QampAs for leadersbull Internal presentations and speeches delivered
by the senior leadership teambull Other printed material such as pocket cards
and brochures accompanied by a letter
3 Cutting down on information overloadSteps wersquove taken includebull Bundling all-staff messages into a Monday
Morning Update and bundling messages forcorporate headquarters staff into a CorporateOffice Update
bull Implementing a corporate e-mail policy withdefined subject-line conventions length andapproved topics
bull Restricting the use of all-staff e-mails to thesenior management team and certain keyindividuals
bull Improving the functionality of the intranetand redeveloping key business tools forefficient web use
bull Centralizing coordination of internal surveysbull Elevating the quality and clarity of internal
speeches and conferences to focus onstrategic business drivers
Challenge 2 Supporting leadershipThe results of our 2003 engagement survey alsorevealed an opportunity to increase trust betweenemployees and FCCrsquos senior management teamRyan and his VP responsible for communication(Kellie Garrett) believed that creating greatervisibility and better access to the senior managerswas vital to the establishment of a values-basedculture and a high-performance team
7
MEASUREMENT 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Senior management is open and honestin communication
59 73 81 83 91
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible to employees
54 71 82 83 81
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 81 87 87 85
I see strong evidence of effectiveleadership from the senior leadershipteam
69 83 87 88 93
I have a good understanding ofbusiness goals and objectives
76 77 81 81 88
Senior leadership has clearlycommunicated what we need to do tobe successful
NA NA 89 90 93
Figure Two Survey scores tracked from 2003-2007
FCCrsquoS 10 CULTURAL PRACTICESWe hold ourselves and each other accountable for
1 Our impact on business results and our impact on people
2 Delivering on commitments agreements and promises
3 Building and sustaining committed partnerships
4 Creating a safe environment where people can speak up without fear
5 We measure our success by how others perceive and respond to ourleadership not by our personal point of view
6 We talk straight in a responsible manner We are committed to the successof others ndash we do not engage in ldquoconspiracies againstrdquo people
7 We ldquolisten forrdquo contributions and commitment We do not listen againstpeople or ideas
8 We are highly coachable We actively seek and listen to coaching
9 We clean up and recover quickly
10 We acknowledge others often and celebrate both small and largesuccesses
ldquoLIKE DEVELOPING A COMPANYrsquoS IMAGE ORBRAND CULTURE CAN lsquoJUST HAPPENrsquo OR ITCAN BE DESIGNED STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONHAS PLAYED A CENTRAL ROLErdquo
23scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 FCC launched a culture-change program focused on
improving performance across the organization
bull Two key aims of the program are to encourage leaders and employeesto embody the values and improve staff engagement
bull Defining its strategy and goals at the outset internal communicationhas played a role in achieving these objectives
bull Results so far include less information overload a more accessibleleadership team and improved engagement scores
The challenge for internal communication wasto improve employeesrsquo perception of the visibilityaccessibility and trust for the senior managementteam Successful tactics introduced includebull A ldquoDine-Aroundrdquo program where three
senior leaders host a monthly lunch for ninepeople
bull An online forum called SMT Exchangewhere employees can anonymously askleaders tough questions and answers areposted for all to see
bull Senior leaders author more all-staff e-mailsare more visible and accessible at companyevents and deliver presentations that focus onconnecting employees to the business agenda
The goals we started with When we defined our internal communicationstrategy in 2003 we had some clear goals to worktowards These werebull To communicate relevant information in a
timely consistent and memorable waybull To reduce information overloadbull To influence an increase in the
communication-related elements of theengagement index
bull To contribute to an increase in employeeengagement from 69 to 74 percent
We also had specific year-one objectivesbull To increase understanding of business goals
and objectives beyond 78 percent bull To increase employee opinion about effective
senior leadership from 69 to 73 percentbull To improve employee opinions related to
senior management
Achievements and measurable resultsWith these goals guiding our efforts themeasurable results wersquove achieved so far includebull The bundling of all-staff e-mail has reduced
the volume by 88 percent ndash amounting toaround 350000 messages over one year
bull Over 450 employees have lunched with amember of the senior management team and170 QampAs have been posted on our seniormanagement online exchange
bull The survey scores relating to employeesrsquoperception of leadership and theirunderstanding of goals and objectives showsteady improvement since 2003 (see FigureTwo bottom left)
bull FCCrsquos engagement scores and subsequentranking among Canadarsquos 50 best employershas moved from 69 percent engagement and50th place in 2004 to 81 percent and 35thplace in 2005 84 percent and 12th place in2006 and 82 percent and 8th place in 2007
Cultural transformationThe internal communication strategy described inthis article has set the stage to communicatecultural transformation across the organization
Wersquore now in the fourth year of our culturaltransformation ndash creating an environment wherepeople are empowered feel safe and highperformance can flourish This involves aquantum shift in how employees behave andrelate to their co-workers and customers
Like developing a companyrsquos image or brandculture can ldquojust happenrdquo or it can be designedStrategic communication has played a central roleto create awareness understanding commitmentand motivate changes in behavior at every level ofthe organization
John Ryan has the final word ldquoOver the years Ihave learned that communication is at the heartof building a high-performance culture ndash a culturewhere people are fully engaged Communicationis vital Without it leaders cannot effect positivechange Our internal strategy recognizesemployees as a primary audience and a keyconduit to the customer the media stakeholdersand communities Our strategic approach tointernal communication significantly contributesto business resultsrdquo scm
CONTACT DETAILS
Kellie GarrettFarm Credit CanadaKellieGarrettfcc-facca
Claire WatsonFarm Credit CanadaClaireWatsonfcc-facca
24 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
In January 2004 Pfizer at Sandwich in Kent UKcommissioned a review of its existing charitablecontributions program which included matchedpayroll giving volunteering and grants for localcommunity charities and voluntary groups CCWorks the community investment consultancywas also approached to manage the day-to-dayadministration of grant applications from thecommunity
However it was decided that the administrationcould not be effectively managed until suitablecriteria were put in place for the grants programEssentially a company cannot outsourceresponsibility for its charitable donations unlesstherersquos a clear strategy in place for doing this
Although there were various policies in placefor the different elements of the existingcommunity investment program there was a lackof strategic direction to the program as a whole
Auditing the community grants programAs a first step CC Works examined the existinggrants program and also conducted external
benchmarking with voluntary organizations in thecommunity to gage perceptions of Pfizer
It emerged that many organizations werereceiving small grants ndash although some werenrsquotsure why ndash but only 16 percent of the currentspend was going on health-related causes ForPfizer a major global healthcare company thiswasnrsquot strategic It was clear that as a healthcarecompany Pfizer should be trying to improve thehealth of its local area by focusing on three coreareas health community and education
There was also a need for grants to be morelocally focused A significant amount of the spendwas going outside of the immediate East Kentarea CC Works recommended that to allow thecompany maximum freedom to operate in itscommunity it should focus grants on theimmediate community of East Kent which alsohappened to be a deprived area
Segmenting current grantsWorking in partnership with CC Works currentgrant allocation was examined by sector localarea and size of grant and in May 2004 two-yeartargets were set to increase the strategic impact ofcommunity grantsbull Increase grants allocated to health-related
projects to 50 percentbull Increase average grant from UKpound300 to
UKpound1000bull Increase East Kent allocation to 90 percent
This change was designed to be gradual so thatthe shift in allocation could be well managed
The new focus on the community mirrors
Engaging employees inPfizerrsquos communityinvestment program
In 2003 Pfizer at Sandwich UK was running manyelements of a community investment program butthere was little awareness among employees and no
real focus By July 2006 the program had beentransformed and now actively contributes to employeeand community relationships Here Pam Baker andChristine Jenkins describe the journey from disconnectedpolicies to award-winning program
Communicating an approach with clear links toemployees and the local community
BY PAM BAKER AND CHRISTINE JENKINS
scm FEATURES
Pfizerrsquos site at Sandwich inKent is the UK manufacturingheadquarters of Pfizer Incglobal pharmaceuticalcompany Its workforce of4000 makes it the largestprivate employer in East Kent
1 2 3 4 5
25scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pfizerrsquos global mission to be ldquothe most valuedcompany to patients customers colleaguesinvestors business partners and the communitieswhere we work and liverdquo For the communityinvestment program a measurable mission wascreated ldquoto improve the health indicators of thepeople of East Kentrdquo
Focus on colleague involvementThe next step in July 2004 was to conduct areview of the employee engagement elements ofcommunity investment to examine how thesecould be better integrated These elementsincluded payroll giving volunteering and staff-matched fundraising
For Pfizer at Sandwich the obvious first choicewas to look at volunteering Eighty-five percent ofPfizer employees are minimum graduate level ndashoffering much-needed skills to a deprived areaAll employees have five paid days a year they canuse for volunteering ndash this not only supports thecommunity it boosts employee engagement andcreates opportunities for employees to visiblyconnect with the community and vice versa
In October 2004 volunteering was identified asa key area for development but for employeevolunteering to be a success it had to beproactively marketed inside Pfizer and thereneeded to be adequate support andadministration behind the program
A database of volunteering opportunitiesIn conjunction with CC Works a searchable data-base of local volunteering opportunities was createdPfizer felt it was important to create a tailoreddatabase that would be furnished internally inorder to ensure a local bias and to maintain thequality of the information supplied to employees
In order to tie in with employeesrsquo personaldevelopment plans opportunities in the databasehad to meet at least two of Pfizerrsquos six keycompetencies 1 Team development2 Project management3 Coaching and development4 Decision making5 Effective partnership6 Working with change
To fill the database with relevant opportunities allorganizations that had contacted Pfizer for grantsor funding in the past three years were re-contacted and asked if they would also beinterested in volunteering
Over 70 percent responded positively and 300volunteering opportunities were sourced CCWorks helped the voluntary organizations puttogether opportunities that were most likely totake advantage of Pfizer employeesrsquo range of
specialist skillsThese opportunities were categorized on the
database according to skill geographic area andtype of charity allowing employees to search forsomething suitable for them Pfizer wasnrsquotprescriptive in its approach and allowed staff tovolunteer where the opportunity matched theirpersonal-development goals interests or wasgeographically convenient
Opportunities were wide-ranging from helpingin a charity shop to teaching in a schoolImportantly because database management isoutsourced to CC Works therersquos constantproactivitiy around seeking new opportunities andproviding administrative support that would havebeen difficult to maintain in-house
Launching the ldquoReaching Outrdquo programTo encourage involvement and awarenessemployees were asked to suggest a name for therevitalized volunteering program ldquoReaching Outrdquowas chosen and the new volunteering website waslaunched in May 2005 The site sits on PfizerSandwichrsquos intranet and any employee orcontractor can access it
A charity week was also held to help promotethe Reaching Out program Various charitiesvisited Pfizer during lunch breaks to explain whatthey do and the opportunities to work with themA soft incentive for staff to register on theReaching Out site was that Pfizer would donate20 rehydration sachets to Unicef (monetary valueof about pound2)
Reaching Out was also featured in a webcastfrom a senior leader that went to all employees(about 3000 staff plus contractors) at the start ofthe week and it was profiled in the weekly onlinemagazine Pipeline 3
Pam Baker is directorStrategic Operations andCommunity Affairs at Pfizer UK
Christine Jenkins is founderof CC Works a consultancyoffering communityinvestment advice andpractical solutions to thecorporate and voluntarysectors Previously she heldsenior manager roles in thevoluntary and private sectors
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 an audit of Pfizer at Sandwichrsquos community investment
program revealed a lack of strategic direction
bull In partnership with consultancy CC Works a decision was made tofocus the program on the local community
bull An effort to raise employee involvement through volunteering hasboosted the program and linked it to employee engagement
bull The ldquoReaching Outrdquo website gives employees the freedom to work withcharities of their choice
bull By July 2006 the ldquoHealthy Communitiesrdquo program had beentransformed and won a National Example of Excellence award fromBusiness in the Community
26 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TOP TIPS FOR COMMUNITY INVESTMENTbull Ask yourself why yoursquore undertaking this program and seek clarity around
your objectives
bull Focus on likely ldquowinsrdquondash ie areas with scope for improvement such asemployee engagement or external awareness
bull Tackle one area at a time in stages and aim for excellence in each arearather than trying to boil the ocean
bull Communication is key to success Create a distinct brand and identity forthe program to encourage awareness and involvement
bull Integrate different community programs ndash a holistic approach can maximizebenefits for the community staff engagement and corporate reputation
Over 450 employees registered to use thesite over the next two months with 230 employees(8 percent of staff) actively volunteering duringthe first year This beat a target to have 5 percentof employees volunteering 12 months after launchIn 2005 employees volunteered 4800 hours
Helping employees select the right optionEmployees can search the volunteering databaseby skill geographic area or type of charity and aregiven a range of choices Then the onus is on theemployee to speak to the charity and obtainfurther details on current opportunities inaddition to whatrsquos on the database The employeethen applies to his or her line manager Anintegrated work process enables staff to obtainapproval from their manager interact with thevoluntary organization and record their effortskeeping administration to a minimum
Managers at Pfizer Sandwich are keen foremployees to volunteer because theyrsquore aware ofthe potential benefits in terms of employeeengagement and skills development ndash a largenumber of managers are volunteers themselvesPfizer also held briefing sessions for managers toensure they were aware of the volunteeringprogram its benefits and how it works
7
Engaging employees in Pfizerrsquos community investment program
Incorporating employee feedbackThe database tracks employeesrsquo volunteeringefforts including how many hours theyrsquove doneand their feedback on the opportunitiesEmployee feedback can then be accessed by otherstaff looking for an opportunity The databasegives employees better insight into the availableopportunities and allows them to select somethingthat appeals to them so that both the employeeand the organization where they volunteer gets abetter ldquofitrdquo
The database also allows for better integrationof the whole program where volunteering canprovide an alternative or an addition to fundingFor example a well-known national charityapplied to Pfizer at Sandwich for some fundingaround a diversity initiative Pfizer suggested theirdiversity manager volunteer for them instead whohelped create the charityrsquos diversity program thatis now being launched nationally
Creating an integrated programIn May 2005 the decision was taken to bringtogether all the strands of community investmentunder one brand Healthy Communities Thisprogram was to includebull Charitable grantsbull Employee volunteeringbull Gifts in kind Community investment via gifts
in kind such as the use of Pfizer premisesresources and expertise is more easilysustainable and can bring real long-termbenefit to the local community When Pfizerfacilities are used to support communityinitiatives the face-to-face contact withemployees allows relationship-building andnetworking with key influencers Also invitingthe community to use Pfizer resources on siteldquodemystifiesrdquo the company
The overarching strategy behind HealthyCommunities was to support communityinvestment holistically (ie using several of theabove elements in combination) whereverpossible Focusing grants on the areas of greatestneed helps Pfizer achieve its overall missionHowever the donation of gifts in kind can have awider-reaching impact on the community
Taking a holistic approachAn award-winning example of this holisticapproach is the Helping Hartsdown projectwhich was Pfizer Sandwichrsquos biggest ever gift inkindvolunteering project Pfizer donated andrenovated much-needed classrooms at a localschool As well as financial support and gifts inkind the project involved over 100 staff andcontractor volunteers across all departments Aspecific promotion on the Reaching Out website
ldquoBY JULY 2006 THE lsquoHEALTHY COMMUNITIESrsquoPROGRAM HAD BEEN TRANSFORMED AND WONA NATIONAL EXAMPLE OF EXCELLENCE AWARDFROM BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITYrdquo
27scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
POSITIVE IMPACTS OF THE PROGRAMThe Healthy Communities program has had the following positive impacts for Pfizer
bull The program supports and protects Pfizerrsquos freedom to operate effectivelyin East Kent UK
bull Supporting and involving employees in the program engages and motivatesthem The company is also seen to be living its values In a recent survey55 percent of colleagues felt the program was ldquofocused and effectiverdquo
bull The program provides opportunities for colleagues to develop skills Twentypercent of colleagues surveyed stated that they had improved personalskills through taking part in the program
bull A healthy community is a better place to live and work for employees andwill aid retention Retention of the most highly skilled scientists givesPfizer Global Research and Development a competitive edge
bull A vibrant and healthy community helps to attract and retain leadingscientists from around the world
bull Community is one of Pfizerrsquos six core values Communicating activitiesinternally and externally gives a positive perception of the company
helped attract this large number of volunteersincluding senior leaders
Momentum was maintained behind thecommunication of the program with monthlynetworking breakfasts and several themed minicharity fairs to give local good causes the chanceto showcase their volunteering Individuals andteamsrsquo volunteering efforts were also regularlyprofiled in Pipeline
The December 2006 employee survey showedan 85-percent awareness level of Reaching Outand the program won a ldquoNational Example ofExcellence Awardrdquo from Business in theCommunity1
Relaunching the websiteIn June 2006 the Reaching Out website wasrelaunched to incorporate payroll giving andmatched fundraising under the same brand asvolunteering and utilize the existing software Allelements can now be applied for on the same site
The number of employees registered with thesite increased to over 1000 and the number of adhoc staff enquiries handled by CC Worksincreased dramatically as awareness andinvolvement levels rose among the workforce
External communicationA quarterly newsletter containing a round-up ofPfizerrsquos community investment work is producedand distributed widely to external stakeholdersincluding 3000 local residents Following theBusiness in the Community award the magazineCommunity News was revamped its circulationincreased and it was also desk-dropped to allemployees The magazine also helps to raiseawareness of Pfizer among local organizations
A pocket-sized booklet was produced containingkey facts and figures about the Healthy Communitiesprogram This gives employees especially seniorleaders at-a-glance information on the programallowing them to act as ambassadors for Pfizerrsquoscommunity investment work
Senior leaders at Pfizer Sandwich are keenadvocates of the program and having a clearbrand helps them communicate its benefits andraise awareness both internally and externally
Next stepsDespite its award-winning status there are plansto take Healthy Communities even further Theseinclude further research into employee feedbackand closer links to personal development plans InPfizer at Sandwichrsquos Global Operations functionvolunteering forms part of personal objectives ndashthis is an aspiration for the rest of the business
Pfizer also wants to improve team volunteeringand a toolkit is being prepared for team leaderswho wish to get involved in volunteering
Finally in order to share knowledge and bestpractice around community investment with otherlocal businesses Pfizer is hosting a Kentmembership network in conjunction with KentCounty Council This will help Pfizer work closelywith the local authority and bring local businessestogether to share ideas and collaborate toimprove their impact on the community scm
1 httpwwwbitcorguk
CONTACT DETAILS
Pam BakerPfizerpambakerpfizercom
Christine JenkinsCC Workschristinejenkinsccworkscouk
28 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Editorrsquos noteSucceeding in internal communication probablyisnrsquot all that different to succeeding in anyprofession understand whatrsquos expected of you dothe job well and deliver results But when youspeak to practitioners about how they personallyturned the corner in their careers and started tomake an impact it soon becomes clear that thereare many dos and donrsquots that can help or hinderprogress This article provides a handy checklistfor those with ambitious development plans
John G ClemonsVice President CommunicationsRaytheon Technical Services Co Llc
Take the initiativeThere have been a few career-defining momentsfor me Among them was the time when I realizedthat I was moving from a manager level to the
decision-making role of a director I worked for a senior executive who hired me
from a rival telecommunications company Uponjoining the company I developed strategiccommunication plans to address various businesschallenges During the development process Iperiodically checked in with my supervisor to gethis input and approval ndash probably more thannecessary ndash before moving to the next steps in planning
One day he called me into his office and saidthat while he liked the work I was doing for himhis expectation when he hired me as a directorwas that I would take the initiative in the job relyless on his frequent input and move forward with implementation and measurement Hewanted results
His counsel was along the lines of ldquoI hired youto do a directorrsquos job so do the job of a directorYou donrsquot have to get permission to make adifferencerdquo
Meet commitments and think strategicallyHis direction motivated me to take moreresponsibility at this new job level This alsomeant that I had to not just manage but leadmeet commitments and think more strategicallyto continue to earn not only his confidence butthe support of the entire leadership team
Irsquove found that being a communicationprofessional who is also a leader that can betrusted can get things done and truly support thegoals and objectives of an organization will notonly impress others but help build your credibilityand lead to success
How to get ahead ininternal communication
The path that leads internal communicators to thetop of their profession isnrsquot always an obvious oneWhich is why we asked a range of senior practitioners
to share their thoughts and experiences on gaining therespect of those who matter Whether its senior leadersfellow employees or your own team yoursquore looking toimpress these responses provide useful insight into howto make sure you and your work gets noticed
Senior practitioners share their views on how togain influence and credibility
COMPILED BY MANDY THATCHER
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
29scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Mark DarbyHead of Internal CommunicationsVisaUK
Be smart sharp and stubbornThe biggest lesson Irsquove learned and keep havingto remind myself is that I need to be smart sharpand stubborn to get ahead This is what thosewords mean to me in a work context
Smart I need to understand what Visa is doingand what people think about the business Thismeans constantly spending time in differentdepartments and learning from them I know whoour customers are what our challenges are andwhat our current financial performance is I havecontacts in most departments who have a fingeron the pulse which means I can have a relevantconversation with a senior person from any department
Sharp Internal communication is rarely near thetop of the agenda for senior people and my timewith them is usually short I always try to talkabout the impact on business performance assoon as possible If I circulate a document it willbe summarized to a single page at most and Idonrsquot use PowerPoint I ask a lot of ldquoonerdquo questionssuch as ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing you want employeesto do differentlyrdquo or ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing youwant me to change over the next six monthsrdquo
Stubborn I know what I want internal communica-tion to achieve at Visa and it has the support ofthe senior team Irsquove built up knowledge frombooks and articles I use my education from theBlack Belt training course1 and I speak to formercolleagues With this knowledge Irsquove becomestubborn and good at saying no because I have theinformation to back up my arguments Irsquove stoppedmy team from picking up extra projects that wonrsquotdeliver much value We focus only on projects thatadd the most value to the business and we deliveron these really well Successful delivery is thebiggest influence on any senior person
Monika StaffordHead of Internal CommunicationLloyds TSBUK
Be creative and focus on a killer issueUsing creative solutions to bring to life importantndash but often dull ndash programs can create a shinethat stretches beyond project boundaries For
example I worked on the implementation of SAPndash a business-critical systems program ndash requiringbehavior change from swathes of key yetuninterested people Successful implementationwas a big risk to get right but it was as dull asdishwater to communicate
Luckily there was a ldquoEurekardquo moment Byaligning the SAP story with the metaphor ofFormula-1 racing we could tell the tale of how itwould fulfill our need to create winningperformances for both the individual driver aswell as the back-up team in order to perform wellon the road ahead This storyline was a perfectmatch for the programrsquos objectives
Launch speakers from Formula 1 great designwork not to mention fantastic collateral allresulted in a no-hitch implementation that reallyresonated with people The global companypicked it up as the approach for worldwide rollout So faced with tedium it can actually pay tostare out of the window for creative inspiration
My other piece of advice is Focus on a killerissue If you really want to get ahead (and do besure you really do as being at the center ofchange is often akin to being in the eye of ahurricane ndash itrsquos no place for the feint-hearted)learn what keeps your business leaders up atnight Use your stakeholder-management skills toget to the people you need to help you deliversolutions then execute execute execute
Focus on value-adding work only because ifyou end up working on your companyrsquos cul-de-sacprojects yoursquoll never shine brightly enough forthe leaders in your company to notice you 3
COMPETENCY
Planning internal communication 76
Linking corporate messages to corporate vision 73
CEO communication 63
Change communication 60
Communicating to diverse audiences 60
Using the intranet as a communication tool 54
Defending your department in internal political battles 43
Line manager communication 42
Professional development of internal communication staff 33
Helping employees cope with information overload 32
Securing the appropriate level of budget for internal communication 30
Measuring the effectiveness of internal communication 28
Figure One Table from The Pulse report showing the percentage of communicators who ratethemselves as effective or very effective at listed competencies
30 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
WHATrsquoS CHANGED IN THE LAST 25 YEARS
David MoorcroftSenior Vice PresidentCorporate CommunicationsRBC Financial Group Canada
Irsquom constantly amazed at the changes that have taken place in our professionover the last 25 years and the degree of talent and knowledge required bycommunicators today to do their jobs well
Back in 1979 when I started in corporate PR the major skill sets werewriting editing and great media contacts Today good editorial skills are justtable stakes and the ability to understand business adapt technology thinkstrategically plan consummately and influence stakeholders are what landsenior communicators a seat at the management table
This change has been driven by the globalization of business the advent ofnew 247 media including the Internet the growing sophistication ofcustomers and employees increased demands for corporate transparency andmore rigorous requirements for high standards of public disclosure andfinancial reporting
MORE SKILLS THAN EVER BEFOREAs a result todayrsquos business communicator has to be more capable andknowledgeable and have more skills than ever before They must befinancially literate and technologically savvy They must understand the impactof evolving accounting and disclosure rules They must deal with legal HRpolitical and business issues And they must be prepared to deal with amultitude of potential crises that can arise at any moment in any language inany part of the world
Perhaps most challenging senior management today expects clear bottom-line returns for their investments in communication Itrsquos no longer enough toinform audiences and measure communication outputs CEOs expectcommunication to engage audiences and produce outcomes ndash something thatrequires strategic thinking planning and foresight
A friend of mine who left a senior corporate PR job to become COO of amajor public utility recently summed up the role of todayrsquos communicator thisway ldquoItrsquos one of the most important and critical roles in organizations todayand yet itrsquos often one of the least recognized and appreciatedrdquo
That sentiment may be a reality in some organizations today but with moreand more CEOs beginning to realize the bottom-line value of communication itwonrsquot be 25 years from now
Christina FeeSenior Vice President InternalCommunicationsDeutsche Post AGGermany
Seek out the important projectsI canrsquot pretend to have employed a specificapproach to my ldquopersonal PRrdquo at all But in theorganizations Irsquove worked for Irsquove had theopportunity to work on a number of excitinghigh-profile projects that have connected me withsenior stakeholders and influential people atdifferent levels
7
Irsquove learned a great deal from the project teamsIrsquove worked with and also due to the significanceand scope of the projects been able todemonstrate my worth approach and skills Irsquovehad to be passionate stand up for what I believein and think outside the box constantly
My roles within DHLDeutsche Post haveallowed me the freedom and flexibility to developand deliver new ideas but Irsquove also had to practiceand embody excellent internal communicationskills myself Having developed credibility and trustwith those that matter based on my track record Iwas allowed to go ahead with other projects
I donrsquot actively pursue the ldquoright relationshipsrdquobut rather let my work and my interactions withpeople speak for themselves This has helped medevelop mentors and supporters naturally Mylearning and development has also been expandedby the opportunity to work abroad and learn moreabout intercultural communication and interaction
Marc SilversideHead of Internal CommunicationsMacmillan Cancer SupportUK
Understand whatrsquos expected of youA newly established role heightens the need formaking a good impression so that people trustyou and feel they can come to you for advice
When I joined Macmillan I very nearly got thiswrong Perhaps this is an example that otherrsquos canlearn from
When my new CEO at Macmillan CancerSupport asked for a meeting ldquoafter a few weeks tosettle inrdquo I was confident that my wide-ranginginduction would help me understand the businessand provide the basis for what Irsquod present tosenior management
Forty structured face-to-face managerinterviews allowed me to understand needs andkey issues and I started to build personal rapportMy profile was raised and at the same timeinternal communication gained good visibility
Externally I networked with contacts in similarroles in other charities and soon found thebeginnings of a voluntary-sector network This hassince grown to over 25 members
By the time my CEO slot arrived I was armedwith input from across the charity and the resultsof an audit I felt well prepared to present myvision and solutions So I was surprised to be metwith significant resistance
I later discovered that my CEO intelligence wasincorrect What he wanted was to be askedspecifically about his own views on what internalcommunication should do and what I could do for
How to get ahead in internal communication
31scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
HOW DO YOUR SKILLS MEASURE UPFor Melcrumrsquos study into budgets salaries and trends in internalcommunication in 200607 we asked survey respondents to rate their owneffectiveness at a range of key communication competencies from planning tomeasurement The results may surprise you
For example 76 percent of respondents rate themselves as effective or veryeffective at planning internal communication but only 28 percent ratethemselves as equally effective at measuring its effectiveness (see Figure Onepage 29)
In her commentary on the results development expert Sue Dewhurst hadthe following to say
OUR STRENGTHSIt seems where we see our strengths as internal communicators is towards theldquofront endrdquo of the communication planning process For example being able tolink a plan to the business strategy knowing our audiences and being able tojoin up the dots and show people how messages link to the business vision
These are powerful strengths We are one of the few functions that tends tohave an overarching view of our entire company and is able to view thecompany and its strategy from a number of different perspectives Being ableto understand the vision and strategy view it from an audience perspectiveand then create line of sight to show what those things mean in practicalterms for peoplersquos day-to-day roles is one of the ways that we help drivebusiness performance ndash by showing people what they need to do to take thestrategy forward
In turn by knowing and working with our audiences hopefully wersquore thenalso able to make sure their views and suggestions can help shape the strategyand how itrsquos put into practice
MEASURING EFFECTIVENESSWe see ourselves as less effective towards the back end of the planningprocess in measuring the effectiveness of internal communication which tiesin with the feeling from previous questions that in fact wersquore not doing muchmeasurement or demonstrating our return on investment
Research and measurement is an area where there is plenty of expertisearound to call on There are measurement conferences research reports andpublications to understand what other organizations are doing and practicaltraining that will give you the opportunity to work in a smaller group askquestions and practice techniques For help with specific techniques try yourinternal marketing team Marketers are generally great with data and well-versed in running focus groups and putting together surveys If you have anexternal provider to support your employee engagement research try them too
Source The Pulse Essential data on budgets salaries and trends 2006-07wwwmelcrumcom
him rather than how I could benefit the charity Ihad to change my approach fast
This could have cost me my best ambassadorfrom day one So my advice is make sure yoursquoreabsolutely clear about whatrsquos expected from you
Of course the insights I gained in my first fewmonths have been valuable and since then myresults have done the talking Fortunately theCEO soon became an internal communicationsconvert and advocate
Darren CrozierCommunications ManagerHBOS plcUK
Make things happenDelivery is key to career development ndash if you sayyoursquore going to do something make sure you doit Put in the effort get the results you want andbe known as someone who can make things happenIf yoursquore seen to ldquoget things donerdquo no matter howsmall the job is people are more likely to get youinvolved in activities and ask your opinion
Gaining credibility and respect from seniorcolleagues is important but everyone in yourorganization will form an opinion of you from thepeople in the canteen right through to the CEOSo try and make sure that their opinion of you is agood one
Itrsquos not just the people within your immediatesphere of influence who can have an impact onyour career so extend your network go oncourses and get involved in professionalorganizations Many of my close workingrelationships career opportunities and indeedpersonal friendships have come from meetingpeople at such events and taking the time to keepin touch You never know how things will develop
Itrsquos also vital to earn respect be trustworthy andhave good manners To recall what an ex-bossonce said ldquoBe careful how you treat people onthe way up as you never know when you maycome across them againrdquo
One of the biggest challenges Irsquove found inrecent times is recognizing my own success andselling myself Sometimes you need to take a stepback to realize just what yoursquove achieved Evenbetter keep a log or portfolio of your successesand donrsquot be shy to speak about them becauseothers wonrsquot be shy to speak about theirs
Finally try and have some fun along the wayWe all have to work for a living so learn to makethe most of it scm
1 For more about Melcrumrsquos Internal Communication Black Belttraining program go to wwwmelcrumcom
32 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pitney Bowes has followed an aggressive strategyof growth through acquisition completing 60+acquisitions since 2001 Expansion has broadenedits product mix to include an extensive range ofsolutions from office equipment to globalpositioning software
But the companyrsquos many different specialismsand huge outsourcing operations meant that themajority of its 34000 employees werenrsquot aware ofthe full range of its service offering and thepotential for different divisions to work together
As Rob Hallam vice president EmployeeCommunication explains there was a strongbusiness case for adopting a ldquoone companyrdquoapproach ldquoBecause the businesses tended to besomewhat siloed even senior managers werefocused on their divisions
ldquoAlso because we were acquiring companiesand evolving so rapidly managers werenrsquot awareof a lot of the businesses and how they all workedtogether in the mailstreamrdquo says Hallam ldquoWewere missing out on potential cross-sellingopportunitiesrdquo
Communicating a new visionFour years ago Pitney Bowes created a OneCompany Vision statement ldquoOur aim was toensure support and cooperation across thebusiness so we could provide a comprehensive setof customer solutions ndash not just a list of productsand services by business unitrdquo says Hallam Theinternal communication challenge was to drawtogether 34000 employees and build a unifiedcorporate culture The communication strategyfocused on three key elements
1 PeopleThis focused on involving the leadershipstrengthening a two-way dialogue betweenmanagement and employees communicating theculture through leadership messaging enterprise-wide events and roadshows and buildingengagement so that everyone was workingtogether towards a One Company approach
2 ProcessesThis meant integrating the One Companyapproach into the organizationrsquos operations andinfrastructure by shifting management roles andadjusting incentives and reward structuresthroughout the company
The first step was to consolidate the companyrsquosoperating activities by appointing Murray DMartin as president and chief operating officer inSeptember 2004 Martinrsquos mantra is ldquoThink AsOne Act as One Operate As One to deliverwhat no other company canrdquo
ldquoThe COO position had previously been heldby the chairman so elevating someone to that
Communicating a OneCompany culture atPitney Bowes
Following rapid growth in the form of more than 60acquisitions over six years silo-working haddeveloped at Pitney Bowes and leaders were failing
to take advantage of profitable cross-selling opportunitiesHere Rob Hallam describes the communication elementsof a ldquoOne Companyrdquo culture-change program which hasturned the situation around simultaneously improvingcustomer service and boosting profits
Persuading disparate businessunits to work together
AN INTERVIEW WITH ROB HALLAM
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Pitney Bowes is an 87-year-old company best known forthe manufacturing operationand oversight of postagemeters It has over two millioncustomers more than 3500active patents and annualrevenue of close to $6 billion
33scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
role was a big changerdquo explains Hallam ldquoAll thebusiness units now report to a single individual atoperating level It represented a huge positivemove to start the company operationalizing OneCompany behaviorrdquo
The internal communication function wasrestructured to ensure that consistent messagingreached the entire employee population Regularmeasurement was a key part of the changeinitiative This served to define the contributionof communicating a One Company approachwhere it was adding value to Pitney Bowes and itsclients and customers and where there was stillwork to do
3 TechnologyIt was important to find the best ways to cascademessages throughout the company and keeppeople informed about what was going onwithout bombarding them with irrelevantcommunication Hallam and his team deploy avariety of channels and media including internalprint and online publications voicemail and e-mail Pitney Bowes is also in the process ofintegrating its different voicemail systems and e-mail platforms into one global system
Involving senior leadership from the outsetThe One Company strategy was an overridingpolicy that started at the top of the organizationldquoThere was a big launch at the strategic leadersrsquomeeting which is held every Januaryrdquo saysHallam ldquoThe messaging was then driven throughthe organization via a companywide globalcommunication strategyrdquo
From the outset the policy was championed bythe CEO Michael Critelli who believes thatculture is central to the Pitney Bowes brand andsaid recently ldquoMy first measure of success iswhether we are behaving as one companyrdquo Thiscommitment helped to ensure that the culturalchange was reinforced by parallel changes to thecorporate infrastructure
Building a two-way dialogueThe next step was to get the employee populationinvolved and build enterprisewide enthusiasm forthe culture change Pitney Bowes has alwaysrecognized the value of a two-way dialoguebetween management and employees and hasheld annual jobholders meetings which aresimilar to shareholdersrsquo meetings for 61 years In2005 Hallam reinvented it as an initiative calledOne Forum ndash a series of roadshows focusing oncommunicating the One Company culturethroughout the organization
Launching the One ForumIn 2005 Hallam and his team created an original
and memorable One Forum launch for the 90percent of Pitney Bowes employees based in theUS Around a quarter of US employees saw thisin person the others received a link to a websitewith streaming highlights
ldquoWe put together a two-hour roadshow eventwhich helped people to understand our OneCompany approach and made them aware of allthe businesses we were inrdquo says Hallam ldquoThethinking was that high change requires high touchFace-to-face can have far greater impact on theindividuals touched From there itrsquos a matter ofripple effect such as seeing improved One Forumbrand awareness among employees who didnrsquotactually attend one of the eventsrdquo
ldquoWe wanted the roadshow to be entertainingand energizing so we used gameshow techniquescustom-written songs and comedy specificallytailored to Pitney Bowes employees It was a funevent but it also included a keynote speech fromthe CEO and a lot of question-and-answersessions with employees It was entertainmentwith a purpose and it was a great success with employeesrdquo
The post-event employee evaluations provedthe success of this approach ldquoIn some cities anincredible 90 percent of employees gave the eventa top-box rating This shows that there was ahunger for both the knowledge and theapproachrdquo adds Hallam
Taking the show on the roadThe One Forum roadshow has become an annualevent ldquoIn a five-month period during 2005 therewere 17 One Forum events in 12 US citiesreaching about 6000 peoplerdquo says Hallam ldquoAftersome testing in March and April the first bigroadshows started in early May and continued forsix months with the final one in early Decemberin Seattle 3
Rob Hallam is vice presidentEmployee Communication atPitney Bowes (PB) in StamfordConnecticut where hersquos beenresponsible for internalcommunication strategy andimplementation since 2004Hallam has led a team ofprofessionals in reshapingcommunication at PB resultedin the communication teamearning the top ranking in HRdepartment satisfaction fromall PBrsquos US managers in 2005and 2006
KEY POINTSbull Internal communication has played an important role in embedding a
One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
bull The communication strategy focused on three key elements peopleprocess and technology
bull The campaign has been championed by the CEO from the outset andhas won senior leadership support over time
bull An entertaining roadshow helped win employee commitment
bull Cross-selling ratios have jumped substantially since the culture-changeeffort began
34 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ldquoIn 2006 we compressed the programsubstantially and drove down costs while stilltouching 6000 employees Together with ourcorporate marketing group we also introduced anextremely successful lsquoelevator speechrsquo that helpsemployees answer the much-feared questionlsquoWhat does Pitney Bowes dorsquordquo
Local variationsAlthough the entertainment component in theroadshows contributed to their success it wasspecific to the US so Hallam gave business unitsand internal communicators in other regions theresponsibility for communicating the OneCompany approach to local employees ldquoInCanada and the UK they conducted town-hallmeetings and in Latin America and other parts ofthe world they produced their own variations onthe One Forum theme We made sure that theyhad the information they needed but we limitedthe entertainment to English-speaking regionsrdquo
A commitment to employee engagementThe appointment of the new COO and the launchof the One Forum roadshows coincided with thefirst employee engagement survey in late 2004ldquoWe see engagement as very much tied to ourability to execute a One Company strategy andchange our culturerdquo says Hallam He sets outfour ways in which employee engagement isinstilled at all levels in the organization
1 Visible leadership commitment to engagementThe CEO underlines his commitment by sendingregular messages to employees via a variety ofmedia including voicemail and print and onlinepublications He also uses engagement scores todetermine a unitrsquos overall performance rating andbonus pool ldquoWhen one senior execrsquos bonus poolwas reduced due to poor engagement scores that
was a message requiring no communication planrdquosays Hallam ldquoWord spread quicklyrdquo
2 Celebrating top performers Pitney Bowes celebrates its top engagementperformers by running cover stories in its globalprint and online publication PB Today ldquoThisprogram was called lsquoThe Faces of Pitney Bowesrsquordquosays Hallam ldquoWe did 10 of these last year so theyran twice in five editions Wersquove also producedlarge mural-sized photos of those managers andtheir teamsrdquo he says ldquoWe celebrate success andpublish it everywhere Our CEO loves it and wersquoreactually selling part of our contemporary artcollection which decorates the building to makeroom for an expansion of additional OneCompany and Engagement photography all ofwhich will focus on our employeesrdquo
3 Incentivizing managers via the reward systemEmployee engagement is recognized andreinforced in the companyrsquos formal processesincluding its reward system ldquoWe use a tool calledthe Strategic Architecture which is our balancedscorecardrdquo explains Hallam ldquoItrsquos a Six-Sigma toolwhich measures employee shareholder andcustomer value Managersrsquo engagement scoresalso factor into their annual reviews soengagement has a direct impact on remunerationrdquo
4 Rewarding engagementA further program called Rapid Rewards awardscash bonuses to managers and employees foroutstanding behavior including that related toemployee engagement
Aligning the communication strategyHallam and his team are responsible fordelivering the overall employee communicationstrategy ldquoWe had to dramatically improve ourstrategic approach in order to make OneCompany a realityrdquo he says
In addition to organizing campaigns such as theOne Forum roadshows to publicize the culturechange across the enterprise Hallam hasintroduced initiatives aimed at improving thereach and delivery of internal communication andmaking sure messages get to their intendedaudiences He has also aligned the structure ofthe internal communication function with thecompanyrsquos unified culture
ldquoThere were a lot of different communicationgroups so we brought together all thecommunication leaders and formed a singleInternal Communications Councilrdquo explainsHallam ldquoThis means that the communicationfunctions in the different business units areworking together to help drive change andimprove coordinationrdquo
Communicating a One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
ldquoWHEN A SENIOR EXECrsquoS BONUS WAS REDUCEDDUE TO POOR ENGAGEMENT SCORES THAT WASA MESSAGE REQUIRING NO COMMUNICATIONPLAN WORD SPREAD QUICKLYrdquo
7
FURTHER RESOURCES3 THE IMPACT OF CULTURE AND CLIMATE ON CHANGE PROGRAMS
An article published in SCM Volume 10 Issue 6 OctoberNovember 2006
3 DRIVING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE CORPORATE CULTUREMelcrumrsquos report on communication tools techniques and best practicefrom leading organizationswwwmelcrumcom
35scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Developing a global approachHallam is also responsible for a globalcommunication project called Universal Reachwhich is sponsored by the chairman and designedto support and maintain a unified corporateculture ldquoOur goal is to provide 90 percentmessage accessibility within our key customer-facing audiencesrdquo he explains ldquoThe biggestchallenge is integrating our online communicationinfrastructure which has nine different voicemailsystems operating across the world and multiplee-mail and web platforms Wersquore pulling all thattogether to provide better reachrdquo
Since 911 the CEO and other top executiveshave broadcast weekly audio messages calledPower Talks Hallamrsquos team has worked with theleadership to ensure that they incorporate OneCompany messages and as he explains they reachmost of the employee population ldquoAbout 20000of our employees have voicemail Those whodonrsquot receive the Power Talk message either inprint or online In some divisions managers playthe Power Talk messages in staff meetingsrdquo
Engaging leadership reinforces the cultureBuilding on the CEOrsquos commitment to a OneCompany approach Hallam and his team haveorganized leadership events ndash most recently at thestrategic leadersrsquo meeting in December 2006 ndashshowing Pitney Bowes as one company in actionThis campaign has helped to engage the top 150managers in the culture change
ldquoOur post-event evaluations show a strongmove numerically in senior leadershiprsquos belief thatwersquore operating as one companyrdquo says Hallam(see Figure One above) ldquoAs theyrsquore our toughestjudges wersquore pleased by the significant differencein pre- and post-event measurementrdquo There wasalso an improvement in leadersrsquo understanding ofthe companyrsquos new mailstream category
Sustaining the new cultureAccording to Hallam rippling out the OneCompany messaging requires a consistent andcoordinated approach Communication leaders inthe various divisions are now working to weaveOne Company messages into the business-unitmeetings ldquoA lot of the messaging that welaunched at the strategic leadersrsquo meeting arebeing reiterated at the business unit level Thatrsquosbeen facilitated through the InternalCommunications Councilrdquo he says
ldquoKey metrics for the culture change programfocus on cross-selling ratios which have jumpedsubstantially since the culture change effortbeganrdquo says Hallam ldquoIn 2002 we also institutedthe ldquoPB1 Awardsrdquo which is a chairmanrecognition award that goes to teams who bestembody cross-functional behavior in working on
projects which improve our clientsrsquo profitabilityour profitability or bothrdquo
ldquoHowever wersquore only really a year into thisMuch of the evidence is anecdotal but what haschanged is that our managers have broadenedtheir vision and are thinking as solutions-providers rather than product-sellers As suchtheyrsquore involving other business units out of theirdesire to eliminate customer pain points ndashregardless of which part of Pitney Bowes gets the salerdquo
Adding value to customersUltimately managers and employees who arewell-informed about the companyrsquos products andservices are in a good position to take advantageof cross-selling opportunities Realizing thispotential enables Pitney Bowes to make extrasales to existing customers thereby increasing itsprofit margins and allowing customers to benefitfrom a mix of products and services
Shifting to a unified culture directly benefitsboth Pitney Bowes and its customers ldquoByfocusing on the whole cadre of products andservices we can help our customers improve theirbusinessesrdquo says Hallam ldquoThatrsquos where OneCompany is critical It enables our clients tobenefit from all our servicesrdquo scm
Figure One Measuring the impact of the strategic leadersrsquo meeting
CONTACT DETAILS
Rob HallamPitney Bowesrobhallampbcom
I BELIEVE THAT OUR SENIOR LEADERS (MEANING THE TOP 15 EXECS) AREWORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO DELIVER INTEGRATED HIGH-VALUESOLUTIONS TO OUR CUSTOMERS
Pre SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 73
Post SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 92
Gain in two months time 19
ldquoMANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WELL-INFORMED ABOUT THE COMPANYrsquoS PRODUCTSAND SERVICES ARE IN A GOOD POSITION TOTAKE ADVANTAGE OF CROSS-SELLINGrdquo
2007
36 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
MELCRUM TRAINING amp EVENTS
CALENDAR 2007UKEUROPESOCIAL MEDIA FORUM FORINTERNAL COMMUNICATORS UK
3 21-22 March 2007 Hilton Canary WharfLondon UKThis forum is designed for practitioners who wantto make social media part of their internalcommunication strategy Over two dayscompanies such as IBM Microsoft and BT willshare case studies demonstrating their use ofsocial-media tools Technology experts will also beon hand to provide training and show you how touse these tools
THE 3RD ANNUAL EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT CONFERENCE UK
3 22-24 May 2007 Millennium GloucesterLondon UK22 May ndash Practical workshops23-24 May ndash Two-day conferenceThis event will focus on transforming yourstrategies into action Listen to case studies fromcompanies that have achieved real andmeasurable results from their engagement effortsLearn how they did it what they achieved and howthe results were measured
THE 6TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT UK
3 16-18 October 2007 London UK After the huge success of the 2006 UK StrategicCommunication Management Summit next yearrsquosevent will once again provide you withpresentations from key figures in the industry anda chance to network with your peers Mark yourdiaries now ndash more details to follow
THE 3RD ANNUAL INTERNALCOMMUNICATION MEASUREMENTCONFERENCE UK
3 27-29 November 2007 London UKDetails available soon ndash mark your diary now
NORTH AMERICATHE 3RD ANNUAL CONFERENCEON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENTBUILDING AND SUSTAINING ACULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT
3 28 February ndash 1 March 2007 Crowne PlazaAtlanta-Buckhead Atlanta USLearn how to foster an environment whereemployees feel valued and respected Hear fromcompanies including Dow Corning CorporationAmerican Express Delta Hotels and Merck
THE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT US
3 26-28 March 2007 Crowne Plaza UnionSquare San Francisco26 March ndash Pre-conference workshops27-28 March ndash Two-day summitAttend this conference and discover how toimprove employee alignment with all segments ofyour internal audience ndash from your front-lineemployees to your executive officers bothnationally and worldwide
AUSTRALIATHE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION ENGAGEMENTSUMMIT SYDNEY
3 31 July ndash 2 August 2007 Sydney Australia Details available soon ndash mark your diary now
WEBINARSDEVELOPING PROFESSIONALCOMPETENCE
3 Thursday 22 February 2007 with LiamFitzPatrick and Sue Dewhurst
HELPING YOUR ORGANIZATIONTHRIVE DURING TURBULENTTIMES
3 Thursday 29 March 2007 with Carol KinseyGoman
TRAININGTHE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT PROGRAM
3 24-25 April and 1-2 May 2007 HenleyManagement College UK3 11-12 and 27-28 September 2007 Cranfield
School of Management UK
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT MASTERCLASSEFFECTIVE MEASUREMENT
3 14-15 March 2007 Hendon Hall Hendon UKAn essential two-day intensive training courses forinternal communicators on effective measurementRegister early as places are strictly limited to 20people per Masterclass
CSR DELIVERY ENGAGEMENT amp LEADERSHIP
3 19-20 April 2007 Central LondonOsney MediaWith an excellent speaker line-up from high-profile companies including Procter amp Gamble The BodyShop ExxonMobil Microsoft Belgium Vodafone UK Dell Ericsson and Alliance Boots this case studybased event will answer questions including how do Ibull Build a CSR-oriented leadershipbull Get people on boardbull Integrate CSR with the global strategy of the companybull Deliver CSR throughout the company to make it really happen
For more information visit wwwcsrleadershipcom or e-mail mariame_lindellosneymediacouk (Reference code 910MLC3)
38 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
DESIGN
YELLOW
The future success of all organisations will be builton trust understanding passion empowermentintegrity and relationships
The future is cool exciting sparkling organisationsbursting with energy life and action
The future of brand is the internal brand first andforemost
The future is colleague as customer
Turning communications upside down
No just inside-out
Be part of the future say hello to Yellow
We help large organisations bring their communicationsstrategies to life through the imaginative use of liveevents multimedia web and design ndash distributed acrossall media platforms including DVD TV mobile devicesintranet and extranet
Ultimately developing internal brands and ongoingcommunications that have a measurable impact onpeople-performance advocacy and the bottom line
Contact Paul MiddletonTel +44 (0)161 228 6700E-mail paulmiddletonyellowcomcomWebsite wwwyellowcomcom
NEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
DESIGN
BLUE GOOSE
blue goose specialize in visual communications We make communications work faster and better We will link what wedo back to your objectives but we donrsquot talk (or charge for) ldquostrategyrdquo when you simply want tactical implementation Weuse design and creativity tobull differentiate products and services bull develop and manage corporate and brand identity bull align external communications with agreed values bull internalize corporate and brand identitybull align internal communications with agreed values bull support organizational change and bull help organizations better understand and define who they are
We work for clients as diverse as PricewaterhouseCoopers Ford Europe Centrica plc Greene King City of London Policeand Le Meacuteridien
blue goose is for any organization more interested in designing their future than watching it happen
Contact Chris BarringtonE-mail thinkingbluegoosecoukTel +44 (0)20 8869 8500Web site wwwbluegoosecouk
CONSULTANCY
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION ampSURVEYS PTY LTD
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd is aboutique consultancy based in Sydney Australia Itspecializes in employee communication strategiessystems research and employee surveys of all kindsPrincipal Rodney Gray has been involved inorganizational consulting for over 20 years following a15-year career as a corporate human resourcesexecutive Services includebull Employee communication audits and surveys by
questionnaires focus groups and interviewsbull Employee communication systems strategies and
processesbull Employee communication training workshops and
talksbull Employee culture climate and opinion surveysbull Qualitative organizational diagnosis (focus groups
and interviews)bull Internal service quality research (qualitative and
quantitative)
Contact Rodney GrayTel +61 (0)2 9909 2900 Fax +61 (0)2 9909 2911E-mail rodneyrodneygraycomauWeb site wwwemployee-communicationcomau
CONSULTANCY
HEDRON
Internal and change communication that helps teamsand individuals to develop strategies relationshipsprocesses and skills to engage stakeholders supporthigh performance and deliver change
ldquoSharp strategic thinking quality execution effectiveinterpersonallyhelliprdquo ldquoCreativity drive resourcefulnessresults great funhelliprdquo say clients
All sectors ndash ABN AMRO AXA BT Cadbury SchweppesDepartment for Constitutional Affairs HealthcareCommission Group 4 Securicor SABMiller SiemensSouthern Rail Unilever Wincanton
Our clients are happy to tell you what itrsquos like workingwith us
Contact Helena MemoryTel + 44 (0) 20 7493 0735Fax + 44 (0) 20 7493 0743E-mail helena-mhedroncomWeb site wwwhedroncom
CONSULTANCY
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
39scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
CONSULTANCY
SYNOPSIS
Founded by change and communication authority Bill Quirke in 1992 Synopsis is one of Europersquos leading internalcommunication consultancies Our clients include such companies as ABN Amro BBC BP British Airways DiageoEricsson HP Lloyds TSB Roche Shell and Vodafone
We help clients use internal communication to engage their employees in delivering business strategy and get most valuefrom their internal communication
We can help youbull Develop communication strategies that support your business strategybull Coach leadersbull Develop line managersrsquo communication skillsbull Plan and coordinate your communication with colleagues onlinebull Check the health of your communication channels and improve return on investmentbull Build and develop the communication functionbull Measure and track employee engagement attitudes and opinions
To take a tour of our online planning tool go to wwwsynopsisonlinecomproductplanningtoolasp
Contact Jane LebeauE-mail janelebeausynopsisonlinecomTel +44 (0) 20 7490 2900Web site wwwsynopsisonlinecom
CONSULTANCY
HARKNESS KENNETT
We specialize in internal communication To us thatmeansbull motivating people through inspiring leadershipbull guiding people through organizational changebull engaging people in delivering the brand
Working in partnership with our clients is central to ourethos enabling us to help deliver practical solutionssupported by solid strategic thinking All of ourconsultants have held senior positions ldquoclient siderdquo sowe know what itrsquos like to be in your shoes The vastmajority of our work comes from recommendations fromexisting clients ndash 82 percent of our clients haverequested repeat work in the last two years
Our clients include Abbey Atkins BDO Stoy HaywardThe Environment Agency Marks amp Spencer NHS Blood ampTransplant Morgan Stanley Europe Nestleacute PoliceInformation Technology Organisation Royal ampSunAlliance South West Trains and Vodafone
Our vision is simple ndash we want to be the first callyou make
Contact James HarknessTel +44 (0)1483 222730E-mail jamesharknessharknesskennettcomWeb site wwwharknesskennettcom
CONSULTANCY
TRIDENT COMMUNICATIONS
Trident Communications is uniquely positioned to definedevelop and deliver award-winning solutions that aligncommunication with business goals
We advise and partner with organizations of all sizes tocreate high-value practical applications Our talentedproject teams provide innovative research designeditorial and imagery for print and online
We connect ideas and deliver results
Contact Peter Agertoft Tel +44 (0)207 536 8900E-mail peteragertoft
tridentcommunicationsnetWeb site wwwtridentcommunicationsnet
CONSULTANCY
FLEISHMAN-HILLARD
Fleishman-Hillardrsquos dedicated internal and changecommunication practice helps businesses focus onperforming ndash not just informing
We help organisations plan and implement programmeswith the right mix of information dialogue and trainingso that employees are engaged aligned and motivatedto achieve business objectives
Because effective internal communication is vital tobottom-line performance we partner with our clients tocreate a daily dialogue ndash not a monologue ndash withemployees
Contact Nick AndrewsTel +32 (0)2 230 05 45 E-mail nickandrewsfleishmancomWeb site wwwfleishmaneuropecom
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE A listing in our Directory of Services will giveyou a chance to reach communicationprofessionals at some of the worldrsquos largestand most admired companies and to tap intodecision-making practitioners
ContactVincent SorelTel +44 (0)208 600 4670E-mail vincentsorelmelcrumcom
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
INCLUDE YOUR COMPANY BY CONTACTING US ON +44(0)20 8600 4670 OR AT INFOMELCRUMCOM
CONSULTANCY
HILL amp KNOWLTON
Better business results the bottom line
How do I manage more change Motivate managers Getthe right information to the right people Show the bestreturn on communication investment
Sound familiar Hill amp Knowltonrsquos change and internalcommunication consultants work with companies aroundthe world to find the right answers for their situation
We offer strategy insight and creativity drawing on ourconsultancy expertise and in-house experience Plus wedeliver practical hands-on help
We know that effective employee communication has adirect impact on the bottom line Working together wecan make it happen for you
Contact EMEA DavidFerrabeehillandknowltoncom
+44 (0) 7413 3176USA BarbaraEdlerhillandknowltoncom
+1 415 281-7160Canada KristaThompsonhillandknowltoncom
+1 613 786-9961
RECRUITMENT
VMA GROUP
VMA Group is one of the UKrsquos leading executive searchand selection consultancies specializing in internal andcorporate communication recruitment
For over 25 years VMA Group has provided the highestlevel of service to some of the most demanding globalorganizations developing a strong track record for thequality and professionalism of our search and selection work
We have in-depth specialist knowledge of the internalcommunication market and can provide high-qualitypermanent and interim candidates with expertise acrossinternal communication change management and widercorporate communication We understand the needs ofour clients intrinsically and strive to develop long-termrelationships with clients and candidates alike
Please call to discuss how we can help you find theideal candidate or if you wish to make a career move
Contact David BroomeTel +44 (0)20 7436 4243E-mail dbroomevmagroupcoukWeb site wwwvmagroupcouk
40 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONALCOMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS E-mail gaitensunityncsueduWeb site wwwconsultingsuccessorgTel 919 469 3895
CIB ndash BRITISH ASSOCIATION OFCOMMUNICATORS IN BUSINESSE-mail enquiriescibukcomWeb site wwwcibukcomTel +44 (0)870 121 7606
CCM ndash COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATIONMANAGEMENT E-mail membership
ccmconnectioncomWeb site wwwccmconnectioncomTel 866 463 4226
CPRS ndash THE CANADIAN PUBLICRELATIONS SOCIETYE-mail admincprscaWeb site wwwcprscaTel 416 239 7034
IABC ndash THE INTERNATIONALASSOCIATION OF BUSINESSCOMMUNICATORS E-mail service_centreiabccomWeb site wwwiabccomTel 415 544 4700
ICA ndash THE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONALLIANCE E-mail amandafoistericaukorgWeb site wwwiprorgukicaTel +44 (0)1628 642 044
CIPR ndash THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OFPUBLIC RELATIONS UKE-mail infoiprorgukWeb site wwwiprorgukTel +44 (0)20 7253 5151
IPRA ndash THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICRELATIONS ASSOCIATIONE-mail ipraseccompuservecomWeb site wwwipraorgTel +44 (0) 1372 461 188
PRSA ndash PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OFAMERICAE-mail resourcesprsaorgWeb site wwwprsaorgTel 212 460 1459
DIRECTORY OF SERVICESNEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
CONSULTANCY
When talking about return on investment(ROI) for the intranet and other ldquosoftrdquobenefits these are the kinds of results oroutcomes usually referred to
Measurable ROI from hard benefitsinclude bull less paperbull less hardwarebull less headcount andbull increased sales
Soft benefits includebull increased employee productivitybull better customer satisfactionbull faster time to market andbull improved employee retention
IBM Oracle and Cisco all measure theimpact and benefits of their intranet Allof them have measured the value to begreater than US$1 billion In fact IBMhas realized benefits from e-learning viathe intranet alone to be more thanUS$284 million
BT the UK telecommunicationscompany uses an online idea jar foremployees called ldquoPersonnel TodayrdquoEmployee ideas have saved BT nearlyUKpound100 million over the past four years
Sodexhorsquos SuperSleuthOne of my personal favorites is theSodexho USA Sales SuperSleuthSuperSleuth is an intranet web page andapplication that encourages employees tosubmit sales leads and prospective clientsvia the intranet
The SuperSleuth intranet pagegenerates cash rewards of up toUS$1000 for the person making thesubmission Sodexho says it hascontributed to a 100-percent increase insales leads In fact the SuperSleuth toolhas led to US$90 million in managedvolume (net client sales including salesby client) This is proof positive of akiller application
Impressive numbers As impressive as those numbers are youdonrsquot have to be a large technologycompany to realize measured ROIbenefits ndash ROI isnrsquot reserved solely forbig multinationals
QAS is a world leader in address
management and data accuracy Basedon data secured from national postalauthorities and other leading sourcesQAS captures cleans and enhances theintegrity of name and address data QAShas 400 employees with offices in the UK(headquarters) US Canada SingaporeAustralia and across Europe
While awards are nice to receive theQAS intranet has received more thanjust kudos ndash itrsquos delivering measuredresults and value for the business Someof the measured ROI benefits include bull Online expenses saved four person-
days per monthbull Finance savings online workflow has
reduced administrative processingtime from two weeks to one day
bull Purchase ordering saved four person-days per month and an ROI savingsof US$20000 per year
bull Sales proposal builder streamlinedproposal and sales process savesalmost US$25000 per year
bull Intranet use 115-percent increase inusage of the intranet (infers a yet tobe measured productivity gain)
Of all the measurements perhaps thesingle most important is ROI Tomaximize the intranetrsquos value andpotential you must secure the support ofsenior management If you want theirattention and support you better talktheir talk Nothing gets their attentionmore than ROI
Sell the sizzleIf executives view the intranet as a costcenter then itrsquos your responsibility to sellthe sizzle and prove the value with harddata ROI is everything in someorganizations (for example in financialservices) Other more progressivecompanies are intent to know and trackemployee satisfaction and productivity
Still others want to know both It alldepends on your organization andculture However only throughmeasurement will the intranet become ameasured quantity and a proven asset
Source Transforming your intranetwwwmelcrumcom
DOES YOUR INTRANETPAY ITS WAY
Toby Ward is a broadcast journalist turned consultant He founded and launchedPrescient Digital Media (wwwPrescientDigitalcom) in early 2001 His specialismsare site evaluation and strategic planning He blogs at wwwIntranetBlogcom
Hard data demonstratingvalue generated by the
intranet will alter itsperception as a cost center
In Melcrumrsquos report on Transforming your intranet Toby Ward of Prescient DigitalMedia authors a chapter on how to measure the value and success of your intranetHere we share his thoughts on that frequently elusive indicator of success ndash returnon investment
TOBY WARD
10 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
RESE
AR
CH
amp M
EA
SUR
EM
EN
T
scm
ldquoTO MAXIMIZE THEINTRANETrsquoS POTENTIALYOU MUST SECURE THESUPPORT OF SENIORMANAGEMENTrdquo
There are three situations that are mostlikely to create plummeting surveyresponse rates1 When a group never hears the
findings of past surveys or anyresulting changes they begin to thinktheir opinions donrsquot matter If theirpast opinions were valued so lightlythey feel less urgency to sharefurther opinions
2 When the group being researched isrelatively small researchers typicallyneed to poll the entire group on eachsurvey rather than querying arandom sample For example if youhave 1000 employees you wouldneed to obtain 259 responses to haveresults accurate within a margin oferror of 5 percentage points If thecompany is typically receiving a 25-percent response rate on surveysthat means that all 1000 employeesneed to be invited to participate inthe survey to get about the minimumnecessary number of responses for asufficient level of accuracyUnfortunately even for largergroups researchers sometimessurvey the whole group on everysurvey instead of identifying the rightsize random sample
3 When surveys are badly designedrespondents quit them midwaythrough The respondentrsquos feeling isldquoIf the company canrsquot be bothered todesign a good survey Irsquom not going
to waste my time taking itrdquo Somemajor survey design flaws includequestions that are difficult tounderstand questions withinsufficient or inappropriateresponse options or questions thatseem to have little relevance for therespondent Other major designturn-offs are surveys that are toolong or that are composed mostly ofopen-ended essay questions both ofwhich take too much time to answerFinally asking too manydemographic questions especially atthe beginning of a surveycompromises respondentsrsquo sense ofanonymity and kills their desire toanswer even the first real question
The following steps will help overcomethese three problems
Coordinate surveysTo avoid asking the same people torespond to too many surveys within ashort time coordinate all employee orcustomer surveys through a clearinghouse so that the timing of surveys doesnrsquotoverlap and you donrsquot ask questions forwhich answers are already available
Send the survey to only a sample ofthe audience (although yoursquoll need astatisticianrsquos help in selecting a sample ofthe right size) If you know severalsurveys will be administered about thesame time pick mutually exclusiverandom samples at the same time so thatno one person receives more than onesurvey during that period
Use short surveysThe shorter the survey the more likelypeople are to give you their time If youhave 100 questions that must beanswered break them into threeseparate surveys of about 33 questionsand administer them to three mirror-image random samples Yoursquoll besurveying more people but eachparticipantrsquos time commitment will berelatively minor
Also consider doing very short ldquostealthsurveysrdquo by phone for which you donrsquotobtain advance permission People mightnot even know theyrsquove been surveyed Asyou (and a team of volunteers) have theseconversations with respondents you wouldrecord their answers on a questionnaire
Connect research to resultsSome companies have a long history ofnot communicating results or outcomesof previous surveys If thatrsquos true of yourorganization try these two techniquesbull On a regular basis when announcing
changes the company is makingconnect the changes with relatedsurvey results ndash even if a changewasnrsquot made solely because of theresearch Your audience will get themessage that stakeholder opinionsare a regular factor in the waymanagement makes decisions
bull In the invitation to a new surveybegin with key findings and changesthat were made based on a similarpast survey and ask respondents tolet you know through the new surveyif the company is still on track Thisway your potential respondents hearthat completing surveys does resultin changes ndash at the very momenttheyrsquore determining if your latestsurvey is worth their time
FINDING A CURE FORSURVEY FATIGUE
Angela Sinickas ABC is president of Sinickas Communications Inc an internationalcommunication consultancy specializing in helping corporations achieve businessresults through targeted diagnostics and practical solutions For more informationvisit wwwsinicomcom
A downward trend in survey response rates is often blamed on the fact that peoplesimply become tired of taking surveys But there are ways to avoid the malaisesetting in says Angela Sinickas a key one being making sure that people feel theiropinions are actually being listened to Here she shares three common causes ofsurvey fatigue and how to deal with them
11scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
RESE
AR
CH
amp M
EA
SUR
EM
EN
Tscm
ANGELA SINICKAS
Little feedback the wrongsample size and poorly
designed surveys all leadto low response rates
12 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Organizations today ndash driven byincreased competition merger-and-acquisition activity and large complextransformation programs ndash arecharacterized by the need for constantand rapid change In our experienceconsistent leadership communicationsare at the center of helping theirorganizations address these challenges
With all the complex transformationprograms we work on we encourage the
leadership team to create a simple one-page ldquomessage maprdquo to use over a definedtimeframe The message map which welink to key program milestones andsuccesses helps the leadership team toplan what theyrsquoll share with employeesand other stakeholders and when
Message maps can address commonfailures of leadership communicationDuring global cross-functional programswhen all leaders consistently reinforce
the same messages they emerge as ajoined-up forward-thinking team
Message maps are also effective whenbuilding up communication to employeesover time rather than overwhelmingstaff with changes or diminishingleadership credibility by waiting too longto communicate
Compiling a message mapThe process wersquove used in the past to helpleaders develop a message map is quitestraight forward This is what we dobull We encourage leaders to work
together to agree and articulate thestory Agreeing the story typicallyrequires experienced facilitationThis encourages leaders to definehow the story will build and thengain momentum and commitmentover time
bull The story is then converted into asimple message map The mapshould make sense to all change-program leaders as this tool willguide the majority of theircommunication to employees Itshould also provide a clear view ofwhatrsquos coming next Message mapsare often shown as straightforwardtimelines but there are othereffective ways to present them (seeFigure One below)
bull Once the change story has beenagreed and committed to paperleaders use the map to know whencommunications should be deliveredand what supporting documentationto use for a consistent cascade
Revisiting communication plansOf course the content of the message mapwill need to be revisited Message mapsas with all communications evolve overtime They should be frequently reviewedto ensure that the messages ndash and time-scales ndash remain relevant to the programand align with program milestones
USING MESSAGE MAPSTO GUIDE CHANGE
Sally Harris is director of theCommunications and Engagementpractice at Molten where shespecializes in managing large-scale communication and changeprograms for global clients
Facilitate a meeting withthe leadership team to
agree and articulate thechange story
Sally Harris director of the Communications and Engagement practice at Moltenbelieves itrsquos often the simplest tools that are most effective in encouraging leadersto think more strategically about their communications Here she explains why theldquomessage maprdquo is one such tool
SALLY HARRIS
LEA
DER
SHIP
CO
MM
UN
ICATIO
N
scm
Figure One Example of a global message map
13scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
brand image and set an example for thewhole company
At The Company Agency we find thatmany CEOs are looking for strategiccommunication support coaching andguidance that goes beyond what theyreceive from their rostered PR agencyThey operate in a world thatrsquos typicallyquite lonely where information isfrequently filtered theyrsquore under aconstant spotlight and a gap existsbetween them their people and theircustomers Internal communication canplay a key role in helping the CEObridge this gap
A simple checklist Every CEO is different and facesdifferent challenges but herersquos a simplechecklist if you find yourself workingwith a new CEO or in a new role with anestablished CEObull Ask your CEO what kind of person
they would like to be viewed as byemployees ndash coach them oncommunication behavior that canhelp them achieve this goal
bull Establish very quickly what theCEOrsquos key message is ndash askquestions until it is crystal clear
bull Know your business and brief yourCEO on what type of communicationis effective or not within yourorganization
bull Provide informed guidance onemerging communication trends ndashsuch as social media ndash and explainthe business impact
bull Understand how the CEO listens towhat people are saying
bull Determine the CEOscommunication preferences ndash howdoes he or she like to receive andshare information both inside andoutside work
You should expect to be the leaderrsquoscommunicator ndash developing messagesand ensuring theyrsquore conveyed in themost appropriate way But the balanceshould be tipping more towards beingthe communication leader ndash a role whereyoursquore providing strategic counsel to theCEO and coaching them so theyrsquore moreeffective in their new role and environment
In May last year the managementconsultants Booze Allen Hamiltonpublished their annual report on chiefexecutive attrition The Crest of theTurnover Wave After studying the move-ments of CEOs from the largest 2500companies in the world they uncoveredsome rather startling facts An incredible1 in 7 CEOs will change job over thenext 12 months with poor-performingCEOs staying in office for two years Bycomparison the high-performing CEOstays in the job for just under eight years
Given that their tenure may be brief thisresearch only reinforces that the first 100days for the chief executive is a critical time
Creating myths and legendsOver the past 20 years Irsquove had the goodfortune to work for some great brandsand leaders Experience tells me thatduring their first 100 days the reputationthey bring from their previous job willeither be validated or contradictedEverything they say and do will bescrutinised Perceptions will be quicklyformed about their style and personalityMyths and legends will become thehottest gossip in the workplace
With this in mind itrsquos critical toquickly establish their reputation andwhat they stand for Internalcommunication can play a valuable rolein supporting the CEO and in turnestablish a long-term relationship withtheir new leader
Uncovering perceptionsDeveloping a personalized communica-tion strategy must start by finding outhow the new leader is perceived While aquantitative survey may satisfy those witha hunger for numbers qualitativeresearch will uncover how people reallyview the CEO as an individual and leader
With these insights itrsquos possible todevelop a plan to shape the existingreputation into one they would like tohave in the new organization This meansidentifying what they stand for andhelping them articulate how this supportsand builds the brand of the organization
Charismatic leadersIf you think about charismatic leaderssuch as Stuart Rose of Marks amp SpencerRichard Branson of Virgin or PhilKnight of Nike organizational culture isheavily influenced by the personality ofits chief executive
The behavior that resides within theorganization is typically a reflection ofthe CEOrsquos behavior and becomesassociated with the brand So itrsquosimportant to define what the new CEOwants the corporate brand to stand forand what they can do to achieve that
LEADERS IN TRANSITIONTHE FIRST 100 DAYSIn a recent Melcrum survey 44 percent of respondents said they plan to spend more ormuch more on communication training for leaders and managers With the topic firmlyon the agenda for the forseeable future this issue sees the launch of a new regularcolumn by leadership communication expert Darren Briggs He kicks off with adviceon making the most of the CEOrsquos first 100 days ndash a critical time for any new leader
LEA
DER
SHIP
CO
MM
UN
ICATIO
Nscm
DARREN BRIGGS
The first of a new regularcolumn on leadership
urges communicators tosupport new leaders
Darren Briggs is partner at The Company Agency where he advises and coachessenior leaders to be more effective communicators He has 20 years corporateexperience working at chief executive and board level with companies such as BritishAirways Microsoft Nike PepsiCo and Vodafone
The title of advertising guru PaulArdenrsquos book Itrsquos not how good you areitrsquos how good you want to be captures theessence of ambition And our recent surveysuggests that this is a message internalcommunicators should take to heart
As part of our research1 to define a listof core skills and competencies forprofessional communicators we askedpractitioners from around the worldabout their future career goals and howthey plan to achieve them Surprisinglyfor a profession that stresses the need forstrategies and plans most internalcommunicators appear to have a fairly adhoc approach to their own development
Results from the surveyAbout 70 percent of our sample said theyexpected to stay in internal communicationover the next three years Thirty-twopercent saw themselves gaining moreexperience within their existing jobswhile 37 percent aim to move into adifferent internal communication role
When we asked respondents what theywere doing to help develop their careersgaining wider experience being better
networked and finding a coach came topof their lists
Be honest with yourselfNow these seem like fairly informalactivities You might think they take lessorganizing than say investing the timeand budget to do a course or study for aformal qualification But if yoursquore beinghonest you know that getting the go-aheadto work on more challenging projectsfinding the right coach and building aprofessional network takes time andplanning These things donrsquot just happenovernight ndash unless yoursquore very lucky
Yet less than a quarter of internalcommunicators have a formal plan to helpstructure their thoughts about careerprogression and make sure their develop-ment objectives are met Twenty-onepercent say they have no plan whatsoeverand about half the respondents wecontacted say they have a plan but itrsquosnot formalized or agreed
Make the timeMaking time to discuss your career goalswith your manager and getting apersonal development plan down onpaper will pay dividends After all who
decides whether you get to work on themore interesting projects or not Andwhen yoursquore being dragged under byyour workload wouldnrsquot it be helpful tohave some targets to remind you to makethe time to network or read that articlesitting in your reading folder
If wersquove convinced you to think aboutyour own professional development hereare three important steps to get started
1 Be clear about where yoursquore startingfrom Think about what yoursquoveachieved so far in your career Whatskills do you have what are yourstrengths and which areas needfurther development
2 Look ahead to where you want to beWhat timeframe do you have inmind for your professional develop-ment What can you focus on rightaway and what are your longer-termcareer goals Be as specific as youcan about what you want to achieveand consider the followingbull Are there areas where yoursquod like
to be a ldquostar performerrdquo in yourcurrent role
bull How can you expand your networkor reach in the wider industry
bull How can you broaden your depthof skills or experience outsideyour current remit
bull How do you plan to move onwardsand upwards to a new role
3 Think about how yoursquoll close the gapWhat knowledge skills andexperience do you need What typeof development activity will help youget to where you want to be
If you know in your heart of hearts thatyou donrsquot invest enough time and effortin your own development make the timeto start doing this now
In our next column we plan to look atthe range of development optionsavailable and hear some reflections fromindustry leaders on what helped themreally accelerate their own learning andprofessional development
1 Turn to page 16 for a more detailed analysis of the study
GET YOUR DEVELOPMENT PLANON TRACK
Sue Dewhurst and Liam FitzPatrick run Competent Communicators acompany specializing in professional development for internalcommunicators and Melcrumrsquos official training and developmentpartner For more information go to wwwcompetentcommunicatorscom
A study into skills and competenciesfor communicators
reveals a lack ofclear career planning
The path to a senior role in internal communication is paved with good intentionsOr so suggests a recent study by development experts Sue Dewhurst and LiamFitzPatrick Here in the first of a new regular column on professional developmentthey review the studyrsquos findings lament the lack of a career plan and urge internalcommunicators to take action and plan their own development
SUE DEWHURST AND LIAM FITZPATRICK
14 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PR
OFE
SSION
AL D
EV
ELO
PM
EN
T
scm
ldquoTHESE THINGS DONrsquoTJUST HAPPENOVERNIGHT ndash UNLESSYOUrsquoRE VERY LUCKYrdquo
15scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PR
OFE
SSION
AL D
EV
ELO
PM
EN
Tscm
3 Cut the jargonJargon may have its place but it has noplace in employee communicationPhrases such as work-life balanceemployer of choice critical mass and thelike may make sense in behind-the-scenes discussions However when itrsquostime to communicate to the masses weneed to translate these concepts intoPlain English and provide a context tohelp employees understand Yes it takessome work but the payoff makes itworth the effort
Say the head of HR wants to share thelatest developments in ldquowork-life balancerdquothat will benefit employees He may betempted to relay the news using theterminology hersquos used to using with hisstaff However most employees havenrsquotbeen in on those discussions so theconcept may be foreign or fuzzy to themndash even if theyrsquod heard the term before
Any progress HR makes on the work-life balance front gives it the opportunityto communicate in a personal humanway and in the process capture employeesrsquoattention on an emotional level
The HR leaderrsquos message thereforemay go something like this Our liveshave never been busier and there are onlyso many hours in a day Because we atXYZ Company recognize how important itis to you to be able to spend real time withyour families while managing theresponsibilities you have on the job wersquovedesigned a program that we hope willmake your life less hectic
Most employees will relate to thatmessage It plays to their needs which isa powerful hook
Guarding against gremlinsKeeping an eye out for the jargonpassive voice and other gremlins thatmay infiltrate your writing is a goodtraining ground for being able toobjectively critique your own work Italso conditions you to look for otherways to improve your writing a habitthat will serve you well throughout yourlifelong apprenticeship
No onersquos work is as continually visible inan organization as the communicatorrsquosOur superiors our peers and the entireemployee population see us as theparagons of communications competenceThey look to the messages wersquove craftedas models of writing excellence and willpattern their own accordingly
When you think of it itrsquos one heck of aburden to bear After all how else didyou get the job if you couldnrsquot write well
But regardless of how well you dowrite how senior you are or how longyoursquove had that coveted ldquoseat at thetablerdquo when it comes to writing yoursquollalways have room to grow Thatrsquos becausewriting is as one learned professor sowisely termed it a ldquolifelong apprenticeshiprdquo
Here are three ways to improve yourwriting immediately
1 Avoid the passive voiceThe passive voice manages to creep intomessages to employees and itrsquos a sureroad to eroding their engagement It allowsthe writer to hide behind the message itclouds direction and itrsquos boring
Herersquos an example of really woefulwriting ndash a sentence structure that yoursquoresure to recognize Employees areencouraged to submit this form by the endof the month
Analyze that sentence and yoursquoll seethat not only is there no owner to thestatement but therersquos no clear directionEmployees are encouraged by whom
and what does ldquoencouragedrdquo meananyway Are employees required tosubmit the form If so then say so
The sad truth is this passive style ofwriting is all too common the happytruth is that we communicators are in aposition to do something about it Oftenall it takes is a quick rewrite Pleasesubmit this form by [insert specific date]Clear direct concise
2 Use second person Why talk at people when you can talk tothem When yoursquore communicating withemployees the use of ldquoyourdquo can befriendly and inviting
Take this message XYZ Companyemployees at customer locations shouldalways first check with their hosts to ensurethat connecting to the XYZ network ispermitted
Look what happens when itrsquos rewrittenfrom third person into second If yoursquoreworking at a customer site be sure to firstcheck with your host that itrsquos OK toconnect to our network
Yoursquove gone from impersonal toconversational
DO YOUR WRITING SKILLSLET YOU DOWNA recent discussion on the Melcrum blog raised the question of whether or not goodwriting skills are still important to the more strategically focused communicator Theconsensus was a definite yes ndash your writing ability makes an impression and itrsquos upto you whether thatrsquos good or bad Denise Baron provides some advice on how tomake sure itrsquos the former
DENISE BARON
However strategicyour role the ability
to write well remainsan important skill
Denise Baron is president of Baron Communications a business communicationsconsultancy providing strategic planning and marketing internal communicationproject management and editorial services to Fortune 500 companies
16 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Over the past five years wersquove found ourselvesbecoming more and more involved in conversationsabout careers in internal communication As theprofession matures expectations of itspractitioners are rising and for many people ajob in communication is no longer just a short-term stepping-stone en route to better things
But the question we hear time and time again isldquoWhat does lsquogoodrsquo look like when it comes to
internal communicationrdquo What skills knowledgeand experience should an effective internalcommunicator have at various stages in theircareer How do I know what I should bepersonally aspiring to and measuring myselfagainst How can I best develop my team Whereis the definitive framework to help me recruit thebest person for the job
In recent years there have been a number ofgood attempts to answer these questions In theUK a group of professional bodies got togetherto write the Inter-Comm matrix1 It listed theskills knowledge and experience a practitionermight need according to their level of experience
We were both involved in developing this skillsmatrix which was widely welcomed when it waslaunched in 2003 Some well-respectedconsultancies have also developed models to showhow a typical career path might progress whichhave helped structure career planning forindividuals and teams
A flexible model for a diverse professionDespite the success of the Inter-Comm matrix wefelt there was more to be done in the area ofprofessional development for internal communica-tors Fundamentally existing models tend to showa one-dimensional and predictable career pathstarting as a junior deliverer and developing into astrategic business-focused consultant
The implication is that if yoursquore deliveringcommunication or are tactically focused you musthave a junior role and if you have a more seniorrole you donrsquot get your hands dirty doingmundane things like writing or managing the
Building a learningframework for internalcommunicators
Planning your teamrsquos professional developmentmeans understanding the skills and experienceneeded to be successful Sue Dewhurst and Liam
FitzPatrick of Competent Communicators have beenresearching how internal communicators spend their timeat work and what behaviors the most effectivepractitioners display Here they describe a new learningframework that has emerged from the study
Identifying the typical roles andskills required for your team
BY SUE DEWHURST AND LIAM FITZPATRICK
scm FEATURES
ABOUT THE RESEARCHThe findings discussed in this article are based on research conducted at theend of 2006 More than 700 in-house practitioners replied to a survey aboutcareers competencies and development plans
A factor analysis of the data conducted by Ash Pattni Associates generated anumber of role types which were then discussed with 30 professionals atdifferent stages of their careers based in the UK Europe and North AmericaThese discussions mainly took the form of interviews and focus groups
The study also referred to data on competency modeling prepared by theUKrsquos Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
1 2 3 4 5
17scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
intranet or organizing eventsBut clearly the world of internal communication
isnrsquot quite that straightforward People join theprofession via all kinds of routes and at differentstages of their careers
We interviewed someone who started out as thedirectorrsquos PA a successful senior executive whostarted out as an engineer a former psychologylecturer and others who had joined through moreobvious routes in publishing and PR
Some had started out in junior roles Forothers their first role in internal communicationwas as a business partner Others had alreadyreached a senior position in another function andsimply moved across at the same level
A key objective of this study was to develop amodel that reflected the diverse reality of life ininternal communication one that was flexibleenough to be adapted to fit organizations andcommunication teams of all shapes and sizes
So we began our research by surveying communica-tors worldwide to find out how they actuallyspend their time on a daily basis and what skillsknowledge and experience they regularly use
The six types of practitionerStatistical analysis of the survey data suggestedthere were six stereotypical role types withininternal communication By ldquotypesrdquo we meansegments or groups of people who share verysimilar characteristics in terms of their skills andstrengths spend their time carrying out similartypes of activities and whose outputs tend to bejudged in similar ways
Most importantly these types can be plottedagainst two dimensions based on how they spendtheir time (advising or doing) and where theirfocus is (strategy or tactics) Figure One (right)illustrates these six types and how they plotagainst the two dimensions
Clearly every organization is slightly differentbut the six stereotypes described below shouldprovide a starting point for thinking about theroles and types of people you need in your team
1 The Leader Internal communication leaders manage teamsand lead the function either for an entire organiza-tion or for a large division or territory Theyspend much of their time managing and coachingteam members and working with senior managersThey see themselves as business people first andcommunicators second However itrsquos taken as readthat they have sound technical ability and will rollup their sleeves when needed Great internal andexternal networkers theyrsquore skilled at dealing withuncertainty and conflict Theyrsquore likely to bemeasured on business results and through thesubjective opinion of their senior customers
2 The Advisor Advisors support departments or major projectsby providing advice developing communicationplans and providing hands-on support to deliverthem Local managers trust them for their insightsinto business problems and understanding of howtheir organization really works Through well-developed networks and time spent understandingtheir audiences and carrying out research andfeedback they know whatrsquos really going onTheyrsquore judged on the quality of their advice andtheir ability to translate that advice into plansactivities and actions
3 The ManagerThe internal communication manager has excellentcraft skills and a sound knowledge of channelsThey spend most of their time on delivery Whenthey advise itrsquos normally about the best channelsto use or the most appropriate timing Goodmanagers arenrsquot easily intimidated and are greatat juggling different priorities Theyrsquore skilled attranslating between the boardroom and the shopfloor Their contribution is often measured bytheir ability to deliver activity against a plan andthe quality of work they and their team produce
4 The DelivererMost teams have someone in this role ndash a safepair of hands who can be trusted to make thingshappen That might range from compilingdistribution lists through to running a conferencesorting out the CEOrsquos open forum or writing andediting a newsletter Theyrsquore less likely tosupervise other communicators and depend ontheir organizational and craft skills to get the jobdone People value them for their ability to dothings on time and to a high standard 3
Sue Dewhurst and LiamFitzPatrick run CompetentCommunicators a firmspecializing in professionaldevelopment for internalcommunicators TheyrsquoreMelcrumrsquos official training anddevelopment advisors anddeliver Melcrumrsquos Black Belttraining program Theyrsquore alsothe authors of a forthcomingreport on competenciesdevelopment and standardsfor internal communicatorsand blog about developmentissues onwwwBlackBeltDojocouk
Figure One Six typical role types for internal communicators
TheLeader
TheLocal Agent
The Deliverer
TheAdvisor
TheManagerADVISE
STRATEGY
IMPLEMENT
TACTICS
TheSpecialist
KEY POINTSbull A new study has established how communicators spend their time and
what skills knowledge and experience they regularly use
bull The research identifies six stereotypical roles ranging from acommunication leader to a specialist (eg a web or events expert)
bull It also highlights 12 competencies that clarify the behaviors acompetent practitioner should display at each level An ldquoineffectiverdquocategory shows behaviors displayed by less able performers
bull The roles and competencies provide a framework for development
Building a learning framework for internal communicators
18 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
5 The Local AgentThis category covers a broad range of peoplefrom the plant managerrsquos personal assistant to aregional communication manager Internalcommunication is often one of severalresponsibilities for this person and they tend tohave a tactical focus Their agenda is normally setby the local management team although theirlocal knowledge and network makes them aninvaluable sounding board for the corporatecommunication team They tend to be judged onwhether activities happen and how satisfied theirlocal manager is with them
6 The SpecialistOur research found a small group of peopleworking in internal communication who see them-selves as subject-matter experts in a specialist areasuch as web management audio-visual productionor event management They have only a looseconnection to the mainstream profession andcould equally work in IT marketing or perhapsHR Because theyrsquore highly specialized they tendto work in large organizations
Building a competency frameworkOnce statistical analysis had suggested these sixrole types we began testing them out throughfocus groups and interviews with practitioners Inparticular we asked what skills knowledge andexperience people in each type of role neededwhat people saw outstanding practitioners doingwhat poor performance looked like and howpeople in the six role types spent their time
On the basis of this information we developeda series of 12 competencies (see Figure Two left)We found that each of the six role types could bedefined bybull Which of the competencies they need to carry
out their role (not everyone needs all 12)bull The level of skill knowledge and experience
they need in each competencybull How much of their time they spend using
each competency ndash a high medium or lowamount For instance there was commonagreement that the communication leadermust have strong craft skills (writing anddesign) but compared to say the delivererthey spend a relatively low percentage of theirtime working on this type of activity
Each of the 12 competencies has three levelsbasic intermediate and advanced Based on thedata we gathered we defined the behaviors youmight expect to see a competent internalcommunication professional display at each level
We also added an ldquoineffectiverdquo category listingthose behaviors our interviewees told us weredisplayed by less able performers For example
7
COMPETENCY DEFINITION
Building effectiverelationships
Developing and maintaining relationships that inspire trust and respectBuilding a network and influencing others to make things happen
Business focus Having a clear understanding of the business issues Usingcommunication to help solve organization issues and achieveorganizational problems
Consulting andcoaching
Recommending appropriate solutions Helping others make informeddecisions Building other peoplersquos communications competence
Cross-functionalawareness
Understanding the different contributions from other disciplines andworking with colleagues from across the organization to achieve betterresults
Developing othercommunicators
Helping other communicators build their communications competenceand develop their career
Innovation andcreativity
Looking for new ways of working exploring best practice and deliveringoriginal and imaginative approaches to communication problems
Listening Conducting research and managing mechanisms for gathering feedbackand employee reaction
Making it happen Turning plans into successfully implemented actions
Planning Planning communication programs and operations evaluating results
Specialist Having specific subject-matter expertise in a specialist area
Vision and standards Defining or applying a consistent approach to communication andmaintaining professional and ethical standards
Craft (writing anddesign)
Using and developing the right mix of practical communication abilitiesto hold the confidence of peers and colleagues (eg writing designmanagement etc)
Figure Two Twelve competencies for internal communicators
19scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
some ineffective behaviors attached to theldquobusiness focusrdquo competency arebull Doesnrsquot make the link between
communication activity and the business ororganizational context
bull Delivers communication activity withoutconsidering whether it will serve any usefulpurpose
bull Lacks understanding of their business area
Building a framework for a specific role The next step in this project was to develop asimple table to map out the competencyframework for an individual role showingbull The competencies needed in this rolebull The level of competency needed in each casebull How much time we expect someone in this
role to spend on these types of behaviors
You can either build a competency frameworkfrom scratch or if you think the role fits one ofthe six types we identified from the survey use thecompetency framework for this type as a startingpoint (see the framework for a communicationleader Figure Three right)
In practice competency frameworks will varyaccording to the size of the organization thenumber of people in the internal-communicationteam the expectations of managers and thespecific requirements of each individual rolewhich is why wersquove built a flexible model
For example a communication leader in alarge multinational organization may spend muchof their time setting the vision and standardscoaching and consulting building relationshipsand developing other communicators and arelatively small amount of their time ldquomaking ithappenrdquo or on writing and design Howeversomeone in a stand-alone communication leaderrole in a much smaller organization wouldprobably have to be much more of a ldquoJack of alltradesrdquo dividing their time evenly between thedifferent competencies
Next stepsMore information about the 12 competencies andthe baseline competency maps for each of the sixrole types will be detailed in a forthcomingMelcrum report Ideas on how you use thesecompetencies to plan your development areavailable to download atwwwcompetentcommunicatorscom
We hope the framework will help bringstructure to the process of defining roles planningdevelopment and specifying recruitment andwould welcome your feedbackscm
1 The Inter-Comm skills matrix is described in an article in SCMFebruaryMarch 2005 (Volume 9 Issue 2) called Developingcore competencies for internal communicators
Figure Three Framework for a communication leader
COMPETENCY LEVEL TIME
Building effective relationships Advanced High
Business focus Advanced High
Consulting and coaching Advanced High
Cross-functional awareness Advanced Medium
Developing other communicators Advanced High
Innovation and creativity Advanced Medium
Listening Advanced Low
Making it happen Advanced Low
Planning Advanced Medium
Specialist NA NA
Vision and standards Advanced High
Craft (writing and design) Advanced Low
CONTACT DETAILS
Sue DewhurstCompetent Communicatorssuedewhurstcompetentcommunicatorscom
Liam FitzPatrickCompetent Communicatorsliamfitzpatrickcompetentcommunicatorscom
ldquoOUR RESEARCH FOUND A SMALL GROUP OFPEOPLE WORKING IN INTERNALCOMMUNICATION WHO SEE THEMSELVES ASSUBJECT-MATTER EXPERTSrdquo
20 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC President and CEO John Ryan joined theorganization in 1997 For the first few years hefocused on financial viability and positioning thecorporation for the future ndash articulating a newvision redefining strategic objectives expandingproduct and service offerings and identifyingpotential growth areas
The business results were outstanding double-digit growth increasing profits and great customerloyalty But something was missing
Like many successful organizations FCCoperated with a silo mentality Organizationalpolitics consumed energy that Ryan felt detractedfrom employee satisfaction and he worried aboutthe impact on the customer experience
He wanted his direct reports to work togetheras a real team ndash not to behave like individualleaders of functional areas Although the groupperformed well when there was a real challengeafter the challenge was gone so was the teamwork
This is not unusual for top executive groupsbut Ryan wasnrsquot willing to accept that fate ldquoTherehad to be a way to have a team-based
organization where leaders had the autonomythey needed to perform while actively collaboratingto achieve a new level of unprecedented resultsrdquohe said ldquoFCC had a very hierarchical culture withfirmly drawn divisional boundaries so I knew Ihad a challenge ahead of merdquo
Cultural transformation from the topIn 2002 John hired Malandro Communicationbased in Phoenix Arizona to guide FCCrsquos seniorleadership through a unique cultural transformationthat would lead to the creation of a high-performance team Leaders committed to being100-percent accountable for their impact onpeople and business results They let go of thetraditional 50-50 model ldquoIrsquoll do my part if you doyoursrdquo ndash a model that breeds a culture of blameconspiracies and distrust
In a series of formal training initiatives leaderswere taught to speak from the heart listen toother perspectives be open and responsive tofeedback and encourage personal andprofessional growth
Opportunity for internal communicationBy 2003 we were well on our way FCC producedremarkable business results with strong numbersright across the board The portfolio grew fromnearly CAN$9 billion to over CAN$10 billionThen two things happened that created anopportunity for internal communication tobecome a driver of business results 1 In 2003 we earned 50th place on Canadarsquos
ldquo50 Best Employersrdquo list and a respectableemployee engagement score of 69 percent
Defining the role ofstrategic comms atFarm Credit Canada
Farm Credit Canada (FCC) is in the fourth year of acultural-transformation program At the start of itsjourney clear expectations were set defining the role
to be played by internal communication In this summaryof the companyrsquos plans and achievements Kellie Garrettand Claire Watson describe the goals strategies andtactics employed by the internal communication teamand the impressive results achieved to date
Setting the stage for a cultural transformation
BY KELLIE GARRETT AND CLAIRE WATSON
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Farm Credit Canada isCanadarsquos largest provider offinancing to the agricultureindustry It serves 45000customers and has 1300employees working from 100rural offices across CanadaFCC is ranked eighth amongCanadarsquos 50 best employers
21scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC is a high performer in all otheroperational areas and employee engagementis a strong predictor of sustained corporateperformance But the survey showed therewas work to be done to align perceptionsbetween the senior leadership team andemployees Detailed results showed the gaps(see Figure One below)
2 Ryan became more determined to create ahigh-performance team that could deliver anextraordinary customer experience andsustainable business results
Establishing expected behaviorAs a first step towards creating a critical mass ofleaders who visibly demonstrate the behaviorsrequired to transform FCCrsquos culture middlemanagement and key cross-functional teams weretrained in responsible teamwork practices andcommunication skills
Ryan then created a set of 10 cultural practicesthat explicitly outlined how he expectedemployees at all levels to behave (see side barnext page) The foundation of these practices isthe belief that the drive for business results mustbe balanced by the attendant impact on people Inother words how the work was accomplished wasevery bit as important as what was accomplishedThe cultural practices were rolled out to allemployees in 2003
With the expected behavior from leaders andemployees clearly articulated it was time forinternal communication to find opportunities tosupport and promote these behaviors
Challenge 1 Creating a strategic frameworkOur first objective was to create a broaderstrategic framework for internal communicationA review of best-practice companies revealed thatformal media represents about 10 percent of allinternal communication channels with internalsystems accounting for another 10 percent Theremaining 80 percent is influenced by theorganizational culture
Our task was to put a formal strategy in placethat would strengthen the 10 percent ofcommunication we did have control over ndash theinternal communication channels
Within FCC the dominant employeecommunication channels were immediatemanagers e-mail and the intranet (Myinet)Front-line managers delivered corporate messagesdirectly to employees and their efforts weresupported by all-staff e-mails
There was nothing wrong with this approachbut it didnrsquot go far enough in the delivery of clearconsistent messages about strategic direction orcorporate priorities Nor did it create a line ofsight between individuals and business outcomes
For example a lack of central coordination wasresulting in unclear mixed messages thatconfused the internal audience A proliferation ofemployee surveys were independently conductedby various business units and the corporate e-mail system was choked with high volumecontributing to information overload
The intranetrsquos navigational structure and searchcapability needed major improvement datedinformation needed to be archived and majordocuments needed to be redeveloped in a web-friendly format
Defining our strategy and objectivesAware of these drawbacks we defined ourstrategy as To adopt a more integrated approachto internal communication and make sure allmessages focus employees on the businesspriorities Our strategies included the followingbull Segment the employee audience and define
communication needs based on demographicspsychographics and geographic location
bull Create a consistent voice across all groupsbull Ensure internal communication is mandatory
for all major corporate initiatives and isintegrated across channels and with othercommunication activities
bull Deliver targeted information through a varietyof channels and vehicles to reinforce messaginghelp with recall appeal to differentpreferences and create and sustain interest
bull Redevelop the intranet and position it as aninformation source for corporate businessemployee industry and technical information
bull Reduce the volume of corporate e-mailbull Implement a monthly employee survey to
replace the proliferation of one-off surveysindependently launched by business units
bull Create broad awareness and understanding ofkey corporate drivers such as business strategycorporate values and brand positioning 3
Kellie Garrett ABC MALeadership is senior VPStrategy Knowledge ampReputation at Farm CreditCanada and Chair of the IABCResearch Foundation Garrettis a frequent speaker onbusiness strategy leadershipand personal brand
Claire Watson ABC APR isthe master communicationstrategist for Farm CreditCanada Watson has won anumber of international andnational awards for her workis a published author and acertified change managementspecialist
MEASUREMENT EMPLOYEES SENIORMANAGERS
GAP
Senior management is open and honest incommunication
59 94 -35
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible
54 88 -34
Managers effectively support andimplement our people practices
48 81 -33
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 94 -23
Figure One Engagement survey results
22 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Defining the role of strategic comms at Farm Credit Canada
Successful tactics introducedSome of the tactics wersquove successfully introducedto bring this strategy to life include the following
1 Tracking key messagesWe created an employee key-message matrix thatis shared with leaders across the organization andhelps to ensure we deliver a consistent messageWe deliver the rewritten message through avariety of channels including e-mail letter featurearticle in the internal publication online throughour Monday Morning Update or directly to staffmeetings through managers and supervisors
2 Adopting a multi-channel approachWersquove expanded our channels beyond e-mail andthe intranet New channels now includebull AgriCulture ndash an employee print newsletter
published three times a year to communicatecorporate information and reinforce FCCrsquossocial and cultural fabric
bull An online feature called ldquoFrom the Desk ofthe CEOrdquo to keep employees in the loop
bull All staff e-mails from the CEO and VPsbull Discussion guides and QampAs for leadersbull Internal presentations and speeches delivered
by the senior leadership teambull Other printed material such as pocket cards
and brochures accompanied by a letter
3 Cutting down on information overloadSteps wersquove taken includebull Bundling all-staff messages into a Monday
Morning Update and bundling messages forcorporate headquarters staff into a CorporateOffice Update
bull Implementing a corporate e-mail policy withdefined subject-line conventions length andapproved topics
bull Restricting the use of all-staff e-mails to thesenior management team and certain keyindividuals
bull Improving the functionality of the intranetand redeveloping key business tools forefficient web use
bull Centralizing coordination of internal surveysbull Elevating the quality and clarity of internal
speeches and conferences to focus onstrategic business drivers
Challenge 2 Supporting leadershipThe results of our 2003 engagement survey alsorevealed an opportunity to increase trust betweenemployees and FCCrsquos senior management teamRyan and his VP responsible for communication(Kellie Garrett) believed that creating greatervisibility and better access to the senior managerswas vital to the establishment of a values-basedculture and a high-performance team
7
MEASUREMENT 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Senior management is open and honestin communication
59 73 81 83 91
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible to employees
54 71 82 83 81
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 81 87 87 85
I see strong evidence of effectiveleadership from the senior leadershipteam
69 83 87 88 93
I have a good understanding ofbusiness goals and objectives
76 77 81 81 88
Senior leadership has clearlycommunicated what we need to do tobe successful
NA NA 89 90 93
Figure Two Survey scores tracked from 2003-2007
FCCrsquoS 10 CULTURAL PRACTICESWe hold ourselves and each other accountable for
1 Our impact on business results and our impact on people
2 Delivering on commitments agreements and promises
3 Building and sustaining committed partnerships
4 Creating a safe environment where people can speak up without fear
5 We measure our success by how others perceive and respond to ourleadership not by our personal point of view
6 We talk straight in a responsible manner We are committed to the successof others ndash we do not engage in ldquoconspiracies againstrdquo people
7 We ldquolisten forrdquo contributions and commitment We do not listen againstpeople or ideas
8 We are highly coachable We actively seek and listen to coaching
9 We clean up and recover quickly
10 We acknowledge others often and celebrate both small and largesuccesses
ldquoLIKE DEVELOPING A COMPANYrsquoS IMAGE ORBRAND CULTURE CAN lsquoJUST HAPPENrsquo OR ITCAN BE DESIGNED STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONHAS PLAYED A CENTRAL ROLErdquo
23scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 FCC launched a culture-change program focused on
improving performance across the organization
bull Two key aims of the program are to encourage leaders and employeesto embody the values and improve staff engagement
bull Defining its strategy and goals at the outset internal communicationhas played a role in achieving these objectives
bull Results so far include less information overload a more accessibleleadership team and improved engagement scores
The challenge for internal communication wasto improve employeesrsquo perception of the visibilityaccessibility and trust for the senior managementteam Successful tactics introduced includebull A ldquoDine-Aroundrdquo program where three
senior leaders host a monthly lunch for ninepeople
bull An online forum called SMT Exchangewhere employees can anonymously askleaders tough questions and answers areposted for all to see
bull Senior leaders author more all-staff e-mailsare more visible and accessible at companyevents and deliver presentations that focus onconnecting employees to the business agenda
The goals we started with When we defined our internal communicationstrategy in 2003 we had some clear goals to worktowards These werebull To communicate relevant information in a
timely consistent and memorable waybull To reduce information overloadbull To influence an increase in the
communication-related elements of theengagement index
bull To contribute to an increase in employeeengagement from 69 to 74 percent
We also had specific year-one objectivesbull To increase understanding of business goals
and objectives beyond 78 percent bull To increase employee opinion about effective
senior leadership from 69 to 73 percentbull To improve employee opinions related to
senior management
Achievements and measurable resultsWith these goals guiding our efforts themeasurable results wersquove achieved so far includebull The bundling of all-staff e-mail has reduced
the volume by 88 percent ndash amounting toaround 350000 messages over one year
bull Over 450 employees have lunched with amember of the senior management team and170 QampAs have been posted on our seniormanagement online exchange
bull The survey scores relating to employeesrsquoperception of leadership and theirunderstanding of goals and objectives showsteady improvement since 2003 (see FigureTwo bottom left)
bull FCCrsquos engagement scores and subsequentranking among Canadarsquos 50 best employershas moved from 69 percent engagement and50th place in 2004 to 81 percent and 35thplace in 2005 84 percent and 12th place in2006 and 82 percent and 8th place in 2007
Cultural transformationThe internal communication strategy described inthis article has set the stage to communicatecultural transformation across the organization
Wersquore now in the fourth year of our culturaltransformation ndash creating an environment wherepeople are empowered feel safe and highperformance can flourish This involves aquantum shift in how employees behave andrelate to their co-workers and customers
Like developing a companyrsquos image or brandculture can ldquojust happenrdquo or it can be designedStrategic communication has played a central roleto create awareness understanding commitmentand motivate changes in behavior at every level ofthe organization
John Ryan has the final word ldquoOver the years Ihave learned that communication is at the heartof building a high-performance culture ndash a culturewhere people are fully engaged Communicationis vital Without it leaders cannot effect positivechange Our internal strategy recognizesemployees as a primary audience and a keyconduit to the customer the media stakeholdersand communities Our strategic approach tointernal communication significantly contributesto business resultsrdquo scm
CONTACT DETAILS
Kellie GarrettFarm Credit CanadaKellieGarrettfcc-facca
Claire WatsonFarm Credit CanadaClaireWatsonfcc-facca
24 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
In January 2004 Pfizer at Sandwich in Kent UKcommissioned a review of its existing charitablecontributions program which included matchedpayroll giving volunteering and grants for localcommunity charities and voluntary groups CCWorks the community investment consultancywas also approached to manage the day-to-dayadministration of grant applications from thecommunity
However it was decided that the administrationcould not be effectively managed until suitablecriteria were put in place for the grants programEssentially a company cannot outsourceresponsibility for its charitable donations unlesstherersquos a clear strategy in place for doing this
Although there were various policies in placefor the different elements of the existingcommunity investment program there was a lackof strategic direction to the program as a whole
Auditing the community grants programAs a first step CC Works examined the existinggrants program and also conducted external
benchmarking with voluntary organizations in thecommunity to gage perceptions of Pfizer
It emerged that many organizations werereceiving small grants ndash although some werenrsquotsure why ndash but only 16 percent of the currentspend was going on health-related causes ForPfizer a major global healthcare company thiswasnrsquot strategic It was clear that as a healthcarecompany Pfizer should be trying to improve thehealth of its local area by focusing on three coreareas health community and education
There was also a need for grants to be morelocally focused A significant amount of the spendwas going outside of the immediate East Kentarea CC Works recommended that to allow thecompany maximum freedom to operate in itscommunity it should focus grants on theimmediate community of East Kent which alsohappened to be a deprived area
Segmenting current grantsWorking in partnership with CC Works currentgrant allocation was examined by sector localarea and size of grant and in May 2004 two-yeartargets were set to increase the strategic impact ofcommunity grantsbull Increase grants allocated to health-related
projects to 50 percentbull Increase average grant from UKpound300 to
UKpound1000bull Increase East Kent allocation to 90 percent
This change was designed to be gradual so thatthe shift in allocation could be well managed
The new focus on the community mirrors
Engaging employees inPfizerrsquos communityinvestment program
In 2003 Pfizer at Sandwich UK was running manyelements of a community investment program butthere was little awareness among employees and no
real focus By July 2006 the program had beentransformed and now actively contributes to employeeand community relationships Here Pam Baker andChristine Jenkins describe the journey from disconnectedpolicies to award-winning program
Communicating an approach with clear links toemployees and the local community
BY PAM BAKER AND CHRISTINE JENKINS
scm FEATURES
Pfizerrsquos site at Sandwich inKent is the UK manufacturingheadquarters of Pfizer Incglobal pharmaceuticalcompany Its workforce of4000 makes it the largestprivate employer in East Kent
1 2 3 4 5
25scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pfizerrsquos global mission to be ldquothe most valuedcompany to patients customers colleaguesinvestors business partners and the communitieswhere we work and liverdquo For the communityinvestment program a measurable mission wascreated ldquoto improve the health indicators of thepeople of East Kentrdquo
Focus on colleague involvementThe next step in July 2004 was to conduct areview of the employee engagement elements ofcommunity investment to examine how thesecould be better integrated These elementsincluded payroll giving volunteering and staff-matched fundraising
For Pfizer at Sandwich the obvious first choicewas to look at volunteering Eighty-five percent ofPfizer employees are minimum graduate level ndashoffering much-needed skills to a deprived areaAll employees have five paid days a year they canuse for volunteering ndash this not only supports thecommunity it boosts employee engagement andcreates opportunities for employees to visiblyconnect with the community and vice versa
In October 2004 volunteering was identified asa key area for development but for employeevolunteering to be a success it had to beproactively marketed inside Pfizer and thereneeded to be adequate support andadministration behind the program
A database of volunteering opportunitiesIn conjunction with CC Works a searchable data-base of local volunteering opportunities was createdPfizer felt it was important to create a tailoreddatabase that would be furnished internally inorder to ensure a local bias and to maintain thequality of the information supplied to employees
In order to tie in with employeesrsquo personaldevelopment plans opportunities in the databasehad to meet at least two of Pfizerrsquos six keycompetencies 1 Team development2 Project management3 Coaching and development4 Decision making5 Effective partnership6 Working with change
To fill the database with relevant opportunities allorganizations that had contacted Pfizer for grantsor funding in the past three years were re-contacted and asked if they would also beinterested in volunteering
Over 70 percent responded positively and 300volunteering opportunities were sourced CCWorks helped the voluntary organizations puttogether opportunities that were most likely totake advantage of Pfizer employeesrsquo range of
specialist skillsThese opportunities were categorized on the
database according to skill geographic area andtype of charity allowing employees to search forsomething suitable for them Pfizer wasnrsquotprescriptive in its approach and allowed staff tovolunteer where the opportunity matched theirpersonal-development goals interests or wasgeographically convenient
Opportunities were wide-ranging from helpingin a charity shop to teaching in a schoolImportantly because database management isoutsourced to CC Works therersquos constantproactivitiy around seeking new opportunities andproviding administrative support that would havebeen difficult to maintain in-house
Launching the ldquoReaching Outrdquo programTo encourage involvement and awarenessemployees were asked to suggest a name for therevitalized volunteering program ldquoReaching Outrdquowas chosen and the new volunteering website waslaunched in May 2005 The site sits on PfizerSandwichrsquos intranet and any employee orcontractor can access it
A charity week was also held to help promotethe Reaching Out program Various charitiesvisited Pfizer during lunch breaks to explain whatthey do and the opportunities to work with themA soft incentive for staff to register on theReaching Out site was that Pfizer would donate20 rehydration sachets to Unicef (monetary valueof about pound2)
Reaching Out was also featured in a webcastfrom a senior leader that went to all employees(about 3000 staff plus contractors) at the start ofthe week and it was profiled in the weekly onlinemagazine Pipeline 3
Pam Baker is directorStrategic Operations andCommunity Affairs at Pfizer UK
Christine Jenkins is founderof CC Works a consultancyoffering communityinvestment advice andpractical solutions to thecorporate and voluntarysectors Previously she heldsenior manager roles in thevoluntary and private sectors
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 an audit of Pfizer at Sandwichrsquos community investment
program revealed a lack of strategic direction
bull In partnership with consultancy CC Works a decision was made tofocus the program on the local community
bull An effort to raise employee involvement through volunteering hasboosted the program and linked it to employee engagement
bull The ldquoReaching Outrdquo website gives employees the freedom to work withcharities of their choice
bull By July 2006 the ldquoHealthy Communitiesrdquo program had beentransformed and won a National Example of Excellence award fromBusiness in the Community
26 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TOP TIPS FOR COMMUNITY INVESTMENTbull Ask yourself why yoursquore undertaking this program and seek clarity around
your objectives
bull Focus on likely ldquowinsrdquondash ie areas with scope for improvement such asemployee engagement or external awareness
bull Tackle one area at a time in stages and aim for excellence in each arearather than trying to boil the ocean
bull Communication is key to success Create a distinct brand and identity forthe program to encourage awareness and involvement
bull Integrate different community programs ndash a holistic approach can maximizebenefits for the community staff engagement and corporate reputation
Over 450 employees registered to use thesite over the next two months with 230 employees(8 percent of staff) actively volunteering duringthe first year This beat a target to have 5 percentof employees volunteering 12 months after launchIn 2005 employees volunteered 4800 hours
Helping employees select the right optionEmployees can search the volunteering databaseby skill geographic area or type of charity and aregiven a range of choices Then the onus is on theemployee to speak to the charity and obtainfurther details on current opportunities inaddition to whatrsquos on the database The employeethen applies to his or her line manager Anintegrated work process enables staff to obtainapproval from their manager interact with thevoluntary organization and record their effortskeeping administration to a minimum
Managers at Pfizer Sandwich are keen foremployees to volunteer because theyrsquore aware ofthe potential benefits in terms of employeeengagement and skills development ndash a largenumber of managers are volunteers themselvesPfizer also held briefing sessions for managers toensure they were aware of the volunteeringprogram its benefits and how it works
7
Engaging employees in Pfizerrsquos community investment program
Incorporating employee feedbackThe database tracks employeesrsquo volunteeringefforts including how many hours theyrsquove doneand their feedback on the opportunitiesEmployee feedback can then be accessed by otherstaff looking for an opportunity The databasegives employees better insight into the availableopportunities and allows them to select somethingthat appeals to them so that both the employeeand the organization where they volunteer gets abetter ldquofitrdquo
The database also allows for better integrationof the whole program where volunteering canprovide an alternative or an addition to fundingFor example a well-known national charityapplied to Pfizer at Sandwich for some fundingaround a diversity initiative Pfizer suggested theirdiversity manager volunteer for them instead whohelped create the charityrsquos diversity program thatis now being launched nationally
Creating an integrated programIn May 2005 the decision was taken to bringtogether all the strands of community investmentunder one brand Healthy Communities Thisprogram was to includebull Charitable grantsbull Employee volunteeringbull Gifts in kind Community investment via gifts
in kind such as the use of Pfizer premisesresources and expertise is more easilysustainable and can bring real long-termbenefit to the local community When Pfizerfacilities are used to support communityinitiatives the face-to-face contact withemployees allows relationship-building andnetworking with key influencers Also invitingthe community to use Pfizer resources on siteldquodemystifiesrdquo the company
The overarching strategy behind HealthyCommunities was to support communityinvestment holistically (ie using several of theabove elements in combination) whereverpossible Focusing grants on the areas of greatestneed helps Pfizer achieve its overall missionHowever the donation of gifts in kind can have awider-reaching impact on the community
Taking a holistic approachAn award-winning example of this holisticapproach is the Helping Hartsdown projectwhich was Pfizer Sandwichrsquos biggest ever gift inkindvolunteering project Pfizer donated andrenovated much-needed classrooms at a localschool As well as financial support and gifts inkind the project involved over 100 staff andcontractor volunteers across all departments Aspecific promotion on the Reaching Out website
ldquoBY JULY 2006 THE lsquoHEALTHY COMMUNITIESrsquoPROGRAM HAD BEEN TRANSFORMED AND WONA NATIONAL EXAMPLE OF EXCELLENCE AWARDFROM BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITYrdquo
27scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
POSITIVE IMPACTS OF THE PROGRAMThe Healthy Communities program has had the following positive impacts for Pfizer
bull The program supports and protects Pfizerrsquos freedom to operate effectivelyin East Kent UK
bull Supporting and involving employees in the program engages and motivatesthem The company is also seen to be living its values In a recent survey55 percent of colleagues felt the program was ldquofocused and effectiverdquo
bull The program provides opportunities for colleagues to develop skills Twentypercent of colleagues surveyed stated that they had improved personalskills through taking part in the program
bull A healthy community is a better place to live and work for employees andwill aid retention Retention of the most highly skilled scientists givesPfizer Global Research and Development a competitive edge
bull A vibrant and healthy community helps to attract and retain leadingscientists from around the world
bull Community is one of Pfizerrsquos six core values Communicating activitiesinternally and externally gives a positive perception of the company
helped attract this large number of volunteersincluding senior leaders
Momentum was maintained behind thecommunication of the program with monthlynetworking breakfasts and several themed minicharity fairs to give local good causes the chanceto showcase their volunteering Individuals andteamsrsquo volunteering efforts were also regularlyprofiled in Pipeline
The December 2006 employee survey showedan 85-percent awareness level of Reaching Outand the program won a ldquoNational Example ofExcellence Awardrdquo from Business in theCommunity1
Relaunching the websiteIn June 2006 the Reaching Out website wasrelaunched to incorporate payroll giving andmatched fundraising under the same brand asvolunteering and utilize the existing software Allelements can now be applied for on the same site
The number of employees registered with thesite increased to over 1000 and the number of adhoc staff enquiries handled by CC Worksincreased dramatically as awareness andinvolvement levels rose among the workforce
External communicationA quarterly newsletter containing a round-up ofPfizerrsquos community investment work is producedand distributed widely to external stakeholdersincluding 3000 local residents Following theBusiness in the Community award the magazineCommunity News was revamped its circulationincreased and it was also desk-dropped to allemployees The magazine also helps to raiseawareness of Pfizer among local organizations
A pocket-sized booklet was produced containingkey facts and figures about the Healthy Communitiesprogram This gives employees especially seniorleaders at-a-glance information on the programallowing them to act as ambassadors for Pfizerrsquoscommunity investment work
Senior leaders at Pfizer Sandwich are keenadvocates of the program and having a clearbrand helps them communicate its benefits andraise awareness both internally and externally
Next stepsDespite its award-winning status there are plansto take Healthy Communities even further Theseinclude further research into employee feedbackand closer links to personal development plans InPfizer at Sandwichrsquos Global Operations functionvolunteering forms part of personal objectives ndashthis is an aspiration for the rest of the business
Pfizer also wants to improve team volunteeringand a toolkit is being prepared for team leaderswho wish to get involved in volunteering
Finally in order to share knowledge and bestpractice around community investment with otherlocal businesses Pfizer is hosting a Kentmembership network in conjunction with KentCounty Council This will help Pfizer work closelywith the local authority and bring local businessestogether to share ideas and collaborate toimprove their impact on the community scm
1 httpwwwbitcorguk
CONTACT DETAILS
Pam BakerPfizerpambakerpfizercom
Christine JenkinsCC Workschristinejenkinsccworkscouk
28 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Editorrsquos noteSucceeding in internal communication probablyisnrsquot all that different to succeeding in anyprofession understand whatrsquos expected of you dothe job well and deliver results But when youspeak to practitioners about how they personallyturned the corner in their careers and started tomake an impact it soon becomes clear that thereare many dos and donrsquots that can help or hinderprogress This article provides a handy checklistfor those with ambitious development plans
John G ClemonsVice President CommunicationsRaytheon Technical Services Co Llc
Take the initiativeThere have been a few career-defining momentsfor me Among them was the time when I realizedthat I was moving from a manager level to the
decision-making role of a director I worked for a senior executive who hired me
from a rival telecommunications company Uponjoining the company I developed strategiccommunication plans to address various businesschallenges During the development process Iperiodically checked in with my supervisor to gethis input and approval ndash probably more thannecessary ndash before moving to the next steps in planning
One day he called me into his office and saidthat while he liked the work I was doing for himhis expectation when he hired me as a directorwas that I would take the initiative in the job relyless on his frequent input and move forward with implementation and measurement Hewanted results
His counsel was along the lines of ldquoI hired youto do a directorrsquos job so do the job of a directorYou donrsquot have to get permission to make adifferencerdquo
Meet commitments and think strategicallyHis direction motivated me to take moreresponsibility at this new job level This alsomeant that I had to not just manage but leadmeet commitments and think more strategicallyto continue to earn not only his confidence butthe support of the entire leadership team
Irsquove found that being a communicationprofessional who is also a leader that can betrusted can get things done and truly support thegoals and objectives of an organization will notonly impress others but help build your credibilityand lead to success
How to get ahead ininternal communication
The path that leads internal communicators to thetop of their profession isnrsquot always an obvious oneWhich is why we asked a range of senior practitioners
to share their thoughts and experiences on gaining therespect of those who matter Whether its senior leadersfellow employees or your own team yoursquore looking toimpress these responses provide useful insight into howto make sure you and your work gets noticed
Senior practitioners share their views on how togain influence and credibility
COMPILED BY MANDY THATCHER
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
29scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Mark DarbyHead of Internal CommunicationsVisaUK
Be smart sharp and stubbornThe biggest lesson Irsquove learned and keep havingto remind myself is that I need to be smart sharpand stubborn to get ahead This is what thosewords mean to me in a work context
Smart I need to understand what Visa is doingand what people think about the business Thismeans constantly spending time in differentdepartments and learning from them I know whoour customers are what our challenges are andwhat our current financial performance is I havecontacts in most departments who have a fingeron the pulse which means I can have a relevantconversation with a senior person from any department
Sharp Internal communication is rarely near thetop of the agenda for senior people and my timewith them is usually short I always try to talkabout the impact on business performance assoon as possible If I circulate a document it willbe summarized to a single page at most and Idonrsquot use PowerPoint I ask a lot of ldquoonerdquo questionssuch as ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing you want employeesto do differentlyrdquo or ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing youwant me to change over the next six monthsrdquo
Stubborn I know what I want internal communica-tion to achieve at Visa and it has the support ofthe senior team Irsquove built up knowledge frombooks and articles I use my education from theBlack Belt training course1 and I speak to formercolleagues With this knowledge Irsquove becomestubborn and good at saying no because I have theinformation to back up my arguments Irsquove stoppedmy team from picking up extra projects that wonrsquotdeliver much value We focus only on projects thatadd the most value to the business and we deliveron these really well Successful delivery is thebiggest influence on any senior person
Monika StaffordHead of Internal CommunicationLloyds TSBUK
Be creative and focus on a killer issueUsing creative solutions to bring to life importantndash but often dull ndash programs can create a shinethat stretches beyond project boundaries For
example I worked on the implementation of SAPndash a business-critical systems program ndash requiringbehavior change from swathes of key yetuninterested people Successful implementationwas a big risk to get right but it was as dull asdishwater to communicate
Luckily there was a ldquoEurekardquo moment Byaligning the SAP story with the metaphor ofFormula-1 racing we could tell the tale of how itwould fulfill our need to create winningperformances for both the individual driver aswell as the back-up team in order to perform wellon the road ahead This storyline was a perfectmatch for the programrsquos objectives
Launch speakers from Formula 1 great designwork not to mention fantastic collateral allresulted in a no-hitch implementation that reallyresonated with people The global companypicked it up as the approach for worldwide rollout So faced with tedium it can actually pay tostare out of the window for creative inspiration
My other piece of advice is Focus on a killerissue If you really want to get ahead (and do besure you really do as being at the center ofchange is often akin to being in the eye of ahurricane ndash itrsquos no place for the feint-hearted)learn what keeps your business leaders up atnight Use your stakeholder-management skills toget to the people you need to help you deliversolutions then execute execute execute
Focus on value-adding work only because ifyou end up working on your companyrsquos cul-de-sacprojects yoursquoll never shine brightly enough forthe leaders in your company to notice you 3
COMPETENCY
Planning internal communication 76
Linking corporate messages to corporate vision 73
CEO communication 63
Change communication 60
Communicating to diverse audiences 60
Using the intranet as a communication tool 54
Defending your department in internal political battles 43
Line manager communication 42
Professional development of internal communication staff 33
Helping employees cope with information overload 32
Securing the appropriate level of budget for internal communication 30
Measuring the effectiveness of internal communication 28
Figure One Table from The Pulse report showing the percentage of communicators who ratethemselves as effective or very effective at listed competencies
30 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
WHATrsquoS CHANGED IN THE LAST 25 YEARS
David MoorcroftSenior Vice PresidentCorporate CommunicationsRBC Financial Group Canada
Irsquom constantly amazed at the changes that have taken place in our professionover the last 25 years and the degree of talent and knowledge required bycommunicators today to do their jobs well
Back in 1979 when I started in corporate PR the major skill sets werewriting editing and great media contacts Today good editorial skills are justtable stakes and the ability to understand business adapt technology thinkstrategically plan consummately and influence stakeholders are what landsenior communicators a seat at the management table
This change has been driven by the globalization of business the advent ofnew 247 media including the Internet the growing sophistication ofcustomers and employees increased demands for corporate transparency andmore rigorous requirements for high standards of public disclosure andfinancial reporting
MORE SKILLS THAN EVER BEFOREAs a result todayrsquos business communicator has to be more capable andknowledgeable and have more skills than ever before They must befinancially literate and technologically savvy They must understand the impactof evolving accounting and disclosure rules They must deal with legal HRpolitical and business issues And they must be prepared to deal with amultitude of potential crises that can arise at any moment in any language inany part of the world
Perhaps most challenging senior management today expects clear bottom-line returns for their investments in communication Itrsquos no longer enough toinform audiences and measure communication outputs CEOs expectcommunication to engage audiences and produce outcomes ndash something thatrequires strategic thinking planning and foresight
A friend of mine who left a senior corporate PR job to become COO of amajor public utility recently summed up the role of todayrsquos communicator thisway ldquoItrsquos one of the most important and critical roles in organizations todayand yet itrsquos often one of the least recognized and appreciatedrdquo
That sentiment may be a reality in some organizations today but with moreand more CEOs beginning to realize the bottom-line value of communication itwonrsquot be 25 years from now
Christina FeeSenior Vice President InternalCommunicationsDeutsche Post AGGermany
Seek out the important projectsI canrsquot pretend to have employed a specificapproach to my ldquopersonal PRrdquo at all But in theorganizations Irsquove worked for Irsquove had theopportunity to work on a number of excitinghigh-profile projects that have connected me withsenior stakeholders and influential people atdifferent levels
7
Irsquove learned a great deal from the project teamsIrsquove worked with and also due to the significanceand scope of the projects been able todemonstrate my worth approach and skills Irsquovehad to be passionate stand up for what I believein and think outside the box constantly
My roles within DHLDeutsche Post haveallowed me the freedom and flexibility to developand deliver new ideas but Irsquove also had to practiceand embody excellent internal communicationskills myself Having developed credibility and trustwith those that matter based on my track record Iwas allowed to go ahead with other projects
I donrsquot actively pursue the ldquoright relationshipsrdquobut rather let my work and my interactions withpeople speak for themselves This has helped medevelop mentors and supporters naturally Mylearning and development has also been expandedby the opportunity to work abroad and learn moreabout intercultural communication and interaction
Marc SilversideHead of Internal CommunicationsMacmillan Cancer SupportUK
Understand whatrsquos expected of youA newly established role heightens the need formaking a good impression so that people trustyou and feel they can come to you for advice
When I joined Macmillan I very nearly got thiswrong Perhaps this is an example that otherrsquos canlearn from
When my new CEO at Macmillan CancerSupport asked for a meeting ldquoafter a few weeks tosettle inrdquo I was confident that my wide-ranginginduction would help me understand the businessand provide the basis for what Irsquod present tosenior management
Forty structured face-to-face managerinterviews allowed me to understand needs andkey issues and I started to build personal rapportMy profile was raised and at the same timeinternal communication gained good visibility
Externally I networked with contacts in similarroles in other charities and soon found thebeginnings of a voluntary-sector network This hassince grown to over 25 members
By the time my CEO slot arrived I was armedwith input from across the charity and the resultsof an audit I felt well prepared to present myvision and solutions So I was surprised to be metwith significant resistance
I later discovered that my CEO intelligence wasincorrect What he wanted was to be askedspecifically about his own views on what internalcommunication should do and what I could do for
How to get ahead in internal communication
31scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
HOW DO YOUR SKILLS MEASURE UPFor Melcrumrsquos study into budgets salaries and trends in internalcommunication in 200607 we asked survey respondents to rate their owneffectiveness at a range of key communication competencies from planning tomeasurement The results may surprise you
For example 76 percent of respondents rate themselves as effective or veryeffective at planning internal communication but only 28 percent ratethemselves as equally effective at measuring its effectiveness (see Figure Onepage 29)
In her commentary on the results development expert Sue Dewhurst hadthe following to say
OUR STRENGTHSIt seems where we see our strengths as internal communicators is towards theldquofront endrdquo of the communication planning process For example being able tolink a plan to the business strategy knowing our audiences and being able tojoin up the dots and show people how messages link to the business vision
These are powerful strengths We are one of the few functions that tends tohave an overarching view of our entire company and is able to view thecompany and its strategy from a number of different perspectives Being ableto understand the vision and strategy view it from an audience perspectiveand then create line of sight to show what those things mean in practicalterms for peoplersquos day-to-day roles is one of the ways that we help drivebusiness performance ndash by showing people what they need to do to take thestrategy forward
In turn by knowing and working with our audiences hopefully wersquore thenalso able to make sure their views and suggestions can help shape the strategyand how itrsquos put into practice
MEASURING EFFECTIVENESSWe see ourselves as less effective towards the back end of the planningprocess in measuring the effectiveness of internal communication which tiesin with the feeling from previous questions that in fact wersquore not doing muchmeasurement or demonstrating our return on investment
Research and measurement is an area where there is plenty of expertisearound to call on There are measurement conferences research reports andpublications to understand what other organizations are doing and practicaltraining that will give you the opportunity to work in a smaller group askquestions and practice techniques For help with specific techniques try yourinternal marketing team Marketers are generally great with data and well-versed in running focus groups and putting together surveys If you have anexternal provider to support your employee engagement research try them too
Source The Pulse Essential data on budgets salaries and trends 2006-07wwwmelcrumcom
him rather than how I could benefit the charity Ihad to change my approach fast
This could have cost me my best ambassadorfrom day one So my advice is make sure yoursquoreabsolutely clear about whatrsquos expected from you
Of course the insights I gained in my first fewmonths have been valuable and since then myresults have done the talking Fortunately theCEO soon became an internal communicationsconvert and advocate
Darren CrozierCommunications ManagerHBOS plcUK
Make things happenDelivery is key to career development ndash if you sayyoursquore going to do something make sure you doit Put in the effort get the results you want andbe known as someone who can make things happenIf yoursquore seen to ldquoget things donerdquo no matter howsmall the job is people are more likely to get youinvolved in activities and ask your opinion
Gaining credibility and respect from seniorcolleagues is important but everyone in yourorganization will form an opinion of you from thepeople in the canteen right through to the CEOSo try and make sure that their opinion of you is agood one
Itrsquos not just the people within your immediatesphere of influence who can have an impact onyour career so extend your network go oncourses and get involved in professionalorganizations Many of my close workingrelationships career opportunities and indeedpersonal friendships have come from meetingpeople at such events and taking the time to keepin touch You never know how things will develop
Itrsquos also vital to earn respect be trustworthy andhave good manners To recall what an ex-bossonce said ldquoBe careful how you treat people onthe way up as you never know when you maycome across them againrdquo
One of the biggest challenges Irsquove found inrecent times is recognizing my own success andselling myself Sometimes you need to take a stepback to realize just what yoursquove achieved Evenbetter keep a log or portfolio of your successesand donrsquot be shy to speak about them becauseothers wonrsquot be shy to speak about theirs
Finally try and have some fun along the wayWe all have to work for a living so learn to makethe most of it scm
1 For more about Melcrumrsquos Internal Communication Black Belttraining program go to wwwmelcrumcom
32 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pitney Bowes has followed an aggressive strategyof growth through acquisition completing 60+acquisitions since 2001 Expansion has broadenedits product mix to include an extensive range ofsolutions from office equipment to globalpositioning software
But the companyrsquos many different specialismsand huge outsourcing operations meant that themajority of its 34000 employees werenrsquot aware ofthe full range of its service offering and thepotential for different divisions to work together
As Rob Hallam vice president EmployeeCommunication explains there was a strongbusiness case for adopting a ldquoone companyrdquoapproach ldquoBecause the businesses tended to besomewhat siloed even senior managers werefocused on their divisions
ldquoAlso because we were acquiring companiesand evolving so rapidly managers werenrsquot awareof a lot of the businesses and how they all workedtogether in the mailstreamrdquo says Hallam ldquoWewere missing out on potential cross-sellingopportunitiesrdquo
Communicating a new visionFour years ago Pitney Bowes created a OneCompany Vision statement ldquoOur aim was toensure support and cooperation across thebusiness so we could provide a comprehensive setof customer solutions ndash not just a list of productsand services by business unitrdquo says Hallam Theinternal communication challenge was to drawtogether 34000 employees and build a unifiedcorporate culture The communication strategyfocused on three key elements
1 PeopleThis focused on involving the leadershipstrengthening a two-way dialogue betweenmanagement and employees communicating theculture through leadership messaging enterprise-wide events and roadshows and buildingengagement so that everyone was workingtogether towards a One Company approach
2 ProcessesThis meant integrating the One Companyapproach into the organizationrsquos operations andinfrastructure by shifting management roles andadjusting incentives and reward structuresthroughout the company
The first step was to consolidate the companyrsquosoperating activities by appointing Murray DMartin as president and chief operating officer inSeptember 2004 Martinrsquos mantra is ldquoThink AsOne Act as One Operate As One to deliverwhat no other company canrdquo
ldquoThe COO position had previously been heldby the chairman so elevating someone to that
Communicating a OneCompany culture atPitney Bowes
Following rapid growth in the form of more than 60acquisitions over six years silo-working haddeveloped at Pitney Bowes and leaders were failing
to take advantage of profitable cross-selling opportunitiesHere Rob Hallam describes the communication elementsof a ldquoOne Companyrdquo culture-change program which hasturned the situation around simultaneously improvingcustomer service and boosting profits
Persuading disparate businessunits to work together
AN INTERVIEW WITH ROB HALLAM
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Pitney Bowes is an 87-year-old company best known forthe manufacturing operationand oversight of postagemeters It has over two millioncustomers more than 3500active patents and annualrevenue of close to $6 billion
33scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
role was a big changerdquo explains Hallam ldquoAll thebusiness units now report to a single individual atoperating level It represented a huge positivemove to start the company operationalizing OneCompany behaviorrdquo
The internal communication function wasrestructured to ensure that consistent messagingreached the entire employee population Regularmeasurement was a key part of the changeinitiative This served to define the contributionof communicating a One Company approachwhere it was adding value to Pitney Bowes and itsclients and customers and where there was stillwork to do
3 TechnologyIt was important to find the best ways to cascademessages throughout the company and keeppeople informed about what was going onwithout bombarding them with irrelevantcommunication Hallam and his team deploy avariety of channels and media including internalprint and online publications voicemail and e-mail Pitney Bowes is also in the process ofintegrating its different voicemail systems and e-mail platforms into one global system
Involving senior leadership from the outsetThe One Company strategy was an overridingpolicy that started at the top of the organizationldquoThere was a big launch at the strategic leadersrsquomeeting which is held every Januaryrdquo saysHallam ldquoThe messaging was then driven throughthe organization via a companywide globalcommunication strategyrdquo
From the outset the policy was championed bythe CEO Michael Critelli who believes thatculture is central to the Pitney Bowes brand andsaid recently ldquoMy first measure of success iswhether we are behaving as one companyrdquo Thiscommitment helped to ensure that the culturalchange was reinforced by parallel changes to thecorporate infrastructure
Building a two-way dialogueThe next step was to get the employee populationinvolved and build enterprisewide enthusiasm forthe culture change Pitney Bowes has alwaysrecognized the value of a two-way dialoguebetween management and employees and hasheld annual jobholders meetings which aresimilar to shareholdersrsquo meetings for 61 years In2005 Hallam reinvented it as an initiative calledOne Forum ndash a series of roadshows focusing oncommunicating the One Company culturethroughout the organization
Launching the One ForumIn 2005 Hallam and his team created an original
and memorable One Forum launch for the 90percent of Pitney Bowes employees based in theUS Around a quarter of US employees saw thisin person the others received a link to a websitewith streaming highlights
ldquoWe put together a two-hour roadshow eventwhich helped people to understand our OneCompany approach and made them aware of allthe businesses we were inrdquo says Hallam ldquoThethinking was that high change requires high touchFace-to-face can have far greater impact on theindividuals touched From there itrsquos a matter ofripple effect such as seeing improved One Forumbrand awareness among employees who didnrsquotactually attend one of the eventsrdquo
ldquoWe wanted the roadshow to be entertainingand energizing so we used gameshow techniquescustom-written songs and comedy specificallytailored to Pitney Bowes employees It was a funevent but it also included a keynote speech fromthe CEO and a lot of question-and-answersessions with employees It was entertainmentwith a purpose and it was a great success with employeesrdquo
The post-event employee evaluations provedthe success of this approach ldquoIn some cities anincredible 90 percent of employees gave the eventa top-box rating This shows that there was ahunger for both the knowledge and theapproachrdquo adds Hallam
Taking the show on the roadThe One Forum roadshow has become an annualevent ldquoIn a five-month period during 2005 therewere 17 One Forum events in 12 US citiesreaching about 6000 peoplerdquo says Hallam ldquoAftersome testing in March and April the first bigroadshows started in early May and continued forsix months with the final one in early Decemberin Seattle 3
Rob Hallam is vice presidentEmployee Communication atPitney Bowes (PB) in StamfordConnecticut where hersquos beenresponsible for internalcommunication strategy andimplementation since 2004Hallam has led a team ofprofessionals in reshapingcommunication at PB resultedin the communication teamearning the top ranking in HRdepartment satisfaction fromall PBrsquos US managers in 2005and 2006
KEY POINTSbull Internal communication has played an important role in embedding a
One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
bull The communication strategy focused on three key elements peopleprocess and technology
bull The campaign has been championed by the CEO from the outset andhas won senior leadership support over time
bull An entertaining roadshow helped win employee commitment
bull Cross-selling ratios have jumped substantially since the culture-changeeffort began
34 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ldquoIn 2006 we compressed the programsubstantially and drove down costs while stilltouching 6000 employees Together with ourcorporate marketing group we also introduced anextremely successful lsquoelevator speechrsquo that helpsemployees answer the much-feared questionlsquoWhat does Pitney Bowes dorsquordquo
Local variationsAlthough the entertainment component in theroadshows contributed to their success it wasspecific to the US so Hallam gave business unitsand internal communicators in other regions theresponsibility for communicating the OneCompany approach to local employees ldquoInCanada and the UK they conducted town-hallmeetings and in Latin America and other parts ofthe world they produced their own variations onthe One Forum theme We made sure that theyhad the information they needed but we limitedthe entertainment to English-speaking regionsrdquo
A commitment to employee engagementThe appointment of the new COO and the launchof the One Forum roadshows coincided with thefirst employee engagement survey in late 2004ldquoWe see engagement as very much tied to ourability to execute a One Company strategy andchange our culturerdquo says Hallam He sets outfour ways in which employee engagement isinstilled at all levels in the organization
1 Visible leadership commitment to engagementThe CEO underlines his commitment by sendingregular messages to employees via a variety ofmedia including voicemail and print and onlinepublications He also uses engagement scores todetermine a unitrsquos overall performance rating andbonus pool ldquoWhen one senior execrsquos bonus poolwas reduced due to poor engagement scores that
was a message requiring no communication planrdquosays Hallam ldquoWord spread quicklyrdquo
2 Celebrating top performers Pitney Bowes celebrates its top engagementperformers by running cover stories in its globalprint and online publication PB Today ldquoThisprogram was called lsquoThe Faces of Pitney Bowesrsquordquosays Hallam ldquoWe did 10 of these last year so theyran twice in five editions Wersquove also producedlarge mural-sized photos of those managers andtheir teamsrdquo he says ldquoWe celebrate success andpublish it everywhere Our CEO loves it and wersquoreactually selling part of our contemporary artcollection which decorates the building to makeroom for an expansion of additional OneCompany and Engagement photography all ofwhich will focus on our employeesrdquo
3 Incentivizing managers via the reward systemEmployee engagement is recognized andreinforced in the companyrsquos formal processesincluding its reward system ldquoWe use a tool calledthe Strategic Architecture which is our balancedscorecardrdquo explains Hallam ldquoItrsquos a Six-Sigma toolwhich measures employee shareholder andcustomer value Managersrsquo engagement scoresalso factor into their annual reviews soengagement has a direct impact on remunerationrdquo
4 Rewarding engagementA further program called Rapid Rewards awardscash bonuses to managers and employees foroutstanding behavior including that related toemployee engagement
Aligning the communication strategyHallam and his team are responsible fordelivering the overall employee communicationstrategy ldquoWe had to dramatically improve ourstrategic approach in order to make OneCompany a realityrdquo he says
In addition to organizing campaigns such as theOne Forum roadshows to publicize the culturechange across the enterprise Hallam hasintroduced initiatives aimed at improving thereach and delivery of internal communication andmaking sure messages get to their intendedaudiences He has also aligned the structure ofthe internal communication function with thecompanyrsquos unified culture
ldquoThere were a lot of different communicationgroups so we brought together all thecommunication leaders and formed a singleInternal Communications Councilrdquo explainsHallam ldquoThis means that the communicationfunctions in the different business units areworking together to help drive change andimprove coordinationrdquo
Communicating a One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
ldquoWHEN A SENIOR EXECrsquoS BONUS WAS REDUCEDDUE TO POOR ENGAGEMENT SCORES THAT WASA MESSAGE REQUIRING NO COMMUNICATIONPLAN WORD SPREAD QUICKLYrdquo
7
FURTHER RESOURCES3 THE IMPACT OF CULTURE AND CLIMATE ON CHANGE PROGRAMS
An article published in SCM Volume 10 Issue 6 OctoberNovember 2006
3 DRIVING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE CORPORATE CULTUREMelcrumrsquos report on communication tools techniques and best practicefrom leading organizationswwwmelcrumcom
35scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Developing a global approachHallam is also responsible for a globalcommunication project called Universal Reachwhich is sponsored by the chairman and designedto support and maintain a unified corporateculture ldquoOur goal is to provide 90 percentmessage accessibility within our key customer-facing audiencesrdquo he explains ldquoThe biggestchallenge is integrating our online communicationinfrastructure which has nine different voicemailsystems operating across the world and multiplee-mail and web platforms Wersquore pulling all thattogether to provide better reachrdquo
Since 911 the CEO and other top executiveshave broadcast weekly audio messages calledPower Talks Hallamrsquos team has worked with theleadership to ensure that they incorporate OneCompany messages and as he explains they reachmost of the employee population ldquoAbout 20000of our employees have voicemail Those whodonrsquot receive the Power Talk message either inprint or online In some divisions managers playthe Power Talk messages in staff meetingsrdquo
Engaging leadership reinforces the cultureBuilding on the CEOrsquos commitment to a OneCompany approach Hallam and his team haveorganized leadership events ndash most recently at thestrategic leadersrsquo meeting in December 2006 ndashshowing Pitney Bowes as one company in actionThis campaign has helped to engage the top 150managers in the culture change
ldquoOur post-event evaluations show a strongmove numerically in senior leadershiprsquos belief thatwersquore operating as one companyrdquo says Hallam(see Figure One above) ldquoAs theyrsquore our toughestjudges wersquore pleased by the significant differencein pre- and post-event measurementrdquo There wasalso an improvement in leadersrsquo understanding ofthe companyrsquos new mailstream category
Sustaining the new cultureAccording to Hallam rippling out the OneCompany messaging requires a consistent andcoordinated approach Communication leaders inthe various divisions are now working to weaveOne Company messages into the business-unitmeetings ldquoA lot of the messaging that welaunched at the strategic leadersrsquo meeting arebeing reiterated at the business unit level Thatrsquosbeen facilitated through the InternalCommunications Councilrdquo he says
ldquoKey metrics for the culture change programfocus on cross-selling ratios which have jumpedsubstantially since the culture change effortbeganrdquo says Hallam ldquoIn 2002 we also institutedthe ldquoPB1 Awardsrdquo which is a chairmanrecognition award that goes to teams who bestembody cross-functional behavior in working on
projects which improve our clientsrsquo profitabilityour profitability or bothrdquo
ldquoHowever wersquore only really a year into thisMuch of the evidence is anecdotal but what haschanged is that our managers have broadenedtheir vision and are thinking as solutions-providers rather than product-sellers As suchtheyrsquore involving other business units out of theirdesire to eliminate customer pain points ndashregardless of which part of Pitney Bowes gets the salerdquo
Adding value to customersUltimately managers and employees who arewell-informed about the companyrsquos products andservices are in a good position to take advantageof cross-selling opportunities Realizing thispotential enables Pitney Bowes to make extrasales to existing customers thereby increasing itsprofit margins and allowing customers to benefitfrom a mix of products and services
Shifting to a unified culture directly benefitsboth Pitney Bowes and its customers ldquoByfocusing on the whole cadre of products andservices we can help our customers improve theirbusinessesrdquo says Hallam ldquoThatrsquos where OneCompany is critical It enables our clients tobenefit from all our servicesrdquo scm
Figure One Measuring the impact of the strategic leadersrsquo meeting
CONTACT DETAILS
Rob HallamPitney Bowesrobhallampbcom
I BELIEVE THAT OUR SENIOR LEADERS (MEANING THE TOP 15 EXECS) AREWORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO DELIVER INTEGRATED HIGH-VALUESOLUTIONS TO OUR CUSTOMERS
Pre SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 73
Post SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 92
Gain in two months time 19
ldquoMANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WELL-INFORMED ABOUT THE COMPANYrsquoS PRODUCTSAND SERVICES ARE IN A GOOD POSITION TOTAKE ADVANTAGE OF CROSS-SELLINGrdquo
2007
36 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
MELCRUM TRAINING amp EVENTS
CALENDAR 2007UKEUROPESOCIAL MEDIA FORUM FORINTERNAL COMMUNICATORS UK
3 21-22 March 2007 Hilton Canary WharfLondon UKThis forum is designed for practitioners who wantto make social media part of their internalcommunication strategy Over two dayscompanies such as IBM Microsoft and BT willshare case studies demonstrating their use ofsocial-media tools Technology experts will also beon hand to provide training and show you how touse these tools
THE 3RD ANNUAL EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT CONFERENCE UK
3 22-24 May 2007 Millennium GloucesterLondon UK22 May ndash Practical workshops23-24 May ndash Two-day conferenceThis event will focus on transforming yourstrategies into action Listen to case studies fromcompanies that have achieved real andmeasurable results from their engagement effortsLearn how they did it what they achieved and howthe results were measured
THE 6TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT UK
3 16-18 October 2007 London UK After the huge success of the 2006 UK StrategicCommunication Management Summit next yearrsquosevent will once again provide you withpresentations from key figures in the industry anda chance to network with your peers Mark yourdiaries now ndash more details to follow
THE 3RD ANNUAL INTERNALCOMMUNICATION MEASUREMENTCONFERENCE UK
3 27-29 November 2007 London UKDetails available soon ndash mark your diary now
NORTH AMERICATHE 3RD ANNUAL CONFERENCEON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENTBUILDING AND SUSTAINING ACULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT
3 28 February ndash 1 March 2007 Crowne PlazaAtlanta-Buckhead Atlanta USLearn how to foster an environment whereemployees feel valued and respected Hear fromcompanies including Dow Corning CorporationAmerican Express Delta Hotels and Merck
THE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT US
3 26-28 March 2007 Crowne Plaza UnionSquare San Francisco26 March ndash Pre-conference workshops27-28 March ndash Two-day summitAttend this conference and discover how toimprove employee alignment with all segments ofyour internal audience ndash from your front-lineemployees to your executive officers bothnationally and worldwide
AUSTRALIATHE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION ENGAGEMENTSUMMIT SYDNEY
3 31 July ndash 2 August 2007 Sydney Australia Details available soon ndash mark your diary now
WEBINARSDEVELOPING PROFESSIONALCOMPETENCE
3 Thursday 22 February 2007 with LiamFitzPatrick and Sue Dewhurst
HELPING YOUR ORGANIZATIONTHRIVE DURING TURBULENTTIMES
3 Thursday 29 March 2007 with Carol KinseyGoman
TRAININGTHE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT PROGRAM
3 24-25 April and 1-2 May 2007 HenleyManagement College UK3 11-12 and 27-28 September 2007 Cranfield
School of Management UK
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT MASTERCLASSEFFECTIVE MEASUREMENT
3 14-15 March 2007 Hendon Hall Hendon UKAn essential two-day intensive training courses forinternal communicators on effective measurementRegister early as places are strictly limited to 20people per Masterclass
CSR DELIVERY ENGAGEMENT amp LEADERSHIP
3 19-20 April 2007 Central LondonOsney MediaWith an excellent speaker line-up from high-profile companies including Procter amp Gamble The BodyShop ExxonMobil Microsoft Belgium Vodafone UK Dell Ericsson and Alliance Boots this case studybased event will answer questions including how do Ibull Build a CSR-oriented leadershipbull Get people on boardbull Integrate CSR with the global strategy of the companybull Deliver CSR throughout the company to make it really happen
For more information visit wwwcsrleadershipcom or e-mail mariame_lindellosneymediacouk (Reference code 910MLC3)
38 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
DESIGN
YELLOW
The future success of all organisations will be builton trust understanding passion empowermentintegrity and relationships
The future is cool exciting sparkling organisationsbursting with energy life and action
The future of brand is the internal brand first andforemost
The future is colleague as customer
Turning communications upside down
No just inside-out
Be part of the future say hello to Yellow
We help large organisations bring their communicationsstrategies to life through the imaginative use of liveevents multimedia web and design ndash distributed acrossall media platforms including DVD TV mobile devicesintranet and extranet
Ultimately developing internal brands and ongoingcommunications that have a measurable impact onpeople-performance advocacy and the bottom line
Contact Paul MiddletonTel +44 (0)161 228 6700E-mail paulmiddletonyellowcomcomWebsite wwwyellowcomcom
NEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
DESIGN
BLUE GOOSE
blue goose specialize in visual communications We make communications work faster and better We will link what wedo back to your objectives but we donrsquot talk (or charge for) ldquostrategyrdquo when you simply want tactical implementation Weuse design and creativity tobull differentiate products and services bull develop and manage corporate and brand identity bull align external communications with agreed values bull internalize corporate and brand identitybull align internal communications with agreed values bull support organizational change and bull help organizations better understand and define who they are
We work for clients as diverse as PricewaterhouseCoopers Ford Europe Centrica plc Greene King City of London Policeand Le Meacuteridien
blue goose is for any organization more interested in designing their future than watching it happen
Contact Chris BarringtonE-mail thinkingbluegoosecoukTel +44 (0)20 8869 8500Web site wwwbluegoosecouk
CONSULTANCY
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION ampSURVEYS PTY LTD
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd is aboutique consultancy based in Sydney Australia Itspecializes in employee communication strategiessystems research and employee surveys of all kindsPrincipal Rodney Gray has been involved inorganizational consulting for over 20 years following a15-year career as a corporate human resourcesexecutive Services includebull Employee communication audits and surveys by
questionnaires focus groups and interviewsbull Employee communication systems strategies and
processesbull Employee communication training workshops and
talksbull Employee culture climate and opinion surveysbull Qualitative organizational diagnosis (focus groups
and interviews)bull Internal service quality research (qualitative and
quantitative)
Contact Rodney GrayTel +61 (0)2 9909 2900 Fax +61 (0)2 9909 2911E-mail rodneyrodneygraycomauWeb site wwwemployee-communicationcomau
CONSULTANCY
HEDRON
Internal and change communication that helps teamsand individuals to develop strategies relationshipsprocesses and skills to engage stakeholders supporthigh performance and deliver change
ldquoSharp strategic thinking quality execution effectiveinterpersonallyhelliprdquo ldquoCreativity drive resourcefulnessresults great funhelliprdquo say clients
All sectors ndash ABN AMRO AXA BT Cadbury SchweppesDepartment for Constitutional Affairs HealthcareCommission Group 4 Securicor SABMiller SiemensSouthern Rail Unilever Wincanton
Our clients are happy to tell you what itrsquos like workingwith us
Contact Helena MemoryTel + 44 (0) 20 7493 0735Fax + 44 (0) 20 7493 0743E-mail helena-mhedroncomWeb site wwwhedroncom
CONSULTANCY
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
39scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
CONSULTANCY
SYNOPSIS
Founded by change and communication authority Bill Quirke in 1992 Synopsis is one of Europersquos leading internalcommunication consultancies Our clients include such companies as ABN Amro BBC BP British Airways DiageoEricsson HP Lloyds TSB Roche Shell and Vodafone
We help clients use internal communication to engage their employees in delivering business strategy and get most valuefrom their internal communication
We can help youbull Develop communication strategies that support your business strategybull Coach leadersbull Develop line managersrsquo communication skillsbull Plan and coordinate your communication with colleagues onlinebull Check the health of your communication channels and improve return on investmentbull Build and develop the communication functionbull Measure and track employee engagement attitudes and opinions
To take a tour of our online planning tool go to wwwsynopsisonlinecomproductplanningtoolasp
Contact Jane LebeauE-mail janelebeausynopsisonlinecomTel +44 (0) 20 7490 2900Web site wwwsynopsisonlinecom
CONSULTANCY
HARKNESS KENNETT
We specialize in internal communication To us thatmeansbull motivating people through inspiring leadershipbull guiding people through organizational changebull engaging people in delivering the brand
Working in partnership with our clients is central to ourethos enabling us to help deliver practical solutionssupported by solid strategic thinking All of ourconsultants have held senior positions ldquoclient siderdquo sowe know what itrsquos like to be in your shoes The vastmajority of our work comes from recommendations fromexisting clients ndash 82 percent of our clients haverequested repeat work in the last two years
Our clients include Abbey Atkins BDO Stoy HaywardThe Environment Agency Marks amp Spencer NHS Blood ampTransplant Morgan Stanley Europe Nestleacute PoliceInformation Technology Organisation Royal ampSunAlliance South West Trains and Vodafone
Our vision is simple ndash we want to be the first callyou make
Contact James HarknessTel +44 (0)1483 222730E-mail jamesharknessharknesskennettcomWeb site wwwharknesskennettcom
CONSULTANCY
TRIDENT COMMUNICATIONS
Trident Communications is uniquely positioned to definedevelop and deliver award-winning solutions that aligncommunication with business goals
We advise and partner with organizations of all sizes tocreate high-value practical applications Our talentedproject teams provide innovative research designeditorial and imagery for print and online
We connect ideas and deliver results
Contact Peter Agertoft Tel +44 (0)207 536 8900E-mail peteragertoft
tridentcommunicationsnetWeb site wwwtridentcommunicationsnet
CONSULTANCY
FLEISHMAN-HILLARD
Fleishman-Hillardrsquos dedicated internal and changecommunication practice helps businesses focus onperforming ndash not just informing
We help organisations plan and implement programmeswith the right mix of information dialogue and trainingso that employees are engaged aligned and motivatedto achieve business objectives
Because effective internal communication is vital tobottom-line performance we partner with our clients tocreate a daily dialogue ndash not a monologue ndash withemployees
Contact Nick AndrewsTel +32 (0)2 230 05 45 E-mail nickandrewsfleishmancomWeb site wwwfleishmaneuropecom
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE A listing in our Directory of Services will giveyou a chance to reach communicationprofessionals at some of the worldrsquos largestand most admired companies and to tap intodecision-making practitioners
ContactVincent SorelTel +44 (0)208 600 4670E-mail vincentsorelmelcrumcom
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
INCLUDE YOUR COMPANY BY CONTACTING US ON +44(0)20 8600 4670 OR AT INFOMELCRUMCOM
CONSULTANCY
HILL amp KNOWLTON
Better business results the bottom line
How do I manage more change Motivate managers Getthe right information to the right people Show the bestreturn on communication investment
Sound familiar Hill amp Knowltonrsquos change and internalcommunication consultants work with companies aroundthe world to find the right answers for their situation
We offer strategy insight and creativity drawing on ourconsultancy expertise and in-house experience Plus wedeliver practical hands-on help
We know that effective employee communication has adirect impact on the bottom line Working together wecan make it happen for you
Contact EMEA DavidFerrabeehillandknowltoncom
+44 (0) 7413 3176USA BarbaraEdlerhillandknowltoncom
+1 415 281-7160Canada KristaThompsonhillandknowltoncom
+1 613 786-9961
RECRUITMENT
VMA GROUP
VMA Group is one of the UKrsquos leading executive searchand selection consultancies specializing in internal andcorporate communication recruitment
For over 25 years VMA Group has provided the highestlevel of service to some of the most demanding globalorganizations developing a strong track record for thequality and professionalism of our search and selection work
We have in-depth specialist knowledge of the internalcommunication market and can provide high-qualitypermanent and interim candidates with expertise acrossinternal communication change management and widercorporate communication We understand the needs ofour clients intrinsically and strive to develop long-termrelationships with clients and candidates alike
Please call to discuss how we can help you find theideal candidate or if you wish to make a career move
Contact David BroomeTel +44 (0)20 7436 4243E-mail dbroomevmagroupcoukWeb site wwwvmagroupcouk
40 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONALCOMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS E-mail gaitensunityncsueduWeb site wwwconsultingsuccessorgTel 919 469 3895
CIB ndash BRITISH ASSOCIATION OFCOMMUNICATORS IN BUSINESSE-mail enquiriescibukcomWeb site wwwcibukcomTel +44 (0)870 121 7606
CCM ndash COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATIONMANAGEMENT E-mail membership
ccmconnectioncomWeb site wwwccmconnectioncomTel 866 463 4226
CPRS ndash THE CANADIAN PUBLICRELATIONS SOCIETYE-mail admincprscaWeb site wwwcprscaTel 416 239 7034
IABC ndash THE INTERNATIONALASSOCIATION OF BUSINESSCOMMUNICATORS E-mail service_centreiabccomWeb site wwwiabccomTel 415 544 4700
ICA ndash THE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONALLIANCE E-mail amandafoistericaukorgWeb site wwwiprorgukicaTel +44 (0)1628 642 044
CIPR ndash THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OFPUBLIC RELATIONS UKE-mail infoiprorgukWeb site wwwiprorgukTel +44 (0)20 7253 5151
IPRA ndash THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICRELATIONS ASSOCIATIONE-mail ipraseccompuservecomWeb site wwwipraorgTel +44 (0) 1372 461 188
PRSA ndash PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OFAMERICAE-mail resourcesprsaorgWeb site wwwprsaorgTel 212 460 1459
DIRECTORY OF SERVICESNEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
CONSULTANCY
There are three situations that are mostlikely to create plummeting surveyresponse rates1 When a group never hears the
findings of past surveys or anyresulting changes they begin to thinktheir opinions donrsquot matter If theirpast opinions were valued so lightlythey feel less urgency to sharefurther opinions
2 When the group being researched isrelatively small researchers typicallyneed to poll the entire group on eachsurvey rather than querying arandom sample For example if youhave 1000 employees you wouldneed to obtain 259 responses to haveresults accurate within a margin oferror of 5 percentage points If thecompany is typically receiving a 25-percent response rate on surveysthat means that all 1000 employeesneed to be invited to participate inthe survey to get about the minimumnecessary number of responses for asufficient level of accuracyUnfortunately even for largergroups researchers sometimessurvey the whole group on everysurvey instead of identifying the rightsize random sample
3 When surveys are badly designedrespondents quit them midwaythrough The respondentrsquos feeling isldquoIf the company canrsquot be bothered todesign a good survey Irsquom not going
to waste my time taking itrdquo Somemajor survey design flaws includequestions that are difficult tounderstand questions withinsufficient or inappropriateresponse options or questions thatseem to have little relevance for therespondent Other major designturn-offs are surveys that are toolong or that are composed mostly ofopen-ended essay questions both ofwhich take too much time to answerFinally asking too manydemographic questions especially atthe beginning of a surveycompromises respondentsrsquo sense ofanonymity and kills their desire toanswer even the first real question
The following steps will help overcomethese three problems
Coordinate surveysTo avoid asking the same people torespond to too many surveys within ashort time coordinate all employee orcustomer surveys through a clearinghouse so that the timing of surveys doesnrsquotoverlap and you donrsquot ask questions forwhich answers are already available
Send the survey to only a sample ofthe audience (although yoursquoll need astatisticianrsquos help in selecting a sample ofthe right size) If you know severalsurveys will be administered about thesame time pick mutually exclusiverandom samples at the same time so thatno one person receives more than onesurvey during that period
Use short surveysThe shorter the survey the more likelypeople are to give you their time If youhave 100 questions that must beanswered break them into threeseparate surveys of about 33 questionsand administer them to three mirror-image random samples Yoursquoll besurveying more people but eachparticipantrsquos time commitment will berelatively minor
Also consider doing very short ldquostealthsurveysrdquo by phone for which you donrsquotobtain advance permission People mightnot even know theyrsquove been surveyed Asyou (and a team of volunteers) have theseconversations with respondents you wouldrecord their answers on a questionnaire
Connect research to resultsSome companies have a long history ofnot communicating results or outcomesof previous surveys If thatrsquos true of yourorganization try these two techniquesbull On a regular basis when announcing
changes the company is makingconnect the changes with relatedsurvey results ndash even if a changewasnrsquot made solely because of theresearch Your audience will get themessage that stakeholder opinionsare a regular factor in the waymanagement makes decisions
bull In the invitation to a new surveybegin with key findings and changesthat were made based on a similarpast survey and ask respondents tolet you know through the new surveyif the company is still on track Thisway your potential respondents hearthat completing surveys does resultin changes ndash at the very momenttheyrsquore determining if your latestsurvey is worth their time
FINDING A CURE FORSURVEY FATIGUE
Angela Sinickas ABC is president of Sinickas Communications Inc an internationalcommunication consultancy specializing in helping corporations achieve businessresults through targeted diagnostics and practical solutions For more informationvisit wwwsinicomcom
A downward trend in survey response rates is often blamed on the fact that peoplesimply become tired of taking surveys But there are ways to avoid the malaisesetting in says Angela Sinickas a key one being making sure that people feel theiropinions are actually being listened to Here she shares three common causes ofsurvey fatigue and how to deal with them
11scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
RESE
AR
CH
amp M
EA
SUR
EM
EN
Tscm
ANGELA SINICKAS
Little feedback the wrongsample size and poorly
designed surveys all leadto low response rates
12 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Organizations today ndash driven byincreased competition merger-and-acquisition activity and large complextransformation programs ndash arecharacterized by the need for constantand rapid change In our experienceconsistent leadership communicationsare at the center of helping theirorganizations address these challenges
With all the complex transformationprograms we work on we encourage the
leadership team to create a simple one-page ldquomessage maprdquo to use over a definedtimeframe The message map which welink to key program milestones andsuccesses helps the leadership team toplan what theyrsquoll share with employeesand other stakeholders and when
Message maps can address commonfailures of leadership communicationDuring global cross-functional programswhen all leaders consistently reinforce
the same messages they emerge as ajoined-up forward-thinking team
Message maps are also effective whenbuilding up communication to employeesover time rather than overwhelmingstaff with changes or diminishingleadership credibility by waiting too longto communicate
Compiling a message mapThe process wersquove used in the past to helpleaders develop a message map is quitestraight forward This is what we dobull We encourage leaders to work
together to agree and articulate thestory Agreeing the story typicallyrequires experienced facilitationThis encourages leaders to definehow the story will build and thengain momentum and commitmentover time
bull The story is then converted into asimple message map The mapshould make sense to all change-program leaders as this tool willguide the majority of theircommunication to employees Itshould also provide a clear view ofwhatrsquos coming next Message mapsare often shown as straightforwardtimelines but there are othereffective ways to present them (seeFigure One below)
bull Once the change story has beenagreed and committed to paperleaders use the map to know whencommunications should be deliveredand what supporting documentationto use for a consistent cascade
Revisiting communication plansOf course the content of the message mapwill need to be revisited Message mapsas with all communications evolve overtime They should be frequently reviewedto ensure that the messages ndash and time-scales ndash remain relevant to the programand align with program milestones
USING MESSAGE MAPSTO GUIDE CHANGE
Sally Harris is director of theCommunications and Engagementpractice at Molten where shespecializes in managing large-scale communication and changeprograms for global clients
Facilitate a meeting withthe leadership team to
agree and articulate thechange story
Sally Harris director of the Communications and Engagement practice at Moltenbelieves itrsquos often the simplest tools that are most effective in encouraging leadersto think more strategically about their communications Here she explains why theldquomessage maprdquo is one such tool
SALLY HARRIS
LEA
DER
SHIP
CO
MM
UN
ICATIO
N
scm
Figure One Example of a global message map
13scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
brand image and set an example for thewhole company
At The Company Agency we find thatmany CEOs are looking for strategiccommunication support coaching andguidance that goes beyond what theyreceive from their rostered PR agencyThey operate in a world thatrsquos typicallyquite lonely where information isfrequently filtered theyrsquore under aconstant spotlight and a gap existsbetween them their people and theircustomers Internal communication canplay a key role in helping the CEObridge this gap
A simple checklist Every CEO is different and facesdifferent challenges but herersquos a simplechecklist if you find yourself workingwith a new CEO or in a new role with anestablished CEObull Ask your CEO what kind of person
they would like to be viewed as byemployees ndash coach them oncommunication behavior that canhelp them achieve this goal
bull Establish very quickly what theCEOrsquos key message is ndash askquestions until it is crystal clear
bull Know your business and brief yourCEO on what type of communicationis effective or not within yourorganization
bull Provide informed guidance onemerging communication trends ndashsuch as social media ndash and explainthe business impact
bull Understand how the CEO listens towhat people are saying
bull Determine the CEOscommunication preferences ndash howdoes he or she like to receive andshare information both inside andoutside work
You should expect to be the leaderrsquoscommunicator ndash developing messagesand ensuring theyrsquore conveyed in themost appropriate way But the balanceshould be tipping more towards beingthe communication leader ndash a role whereyoursquore providing strategic counsel to theCEO and coaching them so theyrsquore moreeffective in their new role and environment
In May last year the managementconsultants Booze Allen Hamiltonpublished their annual report on chiefexecutive attrition The Crest of theTurnover Wave After studying the move-ments of CEOs from the largest 2500companies in the world they uncoveredsome rather startling facts An incredible1 in 7 CEOs will change job over thenext 12 months with poor-performingCEOs staying in office for two years Bycomparison the high-performing CEOstays in the job for just under eight years
Given that their tenure may be brief thisresearch only reinforces that the first 100days for the chief executive is a critical time
Creating myths and legendsOver the past 20 years Irsquove had the goodfortune to work for some great brandsand leaders Experience tells me thatduring their first 100 days the reputationthey bring from their previous job willeither be validated or contradictedEverything they say and do will bescrutinised Perceptions will be quicklyformed about their style and personalityMyths and legends will become thehottest gossip in the workplace
With this in mind itrsquos critical toquickly establish their reputation andwhat they stand for Internalcommunication can play a valuable rolein supporting the CEO and in turnestablish a long-term relationship withtheir new leader
Uncovering perceptionsDeveloping a personalized communica-tion strategy must start by finding outhow the new leader is perceived While aquantitative survey may satisfy those witha hunger for numbers qualitativeresearch will uncover how people reallyview the CEO as an individual and leader
With these insights itrsquos possible todevelop a plan to shape the existingreputation into one they would like tohave in the new organization This meansidentifying what they stand for andhelping them articulate how this supportsand builds the brand of the organization
Charismatic leadersIf you think about charismatic leaderssuch as Stuart Rose of Marks amp SpencerRichard Branson of Virgin or PhilKnight of Nike organizational culture isheavily influenced by the personality ofits chief executive
The behavior that resides within theorganization is typically a reflection ofthe CEOrsquos behavior and becomesassociated with the brand So itrsquosimportant to define what the new CEOwants the corporate brand to stand forand what they can do to achieve that
LEADERS IN TRANSITIONTHE FIRST 100 DAYSIn a recent Melcrum survey 44 percent of respondents said they plan to spend more ormuch more on communication training for leaders and managers With the topic firmlyon the agenda for the forseeable future this issue sees the launch of a new regularcolumn by leadership communication expert Darren Briggs He kicks off with adviceon making the most of the CEOrsquos first 100 days ndash a critical time for any new leader
LEA
DER
SHIP
CO
MM
UN
ICATIO
Nscm
DARREN BRIGGS
The first of a new regularcolumn on leadership
urges communicators tosupport new leaders
Darren Briggs is partner at The Company Agency where he advises and coachessenior leaders to be more effective communicators He has 20 years corporateexperience working at chief executive and board level with companies such as BritishAirways Microsoft Nike PepsiCo and Vodafone
The title of advertising guru PaulArdenrsquos book Itrsquos not how good you areitrsquos how good you want to be captures theessence of ambition And our recent surveysuggests that this is a message internalcommunicators should take to heart
As part of our research1 to define a listof core skills and competencies forprofessional communicators we askedpractitioners from around the worldabout their future career goals and howthey plan to achieve them Surprisinglyfor a profession that stresses the need forstrategies and plans most internalcommunicators appear to have a fairly adhoc approach to their own development
Results from the surveyAbout 70 percent of our sample said theyexpected to stay in internal communicationover the next three years Thirty-twopercent saw themselves gaining moreexperience within their existing jobswhile 37 percent aim to move into adifferent internal communication role
When we asked respondents what theywere doing to help develop their careersgaining wider experience being better
networked and finding a coach came topof their lists
Be honest with yourselfNow these seem like fairly informalactivities You might think they take lessorganizing than say investing the timeand budget to do a course or study for aformal qualification But if yoursquore beinghonest you know that getting the go-aheadto work on more challenging projectsfinding the right coach and building aprofessional network takes time andplanning These things donrsquot just happenovernight ndash unless yoursquore very lucky
Yet less than a quarter of internalcommunicators have a formal plan to helpstructure their thoughts about careerprogression and make sure their develop-ment objectives are met Twenty-onepercent say they have no plan whatsoeverand about half the respondents wecontacted say they have a plan but itrsquosnot formalized or agreed
Make the timeMaking time to discuss your career goalswith your manager and getting apersonal development plan down onpaper will pay dividends After all who
decides whether you get to work on themore interesting projects or not Andwhen yoursquore being dragged under byyour workload wouldnrsquot it be helpful tohave some targets to remind you to makethe time to network or read that articlesitting in your reading folder
If wersquove convinced you to think aboutyour own professional development hereare three important steps to get started
1 Be clear about where yoursquore startingfrom Think about what yoursquoveachieved so far in your career Whatskills do you have what are yourstrengths and which areas needfurther development
2 Look ahead to where you want to beWhat timeframe do you have inmind for your professional develop-ment What can you focus on rightaway and what are your longer-termcareer goals Be as specific as youcan about what you want to achieveand consider the followingbull Are there areas where yoursquod like
to be a ldquostar performerrdquo in yourcurrent role
bull How can you expand your networkor reach in the wider industry
bull How can you broaden your depthof skills or experience outsideyour current remit
bull How do you plan to move onwardsand upwards to a new role
3 Think about how yoursquoll close the gapWhat knowledge skills andexperience do you need What typeof development activity will help youget to where you want to be
If you know in your heart of hearts thatyou donrsquot invest enough time and effortin your own development make the timeto start doing this now
In our next column we plan to look atthe range of development optionsavailable and hear some reflections fromindustry leaders on what helped themreally accelerate their own learning andprofessional development
1 Turn to page 16 for a more detailed analysis of the study
GET YOUR DEVELOPMENT PLANON TRACK
Sue Dewhurst and Liam FitzPatrick run Competent Communicators acompany specializing in professional development for internalcommunicators and Melcrumrsquos official training and developmentpartner For more information go to wwwcompetentcommunicatorscom
A study into skills and competenciesfor communicators
reveals a lack ofclear career planning
The path to a senior role in internal communication is paved with good intentionsOr so suggests a recent study by development experts Sue Dewhurst and LiamFitzPatrick Here in the first of a new regular column on professional developmentthey review the studyrsquos findings lament the lack of a career plan and urge internalcommunicators to take action and plan their own development
SUE DEWHURST AND LIAM FITZPATRICK
14 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PR
OFE
SSION
AL D
EV
ELO
PM
EN
T
scm
ldquoTHESE THINGS DONrsquoTJUST HAPPENOVERNIGHT ndash UNLESSYOUrsquoRE VERY LUCKYrdquo
15scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PR
OFE
SSION
AL D
EV
ELO
PM
EN
Tscm
3 Cut the jargonJargon may have its place but it has noplace in employee communicationPhrases such as work-life balanceemployer of choice critical mass and thelike may make sense in behind-the-scenes discussions However when itrsquostime to communicate to the masses weneed to translate these concepts intoPlain English and provide a context tohelp employees understand Yes it takessome work but the payoff makes itworth the effort
Say the head of HR wants to share thelatest developments in ldquowork-life balancerdquothat will benefit employees He may betempted to relay the news using theterminology hersquos used to using with hisstaff However most employees havenrsquotbeen in on those discussions so theconcept may be foreign or fuzzy to themndash even if theyrsquod heard the term before
Any progress HR makes on the work-life balance front gives it the opportunityto communicate in a personal humanway and in the process capture employeesrsquoattention on an emotional level
The HR leaderrsquos message thereforemay go something like this Our liveshave never been busier and there are onlyso many hours in a day Because we atXYZ Company recognize how important itis to you to be able to spend real time withyour families while managing theresponsibilities you have on the job wersquovedesigned a program that we hope willmake your life less hectic
Most employees will relate to thatmessage It plays to their needs which isa powerful hook
Guarding against gremlinsKeeping an eye out for the jargonpassive voice and other gremlins thatmay infiltrate your writing is a goodtraining ground for being able toobjectively critique your own work Italso conditions you to look for otherways to improve your writing a habitthat will serve you well throughout yourlifelong apprenticeship
No onersquos work is as continually visible inan organization as the communicatorrsquosOur superiors our peers and the entireemployee population see us as theparagons of communications competenceThey look to the messages wersquove craftedas models of writing excellence and willpattern their own accordingly
When you think of it itrsquos one heck of aburden to bear After all how else didyou get the job if you couldnrsquot write well
But regardless of how well you dowrite how senior you are or how longyoursquove had that coveted ldquoseat at thetablerdquo when it comes to writing yoursquollalways have room to grow Thatrsquos becausewriting is as one learned professor sowisely termed it a ldquolifelong apprenticeshiprdquo
Here are three ways to improve yourwriting immediately
1 Avoid the passive voiceThe passive voice manages to creep intomessages to employees and itrsquos a sureroad to eroding their engagement It allowsthe writer to hide behind the message itclouds direction and itrsquos boring
Herersquos an example of really woefulwriting ndash a sentence structure that yoursquoresure to recognize Employees areencouraged to submit this form by the endof the month
Analyze that sentence and yoursquoll seethat not only is there no owner to thestatement but therersquos no clear directionEmployees are encouraged by whom
and what does ldquoencouragedrdquo meananyway Are employees required tosubmit the form If so then say so
The sad truth is this passive style ofwriting is all too common the happytruth is that we communicators are in aposition to do something about it Oftenall it takes is a quick rewrite Pleasesubmit this form by [insert specific date]Clear direct concise
2 Use second person Why talk at people when you can talk tothem When yoursquore communicating withemployees the use of ldquoyourdquo can befriendly and inviting
Take this message XYZ Companyemployees at customer locations shouldalways first check with their hosts to ensurethat connecting to the XYZ network ispermitted
Look what happens when itrsquos rewrittenfrom third person into second If yoursquoreworking at a customer site be sure to firstcheck with your host that itrsquos OK toconnect to our network
Yoursquove gone from impersonal toconversational
DO YOUR WRITING SKILLSLET YOU DOWNA recent discussion on the Melcrum blog raised the question of whether or not goodwriting skills are still important to the more strategically focused communicator Theconsensus was a definite yes ndash your writing ability makes an impression and itrsquos upto you whether thatrsquos good or bad Denise Baron provides some advice on how tomake sure itrsquos the former
DENISE BARON
However strategicyour role the ability
to write well remainsan important skill
Denise Baron is president of Baron Communications a business communicationsconsultancy providing strategic planning and marketing internal communicationproject management and editorial services to Fortune 500 companies
16 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Over the past five years wersquove found ourselvesbecoming more and more involved in conversationsabout careers in internal communication As theprofession matures expectations of itspractitioners are rising and for many people ajob in communication is no longer just a short-term stepping-stone en route to better things
But the question we hear time and time again isldquoWhat does lsquogoodrsquo look like when it comes to
internal communicationrdquo What skills knowledgeand experience should an effective internalcommunicator have at various stages in theircareer How do I know what I should bepersonally aspiring to and measuring myselfagainst How can I best develop my team Whereis the definitive framework to help me recruit thebest person for the job
In recent years there have been a number ofgood attempts to answer these questions In theUK a group of professional bodies got togetherto write the Inter-Comm matrix1 It listed theskills knowledge and experience a practitionermight need according to their level of experience
We were both involved in developing this skillsmatrix which was widely welcomed when it waslaunched in 2003 Some well-respectedconsultancies have also developed models to showhow a typical career path might progress whichhave helped structure career planning forindividuals and teams
A flexible model for a diverse professionDespite the success of the Inter-Comm matrix wefelt there was more to be done in the area ofprofessional development for internal communica-tors Fundamentally existing models tend to showa one-dimensional and predictable career pathstarting as a junior deliverer and developing into astrategic business-focused consultant
The implication is that if yoursquore deliveringcommunication or are tactically focused you musthave a junior role and if you have a more seniorrole you donrsquot get your hands dirty doingmundane things like writing or managing the
Building a learningframework for internalcommunicators
Planning your teamrsquos professional developmentmeans understanding the skills and experienceneeded to be successful Sue Dewhurst and Liam
FitzPatrick of Competent Communicators have beenresearching how internal communicators spend their timeat work and what behaviors the most effectivepractitioners display Here they describe a new learningframework that has emerged from the study
Identifying the typical roles andskills required for your team
BY SUE DEWHURST AND LIAM FITZPATRICK
scm FEATURES
ABOUT THE RESEARCHThe findings discussed in this article are based on research conducted at theend of 2006 More than 700 in-house practitioners replied to a survey aboutcareers competencies and development plans
A factor analysis of the data conducted by Ash Pattni Associates generated anumber of role types which were then discussed with 30 professionals atdifferent stages of their careers based in the UK Europe and North AmericaThese discussions mainly took the form of interviews and focus groups
The study also referred to data on competency modeling prepared by theUKrsquos Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
1 2 3 4 5
17scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
intranet or organizing eventsBut clearly the world of internal communication
isnrsquot quite that straightforward People join theprofession via all kinds of routes and at differentstages of their careers
We interviewed someone who started out as thedirectorrsquos PA a successful senior executive whostarted out as an engineer a former psychologylecturer and others who had joined through moreobvious routes in publishing and PR
Some had started out in junior roles Forothers their first role in internal communicationwas as a business partner Others had alreadyreached a senior position in another function andsimply moved across at the same level
A key objective of this study was to develop amodel that reflected the diverse reality of life ininternal communication one that was flexibleenough to be adapted to fit organizations andcommunication teams of all shapes and sizes
So we began our research by surveying communica-tors worldwide to find out how they actuallyspend their time on a daily basis and what skillsknowledge and experience they regularly use
The six types of practitionerStatistical analysis of the survey data suggestedthere were six stereotypical role types withininternal communication By ldquotypesrdquo we meansegments or groups of people who share verysimilar characteristics in terms of their skills andstrengths spend their time carrying out similartypes of activities and whose outputs tend to bejudged in similar ways
Most importantly these types can be plottedagainst two dimensions based on how they spendtheir time (advising or doing) and where theirfocus is (strategy or tactics) Figure One (right)illustrates these six types and how they plotagainst the two dimensions
Clearly every organization is slightly differentbut the six stereotypes described below shouldprovide a starting point for thinking about theroles and types of people you need in your team
1 The Leader Internal communication leaders manage teamsand lead the function either for an entire organiza-tion or for a large division or territory Theyspend much of their time managing and coachingteam members and working with senior managersThey see themselves as business people first andcommunicators second However itrsquos taken as readthat they have sound technical ability and will rollup their sleeves when needed Great internal andexternal networkers theyrsquore skilled at dealing withuncertainty and conflict Theyrsquore likely to bemeasured on business results and through thesubjective opinion of their senior customers
2 The Advisor Advisors support departments or major projectsby providing advice developing communicationplans and providing hands-on support to deliverthem Local managers trust them for their insightsinto business problems and understanding of howtheir organization really works Through well-developed networks and time spent understandingtheir audiences and carrying out research andfeedback they know whatrsquos really going onTheyrsquore judged on the quality of their advice andtheir ability to translate that advice into plansactivities and actions
3 The ManagerThe internal communication manager has excellentcraft skills and a sound knowledge of channelsThey spend most of their time on delivery Whenthey advise itrsquos normally about the best channelsto use or the most appropriate timing Goodmanagers arenrsquot easily intimidated and are greatat juggling different priorities Theyrsquore skilled attranslating between the boardroom and the shopfloor Their contribution is often measured bytheir ability to deliver activity against a plan andthe quality of work they and their team produce
4 The DelivererMost teams have someone in this role ndash a safepair of hands who can be trusted to make thingshappen That might range from compilingdistribution lists through to running a conferencesorting out the CEOrsquos open forum or writing andediting a newsletter Theyrsquore less likely tosupervise other communicators and depend ontheir organizational and craft skills to get the jobdone People value them for their ability to dothings on time and to a high standard 3
Sue Dewhurst and LiamFitzPatrick run CompetentCommunicators a firmspecializing in professionaldevelopment for internalcommunicators TheyrsquoreMelcrumrsquos official training anddevelopment advisors anddeliver Melcrumrsquos Black Belttraining program Theyrsquore alsothe authors of a forthcomingreport on competenciesdevelopment and standardsfor internal communicatorsand blog about developmentissues onwwwBlackBeltDojocouk
Figure One Six typical role types for internal communicators
TheLeader
TheLocal Agent
The Deliverer
TheAdvisor
TheManagerADVISE
STRATEGY
IMPLEMENT
TACTICS
TheSpecialist
KEY POINTSbull A new study has established how communicators spend their time and
what skills knowledge and experience they regularly use
bull The research identifies six stereotypical roles ranging from acommunication leader to a specialist (eg a web or events expert)
bull It also highlights 12 competencies that clarify the behaviors acompetent practitioner should display at each level An ldquoineffectiverdquocategory shows behaviors displayed by less able performers
bull The roles and competencies provide a framework for development
Building a learning framework for internal communicators
18 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
5 The Local AgentThis category covers a broad range of peoplefrom the plant managerrsquos personal assistant to aregional communication manager Internalcommunication is often one of severalresponsibilities for this person and they tend tohave a tactical focus Their agenda is normally setby the local management team although theirlocal knowledge and network makes them aninvaluable sounding board for the corporatecommunication team They tend to be judged onwhether activities happen and how satisfied theirlocal manager is with them
6 The SpecialistOur research found a small group of peopleworking in internal communication who see them-selves as subject-matter experts in a specialist areasuch as web management audio-visual productionor event management They have only a looseconnection to the mainstream profession andcould equally work in IT marketing or perhapsHR Because theyrsquore highly specialized they tendto work in large organizations
Building a competency frameworkOnce statistical analysis had suggested these sixrole types we began testing them out throughfocus groups and interviews with practitioners Inparticular we asked what skills knowledge andexperience people in each type of role neededwhat people saw outstanding practitioners doingwhat poor performance looked like and howpeople in the six role types spent their time
On the basis of this information we developeda series of 12 competencies (see Figure Two left)We found that each of the six role types could bedefined bybull Which of the competencies they need to carry
out their role (not everyone needs all 12)bull The level of skill knowledge and experience
they need in each competencybull How much of their time they spend using
each competency ndash a high medium or lowamount For instance there was commonagreement that the communication leadermust have strong craft skills (writing anddesign) but compared to say the delivererthey spend a relatively low percentage of theirtime working on this type of activity
Each of the 12 competencies has three levelsbasic intermediate and advanced Based on thedata we gathered we defined the behaviors youmight expect to see a competent internalcommunication professional display at each level
We also added an ldquoineffectiverdquo category listingthose behaviors our interviewees told us weredisplayed by less able performers For example
7
COMPETENCY DEFINITION
Building effectiverelationships
Developing and maintaining relationships that inspire trust and respectBuilding a network and influencing others to make things happen
Business focus Having a clear understanding of the business issues Usingcommunication to help solve organization issues and achieveorganizational problems
Consulting andcoaching
Recommending appropriate solutions Helping others make informeddecisions Building other peoplersquos communications competence
Cross-functionalawareness
Understanding the different contributions from other disciplines andworking with colleagues from across the organization to achieve betterresults
Developing othercommunicators
Helping other communicators build their communications competenceand develop their career
Innovation andcreativity
Looking for new ways of working exploring best practice and deliveringoriginal and imaginative approaches to communication problems
Listening Conducting research and managing mechanisms for gathering feedbackand employee reaction
Making it happen Turning plans into successfully implemented actions
Planning Planning communication programs and operations evaluating results
Specialist Having specific subject-matter expertise in a specialist area
Vision and standards Defining or applying a consistent approach to communication andmaintaining professional and ethical standards
Craft (writing anddesign)
Using and developing the right mix of practical communication abilitiesto hold the confidence of peers and colleagues (eg writing designmanagement etc)
Figure Two Twelve competencies for internal communicators
19scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
some ineffective behaviors attached to theldquobusiness focusrdquo competency arebull Doesnrsquot make the link between
communication activity and the business ororganizational context
bull Delivers communication activity withoutconsidering whether it will serve any usefulpurpose
bull Lacks understanding of their business area
Building a framework for a specific role The next step in this project was to develop asimple table to map out the competencyframework for an individual role showingbull The competencies needed in this rolebull The level of competency needed in each casebull How much time we expect someone in this
role to spend on these types of behaviors
You can either build a competency frameworkfrom scratch or if you think the role fits one ofthe six types we identified from the survey use thecompetency framework for this type as a startingpoint (see the framework for a communicationleader Figure Three right)
In practice competency frameworks will varyaccording to the size of the organization thenumber of people in the internal-communicationteam the expectations of managers and thespecific requirements of each individual rolewhich is why wersquove built a flexible model
For example a communication leader in alarge multinational organization may spend muchof their time setting the vision and standardscoaching and consulting building relationshipsand developing other communicators and arelatively small amount of their time ldquomaking ithappenrdquo or on writing and design Howeversomeone in a stand-alone communication leaderrole in a much smaller organization wouldprobably have to be much more of a ldquoJack of alltradesrdquo dividing their time evenly between thedifferent competencies
Next stepsMore information about the 12 competencies andthe baseline competency maps for each of the sixrole types will be detailed in a forthcomingMelcrum report Ideas on how you use thesecompetencies to plan your development areavailable to download atwwwcompetentcommunicatorscom
We hope the framework will help bringstructure to the process of defining roles planningdevelopment and specifying recruitment andwould welcome your feedbackscm
1 The Inter-Comm skills matrix is described in an article in SCMFebruaryMarch 2005 (Volume 9 Issue 2) called Developingcore competencies for internal communicators
Figure Three Framework for a communication leader
COMPETENCY LEVEL TIME
Building effective relationships Advanced High
Business focus Advanced High
Consulting and coaching Advanced High
Cross-functional awareness Advanced Medium
Developing other communicators Advanced High
Innovation and creativity Advanced Medium
Listening Advanced Low
Making it happen Advanced Low
Planning Advanced Medium
Specialist NA NA
Vision and standards Advanced High
Craft (writing and design) Advanced Low
CONTACT DETAILS
Sue DewhurstCompetent Communicatorssuedewhurstcompetentcommunicatorscom
Liam FitzPatrickCompetent Communicatorsliamfitzpatrickcompetentcommunicatorscom
ldquoOUR RESEARCH FOUND A SMALL GROUP OFPEOPLE WORKING IN INTERNALCOMMUNICATION WHO SEE THEMSELVES ASSUBJECT-MATTER EXPERTSrdquo
20 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC President and CEO John Ryan joined theorganization in 1997 For the first few years hefocused on financial viability and positioning thecorporation for the future ndash articulating a newvision redefining strategic objectives expandingproduct and service offerings and identifyingpotential growth areas
The business results were outstanding double-digit growth increasing profits and great customerloyalty But something was missing
Like many successful organizations FCCoperated with a silo mentality Organizationalpolitics consumed energy that Ryan felt detractedfrom employee satisfaction and he worried aboutthe impact on the customer experience
He wanted his direct reports to work togetheras a real team ndash not to behave like individualleaders of functional areas Although the groupperformed well when there was a real challengeafter the challenge was gone so was the teamwork
This is not unusual for top executive groupsbut Ryan wasnrsquot willing to accept that fate ldquoTherehad to be a way to have a team-based
organization where leaders had the autonomythey needed to perform while actively collaboratingto achieve a new level of unprecedented resultsrdquohe said ldquoFCC had a very hierarchical culture withfirmly drawn divisional boundaries so I knew Ihad a challenge ahead of merdquo
Cultural transformation from the topIn 2002 John hired Malandro Communicationbased in Phoenix Arizona to guide FCCrsquos seniorleadership through a unique cultural transformationthat would lead to the creation of a high-performance team Leaders committed to being100-percent accountable for their impact onpeople and business results They let go of thetraditional 50-50 model ldquoIrsquoll do my part if you doyoursrdquo ndash a model that breeds a culture of blameconspiracies and distrust
In a series of formal training initiatives leaderswere taught to speak from the heart listen toother perspectives be open and responsive tofeedback and encourage personal andprofessional growth
Opportunity for internal communicationBy 2003 we were well on our way FCC producedremarkable business results with strong numbersright across the board The portfolio grew fromnearly CAN$9 billion to over CAN$10 billionThen two things happened that created anopportunity for internal communication tobecome a driver of business results 1 In 2003 we earned 50th place on Canadarsquos
ldquo50 Best Employersrdquo list and a respectableemployee engagement score of 69 percent
Defining the role ofstrategic comms atFarm Credit Canada
Farm Credit Canada (FCC) is in the fourth year of acultural-transformation program At the start of itsjourney clear expectations were set defining the role
to be played by internal communication In this summaryof the companyrsquos plans and achievements Kellie Garrettand Claire Watson describe the goals strategies andtactics employed by the internal communication teamand the impressive results achieved to date
Setting the stage for a cultural transformation
BY KELLIE GARRETT AND CLAIRE WATSON
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Farm Credit Canada isCanadarsquos largest provider offinancing to the agricultureindustry It serves 45000customers and has 1300employees working from 100rural offices across CanadaFCC is ranked eighth amongCanadarsquos 50 best employers
21scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC is a high performer in all otheroperational areas and employee engagementis a strong predictor of sustained corporateperformance But the survey showed therewas work to be done to align perceptionsbetween the senior leadership team andemployees Detailed results showed the gaps(see Figure One below)
2 Ryan became more determined to create ahigh-performance team that could deliver anextraordinary customer experience andsustainable business results
Establishing expected behaviorAs a first step towards creating a critical mass ofleaders who visibly demonstrate the behaviorsrequired to transform FCCrsquos culture middlemanagement and key cross-functional teams weretrained in responsible teamwork practices andcommunication skills
Ryan then created a set of 10 cultural practicesthat explicitly outlined how he expectedemployees at all levels to behave (see side barnext page) The foundation of these practices isthe belief that the drive for business results mustbe balanced by the attendant impact on people Inother words how the work was accomplished wasevery bit as important as what was accomplishedThe cultural practices were rolled out to allemployees in 2003
With the expected behavior from leaders andemployees clearly articulated it was time forinternal communication to find opportunities tosupport and promote these behaviors
Challenge 1 Creating a strategic frameworkOur first objective was to create a broaderstrategic framework for internal communicationA review of best-practice companies revealed thatformal media represents about 10 percent of allinternal communication channels with internalsystems accounting for another 10 percent Theremaining 80 percent is influenced by theorganizational culture
Our task was to put a formal strategy in placethat would strengthen the 10 percent ofcommunication we did have control over ndash theinternal communication channels
Within FCC the dominant employeecommunication channels were immediatemanagers e-mail and the intranet (Myinet)Front-line managers delivered corporate messagesdirectly to employees and their efforts weresupported by all-staff e-mails
There was nothing wrong with this approachbut it didnrsquot go far enough in the delivery of clearconsistent messages about strategic direction orcorporate priorities Nor did it create a line ofsight between individuals and business outcomes
For example a lack of central coordination wasresulting in unclear mixed messages thatconfused the internal audience A proliferation ofemployee surveys were independently conductedby various business units and the corporate e-mail system was choked with high volumecontributing to information overload
The intranetrsquos navigational structure and searchcapability needed major improvement datedinformation needed to be archived and majordocuments needed to be redeveloped in a web-friendly format
Defining our strategy and objectivesAware of these drawbacks we defined ourstrategy as To adopt a more integrated approachto internal communication and make sure allmessages focus employees on the businesspriorities Our strategies included the followingbull Segment the employee audience and define
communication needs based on demographicspsychographics and geographic location
bull Create a consistent voice across all groupsbull Ensure internal communication is mandatory
for all major corporate initiatives and isintegrated across channels and with othercommunication activities
bull Deliver targeted information through a varietyof channels and vehicles to reinforce messaginghelp with recall appeal to differentpreferences and create and sustain interest
bull Redevelop the intranet and position it as aninformation source for corporate businessemployee industry and technical information
bull Reduce the volume of corporate e-mailbull Implement a monthly employee survey to
replace the proliferation of one-off surveysindependently launched by business units
bull Create broad awareness and understanding ofkey corporate drivers such as business strategycorporate values and brand positioning 3
Kellie Garrett ABC MALeadership is senior VPStrategy Knowledge ampReputation at Farm CreditCanada and Chair of the IABCResearch Foundation Garrettis a frequent speaker onbusiness strategy leadershipand personal brand
Claire Watson ABC APR isthe master communicationstrategist for Farm CreditCanada Watson has won anumber of international andnational awards for her workis a published author and acertified change managementspecialist
MEASUREMENT EMPLOYEES SENIORMANAGERS
GAP
Senior management is open and honest incommunication
59 94 -35
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible
54 88 -34
Managers effectively support andimplement our people practices
48 81 -33
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 94 -23
Figure One Engagement survey results
22 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Defining the role of strategic comms at Farm Credit Canada
Successful tactics introducedSome of the tactics wersquove successfully introducedto bring this strategy to life include the following
1 Tracking key messagesWe created an employee key-message matrix thatis shared with leaders across the organization andhelps to ensure we deliver a consistent messageWe deliver the rewritten message through avariety of channels including e-mail letter featurearticle in the internal publication online throughour Monday Morning Update or directly to staffmeetings through managers and supervisors
2 Adopting a multi-channel approachWersquove expanded our channels beyond e-mail andthe intranet New channels now includebull AgriCulture ndash an employee print newsletter
published three times a year to communicatecorporate information and reinforce FCCrsquossocial and cultural fabric
bull An online feature called ldquoFrom the Desk ofthe CEOrdquo to keep employees in the loop
bull All staff e-mails from the CEO and VPsbull Discussion guides and QampAs for leadersbull Internal presentations and speeches delivered
by the senior leadership teambull Other printed material such as pocket cards
and brochures accompanied by a letter
3 Cutting down on information overloadSteps wersquove taken includebull Bundling all-staff messages into a Monday
Morning Update and bundling messages forcorporate headquarters staff into a CorporateOffice Update
bull Implementing a corporate e-mail policy withdefined subject-line conventions length andapproved topics
bull Restricting the use of all-staff e-mails to thesenior management team and certain keyindividuals
bull Improving the functionality of the intranetand redeveloping key business tools forefficient web use
bull Centralizing coordination of internal surveysbull Elevating the quality and clarity of internal
speeches and conferences to focus onstrategic business drivers
Challenge 2 Supporting leadershipThe results of our 2003 engagement survey alsorevealed an opportunity to increase trust betweenemployees and FCCrsquos senior management teamRyan and his VP responsible for communication(Kellie Garrett) believed that creating greatervisibility and better access to the senior managerswas vital to the establishment of a values-basedculture and a high-performance team
7
MEASUREMENT 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Senior management is open and honestin communication
59 73 81 83 91
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible to employees
54 71 82 83 81
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 81 87 87 85
I see strong evidence of effectiveleadership from the senior leadershipteam
69 83 87 88 93
I have a good understanding ofbusiness goals and objectives
76 77 81 81 88
Senior leadership has clearlycommunicated what we need to do tobe successful
NA NA 89 90 93
Figure Two Survey scores tracked from 2003-2007
FCCrsquoS 10 CULTURAL PRACTICESWe hold ourselves and each other accountable for
1 Our impact on business results and our impact on people
2 Delivering on commitments agreements and promises
3 Building and sustaining committed partnerships
4 Creating a safe environment where people can speak up without fear
5 We measure our success by how others perceive and respond to ourleadership not by our personal point of view
6 We talk straight in a responsible manner We are committed to the successof others ndash we do not engage in ldquoconspiracies againstrdquo people
7 We ldquolisten forrdquo contributions and commitment We do not listen againstpeople or ideas
8 We are highly coachable We actively seek and listen to coaching
9 We clean up and recover quickly
10 We acknowledge others often and celebrate both small and largesuccesses
ldquoLIKE DEVELOPING A COMPANYrsquoS IMAGE ORBRAND CULTURE CAN lsquoJUST HAPPENrsquo OR ITCAN BE DESIGNED STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONHAS PLAYED A CENTRAL ROLErdquo
23scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 FCC launched a culture-change program focused on
improving performance across the organization
bull Two key aims of the program are to encourage leaders and employeesto embody the values and improve staff engagement
bull Defining its strategy and goals at the outset internal communicationhas played a role in achieving these objectives
bull Results so far include less information overload a more accessibleleadership team and improved engagement scores
The challenge for internal communication wasto improve employeesrsquo perception of the visibilityaccessibility and trust for the senior managementteam Successful tactics introduced includebull A ldquoDine-Aroundrdquo program where three
senior leaders host a monthly lunch for ninepeople
bull An online forum called SMT Exchangewhere employees can anonymously askleaders tough questions and answers areposted for all to see
bull Senior leaders author more all-staff e-mailsare more visible and accessible at companyevents and deliver presentations that focus onconnecting employees to the business agenda
The goals we started with When we defined our internal communicationstrategy in 2003 we had some clear goals to worktowards These werebull To communicate relevant information in a
timely consistent and memorable waybull To reduce information overloadbull To influence an increase in the
communication-related elements of theengagement index
bull To contribute to an increase in employeeengagement from 69 to 74 percent
We also had specific year-one objectivesbull To increase understanding of business goals
and objectives beyond 78 percent bull To increase employee opinion about effective
senior leadership from 69 to 73 percentbull To improve employee opinions related to
senior management
Achievements and measurable resultsWith these goals guiding our efforts themeasurable results wersquove achieved so far includebull The bundling of all-staff e-mail has reduced
the volume by 88 percent ndash amounting toaround 350000 messages over one year
bull Over 450 employees have lunched with amember of the senior management team and170 QampAs have been posted on our seniormanagement online exchange
bull The survey scores relating to employeesrsquoperception of leadership and theirunderstanding of goals and objectives showsteady improvement since 2003 (see FigureTwo bottom left)
bull FCCrsquos engagement scores and subsequentranking among Canadarsquos 50 best employershas moved from 69 percent engagement and50th place in 2004 to 81 percent and 35thplace in 2005 84 percent and 12th place in2006 and 82 percent and 8th place in 2007
Cultural transformationThe internal communication strategy described inthis article has set the stage to communicatecultural transformation across the organization
Wersquore now in the fourth year of our culturaltransformation ndash creating an environment wherepeople are empowered feel safe and highperformance can flourish This involves aquantum shift in how employees behave andrelate to their co-workers and customers
Like developing a companyrsquos image or brandculture can ldquojust happenrdquo or it can be designedStrategic communication has played a central roleto create awareness understanding commitmentand motivate changes in behavior at every level ofthe organization
John Ryan has the final word ldquoOver the years Ihave learned that communication is at the heartof building a high-performance culture ndash a culturewhere people are fully engaged Communicationis vital Without it leaders cannot effect positivechange Our internal strategy recognizesemployees as a primary audience and a keyconduit to the customer the media stakeholdersand communities Our strategic approach tointernal communication significantly contributesto business resultsrdquo scm
CONTACT DETAILS
Kellie GarrettFarm Credit CanadaKellieGarrettfcc-facca
Claire WatsonFarm Credit CanadaClaireWatsonfcc-facca
24 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
In January 2004 Pfizer at Sandwich in Kent UKcommissioned a review of its existing charitablecontributions program which included matchedpayroll giving volunteering and grants for localcommunity charities and voluntary groups CCWorks the community investment consultancywas also approached to manage the day-to-dayadministration of grant applications from thecommunity
However it was decided that the administrationcould not be effectively managed until suitablecriteria were put in place for the grants programEssentially a company cannot outsourceresponsibility for its charitable donations unlesstherersquos a clear strategy in place for doing this
Although there were various policies in placefor the different elements of the existingcommunity investment program there was a lackof strategic direction to the program as a whole
Auditing the community grants programAs a first step CC Works examined the existinggrants program and also conducted external
benchmarking with voluntary organizations in thecommunity to gage perceptions of Pfizer
It emerged that many organizations werereceiving small grants ndash although some werenrsquotsure why ndash but only 16 percent of the currentspend was going on health-related causes ForPfizer a major global healthcare company thiswasnrsquot strategic It was clear that as a healthcarecompany Pfizer should be trying to improve thehealth of its local area by focusing on three coreareas health community and education
There was also a need for grants to be morelocally focused A significant amount of the spendwas going outside of the immediate East Kentarea CC Works recommended that to allow thecompany maximum freedom to operate in itscommunity it should focus grants on theimmediate community of East Kent which alsohappened to be a deprived area
Segmenting current grantsWorking in partnership with CC Works currentgrant allocation was examined by sector localarea and size of grant and in May 2004 two-yeartargets were set to increase the strategic impact ofcommunity grantsbull Increase grants allocated to health-related
projects to 50 percentbull Increase average grant from UKpound300 to
UKpound1000bull Increase East Kent allocation to 90 percent
This change was designed to be gradual so thatthe shift in allocation could be well managed
The new focus on the community mirrors
Engaging employees inPfizerrsquos communityinvestment program
In 2003 Pfizer at Sandwich UK was running manyelements of a community investment program butthere was little awareness among employees and no
real focus By July 2006 the program had beentransformed and now actively contributes to employeeand community relationships Here Pam Baker andChristine Jenkins describe the journey from disconnectedpolicies to award-winning program
Communicating an approach with clear links toemployees and the local community
BY PAM BAKER AND CHRISTINE JENKINS
scm FEATURES
Pfizerrsquos site at Sandwich inKent is the UK manufacturingheadquarters of Pfizer Incglobal pharmaceuticalcompany Its workforce of4000 makes it the largestprivate employer in East Kent
1 2 3 4 5
25scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pfizerrsquos global mission to be ldquothe most valuedcompany to patients customers colleaguesinvestors business partners and the communitieswhere we work and liverdquo For the communityinvestment program a measurable mission wascreated ldquoto improve the health indicators of thepeople of East Kentrdquo
Focus on colleague involvementThe next step in July 2004 was to conduct areview of the employee engagement elements ofcommunity investment to examine how thesecould be better integrated These elementsincluded payroll giving volunteering and staff-matched fundraising
For Pfizer at Sandwich the obvious first choicewas to look at volunteering Eighty-five percent ofPfizer employees are minimum graduate level ndashoffering much-needed skills to a deprived areaAll employees have five paid days a year they canuse for volunteering ndash this not only supports thecommunity it boosts employee engagement andcreates opportunities for employees to visiblyconnect with the community and vice versa
In October 2004 volunteering was identified asa key area for development but for employeevolunteering to be a success it had to beproactively marketed inside Pfizer and thereneeded to be adequate support andadministration behind the program
A database of volunteering opportunitiesIn conjunction with CC Works a searchable data-base of local volunteering opportunities was createdPfizer felt it was important to create a tailoreddatabase that would be furnished internally inorder to ensure a local bias and to maintain thequality of the information supplied to employees
In order to tie in with employeesrsquo personaldevelopment plans opportunities in the databasehad to meet at least two of Pfizerrsquos six keycompetencies 1 Team development2 Project management3 Coaching and development4 Decision making5 Effective partnership6 Working with change
To fill the database with relevant opportunities allorganizations that had contacted Pfizer for grantsor funding in the past three years were re-contacted and asked if they would also beinterested in volunteering
Over 70 percent responded positively and 300volunteering opportunities were sourced CCWorks helped the voluntary organizations puttogether opportunities that were most likely totake advantage of Pfizer employeesrsquo range of
specialist skillsThese opportunities were categorized on the
database according to skill geographic area andtype of charity allowing employees to search forsomething suitable for them Pfizer wasnrsquotprescriptive in its approach and allowed staff tovolunteer where the opportunity matched theirpersonal-development goals interests or wasgeographically convenient
Opportunities were wide-ranging from helpingin a charity shop to teaching in a schoolImportantly because database management isoutsourced to CC Works therersquos constantproactivitiy around seeking new opportunities andproviding administrative support that would havebeen difficult to maintain in-house
Launching the ldquoReaching Outrdquo programTo encourage involvement and awarenessemployees were asked to suggest a name for therevitalized volunteering program ldquoReaching Outrdquowas chosen and the new volunteering website waslaunched in May 2005 The site sits on PfizerSandwichrsquos intranet and any employee orcontractor can access it
A charity week was also held to help promotethe Reaching Out program Various charitiesvisited Pfizer during lunch breaks to explain whatthey do and the opportunities to work with themA soft incentive for staff to register on theReaching Out site was that Pfizer would donate20 rehydration sachets to Unicef (monetary valueof about pound2)
Reaching Out was also featured in a webcastfrom a senior leader that went to all employees(about 3000 staff plus contractors) at the start ofthe week and it was profiled in the weekly onlinemagazine Pipeline 3
Pam Baker is directorStrategic Operations andCommunity Affairs at Pfizer UK
Christine Jenkins is founderof CC Works a consultancyoffering communityinvestment advice andpractical solutions to thecorporate and voluntarysectors Previously she heldsenior manager roles in thevoluntary and private sectors
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 an audit of Pfizer at Sandwichrsquos community investment
program revealed a lack of strategic direction
bull In partnership with consultancy CC Works a decision was made tofocus the program on the local community
bull An effort to raise employee involvement through volunteering hasboosted the program and linked it to employee engagement
bull The ldquoReaching Outrdquo website gives employees the freedom to work withcharities of their choice
bull By July 2006 the ldquoHealthy Communitiesrdquo program had beentransformed and won a National Example of Excellence award fromBusiness in the Community
26 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TOP TIPS FOR COMMUNITY INVESTMENTbull Ask yourself why yoursquore undertaking this program and seek clarity around
your objectives
bull Focus on likely ldquowinsrdquondash ie areas with scope for improvement such asemployee engagement or external awareness
bull Tackle one area at a time in stages and aim for excellence in each arearather than trying to boil the ocean
bull Communication is key to success Create a distinct brand and identity forthe program to encourage awareness and involvement
bull Integrate different community programs ndash a holistic approach can maximizebenefits for the community staff engagement and corporate reputation
Over 450 employees registered to use thesite over the next two months with 230 employees(8 percent of staff) actively volunteering duringthe first year This beat a target to have 5 percentof employees volunteering 12 months after launchIn 2005 employees volunteered 4800 hours
Helping employees select the right optionEmployees can search the volunteering databaseby skill geographic area or type of charity and aregiven a range of choices Then the onus is on theemployee to speak to the charity and obtainfurther details on current opportunities inaddition to whatrsquos on the database The employeethen applies to his or her line manager Anintegrated work process enables staff to obtainapproval from their manager interact with thevoluntary organization and record their effortskeeping administration to a minimum
Managers at Pfizer Sandwich are keen foremployees to volunteer because theyrsquore aware ofthe potential benefits in terms of employeeengagement and skills development ndash a largenumber of managers are volunteers themselvesPfizer also held briefing sessions for managers toensure they were aware of the volunteeringprogram its benefits and how it works
7
Engaging employees in Pfizerrsquos community investment program
Incorporating employee feedbackThe database tracks employeesrsquo volunteeringefforts including how many hours theyrsquove doneand their feedback on the opportunitiesEmployee feedback can then be accessed by otherstaff looking for an opportunity The databasegives employees better insight into the availableopportunities and allows them to select somethingthat appeals to them so that both the employeeand the organization where they volunteer gets abetter ldquofitrdquo
The database also allows for better integrationof the whole program where volunteering canprovide an alternative or an addition to fundingFor example a well-known national charityapplied to Pfizer at Sandwich for some fundingaround a diversity initiative Pfizer suggested theirdiversity manager volunteer for them instead whohelped create the charityrsquos diversity program thatis now being launched nationally
Creating an integrated programIn May 2005 the decision was taken to bringtogether all the strands of community investmentunder one brand Healthy Communities Thisprogram was to includebull Charitable grantsbull Employee volunteeringbull Gifts in kind Community investment via gifts
in kind such as the use of Pfizer premisesresources and expertise is more easilysustainable and can bring real long-termbenefit to the local community When Pfizerfacilities are used to support communityinitiatives the face-to-face contact withemployees allows relationship-building andnetworking with key influencers Also invitingthe community to use Pfizer resources on siteldquodemystifiesrdquo the company
The overarching strategy behind HealthyCommunities was to support communityinvestment holistically (ie using several of theabove elements in combination) whereverpossible Focusing grants on the areas of greatestneed helps Pfizer achieve its overall missionHowever the donation of gifts in kind can have awider-reaching impact on the community
Taking a holistic approachAn award-winning example of this holisticapproach is the Helping Hartsdown projectwhich was Pfizer Sandwichrsquos biggest ever gift inkindvolunteering project Pfizer donated andrenovated much-needed classrooms at a localschool As well as financial support and gifts inkind the project involved over 100 staff andcontractor volunteers across all departments Aspecific promotion on the Reaching Out website
ldquoBY JULY 2006 THE lsquoHEALTHY COMMUNITIESrsquoPROGRAM HAD BEEN TRANSFORMED AND WONA NATIONAL EXAMPLE OF EXCELLENCE AWARDFROM BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITYrdquo
27scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
POSITIVE IMPACTS OF THE PROGRAMThe Healthy Communities program has had the following positive impacts for Pfizer
bull The program supports and protects Pfizerrsquos freedom to operate effectivelyin East Kent UK
bull Supporting and involving employees in the program engages and motivatesthem The company is also seen to be living its values In a recent survey55 percent of colleagues felt the program was ldquofocused and effectiverdquo
bull The program provides opportunities for colleagues to develop skills Twentypercent of colleagues surveyed stated that they had improved personalskills through taking part in the program
bull A healthy community is a better place to live and work for employees andwill aid retention Retention of the most highly skilled scientists givesPfizer Global Research and Development a competitive edge
bull A vibrant and healthy community helps to attract and retain leadingscientists from around the world
bull Community is one of Pfizerrsquos six core values Communicating activitiesinternally and externally gives a positive perception of the company
helped attract this large number of volunteersincluding senior leaders
Momentum was maintained behind thecommunication of the program with monthlynetworking breakfasts and several themed minicharity fairs to give local good causes the chanceto showcase their volunteering Individuals andteamsrsquo volunteering efforts were also regularlyprofiled in Pipeline
The December 2006 employee survey showedan 85-percent awareness level of Reaching Outand the program won a ldquoNational Example ofExcellence Awardrdquo from Business in theCommunity1
Relaunching the websiteIn June 2006 the Reaching Out website wasrelaunched to incorporate payroll giving andmatched fundraising under the same brand asvolunteering and utilize the existing software Allelements can now be applied for on the same site
The number of employees registered with thesite increased to over 1000 and the number of adhoc staff enquiries handled by CC Worksincreased dramatically as awareness andinvolvement levels rose among the workforce
External communicationA quarterly newsletter containing a round-up ofPfizerrsquos community investment work is producedand distributed widely to external stakeholdersincluding 3000 local residents Following theBusiness in the Community award the magazineCommunity News was revamped its circulationincreased and it was also desk-dropped to allemployees The magazine also helps to raiseawareness of Pfizer among local organizations
A pocket-sized booklet was produced containingkey facts and figures about the Healthy Communitiesprogram This gives employees especially seniorleaders at-a-glance information on the programallowing them to act as ambassadors for Pfizerrsquoscommunity investment work
Senior leaders at Pfizer Sandwich are keenadvocates of the program and having a clearbrand helps them communicate its benefits andraise awareness both internally and externally
Next stepsDespite its award-winning status there are plansto take Healthy Communities even further Theseinclude further research into employee feedbackand closer links to personal development plans InPfizer at Sandwichrsquos Global Operations functionvolunteering forms part of personal objectives ndashthis is an aspiration for the rest of the business
Pfizer also wants to improve team volunteeringand a toolkit is being prepared for team leaderswho wish to get involved in volunteering
Finally in order to share knowledge and bestpractice around community investment with otherlocal businesses Pfizer is hosting a Kentmembership network in conjunction with KentCounty Council This will help Pfizer work closelywith the local authority and bring local businessestogether to share ideas and collaborate toimprove their impact on the community scm
1 httpwwwbitcorguk
CONTACT DETAILS
Pam BakerPfizerpambakerpfizercom
Christine JenkinsCC Workschristinejenkinsccworkscouk
28 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Editorrsquos noteSucceeding in internal communication probablyisnrsquot all that different to succeeding in anyprofession understand whatrsquos expected of you dothe job well and deliver results But when youspeak to practitioners about how they personallyturned the corner in their careers and started tomake an impact it soon becomes clear that thereare many dos and donrsquots that can help or hinderprogress This article provides a handy checklistfor those with ambitious development plans
John G ClemonsVice President CommunicationsRaytheon Technical Services Co Llc
Take the initiativeThere have been a few career-defining momentsfor me Among them was the time when I realizedthat I was moving from a manager level to the
decision-making role of a director I worked for a senior executive who hired me
from a rival telecommunications company Uponjoining the company I developed strategiccommunication plans to address various businesschallenges During the development process Iperiodically checked in with my supervisor to gethis input and approval ndash probably more thannecessary ndash before moving to the next steps in planning
One day he called me into his office and saidthat while he liked the work I was doing for himhis expectation when he hired me as a directorwas that I would take the initiative in the job relyless on his frequent input and move forward with implementation and measurement Hewanted results
His counsel was along the lines of ldquoI hired youto do a directorrsquos job so do the job of a directorYou donrsquot have to get permission to make adifferencerdquo
Meet commitments and think strategicallyHis direction motivated me to take moreresponsibility at this new job level This alsomeant that I had to not just manage but leadmeet commitments and think more strategicallyto continue to earn not only his confidence butthe support of the entire leadership team
Irsquove found that being a communicationprofessional who is also a leader that can betrusted can get things done and truly support thegoals and objectives of an organization will notonly impress others but help build your credibilityand lead to success
How to get ahead ininternal communication
The path that leads internal communicators to thetop of their profession isnrsquot always an obvious oneWhich is why we asked a range of senior practitioners
to share their thoughts and experiences on gaining therespect of those who matter Whether its senior leadersfellow employees or your own team yoursquore looking toimpress these responses provide useful insight into howto make sure you and your work gets noticed
Senior practitioners share their views on how togain influence and credibility
COMPILED BY MANDY THATCHER
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
29scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Mark DarbyHead of Internal CommunicationsVisaUK
Be smart sharp and stubbornThe biggest lesson Irsquove learned and keep havingto remind myself is that I need to be smart sharpand stubborn to get ahead This is what thosewords mean to me in a work context
Smart I need to understand what Visa is doingand what people think about the business Thismeans constantly spending time in differentdepartments and learning from them I know whoour customers are what our challenges are andwhat our current financial performance is I havecontacts in most departments who have a fingeron the pulse which means I can have a relevantconversation with a senior person from any department
Sharp Internal communication is rarely near thetop of the agenda for senior people and my timewith them is usually short I always try to talkabout the impact on business performance assoon as possible If I circulate a document it willbe summarized to a single page at most and Idonrsquot use PowerPoint I ask a lot of ldquoonerdquo questionssuch as ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing you want employeesto do differentlyrdquo or ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing youwant me to change over the next six monthsrdquo
Stubborn I know what I want internal communica-tion to achieve at Visa and it has the support ofthe senior team Irsquove built up knowledge frombooks and articles I use my education from theBlack Belt training course1 and I speak to formercolleagues With this knowledge Irsquove becomestubborn and good at saying no because I have theinformation to back up my arguments Irsquove stoppedmy team from picking up extra projects that wonrsquotdeliver much value We focus only on projects thatadd the most value to the business and we deliveron these really well Successful delivery is thebiggest influence on any senior person
Monika StaffordHead of Internal CommunicationLloyds TSBUK
Be creative and focus on a killer issueUsing creative solutions to bring to life importantndash but often dull ndash programs can create a shinethat stretches beyond project boundaries For
example I worked on the implementation of SAPndash a business-critical systems program ndash requiringbehavior change from swathes of key yetuninterested people Successful implementationwas a big risk to get right but it was as dull asdishwater to communicate
Luckily there was a ldquoEurekardquo moment Byaligning the SAP story with the metaphor ofFormula-1 racing we could tell the tale of how itwould fulfill our need to create winningperformances for both the individual driver aswell as the back-up team in order to perform wellon the road ahead This storyline was a perfectmatch for the programrsquos objectives
Launch speakers from Formula 1 great designwork not to mention fantastic collateral allresulted in a no-hitch implementation that reallyresonated with people The global companypicked it up as the approach for worldwide rollout So faced with tedium it can actually pay tostare out of the window for creative inspiration
My other piece of advice is Focus on a killerissue If you really want to get ahead (and do besure you really do as being at the center ofchange is often akin to being in the eye of ahurricane ndash itrsquos no place for the feint-hearted)learn what keeps your business leaders up atnight Use your stakeholder-management skills toget to the people you need to help you deliversolutions then execute execute execute
Focus on value-adding work only because ifyou end up working on your companyrsquos cul-de-sacprojects yoursquoll never shine brightly enough forthe leaders in your company to notice you 3
COMPETENCY
Planning internal communication 76
Linking corporate messages to corporate vision 73
CEO communication 63
Change communication 60
Communicating to diverse audiences 60
Using the intranet as a communication tool 54
Defending your department in internal political battles 43
Line manager communication 42
Professional development of internal communication staff 33
Helping employees cope with information overload 32
Securing the appropriate level of budget for internal communication 30
Measuring the effectiveness of internal communication 28
Figure One Table from The Pulse report showing the percentage of communicators who ratethemselves as effective or very effective at listed competencies
30 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
WHATrsquoS CHANGED IN THE LAST 25 YEARS
David MoorcroftSenior Vice PresidentCorporate CommunicationsRBC Financial Group Canada
Irsquom constantly amazed at the changes that have taken place in our professionover the last 25 years and the degree of talent and knowledge required bycommunicators today to do their jobs well
Back in 1979 when I started in corporate PR the major skill sets werewriting editing and great media contacts Today good editorial skills are justtable stakes and the ability to understand business adapt technology thinkstrategically plan consummately and influence stakeholders are what landsenior communicators a seat at the management table
This change has been driven by the globalization of business the advent ofnew 247 media including the Internet the growing sophistication ofcustomers and employees increased demands for corporate transparency andmore rigorous requirements for high standards of public disclosure andfinancial reporting
MORE SKILLS THAN EVER BEFOREAs a result todayrsquos business communicator has to be more capable andknowledgeable and have more skills than ever before They must befinancially literate and technologically savvy They must understand the impactof evolving accounting and disclosure rules They must deal with legal HRpolitical and business issues And they must be prepared to deal with amultitude of potential crises that can arise at any moment in any language inany part of the world
Perhaps most challenging senior management today expects clear bottom-line returns for their investments in communication Itrsquos no longer enough toinform audiences and measure communication outputs CEOs expectcommunication to engage audiences and produce outcomes ndash something thatrequires strategic thinking planning and foresight
A friend of mine who left a senior corporate PR job to become COO of amajor public utility recently summed up the role of todayrsquos communicator thisway ldquoItrsquos one of the most important and critical roles in organizations todayand yet itrsquos often one of the least recognized and appreciatedrdquo
That sentiment may be a reality in some organizations today but with moreand more CEOs beginning to realize the bottom-line value of communication itwonrsquot be 25 years from now
Christina FeeSenior Vice President InternalCommunicationsDeutsche Post AGGermany
Seek out the important projectsI canrsquot pretend to have employed a specificapproach to my ldquopersonal PRrdquo at all But in theorganizations Irsquove worked for Irsquove had theopportunity to work on a number of excitinghigh-profile projects that have connected me withsenior stakeholders and influential people atdifferent levels
7
Irsquove learned a great deal from the project teamsIrsquove worked with and also due to the significanceand scope of the projects been able todemonstrate my worth approach and skills Irsquovehad to be passionate stand up for what I believein and think outside the box constantly
My roles within DHLDeutsche Post haveallowed me the freedom and flexibility to developand deliver new ideas but Irsquove also had to practiceand embody excellent internal communicationskills myself Having developed credibility and trustwith those that matter based on my track record Iwas allowed to go ahead with other projects
I donrsquot actively pursue the ldquoright relationshipsrdquobut rather let my work and my interactions withpeople speak for themselves This has helped medevelop mentors and supporters naturally Mylearning and development has also been expandedby the opportunity to work abroad and learn moreabout intercultural communication and interaction
Marc SilversideHead of Internal CommunicationsMacmillan Cancer SupportUK
Understand whatrsquos expected of youA newly established role heightens the need formaking a good impression so that people trustyou and feel they can come to you for advice
When I joined Macmillan I very nearly got thiswrong Perhaps this is an example that otherrsquos canlearn from
When my new CEO at Macmillan CancerSupport asked for a meeting ldquoafter a few weeks tosettle inrdquo I was confident that my wide-ranginginduction would help me understand the businessand provide the basis for what Irsquod present tosenior management
Forty structured face-to-face managerinterviews allowed me to understand needs andkey issues and I started to build personal rapportMy profile was raised and at the same timeinternal communication gained good visibility
Externally I networked with contacts in similarroles in other charities and soon found thebeginnings of a voluntary-sector network This hassince grown to over 25 members
By the time my CEO slot arrived I was armedwith input from across the charity and the resultsof an audit I felt well prepared to present myvision and solutions So I was surprised to be metwith significant resistance
I later discovered that my CEO intelligence wasincorrect What he wanted was to be askedspecifically about his own views on what internalcommunication should do and what I could do for
How to get ahead in internal communication
31scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
HOW DO YOUR SKILLS MEASURE UPFor Melcrumrsquos study into budgets salaries and trends in internalcommunication in 200607 we asked survey respondents to rate their owneffectiveness at a range of key communication competencies from planning tomeasurement The results may surprise you
For example 76 percent of respondents rate themselves as effective or veryeffective at planning internal communication but only 28 percent ratethemselves as equally effective at measuring its effectiveness (see Figure Onepage 29)
In her commentary on the results development expert Sue Dewhurst hadthe following to say
OUR STRENGTHSIt seems where we see our strengths as internal communicators is towards theldquofront endrdquo of the communication planning process For example being able tolink a plan to the business strategy knowing our audiences and being able tojoin up the dots and show people how messages link to the business vision
These are powerful strengths We are one of the few functions that tends tohave an overarching view of our entire company and is able to view thecompany and its strategy from a number of different perspectives Being ableto understand the vision and strategy view it from an audience perspectiveand then create line of sight to show what those things mean in practicalterms for peoplersquos day-to-day roles is one of the ways that we help drivebusiness performance ndash by showing people what they need to do to take thestrategy forward
In turn by knowing and working with our audiences hopefully wersquore thenalso able to make sure their views and suggestions can help shape the strategyand how itrsquos put into practice
MEASURING EFFECTIVENESSWe see ourselves as less effective towards the back end of the planningprocess in measuring the effectiveness of internal communication which tiesin with the feeling from previous questions that in fact wersquore not doing muchmeasurement or demonstrating our return on investment
Research and measurement is an area where there is plenty of expertisearound to call on There are measurement conferences research reports andpublications to understand what other organizations are doing and practicaltraining that will give you the opportunity to work in a smaller group askquestions and practice techniques For help with specific techniques try yourinternal marketing team Marketers are generally great with data and well-versed in running focus groups and putting together surveys If you have anexternal provider to support your employee engagement research try them too
Source The Pulse Essential data on budgets salaries and trends 2006-07wwwmelcrumcom
him rather than how I could benefit the charity Ihad to change my approach fast
This could have cost me my best ambassadorfrom day one So my advice is make sure yoursquoreabsolutely clear about whatrsquos expected from you
Of course the insights I gained in my first fewmonths have been valuable and since then myresults have done the talking Fortunately theCEO soon became an internal communicationsconvert and advocate
Darren CrozierCommunications ManagerHBOS plcUK
Make things happenDelivery is key to career development ndash if you sayyoursquore going to do something make sure you doit Put in the effort get the results you want andbe known as someone who can make things happenIf yoursquore seen to ldquoget things donerdquo no matter howsmall the job is people are more likely to get youinvolved in activities and ask your opinion
Gaining credibility and respect from seniorcolleagues is important but everyone in yourorganization will form an opinion of you from thepeople in the canteen right through to the CEOSo try and make sure that their opinion of you is agood one
Itrsquos not just the people within your immediatesphere of influence who can have an impact onyour career so extend your network go oncourses and get involved in professionalorganizations Many of my close workingrelationships career opportunities and indeedpersonal friendships have come from meetingpeople at such events and taking the time to keepin touch You never know how things will develop
Itrsquos also vital to earn respect be trustworthy andhave good manners To recall what an ex-bossonce said ldquoBe careful how you treat people onthe way up as you never know when you maycome across them againrdquo
One of the biggest challenges Irsquove found inrecent times is recognizing my own success andselling myself Sometimes you need to take a stepback to realize just what yoursquove achieved Evenbetter keep a log or portfolio of your successesand donrsquot be shy to speak about them becauseothers wonrsquot be shy to speak about theirs
Finally try and have some fun along the wayWe all have to work for a living so learn to makethe most of it scm
1 For more about Melcrumrsquos Internal Communication Black Belttraining program go to wwwmelcrumcom
32 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pitney Bowes has followed an aggressive strategyof growth through acquisition completing 60+acquisitions since 2001 Expansion has broadenedits product mix to include an extensive range ofsolutions from office equipment to globalpositioning software
But the companyrsquos many different specialismsand huge outsourcing operations meant that themajority of its 34000 employees werenrsquot aware ofthe full range of its service offering and thepotential for different divisions to work together
As Rob Hallam vice president EmployeeCommunication explains there was a strongbusiness case for adopting a ldquoone companyrdquoapproach ldquoBecause the businesses tended to besomewhat siloed even senior managers werefocused on their divisions
ldquoAlso because we were acquiring companiesand evolving so rapidly managers werenrsquot awareof a lot of the businesses and how they all workedtogether in the mailstreamrdquo says Hallam ldquoWewere missing out on potential cross-sellingopportunitiesrdquo
Communicating a new visionFour years ago Pitney Bowes created a OneCompany Vision statement ldquoOur aim was toensure support and cooperation across thebusiness so we could provide a comprehensive setof customer solutions ndash not just a list of productsand services by business unitrdquo says Hallam Theinternal communication challenge was to drawtogether 34000 employees and build a unifiedcorporate culture The communication strategyfocused on three key elements
1 PeopleThis focused on involving the leadershipstrengthening a two-way dialogue betweenmanagement and employees communicating theculture through leadership messaging enterprise-wide events and roadshows and buildingengagement so that everyone was workingtogether towards a One Company approach
2 ProcessesThis meant integrating the One Companyapproach into the organizationrsquos operations andinfrastructure by shifting management roles andadjusting incentives and reward structuresthroughout the company
The first step was to consolidate the companyrsquosoperating activities by appointing Murray DMartin as president and chief operating officer inSeptember 2004 Martinrsquos mantra is ldquoThink AsOne Act as One Operate As One to deliverwhat no other company canrdquo
ldquoThe COO position had previously been heldby the chairman so elevating someone to that
Communicating a OneCompany culture atPitney Bowes
Following rapid growth in the form of more than 60acquisitions over six years silo-working haddeveloped at Pitney Bowes and leaders were failing
to take advantage of profitable cross-selling opportunitiesHere Rob Hallam describes the communication elementsof a ldquoOne Companyrdquo culture-change program which hasturned the situation around simultaneously improvingcustomer service and boosting profits
Persuading disparate businessunits to work together
AN INTERVIEW WITH ROB HALLAM
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Pitney Bowes is an 87-year-old company best known forthe manufacturing operationand oversight of postagemeters It has over two millioncustomers more than 3500active patents and annualrevenue of close to $6 billion
33scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
role was a big changerdquo explains Hallam ldquoAll thebusiness units now report to a single individual atoperating level It represented a huge positivemove to start the company operationalizing OneCompany behaviorrdquo
The internal communication function wasrestructured to ensure that consistent messagingreached the entire employee population Regularmeasurement was a key part of the changeinitiative This served to define the contributionof communicating a One Company approachwhere it was adding value to Pitney Bowes and itsclients and customers and where there was stillwork to do
3 TechnologyIt was important to find the best ways to cascademessages throughout the company and keeppeople informed about what was going onwithout bombarding them with irrelevantcommunication Hallam and his team deploy avariety of channels and media including internalprint and online publications voicemail and e-mail Pitney Bowes is also in the process ofintegrating its different voicemail systems and e-mail platforms into one global system
Involving senior leadership from the outsetThe One Company strategy was an overridingpolicy that started at the top of the organizationldquoThere was a big launch at the strategic leadersrsquomeeting which is held every Januaryrdquo saysHallam ldquoThe messaging was then driven throughthe organization via a companywide globalcommunication strategyrdquo
From the outset the policy was championed bythe CEO Michael Critelli who believes thatculture is central to the Pitney Bowes brand andsaid recently ldquoMy first measure of success iswhether we are behaving as one companyrdquo Thiscommitment helped to ensure that the culturalchange was reinforced by parallel changes to thecorporate infrastructure
Building a two-way dialogueThe next step was to get the employee populationinvolved and build enterprisewide enthusiasm forthe culture change Pitney Bowes has alwaysrecognized the value of a two-way dialoguebetween management and employees and hasheld annual jobholders meetings which aresimilar to shareholdersrsquo meetings for 61 years In2005 Hallam reinvented it as an initiative calledOne Forum ndash a series of roadshows focusing oncommunicating the One Company culturethroughout the organization
Launching the One ForumIn 2005 Hallam and his team created an original
and memorable One Forum launch for the 90percent of Pitney Bowes employees based in theUS Around a quarter of US employees saw thisin person the others received a link to a websitewith streaming highlights
ldquoWe put together a two-hour roadshow eventwhich helped people to understand our OneCompany approach and made them aware of allthe businesses we were inrdquo says Hallam ldquoThethinking was that high change requires high touchFace-to-face can have far greater impact on theindividuals touched From there itrsquos a matter ofripple effect such as seeing improved One Forumbrand awareness among employees who didnrsquotactually attend one of the eventsrdquo
ldquoWe wanted the roadshow to be entertainingand energizing so we used gameshow techniquescustom-written songs and comedy specificallytailored to Pitney Bowes employees It was a funevent but it also included a keynote speech fromthe CEO and a lot of question-and-answersessions with employees It was entertainmentwith a purpose and it was a great success with employeesrdquo
The post-event employee evaluations provedthe success of this approach ldquoIn some cities anincredible 90 percent of employees gave the eventa top-box rating This shows that there was ahunger for both the knowledge and theapproachrdquo adds Hallam
Taking the show on the roadThe One Forum roadshow has become an annualevent ldquoIn a five-month period during 2005 therewere 17 One Forum events in 12 US citiesreaching about 6000 peoplerdquo says Hallam ldquoAftersome testing in March and April the first bigroadshows started in early May and continued forsix months with the final one in early Decemberin Seattle 3
Rob Hallam is vice presidentEmployee Communication atPitney Bowes (PB) in StamfordConnecticut where hersquos beenresponsible for internalcommunication strategy andimplementation since 2004Hallam has led a team ofprofessionals in reshapingcommunication at PB resultedin the communication teamearning the top ranking in HRdepartment satisfaction fromall PBrsquos US managers in 2005and 2006
KEY POINTSbull Internal communication has played an important role in embedding a
One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
bull The communication strategy focused on three key elements peopleprocess and technology
bull The campaign has been championed by the CEO from the outset andhas won senior leadership support over time
bull An entertaining roadshow helped win employee commitment
bull Cross-selling ratios have jumped substantially since the culture-changeeffort began
34 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ldquoIn 2006 we compressed the programsubstantially and drove down costs while stilltouching 6000 employees Together with ourcorporate marketing group we also introduced anextremely successful lsquoelevator speechrsquo that helpsemployees answer the much-feared questionlsquoWhat does Pitney Bowes dorsquordquo
Local variationsAlthough the entertainment component in theroadshows contributed to their success it wasspecific to the US so Hallam gave business unitsand internal communicators in other regions theresponsibility for communicating the OneCompany approach to local employees ldquoInCanada and the UK they conducted town-hallmeetings and in Latin America and other parts ofthe world they produced their own variations onthe One Forum theme We made sure that theyhad the information they needed but we limitedthe entertainment to English-speaking regionsrdquo
A commitment to employee engagementThe appointment of the new COO and the launchof the One Forum roadshows coincided with thefirst employee engagement survey in late 2004ldquoWe see engagement as very much tied to ourability to execute a One Company strategy andchange our culturerdquo says Hallam He sets outfour ways in which employee engagement isinstilled at all levels in the organization
1 Visible leadership commitment to engagementThe CEO underlines his commitment by sendingregular messages to employees via a variety ofmedia including voicemail and print and onlinepublications He also uses engagement scores todetermine a unitrsquos overall performance rating andbonus pool ldquoWhen one senior execrsquos bonus poolwas reduced due to poor engagement scores that
was a message requiring no communication planrdquosays Hallam ldquoWord spread quicklyrdquo
2 Celebrating top performers Pitney Bowes celebrates its top engagementperformers by running cover stories in its globalprint and online publication PB Today ldquoThisprogram was called lsquoThe Faces of Pitney Bowesrsquordquosays Hallam ldquoWe did 10 of these last year so theyran twice in five editions Wersquove also producedlarge mural-sized photos of those managers andtheir teamsrdquo he says ldquoWe celebrate success andpublish it everywhere Our CEO loves it and wersquoreactually selling part of our contemporary artcollection which decorates the building to makeroom for an expansion of additional OneCompany and Engagement photography all ofwhich will focus on our employeesrdquo
3 Incentivizing managers via the reward systemEmployee engagement is recognized andreinforced in the companyrsquos formal processesincluding its reward system ldquoWe use a tool calledthe Strategic Architecture which is our balancedscorecardrdquo explains Hallam ldquoItrsquos a Six-Sigma toolwhich measures employee shareholder andcustomer value Managersrsquo engagement scoresalso factor into their annual reviews soengagement has a direct impact on remunerationrdquo
4 Rewarding engagementA further program called Rapid Rewards awardscash bonuses to managers and employees foroutstanding behavior including that related toemployee engagement
Aligning the communication strategyHallam and his team are responsible fordelivering the overall employee communicationstrategy ldquoWe had to dramatically improve ourstrategic approach in order to make OneCompany a realityrdquo he says
In addition to organizing campaigns such as theOne Forum roadshows to publicize the culturechange across the enterprise Hallam hasintroduced initiatives aimed at improving thereach and delivery of internal communication andmaking sure messages get to their intendedaudiences He has also aligned the structure ofthe internal communication function with thecompanyrsquos unified culture
ldquoThere were a lot of different communicationgroups so we brought together all thecommunication leaders and formed a singleInternal Communications Councilrdquo explainsHallam ldquoThis means that the communicationfunctions in the different business units areworking together to help drive change andimprove coordinationrdquo
Communicating a One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
ldquoWHEN A SENIOR EXECrsquoS BONUS WAS REDUCEDDUE TO POOR ENGAGEMENT SCORES THAT WASA MESSAGE REQUIRING NO COMMUNICATIONPLAN WORD SPREAD QUICKLYrdquo
7
FURTHER RESOURCES3 THE IMPACT OF CULTURE AND CLIMATE ON CHANGE PROGRAMS
An article published in SCM Volume 10 Issue 6 OctoberNovember 2006
3 DRIVING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE CORPORATE CULTUREMelcrumrsquos report on communication tools techniques and best practicefrom leading organizationswwwmelcrumcom
35scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Developing a global approachHallam is also responsible for a globalcommunication project called Universal Reachwhich is sponsored by the chairman and designedto support and maintain a unified corporateculture ldquoOur goal is to provide 90 percentmessage accessibility within our key customer-facing audiencesrdquo he explains ldquoThe biggestchallenge is integrating our online communicationinfrastructure which has nine different voicemailsystems operating across the world and multiplee-mail and web platforms Wersquore pulling all thattogether to provide better reachrdquo
Since 911 the CEO and other top executiveshave broadcast weekly audio messages calledPower Talks Hallamrsquos team has worked with theleadership to ensure that they incorporate OneCompany messages and as he explains they reachmost of the employee population ldquoAbout 20000of our employees have voicemail Those whodonrsquot receive the Power Talk message either inprint or online In some divisions managers playthe Power Talk messages in staff meetingsrdquo
Engaging leadership reinforces the cultureBuilding on the CEOrsquos commitment to a OneCompany approach Hallam and his team haveorganized leadership events ndash most recently at thestrategic leadersrsquo meeting in December 2006 ndashshowing Pitney Bowes as one company in actionThis campaign has helped to engage the top 150managers in the culture change
ldquoOur post-event evaluations show a strongmove numerically in senior leadershiprsquos belief thatwersquore operating as one companyrdquo says Hallam(see Figure One above) ldquoAs theyrsquore our toughestjudges wersquore pleased by the significant differencein pre- and post-event measurementrdquo There wasalso an improvement in leadersrsquo understanding ofthe companyrsquos new mailstream category
Sustaining the new cultureAccording to Hallam rippling out the OneCompany messaging requires a consistent andcoordinated approach Communication leaders inthe various divisions are now working to weaveOne Company messages into the business-unitmeetings ldquoA lot of the messaging that welaunched at the strategic leadersrsquo meeting arebeing reiterated at the business unit level Thatrsquosbeen facilitated through the InternalCommunications Councilrdquo he says
ldquoKey metrics for the culture change programfocus on cross-selling ratios which have jumpedsubstantially since the culture change effortbeganrdquo says Hallam ldquoIn 2002 we also institutedthe ldquoPB1 Awardsrdquo which is a chairmanrecognition award that goes to teams who bestembody cross-functional behavior in working on
projects which improve our clientsrsquo profitabilityour profitability or bothrdquo
ldquoHowever wersquore only really a year into thisMuch of the evidence is anecdotal but what haschanged is that our managers have broadenedtheir vision and are thinking as solutions-providers rather than product-sellers As suchtheyrsquore involving other business units out of theirdesire to eliminate customer pain points ndashregardless of which part of Pitney Bowes gets the salerdquo
Adding value to customersUltimately managers and employees who arewell-informed about the companyrsquos products andservices are in a good position to take advantageof cross-selling opportunities Realizing thispotential enables Pitney Bowes to make extrasales to existing customers thereby increasing itsprofit margins and allowing customers to benefitfrom a mix of products and services
Shifting to a unified culture directly benefitsboth Pitney Bowes and its customers ldquoByfocusing on the whole cadre of products andservices we can help our customers improve theirbusinessesrdquo says Hallam ldquoThatrsquos where OneCompany is critical It enables our clients tobenefit from all our servicesrdquo scm
Figure One Measuring the impact of the strategic leadersrsquo meeting
CONTACT DETAILS
Rob HallamPitney Bowesrobhallampbcom
I BELIEVE THAT OUR SENIOR LEADERS (MEANING THE TOP 15 EXECS) AREWORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO DELIVER INTEGRATED HIGH-VALUESOLUTIONS TO OUR CUSTOMERS
Pre SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 73
Post SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 92
Gain in two months time 19
ldquoMANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WELL-INFORMED ABOUT THE COMPANYrsquoS PRODUCTSAND SERVICES ARE IN A GOOD POSITION TOTAKE ADVANTAGE OF CROSS-SELLINGrdquo
2007
36 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
MELCRUM TRAINING amp EVENTS
CALENDAR 2007UKEUROPESOCIAL MEDIA FORUM FORINTERNAL COMMUNICATORS UK
3 21-22 March 2007 Hilton Canary WharfLondon UKThis forum is designed for practitioners who wantto make social media part of their internalcommunication strategy Over two dayscompanies such as IBM Microsoft and BT willshare case studies demonstrating their use ofsocial-media tools Technology experts will also beon hand to provide training and show you how touse these tools
THE 3RD ANNUAL EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT CONFERENCE UK
3 22-24 May 2007 Millennium GloucesterLondon UK22 May ndash Practical workshops23-24 May ndash Two-day conferenceThis event will focus on transforming yourstrategies into action Listen to case studies fromcompanies that have achieved real andmeasurable results from their engagement effortsLearn how they did it what they achieved and howthe results were measured
THE 6TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT UK
3 16-18 October 2007 London UK After the huge success of the 2006 UK StrategicCommunication Management Summit next yearrsquosevent will once again provide you withpresentations from key figures in the industry anda chance to network with your peers Mark yourdiaries now ndash more details to follow
THE 3RD ANNUAL INTERNALCOMMUNICATION MEASUREMENTCONFERENCE UK
3 27-29 November 2007 London UKDetails available soon ndash mark your diary now
NORTH AMERICATHE 3RD ANNUAL CONFERENCEON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENTBUILDING AND SUSTAINING ACULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT
3 28 February ndash 1 March 2007 Crowne PlazaAtlanta-Buckhead Atlanta USLearn how to foster an environment whereemployees feel valued and respected Hear fromcompanies including Dow Corning CorporationAmerican Express Delta Hotels and Merck
THE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT US
3 26-28 March 2007 Crowne Plaza UnionSquare San Francisco26 March ndash Pre-conference workshops27-28 March ndash Two-day summitAttend this conference and discover how toimprove employee alignment with all segments ofyour internal audience ndash from your front-lineemployees to your executive officers bothnationally and worldwide
AUSTRALIATHE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION ENGAGEMENTSUMMIT SYDNEY
3 31 July ndash 2 August 2007 Sydney Australia Details available soon ndash mark your diary now
WEBINARSDEVELOPING PROFESSIONALCOMPETENCE
3 Thursday 22 February 2007 with LiamFitzPatrick and Sue Dewhurst
HELPING YOUR ORGANIZATIONTHRIVE DURING TURBULENTTIMES
3 Thursday 29 March 2007 with Carol KinseyGoman
TRAININGTHE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT PROGRAM
3 24-25 April and 1-2 May 2007 HenleyManagement College UK3 11-12 and 27-28 September 2007 Cranfield
School of Management UK
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT MASTERCLASSEFFECTIVE MEASUREMENT
3 14-15 March 2007 Hendon Hall Hendon UKAn essential two-day intensive training courses forinternal communicators on effective measurementRegister early as places are strictly limited to 20people per Masterclass
CSR DELIVERY ENGAGEMENT amp LEADERSHIP
3 19-20 April 2007 Central LondonOsney MediaWith an excellent speaker line-up from high-profile companies including Procter amp Gamble The BodyShop ExxonMobil Microsoft Belgium Vodafone UK Dell Ericsson and Alliance Boots this case studybased event will answer questions including how do Ibull Build a CSR-oriented leadershipbull Get people on boardbull Integrate CSR with the global strategy of the companybull Deliver CSR throughout the company to make it really happen
For more information visit wwwcsrleadershipcom or e-mail mariame_lindellosneymediacouk (Reference code 910MLC3)
38 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
DESIGN
YELLOW
The future success of all organisations will be builton trust understanding passion empowermentintegrity and relationships
The future is cool exciting sparkling organisationsbursting with energy life and action
The future of brand is the internal brand first andforemost
The future is colleague as customer
Turning communications upside down
No just inside-out
Be part of the future say hello to Yellow
We help large organisations bring their communicationsstrategies to life through the imaginative use of liveevents multimedia web and design ndash distributed acrossall media platforms including DVD TV mobile devicesintranet and extranet
Ultimately developing internal brands and ongoingcommunications that have a measurable impact onpeople-performance advocacy and the bottom line
Contact Paul MiddletonTel +44 (0)161 228 6700E-mail paulmiddletonyellowcomcomWebsite wwwyellowcomcom
NEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
DESIGN
BLUE GOOSE
blue goose specialize in visual communications We make communications work faster and better We will link what wedo back to your objectives but we donrsquot talk (or charge for) ldquostrategyrdquo when you simply want tactical implementation Weuse design and creativity tobull differentiate products and services bull develop and manage corporate and brand identity bull align external communications with agreed values bull internalize corporate and brand identitybull align internal communications with agreed values bull support organizational change and bull help organizations better understand and define who they are
We work for clients as diverse as PricewaterhouseCoopers Ford Europe Centrica plc Greene King City of London Policeand Le Meacuteridien
blue goose is for any organization more interested in designing their future than watching it happen
Contact Chris BarringtonE-mail thinkingbluegoosecoukTel +44 (0)20 8869 8500Web site wwwbluegoosecouk
CONSULTANCY
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION ampSURVEYS PTY LTD
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd is aboutique consultancy based in Sydney Australia Itspecializes in employee communication strategiessystems research and employee surveys of all kindsPrincipal Rodney Gray has been involved inorganizational consulting for over 20 years following a15-year career as a corporate human resourcesexecutive Services includebull Employee communication audits and surveys by
questionnaires focus groups and interviewsbull Employee communication systems strategies and
processesbull Employee communication training workshops and
talksbull Employee culture climate and opinion surveysbull Qualitative organizational diagnosis (focus groups
and interviews)bull Internal service quality research (qualitative and
quantitative)
Contact Rodney GrayTel +61 (0)2 9909 2900 Fax +61 (0)2 9909 2911E-mail rodneyrodneygraycomauWeb site wwwemployee-communicationcomau
CONSULTANCY
HEDRON
Internal and change communication that helps teamsand individuals to develop strategies relationshipsprocesses and skills to engage stakeholders supporthigh performance and deliver change
ldquoSharp strategic thinking quality execution effectiveinterpersonallyhelliprdquo ldquoCreativity drive resourcefulnessresults great funhelliprdquo say clients
All sectors ndash ABN AMRO AXA BT Cadbury SchweppesDepartment for Constitutional Affairs HealthcareCommission Group 4 Securicor SABMiller SiemensSouthern Rail Unilever Wincanton
Our clients are happy to tell you what itrsquos like workingwith us
Contact Helena MemoryTel + 44 (0) 20 7493 0735Fax + 44 (0) 20 7493 0743E-mail helena-mhedroncomWeb site wwwhedroncom
CONSULTANCY
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
39scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
CONSULTANCY
SYNOPSIS
Founded by change and communication authority Bill Quirke in 1992 Synopsis is one of Europersquos leading internalcommunication consultancies Our clients include such companies as ABN Amro BBC BP British Airways DiageoEricsson HP Lloyds TSB Roche Shell and Vodafone
We help clients use internal communication to engage their employees in delivering business strategy and get most valuefrom their internal communication
We can help youbull Develop communication strategies that support your business strategybull Coach leadersbull Develop line managersrsquo communication skillsbull Plan and coordinate your communication with colleagues onlinebull Check the health of your communication channels and improve return on investmentbull Build and develop the communication functionbull Measure and track employee engagement attitudes and opinions
To take a tour of our online planning tool go to wwwsynopsisonlinecomproductplanningtoolasp
Contact Jane LebeauE-mail janelebeausynopsisonlinecomTel +44 (0) 20 7490 2900Web site wwwsynopsisonlinecom
CONSULTANCY
HARKNESS KENNETT
We specialize in internal communication To us thatmeansbull motivating people through inspiring leadershipbull guiding people through organizational changebull engaging people in delivering the brand
Working in partnership with our clients is central to ourethos enabling us to help deliver practical solutionssupported by solid strategic thinking All of ourconsultants have held senior positions ldquoclient siderdquo sowe know what itrsquos like to be in your shoes The vastmajority of our work comes from recommendations fromexisting clients ndash 82 percent of our clients haverequested repeat work in the last two years
Our clients include Abbey Atkins BDO Stoy HaywardThe Environment Agency Marks amp Spencer NHS Blood ampTransplant Morgan Stanley Europe Nestleacute PoliceInformation Technology Organisation Royal ampSunAlliance South West Trains and Vodafone
Our vision is simple ndash we want to be the first callyou make
Contact James HarknessTel +44 (0)1483 222730E-mail jamesharknessharknesskennettcomWeb site wwwharknesskennettcom
CONSULTANCY
TRIDENT COMMUNICATIONS
Trident Communications is uniquely positioned to definedevelop and deliver award-winning solutions that aligncommunication with business goals
We advise and partner with organizations of all sizes tocreate high-value practical applications Our talentedproject teams provide innovative research designeditorial and imagery for print and online
We connect ideas and deliver results
Contact Peter Agertoft Tel +44 (0)207 536 8900E-mail peteragertoft
tridentcommunicationsnetWeb site wwwtridentcommunicationsnet
CONSULTANCY
FLEISHMAN-HILLARD
Fleishman-Hillardrsquos dedicated internal and changecommunication practice helps businesses focus onperforming ndash not just informing
We help organisations plan and implement programmeswith the right mix of information dialogue and trainingso that employees are engaged aligned and motivatedto achieve business objectives
Because effective internal communication is vital tobottom-line performance we partner with our clients tocreate a daily dialogue ndash not a monologue ndash withemployees
Contact Nick AndrewsTel +32 (0)2 230 05 45 E-mail nickandrewsfleishmancomWeb site wwwfleishmaneuropecom
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE A listing in our Directory of Services will giveyou a chance to reach communicationprofessionals at some of the worldrsquos largestand most admired companies and to tap intodecision-making practitioners
ContactVincent SorelTel +44 (0)208 600 4670E-mail vincentsorelmelcrumcom
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
INCLUDE YOUR COMPANY BY CONTACTING US ON +44(0)20 8600 4670 OR AT INFOMELCRUMCOM
CONSULTANCY
HILL amp KNOWLTON
Better business results the bottom line
How do I manage more change Motivate managers Getthe right information to the right people Show the bestreturn on communication investment
Sound familiar Hill amp Knowltonrsquos change and internalcommunication consultants work with companies aroundthe world to find the right answers for their situation
We offer strategy insight and creativity drawing on ourconsultancy expertise and in-house experience Plus wedeliver practical hands-on help
We know that effective employee communication has adirect impact on the bottom line Working together wecan make it happen for you
Contact EMEA DavidFerrabeehillandknowltoncom
+44 (0) 7413 3176USA BarbaraEdlerhillandknowltoncom
+1 415 281-7160Canada KristaThompsonhillandknowltoncom
+1 613 786-9961
RECRUITMENT
VMA GROUP
VMA Group is one of the UKrsquos leading executive searchand selection consultancies specializing in internal andcorporate communication recruitment
For over 25 years VMA Group has provided the highestlevel of service to some of the most demanding globalorganizations developing a strong track record for thequality and professionalism of our search and selection work
We have in-depth specialist knowledge of the internalcommunication market and can provide high-qualitypermanent and interim candidates with expertise acrossinternal communication change management and widercorporate communication We understand the needs ofour clients intrinsically and strive to develop long-termrelationships with clients and candidates alike
Please call to discuss how we can help you find theideal candidate or if you wish to make a career move
Contact David BroomeTel +44 (0)20 7436 4243E-mail dbroomevmagroupcoukWeb site wwwvmagroupcouk
40 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONALCOMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS E-mail gaitensunityncsueduWeb site wwwconsultingsuccessorgTel 919 469 3895
CIB ndash BRITISH ASSOCIATION OFCOMMUNICATORS IN BUSINESSE-mail enquiriescibukcomWeb site wwwcibukcomTel +44 (0)870 121 7606
CCM ndash COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATIONMANAGEMENT E-mail membership
ccmconnectioncomWeb site wwwccmconnectioncomTel 866 463 4226
CPRS ndash THE CANADIAN PUBLICRELATIONS SOCIETYE-mail admincprscaWeb site wwwcprscaTel 416 239 7034
IABC ndash THE INTERNATIONALASSOCIATION OF BUSINESSCOMMUNICATORS E-mail service_centreiabccomWeb site wwwiabccomTel 415 544 4700
ICA ndash THE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONALLIANCE E-mail amandafoistericaukorgWeb site wwwiprorgukicaTel +44 (0)1628 642 044
CIPR ndash THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OFPUBLIC RELATIONS UKE-mail infoiprorgukWeb site wwwiprorgukTel +44 (0)20 7253 5151
IPRA ndash THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICRELATIONS ASSOCIATIONE-mail ipraseccompuservecomWeb site wwwipraorgTel +44 (0) 1372 461 188
PRSA ndash PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OFAMERICAE-mail resourcesprsaorgWeb site wwwprsaorgTel 212 460 1459
DIRECTORY OF SERVICESNEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
CONSULTANCY
12 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Organizations today ndash driven byincreased competition merger-and-acquisition activity and large complextransformation programs ndash arecharacterized by the need for constantand rapid change In our experienceconsistent leadership communicationsare at the center of helping theirorganizations address these challenges
With all the complex transformationprograms we work on we encourage the
leadership team to create a simple one-page ldquomessage maprdquo to use over a definedtimeframe The message map which welink to key program milestones andsuccesses helps the leadership team toplan what theyrsquoll share with employeesand other stakeholders and when
Message maps can address commonfailures of leadership communicationDuring global cross-functional programswhen all leaders consistently reinforce
the same messages they emerge as ajoined-up forward-thinking team
Message maps are also effective whenbuilding up communication to employeesover time rather than overwhelmingstaff with changes or diminishingleadership credibility by waiting too longto communicate
Compiling a message mapThe process wersquove used in the past to helpleaders develop a message map is quitestraight forward This is what we dobull We encourage leaders to work
together to agree and articulate thestory Agreeing the story typicallyrequires experienced facilitationThis encourages leaders to definehow the story will build and thengain momentum and commitmentover time
bull The story is then converted into asimple message map The mapshould make sense to all change-program leaders as this tool willguide the majority of theircommunication to employees Itshould also provide a clear view ofwhatrsquos coming next Message mapsare often shown as straightforwardtimelines but there are othereffective ways to present them (seeFigure One below)
bull Once the change story has beenagreed and committed to paperleaders use the map to know whencommunications should be deliveredand what supporting documentationto use for a consistent cascade
Revisiting communication plansOf course the content of the message mapwill need to be revisited Message mapsas with all communications evolve overtime They should be frequently reviewedto ensure that the messages ndash and time-scales ndash remain relevant to the programand align with program milestones
USING MESSAGE MAPSTO GUIDE CHANGE
Sally Harris is director of theCommunications and Engagementpractice at Molten where shespecializes in managing large-scale communication and changeprograms for global clients
Facilitate a meeting withthe leadership team to
agree and articulate thechange story
Sally Harris director of the Communications and Engagement practice at Moltenbelieves itrsquos often the simplest tools that are most effective in encouraging leadersto think more strategically about their communications Here she explains why theldquomessage maprdquo is one such tool
SALLY HARRIS
LEA
DER
SHIP
CO
MM
UN
ICATIO
N
scm
Figure One Example of a global message map
13scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
brand image and set an example for thewhole company
At The Company Agency we find thatmany CEOs are looking for strategiccommunication support coaching andguidance that goes beyond what theyreceive from their rostered PR agencyThey operate in a world thatrsquos typicallyquite lonely where information isfrequently filtered theyrsquore under aconstant spotlight and a gap existsbetween them their people and theircustomers Internal communication canplay a key role in helping the CEObridge this gap
A simple checklist Every CEO is different and facesdifferent challenges but herersquos a simplechecklist if you find yourself workingwith a new CEO or in a new role with anestablished CEObull Ask your CEO what kind of person
they would like to be viewed as byemployees ndash coach them oncommunication behavior that canhelp them achieve this goal
bull Establish very quickly what theCEOrsquos key message is ndash askquestions until it is crystal clear
bull Know your business and brief yourCEO on what type of communicationis effective or not within yourorganization
bull Provide informed guidance onemerging communication trends ndashsuch as social media ndash and explainthe business impact
bull Understand how the CEO listens towhat people are saying
bull Determine the CEOscommunication preferences ndash howdoes he or she like to receive andshare information both inside andoutside work
You should expect to be the leaderrsquoscommunicator ndash developing messagesand ensuring theyrsquore conveyed in themost appropriate way But the balanceshould be tipping more towards beingthe communication leader ndash a role whereyoursquore providing strategic counsel to theCEO and coaching them so theyrsquore moreeffective in their new role and environment
In May last year the managementconsultants Booze Allen Hamiltonpublished their annual report on chiefexecutive attrition The Crest of theTurnover Wave After studying the move-ments of CEOs from the largest 2500companies in the world they uncoveredsome rather startling facts An incredible1 in 7 CEOs will change job over thenext 12 months with poor-performingCEOs staying in office for two years Bycomparison the high-performing CEOstays in the job for just under eight years
Given that their tenure may be brief thisresearch only reinforces that the first 100days for the chief executive is a critical time
Creating myths and legendsOver the past 20 years Irsquove had the goodfortune to work for some great brandsand leaders Experience tells me thatduring their first 100 days the reputationthey bring from their previous job willeither be validated or contradictedEverything they say and do will bescrutinised Perceptions will be quicklyformed about their style and personalityMyths and legends will become thehottest gossip in the workplace
With this in mind itrsquos critical toquickly establish their reputation andwhat they stand for Internalcommunication can play a valuable rolein supporting the CEO and in turnestablish a long-term relationship withtheir new leader
Uncovering perceptionsDeveloping a personalized communica-tion strategy must start by finding outhow the new leader is perceived While aquantitative survey may satisfy those witha hunger for numbers qualitativeresearch will uncover how people reallyview the CEO as an individual and leader
With these insights itrsquos possible todevelop a plan to shape the existingreputation into one they would like tohave in the new organization This meansidentifying what they stand for andhelping them articulate how this supportsand builds the brand of the organization
Charismatic leadersIf you think about charismatic leaderssuch as Stuart Rose of Marks amp SpencerRichard Branson of Virgin or PhilKnight of Nike organizational culture isheavily influenced by the personality ofits chief executive
The behavior that resides within theorganization is typically a reflection ofthe CEOrsquos behavior and becomesassociated with the brand So itrsquosimportant to define what the new CEOwants the corporate brand to stand forand what they can do to achieve that
LEADERS IN TRANSITIONTHE FIRST 100 DAYSIn a recent Melcrum survey 44 percent of respondents said they plan to spend more ormuch more on communication training for leaders and managers With the topic firmlyon the agenda for the forseeable future this issue sees the launch of a new regularcolumn by leadership communication expert Darren Briggs He kicks off with adviceon making the most of the CEOrsquos first 100 days ndash a critical time for any new leader
LEA
DER
SHIP
CO
MM
UN
ICATIO
Nscm
DARREN BRIGGS
The first of a new regularcolumn on leadership
urges communicators tosupport new leaders
Darren Briggs is partner at The Company Agency where he advises and coachessenior leaders to be more effective communicators He has 20 years corporateexperience working at chief executive and board level with companies such as BritishAirways Microsoft Nike PepsiCo and Vodafone
The title of advertising guru PaulArdenrsquos book Itrsquos not how good you areitrsquos how good you want to be captures theessence of ambition And our recent surveysuggests that this is a message internalcommunicators should take to heart
As part of our research1 to define a listof core skills and competencies forprofessional communicators we askedpractitioners from around the worldabout their future career goals and howthey plan to achieve them Surprisinglyfor a profession that stresses the need forstrategies and plans most internalcommunicators appear to have a fairly adhoc approach to their own development
Results from the surveyAbout 70 percent of our sample said theyexpected to stay in internal communicationover the next three years Thirty-twopercent saw themselves gaining moreexperience within their existing jobswhile 37 percent aim to move into adifferent internal communication role
When we asked respondents what theywere doing to help develop their careersgaining wider experience being better
networked and finding a coach came topof their lists
Be honest with yourselfNow these seem like fairly informalactivities You might think they take lessorganizing than say investing the timeand budget to do a course or study for aformal qualification But if yoursquore beinghonest you know that getting the go-aheadto work on more challenging projectsfinding the right coach and building aprofessional network takes time andplanning These things donrsquot just happenovernight ndash unless yoursquore very lucky
Yet less than a quarter of internalcommunicators have a formal plan to helpstructure their thoughts about careerprogression and make sure their develop-ment objectives are met Twenty-onepercent say they have no plan whatsoeverand about half the respondents wecontacted say they have a plan but itrsquosnot formalized or agreed
Make the timeMaking time to discuss your career goalswith your manager and getting apersonal development plan down onpaper will pay dividends After all who
decides whether you get to work on themore interesting projects or not Andwhen yoursquore being dragged under byyour workload wouldnrsquot it be helpful tohave some targets to remind you to makethe time to network or read that articlesitting in your reading folder
If wersquove convinced you to think aboutyour own professional development hereare three important steps to get started
1 Be clear about where yoursquore startingfrom Think about what yoursquoveachieved so far in your career Whatskills do you have what are yourstrengths and which areas needfurther development
2 Look ahead to where you want to beWhat timeframe do you have inmind for your professional develop-ment What can you focus on rightaway and what are your longer-termcareer goals Be as specific as youcan about what you want to achieveand consider the followingbull Are there areas where yoursquod like
to be a ldquostar performerrdquo in yourcurrent role
bull How can you expand your networkor reach in the wider industry
bull How can you broaden your depthof skills or experience outsideyour current remit
bull How do you plan to move onwardsand upwards to a new role
3 Think about how yoursquoll close the gapWhat knowledge skills andexperience do you need What typeof development activity will help youget to where you want to be
If you know in your heart of hearts thatyou donrsquot invest enough time and effortin your own development make the timeto start doing this now
In our next column we plan to look atthe range of development optionsavailable and hear some reflections fromindustry leaders on what helped themreally accelerate their own learning andprofessional development
1 Turn to page 16 for a more detailed analysis of the study
GET YOUR DEVELOPMENT PLANON TRACK
Sue Dewhurst and Liam FitzPatrick run Competent Communicators acompany specializing in professional development for internalcommunicators and Melcrumrsquos official training and developmentpartner For more information go to wwwcompetentcommunicatorscom
A study into skills and competenciesfor communicators
reveals a lack ofclear career planning
The path to a senior role in internal communication is paved with good intentionsOr so suggests a recent study by development experts Sue Dewhurst and LiamFitzPatrick Here in the first of a new regular column on professional developmentthey review the studyrsquos findings lament the lack of a career plan and urge internalcommunicators to take action and plan their own development
SUE DEWHURST AND LIAM FITZPATRICK
14 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PR
OFE
SSION
AL D
EV
ELO
PM
EN
T
scm
ldquoTHESE THINGS DONrsquoTJUST HAPPENOVERNIGHT ndash UNLESSYOUrsquoRE VERY LUCKYrdquo
15scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PR
OFE
SSION
AL D
EV
ELO
PM
EN
Tscm
3 Cut the jargonJargon may have its place but it has noplace in employee communicationPhrases such as work-life balanceemployer of choice critical mass and thelike may make sense in behind-the-scenes discussions However when itrsquostime to communicate to the masses weneed to translate these concepts intoPlain English and provide a context tohelp employees understand Yes it takessome work but the payoff makes itworth the effort
Say the head of HR wants to share thelatest developments in ldquowork-life balancerdquothat will benefit employees He may betempted to relay the news using theterminology hersquos used to using with hisstaff However most employees havenrsquotbeen in on those discussions so theconcept may be foreign or fuzzy to themndash even if theyrsquod heard the term before
Any progress HR makes on the work-life balance front gives it the opportunityto communicate in a personal humanway and in the process capture employeesrsquoattention on an emotional level
The HR leaderrsquos message thereforemay go something like this Our liveshave never been busier and there are onlyso many hours in a day Because we atXYZ Company recognize how important itis to you to be able to spend real time withyour families while managing theresponsibilities you have on the job wersquovedesigned a program that we hope willmake your life less hectic
Most employees will relate to thatmessage It plays to their needs which isa powerful hook
Guarding against gremlinsKeeping an eye out for the jargonpassive voice and other gremlins thatmay infiltrate your writing is a goodtraining ground for being able toobjectively critique your own work Italso conditions you to look for otherways to improve your writing a habitthat will serve you well throughout yourlifelong apprenticeship
No onersquos work is as continually visible inan organization as the communicatorrsquosOur superiors our peers and the entireemployee population see us as theparagons of communications competenceThey look to the messages wersquove craftedas models of writing excellence and willpattern their own accordingly
When you think of it itrsquos one heck of aburden to bear After all how else didyou get the job if you couldnrsquot write well
But regardless of how well you dowrite how senior you are or how longyoursquove had that coveted ldquoseat at thetablerdquo when it comes to writing yoursquollalways have room to grow Thatrsquos becausewriting is as one learned professor sowisely termed it a ldquolifelong apprenticeshiprdquo
Here are three ways to improve yourwriting immediately
1 Avoid the passive voiceThe passive voice manages to creep intomessages to employees and itrsquos a sureroad to eroding their engagement It allowsthe writer to hide behind the message itclouds direction and itrsquos boring
Herersquos an example of really woefulwriting ndash a sentence structure that yoursquoresure to recognize Employees areencouraged to submit this form by the endof the month
Analyze that sentence and yoursquoll seethat not only is there no owner to thestatement but therersquos no clear directionEmployees are encouraged by whom
and what does ldquoencouragedrdquo meananyway Are employees required tosubmit the form If so then say so
The sad truth is this passive style ofwriting is all too common the happytruth is that we communicators are in aposition to do something about it Oftenall it takes is a quick rewrite Pleasesubmit this form by [insert specific date]Clear direct concise
2 Use second person Why talk at people when you can talk tothem When yoursquore communicating withemployees the use of ldquoyourdquo can befriendly and inviting
Take this message XYZ Companyemployees at customer locations shouldalways first check with their hosts to ensurethat connecting to the XYZ network ispermitted
Look what happens when itrsquos rewrittenfrom third person into second If yoursquoreworking at a customer site be sure to firstcheck with your host that itrsquos OK toconnect to our network
Yoursquove gone from impersonal toconversational
DO YOUR WRITING SKILLSLET YOU DOWNA recent discussion on the Melcrum blog raised the question of whether or not goodwriting skills are still important to the more strategically focused communicator Theconsensus was a definite yes ndash your writing ability makes an impression and itrsquos upto you whether thatrsquos good or bad Denise Baron provides some advice on how tomake sure itrsquos the former
DENISE BARON
However strategicyour role the ability
to write well remainsan important skill
Denise Baron is president of Baron Communications a business communicationsconsultancy providing strategic planning and marketing internal communicationproject management and editorial services to Fortune 500 companies
16 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Over the past five years wersquove found ourselvesbecoming more and more involved in conversationsabout careers in internal communication As theprofession matures expectations of itspractitioners are rising and for many people ajob in communication is no longer just a short-term stepping-stone en route to better things
But the question we hear time and time again isldquoWhat does lsquogoodrsquo look like when it comes to
internal communicationrdquo What skills knowledgeand experience should an effective internalcommunicator have at various stages in theircareer How do I know what I should bepersonally aspiring to and measuring myselfagainst How can I best develop my team Whereis the definitive framework to help me recruit thebest person for the job
In recent years there have been a number ofgood attempts to answer these questions In theUK a group of professional bodies got togetherto write the Inter-Comm matrix1 It listed theskills knowledge and experience a practitionermight need according to their level of experience
We were both involved in developing this skillsmatrix which was widely welcomed when it waslaunched in 2003 Some well-respectedconsultancies have also developed models to showhow a typical career path might progress whichhave helped structure career planning forindividuals and teams
A flexible model for a diverse professionDespite the success of the Inter-Comm matrix wefelt there was more to be done in the area ofprofessional development for internal communica-tors Fundamentally existing models tend to showa one-dimensional and predictable career pathstarting as a junior deliverer and developing into astrategic business-focused consultant
The implication is that if yoursquore deliveringcommunication or are tactically focused you musthave a junior role and if you have a more seniorrole you donrsquot get your hands dirty doingmundane things like writing or managing the
Building a learningframework for internalcommunicators
Planning your teamrsquos professional developmentmeans understanding the skills and experienceneeded to be successful Sue Dewhurst and Liam
FitzPatrick of Competent Communicators have beenresearching how internal communicators spend their timeat work and what behaviors the most effectivepractitioners display Here they describe a new learningframework that has emerged from the study
Identifying the typical roles andskills required for your team
BY SUE DEWHURST AND LIAM FITZPATRICK
scm FEATURES
ABOUT THE RESEARCHThe findings discussed in this article are based on research conducted at theend of 2006 More than 700 in-house practitioners replied to a survey aboutcareers competencies and development plans
A factor analysis of the data conducted by Ash Pattni Associates generated anumber of role types which were then discussed with 30 professionals atdifferent stages of their careers based in the UK Europe and North AmericaThese discussions mainly took the form of interviews and focus groups
The study also referred to data on competency modeling prepared by theUKrsquos Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
1 2 3 4 5
17scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
intranet or organizing eventsBut clearly the world of internal communication
isnrsquot quite that straightforward People join theprofession via all kinds of routes and at differentstages of their careers
We interviewed someone who started out as thedirectorrsquos PA a successful senior executive whostarted out as an engineer a former psychologylecturer and others who had joined through moreobvious routes in publishing and PR
Some had started out in junior roles Forothers their first role in internal communicationwas as a business partner Others had alreadyreached a senior position in another function andsimply moved across at the same level
A key objective of this study was to develop amodel that reflected the diverse reality of life ininternal communication one that was flexibleenough to be adapted to fit organizations andcommunication teams of all shapes and sizes
So we began our research by surveying communica-tors worldwide to find out how they actuallyspend their time on a daily basis and what skillsknowledge and experience they regularly use
The six types of practitionerStatistical analysis of the survey data suggestedthere were six stereotypical role types withininternal communication By ldquotypesrdquo we meansegments or groups of people who share verysimilar characteristics in terms of their skills andstrengths spend their time carrying out similartypes of activities and whose outputs tend to bejudged in similar ways
Most importantly these types can be plottedagainst two dimensions based on how they spendtheir time (advising or doing) and where theirfocus is (strategy or tactics) Figure One (right)illustrates these six types and how they plotagainst the two dimensions
Clearly every organization is slightly differentbut the six stereotypes described below shouldprovide a starting point for thinking about theroles and types of people you need in your team
1 The Leader Internal communication leaders manage teamsand lead the function either for an entire organiza-tion or for a large division or territory Theyspend much of their time managing and coachingteam members and working with senior managersThey see themselves as business people first andcommunicators second However itrsquos taken as readthat they have sound technical ability and will rollup their sleeves when needed Great internal andexternal networkers theyrsquore skilled at dealing withuncertainty and conflict Theyrsquore likely to bemeasured on business results and through thesubjective opinion of their senior customers
2 The Advisor Advisors support departments or major projectsby providing advice developing communicationplans and providing hands-on support to deliverthem Local managers trust them for their insightsinto business problems and understanding of howtheir organization really works Through well-developed networks and time spent understandingtheir audiences and carrying out research andfeedback they know whatrsquos really going onTheyrsquore judged on the quality of their advice andtheir ability to translate that advice into plansactivities and actions
3 The ManagerThe internal communication manager has excellentcraft skills and a sound knowledge of channelsThey spend most of their time on delivery Whenthey advise itrsquos normally about the best channelsto use or the most appropriate timing Goodmanagers arenrsquot easily intimidated and are greatat juggling different priorities Theyrsquore skilled attranslating between the boardroom and the shopfloor Their contribution is often measured bytheir ability to deliver activity against a plan andthe quality of work they and their team produce
4 The DelivererMost teams have someone in this role ndash a safepair of hands who can be trusted to make thingshappen That might range from compilingdistribution lists through to running a conferencesorting out the CEOrsquos open forum or writing andediting a newsletter Theyrsquore less likely tosupervise other communicators and depend ontheir organizational and craft skills to get the jobdone People value them for their ability to dothings on time and to a high standard 3
Sue Dewhurst and LiamFitzPatrick run CompetentCommunicators a firmspecializing in professionaldevelopment for internalcommunicators TheyrsquoreMelcrumrsquos official training anddevelopment advisors anddeliver Melcrumrsquos Black Belttraining program Theyrsquore alsothe authors of a forthcomingreport on competenciesdevelopment and standardsfor internal communicatorsand blog about developmentissues onwwwBlackBeltDojocouk
Figure One Six typical role types for internal communicators
TheLeader
TheLocal Agent
The Deliverer
TheAdvisor
TheManagerADVISE
STRATEGY
IMPLEMENT
TACTICS
TheSpecialist
KEY POINTSbull A new study has established how communicators spend their time and
what skills knowledge and experience they regularly use
bull The research identifies six stereotypical roles ranging from acommunication leader to a specialist (eg a web or events expert)
bull It also highlights 12 competencies that clarify the behaviors acompetent practitioner should display at each level An ldquoineffectiverdquocategory shows behaviors displayed by less able performers
bull The roles and competencies provide a framework for development
Building a learning framework for internal communicators
18 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
5 The Local AgentThis category covers a broad range of peoplefrom the plant managerrsquos personal assistant to aregional communication manager Internalcommunication is often one of severalresponsibilities for this person and they tend tohave a tactical focus Their agenda is normally setby the local management team although theirlocal knowledge and network makes them aninvaluable sounding board for the corporatecommunication team They tend to be judged onwhether activities happen and how satisfied theirlocal manager is with them
6 The SpecialistOur research found a small group of peopleworking in internal communication who see them-selves as subject-matter experts in a specialist areasuch as web management audio-visual productionor event management They have only a looseconnection to the mainstream profession andcould equally work in IT marketing or perhapsHR Because theyrsquore highly specialized they tendto work in large organizations
Building a competency frameworkOnce statistical analysis had suggested these sixrole types we began testing them out throughfocus groups and interviews with practitioners Inparticular we asked what skills knowledge andexperience people in each type of role neededwhat people saw outstanding practitioners doingwhat poor performance looked like and howpeople in the six role types spent their time
On the basis of this information we developeda series of 12 competencies (see Figure Two left)We found that each of the six role types could bedefined bybull Which of the competencies they need to carry
out their role (not everyone needs all 12)bull The level of skill knowledge and experience
they need in each competencybull How much of their time they spend using
each competency ndash a high medium or lowamount For instance there was commonagreement that the communication leadermust have strong craft skills (writing anddesign) but compared to say the delivererthey spend a relatively low percentage of theirtime working on this type of activity
Each of the 12 competencies has three levelsbasic intermediate and advanced Based on thedata we gathered we defined the behaviors youmight expect to see a competent internalcommunication professional display at each level
We also added an ldquoineffectiverdquo category listingthose behaviors our interviewees told us weredisplayed by less able performers For example
7
COMPETENCY DEFINITION
Building effectiverelationships
Developing and maintaining relationships that inspire trust and respectBuilding a network and influencing others to make things happen
Business focus Having a clear understanding of the business issues Usingcommunication to help solve organization issues and achieveorganizational problems
Consulting andcoaching
Recommending appropriate solutions Helping others make informeddecisions Building other peoplersquos communications competence
Cross-functionalawareness
Understanding the different contributions from other disciplines andworking with colleagues from across the organization to achieve betterresults
Developing othercommunicators
Helping other communicators build their communications competenceand develop their career
Innovation andcreativity
Looking for new ways of working exploring best practice and deliveringoriginal and imaginative approaches to communication problems
Listening Conducting research and managing mechanisms for gathering feedbackand employee reaction
Making it happen Turning plans into successfully implemented actions
Planning Planning communication programs and operations evaluating results
Specialist Having specific subject-matter expertise in a specialist area
Vision and standards Defining or applying a consistent approach to communication andmaintaining professional and ethical standards
Craft (writing anddesign)
Using and developing the right mix of practical communication abilitiesto hold the confidence of peers and colleagues (eg writing designmanagement etc)
Figure Two Twelve competencies for internal communicators
19scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
some ineffective behaviors attached to theldquobusiness focusrdquo competency arebull Doesnrsquot make the link between
communication activity and the business ororganizational context
bull Delivers communication activity withoutconsidering whether it will serve any usefulpurpose
bull Lacks understanding of their business area
Building a framework for a specific role The next step in this project was to develop asimple table to map out the competencyframework for an individual role showingbull The competencies needed in this rolebull The level of competency needed in each casebull How much time we expect someone in this
role to spend on these types of behaviors
You can either build a competency frameworkfrom scratch or if you think the role fits one ofthe six types we identified from the survey use thecompetency framework for this type as a startingpoint (see the framework for a communicationleader Figure Three right)
In practice competency frameworks will varyaccording to the size of the organization thenumber of people in the internal-communicationteam the expectations of managers and thespecific requirements of each individual rolewhich is why wersquove built a flexible model
For example a communication leader in alarge multinational organization may spend muchof their time setting the vision and standardscoaching and consulting building relationshipsand developing other communicators and arelatively small amount of their time ldquomaking ithappenrdquo or on writing and design Howeversomeone in a stand-alone communication leaderrole in a much smaller organization wouldprobably have to be much more of a ldquoJack of alltradesrdquo dividing their time evenly between thedifferent competencies
Next stepsMore information about the 12 competencies andthe baseline competency maps for each of the sixrole types will be detailed in a forthcomingMelcrum report Ideas on how you use thesecompetencies to plan your development areavailable to download atwwwcompetentcommunicatorscom
We hope the framework will help bringstructure to the process of defining roles planningdevelopment and specifying recruitment andwould welcome your feedbackscm
1 The Inter-Comm skills matrix is described in an article in SCMFebruaryMarch 2005 (Volume 9 Issue 2) called Developingcore competencies for internal communicators
Figure Three Framework for a communication leader
COMPETENCY LEVEL TIME
Building effective relationships Advanced High
Business focus Advanced High
Consulting and coaching Advanced High
Cross-functional awareness Advanced Medium
Developing other communicators Advanced High
Innovation and creativity Advanced Medium
Listening Advanced Low
Making it happen Advanced Low
Planning Advanced Medium
Specialist NA NA
Vision and standards Advanced High
Craft (writing and design) Advanced Low
CONTACT DETAILS
Sue DewhurstCompetent Communicatorssuedewhurstcompetentcommunicatorscom
Liam FitzPatrickCompetent Communicatorsliamfitzpatrickcompetentcommunicatorscom
ldquoOUR RESEARCH FOUND A SMALL GROUP OFPEOPLE WORKING IN INTERNALCOMMUNICATION WHO SEE THEMSELVES ASSUBJECT-MATTER EXPERTSrdquo
20 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC President and CEO John Ryan joined theorganization in 1997 For the first few years hefocused on financial viability and positioning thecorporation for the future ndash articulating a newvision redefining strategic objectives expandingproduct and service offerings and identifyingpotential growth areas
The business results were outstanding double-digit growth increasing profits and great customerloyalty But something was missing
Like many successful organizations FCCoperated with a silo mentality Organizationalpolitics consumed energy that Ryan felt detractedfrom employee satisfaction and he worried aboutthe impact on the customer experience
He wanted his direct reports to work togetheras a real team ndash not to behave like individualleaders of functional areas Although the groupperformed well when there was a real challengeafter the challenge was gone so was the teamwork
This is not unusual for top executive groupsbut Ryan wasnrsquot willing to accept that fate ldquoTherehad to be a way to have a team-based
organization where leaders had the autonomythey needed to perform while actively collaboratingto achieve a new level of unprecedented resultsrdquohe said ldquoFCC had a very hierarchical culture withfirmly drawn divisional boundaries so I knew Ihad a challenge ahead of merdquo
Cultural transformation from the topIn 2002 John hired Malandro Communicationbased in Phoenix Arizona to guide FCCrsquos seniorleadership through a unique cultural transformationthat would lead to the creation of a high-performance team Leaders committed to being100-percent accountable for their impact onpeople and business results They let go of thetraditional 50-50 model ldquoIrsquoll do my part if you doyoursrdquo ndash a model that breeds a culture of blameconspiracies and distrust
In a series of formal training initiatives leaderswere taught to speak from the heart listen toother perspectives be open and responsive tofeedback and encourage personal andprofessional growth
Opportunity for internal communicationBy 2003 we were well on our way FCC producedremarkable business results with strong numbersright across the board The portfolio grew fromnearly CAN$9 billion to over CAN$10 billionThen two things happened that created anopportunity for internal communication tobecome a driver of business results 1 In 2003 we earned 50th place on Canadarsquos
ldquo50 Best Employersrdquo list and a respectableemployee engagement score of 69 percent
Defining the role ofstrategic comms atFarm Credit Canada
Farm Credit Canada (FCC) is in the fourth year of acultural-transformation program At the start of itsjourney clear expectations were set defining the role
to be played by internal communication In this summaryof the companyrsquos plans and achievements Kellie Garrettand Claire Watson describe the goals strategies andtactics employed by the internal communication teamand the impressive results achieved to date
Setting the stage for a cultural transformation
BY KELLIE GARRETT AND CLAIRE WATSON
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Farm Credit Canada isCanadarsquos largest provider offinancing to the agricultureindustry It serves 45000customers and has 1300employees working from 100rural offices across CanadaFCC is ranked eighth amongCanadarsquos 50 best employers
21scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC is a high performer in all otheroperational areas and employee engagementis a strong predictor of sustained corporateperformance But the survey showed therewas work to be done to align perceptionsbetween the senior leadership team andemployees Detailed results showed the gaps(see Figure One below)
2 Ryan became more determined to create ahigh-performance team that could deliver anextraordinary customer experience andsustainable business results
Establishing expected behaviorAs a first step towards creating a critical mass ofleaders who visibly demonstrate the behaviorsrequired to transform FCCrsquos culture middlemanagement and key cross-functional teams weretrained in responsible teamwork practices andcommunication skills
Ryan then created a set of 10 cultural practicesthat explicitly outlined how he expectedemployees at all levels to behave (see side barnext page) The foundation of these practices isthe belief that the drive for business results mustbe balanced by the attendant impact on people Inother words how the work was accomplished wasevery bit as important as what was accomplishedThe cultural practices were rolled out to allemployees in 2003
With the expected behavior from leaders andemployees clearly articulated it was time forinternal communication to find opportunities tosupport and promote these behaviors
Challenge 1 Creating a strategic frameworkOur first objective was to create a broaderstrategic framework for internal communicationA review of best-practice companies revealed thatformal media represents about 10 percent of allinternal communication channels with internalsystems accounting for another 10 percent Theremaining 80 percent is influenced by theorganizational culture
Our task was to put a formal strategy in placethat would strengthen the 10 percent ofcommunication we did have control over ndash theinternal communication channels
Within FCC the dominant employeecommunication channels were immediatemanagers e-mail and the intranet (Myinet)Front-line managers delivered corporate messagesdirectly to employees and their efforts weresupported by all-staff e-mails
There was nothing wrong with this approachbut it didnrsquot go far enough in the delivery of clearconsistent messages about strategic direction orcorporate priorities Nor did it create a line ofsight between individuals and business outcomes
For example a lack of central coordination wasresulting in unclear mixed messages thatconfused the internal audience A proliferation ofemployee surveys were independently conductedby various business units and the corporate e-mail system was choked with high volumecontributing to information overload
The intranetrsquos navigational structure and searchcapability needed major improvement datedinformation needed to be archived and majordocuments needed to be redeveloped in a web-friendly format
Defining our strategy and objectivesAware of these drawbacks we defined ourstrategy as To adopt a more integrated approachto internal communication and make sure allmessages focus employees on the businesspriorities Our strategies included the followingbull Segment the employee audience and define
communication needs based on demographicspsychographics and geographic location
bull Create a consistent voice across all groupsbull Ensure internal communication is mandatory
for all major corporate initiatives and isintegrated across channels and with othercommunication activities
bull Deliver targeted information through a varietyof channels and vehicles to reinforce messaginghelp with recall appeal to differentpreferences and create and sustain interest
bull Redevelop the intranet and position it as aninformation source for corporate businessemployee industry and technical information
bull Reduce the volume of corporate e-mailbull Implement a monthly employee survey to
replace the proliferation of one-off surveysindependently launched by business units
bull Create broad awareness and understanding ofkey corporate drivers such as business strategycorporate values and brand positioning 3
Kellie Garrett ABC MALeadership is senior VPStrategy Knowledge ampReputation at Farm CreditCanada and Chair of the IABCResearch Foundation Garrettis a frequent speaker onbusiness strategy leadershipand personal brand
Claire Watson ABC APR isthe master communicationstrategist for Farm CreditCanada Watson has won anumber of international andnational awards for her workis a published author and acertified change managementspecialist
MEASUREMENT EMPLOYEES SENIORMANAGERS
GAP
Senior management is open and honest incommunication
59 94 -35
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible
54 88 -34
Managers effectively support andimplement our people practices
48 81 -33
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 94 -23
Figure One Engagement survey results
22 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Defining the role of strategic comms at Farm Credit Canada
Successful tactics introducedSome of the tactics wersquove successfully introducedto bring this strategy to life include the following
1 Tracking key messagesWe created an employee key-message matrix thatis shared with leaders across the organization andhelps to ensure we deliver a consistent messageWe deliver the rewritten message through avariety of channels including e-mail letter featurearticle in the internal publication online throughour Monday Morning Update or directly to staffmeetings through managers and supervisors
2 Adopting a multi-channel approachWersquove expanded our channels beyond e-mail andthe intranet New channels now includebull AgriCulture ndash an employee print newsletter
published three times a year to communicatecorporate information and reinforce FCCrsquossocial and cultural fabric
bull An online feature called ldquoFrom the Desk ofthe CEOrdquo to keep employees in the loop
bull All staff e-mails from the CEO and VPsbull Discussion guides and QampAs for leadersbull Internal presentations and speeches delivered
by the senior leadership teambull Other printed material such as pocket cards
and brochures accompanied by a letter
3 Cutting down on information overloadSteps wersquove taken includebull Bundling all-staff messages into a Monday
Morning Update and bundling messages forcorporate headquarters staff into a CorporateOffice Update
bull Implementing a corporate e-mail policy withdefined subject-line conventions length andapproved topics
bull Restricting the use of all-staff e-mails to thesenior management team and certain keyindividuals
bull Improving the functionality of the intranetand redeveloping key business tools forefficient web use
bull Centralizing coordination of internal surveysbull Elevating the quality and clarity of internal
speeches and conferences to focus onstrategic business drivers
Challenge 2 Supporting leadershipThe results of our 2003 engagement survey alsorevealed an opportunity to increase trust betweenemployees and FCCrsquos senior management teamRyan and his VP responsible for communication(Kellie Garrett) believed that creating greatervisibility and better access to the senior managerswas vital to the establishment of a values-basedculture and a high-performance team
7
MEASUREMENT 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Senior management is open and honestin communication
59 73 81 83 91
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible to employees
54 71 82 83 81
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 81 87 87 85
I see strong evidence of effectiveleadership from the senior leadershipteam
69 83 87 88 93
I have a good understanding ofbusiness goals and objectives
76 77 81 81 88
Senior leadership has clearlycommunicated what we need to do tobe successful
NA NA 89 90 93
Figure Two Survey scores tracked from 2003-2007
FCCrsquoS 10 CULTURAL PRACTICESWe hold ourselves and each other accountable for
1 Our impact on business results and our impact on people
2 Delivering on commitments agreements and promises
3 Building and sustaining committed partnerships
4 Creating a safe environment where people can speak up without fear
5 We measure our success by how others perceive and respond to ourleadership not by our personal point of view
6 We talk straight in a responsible manner We are committed to the successof others ndash we do not engage in ldquoconspiracies againstrdquo people
7 We ldquolisten forrdquo contributions and commitment We do not listen againstpeople or ideas
8 We are highly coachable We actively seek and listen to coaching
9 We clean up and recover quickly
10 We acknowledge others often and celebrate both small and largesuccesses
ldquoLIKE DEVELOPING A COMPANYrsquoS IMAGE ORBRAND CULTURE CAN lsquoJUST HAPPENrsquo OR ITCAN BE DESIGNED STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONHAS PLAYED A CENTRAL ROLErdquo
23scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 FCC launched a culture-change program focused on
improving performance across the organization
bull Two key aims of the program are to encourage leaders and employeesto embody the values and improve staff engagement
bull Defining its strategy and goals at the outset internal communicationhas played a role in achieving these objectives
bull Results so far include less information overload a more accessibleleadership team and improved engagement scores
The challenge for internal communication wasto improve employeesrsquo perception of the visibilityaccessibility and trust for the senior managementteam Successful tactics introduced includebull A ldquoDine-Aroundrdquo program where three
senior leaders host a monthly lunch for ninepeople
bull An online forum called SMT Exchangewhere employees can anonymously askleaders tough questions and answers areposted for all to see
bull Senior leaders author more all-staff e-mailsare more visible and accessible at companyevents and deliver presentations that focus onconnecting employees to the business agenda
The goals we started with When we defined our internal communicationstrategy in 2003 we had some clear goals to worktowards These werebull To communicate relevant information in a
timely consistent and memorable waybull To reduce information overloadbull To influence an increase in the
communication-related elements of theengagement index
bull To contribute to an increase in employeeengagement from 69 to 74 percent
We also had specific year-one objectivesbull To increase understanding of business goals
and objectives beyond 78 percent bull To increase employee opinion about effective
senior leadership from 69 to 73 percentbull To improve employee opinions related to
senior management
Achievements and measurable resultsWith these goals guiding our efforts themeasurable results wersquove achieved so far includebull The bundling of all-staff e-mail has reduced
the volume by 88 percent ndash amounting toaround 350000 messages over one year
bull Over 450 employees have lunched with amember of the senior management team and170 QampAs have been posted on our seniormanagement online exchange
bull The survey scores relating to employeesrsquoperception of leadership and theirunderstanding of goals and objectives showsteady improvement since 2003 (see FigureTwo bottom left)
bull FCCrsquos engagement scores and subsequentranking among Canadarsquos 50 best employershas moved from 69 percent engagement and50th place in 2004 to 81 percent and 35thplace in 2005 84 percent and 12th place in2006 and 82 percent and 8th place in 2007
Cultural transformationThe internal communication strategy described inthis article has set the stage to communicatecultural transformation across the organization
Wersquore now in the fourth year of our culturaltransformation ndash creating an environment wherepeople are empowered feel safe and highperformance can flourish This involves aquantum shift in how employees behave andrelate to their co-workers and customers
Like developing a companyrsquos image or brandculture can ldquojust happenrdquo or it can be designedStrategic communication has played a central roleto create awareness understanding commitmentand motivate changes in behavior at every level ofthe organization
John Ryan has the final word ldquoOver the years Ihave learned that communication is at the heartof building a high-performance culture ndash a culturewhere people are fully engaged Communicationis vital Without it leaders cannot effect positivechange Our internal strategy recognizesemployees as a primary audience and a keyconduit to the customer the media stakeholdersand communities Our strategic approach tointernal communication significantly contributesto business resultsrdquo scm
CONTACT DETAILS
Kellie GarrettFarm Credit CanadaKellieGarrettfcc-facca
Claire WatsonFarm Credit CanadaClaireWatsonfcc-facca
24 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
In January 2004 Pfizer at Sandwich in Kent UKcommissioned a review of its existing charitablecontributions program which included matchedpayroll giving volunteering and grants for localcommunity charities and voluntary groups CCWorks the community investment consultancywas also approached to manage the day-to-dayadministration of grant applications from thecommunity
However it was decided that the administrationcould not be effectively managed until suitablecriteria were put in place for the grants programEssentially a company cannot outsourceresponsibility for its charitable donations unlesstherersquos a clear strategy in place for doing this
Although there were various policies in placefor the different elements of the existingcommunity investment program there was a lackof strategic direction to the program as a whole
Auditing the community grants programAs a first step CC Works examined the existinggrants program and also conducted external
benchmarking with voluntary organizations in thecommunity to gage perceptions of Pfizer
It emerged that many organizations werereceiving small grants ndash although some werenrsquotsure why ndash but only 16 percent of the currentspend was going on health-related causes ForPfizer a major global healthcare company thiswasnrsquot strategic It was clear that as a healthcarecompany Pfizer should be trying to improve thehealth of its local area by focusing on three coreareas health community and education
There was also a need for grants to be morelocally focused A significant amount of the spendwas going outside of the immediate East Kentarea CC Works recommended that to allow thecompany maximum freedom to operate in itscommunity it should focus grants on theimmediate community of East Kent which alsohappened to be a deprived area
Segmenting current grantsWorking in partnership with CC Works currentgrant allocation was examined by sector localarea and size of grant and in May 2004 two-yeartargets were set to increase the strategic impact ofcommunity grantsbull Increase grants allocated to health-related
projects to 50 percentbull Increase average grant from UKpound300 to
UKpound1000bull Increase East Kent allocation to 90 percent
This change was designed to be gradual so thatthe shift in allocation could be well managed
The new focus on the community mirrors
Engaging employees inPfizerrsquos communityinvestment program
In 2003 Pfizer at Sandwich UK was running manyelements of a community investment program butthere was little awareness among employees and no
real focus By July 2006 the program had beentransformed and now actively contributes to employeeand community relationships Here Pam Baker andChristine Jenkins describe the journey from disconnectedpolicies to award-winning program
Communicating an approach with clear links toemployees and the local community
BY PAM BAKER AND CHRISTINE JENKINS
scm FEATURES
Pfizerrsquos site at Sandwich inKent is the UK manufacturingheadquarters of Pfizer Incglobal pharmaceuticalcompany Its workforce of4000 makes it the largestprivate employer in East Kent
1 2 3 4 5
25scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pfizerrsquos global mission to be ldquothe most valuedcompany to patients customers colleaguesinvestors business partners and the communitieswhere we work and liverdquo For the communityinvestment program a measurable mission wascreated ldquoto improve the health indicators of thepeople of East Kentrdquo
Focus on colleague involvementThe next step in July 2004 was to conduct areview of the employee engagement elements ofcommunity investment to examine how thesecould be better integrated These elementsincluded payroll giving volunteering and staff-matched fundraising
For Pfizer at Sandwich the obvious first choicewas to look at volunteering Eighty-five percent ofPfizer employees are minimum graduate level ndashoffering much-needed skills to a deprived areaAll employees have five paid days a year they canuse for volunteering ndash this not only supports thecommunity it boosts employee engagement andcreates opportunities for employees to visiblyconnect with the community and vice versa
In October 2004 volunteering was identified asa key area for development but for employeevolunteering to be a success it had to beproactively marketed inside Pfizer and thereneeded to be adequate support andadministration behind the program
A database of volunteering opportunitiesIn conjunction with CC Works a searchable data-base of local volunteering opportunities was createdPfizer felt it was important to create a tailoreddatabase that would be furnished internally inorder to ensure a local bias and to maintain thequality of the information supplied to employees
In order to tie in with employeesrsquo personaldevelopment plans opportunities in the databasehad to meet at least two of Pfizerrsquos six keycompetencies 1 Team development2 Project management3 Coaching and development4 Decision making5 Effective partnership6 Working with change
To fill the database with relevant opportunities allorganizations that had contacted Pfizer for grantsor funding in the past three years were re-contacted and asked if they would also beinterested in volunteering
Over 70 percent responded positively and 300volunteering opportunities were sourced CCWorks helped the voluntary organizations puttogether opportunities that were most likely totake advantage of Pfizer employeesrsquo range of
specialist skillsThese opportunities were categorized on the
database according to skill geographic area andtype of charity allowing employees to search forsomething suitable for them Pfizer wasnrsquotprescriptive in its approach and allowed staff tovolunteer where the opportunity matched theirpersonal-development goals interests or wasgeographically convenient
Opportunities were wide-ranging from helpingin a charity shop to teaching in a schoolImportantly because database management isoutsourced to CC Works therersquos constantproactivitiy around seeking new opportunities andproviding administrative support that would havebeen difficult to maintain in-house
Launching the ldquoReaching Outrdquo programTo encourage involvement and awarenessemployees were asked to suggest a name for therevitalized volunteering program ldquoReaching Outrdquowas chosen and the new volunteering website waslaunched in May 2005 The site sits on PfizerSandwichrsquos intranet and any employee orcontractor can access it
A charity week was also held to help promotethe Reaching Out program Various charitiesvisited Pfizer during lunch breaks to explain whatthey do and the opportunities to work with themA soft incentive for staff to register on theReaching Out site was that Pfizer would donate20 rehydration sachets to Unicef (monetary valueof about pound2)
Reaching Out was also featured in a webcastfrom a senior leader that went to all employees(about 3000 staff plus contractors) at the start ofthe week and it was profiled in the weekly onlinemagazine Pipeline 3
Pam Baker is directorStrategic Operations andCommunity Affairs at Pfizer UK
Christine Jenkins is founderof CC Works a consultancyoffering communityinvestment advice andpractical solutions to thecorporate and voluntarysectors Previously she heldsenior manager roles in thevoluntary and private sectors
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 an audit of Pfizer at Sandwichrsquos community investment
program revealed a lack of strategic direction
bull In partnership with consultancy CC Works a decision was made tofocus the program on the local community
bull An effort to raise employee involvement through volunteering hasboosted the program and linked it to employee engagement
bull The ldquoReaching Outrdquo website gives employees the freedom to work withcharities of their choice
bull By July 2006 the ldquoHealthy Communitiesrdquo program had beentransformed and won a National Example of Excellence award fromBusiness in the Community
26 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TOP TIPS FOR COMMUNITY INVESTMENTbull Ask yourself why yoursquore undertaking this program and seek clarity around
your objectives
bull Focus on likely ldquowinsrdquondash ie areas with scope for improvement such asemployee engagement or external awareness
bull Tackle one area at a time in stages and aim for excellence in each arearather than trying to boil the ocean
bull Communication is key to success Create a distinct brand and identity forthe program to encourage awareness and involvement
bull Integrate different community programs ndash a holistic approach can maximizebenefits for the community staff engagement and corporate reputation
Over 450 employees registered to use thesite over the next two months with 230 employees(8 percent of staff) actively volunteering duringthe first year This beat a target to have 5 percentof employees volunteering 12 months after launchIn 2005 employees volunteered 4800 hours
Helping employees select the right optionEmployees can search the volunteering databaseby skill geographic area or type of charity and aregiven a range of choices Then the onus is on theemployee to speak to the charity and obtainfurther details on current opportunities inaddition to whatrsquos on the database The employeethen applies to his or her line manager Anintegrated work process enables staff to obtainapproval from their manager interact with thevoluntary organization and record their effortskeeping administration to a minimum
Managers at Pfizer Sandwich are keen foremployees to volunteer because theyrsquore aware ofthe potential benefits in terms of employeeengagement and skills development ndash a largenumber of managers are volunteers themselvesPfizer also held briefing sessions for managers toensure they were aware of the volunteeringprogram its benefits and how it works
7
Engaging employees in Pfizerrsquos community investment program
Incorporating employee feedbackThe database tracks employeesrsquo volunteeringefforts including how many hours theyrsquove doneand their feedback on the opportunitiesEmployee feedback can then be accessed by otherstaff looking for an opportunity The databasegives employees better insight into the availableopportunities and allows them to select somethingthat appeals to them so that both the employeeand the organization where they volunteer gets abetter ldquofitrdquo
The database also allows for better integrationof the whole program where volunteering canprovide an alternative or an addition to fundingFor example a well-known national charityapplied to Pfizer at Sandwich for some fundingaround a diversity initiative Pfizer suggested theirdiversity manager volunteer for them instead whohelped create the charityrsquos diversity program thatis now being launched nationally
Creating an integrated programIn May 2005 the decision was taken to bringtogether all the strands of community investmentunder one brand Healthy Communities Thisprogram was to includebull Charitable grantsbull Employee volunteeringbull Gifts in kind Community investment via gifts
in kind such as the use of Pfizer premisesresources and expertise is more easilysustainable and can bring real long-termbenefit to the local community When Pfizerfacilities are used to support communityinitiatives the face-to-face contact withemployees allows relationship-building andnetworking with key influencers Also invitingthe community to use Pfizer resources on siteldquodemystifiesrdquo the company
The overarching strategy behind HealthyCommunities was to support communityinvestment holistically (ie using several of theabove elements in combination) whereverpossible Focusing grants on the areas of greatestneed helps Pfizer achieve its overall missionHowever the donation of gifts in kind can have awider-reaching impact on the community
Taking a holistic approachAn award-winning example of this holisticapproach is the Helping Hartsdown projectwhich was Pfizer Sandwichrsquos biggest ever gift inkindvolunteering project Pfizer donated andrenovated much-needed classrooms at a localschool As well as financial support and gifts inkind the project involved over 100 staff andcontractor volunteers across all departments Aspecific promotion on the Reaching Out website
ldquoBY JULY 2006 THE lsquoHEALTHY COMMUNITIESrsquoPROGRAM HAD BEEN TRANSFORMED AND WONA NATIONAL EXAMPLE OF EXCELLENCE AWARDFROM BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITYrdquo
27scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
POSITIVE IMPACTS OF THE PROGRAMThe Healthy Communities program has had the following positive impacts for Pfizer
bull The program supports and protects Pfizerrsquos freedom to operate effectivelyin East Kent UK
bull Supporting and involving employees in the program engages and motivatesthem The company is also seen to be living its values In a recent survey55 percent of colleagues felt the program was ldquofocused and effectiverdquo
bull The program provides opportunities for colleagues to develop skills Twentypercent of colleagues surveyed stated that they had improved personalskills through taking part in the program
bull A healthy community is a better place to live and work for employees andwill aid retention Retention of the most highly skilled scientists givesPfizer Global Research and Development a competitive edge
bull A vibrant and healthy community helps to attract and retain leadingscientists from around the world
bull Community is one of Pfizerrsquos six core values Communicating activitiesinternally and externally gives a positive perception of the company
helped attract this large number of volunteersincluding senior leaders
Momentum was maintained behind thecommunication of the program with monthlynetworking breakfasts and several themed minicharity fairs to give local good causes the chanceto showcase their volunteering Individuals andteamsrsquo volunteering efforts were also regularlyprofiled in Pipeline
The December 2006 employee survey showedan 85-percent awareness level of Reaching Outand the program won a ldquoNational Example ofExcellence Awardrdquo from Business in theCommunity1
Relaunching the websiteIn June 2006 the Reaching Out website wasrelaunched to incorporate payroll giving andmatched fundraising under the same brand asvolunteering and utilize the existing software Allelements can now be applied for on the same site
The number of employees registered with thesite increased to over 1000 and the number of adhoc staff enquiries handled by CC Worksincreased dramatically as awareness andinvolvement levels rose among the workforce
External communicationA quarterly newsletter containing a round-up ofPfizerrsquos community investment work is producedand distributed widely to external stakeholdersincluding 3000 local residents Following theBusiness in the Community award the magazineCommunity News was revamped its circulationincreased and it was also desk-dropped to allemployees The magazine also helps to raiseawareness of Pfizer among local organizations
A pocket-sized booklet was produced containingkey facts and figures about the Healthy Communitiesprogram This gives employees especially seniorleaders at-a-glance information on the programallowing them to act as ambassadors for Pfizerrsquoscommunity investment work
Senior leaders at Pfizer Sandwich are keenadvocates of the program and having a clearbrand helps them communicate its benefits andraise awareness both internally and externally
Next stepsDespite its award-winning status there are plansto take Healthy Communities even further Theseinclude further research into employee feedbackand closer links to personal development plans InPfizer at Sandwichrsquos Global Operations functionvolunteering forms part of personal objectives ndashthis is an aspiration for the rest of the business
Pfizer also wants to improve team volunteeringand a toolkit is being prepared for team leaderswho wish to get involved in volunteering
Finally in order to share knowledge and bestpractice around community investment with otherlocal businesses Pfizer is hosting a Kentmembership network in conjunction with KentCounty Council This will help Pfizer work closelywith the local authority and bring local businessestogether to share ideas and collaborate toimprove their impact on the community scm
1 httpwwwbitcorguk
CONTACT DETAILS
Pam BakerPfizerpambakerpfizercom
Christine JenkinsCC Workschristinejenkinsccworkscouk
28 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Editorrsquos noteSucceeding in internal communication probablyisnrsquot all that different to succeeding in anyprofession understand whatrsquos expected of you dothe job well and deliver results But when youspeak to practitioners about how they personallyturned the corner in their careers and started tomake an impact it soon becomes clear that thereare many dos and donrsquots that can help or hinderprogress This article provides a handy checklistfor those with ambitious development plans
John G ClemonsVice President CommunicationsRaytheon Technical Services Co Llc
Take the initiativeThere have been a few career-defining momentsfor me Among them was the time when I realizedthat I was moving from a manager level to the
decision-making role of a director I worked for a senior executive who hired me
from a rival telecommunications company Uponjoining the company I developed strategiccommunication plans to address various businesschallenges During the development process Iperiodically checked in with my supervisor to gethis input and approval ndash probably more thannecessary ndash before moving to the next steps in planning
One day he called me into his office and saidthat while he liked the work I was doing for himhis expectation when he hired me as a directorwas that I would take the initiative in the job relyless on his frequent input and move forward with implementation and measurement Hewanted results
His counsel was along the lines of ldquoI hired youto do a directorrsquos job so do the job of a directorYou donrsquot have to get permission to make adifferencerdquo
Meet commitments and think strategicallyHis direction motivated me to take moreresponsibility at this new job level This alsomeant that I had to not just manage but leadmeet commitments and think more strategicallyto continue to earn not only his confidence butthe support of the entire leadership team
Irsquove found that being a communicationprofessional who is also a leader that can betrusted can get things done and truly support thegoals and objectives of an organization will notonly impress others but help build your credibilityand lead to success
How to get ahead ininternal communication
The path that leads internal communicators to thetop of their profession isnrsquot always an obvious oneWhich is why we asked a range of senior practitioners
to share their thoughts and experiences on gaining therespect of those who matter Whether its senior leadersfellow employees or your own team yoursquore looking toimpress these responses provide useful insight into howto make sure you and your work gets noticed
Senior practitioners share their views on how togain influence and credibility
COMPILED BY MANDY THATCHER
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
29scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Mark DarbyHead of Internal CommunicationsVisaUK
Be smart sharp and stubbornThe biggest lesson Irsquove learned and keep havingto remind myself is that I need to be smart sharpand stubborn to get ahead This is what thosewords mean to me in a work context
Smart I need to understand what Visa is doingand what people think about the business Thismeans constantly spending time in differentdepartments and learning from them I know whoour customers are what our challenges are andwhat our current financial performance is I havecontacts in most departments who have a fingeron the pulse which means I can have a relevantconversation with a senior person from any department
Sharp Internal communication is rarely near thetop of the agenda for senior people and my timewith them is usually short I always try to talkabout the impact on business performance assoon as possible If I circulate a document it willbe summarized to a single page at most and Idonrsquot use PowerPoint I ask a lot of ldquoonerdquo questionssuch as ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing you want employeesto do differentlyrdquo or ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing youwant me to change over the next six monthsrdquo
Stubborn I know what I want internal communica-tion to achieve at Visa and it has the support ofthe senior team Irsquove built up knowledge frombooks and articles I use my education from theBlack Belt training course1 and I speak to formercolleagues With this knowledge Irsquove becomestubborn and good at saying no because I have theinformation to back up my arguments Irsquove stoppedmy team from picking up extra projects that wonrsquotdeliver much value We focus only on projects thatadd the most value to the business and we deliveron these really well Successful delivery is thebiggest influence on any senior person
Monika StaffordHead of Internal CommunicationLloyds TSBUK
Be creative and focus on a killer issueUsing creative solutions to bring to life importantndash but often dull ndash programs can create a shinethat stretches beyond project boundaries For
example I worked on the implementation of SAPndash a business-critical systems program ndash requiringbehavior change from swathes of key yetuninterested people Successful implementationwas a big risk to get right but it was as dull asdishwater to communicate
Luckily there was a ldquoEurekardquo moment Byaligning the SAP story with the metaphor ofFormula-1 racing we could tell the tale of how itwould fulfill our need to create winningperformances for both the individual driver aswell as the back-up team in order to perform wellon the road ahead This storyline was a perfectmatch for the programrsquos objectives
Launch speakers from Formula 1 great designwork not to mention fantastic collateral allresulted in a no-hitch implementation that reallyresonated with people The global companypicked it up as the approach for worldwide rollout So faced with tedium it can actually pay tostare out of the window for creative inspiration
My other piece of advice is Focus on a killerissue If you really want to get ahead (and do besure you really do as being at the center ofchange is often akin to being in the eye of ahurricane ndash itrsquos no place for the feint-hearted)learn what keeps your business leaders up atnight Use your stakeholder-management skills toget to the people you need to help you deliversolutions then execute execute execute
Focus on value-adding work only because ifyou end up working on your companyrsquos cul-de-sacprojects yoursquoll never shine brightly enough forthe leaders in your company to notice you 3
COMPETENCY
Planning internal communication 76
Linking corporate messages to corporate vision 73
CEO communication 63
Change communication 60
Communicating to diverse audiences 60
Using the intranet as a communication tool 54
Defending your department in internal political battles 43
Line manager communication 42
Professional development of internal communication staff 33
Helping employees cope with information overload 32
Securing the appropriate level of budget for internal communication 30
Measuring the effectiveness of internal communication 28
Figure One Table from The Pulse report showing the percentage of communicators who ratethemselves as effective or very effective at listed competencies
30 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
WHATrsquoS CHANGED IN THE LAST 25 YEARS
David MoorcroftSenior Vice PresidentCorporate CommunicationsRBC Financial Group Canada
Irsquom constantly amazed at the changes that have taken place in our professionover the last 25 years and the degree of talent and knowledge required bycommunicators today to do their jobs well
Back in 1979 when I started in corporate PR the major skill sets werewriting editing and great media contacts Today good editorial skills are justtable stakes and the ability to understand business adapt technology thinkstrategically plan consummately and influence stakeholders are what landsenior communicators a seat at the management table
This change has been driven by the globalization of business the advent ofnew 247 media including the Internet the growing sophistication ofcustomers and employees increased demands for corporate transparency andmore rigorous requirements for high standards of public disclosure andfinancial reporting
MORE SKILLS THAN EVER BEFOREAs a result todayrsquos business communicator has to be more capable andknowledgeable and have more skills than ever before They must befinancially literate and technologically savvy They must understand the impactof evolving accounting and disclosure rules They must deal with legal HRpolitical and business issues And they must be prepared to deal with amultitude of potential crises that can arise at any moment in any language inany part of the world
Perhaps most challenging senior management today expects clear bottom-line returns for their investments in communication Itrsquos no longer enough toinform audiences and measure communication outputs CEOs expectcommunication to engage audiences and produce outcomes ndash something thatrequires strategic thinking planning and foresight
A friend of mine who left a senior corporate PR job to become COO of amajor public utility recently summed up the role of todayrsquos communicator thisway ldquoItrsquos one of the most important and critical roles in organizations todayand yet itrsquos often one of the least recognized and appreciatedrdquo
That sentiment may be a reality in some organizations today but with moreand more CEOs beginning to realize the bottom-line value of communication itwonrsquot be 25 years from now
Christina FeeSenior Vice President InternalCommunicationsDeutsche Post AGGermany
Seek out the important projectsI canrsquot pretend to have employed a specificapproach to my ldquopersonal PRrdquo at all But in theorganizations Irsquove worked for Irsquove had theopportunity to work on a number of excitinghigh-profile projects that have connected me withsenior stakeholders and influential people atdifferent levels
7
Irsquove learned a great deal from the project teamsIrsquove worked with and also due to the significanceand scope of the projects been able todemonstrate my worth approach and skills Irsquovehad to be passionate stand up for what I believein and think outside the box constantly
My roles within DHLDeutsche Post haveallowed me the freedom and flexibility to developand deliver new ideas but Irsquove also had to practiceand embody excellent internal communicationskills myself Having developed credibility and trustwith those that matter based on my track record Iwas allowed to go ahead with other projects
I donrsquot actively pursue the ldquoright relationshipsrdquobut rather let my work and my interactions withpeople speak for themselves This has helped medevelop mentors and supporters naturally Mylearning and development has also been expandedby the opportunity to work abroad and learn moreabout intercultural communication and interaction
Marc SilversideHead of Internal CommunicationsMacmillan Cancer SupportUK
Understand whatrsquos expected of youA newly established role heightens the need formaking a good impression so that people trustyou and feel they can come to you for advice
When I joined Macmillan I very nearly got thiswrong Perhaps this is an example that otherrsquos canlearn from
When my new CEO at Macmillan CancerSupport asked for a meeting ldquoafter a few weeks tosettle inrdquo I was confident that my wide-ranginginduction would help me understand the businessand provide the basis for what Irsquod present tosenior management
Forty structured face-to-face managerinterviews allowed me to understand needs andkey issues and I started to build personal rapportMy profile was raised and at the same timeinternal communication gained good visibility
Externally I networked with contacts in similarroles in other charities and soon found thebeginnings of a voluntary-sector network This hassince grown to over 25 members
By the time my CEO slot arrived I was armedwith input from across the charity and the resultsof an audit I felt well prepared to present myvision and solutions So I was surprised to be metwith significant resistance
I later discovered that my CEO intelligence wasincorrect What he wanted was to be askedspecifically about his own views on what internalcommunication should do and what I could do for
How to get ahead in internal communication
31scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
HOW DO YOUR SKILLS MEASURE UPFor Melcrumrsquos study into budgets salaries and trends in internalcommunication in 200607 we asked survey respondents to rate their owneffectiveness at a range of key communication competencies from planning tomeasurement The results may surprise you
For example 76 percent of respondents rate themselves as effective or veryeffective at planning internal communication but only 28 percent ratethemselves as equally effective at measuring its effectiveness (see Figure Onepage 29)
In her commentary on the results development expert Sue Dewhurst hadthe following to say
OUR STRENGTHSIt seems where we see our strengths as internal communicators is towards theldquofront endrdquo of the communication planning process For example being able tolink a plan to the business strategy knowing our audiences and being able tojoin up the dots and show people how messages link to the business vision
These are powerful strengths We are one of the few functions that tends tohave an overarching view of our entire company and is able to view thecompany and its strategy from a number of different perspectives Being ableto understand the vision and strategy view it from an audience perspectiveand then create line of sight to show what those things mean in practicalterms for peoplersquos day-to-day roles is one of the ways that we help drivebusiness performance ndash by showing people what they need to do to take thestrategy forward
In turn by knowing and working with our audiences hopefully wersquore thenalso able to make sure their views and suggestions can help shape the strategyand how itrsquos put into practice
MEASURING EFFECTIVENESSWe see ourselves as less effective towards the back end of the planningprocess in measuring the effectiveness of internal communication which tiesin with the feeling from previous questions that in fact wersquore not doing muchmeasurement or demonstrating our return on investment
Research and measurement is an area where there is plenty of expertisearound to call on There are measurement conferences research reports andpublications to understand what other organizations are doing and practicaltraining that will give you the opportunity to work in a smaller group askquestions and practice techniques For help with specific techniques try yourinternal marketing team Marketers are generally great with data and well-versed in running focus groups and putting together surveys If you have anexternal provider to support your employee engagement research try them too
Source The Pulse Essential data on budgets salaries and trends 2006-07wwwmelcrumcom
him rather than how I could benefit the charity Ihad to change my approach fast
This could have cost me my best ambassadorfrom day one So my advice is make sure yoursquoreabsolutely clear about whatrsquos expected from you
Of course the insights I gained in my first fewmonths have been valuable and since then myresults have done the talking Fortunately theCEO soon became an internal communicationsconvert and advocate
Darren CrozierCommunications ManagerHBOS plcUK
Make things happenDelivery is key to career development ndash if you sayyoursquore going to do something make sure you doit Put in the effort get the results you want andbe known as someone who can make things happenIf yoursquore seen to ldquoget things donerdquo no matter howsmall the job is people are more likely to get youinvolved in activities and ask your opinion
Gaining credibility and respect from seniorcolleagues is important but everyone in yourorganization will form an opinion of you from thepeople in the canteen right through to the CEOSo try and make sure that their opinion of you is agood one
Itrsquos not just the people within your immediatesphere of influence who can have an impact onyour career so extend your network go oncourses and get involved in professionalorganizations Many of my close workingrelationships career opportunities and indeedpersonal friendships have come from meetingpeople at such events and taking the time to keepin touch You never know how things will develop
Itrsquos also vital to earn respect be trustworthy andhave good manners To recall what an ex-bossonce said ldquoBe careful how you treat people onthe way up as you never know when you maycome across them againrdquo
One of the biggest challenges Irsquove found inrecent times is recognizing my own success andselling myself Sometimes you need to take a stepback to realize just what yoursquove achieved Evenbetter keep a log or portfolio of your successesand donrsquot be shy to speak about them becauseothers wonrsquot be shy to speak about theirs
Finally try and have some fun along the wayWe all have to work for a living so learn to makethe most of it scm
1 For more about Melcrumrsquos Internal Communication Black Belttraining program go to wwwmelcrumcom
32 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pitney Bowes has followed an aggressive strategyof growth through acquisition completing 60+acquisitions since 2001 Expansion has broadenedits product mix to include an extensive range ofsolutions from office equipment to globalpositioning software
But the companyrsquos many different specialismsand huge outsourcing operations meant that themajority of its 34000 employees werenrsquot aware ofthe full range of its service offering and thepotential for different divisions to work together
As Rob Hallam vice president EmployeeCommunication explains there was a strongbusiness case for adopting a ldquoone companyrdquoapproach ldquoBecause the businesses tended to besomewhat siloed even senior managers werefocused on their divisions
ldquoAlso because we were acquiring companiesand evolving so rapidly managers werenrsquot awareof a lot of the businesses and how they all workedtogether in the mailstreamrdquo says Hallam ldquoWewere missing out on potential cross-sellingopportunitiesrdquo
Communicating a new visionFour years ago Pitney Bowes created a OneCompany Vision statement ldquoOur aim was toensure support and cooperation across thebusiness so we could provide a comprehensive setof customer solutions ndash not just a list of productsand services by business unitrdquo says Hallam Theinternal communication challenge was to drawtogether 34000 employees and build a unifiedcorporate culture The communication strategyfocused on three key elements
1 PeopleThis focused on involving the leadershipstrengthening a two-way dialogue betweenmanagement and employees communicating theculture through leadership messaging enterprise-wide events and roadshows and buildingengagement so that everyone was workingtogether towards a One Company approach
2 ProcessesThis meant integrating the One Companyapproach into the organizationrsquos operations andinfrastructure by shifting management roles andadjusting incentives and reward structuresthroughout the company
The first step was to consolidate the companyrsquosoperating activities by appointing Murray DMartin as president and chief operating officer inSeptember 2004 Martinrsquos mantra is ldquoThink AsOne Act as One Operate As One to deliverwhat no other company canrdquo
ldquoThe COO position had previously been heldby the chairman so elevating someone to that
Communicating a OneCompany culture atPitney Bowes
Following rapid growth in the form of more than 60acquisitions over six years silo-working haddeveloped at Pitney Bowes and leaders were failing
to take advantage of profitable cross-selling opportunitiesHere Rob Hallam describes the communication elementsof a ldquoOne Companyrdquo culture-change program which hasturned the situation around simultaneously improvingcustomer service and boosting profits
Persuading disparate businessunits to work together
AN INTERVIEW WITH ROB HALLAM
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Pitney Bowes is an 87-year-old company best known forthe manufacturing operationand oversight of postagemeters It has over two millioncustomers more than 3500active patents and annualrevenue of close to $6 billion
33scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
role was a big changerdquo explains Hallam ldquoAll thebusiness units now report to a single individual atoperating level It represented a huge positivemove to start the company operationalizing OneCompany behaviorrdquo
The internal communication function wasrestructured to ensure that consistent messagingreached the entire employee population Regularmeasurement was a key part of the changeinitiative This served to define the contributionof communicating a One Company approachwhere it was adding value to Pitney Bowes and itsclients and customers and where there was stillwork to do
3 TechnologyIt was important to find the best ways to cascademessages throughout the company and keeppeople informed about what was going onwithout bombarding them with irrelevantcommunication Hallam and his team deploy avariety of channels and media including internalprint and online publications voicemail and e-mail Pitney Bowes is also in the process ofintegrating its different voicemail systems and e-mail platforms into one global system
Involving senior leadership from the outsetThe One Company strategy was an overridingpolicy that started at the top of the organizationldquoThere was a big launch at the strategic leadersrsquomeeting which is held every Januaryrdquo saysHallam ldquoThe messaging was then driven throughthe organization via a companywide globalcommunication strategyrdquo
From the outset the policy was championed bythe CEO Michael Critelli who believes thatculture is central to the Pitney Bowes brand andsaid recently ldquoMy first measure of success iswhether we are behaving as one companyrdquo Thiscommitment helped to ensure that the culturalchange was reinforced by parallel changes to thecorporate infrastructure
Building a two-way dialogueThe next step was to get the employee populationinvolved and build enterprisewide enthusiasm forthe culture change Pitney Bowes has alwaysrecognized the value of a two-way dialoguebetween management and employees and hasheld annual jobholders meetings which aresimilar to shareholdersrsquo meetings for 61 years In2005 Hallam reinvented it as an initiative calledOne Forum ndash a series of roadshows focusing oncommunicating the One Company culturethroughout the organization
Launching the One ForumIn 2005 Hallam and his team created an original
and memorable One Forum launch for the 90percent of Pitney Bowes employees based in theUS Around a quarter of US employees saw thisin person the others received a link to a websitewith streaming highlights
ldquoWe put together a two-hour roadshow eventwhich helped people to understand our OneCompany approach and made them aware of allthe businesses we were inrdquo says Hallam ldquoThethinking was that high change requires high touchFace-to-face can have far greater impact on theindividuals touched From there itrsquos a matter ofripple effect such as seeing improved One Forumbrand awareness among employees who didnrsquotactually attend one of the eventsrdquo
ldquoWe wanted the roadshow to be entertainingand energizing so we used gameshow techniquescustom-written songs and comedy specificallytailored to Pitney Bowes employees It was a funevent but it also included a keynote speech fromthe CEO and a lot of question-and-answersessions with employees It was entertainmentwith a purpose and it was a great success with employeesrdquo
The post-event employee evaluations provedthe success of this approach ldquoIn some cities anincredible 90 percent of employees gave the eventa top-box rating This shows that there was ahunger for both the knowledge and theapproachrdquo adds Hallam
Taking the show on the roadThe One Forum roadshow has become an annualevent ldquoIn a five-month period during 2005 therewere 17 One Forum events in 12 US citiesreaching about 6000 peoplerdquo says Hallam ldquoAftersome testing in March and April the first bigroadshows started in early May and continued forsix months with the final one in early Decemberin Seattle 3
Rob Hallam is vice presidentEmployee Communication atPitney Bowes (PB) in StamfordConnecticut where hersquos beenresponsible for internalcommunication strategy andimplementation since 2004Hallam has led a team ofprofessionals in reshapingcommunication at PB resultedin the communication teamearning the top ranking in HRdepartment satisfaction fromall PBrsquos US managers in 2005and 2006
KEY POINTSbull Internal communication has played an important role in embedding a
One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
bull The communication strategy focused on three key elements peopleprocess and technology
bull The campaign has been championed by the CEO from the outset andhas won senior leadership support over time
bull An entertaining roadshow helped win employee commitment
bull Cross-selling ratios have jumped substantially since the culture-changeeffort began
34 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ldquoIn 2006 we compressed the programsubstantially and drove down costs while stilltouching 6000 employees Together with ourcorporate marketing group we also introduced anextremely successful lsquoelevator speechrsquo that helpsemployees answer the much-feared questionlsquoWhat does Pitney Bowes dorsquordquo
Local variationsAlthough the entertainment component in theroadshows contributed to their success it wasspecific to the US so Hallam gave business unitsand internal communicators in other regions theresponsibility for communicating the OneCompany approach to local employees ldquoInCanada and the UK they conducted town-hallmeetings and in Latin America and other parts ofthe world they produced their own variations onthe One Forum theme We made sure that theyhad the information they needed but we limitedthe entertainment to English-speaking regionsrdquo
A commitment to employee engagementThe appointment of the new COO and the launchof the One Forum roadshows coincided with thefirst employee engagement survey in late 2004ldquoWe see engagement as very much tied to ourability to execute a One Company strategy andchange our culturerdquo says Hallam He sets outfour ways in which employee engagement isinstilled at all levels in the organization
1 Visible leadership commitment to engagementThe CEO underlines his commitment by sendingregular messages to employees via a variety ofmedia including voicemail and print and onlinepublications He also uses engagement scores todetermine a unitrsquos overall performance rating andbonus pool ldquoWhen one senior execrsquos bonus poolwas reduced due to poor engagement scores that
was a message requiring no communication planrdquosays Hallam ldquoWord spread quicklyrdquo
2 Celebrating top performers Pitney Bowes celebrates its top engagementperformers by running cover stories in its globalprint and online publication PB Today ldquoThisprogram was called lsquoThe Faces of Pitney Bowesrsquordquosays Hallam ldquoWe did 10 of these last year so theyran twice in five editions Wersquove also producedlarge mural-sized photos of those managers andtheir teamsrdquo he says ldquoWe celebrate success andpublish it everywhere Our CEO loves it and wersquoreactually selling part of our contemporary artcollection which decorates the building to makeroom for an expansion of additional OneCompany and Engagement photography all ofwhich will focus on our employeesrdquo
3 Incentivizing managers via the reward systemEmployee engagement is recognized andreinforced in the companyrsquos formal processesincluding its reward system ldquoWe use a tool calledthe Strategic Architecture which is our balancedscorecardrdquo explains Hallam ldquoItrsquos a Six-Sigma toolwhich measures employee shareholder andcustomer value Managersrsquo engagement scoresalso factor into their annual reviews soengagement has a direct impact on remunerationrdquo
4 Rewarding engagementA further program called Rapid Rewards awardscash bonuses to managers and employees foroutstanding behavior including that related toemployee engagement
Aligning the communication strategyHallam and his team are responsible fordelivering the overall employee communicationstrategy ldquoWe had to dramatically improve ourstrategic approach in order to make OneCompany a realityrdquo he says
In addition to organizing campaigns such as theOne Forum roadshows to publicize the culturechange across the enterprise Hallam hasintroduced initiatives aimed at improving thereach and delivery of internal communication andmaking sure messages get to their intendedaudiences He has also aligned the structure ofthe internal communication function with thecompanyrsquos unified culture
ldquoThere were a lot of different communicationgroups so we brought together all thecommunication leaders and formed a singleInternal Communications Councilrdquo explainsHallam ldquoThis means that the communicationfunctions in the different business units areworking together to help drive change andimprove coordinationrdquo
Communicating a One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
ldquoWHEN A SENIOR EXECrsquoS BONUS WAS REDUCEDDUE TO POOR ENGAGEMENT SCORES THAT WASA MESSAGE REQUIRING NO COMMUNICATIONPLAN WORD SPREAD QUICKLYrdquo
7
FURTHER RESOURCES3 THE IMPACT OF CULTURE AND CLIMATE ON CHANGE PROGRAMS
An article published in SCM Volume 10 Issue 6 OctoberNovember 2006
3 DRIVING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE CORPORATE CULTUREMelcrumrsquos report on communication tools techniques and best practicefrom leading organizationswwwmelcrumcom
35scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Developing a global approachHallam is also responsible for a globalcommunication project called Universal Reachwhich is sponsored by the chairman and designedto support and maintain a unified corporateculture ldquoOur goal is to provide 90 percentmessage accessibility within our key customer-facing audiencesrdquo he explains ldquoThe biggestchallenge is integrating our online communicationinfrastructure which has nine different voicemailsystems operating across the world and multiplee-mail and web platforms Wersquore pulling all thattogether to provide better reachrdquo
Since 911 the CEO and other top executiveshave broadcast weekly audio messages calledPower Talks Hallamrsquos team has worked with theleadership to ensure that they incorporate OneCompany messages and as he explains they reachmost of the employee population ldquoAbout 20000of our employees have voicemail Those whodonrsquot receive the Power Talk message either inprint or online In some divisions managers playthe Power Talk messages in staff meetingsrdquo
Engaging leadership reinforces the cultureBuilding on the CEOrsquos commitment to a OneCompany approach Hallam and his team haveorganized leadership events ndash most recently at thestrategic leadersrsquo meeting in December 2006 ndashshowing Pitney Bowes as one company in actionThis campaign has helped to engage the top 150managers in the culture change
ldquoOur post-event evaluations show a strongmove numerically in senior leadershiprsquos belief thatwersquore operating as one companyrdquo says Hallam(see Figure One above) ldquoAs theyrsquore our toughestjudges wersquore pleased by the significant differencein pre- and post-event measurementrdquo There wasalso an improvement in leadersrsquo understanding ofthe companyrsquos new mailstream category
Sustaining the new cultureAccording to Hallam rippling out the OneCompany messaging requires a consistent andcoordinated approach Communication leaders inthe various divisions are now working to weaveOne Company messages into the business-unitmeetings ldquoA lot of the messaging that welaunched at the strategic leadersrsquo meeting arebeing reiterated at the business unit level Thatrsquosbeen facilitated through the InternalCommunications Councilrdquo he says
ldquoKey metrics for the culture change programfocus on cross-selling ratios which have jumpedsubstantially since the culture change effortbeganrdquo says Hallam ldquoIn 2002 we also institutedthe ldquoPB1 Awardsrdquo which is a chairmanrecognition award that goes to teams who bestembody cross-functional behavior in working on
projects which improve our clientsrsquo profitabilityour profitability or bothrdquo
ldquoHowever wersquore only really a year into thisMuch of the evidence is anecdotal but what haschanged is that our managers have broadenedtheir vision and are thinking as solutions-providers rather than product-sellers As suchtheyrsquore involving other business units out of theirdesire to eliminate customer pain points ndashregardless of which part of Pitney Bowes gets the salerdquo
Adding value to customersUltimately managers and employees who arewell-informed about the companyrsquos products andservices are in a good position to take advantageof cross-selling opportunities Realizing thispotential enables Pitney Bowes to make extrasales to existing customers thereby increasing itsprofit margins and allowing customers to benefitfrom a mix of products and services
Shifting to a unified culture directly benefitsboth Pitney Bowes and its customers ldquoByfocusing on the whole cadre of products andservices we can help our customers improve theirbusinessesrdquo says Hallam ldquoThatrsquos where OneCompany is critical It enables our clients tobenefit from all our servicesrdquo scm
Figure One Measuring the impact of the strategic leadersrsquo meeting
CONTACT DETAILS
Rob HallamPitney Bowesrobhallampbcom
I BELIEVE THAT OUR SENIOR LEADERS (MEANING THE TOP 15 EXECS) AREWORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO DELIVER INTEGRATED HIGH-VALUESOLUTIONS TO OUR CUSTOMERS
Pre SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 73
Post SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 92
Gain in two months time 19
ldquoMANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WELL-INFORMED ABOUT THE COMPANYrsquoS PRODUCTSAND SERVICES ARE IN A GOOD POSITION TOTAKE ADVANTAGE OF CROSS-SELLINGrdquo
2007
36 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
MELCRUM TRAINING amp EVENTS
CALENDAR 2007UKEUROPESOCIAL MEDIA FORUM FORINTERNAL COMMUNICATORS UK
3 21-22 March 2007 Hilton Canary WharfLondon UKThis forum is designed for practitioners who wantto make social media part of their internalcommunication strategy Over two dayscompanies such as IBM Microsoft and BT willshare case studies demonstrating their use ofsocial-media tools Technology experts will also beon hand to provide training and show you how touse these tools
THE 3RD ANNUAL EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT CONFERENCE UK
3 22-24 May 2007 Millennium GloucesterLondon UK22 May ndash Practical workshops23-24 May ndash Two-day conferenceThis event will focus on transforming yourstrategies into action Listen to case studies fromcompanies that have achieved real andmeasurable results from their engagement effortsLearn how they did it what they achieved and howthe results were measured
THE 6TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT UK
3 16-18 October 2007 London UK After the huge success of the 2006 UK StrategicCommunication Management Summit next yearrsquosevent will once again provide you withpresentations from key figures in the industry anda chance to network with your peers Mark yourdiaries now ndash more details to follow
THE 3RD ANNUAL INTERNALCOMMUNICATION MEASUREMENTCONFERENCE UK
3 27-29 November 2007 London UKDetails available soon ndash mark your diary now
NORTH AMERICATHE 3RD ANNUAL CONFERENCEON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENTBUILDING AND SUSTAINING ACULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT
3 28 February ndash 1 March 2007 Crowne PlazaAtlanta-Buckhead Atlanta USLearn how to foster an environment whereemployees feel valued and respected Hear fromcompanies including Dow Corning CorporationAmerican Express Delta Hotels and Merck
THE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT US
3 26-28 March 2007 Crowne Plaza UnionSquare San Francisco26 March ndash Pre-conference workshops27-28 March ndash Two-day summitAttend this conference and discover how toimprove employee alignment with all segments ofyour internal audience ndash from your front-lineemployees to your executive officers bothnationally and worldwide
AUSTRALIATHE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION ENGAGEMENTSUMMIT SYDNEY
3 31 July ndash 2 August 2007 Sydney Australia Details available soon ndash mark your diary now
WEBINARSDEVELOPING PROFESSIONALCOMPETENCE
3 Thursday 22 February 2007 with LiamFitzPatrick and Sue Dewhurst
HELPING YOUR ORGANIZATIONTHRIVE DURING TURBULENTTIMES
3 Thursday 29 March 2007 with Carol KinseyGoman
TRAININGTHE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT PROGRAM
3 24-25 April and 1-2 May 2007 HenleyManagement College UK3 11-12 and 27-28 September 2007 Cranfield
School of Management UK
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT MASTERCLASSEFFECTIVE MEASUREMENT
3 14-15 March 2007 Hendon Hall Hendon UKAn essential two-day intensive training courses forinternal communicators on effective measurementRegister early as places are strictly limited to 20people per Masterclass
CSR DELIVERY ENGAGEMENT amp LEADERSHIP
3 19-20 April 2007 Central LondonOsney MediaWith an excellent speaker line-up from high-profile companies including Procter amp Gamble The BodyShop ExxonMobil Microsoft Belgium Vodafone UK Dell Ericsson and Alliance Boots this case studybased event will answer questions including how do Ibull Build a CSR-oriented leadershipbull Get people on boardbull Integrate CSR with the global strategy of the companybull Deliver CSR throughout the company to make it really happen
For more information visit wwwcsrleadershipcom or e-mail mariame_lindellosneymediacouk (Reference code 910MLC3)
38 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
DESIGN
YELLOW
The future success of all organisations will be builton trust understanding passion empowermentintegrity and relationships
The future is cool exciting sparkling organisationsbursting with energy life and action
The future of brand is the internal brand first andforemost
The future is colleague as customer
Turning communications upside down
No just inside-out
Be part of the future say hello to Yellow
We help large organisations bring their communicationsstrategies to life through the imaginative use of liveevents multimedia web and design ndash distributed acrossall media platforms including DVD TV mobile devicesintranet and extranet
Ultimately developing internal brands and ongoingcommunications that have a measurable impact onpeople-performance advocacy and the bottom line
Contact Paul MiddletonTel +44 (0)161 228 6700E-mail paulmiddletonyellowcomcomWebsite wwwyellowcomcom
NEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
DESIGN
BLUE GOOSE
blue goose specialize in visual communications We make communications work faster and better We will link what wedo back to your objectives but we donrsquot talk (or charge for) ldquostrategyrdquo when you simply want tactical implementation Weuse design and creativity tobull differentiate products and services bull develop and manage corporate and brand identity bull align external communications with agreed values bull internalize corporate and brand identitybull align internal communications with agreed values bull support organizational change and bull help organizations better understand and define who they are
We work for clients as diverse as PricewaterhouseCoopers Ford Europe Centrica plc Greene King City of London Policeand Le Meacuteridien
blue goose is for any organization more interested in designing their future than watching it happen
Contact Chris BarringtonE-mail thinkingbluegoosecoukTel +44 (0)20 8869 8500Web site wwwbluegoosecouk
CONSULTANCY
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION ampSURVEYS PTY LTD
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd is aboutique consultancy based in Sydney Australia Itspecializes in employee communication strategiessystems research and employee surveys of all kindsPrincipal Rodney Gray has been involved inorganizational consulting for over 20 years following a15-year career as a corporate human resourcesexecutive Services includebull Employee communication audits and surveys by
questionnaires focus groups and interviewsbull Employee communication systems strategies and
processesbull Employee communication training workshops and
talksbull Employee culture climate and opinion surveysbull Qualitative organizational diagnosis (focus groups
and interviews)bull Internal service quality research (qualitative and
quantitative)
Contact Rodney GrayTel +61 (0)2 9909 2900 Fax +61 (0)2 9909 2911E-mail rodneyrodneygraycomauWeb site wwwemployee-communicationcomau
CONSULTANCY
HEDRON
Internal and change communication that helps teamsand individuals to develop strategies relationshipsprocesses and skills to engage stakeholders supporthigh performance and deliver change
ldquoSharp strategic thinking quality execution effectiveinterpersonallyhelliprdquo ldquoCreativity drive resourcefulnessresults great funhelliprdquo say clients
All sectors ndash ABN AMRO AXA BT Cadbury SchweppesDepartment for Constitutional Affairs HealthcareCommission Group 4 Securicor SABMiller SiemensSouthern Rail Unilever Wincanton
Our clients are happy to tell you what itrsquos like workingwith us
Contact Helena MemoryTel + 44 (0) 20 7493 0735Fax + 44 (0) 20 7493 0743E-mail helena-mhedroncomWeb site wwwhedroncom
CONSULTANCY
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
39scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
CONSULTANCY
SYNOPSIS
Founded by change and communication authority Bill Quirke in 1992 Synopsis is one of Europersquos leading internalcommunication consultancies Our clients include such companies as ABN Amro BBC BP British Airways DiageoEricsson HP Lloyds TSB Roche Shell and Vodafone
We help clients use internal communication to engage their employees in delivering business strategy and get most valuefrom their internal communication
We can help youbull Develop communication strategies that support your business strategybull Coach leadersbull Develop line managersrsquo communication skillsbull Plan and coordinate your communication with colleagues onlinebull Check the health of your communication channels and improve return on investmentbull Build and develop the communication functionbull Measure and track employee engagement attitudes and opinions
To take a tour of our online planning tool go to wwwsynopsisonlinecomproductplanningtoolasp
Contact Jane LebeauE-mail janelebeausynopsisonlinecomTel +44 (0) 20 7490 2900Web site wwwsynopsisonlinecom
CONSULTANCY
HARKNESS KENNETT
We specialize in internal communication To us thatmeansbull motivating people through inspiring leadershipbull guiding people through organizational changebull engaging people in delivering the brand
Working in partnership with our clients is central to ourethos enabling us to help deliver practical solutionssupported by solid strategic thinking All of ourconsultants have held senior positions ldquoclient siderdquo sowe know what itrsquos like to be in your shoes The vastmajority of our work comes from recommendations fromexisting clients ndash 82 percent of our clients haverequested repeat work in the last two years
Our clients include Abbey Atkins BDO Stoy HaywardThe Environment Agency Marks amp Spencer NHS Blood ampTransplant Morgan Stanley Europe Nestleacute PoliceInformation Technology Organisation Royal ampSunAlliance South West Trains and Vodafone
Our vision is simple ndash we want to be the first callyou make
Contact James HarknessTel +44 (0)1483 222730E-mail jamesharknessharknesskennettcomWeb site wwwharknesskennettcom
CONSULTANCY
TRIDENT COMMUNICATIONS
Trident Communications is uniquely positioned to definedevelop and deliver award-winning solutions that aligncommunication with business goals
We advise and partner with organizations of all sizes tocreate high-value practical applications Our talentedproject teams provide innovative research designeditorial and imagery for print and online
We connect ideas and deliver results
Contact Peter Agertoft Tel +44 (0)207 536 8900E-mail peteragertoft
tridentcommunicationsnetWeb site wwwtridentcommunicationsnet
CONSULTANCY
FLEISHMAN-HILLARD
Fleishman-Hillardrsquos dedicated internal and changecommunication practice helps businesses focus onperforming ndash not just informing
We help organisations plan and implement programmeswith the right mix of information dialogue and trainingso that employees are engaged aligned and motivatedto achieve business objectives
Because effective internal communication is vital tobottom-line performance we partner with our clients tocreate a daily dialogue ndash not a monologue ndash withemployees
Contact Nick AndrewsTel +32 (0)2 230 05 45 E-mail nickandrewsfleishmancomWeb site wwwfleishmaneuropecom
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE A listing in our Directory of Services will giveyou a chance to reach communicationprofessionals at some of the worldrsquos largestand most admired companies and to tap intodecision-making practitioners
ContactVincent SorelTel +44 (0)208 600 4670E-mail vincentsorelmelcrumcom
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
INCLUDE YOUR COMPANY BY CONTACTING US ON +44(0)20 8600 4670 OR AT INFOMELCRUMCOM
CONSULTANCY
HILL amp KNOWLTON
Better business results the bottom line
How do I manage more change Motivate managers Getthe right information to the right people Show the bestreturn on communication investment
Sound familiar Hill amp Knowltonrsquos change and internalcommunication consultants work with companies aroundthe world to find the right answers for their situation
We offer strategy insight and creativity drawing on ourconsultancy expertise and in-house experience Plus wedeliver practical hands-on help
We know that effective employee communication has adirect impact on the bottom line Working together wecan make it happen for you
Contact EMEA DavidFerrabeehillandknowltoncom
+44 (0) 7413 3176USA BarbaraEdlerhillandknowltoncom
+1 415 281-7160Canada KristaThompsonhillandknowltoncom
+1 613 786-9961
RECRUITMENT
VMA GROUP
VMA Group is one of the UKrsquos leading executive searchand selection consultancies specializing in internal andcorporate communication recruitment
For over 25 years VMA Group has provided the highestlevel of service to some of the most demanding globalorganizations developing a strong track record for thequality and professionalism of our search and selection work
We have in-depth specialist knowledge of the internalcommunication market and can provide high-qualitypermanent and interim candidates with expertise acrossinternal communication change management and widercorporate communication We understand the needs ofour clients intrinsically and strive to develop long-termrelationships with clients and candidates alike
Please call to discuss how we can help you find theideal candidate or if you wish to make a career move
Contact David BroomeTel +44 (0)20 7436 4243E-mail dbroomevmagroupcoukWeb site wwwvmagroupcouk
40 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONALCOMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS E-mail gaitensunityncsueduWeb site wwwconsultingsuccessorgTel 919 469 3895
CIB ndash BRITISH ASSOCIATION OFCOMMUNICATORS IN BUSINESSE-mail enquiriescibukcomWeb site wwwcibukcomTel +44 (0)870 121 7606
CCM ndash COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATIONMANAGEMENT E-mail membership
ccmconnectioncomWeb site wwwccmconnectioncomTel 866 463 4226
CPRS ndash THE CANADIAN PUBLICRELATIONS SOCIETYE-mail admincprscaWeb site wwwcprscaTel 416 239 7034
IABC ndash THE INTERNATIONALASSOCIATION OF BUSINESSCOMMUNICATORS E-mail service_centreiabccomWeb site wwwiabccomTel 415 544 4700
ICA ndash THE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONALLIANCE E-mail amandafoistericaukorgWeb site wwwiprorgukicaTel +44 (0)1628 642 044
CIPR ndash THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OFPUBLIC RELATIONS UKE-mail infoiprorgukWeb site wwwiprorgukTel +44 (0)20 7253 5151
IPRA ndash THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICRELATIONS ASSOCIATIONE-mail ipraseccompuservecomWeb site wwwipraorgTel +44 (0) 1372 461 188
PRSA ndash PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OFAMERICAE-mail resourcesprsaorgWeb site wwwprsaorgTel 212 460 1459
DIRECTORY OF SERVICESNEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
CONSULTANCY
13scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
brand image and set an example for thewhole company
At The Company Agency we find thatmany CEOs are looking for strategiccommunication support coaching andguidance that goes beyond what theyreceive from their rostered PR agencyThey operate in a world thatrsquos typicallyquite lonely where information isfrequently filtered theyrsquore under aconstant spotlight and a gap existsbetween them their people and theircustomers Internal communication canplay a key role in helping the CEObridge this gap
A simple checklist Every CEO is different and facesdifferent challenges but herersquos a simplechecklist if you find yourself workingwith a new CEO or in a new role with anestablished CEObull Ask your CEO what kind of person
they would like to be viewed as byemployees ndash coach them oncommunication behavior that canhelp them achieve this goal
bull Establish very quickly what theCEOrsquos key message is ndash askquestions until it is crystal clear
bull Know your business and brief yourCEO on what type of communicationis effective or not within yourorganization
bull Provide informed guidance onemerging communication trends ndashsuch as social media ndash and explainthe business impact
bull Understand how the CEO listens towhat people are saying
bull Determine the CEOscommunication preferences ndash howdoes he or she like to receive andshare information both inside andoutside work
You should expect to be the leaderrsquoscommunicator ndash developing messagesand ensuring theyrsquore conveyed in themost appropriate way But the balanceshould be tipping more towards beingthe communication leader ndash a role whereyoursquore providing strategic counsel to theCEO and coaching them so theyrsquore moreeffective in their new role and environment
In May last year the managementconsultants Booze Allen Hamiltonpublished their annual report on chiefexecutive attrition The Crest of theTurnover Wave After studying the move-ments of CEOs from the largest 2500companies in the world they uncoveredsome rather startling facts An incredible1 in 7 CEOs will change job over thenext 12 months with poor-performingCEOs staying in office for two years Bycomparison the high-performing CEOstays in the job for just under eight years
Given that their tenure may be brief thisresearch only reinforces that the first 100days for the chief executive is a critical time
Creating myths and legendsOver the past 20 years Irsquove had the goodfortune to work for some great brandsand leaders Experience tells me thatduring their first 100 days the reputationthey bring from their previous job willeither be validated or contradictedEverything they say and do will bescrutinised Perceptions will be quicklyformed about their style and personalityMyths and legends will become thehottest gossip in the workplace
With this in mind itrsquos critical toquickly establish their reputation andwhat they stand for Internalcommunication can play a valuable rolein supporting the CEO and in turnestablish a long-term relationship withtheir new leader
Uncovering perceptionsDeveloping a personalized communica-tion strategy must start by finding outhow the new leader is perceived While aquantitative survey may satisfy those witha hunger for numbers qualitativeresearch will uncover how people reallyview the CEO as an individual and leader
With these insights itrsquos possible todevelop a plan to shape the existingreputation into one they would like tohave in the new organization This meansidentifying what they stand for andhelping them articulate how this supportsand builds the brand of the organization
Charismatic leadersIf you think about charismatic leaderssuch as Stuart Rose of Marks amp SpencerRichard Branson of Virgin or PhilKnight of Nike organizational culture isheavily influenced by the personality ofits chief executive
The behavior that resides within theorganization is typically a reflection ofthe CEOrsquos behavior and becomesassociated with the brand So itrsquosimportant to define what the new CEOwants the corporate brand to stand forand what they can do to achieve that
LEADERS IN TRANSITIONTHE FIRST 100 DAYSIn a recent Melcrum survey 44 percent of respondents said they plan to spend more ormuch more on communication training for leaders and managers With the topic firmlyon the agenda for the forseeable future this issue sees the launch of a new regularcolumn by leadership communication expert Darren Briggs He kicks off with adviceon making the most of the CEOrsquos first 100 days ndash a critical time for any new leader
LEA
DER
SHIP
CO
MM
UN
ICATIO
Nscm
DARREN BRIGGS
The first of a new regularcolumn on leadership
urges communicators tosupport new leaders
Darren Briggs is partner at The Company Agency where he advises and coachessenior leaders to be more effective communicators He has 20 years corporateexperience working at chief executive and board level with companies such as BritishAirways Microsoft Nike PepsiCo and Vodafone
The title of advertising guru PaulArdenrsquos book Itrsquos not how good you areitrsquos how good you want to be captures theessence of ambition And our recent surveysuggests that this is a message internalcommunicators should take to heart
As part of our research1 to define a listof core skills and competencies forprofessional communicators we askedpractitioners from around the worldabout their future career goals and howthey plan to achieve them Surprisinglyfor a profession that stresses the need forstrategies and plans most internalcommunicators appear to have a fairly adhoc approach to their own development
Results from the surveyAbout 70 percent of our sample said theyexpected to stay in internal communicationover the next three years Thirty-twopercent saw themselves gaining moreexperience within their existing jobswhile 37 percent aim to move into adifferent internal communication role
When we asked respondents what theywere doing to help develop their careersgaining wider experience being better
networked and finding a coach came topof their lists
Be honest with yourselfNow these seem like fairly informalactivities You might think they take lessorganizing than say investing the timeand budget to do a course or study for aformal qualification But if yoursquore beinghonest you know that getting the go-aheadto work on more challenging projectsfinding the right coach and building aprofessional network takes time andplanning These things donrsquot just happenovernight ndash unless yoursquore very lucky
Yet less than a quarter of internalcommunicators have a formal plan to helpstructure their thoughts about careerprogression and make sure their develop-ment objectives are met Twenty-onepercent say they have no plan whatsoeverand about half the respondents wecontacted say they have a plan but itrsquosnot formalized or agreed
Make the timeMaking time to discuss your career goalswith your manager and getting apersonal development plan down onpaper will pay dividends After all who
decides whether you get to work on themore interesting projects or not Andwhen yoursquore being dragged under byyour workload wouldnrsquot it be helpful tohave some targets to remind you to makethe time to network or read that articlesitting in your reading folder
If wersquove convinced you to think aboutyour own professional development hereare three important steps to get started
1 Be clear about where yoursquore startingfrom Think about what yoursquoveachieved so far in your career Whatskills do you have what are yourstrengths and which areas needfurther development
2 Look ahead to where you want to beWhat timeframe do you have inmind for your professional develop-ment What can you focus on rightaway and what are your longer-termcareer goals Be as specific as youcan about what you want to achieveand consider the followingbull Are there areas where yoursquod like
to be a ldquostar performerrdquo in yourcurrent role
bull How can you expand your networkor reach in the wider industry
bull How can you broaden your depthof skills or experience outsideyour current remit
bull How do you plan to move onwardsand upwards to a new role
3 Think about how yoursquoll close the gapWhat knowledge skills andexperience do you need What typeof development activity will help youget to where you want to be
If you know in your heart of hearts thatyou donrsquot invest enough time and effortin your own development make the timeto start doing this now
In our next column we plan to look atthe range of development optionsavailable and hear some reflections fromindustry leaders on what helped themreally accelerate their own learning andprofessional development
1 Turn to page 16 for a more detailed analysis of the study
GET YOUR DEVELOPMENT PLANON TRACK
Sue Dewhurst and Liam FitzPatrick run Competent Communicators acompany specializing in professional development for internalcommunicators and Melcrumrsquos official training and developmentpartner For more information go to wwwcompetentcommunicatorscom
A study into skills and competenciesfor communicators
reveals a lack ofclear career planning
The path to a senior role in internal communication is paved with good intentionsOr so suggests a recent study by development experts Sue Dewhurst and LiamFitzPatrick Here in the first of a new regular column on professional developmentthey review the studyrsquos findings lament the lack of a career plan and urge internalcommunicators to take action and plan their own development
SUE DEWHURST AND LIAM FITZPATRICK
14 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PR
OFE
SSION
AL D
EV
ELO
PM
EN
T
scm
ldquoTHESE THINGS DONrsquoTJUST HAPPENOVERNIGHT ndash UNLESSYOUrsquoRE VERY LUCKYrdquo
15scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PR
OFE
SSION
AL D
EV
ELO
PM
EN
Tscm
3 Cut the jargonJargon may have its place but it has noplace in employee communicationPhrases such as work-life balanceemployer of choice critical mass and thelike may make sense in behind-the-scenes discussions However when itrsquostime to communicate to the masses weneed to translate these concepts intoPlain English and provide a context tohelp employees understand Yes it takessome work but the payoff makes itworth the effort
Say the head of HR wants to share thelatest developments in ldquowork-life balancerdquothat will benefit employees He may betempted to relay the news using theterminology hersquos used to using with hisstaff However most employees havenrsquotbeen in on those discussions so theconcept may be foreign or fuzzy to themndash even if theyrsquod heard the term before
Any progress HR makes on the work-life balance front gives it the opportunityto communicate in a personal humanway and in the process capture employeesrsquoattention on an emotional level
The HR leaderrsquos message thereforemay go something like this Our liveshave never been busier and there are onlyso many hours in a day Because we atXYZ Company recognize how important itis to you to be able to spend real time withyour families while managing theresponsibilities you have on the job wersquovedesigned a program that we hope willmake your life less hectic
Most employees will relate to thatmessage It plays to their needs which isa powerful hook
Guarding against gremlinsKeeping an eye out for the jargonpassive voice and other gremlins thatmay infiltrate your writing is a goodtraining ground for being able toobjectively critique your own work Italso conditions you to look for otherways to improve your writing a habitthat will serve you well throughout yourlifelong apprenticeship
No onersquos work is as continually visible inan organization as the communicatorrsquosOur superiors our peers and the entireemployee population see us as theparagons of communications competenceThey look to the messages wersquove craftedas models of writing excellence and willpattern their own accordingly
When you think of it itrsquos one heck of aburden to bear After all how else didyou get the job if you couldnrsquot write well
But regardless of how well you dowrite how senior you are or how longyoursquove had that coveted ldquoseat at thetablerdquo when it comes to writing yoursquollalways have room to grow Thatrsquos becausewriting is as one learned professor sowisely termed it a ldquolifelong apprenticeshiprdquo
Here are three ways to improve yourwriting immediately
1 Avoid the passive voiceThe passive voice manages to creep intomessages to employees and itrsquos a sureroad to eroding their engagement It allowsthe writer to hide behind the message itclouds direction and itrsquos boring
Herersquos an example of really woefulwriting ndash a sentence structure that yoursquoresure to recognize Employees areencouraged to submit this form by the endof the month
Analyze that sentence and yoursquoll seethat not only is there no owner to thestatement but therersquos no clear directionEmployees are encouraged by whom
and what does ldquoencouragedrdquo meananyway Are employees required tosubmit the form If so then say so
The sad truth is this passive style ofwriting is all too common the happytruth is that we communicators are in aposition to do something about it Oftenall it takes is a quick rewrite Pleasesubmit this form by [insert specific date]Clear direct concise
2 Use second person Why talk at people when you can talk tothem When yoursquore communicating withemployees the use of ldquoyourdquo can befriendly and inviting
Take this message XYZ Companyemployees at customer locations shouldalways first check with their hosts to ensurethat connecting to the XYZ network ispermitted
Look what happens when itrsquos rewrittenfrom third person into second If yoursquoreworking at a customer site be sure to firstcheck with your host that itrsquos OK toconnect to our network
Yoursquove gone from impersonal toconversational
DO YOUR WRITING SKILLSLET YOU DOWNA recent discussion on the Melcrum blog raised the question of whether or not goodwriting skills are still important to the more strategically focused communicator Theconsensus was a definite yes ndash your writing ability makes an impression and itrsquos upto you whether thatrsquos good or bad Denise Baron provides some advice on how tomake sure itrsquos the former
DENISE BARON
However strategicyour role the ability
to write well remainsan important skill
Denise Baron is president of Baron Communications a business communicationsconsultancy providing strategic planning and marketing internal communicationproject management and editorial services to Fortune 500 companies
16 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Over the past five years wersquove found ourselvesbecoming more and more involved in conversationsabout careers in internal communication As theprofession matures expectations of itspractitioners are rising and for many people ajob in communication is no longer just a short-term stepping-stone en route to better things
But the question we hear time and time again isldquoWhat does lsquogoodrsquo look like when it comes to
internal communicationrdquo What skills knowledgeand experience should an effective internalcommunicator have at various stages in theircareer How do I know what I should bepersonally aspiring to and measuring myselfagainst How can I best develop my team Whereis the definitive framework to help me recruit thebest person for the job
In recent years there have been a number ofgood attempts to answer these questions In theUK a group of professional bodies got togetherto write the Inter-Comm matrix1 It listed theskills knowledge and experience a practitionermight need according to their level of experience
We were both involved in developing this skillsmatrix which was widely welcomed when it waslaunched in 2003 Some well-respectedconsultancies have also developed models to showhow a typical career path might progress whichhave helped structure career planning forindividuals and teams
A flexible model for a diverse professionDespite the success of the Inter-Comm matrix wefelt there was more to be done in the area ofprofessional development for internal communica-tors Fundamentally existing models tend to showa one-dimensional and predictable career pathstarting as a junior deliverer and developing into astrategic business-focused consultant
The implication is that if yoursquore deliveringcommunication or are tactically focused you musthave a junior role and if you have a more seniorrole you donrsquot get your hands dirty doingmundane things like writing or managing the
Building a learningframework for internalcommunicators
Planning your teamrsquos professional developmentmeans understanding the skills and experienceneeded to be successful Sue Dewhurst and Liam
FitzPatrick of Competent Communicators have beenresearching how internal communicators spend their timeat work and what behaviors the most effectivepractitioners display Here they describe a new learningframework that has emerged from the study
Identifying the typical roles andskills required for your team
BY SUE DEWHURST AND LIAM FITZPATRICK
scm FEATURES
ABOUT THE RESEARCHThe findings discussed in this article are based on research conducted at theend of 2006 More than 700 in-house practitioners replied to a survey aboutcareers competencies and development plans
A factor analysis of the data conducted by Ash Pattni Associates generated anumber of role types which were then discussed with 30 professionals atdifferent stages of their careers based in the UK Europe and North AmericaThese discussions mainly took the form of interviews and focus groups
The study also referred to data on competency modeling prepared by theUKrsquos Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
1 2 3 4 5
17scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
intranet or organizing eventsBut clearly the world of internal communication
isnrsquot quite that straightforward People join theprofession via all kinds of routes and at differentstages of their careers
We interviewed someone who started out as thedirectorrsquos PA a successful senior executive whostarted out as an engineer a former psychologylecturer and others who had joined through moreobvious routes in publishing and PR
Some had started out in junior roles Forothers their first role in internal communicationwas as a business partner Others had alreadyreached a senior position in another function andsimply moved across at the same level
A key objective of this study was to develop amodel that reflected the diverse reality of life ininternal communication one that was flexibleenough to be adapted to fit organizations andcommunication teams of all shapes and sizes
So we began our research by surveying communica-tors worldwide to find out how they actuallyspend their time on a daily basis and what skillsknowledge and experience they regularly use
The six types of practitionerStatistical analysis of the survey data suggestedthere were six stereotypical role types withininternal communication By ldquotypesrdquo we meansegments or groups of people who share verysimilar characteristics in terms of their skills andstrengths spend their time carrying out similartypes of activities and whose outputs tend to bejudged in similar ways
Most importantly these types can be plottedagainst two dimensions based on how they spendtheir time (advising or doing) and where theirfocus is (strategy or tactics) Figure One (right)illustrates these six types and how they plotagainst the two dimensions
Clearly every organization is slightly differentbut the six stereotypes described below shouldprovide a starting point for thinking about theroles and types of people you need in your team
1 The Leader Internal communication leaders manage teamsand lead the function either for an entire organiza-tion or for a large division or territory Theyspend much of their time managing and coachingteam members and working with senior managersThey see themselves as business people first andcommunicators second However itrsquos taken as readthat they have sound technical ability and will rollup their sleeves when needed Great internal andexternal networkers theyrsquore skilled at dealing withuncertainty and conflict Theyrsquore likely to bemeasured on business results and through thesubjective opinion of their senior customers
2 The Advisor Advisors support departments or major projectsby providing advice developing communicationplans and providing hands-on support to deliverthem Local managers trust them for their insightsinto business problems and understanding of howtheir organization really works Through well-developed networks and time spent understandingtheir audiences and carrying out research andfeedback they know whatrsquos really going onTheyrsquore judged on the quality of their advice andtheir ability to translate that advice into plansactivities and actions
3 The ManagerThe internal communication manager has excellentcraft skills and a sound knowledge of channelsThey spend most of their time on delivery Whenthey advise itrsquos normally about the best channelsto use or the most appropriate timing Goodmanagers arenrsquot easily intimidated and are greatat juggling different priorities Theyrsquore skilled attranslating between the boardroom and the shopfloor Their contribution is often measured bytheir ability to deliver activity against a plan andthe quality of work they and their team produce
4 The DelivererMost teams have someone in this role ndash a safepair of hands who can be trusted to make thingshappen That might range from compilingdistribution lists through to running a conferencesorting out the CEOrsquos open forum or writing andediting a newsletter Theyrsquore less likely tosupervise other communicators and depend ontheir organizational and craft skills to get the jobdone People value them for their ability to dothings on time and to a high standard 3
Sue Dewhurst and LiamFitzPatrick run CompetentCommunicators a firmspecializing in professionaldevelopment for internalcommunicators TheyrsquoreMelcrumrsquos official training anddevelopment advisors anddeliver Melcrumrsquos Black Belttraining program Theyrsquore alsothe authors of a forthcomingreport on competenciesdevelopment and standardsfor internal communicatorsand blog about developmentissues onwwwBlackBeltDojocouk
Figure One Six typical role types for internal communicators
TheLeader
TheLocal Agent
The Deliverer
TheAdvisor
TheManagerADVISE
STRATEGY
IMPLEMENT
TACTICS
TheSpecialist
KEY POINTSbull A new study has established how communicators spend their time and
what skills knowledge and experience they regularly use
bull The research identifies six stereotypical roles ranging from acommunication leader to a specialist (eg a web or events expert)
bull It also highlights 12 competencies that clarify the behaviors acompetent practitioner should display at each level An ldquoineffectiverdquocategory shows behaviors displayed by less able performers
bull The roles and competencies provide a framework for development
Building a learning framework for internal communicators
18 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
5 The Local AgentThis category covers a broad range of peoplefrom the plant managerrsquos personal assistant to aregional communication manager Internalcommunication is often one of severalresponsibilities for this person and they tend tohave a tactical focus Their agenda is normally setby the local management team although theirlocal knowledge and network makes them aninvaluable sounding board for the corporatecommunication team They tend to be judged onwhether activities happen and how satisfied theirlocal manager is with them
6 The SpecialistOur research found a small group of peopleworking in internal communication who see them-selves as subject-matter experts in a specialist areasuch as web management audio-visual productionor event management They have only a looseconnection to the mainstream profession andcould equally work in IT marketing or perhapsHR Because theyrsquore highly specialized they tendto work in large organizations
Building a competency frameworkOnce statistical analysis had suggested these sixrole types we began testing them out throughfocus groups and interviews with practitioners Inparticular we asked what skills knowledge andexperience people in each type of role neededwhat people saw outstanding practitioners doingwhat poor performance looked like and howpeople in the six role types spent their time
On the basis of this information we developeda series of 12 competencies (see Figure Two left)We found that each of the six role types could bedefined bybull Which of the competencies they need to carry
out their role (not everyone needs all 12)bull The level of skill knowledge and experience
they need in each competencybull How much of their time they spend using
each competency ndash a high medium or lowamount For instance there was commonagreement that the communication leadermust have strong craft skills (writing anddesign) but compared to say the delivererthey spend a relatively low percentage of theirtime working on this type of activity
Each of the 12 competencies has three levelsbasic intermediate and advanced Based on thedata we gathered we defined the behaviors youmight expect to see a competent internalcommunication professional display at each level
We also added an ldquoineffectiverdquo category listingthose behaviors our interviewees told us weredisplayed by less able performers For example
7
COMPETENCY DEFINITION
Building effectiverelationships
Developing and maintaining relationships that inspire trust and respectBuilding a network and influencing others to make things happen
Business focus Having a clear understanding of the business issues Usingcommunication to help solve organization issues and achieveorganizational problems
Consulting andcoaching
Recommending appropriate solutions Helping others make informeddecisions Building other peoplersquos communications competence
Cross-functionalawareness
Understanding the different contributions from other disciplines andworking with colleagues from across the organization to achieve betterresults
Developing othercommunicators
Helping other communicators build their communications competenceand develop their career
Innovation andcreativity
Looking for new ways of working exploring best practice and deliveringoriginal and imaginative approaches to communication problems
Listening Conducting research and managing mechanisms for gathering feedbackand employee reaction
Making it happen Turning plans into successfully implemented actions
Planning Planning communication programs and operations evaluating results
Specialist Having specific subject-matter expertise in a specialist area
Vision and standards Defining or applying a consistent approach to communication andmaintaining professional and ethical standards
Craft (writing anddesign)
Using and developing the right mix of practical communication abilitiesto hold the confidence of peers and colleagues (eg writing designmanagement etc)
Figure Two Twelve competencies for internal communicators
19scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
some ineffective behaviors attached to theldquobusiness focusrdquo competency arebull Doesnrsquot make the link between
communication activity and the business ororganizational context
bull Delivers communication activity withoutconsidering whether it will serve any usefulpurpose
bull Lacks understanding of their business area
Building a framework for a specific role The next step in this project was to develop asimple table to map out the competencyframework for an individual role showingbull The competencies needed in this rolebull The level of competency needed in each casebull How much time we expect someone in this
role to spend on these types of behaviors
You can either build a competency frameworkfrom scratch or if you think the role fits one ofthe six types we identified from the survey use thecompetency framework for this type as a startingpoint (see the framework for a communicationleader Figure Three right)
In practice competency frameworks will varyaccording to the size of the organization thenumber of people in the internal-communicationteam the expectations of managers and thespecific requirements of each individual rolewhich is why wersquove built a flexible model
For example a communication leader in alarge multinational organization may spend muchof their time setting the vision and standardscoaching and consulting building relationshipsand developing other communicators and arelatively small amount of their time ldquomaking ithappenrdquo or on writing and design Howeversomeone in a stand-alone communication leaderrole in a much smaller organization wouldprobably have to be much more of a ldquoJack of alltradesrdquo dividing their time evenly between thedifferent competencies
Next stepsMore information about the 12 competencies andthe baseline competency maps for each of the sixrole types will be detailed in a forthcomingMelcrum report Ideas on how you use thesecompetencies to plan your development areavailable to download atwwwcompetentcommunicatorscom
We hope the framework will help bringstructure to the process of defining roles planningdevelopment and specifying recruitment andwould welcome your feedbackscm
1 The Inter-Comm skills matrix is described in an article in SCMFebruaryMarch 2005 (Volume 9 Issue 2) called Developingcore competencies for internal communicators
Figure Three Framework for a communication leader
COMPETENCY LEVEL TIME
Building effective relationships Advanced High
Business focus Advanced High
Consulting and coaching Advanced High
Cross-functional awareness Advanced Medium
Developing other communicators Advanced High
Innovation and creativity Advanced Medium
Listening Advanced Low
Making it happen Advanced Low
Planning Advanced Medium
Specialist NA NA
Vision and standards Advanced High
Craft (writing and design) Advanced Low
CONTACT DETAILS
Sue DewhurstCompetent Communicatorssuedewhurstcompetentcommunicatorscom
Liam FitzPatrickCompetent Communicatorsliamfitzpatrickcompetentcommunicatorscom
ldquoOUR RESEARCH FOUND A SMALL GROUP OFPEOPLE WORKING IN INTERNALCOMMUNICATION WHO SEE THEMSELVES ASSUBJECT-MATTER EXPERTSrdquo
20 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC President and CEO John Ryan joined theorganization in 1997 For the first few years hefocused on financial viability and positioning thecorporation for the future ndash articulating a newvision redefining strategic objectives expandingproduct and service offerings and identifyingpotential growth areas
The business results were outstanding double-digit growth increasing profits and great customerloyalty But something was missing
Like many successful organizations FCCoperated with a silo mentality Organizationalpolitics consumed energy that Ryan felt detractedfrom employee satisfaction and he worried aboutthe impact on the customer experience
He wanted his direct reports to work togetheras a real team ndash not to behave like individualleaders of functional areas Although the groupperformed well when there was a real challengeafter the challenge was gone so was the teamwork
This is not unusual for top executive groupsbut Ryan wasnrsquot willing to accept that fate ldquoTherehad to be a way to have a team-based
organization where leaders had the autonomythey needed to perform while actively collaboratingto achieve a new level of unprecedented resultsrdquohe said ldquoFCC had a very hierarchical culture withfirmly drawn divisional boundaries so I knew Ihad a challenge ahead of merdquo
Cultural transformation from the topIn 2002 John hired Malandro Communicationbased in Phoenix Arizona to guide FCCrsquos seniorleadership through a unique cultural transformationthat would lead to the creation of a high-performance team Leaders committed to being100-percent accountable for their impact onpeople and business results They let go of thetraditional 50-50 model ldquoIrsquoll do my part if you doyoursrdquo ndash a model that breeds a culture of blameconspiracies and distrust
In a series of formal training initiatives leaderswere taught to speak from the heart listen toother perspectives be open and responsive tofeedback and encourage personal andprofessional growth
Opportunity for internal communicationBy 2003 we were well on our way FCC producedremarkable business results with strong numbersright across the board The portfolio grew fromnearly CAN$9 billion to over CAN$10 billionThen two things happened that created anopportunity for internal communication tobecome a driver of business results 1 In 2003 we earned 50th place on Canadarsquos
ldquo50 Best Employersrdquo list and a respectableemployee engagement score of 69 percent
Defining the role ofstrategic comms atFarm Credit Canada
Farm Credit Canada (FCC) is in the fourth year of acultural-transformation program At the start of itsjourney clear expectations were set defining the role
to be played by internal communication In this summaryof the companyrsquos plans and achievements Kellie Garrettand Claire Watson describe the goals strategies andtactics employed by the internal communication teamand the impressive results achieved to date
Setting the stage for a cultural transformation
BY KELLIE GARRETT AND CLAIRE WATSON
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Farm Credit Canada isCanadarsquos largest provider offinancing to the agricultureindustry It serves 45000customers and has 1300employees working from 100rural offices across CanadaFCC is ranked eighth amongCanadarsquos 50 best employers
21scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC is a high performer in all otheroperational areas and employee engagementis a strong predictor of sustained corporateperformance But the survey showed therewas work to be done to align perceptionsbetween the senior leadership team andemployees Detailed results showed the gaps(see Figure One below)
2 Ryan became more determined to create ahigh-performance team that could deliver anextraordinary customer experience andsustainable business results
Establishing expected behaviorAs a first step towards creating a critical mass ofleaders who visibly demonstrate the behaviorsrequired to transform FCCrsquos culture middlemanagement and key cross-functional teams weretrained in responsible teamwork practices andcommunication skills
Ryan then created a set of 10 cultural practicesthat explicitly outlined how he expectedemployees at all levels to behave (see side barnext page) The foundation of these practices isthe belief that the drive for business results mustbe balanced by the attendant impact on people Inother words how the work was accomplished wasevery bit as important as what was accomplishedThe cultural practices were rolled out to allemployees in 2003
With the expected behavior from leaders andemployees clearly articulated it was time forinternal communication to find opportunities tosupport and promote these behaviors
Challenge 1 Creating a strategic frameworkOur first objective was to create a broaderstrategic framework for internal communicationA review of best-practice companies revealed thatformal media represents about 10 percent of allinternal communication channels with internalsystems accounting for another 10 percent Theremaining 80 percent is influenced by theorganizational culture
Our task was to put a formal strategy in placethat would strengthen the 10 percent ofcommunication we did have control over ndash theinternal communication channels
Within FCC the dominant employeecommunication channels were immediatemanagers e-mail and the intranet (Myinet)Front-line managers delivered corporate messagesdirectly to employees and their efforts weresupported by all-staff e-mails
There was nothing wrong with this approachbut it didnrsquot go far enough in the delivery of clearconsistent messages about strategic direction orcorporate priorities Nor did it create a line ofsight between individuals and business outcomes
For example a lack of central coordination wasresulting in unclear mixed messages thatconfused the internal audience A proliferation ofemployee surveys were independently conductedby various business units and the corporate e-mail system was choked with high volumecontributing to information overload
The intranetrsquos navigational structure and searchcapability needed major improvement datedinformation needed to be archived and majordocuments needed to be redeveloped in a web-friendly format
Defining our strategy and objectivesAware of these drawbacks we defined ourstrategy as To adopt a more integrated approachto internal communication and make sure allmessages focus employees on the businesspriorities Our strategies included the followingbull Segment the employee audience and define
communication needs based on demographicspsychographics and geographic location
bull Create a consistent voice across all groupsbull Ensure internal communication is mandatory
for all major corporate initiatives and isintegrated across channels and with othercommunication activities
bull Deliver targeted information through a varietyof channels and vehicles to reinforce messaginghelp with recall appeal to differentpreferences and create and sustain interest
bull Redevelop the intranet and position it as aninformation source for corporate businessemployee industry and technical information
bull Reduce the volume of corporate e-mailbull Implement a monthly employee survey to
replace the proliferation of one-off surveysindependently launched by business units
bull Create broad awareness and understanding ofkey corporate drivers such as business strategycorporate values and brand positioning 3
Kellie Garrett ABC MALeadership is senior VPStrategy Knowledge ampReputation at Farm CreditCanada and Chair of the IABCResearch Foundation Garrettis a frequent speaker onbusiness strategy leadershipand personal brand
Claire Watson ABC APR isthe master communicationstrategist for Farm CreditCanada Watson has won anumber of international andnational awards for her workis a published author and acertified change managementspecialist
MEASUREMENT EMPLOYEES SENIORMANAGERS
GAP
Senior management is open and honest incommunication
59 94 -35
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible
54 88 -34
Managers effectively support andimplement our people practices
48 81 -33
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 94 -23
Figure One Engagement survey results
22 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Defining the role of strategic comms at Farm Credit Canada
Successful tactics introducedSome of the tactics wersquove successfully introducedto bring this strategy to life include the following
1 Tracking key messagesWe created an employee key-message matrix thatis shared with leaders across the organization andhelps to ensure we deliver a consistent messageWe deliver the rewritten message through avariety of channels including e-mail letter featurearticle in the internal publication online throughour Monday Morning Update or directly to staffmeetings through managers and supervisors
2 Adopting a multi-channel approachWersquove expanded our channels beyond e-mail andthe intranet New channels now includebull AgriCulture ndash an employee print newsletter
published three times a year to communicatecorporate information and reinforce FCCrsquossocial and cultural fabric
bull An online feature called ldquoFrom the Desk ofthe CEOrdquo to keep employees in the loop
bull All staff e-mails from the CEO and VPsbull Discussion guides and QampAs for leadersbull Internal presentations and speeches delivered
by the senior leadership teambull Other printed material such as pocket cards
and brochures accompanied by a letter
3 Cutting down on information overloadSteps wersquove taken includebull Bundling all-staff messages into a Monday
Morning Update and bundling messages forcorporate headquarters staff into a CorporateOffice Update
bull Implementing a corporate e-mail policy withdefined subject-line conventions length andapproved topics
bull Restricting the use of all-staff e-mails to thesenior management team and certain keyindividuals
bull Improving the functionality of the intranetand redeveloping key business tools forefficient web use
bull Centralizing coordination of internal surveysbull Elevating the quality and clarity of internal
speeches and conferences to focus onstrategic business drivers
Challenge 2 Supporting leadershipThe results of our 2003 engagement survey alsorevealed an opportunity to increase trust betweenemployees and FCCrsquos senior management teamRyan and his VP responsible for communication(Kellie Garrett) believed that creating greatervisibility and better access to the senior managerswas vital to the establishment of a values-basedculture and a high-performance team
7
MEASUREMENT 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Senior management is open and honestin communication
59 73 81 83 91
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible to employees
54 71 82 83 81
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 81 87 87 85
I see strong evidence of effectiveleadership from the senior leadershipteam
69 83 87 88 93
I have a good understanding ofbusiness goals and objectives
76 77 81 81 88
Senior leadership has clearlycommunicated what we need to do tobe successful
NA NA 89 90 93
Figure Two Survey scores tracked from 2003-2007
FCCrsquoS 10 CULTURAL PRACTICESWe hold ourselves and each other accountable for
1 Our impact on business results and our impact on people
2 Delivering on commitments agreements and promises
3 Building and sustaining committed partnerships
4 Creating a safe environment where people can speak up without fear
5 We measure our success by how others perceive and respond to ourleadership not by our personal point of view
6 We talk straight in a responsible manner We are committed to the successof others ndash we do not engage in ldquoconspiracies againstrdquo people
7 We ldquolisten forrdquo contributions and commitment We do not listen againstpeople or ideas
8 We are highly coachable We actively seek and listen to coaching
9 We clean up and recover quickly
10 We acknowledge others often and celebrate both small and largesuccesses
ldquoLIKE DEVELOPING A COMPANYrsquoS IMAGE ORBRAND CULTURE CAN lsquoJUST HAPPENrsquo OR ITCAN BE DESIGNED STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONHAS PLAYED A CENTRAL ROLErdquo
23scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 FCC launched a culture-change program focused on
improving performance across the organization
bull Two key aims of the program are to encourage leaders and employeesto embody the values and improve staff engagement
bull Defining its strategy and goals at the outset internal communicationhas played a role in achieving these objectives
bull Results so far include less information overload a more accessibleleadership team and improved engagement scores
The challenge for internal communication wasto improve employeesrsquo perception of the visibilityaccessibility and trust for the senior managementteam Successful tactics introduced includebull A ldquoDine-Aroundrdquo program where three
senior leaders host a monthly lunch for ninepeople
bull An online forum called SMT Exchangewhere employees can anonymously askleaders tough questions and answers areposted for all to see
bull Senior leaders author more all-staff e-mailsare more visible and accessible at companyevents and deliver presentations that focus onconnecting employees to the business agenda
The goals we started with When we defined our internal communicationstrategy in 2003 we had some clear goals to worktowards These werebull To communicate relevant information in a
timely consistent and memorable waybull To reduce information overloadbull To influence an increase in the
communication-related elements of theengagement index
bull To contribute to an increase in employeeengagement from 69 to 74 percent
We also had specific year-one objectivesbull To increase understanding of business goals
and objectives beyond 78 percent bull To increase employee opinion about effective
senior leadership from 69 to 73 percentbull To improve employee opinions related to
senior management
Achievements and measurable resultsWith these goals guiding our efforts themeasurable results wersquove achieved so far includebull The bundling of all-staff e-mail has reduced
the volume by 88 percent ndash amounting toaround 350000 messages over one year
bull Over 450 employees have lunched with amember of the senior management team and170 QampAs have been posted on our seniormanagement online exchange
bull The survey scores relating to employeesrsquoperception of leadership and theirunderstanding of goals and objectives showsteady improvement since 2003 (see FigureTwo bottom left)
bull FCCrsquos engagement scores and subsequentranking among Canadarsquos 50 best employershas moved from 69 percent engagement and50th place in 2004 to 81 percent and 35thplace in 2005 84 percent and 12th place in2006 and 82 percent and 8th place in 2007
Cultural transformationThe internal communication strategy described inthis article has set the stage to communicatecultural transformation across the organization
Wersquore now in the fourth year of our culturaltransformation ndash creating an environment wherepeople are empowered feel safe and highperformance can flourish This involves aquantum shift in how employees behave andrelate to their co-workers and customers
Like developing a companyrsquos image or brandculture can ldquojust happenrdquo or it can be designedStrategic communication has played a central roleto create awareness understanding commitmentand motivate changes in behavior at every level ofthe organization
John Ryan has the final word ldquoOver the years Ihave learned that communication is at the heartof building a high-performance culture ndash a culturewhere people are fully engaged Communicationis vital Without it leaders cannot effect positivechange Our internal strategy recognizesemployees as a primary audience and a keyconduit to the customer the media stakeholdersand communities Our strategic approach tointernal communication significantly contributesto business resultsrdquo scm
CONTACT DETAILS
Kellie GarrettFarm Credit CanadaKellieGarrettfcc-facca
Claire WatsonFarm Credit CanadaClaireWatsonfcc-facca
24 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
In January 2004 Pfizer at Sandwich in Kent UKcommissioned a review of its existing charitablecontributions program which included matchedpayroll giving volunteering and grants for localcommunity charities and voluntary groups CCWorks the community investment consultancywas also approached to manage the day-to-dayadministration of grant applications from thecommunity
However it was decided that the administrationcould not be effectively managed until suitablecriteria were put in place for the grants programEssentially a company cannot outsourceresponsibility for its charitable donations unlesstherersquos a clear strategy in place for doing this
Although there were various policies in placefor the different elements of the existingcommunity investment program there was a lackof strategic direction to the program as a whole
Auditing the community grants programAs a first step CC Works examined the existinggrants program and also conducted external
benchmarking with voluntary organizations in thecommunity to gage perceptions of Pfizer
It emerged that many organizations werereceiving small grants ndash although some werenrsquotsure why ndash but only 16 percent of the currentspend was going on health-related causes ForPfizer a major global healthcare company thiswasnrsquot strategic It was clear that as a healthcarecompany Pfizer should be trying to improve thehealth of its local area by focusing on three coreareas health community and education
There was also a need for grants to be morelocally focused A significant amount of the spendwas going outside of the immediate East Kentarea CC Works recommended that to allow thecompany maximum freedom to operate in itscommunity it should focus grants on theimmediate community of East Kent which alsohappened to be a deprived area
Segmenting current grantsWorking in partnership with CC Works currentgrant allocation was examined by sector localarea and size of grant and in May 2004 two-yeartargets were set to increase the strategic impact ofcommunity grantsbull Increase grants allocated to health-related
projects to 50 percentbull Increase average grant from UKpound300 to
UKpound1000bull Increase East Kent allocation to 90 percent
This change was designed to be gradual so thatthe shift in allocation could be well managed
The new focus on the community mirrors
Engaging employees inPfizerrsquos communityinvestment program
In 2003 Pfizer at Sandwich UK was running manyelements of a community investment program butthere was little awareness among employees and no
real focus By July 2006 the program had beentransformed and now actively contributes to employeeand community relationships Here Pam Baker andChristine Jenkins describe the journey from disconnectedpolicies to award-winning program
Communicating an approach with clear links toemployees and the local community
BY PAM BAKER AND CHRISTINE JENKINS
scm FEATURES
Pfizerrsquos site at Sandwich inKent is the UK manufacturingheadquarters of Pfizer Incglobal pharmaceuticalcompany Its workforce of4000 makes it the largestprivate employer in East Kent
1 2 3 4 5
25scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pfizerrsquos global mission to be ldquothe most valuedcompany to patients customers colleaguesinvestors business partners and the communitieswhere we work and liverdquo For the communityinvestment program a measurable mission wascreated ldquoto improve the health indicators of thepeople of East Kentrdquo
Focus on colleague involvementThe next step in July 2004 was to conduct areview of the employee engagement elements ofcommunity investment to examine how thesecould be better integrated These elementsincluded payroll giving volunteering and staff-matched fundraising
For Pfizer at Sandwich the obvious first choicewas to look at volunteering Eighty-five percent ofPfizer employees are minimum graduate level ndashoffering much-needed skills to a deprived areaAll employees have five paid days a year they canuse for volunteering ndash this not only supports thecommunity it boosts employee engagement andcreates opportunities for employees to visiblyconnect with the community and vice versa
In October 2004 volunteering was identified asa key area for development but for employeevolunteering to be a success it had to beproactively marketed inside Pfizer and thereneeded to be adequate support andadministration behind the program
A database of volunteering opportunitiesIn conjunction with CC Works a searchable data-base of local volunteering opportunities was createdPfizer felt it was important to create a tailoreddatabase that would be furnished internally inorder to ensure a local bias and to maintain thequality of the information supplied to employees
In order to tie in with employeesrsquo personaldevelopment plans opportunities in the databasehad to meet at least two of Pfizerrsquos six keycompetencies 1 Team development2 Project management3 Coaching and development4 Decision making5 Effective partnership6 Working with change
To fill the database with relevant opportunities allorganizations that had contacted Pfizer for grantsor funding in the past three years were re-contacted and asked if they would also beinterested in volunteering
Over 70 percent responded positively and 300volunteering opportunities were sourced CCWorks helped the voluntary organizations puttogether opportunities that were most likely totake advantage of Pfizer employeesrsquo range of
specialist skillsThese opportunities were categorized on the
database according to skill geographic area andtype of charity allowing employees to search forsomething suitable for them Pfizer wasnrsquotprescriptive in its approach and allowed staff tovolunteer where the opportunity matched theirpersonal-development goals interests or wasgeographically convenient
Opportunities were wide-ranging from helpingin a charity shop to teaching in a schoolImportantly because database management isoutsourced to CC Works therersquos constantproactivitiy around seeking new opportunities andproviding administrative support that would havebeen difficult to maintain in-house
Launching the ldquoReaching Outrdquo programTo encourage involvement and awarenessemployees were asked to suggest a name for therevitalized volunteering program ldquoReaching Outrdquowas chosen and the new volunteering website waslaunched in May 2005 The site sits on PfizerSandwichrsquos intranet and any employee orcontractor can access it
A charity week was also held to help promotethe Reaching Out program Various charitiesvisited Pfizer during lunch breaks to explain whatthey do and the opportunities to work with themA soft incentive for staff to register on theReaching Out site was that Pfizer would donate20 rehydration sachets to Unicef (monetary valueof about pound2)
Reaching Out was also featured in a webcastfrom a senior leader that went to all employees(about 3000 staff plus contractors) at the start ofthe week and it was profiled in the weekly onlinemagazine Pipeline 3
Pam Baker is directorStrategic Operations andCommunity Affairs at Pfizer UK
Christine Jenkins is founderof CC Works a consultancyoffering communityinvestment advice andpractical solutions to thecorporate and voluntarysectors Previously she heldsenior manager roles in thevoluntary and private sectors
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 an audit of Pfizer at Sandwichrsquos community investment
program revealed a lack of strategic direction
bull In partnership with consultancy CC Works a decision was made tofocus the program on the local community
bull An effort to raise employee involvement through volunteering hasboosted the program and linked it to employee engagement
bull The ldquoReaching Outrdquo website gives employees the freedom to work withcharities of their choice
bull By July 2006 the ldquoHealthy Communitiesrdquo program had beentransformed and won a National Example of Excellence award fromBusiness in the Community
26 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TOP TIPS FOR COMMUNITY INVESTMENTbull Ask yourself why yoursquore undertaking this program and seek clarity around
your objectives
bull Focus on likely ldquowinsrdquondash ie areas with scope for improvement such asemployee engagement or external awareness
bull Tackle one area at a time in stages and aim for excellence in each arearather than trying to boil the ocean
bull Communication is key to success Create a distinct brand and identity forthe program to encourage awareness and involvement
bull Integrate different community programs ndash a holistic approach can maximizebenefits for the community staff engagement and corporate reputation
Over 450 employees registered to use thesite over the next two months with 230 employees(8 percent of staff) actively volunteering duringthe first year This beat a target to have 5 percentof employees volunteering 12 months after launchIn 2005 employees volunteered 4800 hours
Helping employees select the right optionEmployees can search the volunteering databaseby skill geographic area or type of charity and aregiven a range of choices Then the onus is on theemployee to speak to the charity and obtainfurther details on current opportunities inaddition to whatrsquos on the database The employeethen applies to his or her line manager Anintegrated work process enables staff to obtainapproval from their manager interact with thevoluntary organization and record their effortskeeping administration to a minimum
Managers at Pfizer Sandwich are keen foremployees to volunteer because theyrsquore aware ofthe potential benefits in terms of employeeengagement and skills development ndash a largenumber of managers are volunteers themselvesPfizer also held briefing sessions for managers toensure they were aware of the volunteeringprogram its benefits and how it works
7
Engaging employees in Pfizerrsquos community investment program
Incorporating employee feedbackThe database tracks employeesrsquo volunteeringefforts including how many hours theyrsquove doneand their feedback on the opportunitiesEmployee feedback can then be accessed by otherstaff looking for an opportunity The databasegives employees better insight into the availableopportunities and allows them to select somethingthat appeals to them so that both the employeeand the organization where they volunteer gets abetter ldquofitrdquo
The database also allows for better integrationof the whole program where volunteering canprovide an alternative or an addition to fundingFor example a well-known national charityapplied to Pfizer at Sandwich for some fundingaround a diversity initiative Pfizer suggested theirdiversity manager volunteer for them instead whohelped create the charityrsquos diversity program thatis now being launched nationally
Creating an integrated programIn May 2005 the decision was taken to bringtogether all the strands of community investmentunder one brand Healthy Communities Thisprogram was to includebull Charitable grantsbull Employee volunteeringbull Gifts in kind Community investment via gifts
in kind such as the use of Pfizer premisesresources and expertise is more easilysustainable and can bring real long-termbenefit to the local community When Pfizerfacilities are used to support communityinitiatives the face-to-face contact withemployees allows relationship-building andnetworking with key influencers Also invitingthe community to use Pfizer resources on siteldquodemystifiesrdquo the company
The overarching strategy behind HealthyCommunities was to support communityinvestment holistically (ie using several of theabove elements in combination) whereverpossible Focusing grants on the areas of greatestneed helps Pfizer achieve its overall missionHowever the donation of gifts in kind can have awider-reaching impact on the community
Taking a holistic approachAn award-winning example of this holisticapproach is the Helping Hartsdown projectwhich was Pfizer Sandwichrsquos biggest ever gift inkindvolunteering project Pfizer donated andrenovated much-needed classrooms at a localschool As well as financial support and gifts inkind the project involved over 100 staff andcontractor volunteers across all departments Aspecific promotion on the Reaching Out website
ldquoBY JULY 2006 THE lsquoHEALTHY COMMUNITIESrsquoPROGRAM HAD BEEN TRANSFORMED AND WONA NATIONAL EXAMPLE OF EXCELLENCE AWARDFROM BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITYrdquo
27scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
POSITIVE IMPACTS OF THE PROGRAMThe Healthy Communities program has had the following positive impacts for Pfizer
bull The program supports and protects Pfizerrsquos freedom to operate effectivelyin East Kent UK
bull Supporting and involving employees in the program engages and motivatesthem The company is also seen to be living its values In a recent survey55 percent of colleagues felt the program was ldquofocused and effectiverdquo
bull The program provides opportunities for colleagues to develop skills Twentypercent of colleagues surveyed stated that they had improved personalskills through taking part in the program
bull A healthy community is a better place to live and work for employees andwill aid retention Retention of the most highly skilled scientists givesPfizer Global Research and Development a competitive edge
bull A vibrant and healthy community helps to attract and retain leadingscientists from around the world
bull Community is one of Pfizerrsquos six core values Communicating activitiesinternally and externally gives a positive perception of the company
helped attract this large number of volunteersincluding senior leaders
Momentum was maintained behind thecommunication of the program with monthlynetworking breakfasts and several themed minicharity fairs to give local good causes the chanceto showcase their volunteering Individuals andteamsrsquo volunteering efforts were also regularlyprofiled in Pipeline
The December 2006 employee survey showedan 85-percent awareness level of Reaching Outand the program won a ldquoNational Example ofExcellence Awardrdquo from Business in theCommunity1
Relaunching the websiteIn June 2006 the Reaching Out website wasrelaunched to incorporate payroll giving andmatched fundraising under the same brand asvolunteering and utilize the existing software Allelements can now be applied for on the same site
The number of employees registered with thesite increased to over 1000 and the number of adhoc staff enquiries handled by CC Worksincreased dramatically as awareness andinvolvement levels rose among the workforce
External communicationA quarterly newsletter containing a round-up ofPfizerrsquos community investment work is producedand distributed widely to external stakeholdersincluding 3000 local residents Following theBusiness in the Community award the magazineCommunity News was revamped its circulationincreased and it was also desk-dropped to allemployees The magazine also helps to raiseawareness of Pfizer among local organizations
A pocket-sized booklet was produced containingkey facts and figures about the Healthy Communitiesprogram This gives employees especially seniorleaders at-a-glance information on the programallowing them to act as ambassadors for Pfizerrsquoscommunity investment work
Senior leaders at Pfizer Sandwich are keenadvocates of the program and having a clearbrand helps them communicate its benefits andraise awareness both internally and externally
Next stepsDespite its award-winning status there are plansto take Healthy Communities even further Theseinclude further research into employee feedbackand closer links to personal development plans InPfizer at Sandwichrsquos Global Operations functionvolunteering forms part of personal objectives ndashthis is an aspiration for the rest of the business
Pfizer also wants to improve team volunteeringand a toolkit is being prepared for team leaderswho wish to get involved in volunteering
Finally in order to share knowledge and bestpractice around community investment with otherlocal businesses Pfizer is hosting a Kentmembership network in conjunction with KentCounty Council This will help Pfizer work closelywith the local authority and bring local businessestogether to share ideas and collaborate toimprove their impact on the community scm
1 httpwwwbitcorguk
CONTACT DETAILS
Pam BakerPfizerpambakerpfizercom
Christine JenkinsCC Workschristinejenkinsccworkscouk
28 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Editorrsquos noteSucceeding in internal communication probablyisnrsquot all that different to succeeding in anyprofession understand whatrsquos expected of you dothe job well and deliver results But when youspeak to practitioners about how they personallyturned the corner in their careers and started tomake an impact it soon becomes clear that thereare many dos and donrsquots that can help or hinderprogress This article provides a handy checklistfor those with ambitious development plans
John G ClemonsVice President CommunicationsRaytheon Technical Services Co Llc
Take the initiativeThere have been a few career-defining momentsfor me Among them was the time when I realizedthat I was moving from a manager level to the
decision-making role of a director I worked for a senior executive who hired me
from a rival telecommunications company Uponjoining the company I developed strategiccommunication plans to address various businesschallenges During the development process Iperiodically checked in with my supervisor to gethis input and approval ndash probably more thannecessary ndash before moving to the next steps in planning
One day he called me into his office and saidthat while he liked the work I was doing for himhis expectation when he hired me as a directorwas that I would take the initiative in the job relyless on his frequent input and move forward with implementation and measurement Hewanted results
His counsel was along the lines of ldquoI hired youto do a directorrsquos job so do the job of a directorYou donrsquot have to get permission to make adifferencerdquo
Meet commitments and think strategicallyHis direction motivated me to take moreresponsibility at this new job level This alsomeant that I had to not just manage but leadmeet commitments and think more strategicallyto continue to earn not only his confidence butthe support of the entire leadership team
Irsquove found that being a communicationprofessional who is also a leader that can betrusted can get things done and truly support thegoals and objectives of an organization will notonly impress others but help build your credibilityand lead to success
How to get ahead ininternal communication
The path that leads internal communicators to thetop of their profession isnrsquot always an obvious oneWhich is why we asked a range of senior practitioners
to share their thoughts and experiences on gaining therespect of those who matter Whether its senior leadersfellow employees or your own team yoursquore looking toimpress these responses provide useful insight into howto make sure you and your work gets noticed
Senior practitioners share their views on how togain influence and credibility
COMPILED BY MANDY THATCHER
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
29scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Mark DarbyHead of Internal CommunicationsVisaUK
Be smart sharp and stubbornThe biggest lesson Irsquove learned and keep havingto remind myself is that I need to be smart sharpand stubborn to get ahead This is what thosewords mean to me in a work context
Smart I need to understand what Visa is doingand what people think about the business Thismeans constantly spending time in differentdepartments and learning from them I know whoour customers are what our challenges are andwhat our current financial performance is I havecontacts in most departments who have a fingeron the pulse which means I can have a relevantconversation with a senior person from any department
Sharp Internal communication is rarely near thetop of the agenda for senior people and my timewith them is usually short I always try to talkabout the impact on business performance assoon as possible If I circulate a document it willbe summarized to a single page at most and Idonrsquot use PowerPoint I ask a lot of ldquoonerdquo questionssuch as ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing you want employeesto do differentlyrdquo or ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing youwant me to change over the next six monthsrdquo
Stubborn I know what I want internal communica-tion to achieve at Visa and it has the support ofthe senior team Irsquove built up knowledge frombooks and articles I use my education from theBlack Belt training course1 and I speak to formercolleagues With this knowledge Irsquove becomestubborn and good at saying no because I have theinformation to back up my arguments Irsquove stoppedmy team from picking up extra projects that wonrsquotdeliver much value We focus only on projects thatadd the most value to the business and we deliveron these really well Successful delivery is thebiggest influence on any senior person
Monika StaffordHead of Internal CommunicationLloyds TSBUK
Be creative and focus on a killer issueUsing creative solutions to bring to life importantndash but often dull ndash programs can create a shinethat stretches beyond project boundaries For
example I worked on the implementation of SAPndash a business-critical systems program ndash requiringbehavior change from swathes of key yetuninterested people Successful implementationwas a big risk to get right but it was as dull asdishwater to communicate
Luckily there was a ldquoEurekardquo moment Byaligning the SAP story with the metaphor ofFormula-1 racing we could tell the tale of how itwould fulfill our need to create winningperformances for both the individual driver aswell as the back-up team in order to perform wellon the road ahead This storyline was a perfectmatch for the programrsquos objectives
Launch speakers from Formula 1 great designwork not to mention fantastic collateral allresulted in a no-hitch implementation that reallyresonated with people The global companypicked it up as the approach for worldwide rollout So faced with tedium it can actually pay tostare out of the window for creative inspiration
My other piece of advice is Focus on a killerissue If you really want to get ahead (and do besure you really do as being at the center ofchange is often akin to being in the eye of ahurricane ndash itrsquos no place for the feint-hearted)learn what keeps your business leaders up atnight Use your stakeholder-management skills toget to the people you need to help you deliversolutions then execute execute execute
Focus on value-adding work only because ifyou end up working on your companyrsquos cul-de-sacprojects yoursquoll never shine brightly enough forthe leaders in your company to notice you 3
COMPETENCY
Planning internal communication 76
Linking corporate messages to corporate vision 73
CEO communication 63
Change communication 60
Communicating to diverse audiences 60
Using the intranet as a communication tool 54
Defending your department in internal political battles 43
Line manager communication 42
Professional development of internal communication staff 33
Helping employees cope with information overload 32
Securing the appropriate level of budget for internal communication 30
Measuring the effectiveness of internal communication 28
Figure One Table from The Pulse report showing the percentage of communicators who ratethemselves as effective or very effective at listed competencies
30 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
WHATrsquoS CHANGED IN THE LAST 25 YEARS
David MoorcroftSenior Vice PresidentCorporate CommunicationsRBC Financial Group Canada
Irsquom constantly amazed at the changes that have taken place in our professionover the last 25 years and the degree of talent and knowledge required bycommunicators today to do their jobs well
Back in 1979 when I started in corporate PR the major skill sets werewriting editing and great media contacts Today good editorial skills are justtable stakes and the ability to understand business adapt technology thinkstrategically plan consummately and influence stakeholders are what landsenior communicators a seat at the management table
This change has been driven by the globalization of business the advent ofnew 247 media including the Internet the growing sophistication ofcustomers and employees increased demands for corporate transparency andmore rigorous requirements for high standards of public disclosure andfinancial reporting
MORE SKILLS THAN EVER BEFOREAs a result todayrsquos business communicator has to be more capable andknowledgeable and have more skills than ever before They must befinancially literate and technologically savvy They must understand the impactof evolving accounting and disclosure rules They must deal with legal HRpolitical and business issues And they must be prepared to deal with amultitude of potential crises that can arise at any moment in any language inany part of the world
Perhaps most challenging senior management today expects clear bottom-line returns for their investments in communication Itrsquos no longer enough toinform audiences and measure communication outputs CEOs expectcommunication to engage audiences and produce outcomes ndash something thatrequires strategic thinking planning and foresight
A friend of mine who left a senior corporate PR job to become COO of amajor public utility recently summed up the role of todayrsquos communicator thisway ldquoItrsquos one of the most important and critical roles in organizations todayand yet itrsquos often one of the least recognized and appreciatedrdquo
That sentiment may be a reality in some organizations today but with moreand more CEOs beginning to realize the bottom-line value of communication itwonrsquot be 25 years from now
Christina FeeSenior Vice President InternalCommunicationsDeutsche Post AGGermany
Seek out the important projectsI canrsquot pretend to have employed a specificapproach to my ldquopersonal PRrdquo at all But in theorganizations Irsquove worked for Irsquove had theopportunity to work on a number of excitinghigh-profile projects that have connected me withsenior stakeholders and influential people atdifferent levels
7
Irsquove learned a great deal from the project teamsIrsquove worked with and also due to the significanceand scope of the projects been able todemonstrate my worth approach and skills Irsquovehad to be passionate stand up for what I believein and think outside the box constantly
My roles within DHLDeutsche Post haveallowed me the freedom and flexibility to developand deliver new ideas but Irsquove also had to practiceand embody excellent internal communicationskills myself Having developed credibility and trustwith those that matter based on my track record Iwas allowed to go ahead with other projects
I donrsquot actively pursue the ldquoright relationshipsrdquobut rather let my work and my interactions withpeople speak for themselves This has helped medevelop mentors and supporters naturally Mylearning and development has also been expandedby the opportunity to work abroad and learn moreabout intercultural communication and interaction
Marc SilversideHead of Internal CommunicationsMacmillan Cancer SupportUK
Understand whatrsquos expected of youA newly established role heightens the need formaking a good impression so that people trustyou and feel they can come to you for advice
When I joined Macmillan I very nearly got thiswrong Perhaps this is an example that otherrsquos canlearn from
When my new CEO at Macmillan CancerSupport asked for a meeting ldquoafter a few weeks tosettle inrdquo I was confident that my wide-ranginginduction would help me understand the businessand provide the basis for what Irsquod present tosenior management
Forty structured face-to-face managerinterviews allowed me to understand needs andkey issues and I started to build personal rapportMy profile was raised and at the same timeinternal communication gained good visibility
Externally I networked with contacts in similarroles in other charities and soon found thebeginnings of a voluntary-sector network This hassince grown to over 25 members
By the time my CEO slot arrived I was armedwith input from across the charity and the resultsof an audit I felt well prepared to present myvision and solutions So I was surprised to be metwith significant resistance
I later discovered that my CEO intelligence wasincorrect What he wanted was to be askedspecifically about his own views on what internalcommunication should do and what I could do for
How to get ahead in internal communication
31scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
HOW DO YOUR SKILLS MEASURE UPFor Melcrumrsquos study into budgets salaries and trends in internalcommunication in 200607 we asked survey respondents to rate their owneffectiveness at a range of key communication competencies from planning tomeasurement The results may surprise you
For example 76 percent of respondents rate themselves as effective or veryeffective at planning internal communication but only 28 percent ratethemselves as equally effective at measuring its effectiveness (see Figure Onepage 29)
In her commentary on the results development expert Sue Dewhurst hadthe following to say
OUR STRENGTHSIt seems where we see our strengths as internal communicators is towards theldquofront endrdquo of the communication planning process For example being able tolink a plan to the business strategy knowing our audiences and being able tojoin up the dots and show people how messages link to the business vision
These are powerful strengths We are one of the few functions that tends tohave an overarching view of our entire company and is able to view thecompany and its strategy from a number of different perspectives Being ableto understand the vision and strategy view it from an audience perspectiveand then create line of sight to show what those things mean in practicalterms for peoplersquos day-to-day roles is one of the ways that we help drivebusiness performance ndash by showing people what they need to do to take thestrategy forward
In turn by knowing and working with our audiences hopefully wersquore thenalso able to make sure their views and suggestions can help shape the strategyand how itrsquos put into practice
MEASURING EFFECTIVENESSWe see ourselves as less effective towards the back end of the planningprocess in measuring the effectiveness of internal communication which tiesin with the feeling from previous questions that in fact wersquore not doing muchmeasurement or demonstrating our return on investment
Research and measurement is an area where there is plenty of expertisearound to call on There are measurement conferences research reports andpublications to understand what other organizations are doing and practicaltraining that will give you the opportunity to work in a smaller group askquestions and practice techniques For help with specific techniques try yourinternal marketing team Marketers are generally great with data and well-versed in running focus groups and putting together surveys If you have anexternal provider to support your employee engagement research try them too
Source The Pulse Essential data on budgets salaries and trends 2006-07wwwmelcrumcom
him rather than how I could benefit the charity Ihad to change my approach fast
This could have cost me my best ambassadorfrom day one So my advice is make sure yoursquoreabsolutely clear about whatrsquos expected from you
Of course the insights I gained in my first fewmonths have been valuable and since then myresults have done the talking Fortunately theCEO soon became an internal communicationsconvert and advocate
Darren CrozierCommunications ManagerHBOS plcUK
Make things happenDelivery is key to career development ndash if you sayyoursquore going to do something make sure you doit Put in the effort get the results you want andbe known as someone who can make things happenIf yoursquore seen to ldquoget things donerdquo no matter howsmall the job is people are more likely to get youinvolved in activities and ask your opinion
Gaining credibility and respect from seniorcolleagues is important but everyone in yourorganization will form an opinion of you from thepeople in the canteen right through to the CEOSo try and make sure that their opinion of you is agood one
Itrsquos not just the people within your immediatesphere of influence who can have an impact onyour career so extend your network go oncourses and get involved in professionalorganizations Many of my close workingrelationships career opportunities and indeedpersonal friendships have come from meetingpeople at such events and taking the time to keepin touch You never know how things will develop
Itrsquos also vital to earn respect be trustworthy andhave good manners To recall what an ex-bossonce said ldquoBe careful how you treat people onthe way up as you never know when you maycome across them againrdquo
One of the biggest challenges Irsquove found inrecent times is recognizing my own success andselling myself Sometimes you need to take a stepback to realize just what yoursquove achieved Evenbetter keep a log or portfolio of your successesand donrsquot be shy to speak about them becauseothers wonrsquot be shy to speak about theirs
Finally try and have some fun along the wayWe all have to work for a living so learn to makethe most of it scm
1 For more about Melcrumrsquos Internal Communication Black Belttraining program go to wwwmelcrumcom
32 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pitney Bowes has followed an aggressive strategyof growth through acquisition completing 60+acquisitions since 2001 Expansion has broadenedits product mix to include an extensive range ofsolutions from office equipment to globalpositioning software
But the companyrsquos many different specialismsand huge outsourcing operations meant that themajority of its 34000 employees werenrsquot aware ofthe full range of its service offering and thepotential for different divisions to work together
As Rob Hallam vice president EmployeeCommunication explains there was a strongbusiness case for adopting a ldquoone companyrdquoapproach ldquoBecause the businesses tended to besomewhat siloed even senior managers werefocused on their divisions
ldquoAlso because we were acquiring companiesand evolving so rapidly managers werenrsquot awareof a lot of the businesses and how they all workedtogether in the mailstreamrdquo says Hallam ldquoWewere missing out on potential cross-sellingopportunitiesrdquo
Communicating a new visionFour years ago Pitney Bowes created a OneCompany Vision statement ldquoOur aim was toensure support and cooperation across thebusiness so we could provide a comprehensive setof customer solutions ndash not just a list of productsand services by business unitrdquo says Hallam Theinternal communication challenge was to drawtogether 34000 employees and build a unifiedcorporate culture The communication strategyfocused on three key elements
1 PeopleThis focused on involving the leadershipstrengthening a two-way dialogue betweenmanagement and employees communicating theculture through leadership messaging enterprise-wide events and roadshows and buildingengagement so that everyone was workingtogether towards a One Company approach
2 ProcessesThis meant integrating the One Companyapproach into the organizationrsquos operations andinfrastructure by shifting management roles andadjusting incentives and reward structuresthroughout the company
The first step was to consolidate the companyrsquosoperating activities by appointing Murray DMartin as president and chief operating officer inSeptember 2004 Martinrsquos mantra is ldquoThink AsOne Act as One Operate As One to deliverwhat no other company canrdquo
ldquoThe COO position had previously been heldby the chairman so elevating someone to that
Communicating a OneCompany culture atPitney Bowes
Following rapid growth in the form of more than 60acquisitions over six years silo-working haddeveloped at Pitney Bowes and leaders were failing
to take advantage of profitable cross-selling opportunitiesHere Rob Hallam describes the communication elementsof a ldquoOne Companyrdquo culture-change program which hasturned the situation around simultaneously improvingcustomer service and boosting profits
Persuading disparate businessunits to work together
AN INTERVIEW WITH ROB HALLAM
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Pitney Bowes is an 87-year-old company best known forthe manufacturing operationand oversight of postagemeters It has over two millioncustomers more than 3500active patents and annualrevenue of close to $6 billion
33scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
role was a big changerdquo explains Hallam ldquoAll thebusiness units now report to a single individual atoperating level It represented a huge positivemove to start the company operationalizing OneCompany behaviorrdquo
The internal communication function wasrestructured to ensure that consistent messagingreached the entire employee population Regularmeasurement was a key part of the changeinitiative This served to define the contributionof communicating a One Company approachwhere it was adding value to Pitney Bowes and itsclients and customers and where there was stillwork to do
3 TechnologyIt was important to find the best ways to cascademessages throughout the company and keeppeople informed about what was going onwithout bombarding them with irrelevantcommunication Hallam and his team deploy avariety of channels and media including internalprint and online publications voicemail and e-mail Pitney Bowes is also in the process ofintegrating its different voicemail systems and e-mail platforms into one global system
Involving senior leadership from the outsetThe One Company strategy was an overridingpolicy that started at the top of the organizationldquoThere was a big launch at the strategic leadersrsquomeeting which is held every Januaryrdquo saysHallam ldquoThe messaging was then driven throughthe organization via a companywide globalcommunication strategyrdquo
From the outset the policy was championed bythe CEO Michael Critelli who believes thatculture is central to the Pitney Bowes brand andsaid recently ldquoMy first measure of success iswhether we are behaving as one companyrdquo Thiscommitment helped to ensure that the culturalchange was reinforced by parallel changes to thecorporate infrastructure
Building a two-way dialogueThe next step was to get the employee populationinvolved and build enterprisewide enthusiasm forthe culture change Pitney Bowes has alwaysrecognized the value of a two-way dialoguebetween management and employees and hasheld annual jobholders meetings which aresimilar to shareholdersrsquo meetings for 61 years In2005 Hallam reinvented it as an initiative calledOne Forum ndash a series of roadshows focusing oncommunicating the One Company culturethroughout the organization
Launching the One ForumIn 2005 Hallam and his team created an original
and memorable One Forum launch for the 90percent of Pitney Bowes employees based in theUS Around a quarter of US employees saw thisin person the others received a link to a websitewith streaming highlights
ldquoWe put together a two-hour roadshow eventwhich helped people to understand our OneCompany approach and made them aware of allthe businesses we were inrdquo says Hallam ldquoThethinking was that high change requires high touchFace-to-face can have far greater impact on theindividuals touched From there itrsquos a matter ofripple effect such as seeing improved One Forumbrand awareness among employees who didnrsquotactually attend one of the eventsrdquo
ldquoWe wanted the roadshow to be entertainingand energizing so we used gameshow techniquescustom-written songs and comedy specificallytailored to Pitney Bowes employees It was a funevent but it also included a keynote speech fromthe CEO and a lot of question-and-answersessions with employees It was entertainmentwith a purpose and it was a great success with employeesrdquo
The post-event employee evaluations provedthe success of this approach ldquoIn some cities anincredible 90 percent of employees gave the eventa top-box rating This shows that there was ahunger for both the knowledge and theapproachrdquo adds Hallam
Taking the show on the roadThe One Forum roadshow has become an annualevent ldquoIn a five-month period during 2005 therewere 17 One Forum events in 12 US citiesreaching about 6000 peoplerdquo says Hallam ldquoAftersome testing in March and April the first bigroadshows started in early May and continued forsix months with the final one in early Decemberin Seattle 3
Rob Hallam is vice presidentEmployee Communication atPitney Bowes (PB) in StamfordConnecticut where hersquos beenresponsible for internalcommunication strategy andimplementation since 2004Hallam has led a team ofprofessionals in reshapingcommunication at PB resultedin the communication teamearning the top ranking in HRdepartment satisfaction fromall PBrsquos US managers in 2005and 2006
KEY POINTSbull Internal communication has played an important role in embedding a
One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
bull The communication strategy focused on three key elements peopleprocess and technology
bull The campaign has been championed by the CEO from the outset andhas won senior leadership support over time
bull An entertaining roadshow helped win employee commitment
bull Cross-selling ratios have jumped substantially since the culture-changeeffort began
34 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ldquoIn 2006 we compressed the programsubstantially and drove down costs while stilltouching 6000 employees Together with ourcorporate marketing group we also introduced anextremely successful lsquoelevator speechrsquo that helpsemployees answer the much-feared questionlsquoWhat does Pitney Bowes dorsquordquo
Local variationsAlthough the entertainment component in theroadshows contributed to their success it wasspecific to the US so Hallam gave business unitsand internal communicators in other regions theresponsibility for communicating the OneCompany approach to local employees ldquoInCanada and the UK they conducted town-hallmeetings and in Latin America and other parts ofthe world they produced their own variations onthe One Forum theme We made sure that theyhad the information they needed but we limitedthe entertainment to English-speaking regionsrdquo
A commitment to employee engagementThe appointment of the new COO and the launchof the One Forum roadshows coincided with thefirst employee engagement survey in late 2004ldquoWe see engagement as very much tied to ourability to execute a One Company strategy andchange our culturerdquo says Hallam He sets outfour ways in which employee engagement isinstilled at all levels in the organization
1 Visible leadership commitment to engagementThe CEO underlines his commitment by sendingregular messages to employees via a variety ofmedia including voicemail and print and onlinepublications He also uses engagement scores todetermine a unitrsquos overall performance rating andbonus pool ldquoWhen one senior execrsquos bonus poolwas reduced due to poor engagement scores that
was a message requiring no communication planrdquosays Hallam ldquoWord spread quicklyrdquo
2 Celebrating top performers Pitney Bowes celebrates its top engagementperformers by running cover stories in its globalprint and online publication PB Today ldquoThisprogram was called lsquoThe Faces of Pitney Bowesrsquordquosays Hallam ldquoWe did 10 of these last year so theyran twice in five editions Wersquove also producedlarge mural-sized photos of those managers andtheir teamsrdquo he says ldquoWe celebrate success andpublish it everywhere Our CEO loves it and wersquoreactually selling part of our contemporary artcollection which decorates the building to makeroom for an expansion of additional OneCompany and Engagement photography all ofwhich will focus on our employeesrdquo
3 Incentivizing managers via the reward systemEmployee engagement is recognized andreinforced in the companyrsquos formal processesincluding its reward system ldquoWe use a tool calledthe Strategic Architecture which is our balancedscorecardrdquo explains Hallam ldquoItrsquos a Six-Sigma toolwhich measures employee shareholder andcustomer value Managersrsquo engagement scoresalso factor into their annual reviews soengagement has a direct impact on remunerationrdquo
4 Rewarding engagementA further program called Rapid Rewards awardscash bonuses to managers and employees foroutstanding behavior including that related toemployee engagement
Aligning the communication strategyHallam and his team are responsible fordelivering the overall employee communicationstrategy ldquoWe had to dramatically improve ourstrategic approach in order to make OneCompany a realityrdquo he says
In addition to organizing campaigns such as theOne Forum roadshows to publicize the culturechange across the enterprise Hallam hasintroduced initiatives aimed at improving thereach and delivery of internal communication andmaking sure messages get to their intendedaudiences He has also aligned the structure ofthe internal communication function with thecompanyrsquos unified culture
ldquoThere were a lot of different communicationgroups so we brought together all thecommunication leaders and formed a singleInternal Communications Councilrdquo explainsHallam ldquoThis means that the communicationfunctions in the different business units areworking together to help drive change andimprove coordinationrdquo
Communicating a One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
ldquoWHEN A SENIOR EXECrsquoS BONUS WAS REDUCEDDUE TO POOR ENGAGEMENT SCORES THAT WASA MESSAGE REQUIRING NO COMMUNICATIONPLAN WORD SPREAD QUICKLYrdquo
7
FURTHER RESOURCES3 THE IMPACT OF CULTURE AND CLIMATE ON CHANGE PROGRAMS
An article published in SCM Volume 10 Issue 6 OctoberNovember 2006
3 DRIVING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE CORPORATE CULTUREMelcrumrsquos report on communication tools techniques and best practicefrom leading organizationswwwmelcrumcom
35scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Developing a global approachHallam is also responsible for a globalcommunication project called Universal Reachwhich is sponsored by the chairman and designedto support and maintain a unified corporateculture ldquoOur goal is to provide 90 percentmessage accessibility within our key customer-facing audiencesrdquo he explains ldquoThe biggestchallenge is integrating our online communicationinfrastructure which has nine different voicemailsystems operating across the world and multiplee-mail and web platforms Wersquore pulling all thattogether to provide better reachrdquo
Since 911 the CEO and other top executiveshave broadcast weekly audio messages calledPower Talks Hallamrsquos team has worked with theleadership to ensure that they incorporate OneCompany messages and as he explains they reachmost of the employee population ldquoAbout 20000of our employees have voicemail Those whodonrsquot receive the Power Talk message either inprint or online In some divisions managers playthe Power Talk messages in staff meetingsrdquo
Engaging leadership reinforces the cultureBuilding on the CEOrsquos commitment to a OneCompany approach Hallam and his team haveorganized leadership events ndash most recently at thestrategic leadersrsquo meeting in December 2006 ndashshowing Pitney Bowes as one company in actionThis campaign has helped to engage the top 150managers in the culture change
ldquoOur post-event evaluations show a strongmove numerically in senior leadershiprsquos belief thatwersquore operating as one companyrdquo says Hallam(see Figure One above) ldquoAs theyrsquore our toughestjudges wersquore pleased by the significant differencein pre- and post-event measurementrdquo There wasalso an improvement in leadersrsquo understanding ofthe companyrsquos new mailstream category
Sustaining the new cultureAccording to Hallam rippling out the OneCompany messaging requires a consistent andcoordinated approach Communication leaders inthe various divisions are now working to weaveOne Company messages into the business-unitmeetings ldquoA lot of the messaging that welaunched at the strategic leadersrsquo meeting arebeing reiterated at the business unit level Thatrsquosbeen facilitated through the InternalCommunications Councilrdquo he says
ldquoKey metrics for the culture change programfocus on cross-selling ratios which have jumpedsubstantially since the culture change effortbeganrdquo says Hallam ldquoIn 2002 we also institutedthe ldquoPB1 Awardsrdquo which is a chairmanrecognition award that goes to teams who bestembody cross-functional behavior in working on
projects which improve our clientsrsquo profitabilityour profitability or bothrdquo
ldquoHowever wersquore only really a year into thisMuch of the evidence is anecdotal but what haschanged is that our managers have broadenedtheir vision and are thinking as solutions-providers rather than product-sellers As suchtheyrsquore involving other business units out of theirdesire to eliminate customer pain points ndashregardless of which part of Pitney Bowes gets the salerdquo
Adding value to customersUltimately managers and employees who arewell-informed about the companyrsquos products andservices are in a good position to take advantageof cross-selling opportunities Realizing thispotential enables Pitney Bowes to make extrasales to existing customers thereby increasing itsprofit margins and allowing customers to benefitfrom a mix of products and services
Shifting to a unified culture directly benefitsboth Pitney Bowes and its customers ldquoByfocusing on the whole cadre of products andservices we can help our customers improve theirbusinessesrdquo says Hallam ldquoThatrsquos where OneCompany is critical It enables our clients tobenefit from all our servicesrdquo scm
Figure One Measuring the impact of the strategic leadersrsquo meeting
CONTACT DETAILS
Rob HallamPitney Bowesrobhallampbcom
I BELIEVE THAT OUR SENIOR LEADERS (MEANING THE TOP 15 EXECS) AREWORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO DELIVER INTEGRATED HIGH-VALUESOLUTIONS TO OUR CUSTOMERS
Pre SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 73
Post SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 92
Gain in two months time 19
ldquoMANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WELL-INFORMED ABOUT THE COMPANYrsquoS PRODUCTSAND SERVICES ARE IN A GOOD POSITION TOTAKE ADVANTAGE OF CROSS-SELLINGrdquo
2007
36 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
MELCRUM TRAINING amp EVENTS
CALENDAR 2007UKEUROPESOCIAL MEDIA FORUM FORINTERNAL COMMUNICATORS UK
3 21-22 March 2007 Hilton Canary WharfLondon UKThis forum is designed for practitioners who wantto make social media part of their internalcommunication strategy Over two dayscompanies such as IBM Microsoft and BT willshare case studies demonstrating their use ofsocial-media tools Technology experts will also beon hand to provide training and show you how touse these tools
THE 3RD ANNUAL EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT CONFERENCE UK
3 22-24 May 2007 Millennium GloucesterLondon UK22 May ndash Practical workshops23-24 May ndash Two-day conferenceThis event will focus on transforming yourstrategies into action Listen to case studies fromcompanies that have achieved real andmeasurable results from their engagement effortsLearn how they did it what they achieved and howthe results were measured
THE 6TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT UK
3 16-18 October 2007 London UK After the huge success of the 2006 UK StrategicCommunication Management Summit next yearrsquosevent will once again provide you withpresentations from key figures in the industry anda chance to network with your peers Mark yourdiaries now ndash more details to follow
THE 3RD ANNUAL INTERNALCOMMUNICATION MEASUREMENTCONFERENCE UK
3 27-29 November 2007 London UKDetails available soon ndash mark your diary now
NORTH AMERICATHE 3RD ANNUAL CONFERENCEON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENTBUILDING AND SUSTAINING ACULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT
3 28 February ndash 1 March 2007 Crowne PlazaAtlanta-Buckhead Atlanta USLearn how to foster an environment whereemployees feel valued and respected Hear fromcompanies including Dow Corning CorporationAmerican Express Delta Hotels and Merck
THE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT US
3 26-28 March 2007 Crowne Plaza UnionSquare San Francisco26 March ndash Pre-conference workshops27-28 March ndash Two-day summitAttend this conference and discover how toimprove employee alignment with all segments ofyour internal audience ndash from your front-lineemployees to your executive officers bothnationally and worldwide
AUSTRALIATHE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION ENGAGEMENTSUMMIT SYDNEY
3 31 July ndash 2 August 2007 Sydney Australia Details available soon ndash mark your diary now
WEBINARSDEVELOPING PROFESSIONALCOMPETENCE
3 Thursday 22 February 2007 with LiamFitzPatrick and Sue Dewhurst
HELPING YOUR ORGANIZATIONTHRIVE DURING TURBULENTTIMES
3 Thursday 29 March 2007 with Carol KinseyGoman
TRAININGTHE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT PROGRAM
3 24-25 April and 1-2 May 2007 HenleyManagement College UK3 11-12 and 27-28 September 2007 Cranfield
School of Management UK
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT MASTERCLASSEFFECTIVE MEASUREMENT
3 14-15 March 2007 Hendon Hall Hendon UKAn essential two-day intensive training courses forinternal communicators on effective measurementRegister early as places are strictly limited to 20people per Masterclass
CSR DELIVERY ENGAGEMENT amp LEADERSHIP
3 19-20 April 2007 Central LondonOsney MediaWith an excellent speaker line-up from high-profile companies including Procter amp Gamble The BodyShop ExxonMobil Microsoft Belgium Vodafone UK Dell Ericsson and Alliance Boots this case studybased event will answer questions including how do Ibull Build a CSR-oriented leadershipbull Get people on boardbull Integrate CSR with the global strategy of the companybull Deliver CSR throughout the company to make it really happen
For more information visit wwwcsrleadershipcom or e-mail mariame_lindellosneymediacouk (Reference code 910MLC3)
38 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
DESIGN
YELLOW
The future success of all organisations will be builton trust understanding passion empowermentintegrity and relationships
The future is cool exciting sparkling organisationsbursting with energy life and action
The future of brand is the internal brand first andforemost
The future is colleague as customer
Turning communications upside down
No just inside-out
Be part of the future say hello to Yellow
We help large organisations bring their communicationsstrategies to life through the imaginative use of liveevents multimedia web and design ndash distributed acrossall media platforms including DVD TV mobile devicesintranet and extranet
Ultimately developing internal brands and ongoingcommunications that have a measurable impact onpeople-performance advocacy and the bottom line
Contact Paul MiddletonTel +44 (0)161 228 6700E-mail paulmiddletonyellowcomcomWebsite wwwyellowcomcom
NEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
DESIGN
BLUE GOOSE
blue goose specialize in visual communications We make communications work faster and better We will link what wedo back to your objectives but we donrsquot talk (or charge for) ldquostrategyrdquo when you simply want tactical implementation Weuse design and creativity tobull differentiate products and services bull develop and manage corporate and brand identity bull align external communications with agreed values bull internalize corporate and brand identitybull align internal communications with agreed values bull support organizational change and bull help organizations better understand and define who they are
We work for clients as diverse as PricewaterhouseCoopers Ford Europe Centrica plc Greene King City of London Policeand Le Meacuteridien
blue goose is for any organization more interested in designing their future than watching it happen
Contact Chris BarringtonE-mail thinkingbluegoosecoukTel +44 (0)20 8869 8500Web site wwwbluegoosecouk
CONSULTANCY
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION ampSURVEYS PTY LTD
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd is aboutique consultancy based in Sydney Australia Itspecializes in employee communication strategiessystems research and employee surveys of all kindsPrincipal Rodney Gray has been involved inorganizational consulting for over 20 years following a15-year career as a corporate human resourcesexecutive Services includebull Employee communication audits and surveys by
questionnaires focus groups and interviewsbull Employee communication systems strategies and
processesbull Employee communication training workshops and
talksbull Employee culture climate and opinion surveysbull Qualitative organizational diagnosis (focus groups
and interviews)bull Internal service quality research (qualitative and
quantitative)
Contact Rodney GrayTel +61 (0)2 9909 2900 Fax +61 (0)2 9909 2911E-mail rodneyrodneygraycomauWeb site wwwemployee-communicationcomau
CONSULTANCY
HEDRON
Internal and change communication that helps teamsand individuals to develop strategies relationshipsprocesses and skills to engage stakeholders supporthigh performance and deliver change
ldquoSharp strategic thinking quality execution effectiveinterpersonallyhelliprdquo ldquoCreativity drive resourcefulnessresults great funhelliprdquo say clients
All sectors ndash ABN AMRO AXA BT Cadbury SchweppesDepartment for Constitutional Affairs HealthcareCommission Group 4 Securicor SABMiller SiemensSouthern Rail Unilever Wincanton
Our clients are happy to tell you what itrsquos like workingwith us
Contact Helena MemoryTel + 44 (0) 20 7493 0735Fax + 44 (0) 20 7493 0743E-mail helena-mhedroncomWeb site wwwhedroncom
CONSULTANCY
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
39scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
CONSULTANCY
SYNOPSIS
Founded by change and communication authority Bill Quirke in 1992 Synopsis is one of Europersquos leading internalcommunication consultancies Our clients include such companies as ABN Amro BBC BP British Airways DiageoEricsson HP Lloyds TSB Roche Shell and Vodafone
We help clients use internal communication to engage their employees in delivering business strategy and get most valuefrom their internal communication
We can help youbull Develop communication strategies that support your business strategybull Coach leadersbull Develop line managersrsquo communication skillsbull Plan and coordinate your communication with colleagues onlinebull Check the health of your communication channels and improve return on investmentbull Build and develop the communication functionbull Measure and track employee engagement attitudes and opinions
To take a tour of our online planning tool go to wwwsynopsisonlinecomproductplanningtoolasp
Contact Jane LebeauE-mail janelebeausynopsisonlinecomTel +44 (0) 20 7490 2900Web site wwwsynopsisonlinecom
CONSULTANCY
HARKNESS KENNETT
We specialize in internal communication To us thatmeansbull motivating people through inspiring leadershipbull guiding people through organizational changebull engaging people in delivering the brand
Working in partnership with our clients is central to ourethos enabling us to help deliver practical solutionssupported by solid strategic thinking All of ourconsultants have held senior positions ldquoclient siderdquo sowe know what itrsquos like to be in your shoes The vastmajority of our work comes from recommendations fromexisting clients ndash 82 percent of our clients haverequested repeat work in the last two years
Our clients include Abbey Atkins BDO Stoy HaywardThe Environment Agency Marks amp Spencer NHS Blood ampTransplant Morgan Stanley Europe Nestleacute PoliceInformation Technology Organisation Royal ampSunAlliance South West Trains and Vodafone
Our vision is simple ndash we want to be the first callyou make
Contact James HarknessTel +44 (0)1483 222730E-mail jamesharknessharknesskennettcomWeb site wwwharknesskennettcom
CONSULTANCY
TRIDENT COMMUNICATIONS
Trident Communications is uniquely positioned to definedevelop and deliver award-winning solutions that aligncommunication with business goals
We advise and partner with organizations of all sizes tocreate high-value practical applications Our talentedproject teams provide innovative research designeditorial and imagery for print and online
We connect ideas and deliver results
Contact Peter Agertoft Tel +44 (0)207 536 8900E-mail peteragertoft
tridentcommunicationsnetWeb site wwwtridentcommunicationsnet
CONSULTANCY
FLEISHMAN-HILLARD
Fleishman-Hillardrsquos dedicated internal and changecommunication practice helps businesses focus onperforming ndash not just informing
We help organisations plan and implement programmeswith the right mix of information dialogue and trainingso that employees are engaged aligned and motivatedto achieve business objectives
Because effective internal communication is vital tobottom-line performance we partner with our clients tocreate a daily dialogue ndash not a monologue ndash withemployees
Contact Nick AndrewsTel +32 (0)2 230 05 45 E-mail nickandrewsfleishmancomWeb site wwwfleishmaneuropecom
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE A listing in our Directory of Services will giveyou a chance to reach communicationprofessionals at some of the worldrsquos largestand most admired companies and to tap intodecision-making practitioners
ContactVincent SorelTel +44 (0)208 600 4670E-mail vincentsorelmelcrumcom
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
INCLUDE YOUR COMPANY BY CONTACTING US ON +44(0)20 8600 4670 OR AT INFOMELCRUMCOM
CONSULTANCY
HILL amp KNOWLTON
Better business results the bottom line
How do I manage more change Motivate managers Getthe right information to the right people Show the bestreturn on communication investment
Sound familiar Hill amp Knowltonrsquos change and internalcommunication consultants work with companies aroundthe world to find the right answers for their situation
We offer strategy insight and creativity drawing on ourconsultancy expertise and in-house experience Plus wedeliver practical hands-on help
We know that effective employee communication has adirect impact on the bottom line Working together wecan make it happen for you
Contact EMEA DavidFerrabeehillandknowltoncom
+44 (0) 7413 3176USA BarbaraEdlerhillandknowltoncom
+1 415 281-7160Canada KristaThompsonhillandknowltoncom
+1 613 786-9961
RECRUITMENT
VMA GROUP
VMA Group is one of the UKrsquos leading executive searchand selection consultancies specializing in internal andcorporate communication recruitment
For over 25 years VMA Group has provided the highestlevel of service to some of the most demanding globalorganizations developing a strong track record for thequality and professionalism of our search and selection work
We have in-depth specialist knowledge of the internalcommunication market and can provide high-qualitypermanent and interim candidates with expertise acrossinternal communication change management and widercorporate communication We understand the needs ofour clients intrinsically and strive to develop long-termrelationships with clients and candidates alike
Please call to discuss how we can help you find theideal candidate or if you wish to make a career move
Contact David BroomeTel +44 (0)20 7436 4243E-mail dbroomevmagroupcoukWeb site wwwvmagroupcouk
40 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONALCOMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS E-mail gaitensunityncsueduWeb site wwwconsultingsuccessorgTel 919 469 3895
CIB ndash BRITISH ASSOCIATION OFCOMMUNICATORS IN BUSINESSE-mail enquiriescibukcomWeb site wwwcibukcomTel +44 (0)870 121 7606
CCM ndash COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATIONMANAGEMENT E-mail membership
ccmconnectioncomWeb site wwwccmconnectioncomTel 866 463 4226
CPRS ndash THE CANADIAN PUBLICRELATIONS SOCIETYE-mail admincprscaWeb site wwwcprscaTel 416 239 7034
IABC ndash THE INTERNATIONALASSOCIATION OF BUSINESSCOMMUNICATORS E-mail service_centreiabccomWeb site wwwiabccomTel 415 544 4700
ICA ndash THE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONALLIANCE E-mail amandafoistericaukorgWeb site wwwiprorgukicaTel +44 (0)1628 642 044
CIPR ndash THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OFPUBLIC RELATIONS UKE-mail infoiprorgukWeb site wwwiprorgukTel +44 (0)20 7253 5151
IPRA ndash THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICRELATIONS ASSOCIATIONE-mail ipraseccompuservecomWeb site wwwipraorgTel +44 (0) 1372 461 188
PRSA ndash PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OFAMERICAE-mail resourcesprsaorgWeb site wwwprsaorgTel 212 460 1459
DIRECTORY OF SERVICESNEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
CONSULTANCY
The title of advertising guru PaulArdenrsquos book Itrsquos not how good you areitrsquos how good you want to be captures theessence of ambition And our recent surveysuggests that this is a message internalcommunicators should take to heart
As part of our research1 to define a listof core skills and competencies forprofessional communicators we askedpractitioners from around the worldabout their future career goals and howthey plan to achieve them Surprisinglyfor a profession that stresses the need forstrategies and plans most internalcommunicators appear to have a fairly adhoc approach to their own development
Results from the surveyAbout 70 percent of our sample said theyexpected to stay in internal communicationover the next three years Thirty-twopercent saw themselves gaining moreexperience within their existing jobswhile 37 percent aim to move into adifferent internal communication role
When we asked respondents what theywere doing to help develop their careersgaining wider experience being better
networked and finding a coach came topof their lists
Be honest with yourselfNow these seem like fairly informalactivities You might think they take lessorganizing than say investing the timeand budget to do a course or study for aformal qualification But if yoursquore beinghonest you know that getting the go-aheadto work on more challenging projectsfinding the right coach and building aprofessional network takes time andplanning These things donrsquot just happenovernight ndash unless yoursquore very lucky
Yet less than a quarter of internalcommunicators have a formal plan to helpstructure their thoughts about careerprogression and make sure their develop-ment objectives are met Twenty-onepercent say they have no plan whatsoeverand about half the respondents wecontacted say they have a plan but itrsquosnot formalized or agreed
Make the timeMaking time to discuss your career goalswith your manager and getting apersonal development plan down onpaper will pay dividends After all who
decides whether you get to work on themore interesting projects or not Andwhen yoursquore being dragged under byyour workload wouldnrsquot it be helpful tohave some targets to remind you to makethe time to network or read that articlesitting in your reading folder
If wersquove convinced you to think aboutyour own professional development hereare three important steps to get started
1 Be clear about where yoursquore startingfrom Think about what yoursquoveachieved so far in your career Whatskills do you have what are yourstrengths and which areas needfurther development
2 Look ahead to where you want to beWhat timeframe do you have inmind for your professional develop-ment What can you focus on rightaway and what are your longer-termcareer goals Be as specific as youcan about what you want to achieveand consider the followingbull Are there areas where yoursquod like
to be a ldquostar performerrdquo in yourcurrent role
bull How can you expand your networkor reach in the wider industry
bull How can you broaden your depthof skills or experience outsideyour current remit
bull How do you plan to move onwardsand upwards to a new role
3 Think about how yoursquoll close the gapWhat knowledge skills andexperience do you need What typeof development activity will help youget to where you want to be
If you know in your heart of hearts thatyou donrsquot invest enough time and effortin your own development make the timeto start doing this now
In our next column we plan to look atthe range of development optionsavailable and hear some reflections fromindustry leaders on what helped themreally accelerate their own learning andprofessional development
1 Turn to page 16 for a more detailed analysis of the study
GET YOUR DEVELOPMENT PLANON TRACK
Sue Dewhurst and Liam FitzPatrick run Competent Communicators acompany specializing in professional development for internalcommunicators and Melcrumrsquos official training and developmentpartner For more information go to wwwcompetentcommunicatorscom
A study into skills and competenciesfor communicators
reveals a lack ofclear career planning
The path to a senior role in internal communication is paved with good intentionsOr so suggests a recent study by development experts Sue Dewhurst and LiamFitzPatrick Here in the first of a new regular column on professional developmentthey review the studyrsquos findings lament the lack of a career plan and urge internalcommunicators to take action and plan their own development
SUE DEWHURST AND LIAM FITZPATRICK
14 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PR
OFE
SSION
AL D
EV
ELO
PM
EN
T
scm
ldquoTHESE THINGS DONrsquoTJUST HAPPENOVERNIGHT ndash UNLESSYOUrsquoRE VERY LUCKYrdquo
15scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PR
OFE
SSION
AL D
EV
ELO
PM
EN
Tscm
3 Cut the jargonJargon may have its place but it has noplace in employee communicationPhrases such as work-life balanceemployer of choice critical mass and thelike may make sense in behind-the-scenes discussions However when itrsquostime to communicate to the masses weneed to translate these concepts intoPlain English and provide a context tohelp employees understand Yes it takessome work but the payoff makes itworth the effort
Say the head of HR wants to share thelatest developments in ldquowork-life balancerdquothat will benefit employees He may betempted to relay the news using theterminology hersquos used to using with hisstaff However most employees havenrsquotbeen in on those discussions so theconcept may be foreign or fuzzy to themndash even if theyrsquod heard the term before
Any progress HR makes on the work-life balance front gives it the opportunityto communicate in a personal humanway and in the process capture employeesrsquoattention on an emotional level
The HR leaderrsquos message thereforemay go something like this Our liveshave never been busier and there are onlyso many hours in a day Because we atXYZ Company recognize how important itis to you to be able to spend real time withyour families while managing theresponsibilities you have on the job wersquovedesigned a program that we hope willmake your life less hectic
Most employees will relate to thatmessage It plays to their needs which isa powerful hook
Guarding against gremlinsKeeping an eye out for the jargonpassive voice and other gremlins thatmay infiltrate your writing is a goodtraining ground for being able toobjectively critique your own work Italso conditions you to look for otherways to improve your writing a habitthat will serve you well throughout yourlifelong apprenticeship
No onersquos work is as continually visible inan organization as the communicatorrsquosOur superiors our peers and the entireemployee population see us as theparagons of communications competenceThey look to the messages wersquove craftedas models of writing excellence and willpattern their own accordingly
When you think of it itrsquos one heck of aburden to bear After all how else didyou get the job if you couldnrsquot write well
But regardless of how well you dowrite how senior you are or how longyoursquove had that coveted ldquoseat at thetablerdquo when it comes to writing yoursquollalways have room to grow Thatrsquos becausewriting is as one learned professor sowisely termed it a ldquolifelong apprenticeshiprdquo
Here are three ways to improve yourwriting immediately
1 Avoid the passive voiceThe passive voice manages to creep intomessages to employees and itrsquos a sureroad to eroding their engagement It allowsthe writer to hide behind the message itclouds direction and itrsquos boring
Herersquos an example of really woefulwriting ndash a sentence structure that yoursquoresure to recognize Employees areencouraged to submit this form by the endof the month
Analyze that sentence and yoursquoll seethat not only is there no owner to thestatement but therersquos no clear directionEmployees are encouraged by whom
and what does ldquoencouragedrdquo meananyway Are employees required tosubmit the form If so then say so
The sad truth is this passive style ofwriting is all too common the happytruth is that we communicators are in aposition to do something about it Oftenall it takes is a quick rewrite Pleasesubmit this form by [insert specific date]Clear direct concise
2 Use second person Why talk at people when you can talk tothem When yoursquore communicating withemployees the use of ldquoyourdquo can befriendly and inviting
Take this message XYZ Companyemployees at customer locations shouldalways first check with their hosts to ensurethat connecting to the XYZ network ispermitted
Look what happens when itrsquos rewrittenfrom third person into second If yoursquoreworking at a customer site be sure to firstcheck with your host that itrsquos OK toconnect to our network
Yoursquove gone from impersonal toconversational
DO YOUR WRITING SKILLSLET YOU DOWNA recent discussion on the Melcrum blog raised the question of whether or not goodwriting skills are still important to the more strategically focused communicator Theconsensus was a definite yes ndash your writing ability makes an impression and itrsquos upto you whether thatrsquos good or bad Denise Baron provides some advice on how tomake sure itrsquos the former
DENISE BARON
However strategicyour role the ability
to write well remainsan important skill
Denise Baron is president of Baron Communications a business communicationsconsultancy providing strategic planning and marketing internal communicationproject management and editorial services to Fortune 500 companies
16 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Over the past five years wersquove found ourselvesbecoming more and more involved in conversationsabout careers in internal communication As theprofession matures expectations of itspractitioners are rising and for many people ajob in communication is no longer just a short-term stepping-stone en route to better things
But the question we hear time and time again isldquoWhat does lsquogoodrsquo look like when it comes to
internal communicationrdquo What skills knowledgeand experience should an effective internalcommunicator have at various stages in theircareer How do I know what I should bepersonally aspiring to and measuring myselfagainst How can I best develop my team Whereis the definitive framework to help me recruit thebest person for the job
In recent years there have been a number ofgood attempts to answer these questions In theUK a group of professional bodies got togetherto write the Inter-Comm matrix1 It listed theskills knowledge and experience a practitionermight need according to their level of experience
We were both involved in developing this skillsmatrix which was widely welcomed when it waslaunched in 2003 Some well-respectedconsultancies have also developed models to showhow a typical career path might progress whichhave helped structure career planning forindividuals and teams
A flexible model for a diverse professionDespite the success of the Inter-Comm matrix wefelt there was more to be done in the area ofprofessional development for internal communica-tors Fundamentally existing models tend to showa one-dimensional and predictable career pathstarting as a junior deliverer and developing into astrategic business-focused consultant
The implication is that if yoursquore deliveringcommunication or are tactically focused you musthave a junior role and if you have a more seniorrole you donrsquot get your hands dirty doingmundane things like writing or managing the
Building a learningframework for internalcommunicators
Planning your teamrsquos professional developmentmeans understanding the skills and experienceneeded to be successful Sue Dewhurst and Liam
FitzPatrick of Competent Communicators have beenresearching how internal communicators spend their timeat work and what behaviors the most effectivepractitioners display Here they describe a new learningframework that has emerged from the study
Identifying the typical roles andskills required for your team
BY SUE DEWHURST AND LIAM FITZPATRICK
scm FEATURES
ABOUT THE RESEARCHThe findings discussed in this article are based on research conducted at theend of 2006 More than 700 in-house practitioners replied to a survey aboutcareers competencies and development plans
A factor analysis of the data conducted by Ash Pattni Associates generated anumber of role types which were then discussed with 30 professionals atdifferent stages of their careers based in the UK Europe and North AmericaThese discussions mainly took the form of interviews and focus groups
The study also referred to data on competency modeling prepared by theUKrsquos Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
1 2 3 4 5
17scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
intranet or organizing eventsBut clearly the world of internal communication
isnrsquot quite that straightforward People join theprofession via all kinds of routes and at differentstages of their careers
We interviewed someone who started out as thedirectorrsquos PA a successful senior executive whostarted out as an engineer a former psychologylecturer and others who had joined through moreobvious routes in publishing and PR
Some had started out in junior roles Forothers their first role in internal communicationwas as a business partner Others had alreadyreached a senior position in another function andsimply moved across at the same level
A key objective of this study was to develop amodel that reflected the diverse reality of life ininternal communication one that was flexibleenough to be adapted to fit organizations andcommunication teams of all shapes and sizes
So we began our research by surveying communica-tors worldwide to find out how they actuallyspend their time on a daily basis and what skillsknowledge and experience they regularly use
The six types of practitionerStatistical analysis of the survey data suggestedthere were six stereotypical role types withininternal communication By ldquotypesrdquo we meansegments or groups of people who share verysimilar characteristics in terms of their skills andstrengths spend their time carrying out similartypes of activities and whose outputs tend to bejudged in similar ways
Most importantly these types can be plottedagainst two dimensions based on how they spendtheir time (advising or doing) and where theirfocus is (strategy or tactics) Figure One (right)illustrates these six types and how they plotagainst the two dimensions
Clearly every organization is slightly differentbut the six stereotypes described below shouldprovide a starting point for thinking about theroles and types of people you need in your team
1 The Leader Internal communication leaders manage teamsand lead the function either for an entire organiza-tion or for a large division or territory Theyspend much of their time managing and coachingteam members and working with senior managersThey see themselves as business people first andcommunicators second However itrsquos taken as readthat they have sound technical ability and will rollup their sleeves when needed Great internal andexternal networkers theyrsquore skilled at dealing withuncertainty and conflict Theyrsquore likely to bemeasured on business results and through thesubjective opinion of their senior customers
2 The Advisor Advisors support departments or major projectsby providing advice developing communicationplans and providing hands-on support to deliverthem Local managers trust them for their insightsinto business problems and understanding of howtheir organization really works Through well-developed networks and time spent understandingtheir audiences and carrying out research andfeedback they know whatrsquos really going onTheyrsquore judged on the quality of their advice andtheir ability to translate that advice into plansactivities and actions
3 The ManagerThe internal communication manager has excellentcraft skills and a sound knowledge of channelsThey spend most of their time on delivery Whenthey advise itrsquos normally about the best channelsto use or the most appropriate timing Goodmanagers arenrsquot easily intimidated and are greatat juggling different priorities Theyrsquore skilled attranslating between the boardroom and the shopfloor Their contribution is often measured bytheir ability to deliver activity against a plan andthe quality of work they and their team produce
4 The DelivererMost teams have someone in this role ndash a safepair of hands who can be trusted to make thingshappen That might range from compilingdistribution lists through to running a conferencesorting out the CEOrsquos open forum or writing andediting a newsletter Theyrsquore less likely tosupervise other communicators and depend ontheir organizational and craft skills to get the jobdone People value them for their ability to dothings on time and to a high standard 3
Sue Dewhurst and LiamFitzPatrick run CompetentCommunicators a firmspecializing in professionaldevelopment for internalcommunicators TheyrsquoreMelcrumrsquos official training anddevelopment advisors anddeliver Melcrumrsquos Black Belttraining program Theyrsquore alsothe authors of a forthcomingreport on competenciesdevelopment and standardsfor internal communicatorsand blog about developmentissues onwwwBlackBeltDojocouk
Figure One Six typical role types for internal communicators
TheLeader
TheLocal Agent
The Deliverer
TheAdvisor
TheManagerADVISE
STRATEGY
IMPLEMENT
TACTICS
TheSpecialist
KEY POINTSbull A new study has established how communicators spend their time and
what skills knowledge and experience they regularly use
bull The research identifies six stereotypical roles ranging from acommunication leader to a specialist (eg a web or events expert)
bull It also highlights 12 competencies that clarify the behaviors acompetent practitioner should display at each level An ldquoineffectiverdquocategory shows behaviors displayed by less able performers
bull The roles and competencies provide a framework for development
Building a learning framework for internal communicators
18 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
5 The Local AgentThis category covers a broad range of peoplefrom the plant managerrsquos personal assistant to aregional communication manager Internalcommunication is often one of severalresponsibilities for this person and they tend tohave a tactical focus Their agenda is normally setby the local management team although theirlocal knowledge and network makes them aninvaluable sounding board for the corporatecommunication team They tend to be judged onwhether activities happen and how satisfied theirlocal manager is with them
6 The SpecialistOur research found a small group of peopleworking in internal communication who see them-selves as subject-matter experts in a specialist areasuch as web management audio-visual productionor event management They have only a looseconnection to the mainstream profession andcould equally work in IT marketing or perhapsHR Because theyrsquore highly specialized they tendto work in large organizations
Building a competency frameworkOnce statistical analysis had suggested these sixrole types we began testing them out throughfocus groups and interviews with practitioners Inparticular we asked what skills knowledge andexperience people in each type of role neededwhat people saw outstanding practitioners doingwhat poor performance looked like and howpeople in the six role types spent their time
On the basis of this information we developeda series of 12 competencies (see Figure Two left)We found that each of the six role types could bedefined bybull Which of the competencies they need to carry
out their role (not everyone needs all 12)bull The level of skill knowledge and experience
they need in each competencybull How much of their time they spend using
each competency ndash a high medium or lowamount For instance there was commonagreement that the communication leadermust have strong craft skills (writing anddesign) but compared to say the delivererthey spend a relatively low percentage of theirtime working on this type of activity
Each of the 12 competencies has three levelsbasic intermediate and advanced Based on thedata we gathered we defined the behaviors youmight expect to see a competent internalcommunication professional display at each level
We also added an ldquoineffectiverdquo category listingthose behaviors our interviewees told us weredisplayed by less able performers For example
7
COMPETENCY DEFINITION
Building effectiverelationships
Developing and maintaining relationships that inspire trust and respectBuilding a network and influencing others to make things happen
Business focus Having a clear understanding of the business issues Usingcommunication to help solve organization issues and achieveorganizational problems
Consulting andcoaching
Recommending appropriate solutions Helping others make informeddecisions Building other peoplersquos communications competence
Cross-functionalawareness
Understanding the different contributions from other disciplines andworking with colleagues from across the organization to achieve betterresults
Developing othercommunicators
Helping other communicators build their communications competenceand develop their career
Innovation andcreativity
Looking for new ways of working exploring best practice and deliveringoriginal and imaginative approaches to communication problems
Listening Conducting research and managing mechanisms for gathering feedbackand employee reaction
Making it happen Turning plans into successfully implemented actions
Planning Planning communication programs and operations evaluating results
Specialist Having specific subject-matter expertise in a specialist area
Vision and standards Defining or applying a consistent approach to communication andmaintaining professional and ethical standards
Craft (writing anddesign)
Using and developing the right mix of practical communication abilitiesto hold the confidence of peers and colleagues (eg writing designmanagement etc)
Figure Two Twelve competencies for internal communicators
19scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
some ineffective behaviors attached to theldquobusiness focusrdquo competency arebull Doesnrsquot make the link between
communication activity and the business ororganizational context
bull Delivers communication activity withoutconsidering whether it will serve any usefulpurpose
bull Lacks understanding of their business area
Building a framework for a specific role The next step in this project was to develop asimple table to map out the competencyframework for an individual role showingbull The competencies needed in this rolebull The level of competency needed in each casebull How much time we expect someone in this
role to spend on these types of behaviors
You can either build a competency frameworkfrom scratch or if you think the role fits one ofthe six types we identified from the survey use thecompetency framework for this type as a startingpoint (see the framework for a communicationleader Figure Three right)
In practice competency frameworks will varyaccording to the size of the organization thenumber of people in the internal-communicationteam the expectations of managers and thespecific requirements of each individual rolewhich is why wersquove built a flexible model
For example a communication leader in alarge multinational organization may spend muchof their time setting the vision and standardscoaching and consulting building relationshipsand developing other communicators and arelatively small amount of their time ldquomaking ithappenrdquo or on writing and design Howeversomeone in a stand-alone communication leaderrole in a much smaller organization wouldprobably have to be much more of a ldquoJack of alltradesrdquo dividing their time evenly between thedifferent competencies
Next stepsMore information about the 12 competencies andthe baseline competency maps for each of the sixrole types will be detailed in a forthcomingMelcrum report Ideas on how you use thesecompetencies to plan your development areavailable to download atwwwcompetentcommunicatorscom
We hope the framework will help bringstructure to the process of defining roles planningdevelopment and specifying recruitment andwould welcome your feedbackscm
1 The Inter-Comm skills matrix is described in an article in SCMFebruaryMarch 2005 (Volume 9 Issue 2) called Developingcore competencies for internal communicators
Figure Three Framework for a communication leader
COMPETENCY LEVEL TIME
Building effective relationships Advanced High
Business focus Advanced High
Consulting and coaching Advanced High
Cross-functional awareness Advanced Medium
Developing other communicators Advanced High
Innovation and creativity Advanced Medium
Listening Advanced Low
Making it happen Advanced Low
Planning Advanced Medium
Specialist NA NA
Vision and standards Advanced High
Craft (writing and design) Advanced Low
CONTACT DETAILS
Sue DewhurstCompetent Communicatorssuedewhurstcompetentcommunicatorscom
Liam FitzPatrickCompetent Communicatorsliamfitzpatrickcompetentcommunicatorscom
ldquoOUR RESEARCH FOUND A SMALL GROUP OFPEOPLE WORKING IN INTERNALCOMMUNICATION WHO SEE THEMSELVES ASSUBJECT-MATTER EXPERTSrdquo
20 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC President and CEO John Ryan joined theorganization in 1997 For the first few years hefocused on financial viability and positioning thecorporation for the future ndash articulating a newvision redefining strategic objectives expandingproduct and service offerings and identifyingpotential growth areas
The business results were outstanding double-digit growth increasing profits and great customerloyalty But something was missing
Like many successful organizations FCCoperated with a silo mentality Organizationalpolitics consumed energy that Ryan felt detractedfrom employee satisfaction and he worried aboutthe impact on the customer experience
He wanted his direct reports to work togetheras a real team ndash not to behave like individualleaders of functional areas Although the groupperformed well when there was a real challengeafter the challenge was gone so was the teamwork
This is not unusual for top executive groupsbut Ryan wasnrsquot willing to accept that fate ldquoTherehad to be a way to have a team-based
organization where leaders had the autonomythey needed to perform while actively collaboratingto achieve a new level of unprecedented resultsrdquohe said ldquoFCC had a very hierarchical culture withfirmly drawn divisional boundaries so I knew Ihad a challenge ahead of merdquo
Cultural transformation from the topIn 2002 John hired Malandro Communicationbased in Phoenix Arizona to guide FCCrsquos seniorleadership through a unique cultural transformationthat would lead to the creation of a high-performance team Leaders committed to being100-percent accountable for their impact onpeople and business results They let go of thetraditional 50-50 model ldquoIrsquoll do my part if you doyoursrdquo ndash a model that breeds a culture of blameconspiracies and distrust
In a series of formal training initiatives leaderswere taught to speak from the heart listen toother perspectives be open and responsive tofeedback and encourage personal andprofessional growth
Opportunity for internal communicationBy 2003 we were well on our way FCC producedremarkable business results with strong numbersright across the board The portfolio grew fromnearly CAN$9 billion to over CAN$10 billionThen two things happened that created anopportunity for internal communication tobecome a driver of business results 1 In 2003 we earned 50th place on Canadarsquos
ldquo50 Best Employersrdquo list and a respectableemployee engagement score of 69 percent
Defining the role ofstrategic comms atFarm Credit Canada
Farm Credit Canada (FCC) is in the fourth year of acultural-transformation program At the start of itsjourney clear expectations were set defining the role
to be played by internal communication In this summaryof the companyrsquos plans and achievements Kellie Garrettand Claire Watson describe the goals strategies andtactics employed by the internal communication teamand the impressive results achieved to date
Setting the stage for a cultural transformation
BY KELLIE GARRETT AND CLAIRE WATSON
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Farm Credit Canada isCanadarsquos largest provider offinancing to the agricultureindustry It serves 45000customers and has 1300employees working from 100rural offices across CanadaFCC is ranked eighth amongCanadarsquos 50 best employers
21scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC is a high performer in all otheroperational areas and employee engagementis a strong predictor of sustained corporateperformance But the survey showed therewas work to be done to align perceptionsbetween the senior leadership team andemployees Detailed results showed the gaps(see Figure One below)
2 Ryan became more determined to create ahigh-performance team that could deliver anextraordinary customer experience andsustainable business results
Establishing expected behaviorAs a first step towards creating a critical mass ofleaders who visibly demonstrate the behaviorsrequired to transform FCCrsquos culture middlemanagement and key cross-functional teams weretrained in responsible teamwork practices andcommunication skills
Ryan then created a set of 10 cultural practicesthat explicitly outlined how he expectedemployees at all levels to behave (see side barnext page) The foundation of these practices isthe belief that the drive for business results mustbe balanced by the attendant impact on people Inother words how the work was accomplished wasevery bit as important as what was accomplishedThe cultural practices were rolled out to allemployees in 2003
With the expected behavior from leaders andemployees clearly articulated it was time forinternal communication to find opportunities tosupport and promote these behaviors
Challenge 1 Creating a strategic frameworkOur first objective was to create a broaderstrategic framework for internal communicationA review of best-practice companies revealed thatformal media represents about 10 percent of allinternal communication channels with internalsystems accounting for another 10 percent Theremaining 80 percent is influenced by theorganizational culture
Our task was to put a formal strategy in placethat would strengthen the 10 percent ofcommunication we did have control over ndash theinternal communication channels
Within FCC the dominant employeecommunication channels were immediatemanagers e-mail and the intranet (Myinet)Front-line managers delivered corporate messagesdirectly to employees and their efforts weresupported by all-staff e-mails
There was nothing wrong with this approachbut it didnrsquot go far enough in the delivery of clearconsistent messages about strategic direction orcorporate priorities Nor did it create a line ofsight between individuals and business outcomes
For example a lack of central coordination wasresulting in unclear mixed messages thatconfused the internal audience A proliferation ofemployee surveys were independently conductedby various business units and the corporate e-mail system was choked with high volumecontributing to information overload
The intranetrsquos navigational structure and searchcapability needed major improvement datedinformation needed to be archived and majordocuments needed to be redeveloped in a web-friendly format
Defining our strategy and objectivesAware of these drawbacks we defined ourstrategy as To adopt a more integrated approachto internal communication and make sure allmessages focus employees on the businesspriorities Our strategies included the followingbull Segment the employee audience and define
communication needs based on demographicspsychographics and geographic location
bull Create a consistent voice across all groupsbull Ensure internal communication is mandatory
for all major corporate initiatives and isintegrated across channels and with othercommunication activities
bull Deliver targeted information through a varietyof channels and vehicles to reinforce messaginghelp with recall appeal to differentpreferences and create and sustain interest
bull Redevelop the intranet and position it as aninformation source for corporate businessemployee industry and technical information
bull Reduce the volume of corporate e-mailbull Implement a monthly employee survey to
replace the proliferation of one-off surveysindependently launched by business units
bull Create broad awareness and understanding ofkey corporate drivers such as business strategycorporate values and brand positioning 3
Kellie Garrett ABC MALeadership is senior VPStrategy Knowledge ampReputation at Farm CreditCanada and Chair of the IABCResearch Foundation Garrettis a frequent speaker onbusiness strategy leadershipand personal brand
Claire Watson ABC APR isthe master communicationstrategist for Farm CreditCanada Watson has won anumber of international andnational awards for her workis a published author and acertified change managementspecialist
MEASUREMENT EMPLOYEES SENIORMANAGERS
GAP
Senior management is open and honest incommunication
59 94 -35
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible
54 88 -34
Managers effectively support andimplement our people practices
48 81 -33
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 94 -23
Figure One Engagement survey results
22 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Defining the role of strategic comms at Farm Credit Canada
Successful tactics introducedSome of the tactics wersquove successfully introducedto bring this strategy to life include the following
1 Tracking key messagesWe created an employee key-message matrix thatis shared with leaders across the organization andhelps to ensure we deliver a consistent messageWe deliver the rewritten message through avariety of channels including e-mail letter featurearticle in the internal publication online throughour Monday Morning Update or directly to staffmeetings through managers and supervisors
2 Adopting a multi-channel approachWersquove expanded our channels beyond e-mail andthe intranet New channels now includebull AgriCulture ndash an employee print newsletter
published three times a year to communicatecorporate information and reinforce FCCrsquossocial and cultural fabric
bull An online feature called ldquoFrom the Desk ofthe CEOrdquo to keep employees in the loop
bull All staff e-mails from the CEO and VPsbull Discussion guides and QampAs for leadersbull Internal presentations and speeches delivered
by the senior leadership teambull Other printed material such as pocket cards
and brochures accompanied by a letter
3 Cutting down on information overloadSteps wersquove taken includebull Bundling all-staff messages into a Monday
Morning Update and bundling messages forcorporate headquarters staff into a CorporateOffice Update
bull Implementing a corporate e-mail policy withdefined subject-line conventions length andapproved topics
bull Restricting the use of all-staff e-mails to thesenior management team and certain keyindividuals
bull Improving the functionality of the intranetand redeveloping key business tools forefficient web use
bull Centralizing coordination of internal surveysbull Elevating the quality and clarity of internal
speeches and conferences to focus onstrategic business drivers
Challenge 2 Supporting leadershipThe results of our 2003 engagement survey alsorevealed an opportunity to increase trust betweenemployees and FCCrsquos senior management teamRyan and his VP responsible for communication(Kellie Garrett) believed that creating greatervisibility and better access to the senior managerswas vital to the establishment of a values-basedculture and a high-performance team
7
MEASUREMENT 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Senior management is open and honestin communication
59 73 81 83 91
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible to employees
54 71 82 83 81
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 81 87 87 85
I see strong evidence of effectiveleadership from the senior leadershipteam
69 83 87 88 93
I have a good understanding ofbusiness goals and objectives
76 77 81 81 88
Senior leadership has clearlycommunicated what we need to do tobe successful
NA NA 89 90 93
Figure Two Survey scores tracked from 2003-2007
FCCrsquoS 10 CULTURAL PRACTICESWe hold ourselves and each other accountable for
1 Our impact on business results and our impact on people
2 Delivering on commitments agreements and promises
3 Building and sustaining committed partnerships
4 Creating a safe environment where people can speak up without fear
5 We measure our success by how others perceive and respond to ourleadership not by our personal point of view
6 We talk straight in a responsible manner We are committed to the successof others ndash we do not engage in ldquoconspiracies againstrdquo people
7 We ldquolisten forrdquo contributions and commitment We do not listen againstpeople or ideas
8 We are highly coachable We actively seek and listen to coaching
9 We clean up and recover quickly
10 We acknowledge others often and celebrate both small and largesuccesses
ldquoLIKE DEVELOPING A COMPANYrsquoS IMAGE ORBRAND CULTURE CAN lsquoJUST HAPPENrsquo OR ITCAN BE DESIGNED STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONHAS PLAYED A CENTRAL ROLErdquo
23scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 FCC launched a culture-change program focused on
improving performance across the organization
bull Two key aims of the program are to encourage leaders and employeesto embody the values and improve staff engagement
bull Defining its strategy and goals at the outset internal communicationhas played a role in achieving these objectives
bull Results so far include less information overload a more accessibleleadership team and improved engagement scores
The challenge for internal communication wasto improve employeesrsquo perception of the visibilityaccessibility and trust for the senior managementteam Successful tactics introduced includebull A ldquoDine-Aroundrdquo program where three
senior leaders host a monthly lunch for ninepeople
bull An online forum called SMT Exchangewhere employees can anonymously askleaders tough questions and answers areposted for all to see
bull Senior leaders author more all-staff e-mailsare more visible and accessible at companyevents and deliver presentations that focus onconnecting employees to the business agenda
The goals we started with When we defined our internal communicationstrategy in 2003 we had some clear goals to worktowards These werebull To communicate relevant information in a
timely consistent and memorable waybull To reduce information overloadbull To influence an increase in the
communication-related elements of theengagement index
bull To contribute to an increase in employeeengagement from 69 to 74 percent
We also had specific year-one objectivesbull To increase understanding of business goals
and objectives beyond 78 percent bull To increase employee opinion about effective
senior leadership from 69 to 73 percentbull To improve employee opinions related to
senior management
Achievements and measurable resultsWith these goals guiding our efforts themeasurable results wersquove achieved so far includebull The bundling of all-staff e-mail has reduced
the volume by 88 percent ndash amounting toaround 350000 messages over one year
bull Over 450 employees have lunched with amember of the senior management team and170 QampAs have been posted on our seniormanagement online exchange
bull The survey scores relating to employeesrsquoperception of leadership and theirunderstanding of goals and objectives showsteady improvement since 2003 (see FigureTwo bottom left)
bull FCCrsquos engagement scores and subsequentranking among Canadarsquos 50 best employershas moved from 69 percent engagement and50th place in 2004 to 81 percent and 35thplace in 2005 84 percent and 12th place in2006 and 82 percent and 8th place in 2007
Cultural transformationThe internal communication strategy described inthis article has set the stage to communicatecultural transformation across the organization
Wersquore now in the fourth year of our culturaltransformation ndash creating an environment wherepeople are empowered feel safe and highperformance can flourish This involves aquantum shift in how employees behave andrelate to their co-workers and customers
Like developing a companyrsquos image or brandculture can ldquojust happenrdquo or it can be designedStrategic communication has played a central roleto create awareness understanding commitmentand motivate changes in behavior at every level ofthe organization
John Ryan has the final word ldquoOver the years Ihave learned that communication is at the heartof building a high-performance culture ndash a culturewhere people are fully engaged Communicationis vital Without it leaders cannot effect positivechange Our internal strategy recognizesemployees as a primary audience and a keyconduit to the customer the media stakeholdersand communities Our strategic approach tointernal communication significantly contributesto business resultsrdquo scm
CONTACT DETAILS
Kellie GarrettFarm Credit CanadaKellieGarrettfcc-facca
Claire WatsonFarm Credit CanadaClaireWatsonfcc-facca
24 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
In January 2004 Pfizer at Sandwich in Kent UKcommissioned a review of its existing charitablecontributions program which included matchedpayroll giving volunteering and grants for localcommunity charities and voluntary groups CCWorks the community investment consultancywas also approached to manage the day-to-dayadministration of grant applications from thecommunity
However it was decided that the administrationcould not be effectively managed until suitablecriteria were put in place for the grants programEssentially a company cannot outsourceresponsibility for its charitable donations unlesstherersquos a clear strategy in place for doing this
Although there were various policies in placefor the different elements of the existingcommunity investment program there was a lackof strategic direction to the program as a whole
Auditing the community grants programAs a first step CC Works examined the existinggrants program and also conducted external
benchmarking with voluntary organizations in thecommunity to gage perceptions of Pfizer
It emerged that many organizations werereceiving small grants ndash although some werenrsquotsure why ndash but only 16 percent of the currentspend was going on health-related causes ForPfizer a major global healthcare company thiswasnrsquot strategic It was clear that as a healthcarecompany Pfizer should be trying to improve thehealth of its local area by focusing on three coreareas health community and education
There was also a need for grants to be morelocally focused A significant amount of the spendwas going outside of the immediate East Kentarea CC Works recommended that to allow thecompany maximum freedom to operate in itscommunity it should focus grants on theimmediate community of East Kent which alsohappened to be a deprived area
Segmenting current grantsWorking in partnership with CC Works currentgrant allocation was examined by sector localarea and size of grant and in May 2004 two-yeartargets were set to increase the strategic impact ofcommunity grantsbull Increase grants allocated to health-related
projects to 50 percentbull Increase average grant from UKpound300 to
UKpound1000bull Increase East Kent allocation to 90 percent
This change was designed to be gradual so thatthe shift in allocation could be well managed
The new focus on the community mirrors
Engaging employees inPfizerrsquos communityinvestment program
In 2003 Pfizer at Sandwich UK was running manyelements of a community investment program butthere was little awareness among employees and no
real focus By July 2006 the program had beentransformed and now actively contributes to employeeand community relationships Here Pam Baker andChristine Jenkins describe the journey from disconnectedpolicies to award-winning program
Communicating an approach with clear links toemployees and the local community
BY PAM BAKER AND CHRISTINE JENKINS
scm FEATURES
Pfizerrsquos site at Sandwich inKent is the UK manufacturingheadquarters of Pfizer Incglobal pharmaceuticalcompany Its workforce of4000 makes it the largestprivate employer in East Kent
1 2 3 4 5
25scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pfizerrsquos global mission to be ldquothe most valuedcompany to patients customers colleaguesinvestors business partners and the communitieswhere we work and liverdquo For the communityinvestment program a measurable mission wascreated ldquoto improve the health indicators of thepeople of East Kentrdquo
Focus on colleague involvementThe next step in July 2004 was to conduct areview of the employee engagement elements ofcommunity investment to examine how thesecould be better integrated These elementsincluded payroll giving volunteering and staff-matched fundraising
For Pfizer at Sandwich the obvious first choicewas to look at volunteering Eighty-five percent ofPfizer employees are minimum graduate level ndashoffering much-needed skills to a deprived areaAll employees have five paid days a year they canuse for volunteering ndash this not only supports thecommunity it boosts employee engagement andcreates opportunities for employees to visiblyconnect with the community and vice versa
In October 2004 volunteering was identified asa key area for development but for employeevolunteering to be a success it had to beproactively marketed inside Pfizer and thereneeded to be adequate support andadministration behind the program
A database of volunteering opportunitiesIn conjunction with CC Works a searchable data-base of local volunteering opportunities was createdPfizer felt it was important to create a tailoreddatabase that would be furnished internally inorder to ensure a local bias and to maintain thequality of the information supplied to employees
In order to tie in with employeesrsquo personaldevelopment plans opportunities in the databasehad to meet at least two of Pfizerrsquos six keycompetencies 1 Team development2 Project management3 Coaching and development4 Decision making5 Effective partnership6 Working with change
To fill the database with relevant opportunities allorganizations that had contacted Pfizer for grantsor funding in the past three years were re-contacted and asked if they would also beinterested in volunteering
Over 70 percent responded positively and 300volunteering opportunities were sourced CCWorks helped the voluntary organizations puttogether opportunities that were most likely totake advantage of Pfizer employeesrsquo range of
specialist skillsThese opportunities were categorized on the
database according to skill geographic area andtype of charity allowing employees to search forsomething suitable for them Pfizer wasnrsquotprescriptive in its approach and allowed staff tovolunteer where the opportunity matched theirpersonal-development goals interests or wasgeographically convenient
Opportunities were wide-ranging from helpingin a charity shop to teaching in a schoolImportantly because database management isoutsourced to CC Works therersquos constantproactivitiy around seeking new opportunities andproviding administrative support that would havebeen difficult to maintain in-house
Launching the ldquoReaching Outrdquo programTo encourage involvement and awarenessemployees were asked to suggest a name for therevitalized volunteering program ldquoReaching Outrdquowas chosen and the new volunteering website waslaunched in May 2005 The site sits on PfizerSandwichrsquos intranet and any employee orcontractor can access it
A charity week was also held to help promotethe Reaching Out program Various charitiesvisited Pfizer during lunch breaks to explain whatthey do and the opportunities to work with themA soft incentive for staff to register on theReaching Out site was that Pfizer would donate20 rehydration sachets to Unicef (monetary valueof about pound2)
Reaching Out was also featured in a webcastfrom a senior leader that went to all employees(about 3000 staff plus contractors) at the start ofthe week and it was profiled in the weekly onlinemagazine Pipeline 3
Pam Baker is directorStrategic Operations andCommunity Affairs at Pfizer UK
Christine Jenkins is founderof CC Works a consultancyoffering communityinvestment advice andpractical solutions to thecorporate and voluntarysectors Previously she heldsenior manager roles in thevoluntary and private sectors
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 an audit of Pfizer at Sandwichrsquos community investment
program revealed a lack of strategic direction
bull In partnership with consultancy CC Works a decision was made tofocus the program on the local community
bull An effort to raise employee involvement through volunteering hasboosted the program and linked it to employee engagement
bull The ldquoReaching Outrdquo website gives employees the freedom to work withcharities of their choice
bull By July 2006 the ldquoHealthy Communitiesrdquo program had beentransformed and won a National Example of Excellence award fromBusiness in the Community
26 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TOP TIPS FOR COMMUNITY INVESTMENTbull Ask yourself why yoursquore undertaking this program and seek clarity around
your objectives
bull Focus on likely ldquowinsrdquondash ie areas with scope for improvement such asemployee engagement or external awareness
bull Tackle one area at a time in stages and aim for excellence in each arearather than trying to boil the ocean
bull Communication is key to success Create a distinct brand and identity forthe program to encourage awareness and involvement
bull Integrate different community programs ndash a holistic approach can maximizebenefits for the community staff engagement and corporate reputation
Over 450 employees registered to use thesite over the next two months with 230 employees(8 percent of staff) actively volunteering duringthe first year This beat a target to have 5 percentof employees volunteering 12 months after launchIn 2005 employees volunteered 4800 hours
Helping employees select the right optionEmployees can search the volunteering databaseby skill geographic area or type of charity and aregiven a range of choices Then the onus is on theemployee to speak to the charity and obtainfurther details on current opportunities inaddition to whatrsquos on the database The employeethen applies to his or her line manager Anintegrated work process enables staff to obtainapproval from their manager interact with thevoluntary organization and record their effortskeeping administration to a minimum
Managers at Pfizer Sandwich are keen foremployees to volunteer because theyrsquore aware ofthe potential benefits in terms of employeeengagement and skills development ndash a largenumber of managers are volunteers themselvesPfizer also held briefing sessions for managers toensure they were aware of the volunteeringprogram its benefits and how it works
7
Engaging employees in Pfizerrsquos community investment program
Incorporating employee feedbackThe database tracks employeesrsquo volunteeringefforts including how many hours theyrsquove doneand their feedback on the opportunitiesEmployee feedback can then be accessed by otherstaff looking for an opportunity The databasegives employees better insight into the availableopportunities and allows them to select somethingthat appeals to them so that both the employeeand the organization where they volunteer gets abetter ldquofitrdquo
The database also allows for better integrationof the whole program where volunteering canprovide an alternative or an addition to fundingFor example a well-known national charityapplied to Pfizer at Sandwich for some fundingaround a diversity initiative Pfizer suggested theirdiversity manager volunteer for them instead whohelped create the charityrsquos diversity program thatis now being launched nationally
Creating an integrated programIn May 2005 the decision was taken to bringtogether all the strands of community investmentunder one brand Healthy Communities Thisprogram was to includebull Charitable grantsbull Employee volunteeringbull Gifts in kind Community investment via gifts
in kind such as the use of Pfizer premisesresources and expertise is more easilysustainable and can bring real long-termbenefit to the local community When Pfizerfacilities are used to support communityinitiatives the face-to-face contact withemployees allows relationship-building andnetworking with key influencers Also invitingthe community to use Pfizer resources on siteldquodemystifiesrdquo the company
The overarching strategy behind HealthyCommunities was to support communityinvestment holistically (ie using several of theabove elements in combination) whereverpossible Focusing grants on the areas of greatestneed helps Pfizer achieve its overall missionHowever the donation of gifts in kind can have awider-reaching impact on the community
Taking a holistic approachAn award-winning example of this holisticapproach is the Helping Hartsdown projectwhich was Pfizer Sandwichrsquos biggest ever gift inkindvolunteering project Pfizer donated andrenovated much-needed classrooms at a localschool As well as financial support and gifts inkind the project involved over 100 staff andcontractor volunteers across all departments Aspecific promotion on the Reaching Out website
ldquoBY JULY 2006 THE lsquoHEALTHY COMMUNITIESrsquoPROGRAM HAD BEEN TRANSFORMED AND WONA NATIONAL EXAMPLE OF EXCELLENCE AWARDFROM BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITYrdquo
27scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
POSITIVE IMPACTS OF THE PROGRAMThe Healthy Communities program has had the following positive impacts for Pfizer
bull The program supports and protects Pfizerrsquos freedom to operate effectivelyin East Kent UK
bull Supporting and involving employees in the program engages and motivatesthem The company is also seen to be living its values In a recent survey55 percent of colleagues felt the program was ldquofocused and effectiverdquo
bull The program provides opportunities for colleagues to develop skills Twentypercent of colleagues surveyed stated that they had improved personalskills through taking part in the program
bull A healthy community is a better place to live and work for employees andwill aid retention Retention of the most highly skilled scientists givesPfizer Global Research and Development a competitive edge
bull A vibrant and healthy community helps to attract and retain leadingscientists from around the world
bull Community is one of Pfizerrsquos six core values Communicating activitiesinternally and externally gives a positive perception of the company
helped attract this large number of volunteersincluding senior leaders
Momentum was maintained behind thecommunication of the program with monthlynetworking breakfasts and several themed minicharity fairs to give local good causes the chanceto showcase their volunteering Individuals andteamsrsquo volunteering efforts were also regularlyprofiled in Pipeline
The December 2006 employee survey showedan 85-percent awareness level of Reaching Outand the program won a ldquoNational Example ofExcellence Awardrdquo from Business in theCommunity1
Relaunching the websiteIn June 2006 the Reaching Out website wasrelaunched to incorporate payroll giving andmatched fundraising under the same brand asvolunteering and utilize the existing software Allelements can now be applied for on the same site
The number of employees registered with thesite increased to over 1000 and the number of adhoc staff enquiries handled by CC Worksincreased dramatically as awareness andinvolvement levels rose among the workforce
External communicationA quarterly newsletter containing a round-up ofPfizerrsquos community investment work is producedand distributed widely to external stakeholdersincluding 3000 local residents Following theBusiness in the Community award the magazineCommunity News was revamped its circulationincreased and it was also desk-dropped to allemployees The magazine also helps to raiseawareness of Pfizer among local organizations
A pocket-sized booklet was produced containingkey facts and figures about the Healthy Communitiesprogram This gives employees especially seniorleaders at-a-glance information on the programallowing them to act as ambassadors for Pfizerrsquoscommunity investment work
Senior leaders at Pfizer Sandwich are keenadvocates of the program and having a clearbrand helps them communicate its benefits andraise awareness both internally and externally
Next stepsDespite its award-winning status there are plansto take Healthy Communities even further Theseinclude further research into employee feedbackand closer links to personal development plans InPfizer at Sandwichrsquos Global Operations functionvolunteering forms part of personal objectives ndashthis is an aspiration for the rest of the business
Pfizer also wants to improve team volunteeringand a toolkit is being prepared for team leaderswho wish to get involved in volunteering
Finally in order to share knowledge and bestpractice around community investment with otherlocal businesses Pfizer is hosting a Kentmembership network in conjunction with KentCounty Council This will help Pfizer work closelywith the local authority and bring local businessestogether to share ideas and collaborate toimprove their impact on the community scm
1 httpwwwbitcorguk
CONTACT DETAILS
Pam BakerPfizerpambakerpfizercom
Christine JenkinsCC Workschristinejenkinsccworkscouk
28 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Editorrsquos noteSucceeding in internal communication probablyisnrsquot all that different to succeeding in anyprofession understand whatrsquos expected of you dothe job well and deliver results But when youspeak to practitioners about how they personallyturned the corner in their careers and started tomake an impact it soon becomes clear that thereare many dos and donrsquots that can help or hinderprogress This article provides a handy checklistfor those with ambitious development plans
John G ClemonsVice President CommunicationsRaytheon Technical Services Co Llc
Take the initiativeThere have been a few career-defining momentsfor me Among them was the time when I realizedthat I was moving from a manager level to the
decision-making role of a director I worked for a senior executive who hired me
from a rival telecommunications company Uponjoining the company I developed strategiccommunication plans to address various businesschallenges During the development process Iperiodically checked in with my supervisor to gethis input and approval ndash probably more thannecessary ndash before moving to the next steps in planning
One day he called me into his office and saidthat while he liked the work I was doing for himhis expectation when he hired me as a directorwas that I would take the initiative in the job relyless on his frequent input and move forward with implementation and measurement Hewanted results
His counsel was along the lines of ldquoI hired youto do a directorrsquos job so do the job of a directorYou donrsquot have to get permission to make adifferencerdquo
Meet commitments and think strategicallyHis direction motivated me to take moreresponsibility at this new job level This alsomeant that I had to not just manage but leadmeet commitments and think more strategicallyto continue to earn not only his confidence butthe support of the entire leadership team
Irsquove found that being a communicationprofessional who is also a leader that can betrusted can get things done and truly support thegoals and objectives of an organization will notonly impress others but help build your credibilityand lead to success
How to get ahead ininternal communication
The path that leads internal communicators to thetop of their profession isnrsquot always an obvious oneWhich is why we asked a range of senior practitioners
to share their thoughts and experiences on gaining therespect of those who matter Whether its senior leadersfellow employees or your own team yoursquore looking toimpress these responses provide useful insight into howto make sure you and your work gets noticed
Senior practitioners share their views on how togain influence and credibility
COMPILED BY MANDY THATCHER
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
29scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Mark DarbyHead of Internal CommunicationsVisaUK
Be smart sharp and stubbornThe biggest lesson Irsquove learned and keep havingto remind myself is that I need to be smart sharpand stubborn to get ahead This is what thosewords mean to me in a work context
Smart I need to understand what Visa is doingand what people think about the business Thismeans constantly spending time in differentdepartments and learning from them I know whoour customers are what our challenges are andwhat our current financial performance is I havecontacts in most departments who have a fingeron the pulse which means I can have a relevantconversation with a senior person from any department
Sharp Internal communication is rarely near thetop of the agenda for senior people and my timewith them is usually short I always try to talkabout the impact on business performance assoon as possible If I circulate a document it willbe summarized to a single page at most and Idonrsquot use PowerPoint I ask a lot of ldquoonerdquo questionssuch as ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing you want employeesto do differentlyrdquo or ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing youwant me to change over the next six monthsrdquo
Stubborn I know what I want internal communica-tion to achieve at Visa and it has the support ofthe senior team Irsquove built up knowledge frombooks and articles I use my education from theBlack Belt training course1 and I speak to formercolleagues With this knowledge Irsquove becomestubborn and good at saying no because I have theinformation to back up my arguments Irsquove stoppedmy team from picking up extra projects that wonrsquotdeliver much value We focus only on projects thatadd the most value to the business and we deliveron these really well Successful delivery is thebiggest influence on any senior person
Monika StaffordHead of Internal CommunicationLloyds TSBUK
Be creative and focus on a killer issueUsing creative solutions to bring to life importantndash but often dull ndash programs can create a shinethat stretches beyond project boundaries For
example I worked on the implementation of SAPndash a business-critical systems program ndash requiringbehavior change from swathes of key yetuninterested people Successful implementationwas a big risk to get right but it was as dull asdishwater to communicate
Luckily there was a ldquoEurekardquo moment Byaligning the SAP story with the metaphor ofFormula-1 racing we could tell the tale of how itwould fulfill our need to create winningperformances for both the individual driver aswell as the back-up team in order to perform wellon the road ahead This storyline was a perfectmatch for the programrsquos objectives
Launch speakers from Formula 1 great designwork not to mention fantastic collateral allresulted in a no-hitch implementation that reallyresonated with people The global companypicked it up as the approach for worldwide rollout So faced with tedium it can actually pay tostare out of the window for creative inspiration
My other piece of advice is Focus on a killerissue If you really want to get ahead (and do besure you really do as being at the center ofchange is often akin to being in the eye of ahurricane ndash itrsquos no place for the feint-hearted)learn what keeps your business leaders up atnight Use your stakeholder-management skills toget to the people you need to help you deliversolutions then execute execute execute
Focus on value-adding work only because ifyou end up working on your companyrsquos cul-de-sacprojects yoursquoll never shine brightly enough forthe leaders in your company to notice you 3
COMPETENCY
Planning internal communication 76
Linking corporate messages to corporate vision 73
CEO communication 63
Change communication 60
Communicating to diverse audiences 60
Using the intranet as a communication tool 54
Defending your department in internal political battles 43
Line manager communication 42
Professional development of internal communication staff 33
Helping employees cope with information overload 32
Securing the appropriate level of budget for internal communication 30
Measuring the effectiveness of internal communication 28
Figure One Table from The Pulse report showing the percentage of communicators who ratethemselves as effective or very effective at listed competencies
30 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
WHATrsquoS CHANGED IN THE LAST 25 YEARS
David MoorcroftSenior Vice PresidentCorporate CommunicationsRBC Financial Group Canada
Irsquom constantly amazed at the changes that have taken place in our professionover the last 25 years and the degree of talent and knowledge required bycommunicators today to do their jobs well
Back in 1979 when I started in corporate PR the major skill sets werewriting editing and great media contacts Today good editorial skills are justtable stakes and the ability to understand business adapt technology thinkstrategically plan consummately and influence stakeholders are what landsenior communicators a seat at the management table
This change has been driven by the globalization of business the advent ofnew 247 media including the Internet the growing sophistication ofcustomers and employees increased demands for corporate transparency andmore rigorous requirements for high standards of public disclosure andfinancial reporting
MORE SKILLS THAN EVER BEFOREAs a result todayrsquos business communicator has to be more capable andknowledgeable and have more skills than ever before They must befinancially literate and technologically savvy They must understand the impactof evolving accounting and disclosure rules They must deal with legal HRpolitical and business issues And they must be prepared to deal with amultitude of potential crises that can arise at any moment in any language inany part of the world
Perhaps most challenging senior management today expects clear bottom-line returns for their investments in communication Itrsquos no longer enough toinform audiences and measure communication outputs CEOs expectcommunication to engage audiences and produce outcomes ndash something thatrequires strategic thinking planning and foresight
A friend of mine who left a senior corporate PR job to become COO of amajor public utility recently summed up the role of todayrsquos communicator thisway ldquoItrsquos one of the most important and critical roles in organizations todayand yet itrsquos often one of the least recognized and appreciatedrdquo
That sentiment may be a reality in some organizations today but with moreand more CEOs beginning to realize the bottom-line value of communication itwonrsquot be 25 years from now
Christina FeeSenior Vice President InternalCommunicationsDeutsche Post AGGermany
Seek out the important projectsI canrsquot pretend to have employed a specificapproach to my ldquopersonal PRrdquo at all But in theorganizations Irsquove worked for Irsquove had theopportunity to work on a number of excitinghigh-profile projects that have connected me withsenior stakeholders and influential people atdifferent levels
7
Irsquove learned a great deal from the project teamsIrsquove worked with and also due to the significanceand scope of the projects been able todemonstrate my worth approach and skills Irsquovehad to be passionate stand up for what I believein and think outside the box constantly
My roles within DHLDeutsche Post haveallowed me the freedom and flexibility to developand deliver new ideas but Irsquove also had to practiceand embody excellent internal communicationskills myself Having developed credibility and trustwith those that matter based on my track record Iwas allowed to go ahead with other projects
I donrsquot actively pursue the ldquoright relationshipsrdquobut rather let my work and my interactions withpeople speak for themselves This has helped medevelop mentors and supporters naturally Mylearning and development has also been expandedby the opportunity to work abroad and learn moreabout intercultural communication and interaction
Marc SilversideHead of Internal CommunicationsMacmillan Cancer SupportUK
Understand whatrsquos expected of youA newly established role heightens the need formaking a good impression so that people trustyou and feel they can come to you for advice
When I joined Macmillan I very nearly got thiswrong Perhaps this is an example that otherrsquos canlearn from
When my new CEO at Macmillan CancerSupport asked for a meeting ldquoafter a few weeks tosettle inrdquo I was confident that my wide-ranginginduction would help me understand the businessand provide the basis for what Irsquod present tosenior management
Forty structured face-to-face managerinterviews allowed me to understand needs andkey issues and I started to build personal rapportMy profile was raised and at the same timeinternal communication gained good visibility
Externally I networked with contacts in similarroles in other charities and soon found thebeginnings of a voluntary-sector network This hassince grown to over 25 members
By the time my CEO slot arrived I was armedwith input from across the charity and the resultsof an audit I felt well prepared to present myvision and solutions So I was surprised to be metwith significant resistance
I later discovered that my CEO intelligence wasincorrect What he wanted was to be askedspecifically about his own views on what internalcommunication should do and what I could do for
How to get ahead in internal communication
31scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
HOW DO YOUR SKILLS MEASURE UPFor Melcrumrsquos study into budgets salaries and trends in internalcommunication in 200607 we asked survey respondents to rate their owneffectiveness at a range of key communication competencies from planning tomeasurement The results may surprise you
For example 76 percent of respondents rate themselves as effective or veryeffective at planning internal communication but only 28 percent ratethemselves as equally effective at measuring its effectiveness (see Figure Onepage 29)
In her commentary on the results development expert Sue Dewhurst hadthe following to say
OUR STRENGTHSIt seems where we see our strengths as internal communicators is towards theldquofront endrdquo of the communication planning process For example being able tolink a plan to the business strategy knowing our audiences and being able tojoin up the dots and show people how messages link to the business vision
These are powerful strengths We are one of the few functions that tends tohave an overarching view of our entire company and is able to view thecompany and its strategy from a number of different perspectives Being ableto understand the vision and strategy view it from an audience perspectiveand then create line of sight to show what those things mean in practicalterms for peoplersquos day-to-day roles is one of the ways that we help drivebusiness performance ndash by showing people what they need to do to take thestrategy forward
In turn by knowing and working with our audiences hopefully wersquore thenalso able to make sure their views and suggestions can help shape the strategyand how itrsquos put into practice
MEASURING EFFECTIVENESSWe see ourselves as less effective towards the back end of the planningprocess in measuring the effectiveness of internal communication which tiesin with the feeling from previous questions that in fact wersquore not doing muchmeasurement or demonstrating our return on investment
Research and measurement is an area where there is plenty of expertisearound to call on There are measurement conferences research reports andpublications to understand what other organizations are doing and practicaltraining that will give you the opportunity to work in a smaller group askquestions and practice techniques For help with specific techniques try yourinternal marketing team Marketers are generally great with data and well-versed in running focus groups and putting together surveys If you have anexternal provider to support your employee engagement research try them too
Source The Pulse Essential data on budgets salaries and trends 2006-07wwwmelcrumcom
him rather than how I could benefit the charity Ihad to change my approach fast
This could have cost me my best ambassadorfrom day one So my advice is make sure yoursquoreabsolutely clear about whatrsquos expected from you
Of course the insights I gained in my first fewmonths have been valuable and since then myresults have done the talking Fortunately theCEO soon became an internal communicationsconvert and advocate
Darren CrozierCommunications ManagerHBOS plcUK
Make things happenDelivery is key to career development ndash if you sayyoursquore going to do something make sure you doit Put in the effort get the results you want andbe known as someone who can make things happenIf yoursquore seen to ldquoget things donerdquo no matter howsmall the job is people are more likely to get youinvolved in activities and ask your opinion
Gaining credibility and respect from seniorcolleagues is important but everyone in yourorganization will form an opinion of you from thepeople in the canteen right through to the CEOSo try and make sure that their opinion of you is agood one
Itrsquos not just the people within your immediatesphere of influence who can have an impact onyour career so extend your network go oncourses and get involved in professionalorganizations Many of my close workingrelationships career opportunities and indeedpersonal friendships have come from meetingpeople at such events and taking the time to keepin touch You never know how things will develop
Itrsquos also vital to earn respect be trustworthy andhave good manners To recall what an ex-bossonce said ldquoBe careful how you treat people onthe way up as you never know when you maycome across them againrdquo
One of the biggest challenges Irsquove found inrecent times is recognizing my own success andselling myself Sometimes you need to take a stepback to realize just what yoursquove achieved Evenbetter keep a log or portfolio of your successesand donrsquot be shy to speak about them becauseothers wonrsquot be shy to speak about theirs
Finally try and have some fun along the wayWe all have to work for a living so learn to makethe most of it scm
1 For more about Melcrumrsquos Internal Communication Black Belttraining program go to wwwmelcrumcom
32 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pitney Bowes has followed an aggressive strategyof growth through acquisition completing 60+acquisitions since 2001 Expansion has broadenedits product mix to include an extensive range ofsolutions from office equipment to globalpositioning software
But the companyrsquos many different specialismsand huge outsourcing operations meant that themajority of its 34000 employees werenrsquot aware ofthe full range of its service offering and thepotential for different divisions to work together
As Rob Hallam vice president EmployeeCommunication explains there was a strongbusiness case for adopting a ldquoone companyrdquoapproach ldquoBecause the businesses tended to besomewhat siloed even senior managers werefocused on their divisions
ldquoAlso because we were acquiring companiesand evolving so rapidly managers werenrsquot awareof a lot of the businesses and how they all workedtogether in the mailstreamrdquo says Hallam ldquoWewere missing out on potential cross-sellingopportunitiesrdquo
Communicating a new visionFour years ago Pitney Bowes created a OneCompany Vision statement ldquoOur aim was toensure support and cooperation across thebusiness so we could provide a comprehensive setof customer solutions ndash not just a list of productsand services by business unitrdquo says Hallam Theinternal communication challenge was to drawtogether 34000 employees and build a unifiedcorporate culture The communication strategyfocused on three key elements
1 PeopleThis focused on involving the leadershipstrengthening a two-way dialogue betweenmanagement and employees communicating theculture through leadership messaging enterprise-wide events and roadshows and buildingengagement so that everyone was workingtogether towards a One Company approach
2 ProcessesThis meant integrating the One Companyapproach into the organizationrsquos operations andinfrastructure by shifting management roles andadjusting incentives and reward structuresthroughout the company
The first step was to consolidate the companyrsquosoperating activities by appointing Murray DMartin as president and chief operating officer inSeptember 2004 Martinrsquos mantra is ldquoThink AsOne Act as One Operate As One to deliverwhat no other company canrdquo
ldquoThe COO position had previously been heldby the chairman so elevating someone to that
Communicating a OneCompany culture atPitney Bowes
Following rapid growth in the form of more than 60acquisitions over six years silo-working haddeveloped at Pitney Bowes and leaders were failing
to take advantage of profitable cross-selling opportunitiesHere Rob Hallam describes the communication elementsof a ldquoOne Companyrdquo culture-change program which hasturned the situation around simultaneously improvingcustomer service and boosting profits
Persuading disparate businessunits to work together
AN INTERVIEW WITH ROB HALLAM
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Pitney Bowes is an 87-year-old company best known forthe manufacturing operationand oversight of postagemeters It has over two millioncustomers more than 3500active patents and annualrevenue of close to $6 billion
33scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
role was a big changerdquo explains Hallam ldquoAll thebusiness units now report to a single individual atoperating level It represented a huge positivemove to start the company operationalizing OneCompany behaviorrdquo
The internal communication function wasrestructured to ensure that consistent messagingreached the entire employee population Regularmeasurement was a key part of the changeinitiative This served to define the contributionof communicating a One Company approachwhere it was adding value to Pitney Bowes and itsclients and customers and where there was stillwork to do
3 TechnologyIt was important to find the best ways to cascademessages throughout the company and keeppeople informed about what was going onwithout bombarding them with irrelevantcommunication Hallam and his team deploy avariety of channels and media including internalprint and online publications voicemail and e-mail Pitney Bowes is also in the process ofintegrating its different voicemail systems and e-mail platforms into one global system
Involving senior leadership from the outsetThe One Company strategy was an overridingpolicy that started at the top of the organizationldquoThere was a big launch at the strategic leadersrsquomeeting which is held every Januaryrdquo saysHallam ldquoThe messaging was then driven throughthe organization via a companywide globalcommunication strategyrdquo
From the outset the policy was championed bythe CEO Michael Critelli who believes thatculture is central to the Pitney Bowes brand andsaid recently ldquoMy first measure of success iswhether we are behaving as one companyrdquo Thiscommitment helped to ensure that the culturalchange was reinforced by parallel changes to thecorporate infrastructure
Building a two-way dialogueThe next step was to get the employee populationinvolved and build enterprisewide enthusiasm forthe culture change Pitney Bowes has alwaysrecognized the value of a two-way dialoguebetween management and employees and hasheld annual jobholders meetings which aresimilar to shareholdersrsquo meetings for 61 years In2005 Hallam reinvented it as an initiative calledOne Forum ndash a series of roadshows focusing oncommunicating the One Company culturethroughout the organization
Launching the One ForumIn 2005 Hallam and his team created an original
and memorable One Forum launch for the 90percent of Pitney Bowes employees based in theUS Around a quarter of US employees saw thisin person the others received a link to a websitewith streaming highlights
ldquoWe put together a two-hour roadshow eventwhich helped people to understand our OneCompany approach and made them aware of allthe businesses we were inrdquo says Hallam ldquoThethinking was that high change requires high touchFace-to-face can have far greater impact on theindividuals touched From there itrsquos a matter ofripple effect such as seeing improved One Forumbrand awareness among employees who didnrsquotactually attend one of the eventsrdquo
ldquoWe wanted the roadshow to be entertainingand energizing so we used gameshow techniquescustom-written songs and comedy specificallytailored to Pitney Bowes employees It was a funevent but it also included a keynote speech fromthe CEO and a lot of question-and-answersessions with employees It was entertainmentwith a purpose and it was a great success with employeesrdquo
The post-event employee evaluations provedthe success of this approach ldquoIn some cities anincredible 90 percent of employees gave the eventa top-box rating This shows that there was ahunger for both the knowledge and theapproachrdquo adds Hallam
Taking the show on the roadThe One Forum roadshow has become an annualevent ldquoIn a five-month period during 2005 therewere 17 One Forum events in 12 US citiesreaching about 6000 peoplerdquo says Hallam ldquoAftersome testing in March and April the first bigroadshows started in early May and continued forsix months with the final one in early Decemberin Seattle 3
Rob Hallam is vice presidentEmployee Communication atPitney Bowes (PB) in StamfordConnecticut where hersquos beenresponsible for internalcommunication strategy andimplementation since 2004Hallam has led a team ofprofessionals in reshapingcommunication at PB resultedin the communication teamearning the top ranking in HRdepartment satisfaction fromall PBrsquos US managers in 2005and 2006
KEY POINTSbull Internal communication has played an important role in embedding a
One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
bull The communication strategy focused on three key elements peopleprocess and technology
bull The campaign has been championed by the CEO from the outset andhas won senior leadership support over time
bull An entertaining roadshow helped win employee commitment
bull Cross-selling ratios have jumped substantially since the culture-changeeffort began
34 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ldquoIn 2006 we compressed the programsubstantially and drove down costs while stilltouching 6000 employees Together with ourcorporate marketing group we also introduced anextremely successful lsquoelevator speechrsquo that helpsemployees answer the much-feared questionlsquoWhat does Pitney Bowes dorsquordquo
Local variationsAlthough the entertainment component in theroadshows contributed to their success it wasspecific to the US so Hallam gave business unitsand internal communicators in other regions theresponsibility for communicating the OneCompany approach to local employees ldquoInCanada and the UK they conducted town-hallmeetings and in Latin America and other parts ofthe world they produced their own variations onthe One Forum theme We made sure that theyhad the information they needed but we limitedthe entertainment to English-speaking regionsrdquo
A commitment to employee engagementThe appointment of the new COO and the launchof the One Forum roadshows coincided with thefirst employee engagement survey in late 2004ldquoWe see engagement as very much tied to ourability to execute a One Company strategy andchange our culturerdquo says Hallam He sets outfour ways in which employee engagement isinstilled at all levels in the organization
1 Visible leadership commitment to engagementThe CEO underlines his commitment by sendingregular messages to employees via a variety ofmedia including voicemail and print and onlinepublications He also uses engagement scores todetermine a unitrsquos overall performance rating andbonus pool ldquoWhen one senior execrsquos bonus poolwas reduced due to poor engagement scores that
was a message requiring no communication planrdquosays Hallam ldquoWord spread quicklyrdquo
2 Celebrating top performers Pitney Bowes celebrates its top engagementperformers by running cover stories in its globalprint and online publication PB Today ldquoThisprogram was called lsquoThe Faces of Pitney Bowesrsquordquosays Hallam ldquoWe did 10 of these last year so theyran twice in five editions Wersquove also producedlarge mural-sized photos of those managers andtheir teamsrdquo he says ldquoWe celebrate success andpublish it everywhere Our CEO loves it and wersquoreactually selling part of our contemporary artcollection which decorates the building to makeroom for an expansion of additional OneCompany and Engagement photography all ofwhich will focus on our employeesrdquo
3 Incentivizing managers via the reward systemEmployee engagement is recognized andreinforced in the companyrsquos formal processesincluding its reward system ldquoWe use a tool calledthe Strategic Architecture which is our balancedscorecardrdquo explains Hallam ldquoItrsquos a Six-Sigma toolwhich measures employee shareholder andcustomer value Managersrsquo engagement scoresalso factor into their annual reviews soengagement has a direct impact on remunerationrdquo
4 Rewarding engagementA further program called Rapid Rewards awardscash bonuses to managers and employees foroutstanding behavior including that related toemployee engagement
Aligning the communication strategyHallam and his team are responsible fordelivering the overall employee communicationstrategy ldquoWe had to dramatically improve ourstrategic approach in order to make OneCompany a realityrdquo he says
In addition to organizing campaigns such as theOne Forum roadshows to publicize the culturechange across the enterprise Hallam hasintroduced initiatives aimed at improving thereach and delivery of internal communication andmaking sure messages get to their intendedaudiences He has also aligned the structure ofthe internal communication function with thecompanyrsquos unified culture
ldquoThere were a lot of different communicationgroups so we brought together all thecommunication leaders and formed a singleInternal Communications Councilrdquo explainsHallam ldquoThis means that the communicationfunctions in the different business units areworking together to help drive change andimprove coordinationrdquo
Communicating a One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
ldquoWHEN A SENIOR EXECrsquoS BONUS WAS REDUCEDDUE TO POOR ENGAGEMENT SCORES THAT WASA MESSAGE REQUIRING NO COMMUNICATIONPLAN WORD SPREAD QUICKLYrdquo
7
FURTHER RESOURCES3 THE IMPACT OF CULTURE AND CLIMATE ON CHANGE PROGRAMS
An article published in SCM Volume 10 Issue 6 OctoberNovember 2006
3 DRIVING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE CORPORATE CULTUREMelcrumrsquos report on communication tools techniques and best practicefrom leading organizationswwwmelcrumcom
35scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Developing a global approachHallam is also responsible for a globalcommunication project called Universal Reachwhich is sponsored by the chairman and designedto support and maintain a unified corporateculture ldquoOur goal is to provide 90 percentmessage accessibility within our key customer-facing audiencesrdquo he explains ldquoThe biggestchallenge is integrating our online communicationinfrastructure which has nine different voicemailsystems operating across the world and multiplee-mail and web platforms Wersquore pulling all thattogether to provide better reachrdquo
Since 911 the CEO and other top executiveshave broadcast weekly audio messages calledPower Talks Hallamrsquos team has worked with theleadership to ensure that they incorporate OneCompany messages and as he explains they reachmost of the employee population ldquoAbout 20000of our employees have voicemail Those whodonrsquot receive the Power Talk message either inprint or online In some divisions managers playthe Power Talk messages in staff meetingsrdquo
Engaging leadership reinforces the cultureBuilding on the CEOrsquos commitment to a OneCompany approach Hallam and his team haveorganized leadership events ndash most recently at thestrategic leadersrsquo meeting in December 2006 ndashshowing Pitney Bowes as one company in actionThis campaign has helped to engage the top 150managers in the culture change
ldquoOur post-event evaluations show a strongmove numerically in senior leadershiprsquos belief thatwersquore operating as one companyrdquo says Hallam(see Figure One above) ldquoAs theyrsquore our toughestjudges wersquore pleased by the significant differencein pre- and post-event measurementrdquo There wasalso an improvement in leadersrsquo understanding ofthe companyrsquos new mailstream category
Sustaining the new cultureAccording to Hallam rippling out the OneCompany messaging requires a consistent andcoordinated approach Communication leaders inthe various divisions are now working to weaveOne Company messages into the business-unitmeetings ldquoA lot of the messaging that welaunched at the strategic leadersrsquo meeting arebeing reiterated at the business unit level Thatrsquosbeen facilitated through the InternalCommunications Councilrdquo he says
ldquoKey metrics for the culture change programfocus on cross-selling ratios which have jumpedsubstantially since the culture change effortbeganrdquo says Hallam ldquoIn 2002 we also institutedthe ldquoPB1 Awardsrdquo which is a chairmanrecognition award that goes to teams who bestembody cross-functional behavior in working on
projects which improve our clientsrsquo profitabilityour profitability or bothrdquo
ldquoHowever wersquore only really a year into thisMuch of the evidence is anecdotal but what haschanged is that our managers have broadenedtheir vision and are thinking as solutions-providers rather than product-sellers As suchtheyrsquore involving other business units out of theirdesire to eliminate customer pain points ndashregardless of which part of Pitney Bowes gets the salerdquo
Adding value to customersUltimately managers and employees who arewell-informed about the companyrsquos products andservices are in a good position to take advantageof cross-selling opportunities Realizing thispotential enables Pitney Bowes to make extrasales to existing customers thereby increasing itsprofit margins and allowing customers to benefitfrom a mix of products and services
Shifting to a unified culture directly benefitsboth Pitney Bowes and its customers ldquoByfocusing on the whole cadre of products andservices we can help our customers improve theirbusinessesrdquo says Hallam ldquoThatrsquos where OneCompany is critical It enables our clients tobenefit from all our servicesrdquo scm
Figure One Measuring the impact of the strategic leadersrsquo meeting
CONTACT DETAILS
Rob HallamPitney Bowesrobhallampbcom
I BELIEVE THAT OUR SENIOR LEADERS (MEANING THE TOP 15 EXECS) AREWORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO DELIVER INTEGRATED HIGH-VALUESOLUTIONS TO OUR CUSTOMERS
Pre SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 73
Post SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 92
Gain in two months time 19
ldquoMANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WELL-INFORMED ABOUT THE COMPANYrsquoS PRODUCTSAND SERVICES ARE IN A GOOD POSITION TOTAKE ADVANTAGE OF CROSS-SELLINGrdquo
2007
36 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
MELCRUM TRAINING amp EVENTS
CALENDAR 2007UKEUROPESOCIAL MEDIA FORUM FORINTERNAL COMMUNICATORS UK
3 21-22 March 2007 Hilton Canary WharfLondon UKThis forum is designed for practitioners who wantto make social media part of their internalcommunication strategy Over two dayscompanies such as IBM Microsoft and BT willshare case studies demonstrating their use ofsocial-media tools Technology experts will also beon hand to provide training and show you how touse these tools
THE 3RD ANNUAL EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT CONFERENCE UK
3 22-24 May 2007 Millennium GloucesterLondon UK22 May ndash Practical workshops23-24 May ndash Two-day conferenceThis event will focus on transforming yourstrategies into action Listen to case studies fromcompanies that have achieved real andmeasurable results from their engagement effortsLearn how they did it what they achieved and howthe results were measured
THE 6TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT UK
3 16-18 October 2007 London UK After the huge success of the 2006 UK StrategicCommunication Management Summit next yearrsquosevent will once again provide you withpresentations from key figures in the industry anda chance to network with your peers Mark yourdiaries now ndash more details to follow
THE 3RD ANNUAL INTERNALCOMMUNICATION MEASUREMENTCONFERENCE UK
3 27-29 November 2007 London UKDetails available soon ndash mark your diary now
NORTH AMERICATHE 3RD ANNUAL CONFERENCEON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENTBUILDING AND SUSTAINING ACULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT
3 28 February ndash 1 March 2007 Crowne PlazaAtlanta-Buckhead Atlanta USLearn how to foster an environment whereemployees feel valued and respected Hear fromcompanies including Dow Corning CorporationAmerican Express Delta Hotels and Merck
THE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT US
3 26-28 March 2007 Crowne Plaza UnionSquare San Francisco26 March ndash Pre-conference workshops27-28 March ndash Two-day summitAttend this conference and discover how toimprove employee alignment with all segments ofyour internal audience ndash from your front-lineemployees to your executive officers bothnationally and worldwide
AUSTRALIATHE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION ENGAGEMENTSUMMIT SYDNEY
3 31 July ndash 2 August 2007 Sydney Australia Details available soon ndash mark your diary now
WEBINARSDEVELOPING PROFESSIONALCOMPETENCE
3 Thursday 22 February 2007 with LiamFitzPatrick and Sue Dewhurst
HELPING YOUR ORGANIZATIONTHRIVE DURING TURBULENTTIMES
3 Thursday 29 March 2007 with Carol KinseyGoman
TRAININGTHE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT PROGRAM
3 24-25 April and 1-2 May 2007 HenleyManagement College UK3 11-12 and 27-28 September 2007 Cranfield
School of Management UK
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT MASTERCLASSEFFECTIVE MEASUREMENT
3 14-15 March 2007 Hendon Hall Hendon UKAn essential two-day intensive training courses forinternal communicators on effective measurementRegister early as places are strictly limited to 20people per Masterclass
CSR DELIVERY ENGAGEMENT amp LEADERSHIP
3 19-20 April 2007 Central LondonOsney MediaWith an excellent speaker line-up from high-profile companies including Procter amp Gamble The BodyShop ExxonMobil Microsoft Belgium Vodafone UK Dell Ericsson and Alliance Boots this case studybased event will answer questions including how do Ibull Build a CSR-oriented leadershipbull Get people on boardbull Integrate CSR with the global strategy of the companybull Deliver CSR throughout the company to make it really happen
For more information visit wwwcsrleadershipcom or e-mail mariame_lindellosneymediacouk (Reference code 910MLC3)
38 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
DESIGN
YELLOW
The future success of all organisations will be builton trust understanding passion empowermentintegrity and relationships
The future is cool exciting sparkling organisationsbursting with energy life and action
The future of brand is the internal brand first andforemost
The future is colleague as customer
Turning communications upside down
No just inside-out
Be part of the future say hello to Yellow
We help large organisations bring their communicationsstrategies to life through the imaginative use of liveevents multimedia web and design ndash distributed acrossall media platforms including DVD TV mobile devicesintranet and extranet
Ultimately developing internal brands and ongoingcommunications that have a measurable impact onpeople-performance advocacy and the bottom line
Contact Paul MiddletonTel +44 (0)161 228 6700E-mail paulmiddletonyellowcomcomWebsite wwwyellowcomcom
NEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
DESIGN
BLUE GOOSE
blue goose specialize in visual communications We make communications work faster and better We will link what wedo back to your objectives but we donrsquot talk (or charge for) ldquostrategyrdquo when you simply want tactical implementation Weuse design and creativity tobull differentiate products and services bull develop and manage corporate and brand identity bull align external communications with agreed values bull internalize corporate and brand identitybull align internal communications with agreed values bull support organizational change and bull help organizations better understand and define who they are
We work for clients as diverse as PricewaterhouseCoopers Ford Europe Centrica plc Greene King City of London Policeand Le Meacuteridien
blue goose is for any organization more interested in designing their future than watching it happen
Contact Chris BarringtonE-mail thinkingbluegoosecoukTel +44 (0)20 8869 8500Web site wwwbluegoosecouk
CONSULTANCY
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION ampSURVEYS PTY LTD
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd is aboutique consultancy based in Sydney Australia Itspecializes in employee communication strategiessystems research and employee surveys of all kindsPrincipal Rodney Gray has been involved inorganizational consulting for over 20 years following a15-year career as a corporate human resourcesexecutive Services includebull Employee communication audits and surveys by
questionnaires focus groups and interviewsbull Employee communication systems strategies and
processesbull Employee communication training workshops and
talksbull Employee culture climate and opinion surveysbull Qualitative organizational diagnosis (focus groups
and interviews)bull Internal service quality research (qualitative and
quantitative)
Contact Rodney GrayTel +61 (0)2 9909 2900 Fax +61 (0)2 9909 2911E-mail rodneyrodneygraycomauWeb site wwwemployee-communicationcomau
CONSULTANCY
HEDRON
Internal and change communication that helps teamsand individuals to develop strategies relationshipsprocesses and skills to engage stakeholders supporthigh performance and deliver change
ldquoSharp strategic thinking quality execution effectiveinterpersonallyhelliprdquo ldquoCreativity drive resourcefulnessresults great funhelliprdquo say clients
All sectors ndash ABN AMRO AXA BT Cadbury SchweppesDepartment for Constitutional Affairs HealthcareCommission Group 4 Securicor SABMiller SiemensSouthern Rail Unilever Wincanton
Our clients are happy to tell you what itrsquos like workingwith us
Contact Helena MemoryTel + 44 (0) 20 7493 0735Fax + 44 (0) 20 7493 0743E-mail helena-mhedroncomWeb site wwwhedroncom
CONSULTANCY
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
39scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
CONSULTANCY
SYNOPSIS
Founded by change and communication authority Bill Quirke in 1992 Synopsis is one of Europersquos leading internalcommunication consultancies Our clients include such companies as ABN Amro BBC BP British Airways DiageoEricsson HP Lloyds TSB Roche Shell and Vodafone
We help clients use internal communication to engage their employees in delivering business strategy and get most valuefrom their internal communication
We can help youbull Develop communication strategies that support your business strategybull Coach leadersbull Develop line managersrsquo communication skillsbull Plan and coordinate your communication with colleagues onlinebull Check the health of your communication channels and improve return on investmentbull Build and develop the communication functionbull Measure and track employee engagement attitudes and opinions
To take a tour of our online planning tool go to wwwsynopsisonlinecomproductplanningtoolasp
Contact Jane LebeauE-mail janelebeausynopsisonlinecomTel +44 (0) 20 7490 2900Web site wwwsynopsisonlinecom
CONSULTANCY
HARKNESS KENNETT
We specialize in internal communication To us thatmeansbull motivating people through inspiring leadershipbull guiding people through organizational changebull engaging people in delivering the brand
Working in partnership with our clients is central to ourethos enabling us to help deliver practical solutionssupported by solid strategic thinking All of ourconsultants have held senior positions ldquoclient siderdquo sowe know what itrsquos like to be in your shoes The vastmajority of our work comes from recommendations fromexisting clients ndash 82 percent of our clients haverequested repeat work in the last two years
Our clients include Abbey Atkins BDO Stoy HaywardThe Environment Agency Marks amp Spencer NHS Blood ampTransplant Morgan Stanley Europe Nestleacute PoliceInformation Technology Organisation Royal ampSunAlliance South West Trains and Vodafone
Our vision is simple ndash we want to be the first callyou make
Contact James HarknessTel +44 (0)1483 222730E-mail jamesharknessharknesskennettcomWeb site wwwharknesskennettcom
CONSULTANCY
TRIDENT COMMUNICATIONS
Trident Communications is uniquely positioned to definedevelop and deliver award-winning solutions that aligncommunication with business goals
We advise and partner with organizations of all sizes tocreate high-value practical applications Our talentedproject teams provide innovative research designeditorial and imagery for print and online
We connect ideas and deliver results
Contact Peter Agertoft Tel +44 (0)207 536 8900E-mail peteragertoft
tridentcommunicationsnetWeb site wwwtridentcommunicationsnet
CONSULTANCY
FLEISHMAN-HILLARD
Fleishman-Hillardrsquos dedicated internal and changecommunication practice helps businesses focus onperforming ndash not just informing
We help organisations plan and implement programmeswith the right mix of information dialogue and trainingso that employees are engaged aligned and motivatedto achieve business objectives
Because effective internal communication is vital tobottom-line performance we partner with our clients tocreate a daily dialogue ndash not a monologue ndash withemployees
Contact Nick AndrewsTel +32 (0)2 230 05 45 E-mail nickandrewsfleishmancomWeb site wwwfleishmaneuropecom
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE A listing in our Directory of Services will giveyou a chance to reach communicationprofessionals at some of the worldrsquos largestand most admired companies and to tap intodecision-making practitioners
ContactVincent SorelTel +44 (0)208 600 4670E-mail vincentsorelmelcrumcom
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
INCLUDE YOUR COMPANY BY CONTACTING US ON +44(0)20 8600 4670 OR AT INFOMELCRUMCOM
CONSULTANCY
HILL amp KNOWLTON
Better business results the bottom line
How do I manage more change Motivate managers Getthe right information to the right people Show the bestreturn on communication investment
Sound familiar Hill amp Knowltonrsquos change and internalcommunication consultants work with companies aroundthe world to find the right answers for their situation
We offer strategy insight and creativity drawing on ourconsultancy expertise and in-house experience Plus wedeliver practical hands-on help
We know that effective employee communication has adirect impact on the bottom line Working together wecan make it happen for you
Contact EMEA DavidFerrabeehillandknowltoncom
+44 (0) 7413 3176USA BarbaraEdlerhillandknowltoncom
+1 415 281-7160Canada KristaThompsonhillandknowltoncom
+1 613 786-9961
RECRUITMENT
VMA GROUP
VMA Group is one of the UKrsquos leading executive searchand selection consultancies specializing in internal andcorporate communication recruitment
For over 25 years VMA Group has provided the highestlevel of service to some of the most demanding globalorganizations developing a strong track record for thequality and professionalism of our search and selection work
We have in-depth specialist knowledge of the internalcommunication market and can provide high-qualitypermanent and interim candidates with expertise acrossinternal communication change management and widercorporate communication We understand the needs ofour clients intrinsically and strive to develop long-termrelationships with clients and candidates alike
Please call to discuss how we can help you find theideal candidate or if you wish to make a career move
Contact David BroomeTel +44 (0)20 7436 4243E-mail dbroomevmagroupcoukWeb site wwwvmagroupcouk
40 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONALCOMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS E-mail gaitensunityncsueduWeb site wwwconsultingsuccessorgTel 919 469 3895
CIB ndash BRITISH ASSOCIATION OFCOMMUNICATORS IN BUSINESSE-mail enquiriescibukcomWeb site wwwcibukcomTel +44 (0)870 121 7606
CCM ndash COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATIONMANAGEMENT E-mail membership
ccmconnectioncomWeb site wwwccmconnectioncomTel 866 463 4226
CPRS ndash THE CANADIAN PUBLICRELATIONS SOCIETYE-mail admincprscaWeb site wwwcprscaTel 416 239 7034
IABC ndash THE INTERNATIONALASSOCIATION OF BUSINESSCOMMUNICATORS E-mail service_centreiabccomWeb site wwwiabccomTel 415 544 4700
ICA ndash THE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONALLIANCE E-mail amandafoistericaukorgWeb site wwwiprorgukicaTel +44 (0)1628 642 044
CIPR ndash THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OFPUBLIC RELATIONS UKE-mail infoiprorgukWeb site wwwiprorgukTel +44 (0)20 7253 5151
IPRA ndash THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICRELATIONS ASSOCIATIONE-mail ipraseccompuservecomWeb site wwwipraorgTel +44 (0) 1372 461 188
PRSA ndash PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OFAMERICAE-mail resourcesprsaorgWeb site wwwprsaorgTel 212 460 1459
DIRECTORY OF SERVICESNEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
CONSULTANCY
15scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
PR
OFE
SSION
AL D
EV
ELO
PM
EN
Tscm
3 Cut the jargonJargon may have its place but it has noplace in employee communicationPhrases such as work-life balanceemployer of choice critical mass and thelike may make sense in behind-the-scenes discussions However when itrsquostime to communicate to the masses weneed to translate these concepts intoPlain English and provide a context tohelp employees understand Yes it takessome work but the payoff makes itworth the effort
Say the head of HR wants to share thelatest developments in ldquowork-life balancerdquothat will benefit employees He may betempted to relay the news using theterminology hersquos used to using with hisstaff However most employees havenrsquotbeen in on those discussions so theconcept may be foreign or fuzzy to themndash even if theyrsquod heard the term before
Any progress HR makes on the work-life balance front gives it the opportunityto communicate in a personal humanway and in the process capture employeesrsquoattention on an emotional level
The HR leaderrsquos message thereforemay go something like this Our liveshave never been busier and there are onlyso many hours in a day Because we atXYZ Company recognize how important itis to you to be able to spend real time withyour families while managing theresponsibilities you have on the job wersquovedesigned a program that we hope willmake your life less hectic
Most employees will relate to thatmessage It plays to their needs which isa powerful hook
Guarding against gremlinsKeeping an eye out for the jargonpassive voice and other gremlins thatmay infiltrate your writing is a goodtraining ground for being able toobjectively critique your own work Italso conditions you to look for otherways to improve your writing a habitthat will serve you well throughout yourlifelong apprenticeship
No onersquos work is as continually visible inan organization as the communicatorrsquosOur superiors our peers and the entireemployee population see us as theparagons of communications competenceThey look to the messages wersquove craftedas models of writing excellence and willpattern their own accordingly
When you think of it itrsquos one heck of aburden to bear After all how else didyou get the job if you couldnrsquot write well
But regardless of how well you dowrite how senior you are or how longyoursquove had that coveted ldquoseat at thetablerdquo when it comes to writing yoursquollalways have room to grow Thatrsquos becausewriting is as one learned professor sowisely termed it a ldquolifelong apprenticeshiprdquo
Here are three ways to improve yourwriting immediately
1 Avoid the passive voiceThe passive voice manages to creep intomessages to employees and itrsquos a sureroad to eroding their engagement It allowsthe writer to hide behind the message itclouds direction and itrsquos boring
Herersquos an example of really woefulwriting ndash a sentence structure that yoursquoresure to recognize Employees areencouraged to submit this form by the endof the month
Analyze that sentence and yoursquoll seethat not only is there no owner to thestatement but therersquos no clear directionEmployees are encouraged by whom
and what does ldquoencouragedrdquo meananyway Are employees required tosubmit the form If so then say so
The sad truth is this passive style ofwriting is all too common the happytruth is that we communicators are in aposition to do something about it Oftenall it takes is a quick rewrite Pleasesubmit this form by [insert specific date]Clear direct concise
2 Use second person Why talk at people when you can talk tothem When yoursquore communicating withemployees the use of ldquoyourdquo can befriendly and inviting
Take this message XYZ Companyemployees at customer locations shouldalways first check with their hosts to ensurethat connecting to the XYZ network ispermitted
Look what happens when itrsquos rewrittenfrom third person into second If yoursquoreworking at a customer site be sure to firstcheck with your host that itrsquos OK toconnect to our network
Yoursquove gone from impersonal toconversational
DO YOUR WRITING SKILLSLET YOU DOWNA recent discussion on the Melcrum blog raised the question of whether or not goodwriting skills are still important to the more strategically focused communicator Theconsensus was a definite yes ndash your writing ability makes an impression and itrsquos upto you whether thatrsquos good or bad Denise Baron provides some advice on how tomake sure itrsquos the former
DENISE BARON
However strategicyour role the ability
to write well remainsan important skill
Denise Baron is president of Baron Communications a business communicationsconsultancy providing strategic planning and marketing internal communicationproject management and editorial services to Fortune 500 companies
16 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Over the past five years wersquove found ourselvesbecoming more and more involved in conversationsabout careers in internal communication As theprofession matures expectations of itspractitioners are rising and for many people ajob in communication is no longer just a short-term stepping-stone en route to better things
But the question we hear time and time again isldquoWhat does lsquogoodrsquo look like when it comes to
internal communicationrdquo What skills knowledgeand experience should an effective internalcommunicator have at various stages in theircareer How do I know what I should bepersonally aspiring to and measuring myselfagainst How can I best develop my team Whereis the definitive framework to help me recruit thebest person for the job
In recent years there have been a number ofgood attempts to answer these questions In theUK a group of professional bodies got togetherto write the Inter-Comm matrix1 It listed theskills knowledge and experience a practitionermight need according to their level of experience
We were both involved in developing this skillsmatrix which was widely welcomed when it waslaunched in 2003 Some well-respectedconsultancies have also developed models to showhow a typical career path might progress whichhave helped structure career planning forindividuals and teams
A flexible model for a diverse professionDespite the success of the Inter-Comm matrix wefelt there was more to be done in the area ofprofessional development for internal communica-tors Fundamentally existing models tend to showa one-dimensional and predictable career pathstarting as a junior deliverer and developing into astrategic business-focused consultant
The implication is that if yoursquore deliveringcommunication or are tactically focused you musthave a junior role and if you have a more seniorrole you donrsquot get your hands dirty doingmundane things like writing or managing the
Building a learningframework for internalcommunicators
Planning your teamrsquos professional developmentmeans understanding the skills and experienceneeded to be successful Sue Dewhurst and Liam
FitzPatrick of Competent Communicators have beenresearching how internal communicators spend their timeat work and what behaviors the most effectivepractitioners display Here they describe a new learningframework that has emerged from the study
Identifying the typical roles andskills required for your team
BY SUE DEWHURST AND LIAM FITZPATRICK
scm FEATURES
ABOUT THE RESEARCHThe findings discussed in this article are based on research conducted at theend of 2006 More than 700 in-house practitioners replied to a survey aboutcareers competencies and development plans
A factor analysis of the data conducted by Ash Pattni Associates generated anumber of role types which were then discussed with 30 professionals atdifferent stages of their careers based in the UK Europe and North AmericaThese discussions mainly took the form of interviews and focus groups
The study also referred to data on competency modeling prepared by theUKrsquos Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
1 2 3 4 5
17scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
intranet or organizing eventsBut clearly the world of internal communication
isnrsquot quite that straightforward People join theprofession via all kinds of routes and at differentstages of their careers
We interviewed someone who started out as thedirectorrsquos PA a successful senior executive whostarted out as an engineer a former psychologylecturer and others who had joined through moreobvious routes in publishing and PR
Some had started out in junior roles Forothers their first role in internal communicationwas as a business partner Others had alreadyreached a senior position in another function andsimply moved across at the same level
A key objective of this study was to develop amodel that reflected the diverse reality of life ininternal communication one that was flexibleenough to be adapted to fit organizations andcommunication teams of all shapes and sizes
So we began our research by surveying communica-tors worldwide to find out how they actuallyspend their time on a daily basis and what skillsknowledge and experience they regularly use
The six types of practitionerStatistical analysis of the survey data suggestedthere were six stereotypical role types withininternal communication By ldquotypesrdquo we meansegments or groups of people who share verysimilar characteristics in terms of their skills andstrengths spend their time carrying out similartypes of activities and whose outputs tend to bejudged in similar ways
Most importantly these types can be plottedagainst two dimensions based on how they spendtheir time (advising or doing) and where theirfocus is (strategy or tactics) Figure One (right)illustrates these six types and how they plotagainst the two dimensions
Clearly every organization is slightly differentbut the six stereotypes described below shouldprovide a starting point for thinking about theroles and types of people you need in your team
1 The Leader Internal communication leaders manage teamsand lead the function either for an entire organiza-tion or for a large division or territory Theyspend much of their time managing and coachingteam members and working with senior managersThey see themselves as business people first andcommunicators second However itrsquos taken as readthat they have sound technical ability and will rollup their sleeves when needed Great internal andexternal networkers theyrsquore skilled at dealing withuncertainty and conflict Theyrsquore likely to bemeasured on business results and through thesubjective opinion of their senior customers
2 The Advisor Advisors support departments or major projectsby providing advice developing communicationplans and providing hands-on support to deliverthem Local managers trust them for their insightsinto business problems and understanding of howtheir organization really works Through well-developed networks and time spent understandingtheir audiences and carrying out research andfeedback they know whatrsquos really going onTheyrsquore judged on the quality of their advice andtheir ability to translate that advice into plansactivities and actions
3 The ManagerThe internal communication manager has excellentcraft skills and a sound knowledge of channelsThey spend most of their time on delivery Whenthey advise itrsquos normally about the best channelsto use or the most appropriate timing Goodmanagers arenrsquot easily intimidated and are greatat juggling different priorities Theyrsquore skilled attranslating between the boardroom and the shopfloor Their contribution is often measured bytheir ability to deliver activity against a plan andthe quality of work they and their team produce
4 The DelivererMost teams have someone in this role ndash a safepair of hands who can be trusted to make thingshappen That might range from compilingdistribution lists through to running a conferencesorting out the CEOrsquos open forum or writing andediting a newsletter Theyrsquore less likely tosupervise other communicators and depend ontheir organizational and craft skills to get the jobdone People value them for their ability to dothings on time and to a high standard 3
Sue Dewhurst and LiamFitzPatrick run CompetentCommunicators a firmspecializing in professionaldevelopment for internalcommunicators TheyrsquoreMelcrumrsquos official training anddevelopment advisors anddeliver Melcrumrsquos Black Belttraining program Theyrsquore alsothe authors of a forthcomingreport on competenciesdevelopment and standardsfor internal communicatorsand blog about developmentissues onwwwBlackBeltDojocouk
Figure One Six typical role types for internal communicators
TheLeader
TheLocal Agent
The Deliverer
TheAdvisor
TheManagerADVISE
STRATEGY
IMPLEMENT
TACTICS
TheSpecialist
KEY POINTSbull A new study has established how communicators spend their time and
what skills knowledge and experience they regularly use
bull The research identifies six stereotypical roles ranging from acommunication leader to a specialist (eg a web or events expert)
bull It also highlights 12 competencies that clarify the behaviors acompetent practitioner should display at each level An ldquoineffectiverdquocategory shows behaviors displayed by less able performers
bull The roles and competencies provide a framework for development
Building a learning framework for internal communicators
18 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
5 The Local AgentThis category covers a broad range of peoplefrom the plant managerrsquos personal assistant to aregional communication manager Internalcommunication is often one of severalresponsibilities for this person and they tend tohave a tactical focus Their agenda is normally setby the local management team although theirlocal knowledge and network makes them aninvaluable sounding board for the corporatecommunication team They tend to be judged onwhether activities happen and how satisfied theirlocal manager is with them
6 The SpecialistOur research found a small group of peopleworking in internal communication who see them-selves as subject-matter experts in a specialist areasuch as web management audio-visual productionor event management They have only a looseconnection to the mainstream profession andcould equally work in IT marketing or perhapsHR Because theyrsquore highly specialized they tendto work in large organizations
Building a competency frameworkOnce statistical analysis had suggested these sixrole types we began testing them out throughfocus groups and interviews with practitioners Inparticular we asked what skills knowledge andexperience people in each type of role neededwhat people saw outstanding practitioners doingwhat poor performance looked like and howpeople in the six role types spent their time
On the basis of this information we developeda series of 12 competencies (see Figure Two left)We found that each of the six role types could bedefined bybull Which of the competencies they need to carry
out their role (not everyone needs all 12)bull The level of skill knowledge and experience
they need in each competencybull How much of their time they spend using
each competency ndash a high medium or lowamount For instance there was commonagreement that the communication leadermust have strong craft skills (writing anddesign) but compared to say the delivererthey spend a relatively low percentage of theirtime working on this type of activity
Each of the 12 competencies has three levelsbasic intermediate and advanced Based on thedata we gathered we defined the behaviors youmight expect to see a competent internalcommunication professional display at each level
We also added an ldquoineffectiverdquo category listingthose behaviors our interviewees told us weredisplayed by less able performers For example
7
COMPETENCY DEFINITION
Building effectiverelationships
Developing and maintaining relationships that inspire trust and respectBuilding a network and influencing others to make things happen
Business focus Having a clear understanding of the business issues Usingcommunication to help solve organization issues and achieveorganizational problems
Consulting andcoaching
Recommending appropriate solutions Helping others make informeddecisions Building other peoplersquos communications competence
Cross-functionalawareness
Understanding the different contributions from other disciplines andworking with colleagues from across the organization to achieve betterresults
Developing othercommunicators
Helping other communicators build their communications competenceand develop their career
Innovation andcreativity
Looking for new ways of working exploring best practice and deliveringoriginal and imaginative approaches to communication problems
Listening Conducting research and managing mechanisms for gathering feedbackand employee reaction
Making it happen Turning plans into successfully implemented actions
Planning Planning communication programs and operations evaluating results
Specialist Having specific subject-matter expertise in a specialist area
Vision and standards Defining or applying a consistent approach to communication andmaintaining professional and ethical standards
Craft (writing anddesign)
Using and developing the right mix of practical communication abilitiesto hold the confidence of peers and colleagues (eg writing designmanagement etc)
Figure Two Twelve competencies for internal communicators
19scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
some ineffective behaviors attached to theldquobusiness focusrdquo competency arebull Doesnrsquot make the link between
communication activity and the business ororganizational context
bull Delivers communication activity withoutconsidering whether it will serve any usefulpurpose
bull Lacks understanding of their business area
Building a framework for a specific role The next step in this project was to develop asimple table to map out the competencyframework for an individual role showingbull The competencies needed in this rolebull The level of competency needed in each casebull How much time we expect someone in this
role to spend on these types of behaviors
You can either build a competency frameworkfrom scratch or if you think the role fits one ofthe six types we identified from the survey use thecompetency framework for this type as a startingpoint (see the framework for a communicationleader Figure Three right)
In practice competency frameworks will varyaccording to the size of the organization thenumber of people in the internal-communicationteam the expectations of managers and thespecific requirements of each individual rolewhich is why wersquove built a flexible model
For example a communication leader in alarge multinational organization may spend muchof their time setting the vision and standardscoaching and consulting building relationshipsand developing other communicators and arelatively small amount of their time ldquomaking ithappenrdquo or on writing and design Howeversomeone in a stand-alone communication leaderrole in a much smaller organization wouldprobably have to be much more of a ldquoJack of alltradesrdquo dividing their time evenly between thedifferent competencies
Next stepsMore information about the 12 competencies andthe baseline competency maps for each of the sixrole types will be detailed in a forthcomingMelcrum report Ideas on how you use thesecompetencies to plan your development areavailable to download atwwwcompetentcommunicatorscom
We hope the framework will help bringstructure to the process of defining roles planningdevelopment and specifying recruitment andwould welcome your feedbackscm
1 The Inter-Comm skills matrix is described in an article in SCMFebruaryMarch 2005 (Volume 9 Issue 2) called Developingcore competencies for internal communicators
Figure Three Framework for a communication leader
COMPETENCY LEVEL TIME
Building effective relationships Advanced High
Business focus Advanced High
Consulting and coaching Advanced High
Cross-functional awareness Advanced Medium
Developing other communicators Advanced High
Innovation and creativity Advanced Medium
Listening Advanced Low
Making it happen Advanced Low
Planning Advanced Medium
Specialist NA NA
Vision and standards Advanced High
Craft (writing and design) Advanced Low
CONTACT DETAILS
Sue DewhurstCompetent Communicatorssuedewhurstcompetentcommunicatorscom
Liam FitzPatrickCompetent Communicatorsliamfitzpatrickcompetentcommunicatorscom
ldquoOUR RESEARCH FOUND A SMALL GROUP OFPEOPLE WORKING IN INTERNALCOMMUNICATION WHO SEE THEMSELVES ASSUBJECT-MATTER EXPERTSrdquo
20 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC President and CEO John Ryan joined theorganization in 1997 For the first few years hefocused on financial viability and positioning thecorporation for the future ndash articulating a newvision redefining strategic objectives expandingproduct and service offerings and identifyingpotential growth areas
The business results were outstanding double-digit growth increasing profits and great customerloyalty But something was missing
Like many successful organizations FCCoperated with a silo mentality Organizationalpolitics consumed energy that Ryan felt detractedfrom employee satisfaction and he worried aboutthe impact on the customer experience
He wanted his direct reports to work togetheras a real team ndash not to behave like individualleaders of functional areas Although the groupperformed well when there was a real challengeafter the challenge was gone so was the teamwork
This is not unusual for top executive groupsbut Ryan wasnrsquot willing to accept that fate ldquoTherehad to be a way to have a team-based
organization where leaders had the autonomythey needed to perform while actively collaboratingto achieve a new level of unprecedented resultsrdquohe said ldquoFCC had a very hierarchical culture withfirmly drawn divisional boundaries so I knew Ihad a challenge ahead of merdquo
Cultural transformation from the topIn 2002 John hired Malandro Communicationbased in Phoenix Arizona to guide FCCrsquos seniorleadership through a unique cultural transformationthat would lead to the creation of a high-performance team Leaders committed to being100-percent accountable for their impact onpeople and business results They let go of thetraditional 50-50 model ldquoIrsquoll do my part if you doyoursrdquo ndash a model that breeds a culture of blameconspiracies and distrust
In a series of formal training initiatives leaderswere taught to speak from the heart listen toother perspectives be open and responsive tofeedback and encourage personal andprofessional growth
Opportunity for internal communicationBy 2003 we were well on our way FCC producedremarkable business results with strong numbersright across the board The portfolio grew fromnearly CAN$9 billion to over CAN$10 billionThen two things happened that created anopportunity for internal communication tobecome a driver of business results 1 In 2003 we earned 50th place on Canadarsquos
ldquo50 Best Employersrdquo list and a respectableemployee engagement score of 69 percent
Defining the role ofstrategic comms atFarm Credit Canada
Farm Credit Canada (FCC) is in the fourth year of acultural-transformation program At the start of itsjourney clear expectations were set defining the role
to be played by internal communication In this summaryof the companyrsquos plans and achievements Kellie Garrettand Claire Watson describe the goals strategies andtactics employed by the internal communication teamand the impressive results achieved to date
Setting the stage for a cultural transformation
BY KELLIE GARRETT AND CLAIRE WATSON
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Farm Credit Canada isCanadarsquos largest provider offinancing to the agricultureindustry It serves 45000customers and has 1300employees working from 100rural offices across CanadaFCC is ranked eighth amongCanadarsquos 50 best employers
21scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC is a high performer in all otheroperational areas and employee engagementis a strong predictor of sustained corporateperformance But the survey showed therewas work to be done to align perceptionsbetween the senior leadership team andemployees Detailed results showed the gaps(see Figure One below)
2 Ryan became more determined to create ahigh-performance team that could deliver anextraordinary customer experience andsustainable business results
Establishing expected behaviorAs a first step towards creating a critical mass ofleaders who visibly demonstrate the behaviorsrequired to transform FCCrsquos culture middlemanagement and key cross-functional teams weretrained in responsible teamwork practices andcommunication skills
Ryan then created a set of 10 cultural practicesthat explicitly outlined how he expectedemployees at all levels to behave (see side barnext page) The foundation of these practices isthe belief that the drive for business results mustbe balanced by the attendant impact on people Inother words how the work was accomplished wasevery bit as important as what was accomplishedThe cultural practices were rolled out to allemployees in 2003
With the expected behavior from leaders andemployees clearly articulated it was time forinternal communication to find opportunities tosupport and promote these behaviors
Challenge 1 Creating a strategic frameworkOur first objective was to create a broaderstrategic framework for internal communicationA review of best-practice companies revealed thatformal media represents about 10 percent of allinternal communication channels with internalsystems accounting for another 10 percent Theremaining 80 percent is influenced by theorganizational culture
Our task was to put a formal strategy in placethat would strengthen the 10 percent ofcommunication we did have control over ndash theinternal communication channels
Within FCC the dominant employeecommunication channels were immediatemanagers e-mail and the intranet (Myinet)Front-line managers delivered corporate messagesdirectly to employees and their efforts weresupported by all-staff e-mails
There was nothing wrong with this approachbut it didnrsquot go far enough in the delivery of clearconsistent messages about strategic direction orcorporate priorities Nor did it create a line ofsight between individuals and business outcomes
For example a lack of central coordination wasresulting in unclear mixed messages thatconfused the internal audience A proliferation ofemployee surveys were independently conductedby various business units and the corporate e-mail system was choked with high volumecontributing to information overload
The intranetrsquos navigational structure and searchcapability needed major improvement datedinformation needed to be archived and majordocuments needed to be redeveloped in a web-friendly format
Defining our strategy and objectivesAware of these drawbacks we defined ourstrategy as To adopt a more integrated approachto internal communication and make sure allmessages focus employees on the businesspriorities Our strategies included the followingbull Segment the employee audience and define
communication needs based on demographicspsychographics and geographic location
bull Create a consistent voice across all groupsbull Ensure internal communication is mandatory
for all major corporate initiatives and isintegrated across channels and with othercommunication activities
bull Deliver targeted information through a varietyof channels and vehicles to reinforce messaginghelp with recall appeal to differentpreferences and create and sustain interest
bull Redevelop the intranet and position it as aninformation source for corporate businessemployee industry and technical information
bull Reduce the volume of corporate e-mailbull Implement a monthly employee survey to
replace the proliferation of one-off surveysindependently launched by business units
bull Create broad awareness and understanding ofkey corporate drivers such as business strategycorporate values and brand positioning 3
Kellie Garrett ABC MALeadership is senior VPStrategy Knowledge ampReputation at Farm CreditCanada and Chair of the IABCResearch Foundation Garrettis a frequent speaker onbusiness strategy leadershipand personal brand
Claire Watson ABC APR isthe master communicationstrategist for Farm CreditCanada Watson has won anumber of international andnational awards for her workis a published author and acertified change managementspecialist
MEASUREMENT EMPLOYEES SENIORMANAGERS
GAP
Senior management is open and honest incommunication
59 94 -35
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible
54 88 -34
Managers effectively support andimplement our people practices
48 81 -33
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 94 -23
Figure One Engagement survey results
22 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Defining the role of strategic comms at Farm Credit Canada
Successful tactics introducedSome of the tactics wersquove successfully introducedto bring this strategy to life include the following
1 Tracking key messagesWe created an employee key-message matrix thatis shared with leaders across the organization andhelps to ensure we deliver a consistent messageWe deliver the rewritten message through avariety of channels including e-mail letter featurearticle in the internal publication online throughour Monday Morning Update or directly to staffmeetings through managers and supervisors
2 Adopting a multi-channel approachWersquove expanded our channels beyond e-mail andthe intranet New channels now includebull AgriCulture ndash an employee print newsletter
published three times a year to communicatecorporate information and reinforce FCCrsquossocial and cultural fabric
bull An online feature called ldquoFrom the Desk ofthe CEOrdquo to keep employees in the loop
bull All staff e-mails from the CEO and VPsbull Discussion guides and QampAs for leadersbull Internal presentations and speeches delivered
by the senior leadership teambull Other printed material such as pocket cards
and brochures accompanied by a letter
3 Cutting down on information overloadSteps wersquove taken includebull Bundling all-staff messages into a Monday
Morning Update and bundling messages forcorporate headquarters staff into a CorporateOffice Update
bull Implementing a corporate e-mail policy withdefined subject-line conventions length andapproved topics
bull Restricting the use of all-staff e-mails to thesenior management team and certain keyindividuals
bull Improving the functionality of the intranetand redeveloping key business tools forefficient web use
bull Centralizing coordination of internal surveysbull Elevating the quality and clarity of internal
speeches and conferences to focus onstrategic business drivers
Challenge 2 Supporting leadershipThe results of our 2003 engagement survey alsorevealed an opportunity to increase trust betweenemployees and FCCrsquos senior management teamRyan and his VP responsible for communication(Kellie Garrett) believed that creating greatervisibility and better access to the senior managerswas vital to the establishment of a values-basedculture and a high-performance team
7
MEASUREMENT 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Senior management is open and honestin communication
59 73 81 83 91
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible to employees
54 71 82 83 81
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 81 87 87 85
I see strong evidence of effectiveleadership from the senior leadershipteam
69 83 87 88 93
I have a good understanding ofbusiness goals and objectives
76 77 81 81 88
Senior leadership has clearlycommunicated what we need to do tobe successful
NA NA 89 90 93
Figure Two Survey scores tracked from 2003-2007
FCCrsquoS 10 CULTURAL PRACTICESWe hold ourselves and each other accountable for
1 Our impact on business results and our impact on people
2 Delivering on commitments agreements and promises
3 Building and sustaining committed partnerships
4 Creating a safe environment where people can speak up without fear
5 We measure our success by how others perceive and respond to ourleadership not by our personal point of view
6 We talk straight in a responsible manner We are committed to the successof others ndash we do not engage in ldquoconspiracies againstrdquo people
7 We ldquolisten forrdquo contributions and commitment We do not listen againstpeople or ideas
8 We are highly coachable We actively seek and listen to coaching
9 We clean up and recover quickly
10 We acknowledge others often and celebrate both small and largesuccesses
ldquoLIKE DEVELOPING A COMPANYrsquoS IMAGE ORBRAND CULTURE CAN lsquoJUST HAPPENrsquo OR ITCAN BE DESIGNED STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONHAS PLAYED A CENTRAL ROLErdquo
23scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 FCC launched a culture-change program focused on
improving performance across the organization
bull Two key aims of the program are to encourage leaders and employeesto embody the values and improve staff engagement
bull Defining its strategy and goals at the outset internal communicationhas played a role in achieving these objectives
bull Results so far include less information overload a more accessibleleadership team and improved engagement scores
The challenge for internal communication wasto improve employeesrsquo perception of the visibilityaccessibility and trust for the senior managementteam Successful tactics introduced includebull A ldquoDine-Aroundrdquo program where three
senior leaders host a monthly lunch for ninepeople
bull An online forum called SMT Exchangewhere employees can anonymously askleaders tough questions and answers areposted for all to see
bull Senior leaders author more all-staff e-mailsare more visible and accessible at companyevents and deliver presentations that focus onconnecting employees to the business agenda
The goals we started with When we defined our internal communicationstrategy in 2003 we had some clear goals to worktowards These werebull To communicate relevant information in a
timely consistent and memorable waybull To reduce information overloadbull To influence an increase in the
communication-related elements of theengagement index
bull To contribute to an increase in employeeengagement from 69 to 74 percent
We also had specific year-one objectivesbull To increase understanding of business goals
and objectives beyond 78 percent bull To increase employee opinion about effective
senior leadership from 69 to 73 percentbull To improve employee opinions related to
senior management
Achievements and measurable resultsWith these goals guiding our efforts themeasurable results wersquove achieved so far includebull The bundling of all-staff e-mail has reduced
the volume by 88 percent ndash amounting toaround 350000 messages over one year
bull Over 450 employees have lunched with amember of the senior management team and170 QampAs have been posted on our seniormanagement online exchange
bull The survey scores relating to employeesrsquoperception of leadership and theirunderstanding of goals and objectives showsteady improvement since 2003 (see FigureTwo bottom left)
bull FCCrsquos engagement scores and subsequentranking among Canadarsquos 50 best employershas moved from 69 percent engagement and50th place in 2004 to 81 percent and 35thplace in 2005 84 percent and 12th place in2006 and 82 percent and 8th place in 2007
Cultural transformationThe internal communication strategy described inthis article has set the stage to communicatecultural transformation across the organization
Wersquore now in the fourth year of our culturaltransformation ndash creating an environment wherepeople are empowered feel safe and highperformance can flourish This involves aquantum shift in how employees behave andrelate to their co-workers and customers
Like developing a companyrsquos image or brandculture can ldquojust happenrdquo or it can be designedStrategic communication has played a central roleto create awareness understanding commitmentand motivate changes in behavior at every level ofthe organization
John Ryan has the final word ldquoOver the years Ihave learned that communication is at the heartof building a high-performance culture ndash a culturewhere people are fully engaged Communicationis vital Without it leaders cannot effect positivechange Our internal strategy recognizesemployees as a primary audience and a keyconduit to the customer the media stakeholdersand communities Our strategic approach tointernal communication significantly contributesto business resultsrdquo scm
CONTACT DETAILS
Kellie GarrettFarm Credit CanadaKellieGarrettfcc-facca
Claire WatsonFarm Credit CanadaClaireWatsonfcc-facca
24 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
In January 2004 Pfizer at Sandwich in Kent UKcommissioned a review of its existing charitablecontributions program which included matchedpayroll giving volunteering and grants for localcommunity charities and voluntary groups CCWorks the community investment consultancywas also approached to manage the day-to-dayadministration of grant applications from thecommunity
However it was decided that the administrationcould not be effectively managed until suitablecriteria were put in place for the grants programEssentially a company cannot outsourceresponsibility for its charitable donations unlesstherersquos a clear strategy in place for doing this
Although there were various policies in placefor the different elements of the existingcommunity investment program there was a lackof strategic direction to the program as a whole
Auditing the community grants programAs a first step CC Works examined the existinggrants program and also conducted external
benchmarking with voluntary organizations in thecommunity to gage perceptions of Pfizer
It emerged that many organizations werereceiving small grants ndash although some werenrsquotsure why ndash but only 16 percent of the currentspend was going on health-related causes ForPfizer a major global healthcare company thiswasnrsquot strategic It was clear that as a healthcarecompany Pfizer should be trying to improve thehealth of its local area by focusing on three coreareas health community and education
There was also a need for grants to be morelocally focused A significant amount of the spendwas going outside of the immediate East Kentarea CC Works recommended that to allow thecompany maximum freedom to operate in itscommunity it should focus grants on theimmediate community of East Kent which alsohappened to be a deprived area
Segmenting current grantsWorking in partnership with CC Works currentgrant allocation was examined by sector localarea and size of grant and in May 2004 two-yeartargets were set to increase the strategic impact ofcommunity grantsbull Increase grants allocated to health-related
projects to 50 percentbull Increase average grant from UKpound300 to
UKpound1000bull Increase East Kent allocation to 90 percent
This change was designed to be gradual so thatthe shift in allocation could be well managed
The new focus on the community mirrors
Engaging employees inPfizerrsquos communityinvestment program
In 2003 Pfizer at Sandwich UK was running manyelements of a community investment program butthere was little awareness among employees and no
real focus By July 2006 the program had beentransformed and now actively contributes to employeeand community relationships Here Pam Baker andChristine Jenkins describe the journey from disconnectedpolicies to award-winning program
Communicating an approach with clear links toemployees and the local community
BY PAM BAKER AND CHRISTINE JENKINS
scm FEATURES
Pfizerrsquos site at Sandwich inKent is the UK manufacturingheadquarters of Pfizer Incglobal pharmaceuticalcompany Its workforce of4000 makes it the largestprivate employer in East Kent
1 2 3 4 5
25scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pfizerrsquos global mission to be ldquothe most valuedcompany to patients customers colleaguesinvestors business partners and the communitieswhere we work and liverdquo For the communityinvestment program a measurable mission wascreated ldquoto improve the health indicators of thepeople of East Kentrdquo
Focus on colleague involvementThe next step in July 2004 was to conduct areview of the employee engagement elements ofcommunity investment to examine how thesecould be better integrated These elementsincluded payroll giving volunteering and staff-matched fundraising
For Pfizer at Sandwich the obvious first choicewas to look at volunteering Eighty-five percent ofPfizer employees are minimum graduate level ndashoffering much-needed skills to a deprived areaAll employees have five paid days a year they canuse for volunteering ndash this not only supports thecommunity it boosts employee engagement andcreates opportunities for employees to visiblyconnect with the community and vice versa
In October 2004 volunteering was identified asa key area for development but for employeevolunteering to be a success it had to beproactively marketed inside Pfizer and thereneeded to be adequate support andadministration behind the program
A database of volunteering opportunitiesIn conjunction with CC Works a searchable data-base of local volunteering opportunities was createdPfizer felt it was important to create a tailoreddatabase that would be furnished internally inorder to ensure a local bias and to maintain thequality of the information supplied to employees
In order to tie in with employeesrsquo personaldevelopment plans opportunities in the databasehad to meet at least two of Pfizerrsquos six keycompetencies 1 Team development2 Project management3 Coaching and development4 Decision making5 Effective partnership6 Working with change
To fill the database with relevant opportunities allorganizations that had contacted Pfizer for grantsor funding in the past three years were re-contacted and asked if they would also beinterested in volunteering
Over 70 percent responded positively and 300volunteering opportunities were sourced CCWorks helped the voluntary organizations puttogether opportunities that were most likely totake advantage of Pfizer employeesrsquo range of
specialist skillsThese opportunities were categorized on the
database according to skill geographic area andtype of charity allowing employees to search forsomething suitable for them Pfizer wasnrsquotprescriptive in its approach and allowed staff tovolunteer where the opportunity matched theirpersonal-development goals interests or wasgeographically convenient
Opportunities were wide-ranging from helpingin a charity shop to teaching in a schoolImportantly because database management isoutsourced to CC Works therersquos constantproactivitiy around seeking new opportunities andproviding administrative support that would havebeen difficult to maintain in-house
Launching the ldquoReaching Outrdquo programTo encourage involvement and awarenessemployees were asked to suggest a name for therevitalized volunteering program ldquoReaching Outrdquowas chosen and the new volunteering website waslaunched in May 2005 The site sits on PfizerSandwichrsquos intranet and any employee orcontractor can access it
A charity week was also held to help promotethe Reaching Out program Various charitiesvisited Pfizer during lunch breaks to explain whatthey do and the opportunities to work with themA soft incentive for staff to register on theReaching Out site was that Pfizer would donate20 rehydration sachets to Unicef (monetary valueof about pound2)
Reaching Out was also featured in a webcastfrom a senior leader that went to all employees(about 3000 staff plus contractors) at the start ofthe week and it was profiled in the weekly onlinemagazine Pipeline 3
Pam Baker is directorStrategic Operations andCommunity Affairs at Pfizer UK
Christine Jenkins is founderof CC Works a consultancyoffering communityinvestment advice andpractical solutions to thecorporate and voluntarysectors Previously she heldsenior manager roles in thevoluntary and private sectors
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 an audit of Pfizer at Sandwichrsquos community investment
program revealed a lack of strategic direction
bull In partnership with consultancy CC Works a decision was made tofocus the program on the local community
bull An effort to raise employee involvement through volunteering hasboosted the program and linked it to employee engagement
bull The ldquoReaching Outrdquo website gives employees the freedom to work withcharities of their choice
bull By July 2006 the ldquoHealthy Communitiesrdquo program had beentransformed and won a National Example of Excellence award fromBusiness in the Community
26 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TOP TIPS FOR COMMUNITY INVESTMENTbull Ask yourself why yoursquore undertaking this program and seek clarity around
your objectives
bull Focus on likely ldquowinsrdquondash ie areas with scope for improvement such asemployee engagement or external awareness
bull Tackle one area at a time in stages and aim for excellence in each arearather than trying to boil the ocean
bull Communication is key to success Create a distinct brand and identity forthe program to encourage awareness and involvement
bull Integrate different community programs ndash a holistic approach can maximizebenefits for the community staff engagement and corporate reputation
Over 450 employees registered to use thesite over the next two months with 230 employees(8 percent of staff) actively volunteering duringthe first year This beat a target to have 5 percentof employees volunteering 12 months after launchIn 2005 employees volunteered 4800 hours
Helping employees select the right optionEmployees can search the volunteering databaseby skill geographic area or type of charity and aregiven a range of choices Then the onus is on theemployee to speak to the charity and obtainfurther details on current opportunities inaddition to whatrsquos on the database The employeethen applies to his or her line manager Anintegrated work process enables staff to obtainapproval from their manager interact with thevoluntary organization and record their effortskeeping administration to a minimum
Managers at Pfizer Sandwich are keen foremployees to volunteer because theyrsquore aware ofthe potential benefits in terms of employeeengagement and skills development ndash a largenumber of managers are volunteers themselvesPfizer also held briefing sessions for managers toensure they were aware of the volunteeringprogram its benefits and how it works
7
Engaging employees in Pfizerrsquos community investment program
Incorporating employee feedbackThe database tracks employeesrsquo volunteeringefforts including how many hours theyrsquove doneand their feedback on the opportunitiesEmployee feedback can then be accessed by otherstaff looking for an opportunity The databasegives employees better insight into the availableopportunities and allows them to select somethingthat appeals to them so that both the employeeand the organization where they volunteer gets abetter ldquofitrdquo
The database also allows for better integrationof the whole program where volunteering canprovide an alternative or an addition to fundingFor example a well-known national charityapplied to Pfizer at Sandwich for some fundingaround a diversity initiative Pfizer suggested theirdiversity manager volunteer for them instead whohelped create the charityrsquos diversity program thatis now being launched nationally
Creating an integrated programIn May 2005 the decision was taken to bringtogether all the strands of community investmentunder one brand Healthy Communities Thisprogram was to includebull Charitable grantsbull Employee volunteeringbull Gifts in kind Community investment via gifts
in kind such as the use of Pfizer premisesresources and expertise is more easilysustainable and can bring real long-termbenefit to the local community When Pfizerfacilities are used to support communityinitiatives the face-to-face contact withemployees allows relationship-building andnetworking with key influencers Also invitingthe community to use Pfizer resources on siteldquodemystifiesrdquo the company
The overarching strategy behind HealthyCommunities was to support communityinvestment holistically (ie using several of theabove elements in combination) whereverpossible Focusing grants on the areas of greatestneed helps Pfizer achieve its overall missionHowever the donation of gifts in kind can have awider-reaching impact on the community
Taking a holistic approachAn award-winning example of this holisticapproach is the Helping Hartsdown projectwhich was Pfizer Sandwichrsquos biggest ever gift inkindvolunteering project Pfizer donated andrenovated much-needed classrooms at a localschool As well as financial support and gifts inkind the project involved over 100 staff andcontractor volunteers across all departments Aspecific promotion on the Reaching Out website
ldquoBY JULY 2006 THE lsquoHEALTHY COMMUNITIESrsquoPROGRAM HAD BEEN TRANSFORMED AND WONA NATIONAL EXAMPLE OF EXCELLENCE AWARDFROM BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITYrdquo
27scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
POSITIVE IMPACTS OF THE PROGRAMThe Healthy Communities program has had the following positive impacts for Pfizer
bull The program supports and protects Pfizerrsquos freedom to operate effectivelyin East Kent UK
bull Supporting and involving employees in the program engages and motivatesthem The company is also seen to be living its values In a recent survey55 percent of colleagues felt the program was ldquofocused and effectiverdquo
bull The program provides opportunities for colleagues to develop skills Twentypercent of colleagues surveyed stated that they had improved personalskills through taking part in the program
bull A healthy community is a better place to live and work for employees andwill aid retention Retention of the most highly skilled scientists givesPfizer Global Research and Development a competitive edge
bull A vibrant and healthy community helps to attract and retain leadingscientists from around the world
bull Community is one of Pfizerrsquos six core values Communicating activitiesinternally and externally gives a positive perception of the company
helped attract this large number of volunteersincluding senior leaders
Momentum was maintained behind thecommunication of the program with monthlynetworking breakfasts and several themed minicharity fairs to give local good causes the chanceto showcase their volunteering Individuals andteamsrsquo volunteering efforts were also regularlyprofiled in Pipeline
The December 2006 employee survey showedan 85-percent awareness level of Reaching Outand the program won a ldquoNational Example ofExcellence Awardrdquo from Business in theCommunity1
Relaunching the websiteIn June 2006 the Reaching Out website wasrelaunched to incorporate payroll giving andmatched fundraising under the same brand asvolunteering and utilize the existing software Allelements can now be applied for on the same site
The number of employees registered with thesite increased to over 1000 and the number of adhoc staff enquiries handled by CC Worksincreased dramatically as awareness andinvolvement levels rose among the workforce
External communicationA quarterly newsletter containing a round-up ofPfizerrsquos community investment work is producedand distributed widely to external stakeholdersincluding 3000 local residents Following theBusiness in the Community award the magazineCommunity News was revamped its circulationincreased and it was also desk-dropped to allemployees The magazine also helps to raiseawareness of Pfizer among local organizations
A pocket-sized booklet was produced containingkey facts and figures about the Healthy Communitiesprogram This gives employees especially seniorleaders at-a-glance information on the programallowing them to act as ambassadors for Pfizerrsquoscommunity investment work
Senior leaders at Pfizer Sandwich are keenadvocates of the program and having a clearbrand helps them communicate its benefits andraise awareness both internally and externally
Next stepsDespite its award-winning status there are plansto take Healthy Communities even further Theseinclude further research into employee feedbackand closer links to personal development plans InPfizer at Sandwichrsquos Global Operations functionvolunteering forms part of personal objectives ndashthis is an aspiration for the rest of the business
Pfizer also wants to improve team volunteeringand a toolkit is being prepared for team leaderswho wish to get involved in volunteering
Finally in order to share knowledge and bestpractice around community investment with otherlocal businesses Pfizer is hosting a Kentmembership network in conjunction with KentCounty Council This will help Pfizer work closelywith the local authority and bring local businessestogether to share ideas and collaborate toimprove their impact on the community scm
1 httpwwwbitcorguk
CONTACT DETAILS
Pam BakerPfizerpambakerpfizercom
Christine JenkinsCC Workschristinejenkinsccworkscouk
28 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Editorrsquos noteSucceeding in internal communication probablyisnrsquot all that different to succeeding in anyprofession understand whatrsquos expected of you dothe job well and deliver results But when youspeak to practitioners about how they personallyturned the corner in their careers and started tomake an impact it soon becomes clear that thereare many dos and donrsquots that can help or hinderprogress This article provides a handy checklistfor those with ambitious development plans
John G ClemonsVice President CommunicationsRaytheon Technical Services Co Llc
Take the initiativeThere have been a few career-defining momentsfor me Among them was the time when I realizedthat I was moving from a manager level to the
decision-making role of a director I worked for a senior executive who hired me
from a rival telecommunications company Uponjoining the company I developed strategiccommunication plans to address various businesschallenges During the development process Iperiodically checked in with my supervisor to gethis input and approval ndash probably more thannecessary ndash before moving to the next steps in planning
One day he called me into his office and saidthat while he liked the work I was doing for himhis expectation when he hired me as a directorwas that I would take the initiative in the job relyless on his frequent input and move forward with implementation and measurement Hewanted results
His counsel was along the lines of ldquoI hired youto do a directorrsquos job so do the job of a directorYou donrsquot have to get permission to make adifferencerdquo
Meet commitments and think strategicallyHis direction motivated me to take moreresponsibility at this new job level This alsomeant that I had to not just manage but leadmeet commitments and think more strategicallyto continue to earn not only his confidence butthe support of the entire leadership team
Irsquove found that being a communicationprofessional who is also a leader that can betrusted can get things done and truly support thegoals and objectives of an organization will notonly impress others but help build your credibilityand lead to success
How to get ahead ininternal communication
The path that leads internal communicators to thetop of their profession isnrsquot always an obvious oneWhich is why we asked a range of senior practitioners
to share their thoughts and experiences on gaining therespect of those who matter Whether its senior leadersfellow employees or your own team yoursquore looking toimpress these responses provide useful insight into howto make sure you and your work gets noticed
Senior practitioners share their views on how togain influence and credibility
COMPILED BY MANDY THATCHER
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
29scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Mark DarbyHead of Internal CommunicationsVisaUK
Be smart sharp and stubbornThe biggest lesson Irsquove learned and keep havingto remind myself is that I need to be smart sharpand stubborn to get ahead This is what thosewords mean to me in a work context
Smart I need to understand what Visa is doingand what people think about the business Thismeans constantly spending time in differentdepartments and learning from them I know whoour customers are what our challenges are andwhat our current financial performance is I havecontacts in most departments who have a fingeron the pulse which means I can have a relevantconversation with a senior person from any department
Sharp Internal communication is rarely near thetop of the agenda for senior people and my timewith them is usually short I always try to talkabout the impact on business performance assoon as possible If I circulate a document it willbe summarized to a single page at most and Idonrsquot use PowerPoint I ask a lot of ldquoonerdquo questionssuch as ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing you want employeesto do differentlyrdquo or ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing youwant me to change over the next six monthsrdquo
Stubborn I know what I want internal communica-tion to achieve at Visa and it has the support ofthe senior team Irsquove built up knowledge frombooks and articles I use my education from theBlack Belt training course1 and I speak to formercolleagues With this knowledge Irsquove becomestubborn and good at saying no because I have theinformation to back up my arguments Irsquove stoppedmy team from picking up extra projects that wonrsquotdeliver much value We focus only on projects thatadd the most value to the business and we deliveron these really well Successful delivery is thebiggest influence on any senior person
Monika StaffordHead of Internal CommunicationLloyds TSBUK
Be creative and focus on a killer issueUsing creative solutions to bring to life importantndash but often dull ndash programs can create a shinethat stretches beyond project boundaries For
example I worked on the implementation of SAPndash a business-critical systems program ndash requiringbehavior change from swathes of key yetuninterested people Successful implementationwas a big risk to get right but it was as dull asdishwater to communicate
Luckily there was a ldquoEurekardquo moment Byaligning the SAP story with the metaphor ofFormula-1 racing we could tell the tale of how itwould fulfill our need to create winningperformances for both the individual driver aswell as the back-up team in order to perform wellon the road ahead This storyline was a perfectmatch for the programrsquos objectives
Launch speakers from Formula 1 great designwork not to mention fantastic collateral allresulted in a no-hitch implementation that reallyresonated with people The global companypicked it up as the approach for worldwide rollout So faced with tedium it can actually pay tostare out of the window for creative inspiration
My other piece of advice is Focus on a killerissue If you really want to get ahead (and do besure you really do as being at the center ofchange is often akin to being in the eye of ahurricane ndash itrsquos no place for the feint-hearted)learn what keeps your business leaders up atnight Use your stakeholder-management skills toget to the people you need to help you deliversolutions then execute execute execute
Focus on value-adding work only because ifyou end up working on your companyrsquos cul-de-sacprojects yoursquoll never shine brightly enough forthe leaders in your company to notice you 3
COMPETENCY
Planning internal communication 76
Linking corporate messages to corporate vision 73
CEO communication 63
Change communication 60
Communicating to diverse audiences 60
Using the intranet as a communication tool 54
Defending your department in internal political battles 43
Line manager communication 42
Professional development of internal communication staff 33
Helping employees cope with information overload 32
Securing the appropriate level of budget for internal communication 30
Measuring the effectiveness of internal communication 28
Figure One Table from The Pulse report showing the percentage of communicators who ratethemselves as effective or very effective at listed competencies
30 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
WHATrsquoS CHANGED IN THE LAST 25 YEARS
David MoorcroftSenior Vice PresidentCorporate CommunicationsRBC Financial Group Canada
Irsquom constantly amazed at the changes that have taken place in our professionover the last 25 years and the degree of talent and knowledge required bycommunicators today to do their jobs well
Back in 1979 when I started in corporate PR the major skill sets werewriting editing and great media contacts Today good editorial skills are justtable stakes and the ability to understand business adapt technology thinkstrategically plan consummately and influence stakeholders are what landsenior communicators a seat at the management table
This change has been driven by the globalization of business the advent ofnew 247 media including the Internet the growing sophistication ofcustomers and employees increased demands for corporate transparency andmore rigorous requirements for high standards of public disclosure andfinancial reporting
MORE SKILLS THAN EVER BEFOREAs a result todayrsquos business communicator has to be more capable andknowledgeable and have more skills than ever before They must befinancially literate and technologically savvy They must understand the impactof evolving accounting and disclosure rules They must deal with legal HRpolitical and business issues And they must be prepared to deal with amultitude of potential crises that can arise at any moment in any language inany part of the world
Perhaps most challenging senior management today expects clear bottom-line returns for their investments in communication Itrsquos no longer enough toinform audiences and measure communication outputs CEOs expectcommunication to engage audiences and produce outcomes ndash something thatrequires strategic thinking planning and foresight
A friend of mine who left a senior corporate PR job to become COO of amajor public utility recently summed up the role of todayrsquos communicator thisway ldquoItrsquos one of the most important and critical roles in organizations todayand yet itrsquos often one of the least recognized and appreciatedrdquo
That sentiment may be a reality in some organizations today but with moreand more CEOs beginning to realize the bottom-line value of communication itwonrsquot be 25 years from now
Christina FeeSenior Vice President InternalCommunicationsDeutsche Post AGGermany
Seek out the important projectsI canrsquot pretend to have employed a specificapproach to my ldquopersonal PRrdquo at all But in theorganizations Irsquove worked for Irsquove had theopportunity to work on a number of excitinghigh-profile projects that have connected me withsenior stakeholders and influential people atdifferent levels
7
Irsquove learned a great deal from the project teamsIrsquove worked with and also due to the significanceand scope of the projects been able todemonstrate my worth approach and skills Irsquovehad to be passionate stand up for what I believein and think outside the box constantly
My roles within DHLDeutsche Post haveallowed me the freedom and flexibility to developand deliver new ideas but Irsquove also had to practiceand embody excellent internal communicationskills myself Having developed credibility and trustwith those that matter based on my track record Iwas allowed to go ahead with other projects
I donrsquot actively pursue the ldquoright relationshipsrdquobut rather let my work and my interactions withpeople speak for themselves This has helped medevelop mentors and supporters naturally Mylearning and development has also been expandedby the opportunity to work abroad and learn moreabout intercultural communication and interaction
Marc SilversideHead of Internal CommunicationsMacmillan Cancer SupportUK
Understand whatrsquos expected of youA newly established role heightens the need formaking a good impression so that people trustyou and feel they can come to you for advice
When I joined Macmillan I very nearly got thiswrong Perhaps this is an example that otherrsquos canlearn from
When my new CEO at Macmillan CancerSupport asked for a meeting ldquoafter a few weeks tosettle inrdquo I was confident that my wide-ranginginduction would help me understand the businessand provide the basis for what Irsquod present tosenior management
Forty structured face-to-face managerinterviews allowed me to understand needs andkey issues and I started to build personal rapportMy profile was raised and at the same timeinternal communication gained good visibility
Externally I networked with contacts in similarroles in other charities and soon found thebeginnings of a voluntary-sector network This hassince grown to over 25 members
By the time my CEO slot arrived I was armedwith input from across the charity and the resultsof an audit I felt well prepared to present myvision and solutions So I was surprised to be metwith significant resistance
I later discovered that my CEO intelligence wasincorrect What he wanted was to be askedspecifically about his own views on what internalcommunication should do and what I could do for
How to get ahead in internal communication
31scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
HOW DO YOUR SKILLS MEASURE UPFor Melcrumrsquos study into budgets salaries and trends in internalcommunication in 200607 we asked survey respondents to rate their owneffectiveness at a range of key communication competencies from planning tomeasurement The results may surprise you
For example 76 percent of respondents rate themselves as effective or veryeffective at planning internal communication but only 28 percent ratethemselves as equally effective at measuring its effectiveness (see Figure Onepage 29)
In her commentary on the results development expert Sue Dewhurst hadthe following to say
OUR STRENGTHSIt seems where we see our strengths as internal communicators is towards theldquofront endrdquo of the communication planning process For example being able tolink a plan to the business strategy knowing our audiences and being able tojoin up the dots and show people how messages link to the business vision
These are powerful strengths We are one of the few functions that tends tohave an overarching view of our entire company and is able to view thecompany and its strategy from a number of different perspectives Being ableto understand the vision and strategy view it from an audience perspectiveand then create line of sight to show what those things mean in practicalterms for peoplersquos day-to-day roles is one of the ways that we help drivebusiness performance ndash by showing people what they need to do to take thestrategy forward
In turn by knowing and working with our audiences hopefully wersquore thenalso able to make sure their views and suggestions can help shape the strategyand how itrsquos put into practice
MEASURING EFFECTIVENESSWe see ourselves as less effective towards the back end of the planningprocess in measuring the effectiveness of internal communication which tiesin with the feeling from previous questions that in fact wersquore not doing muchmeasurement or demonstrating our return on investment
Research and measurement is an area where there is plenty of expertisearound to call on There are measurement conferences research reports andpublications to understand what other organizations are doing and practicaltraining that will give you the opportunity to work in a smaller group askquestions and practice techniques For help with specific techniques try yourinternal marketing team Marketers are generally great with data and well-versed in running focus groups and putting together surveys If you have anexternal provider to support your employee engagement research try them too
Source The Pulse Essential data on budgets salaries and trends 2006-07wwwmelcrumcom
him rather than how I could benefit the charity Ihad to change my approach fast
This could have cost me my best ambassadorfrom day one So my advice is make sure yoursquoreabsolutely clear about whatrsquos expected from you
Of course the insights I gained in my first fewmonths have been valuable and since then myresults have done the talking Fortunately theCEO soon became an internal communicationsconvert and advocate
Darren CrozierCommunications ManagerHBOS plcUK
Make things happenDelivery is key to career development ndash if you sayyoursquore going to do something make sure you doit Put in the effort get the results you want andbe known as someone who can make things happenIf yoursquore seen to ldquoget things donerdquo no matter howsmall the job is people are more likely to get youinvolved in activities and ask your opinion
Gaining credibility and respect from seniorcolleagues is important but everyone in yourorganization will form an opinion of you from thepeople in the canteen right through to the CEOSo try and make sure that their opinion of you is agood one
Itrsquos not just the people within your immediatesphere of influence who can have an impact onyour career so extend your network go oncourses and get involved in professionalorganizations Many of my close workingrelationships career opportunities and indeedpersonal friendships have come from meetingpeople at such events and taking the time to keepin touch You never know how things will develop
Itrsquos also vital to earn respect be trustworthy andhave good manners To recall what an ex-bossonce said ldquoBe careful how you treat people onthe way up as you never know when you maycome across them againrdquo
One of the biggest challenges Irsquove found inrecent times is recognizing my own success andselling myself Sometimes you need to take a stepback to realize just what yoursquove achieved Evenbetter keep a log or portfolio of your successesand donrsquot be shy to speak about them becauseothers wonrsquot be shy to speak about theirs
Finally try and have some fun along the wayWe all have to work for a living so learn to makethe most of it scm
1 For more about Melcrumrsquos Internal Communication Black Belttraining program go to wwwmelcrumcom
32 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pitney Bowes has followed an aggressive strategyof growth through acquisition completing 60+acquisitions since 2001 Expansion has broadenedits product mix to include an extensive range ofsolutions from office equipment to globalpositioning software
But the companyrsquos many different specialismsand huge outsourcing operations meant that themajority of its 34000 employees werenrsquot aware ofthe full range of its service offering and thepotential for different divisions to work together
As Rob Hallam vice president EmployeeCommunication explains there was a strongbusiness case for adopting a ldquoone companyrdquoapproach ldquoBecause the businesses tended to besomewhat siloed even senior managers werefocused on their divisions
ldquoAlso because we were acquiring companiesand evolving so rapidly managers werenrsquot awareof a lot of the businesses and how they all workedtogether in the mailstreamrdquo says Hallam ldquoWewere missing out on potential cross-sellingopportunitiesrdquo
Communicating a new visionFour years ago Pitney Bowes created a OneCompany Vision statement ldquoOur aim was toensure support and cooperation across thebusiness so we could provide a comprehensive setof customer solutions ndash not just a list of productsand services by business unitrdquo says Hallam Theinternal communication challenge was to drawtogether 34000 employees and build a unifiedcorporate culture The communication strategyfocused on three key elements
1 PeopleThis focused on involving the leadershipstrengthening a two-way dialogue betweenmanagement and employees communicating theculture through leadership messaging enterprise-wide events and roadshows and buildingengagement so that everyone was workingtogether towards a One Company approach
2 ProcessesThis meant integrating the One Companyapproach into the organizationrsquos operations andinfrastructure by shifting management roles andadjusting incentives and reward structuresthroughout the company
The first step was to consolidate the companyrsquosoperating activities by appointing Murray DMartin as president and chief operating officer inSeptember 2004 Martinrsquos mantra is ldquoThink AsOne Act as One Operate As One to deliverwhat no other company canrdquo
ldquoThe COO position had previously been heldby the chairman so elevating someone to that
Communicating a OneCompany culture atPitney Bowes
Following rapid growth in the form of more than 60acquisitions over six years silo-working haddeveloped at Pitney Bowes and leaders were failing
to take advantage of profitable cross-selling opportunitiesHere Rob Hallam describes the communication elementsof a ldquoOne Companyrdquo culture-change program which hasturned the situation around simultaneously improvingcustomer service and boosting profits
Persuading disparate businessunits to work together
AN INTERVIEW WITH ROB HALLAM
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Pitney Bowes is an 87-year-old company best known forthe manufacturing operationand oversight of postagemeters It has over two millioncustomers more than 3500active patents and annualrevenue of close to $6 billion
33scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
role was a big changerdquo explains Hallam ldquoAll thebusiness units now report to a single individual atoperating level It represented a huge positivemove to start the company operationalizing OneCompany behaviorrdquo
The internal communication function wasrestructured to ensure that consistent messagingreached the entire employee population Regularmeasurement was a key part of the changeinitiative This served to define the contributionof communicating a One Company approachwhere it was adding value to Pitney Bowes and itsclients and customers and where there was stillwork to do
3 TechnologyIt was important to find the best ways to cascademessages throughout the company and keeppeople informed about what was going onwithout bombarding them with irrelevantcommunication Hallam and his team deploy avariety of channels and media including internalprint and online publications voicemail and e-mail Pitney Bowes is also in the process ofintegrating its different voicemail systems and e-mail platforms into one global system
Involving senior leadership from the outsetThe One Company strategy was an overridingpolicy that started at the top of the organizationldquoThere was a big launch at the strategic leadersrsquomeeting which is held every Januaryrdquo saysHallam ldquoThe messaging was then driven throughthe organization via a companywide globalcommunication strategyrdquo
From the outset the policy was championed bythe CEO Michael Critelli who believes thatculture is central to the Pitney Bowes brand andsaid recently ldquoMy first measure of success iswhether we are behaving as one companyrdquo Thiscommitment helped to ensure that the culturalchange was reinforced by parallel changes to thecorporate infrastructure
Building a two-way dialogueThe next step was to get the employee populationinvolved and build enterprisewide enthusiasm forthe culture change Pitney Bowes has alwaysrecognized the value of a two-way dialoguebetween management and employees and hasheld annual jobholders meetings which aresimilar to shareholdersrsquo meetings for 61 years In2005 Hallam reinvented it as an initiative calledOne Forum ndash a series of roadshows focusing oncommunicating the One Company culturethroughout the organization
Launching the One ForumIn 2005 Hallam and his team created an original
and memorable One Forum launch for the 90percent of Pitney Bowes employees based in theUS Around a quarter of US employees saw thisin person the others received a link to a websitewith streaming highlights
ldquoWe put together a two-hour roadshow eventwhich helped people to understand our OneCompany approach and made them aware of allthe businesses we were inrdquo says Hallam ldquoThethinking was that high change requires high touchFace-to-face can have far greater impact on theindividuals touched From there itrsquos a matter ofripple effect such as seeing improved One Forumbrand awareness among employees who didnrsquotactually attend one of the eventsrdquo
ldquoWe wanted the roadshow to be entertainingand energizing so we used gameshow techniquescustom-written songs and comedy specificallytailored to Pitney Bowes employees It was a funevent but it also included a keynote speech fromthe CEO and a lot of question-and-answersessions with employees It was entertainmentwith a purpose and it was a great success with employeesrdquo
The post-event employee evaluations provedthe success of this approach ldquoIn some cities anincredible 90 percent of employees gave the eventa top-box rating This shows that there was ahunger for both the knowledge and theapproachrdquo adds Hallam
Taking the show on the roadThe One Forum roadshow has become an annualevent ldquoIn a five-month period during 2005 therewere 17 One Forum events in 12 US citiesreaching about 6000 peoplerdquo says Hallam ldquoAftersome testing in March and April the first bigroadshows started in early May and continued forsix months with the final one in early Decemberin Seattle 3
Rob Hallam is vice presidentEmployee Communication atPitney Bowes (PB) in StamfordConnecticut where hersquos beenresponsible for internalcommunication strategy andimplementation since 2004Hallam has led a team ofprofessionals in reshapingcommunication at PB resultedin the communication teamearning the top ranking in HRdepartment satisfaction fromall PBrsquos US managers in 2005and 2006
KEY POINTSbull Internal communication has played an important role in embedding a
One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
bull The communication strategy focused on three key elements peopleprocess and technology
bull The campaign has been championed by the CEO from the outset andhas won senior leadership support over time
bull An entertaining roadshow helped win employee commitment
bull Cross-selling ratios have jumped substantially since the culture-changeeffort began
34 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ldquoIn 2006 we compressed the programsubstantially and drove down costs while stilltouching 6000 employees Together with ourcorporate marketing group we also introduced anextremely successful lsquoelevator speechrsquo that helpsemployees answer the much-feared questionlsquoWhat does Pitney Bowes dorsquordquo
Local variationsAlthough the entertainment component in theroadshows contributed to their success it wasspecific to the US so Hallam gave business unitsand internal communicators in other regions theresponsibility for communicating the OneCompany approach to local employees ldquoInCanada and the UK they conducted town-hallmeetings and in Latin America and other parts ofthe world they produced their own variations onthe One Forum theme We made sure that theyhad the information they needed but we limitedthe entertainment to English-speaking regionsrdquo
A commitment to employee engagementThe appointment of the new COO and the launchof the One Forum roadshows coincided with thefirst employee engagement survey in late 2004ldquoWe see engagement as very much tied to ourability to execute a One Company strategy andchange our culturerdquo says Hallam He sets outfour ways in which employee engagement isinstilled at all levels in the organization
1 Visible leadership commitment to engagementThe CEO underlines his commitment by sendingregular messages to employees via a variety ofmedia including voicemail and print and onlinepublications He also uses engagement scores todetermine a unitrsquos overall performance rating andbonus pool ldquoWhen one senior execrsquos bonus poolwas reduced due to poor engagement scores that
was a message requiring no communication planrdquosays Hallam ldquoWord spread quicklyrdquo
2 Celebrating top performers Pitney Bowes celebrates its top engagementperformers by running cover stories in its globalprint and online publication PB Today ldquoThisprogram was called lsquoThe Faces of Pitney Bowesrsquordquosays Hallam ldquoWe did 10 of these last year so theyran twice in five editions Wersquove also producedlarge mural-sized photos of those managers andtheir teamsrdquo he says ldquoWe celebrate success andpublish it everywhere Our CEO loves it and wersquoreactually selling part of our contemporary artcollection which decorates the building to makeroom for an expansion of additional OneCompany and Engagement photography all ofwhich will focus on our employeesrdquo
3 Incentivizing managers via the reward systemEmployee engagement is recognized andreinforced in the companyrsquos formal processesincluding its reward system ldquoWe use a tool calledthe Strategic Architecture which is our balancedscorecardrdquo explains Hallam ldquoItrsquos a Six-Sigma toolwhich measures employee shareholder andcustomer value Managersrsquo engagement scoresalso factor into their annual reviews soengagement has a direct impact on remunerationrdquo
4 Rewarding engagementA further program called Rapid Rewards awardscash bonuses to managers and employees foroutstanding behavior including that related toemployee engagement
Aligning the communication strategyHallam and his team are responsible fordelivering the overall employee communicationstrategy ldquoWe had to dramatically improve ourstrategic approach in order to make OneCompany a realityrdquo he says
In addition to organizing campaigns such as theOne Forum roadshows to publicize the culturechange across the enterprise Hallam hasintroduced initiatives aimed at improving thereach and delivery of internal communication andmaking sure messages get to their intendedaudiences He has also aligned the structure ofthe internal communication function with thecompanyrsquos unified culture
ldquoThere were a lot of different communicationgroups so we brought together all thecommunication leaders and formed a singleInternal Communications Councilrdquo explainsHallam ldquoThis means that the communicationfunctions in the different business units areworking together to help drive change andimprove coordinationrdquo
Communicating a One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
ldquoWHEN A SENIOR EXECrsquoS BONUS WAS REDUCEDDUE TO POOR ENGAGEMENT SCORES THAT WASA MESSAGE REQUIRING NO COMMUNICATIONPLAN WORD SPREAD QUICKLYrdquo
7
FURTHER RESOURCES3 THE IMPACT OF CULTURE AND CLIMATE ON CHANGE PROGRAMS
An article published in SCM Volume 10 Issue 6 OctoberNovember 2006
3 DRIVING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE CORPORATE CULTUREMelcrumrsquos report on communication tools techniques and best practicefrom leading organizationswwwmelcrumcom
35scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Developing a global approachHallam is also responsible for a globalcommunication project called Universal Reachwhich is sponsored by the chairman and designedto support and maintain a unified corporateculture ldquoOur goal is to provide 90 percentmessage accessibility within our key customer-facing audiencesrdquo he explains ldquoThe biggestchallenge is integrating our online communicationinfrastructure which has nine different voicemailsystems operating across the world and multiplee-mail and web platforms Wersquore pulling all thattogether to provide better reachrdquo
Since 911 the CEO and other top executiveshave broadcast weekly audio messages calledPower Talks Hallamrsquos team has worked with theleadership to ensure that they incorporate OneCompany messages and as he explains they reachmost of the employee population ldquoAbout 20000of our employees have voicemail Those whodonrsquot receive the Power Talk message either inprint or online In some divisions managers playthe Power Talk messages in staff meetingsrdquo
Engaging leadership reinforces the cultureBuilding on the CEOrsquos commitment to a OneCompany approach Hallam and his team haveorganized leadership events ndash most recently at thestrategic leadersrsquo meeting in December 2006 ndashshowing Pitney Bowes as one company in actionThis campaign has helped to engage the top 150managers in the culture change
ldquoOur post-event evaluations show a strongmove numerically in senior leadershiprsquos belief thatwersquore operating as one companyrdquo says Hallam(see Figure One above) ldquoAs theyrsquore our toughestjudges wersquore pleased by the significant differencein pre- and post-event measurementrdquo There wasalso an improvement in leadersrsquo understanding ofthe companyrsquos new mailstream category
Sustaining the new cultureAccording to Hallam rippling out the OneCompany messaging requires a consistent andcoordinated approach Communication leaders inthe various divisions are now working to weaveOne Company messages into the business-unitmeetings ldquoA lot of the messaging that welaunched at the strategic leadersrsquo meeting arebeing reiterated at the business unit level Thatrsquosbeen facilitated through the InternalCommunications Councilrdquo he says
ldquoKey metrics for the culture change programfocus on cross-selling ratios which have jumpedsubstantially since the culture change effortbeganrdquo says Hallam ldquoIn 2002 we also institutedthe ldquoPB1 Awardsrdquo which is a chairmanrecognition award that goes to teams who bestembody cross-functional behavior in working on
projects which improve our clientsrsquo profitabilityour profitability or bothrdquo
ldquoHowever wersquore only really a year into thisMuch of the evidence is anecdotal but what haschanged is that our managers have broadenedtheir vision and are thinking as solutions-providers rather than product-sellers As suchtheyrsquore involving other business units out of theirdesire to eliminate customer pain points ndashregardless of which part of Pitney Bowes gets the salerdquo
Adding value to customersUltimately managers and employees who arewell-informed about the companyrsquos products andservices are in a good position to take advantageof cross-selling opportunities Realizing thispotential enables Pitney Bowes to make extrasales to existing customers thereby increasing itsprofit margins and allowing customers to benefitfrom a mix of products and services
Shifting to a unified culture directly benefitsboth Pitney Bowes and its customers ldquoByfocusing on the whole cadre of products andservices we can help our customers improve theirbusinessesrdquo says Hallam ldquoThatrsquos where OneCompany is critical It enables our clients tobenefit from all our servicesrdquo scm
Figure One Measuring the impact of the strategic leadersrsquo meeting
CONTACT DETAILS
Rob HallamPitney Bowesrobhallampbcom
I BELIEVE THAT OUR SENIOR LEADERS (MEANING THE TOP 15 EXECS) AREWORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO DELIVER INTEGRATED HIGH-VALUESOLUTIONS TO OUR CUSTOMERS
Pre SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 73
Post SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 92
Gain in two months time 19
ldquoMANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WELL-INFORMED ABOUT THE COMPANYrsquoS PRODUCTSAND SERVICES ARE IN A GOOD POSITION TOTAKE ADVANTAGE OF CROSS-SELLINGrdquo
2007
36 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
MELCRUM TRAINING amp EVENTS
CALENDAR 2007UKEUROPESOCIAL MEDIA FORUM FORINTERNAL COMMUNICATORS UK
3 21-22 March 2007 Hilton Canary WharfLondon UKThis forum is designed for practitioners who wantto make social media part of their internalcommunication strategy Over two dayscompanies such as IBM Microsoft and BT willshare case studies demonstrating their use ofsocial-media tools Technology experts will also beon hand to provide training and show you how touse these tools
THE 3RD ANNUAL EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT CONFERENCE UK
3 22-24 May 2007 Millennium GloucesterLondon UK22 May ndash Practical workshops23-24 May ndash Two-day conferenceThis event will focus on transforming yourstrategies into action Listen to case studies fromcompanies that have achieved real andmeasurable results from their engagement effortsLearn how they did it what they achieved and howthe results were measured
THE 6TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT UK
3 16-18 October 2007 London UK After the huge success of the 2006 UK StrategicCommunication Management Summit next yearrsquosevent will once again provide you withpresentations from key figures in the industry anda chance to network with your peers Mark yourdiaries now ndash more details to follow
THE 3RD ANNUAL INTERNALCOMMUNICATION MEASUREMENTCONFERENCE UK
3 27-29 November 2007 London UKDetails available soon ndash mark your diary now
NORTH AMERICATHE 3RD ANNUAL CONFERENCEON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENTBUILDING AND SUSTAINING ACULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT
3 28 February ndash 1 March 2007 Crowne PlazaAtlanta-Buckhead Atlanta USLearn how to foster an environment whereemployees feel valued and respected Hear fromcompanies including Dow Corning CorporationAmerican Express Delta Hotels and Merck
THE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT US
3 26-28 March 2007 Crowne Plaza UnionSquare San Francisco26 March ndash Pre-conference workshops27-28 March ndash Two-day summitAttend this conference and discover how toimprove employee alignment with all segments ofyour internal audience ndash from your front-lineemployees to your executive officers bothnationally and worldwide
AUSTRALIATHE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION ENGAGEMENTSUMMIT SYDNEY
3 31 July ndash 2 August 2007 Sydney Australia Details available soon ndash mark your diary now
WEBINARSDEVELOPING PROFESSIONALCOMPETENCE
3 Thursday 22 February 2007 with LiamFitzPatrick and Sue Dewhurst
HELPING YOUR ORGANIZATIONTHRIVE DURING TURBULENTTIMES
3 Thursday 29 March 2007 with Carol KinseyGoman
TRAININGTHE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT PROGRAM
3 24-25 April and 1-2 May 2007 HenleyManagement College UK3 11-12 and 27-28 September 2007 Cranfield
School of Management UK
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT MASTERCLASSEFFECTIVE MEASUREMENT
3 14-15 March 2007 Hendon Hall Hendon UKAn essential two-day intensive training courses forinternal communicators on effective measurementRegister early as places are strictly limited to 20people per Masterclass
CSR DELIVERY ENGAGEMENT amp LEADERSHIP
3 19-20 April 2007 Central LondonOsney MediaWith an excellent speaker line-up from high-profile companies including Procter amp Gamble The BodyShop ExxonMobil Microsoft Belgium Vodafone UK Dell Ericsson and Alliance Boots this case studybased event will answer questions including how do Ibull Build a CSR-oriented leadershipbull Get people on boardbull Integrate CSR with the global strategy of the companybull Deliver CSR throughout the company to make it really happen
For more information visit wwwcsrleadershipcom or e-mail mariame_lindellosneymediacouk (Reference code 910MLC3)
38 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
DESIGN
YELLOW
The future success of all organisations will be builton trust understanding passion empowermentintegrity and relationships
The future is cool exciting sparkling organisationsbursting with energy life and action
The future of brand is the internal brand first andforemost
The future is colleague as customer
Turning communications upside down
No just inside-out
Be part of the future say hello to Yellow
We help large organisations bring their communicationsstrategies to life through the imaginative use of liveevents multimedia web and design ndash distributed acrossall media platforms including DVD TV mobile devicesintranet and extranet
Ultimately developing internal brands and ongoingcommunications that have a measurable impact onpeople-performance advocacy and the bottom line
Contact Paul MiddletonTel +44 (0)161 228 6700E-mail paulmiddletonyellowcomcomWebsite wwwyellowcomcom
NEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
DESIGN
BLUE GOOSE
blue goose specialize in visual communications We make communications work faster and better We will link what wedo back to your objectives but we donrsquot talk (or charge for) ldquostrategyrdquo when you simply want tactical implementation Weuse design and creativity tobull differentiate products and services bull develop and manage corporate and brand identity bull align external communications with agreed values bull internalize corporate and brand identitybull align internal communications with agreed values bull support organizational change and bull help organizations better understand and define who they are
We work for clients as diverse as PricewaterhouseCoopers Ford Europe Centrica plc Greene King City of London Policeand Le Meacuteridien
blue goose is for any organization more interested in designing their future than watching it happen
Contact Chris BarringtonE-mail thinkingbluegoosecoukTel +44 (0)20 8869 8500Web site wwwbluegoosecouk
CONSULTANCY
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION ampSURVEYS PTY LTD
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd is aboutique consultancy based in Sydney Australia Itspecializes in employee communication strategiessystems research and employee surveys of all kindsPrincipal Rodney Gray has been involved inorganizational consulting for over 20 years following a15-year career as a corporate human resourcesexecutive Services includebull Employee communication audits and surveys by
questionnaires focus groups and interviewsbull Employee communication systems strategies and
processesbull Employee communication training workshops and
talksbull Employee culture climate and opinion surveysbull Qualitative organizational diagnosis (focus groups
and interviews)bull Internal service quality research (qualitative and
quantitative)
Contact Rodney GrayTel +61 (0)2 9909 2900 Fax +61 (0)2 9909 2911E-mail rodneyrodneygraycomauWeb site wwwemployee-communicationcomau
CONSULTANCY
HEDRON
Internal and change communication that helps teamsand individuals to develop strategies relationshipsprocesses and skills to engage stakeholders supporthigh performance and deliver change
ldquoSharp strategic thinking quality execution effectiveinterpersonallyhelliprdquo ldquoCreativity drive resourcefulnessresults great funhelliprdquo say clients
All sectors ndash ABN AMRO AXA BT Cadbury SchweppesDepartment for Constitutional Affairs HealthcareCommission Group 4 Securicor SABMiller SiemensSouthern Rail Unilever Wincanton
Our clients are happy to tell you what itrsquos like workingwith us
Contact Helena MemoryTel + 44 (0) 20 7493 0735Fax + 44 (0) 20 7493 0743E-mail helena-mhedroncomWeb site wwwhedroncom
CONSULTANCY
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
39scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
CONSULTANCY
SYNOPSIS
Founded by change and communication authority Bill Quirke in 1992 Synopsis is one of Europersquos leading internalcommunication consultancies Our clients include such companies as ABN Amro BBC BP British Airways DiageoEricsson HP Lloyds TSB Roche Shell and Vodafone
We help clients use internal communication to engage their employees in delivering business strategy and get most valuefrom their internal communication
We can help youbull Develop communication strategies that support your business strategybull Coach leadersbull Develop line managersrsquo communication skillsbull Plan and coordinate your communication with colleagues onlinebull Check the health of your communication channels and improve return on investmentbull Build and develop the communication functionbull Measure and track employee engagement attitudes and opinions
To take a tour of our online planning tool go to wwwsynopsisonlinecomproductplanningtoolasp
Contact Jane LebeauE-mail janelebeausynopsisonlinecomTel +44 (0) 20 7490 2900Web site wwwsynopsisonlinecom
CONSULTANCY
HARKNESS KENNETT
We specialize in internal communication To us thatmeansbull motivating people through inspiring leadershipbull guiding people through organizational changebull engaging people in delivering the brand
Working in partnership with our clients is central to ourethos enabling us to help deliver practical solutionssupported by solid strategic thinking All of ourconsultants have held senior positions ldquoclient siderdquo sowe know what itrsquos like to be in your shoes The vastmajority of our work comes from recommendations fromexisting clients ndash 82 percent of our clients haverequested repeat work in the last two years
Our clients include Abbey Atkins BDO Stoy HaywardThe Environment Agency Marks amp Spencer NHS Blood ampTransplant Morgan Stanley Europe Nestleacute PoliceInformation Technology Organisation Royal ampSunAlliance South West Trains and Vodafone
Our vision is simple ndash we want to be the first callyou make
Contact James HarknessTel +44 (0)1483 222730E-mail jamesharknessharknesskennettcomWeb site wwwharknesskennettcom
CONSULTANCY
TRIDENT COMMUNICATIONS
Trident Communications is uniquely positioned to definedevelop and deliver award-winning solutions that aligncommunication with business goals
We advise and partner with organizations of all sizes tocreate high-value practical applications Our talentedproject teams provide innovative research designeditorial and imagery for print and online
We connect ideas and deliver results
Contact Peter Agertoft Tel +44 (0)207 536 8900E-mail peteragertoft
tridentcommunicationsnetWeb site wwwtridentcommunicationsnet
CONSULTANCY
FLEISHMAN-HILLARD
Fleishman-Hillardrsquos dedicated internal and changecommunication practice helps businesses focus onperforming ndash not just informing
We help organisations plan and implement programmeswith the right mix of information dialogue and trainingso that employees are engaged aligned and motivatedto achieve business objectives
Because effective internal communication is vital tobottom-line performance we partner with our clients tocreate a daily dialogue ndash not a monologue ndash withemployees
Contact Nick AndrewsTel +32 (0)2 230 05 45 E-mail nickandrewsfleishmancomWeb site wwwfleishmaneuropecom
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE A listing in our Directory of Services will giveyou a chance to reach communicationprofessionals at some of the worldrsquos largestand most admired companies and to tap intodecision-making practitioners
ContactVincent SorelTel +44 (0)208 600 4670E-mail vincentsorelmelcrumcom
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
INCLUDE YOUR COMPANY BY CONTACTING US ON +44(0)20 8600 4670 OR AT INFOMELCRUMCOM
CONSULTANCY
HILL amp KNOWLTON
Better business results the bottom line
How do I manage more change Motivate managers Getthe right information to the right people Show the bestreturn on communication investment
Sound familiar Hill amp Knowltonrsquos change and internalcommunication consultants work with companies aroundthe world to find the right answers for their situation
We offer strategy insight and creativity drawing on ourconsultancy expertise and in-house experience Plus wedeliver practical hands-on help
We know that effective employee communication has adirect impact on the bottom line Working together wecan make it happen for you
Contact EMEA DavidFerrabeehillandknowltoncom
+44 (0) 7413 3176USA BarbaraEdlerhillandknowltoncom
+1 415 281-7160Canada KristaThompsonhillandknowltoncom
+1 613 786-9961
RECRUITMENT
VMA GROUP
VMA Group is one of the UKrsquos leading executive searchand selection consultancies specializing in internal andcorporate communication recruitment
For over 25 years VMA Group has provided the highestlevel of service to some of the most demanding globalorganizations developing a strong track record for thequality and professionalism of our search and selection work
We have in-depth specialist knowledge of the internalcommunication market and can provide high-qualitypermanent and interim candidates with expertise acrossinternal communication change management and widercorporate communication We understand the needs ofour clients intrinsically and strive to develop long-termrelationships with clients and candidates alike
Please call to discuss how we can help you find theideal candidate or if you wish to make a career move
Contact David BroomeTel +44 (0)20 7436 4243E-mail dbroomevmagroupcoukWeb site wwwvmagroupcouk
40 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONALCOMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS E-mail gaitensunityncsueduWeb site wwwconsultingsuccessorgTel 919 469 3895
CIB ndash BRITISH ASSOCIATION OFCOMMUNICATORS IN BUSINESSE-mail enquiriescibukcomWeb site wwwcibukcomTel +44 (0)870 121 7606
CCM ndash COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATIONMANAGEMENT E-mail membership
ccmconnectioncomWeb site wwwccmconnectioncomTel 866 463 4226
CPRS ndash THE CANADIAN PUBLICRELATIONS SOCIETYE-mail admincprscaWeb site wwwcprscaTel 416 239 7034
IABC ndash THE INTERNATIONALASSOCIATION OF BUSINESSCOMMUNICATORS E-mail service_centreiabccomWeb site wwwiabccomTel 415 544 4700
ICA ndash THE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONALLIANCE E-mail amandafoistericaukorgWeb site wwwiprorgukicaTel +44 (0)1628 642 044
CIPR ndash THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OFPUBLIC RELATIONS UKE-mail infoiprorgukWeb site wwwiprorgukTel +44 (0)20 7253 5151
IPRA ndash THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICRELATIONS ASSOCIATIONE-mail ipraseccompuservecomWeb site wwwipraorgTel +44 (0) 1372 461 188
PRSA ndash PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OFAMERICAE-mail resourcesprsaorgWeb site wwwprsaorgTel 212 460 1459
DIRECTORY OF SERVICESNEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
CONSULTANCY
16 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Over the past five years wersquove found ourselvesbecoming more and more involved in conversationsabout careers in internal communication As theprofession matures expectations of itspractitioners are rising and for many people ajob in communication is no longer just a short-term stepping-stone en route to better things
But the question we hear time and time again isldquoWhat does lsquogoodrsquo look like when it comes to
internal communicationrdquo What skills knowledgeand experience should an effective internalcommunicator have at various stages in theircareer How do I know what I should bepersonally aspiring to and measuring myselfagainst How can I best develop my team Whereis the definitive framework to help me recruit thebest person for the job
In recent years there have been a number ofgood attempts to answer these questions In theUK a group of professional bodies got togetherto write the Inter-Comm matrix1 It listed theskills knowledge and experience a practitionermight need according to their level of experience
We were both involved in developing this skillsmatrix which was widely welcomed when it waslaunched in 2003 Some well-respectedconsultancies have also developed models to showhow a typical career path might progress whichhave helped structure career planning forindividuals and teams
A flexible model for a diverse professionDespite the success of the Inter-Comm matrix wefelt there was more to be done in the area ofprofessional development for internal communica-tors Fundamentally existing models tend to showa one-dimensional and predictable career pathstarting as a junior deliverer and developing into astrategic business-focused consultant
The implication is that if yoursquore deliveringcommunication or are tactically focused you musthave a junior role and if you have a more seniorrole you donrsquot get your hands dirty doingmundane things like writing or managing the
Building a learningframework for internalcommunicators
Planning your teamrsquos professional developmentmeans understanding the skills and experienceneeded to be successful Sue Dewhurst and Liam
FitzPatrick of Competent Communicators have beenresearching how internal communicators spend their timeat work and what behaviors the most effectivepractitioners display Here they describe a new learningframework that has emerged from the study
Identifying the typical roles andskills required for your team
BY SUE DEWHURST AND LIAM FITZPATRICK
scm FEATURES
ABOUT THE RESEARCHThe findings discussed in this article are based on research conducted at theend of 2006 More than 700 in-house practitioners replied to a survey aboutcareers competencies and development plans
A factor analysis of the data conducted by Ash Pattni Associates generated anumber of role types which were then discussed with 30 professionals atdifferent stages of their careers based in the UK Europe and North AmericaThese discussions mainly took the form of interviews and focus groups
The study also referred to data on competency modeling prepared by theUKrsquos Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
1 2 3 4 5
17scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
intranet or organizing eventsBut clearly the world of internal communication
isnrsquot quite that straightforward People join theprofession via all kinds of routes and at differentstages of their careers
We interviewed someone who started out as thedirectorrsquos PA a successful senior executive whostarted out as an engineer a former psychologylecturer and others who had joined through moreobvious routes in publishing and PR
Some had started out in junior roles Forothers their first role in internal communicationwas as a business partner Others had alreadyreached a senior position in another function andsimply moved across at the same level
A key objective of this study was to develop amodel that reflected the diverse reality of life ininternal communication one that was flexibleenough to be adapted to fit organizations andcommunication teams of all shapes and sizes
So we began our research by surveying communica-tors worldwide to find out how they actuallyspend their time on a daily basis and what skillsknowledge and experience they regularly use
The six types of practitionerStatistical analysis of the survey data suggestedthere were six stereotypical role types withininternal communication By ldquotypesrdquo we meansegments or groups of people who share verysimilar characteristics in terms of their skills andstrengths spend their time carrying out similartypes of activities and whose outputs tend to bejudged in similar ways
Most importantly these types can be plottedagainst two dimensions based on how they spendtheir time (advising or doing) and where theirfocus is (strategy or tactics) Figure One (right)illustrates these six types and how they plotagainst the two dimensions
Clearly every organization is slightly differentbut the six stereotypes described below shouldprovide a starting point for thinking about theroles and types of people you need in your team
1 The Leader Internal communication leaders manage teamsand lead the function either for an entire organiza-tion or for a large division or territory Theyspend much of their time managing and coachingteam members and working with senior managersThey see themselves as business people first andcommunicators second However itrsquos taken as readthat they have sound technical ability and will rollup their sleeves when needed Great internal andexternal networkers theyrsquore skilled at dealing withuncertainty and conflict Theyrsquore likely to bemeasured on business results and through thesubjective opinion of their senior customers
2 The Advisor Advisors support departments or major projectsby providing advice developing communicationplans and providing hands-on support to deliverthem Local managers trust them for their insightsinto business problems and understanding of howtheir organization really works Through well-developed networks and time spent understandingtheir audiences and carrying out research andfeedback they know whatrsquos really going onTheyrsquore judged on the quality of their advice andtheir ability to translate that advice into plansactivities and actions
3 The ManagerThe internal communication manager has excellentcraft skills and a sound knowledge of channelsThey spend most of their time on delivery Whenthey advise itrsquos normally about the best channelsto use or the most appropriate timing Goodmanagers arenrsquot easily intimidated and are greatat juggling different priorities Theyrsquore skilled attranslating between the boardroom and the shopfloor Their contribution is often measured bytheir ability to deliver activity against a plan andthe quality of work they and their team produce
4 The DelivererMost teams have someone in this role ndash a safepair of hands who can be trusted to make thingshappen That might range from compilingdistribution lists through to running a conferencesorting out the CEOrsquos open forum or writing andediting a newsletter Theyrsquore less likely tosupervise other communicators and depend ontheir organizational and craft skills to get the jobdone People value them for their ability to dothings on time and to a high standard 3
Sue Dewhurst and LiamFitzPatrick run CompetentCommunicators a firmspecializing in professionaldevelopment for internalcommunicators TheyrsquoreMelcrumrsquos official training anddevelopment advisors anddeliver Melcrumrsquos Black Belttraining program Theyrsquore alsothe authors of a forthcomingreport on competenciesdevelopment and standardsfor internal communicatorsand blog about developmentissues onwwwBlackBeltDojocouk
Figure One Six typical role types for internal communicators
TheLeader
TheLocal Agent
The Deliverer
TheAdvisor
TheManagerADVISE
STRATEGY
IMPLEMENT
TACTICS
TheSpecialist
KEY POINTSbull A new study has established how communicators spend their time and
what skills knowledge and experience they regularly use
bull The research identifies six stereotypical roles ranging from acommunication leader to a specialist (eg a web or events expert)
bull It also highlights 12 competencies that clarify the behaviors acompetent practitioner should display at each level An ldquoineffectiverdquocategory shows behaviors displayed by less able performers
bull The roles and competencies provide a framework for development
Building a learning framework for internal communicators
18 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
5 The Local AgentThis category covers a broad range of peoplefrom the plant managerrsquos personal assistant to aregional communication manager Internalcommunication is often one of severalresponsibilities for this person and they tend tohave a tactical focus Their agenda is normally setby the local management team although theirlocal knowledge and network makes them aninvaluable sounding board for the corporatecommunication team They tend to be judged onwhether activities happen and how satisfied theirlocal manager is with them
6 The SpecialistOur research found a small group of peopleworking in internal communication who see them-selves as subject-matter experts in a specialist areasuch as web management audio-visual productionor event management They have only a looseconnection to the mainstream profession andcould equally work in IT marketing or perhapsHR Because theyrsquore highly specialized they tendto work in large organizations
Building a competency frameworkOnce statistical analysis had suggested these sixrole types we began testing them out throughfocus groups and interviews with practitioners Inparticular we asked what skills knowledge andexperience people in each type of role neededwhat people saw outstanding practitioners doingwhat poor performance looked like and howpeople in the six role types spent their time
On the basis of this information we developeda series of 12 competencies (see Figure Two left)We found that each of the six role types could bedefined bybull Which of the competencies they need to carry
out their role (not everyone needs all 12)bull The level of skill knowledge and experience
they need in each competencybull How much of their time they spend using
each competency ndash a high medium or lowamount For instance there was commonagreement that the communication leadermust have strong craft skills (writing anddesign) but compared to say the delivererthey spend a relatively low percentage of theirtime working on this type of activity
Each of the 12 competencies has three levelsbasic intermediate and advanced Based on thedata we gathered we defined the behaviors youmight expect to see a competent internalcommunication professional display at each level
We also added an ldquoineffectiverdquo category listingthose behaviors our interviewees told us weredisplayed by less able performers For example
7
COMPETENCY DEFINITION
Building effectiverelationships
Developing and maintaining relationships that inspire trust and respectBuilding a network and influencing others to make things happen
Business focus Having a clear understanding of the business issues Usingcommunication to help solve organization issues and achieveorganizational problems
Consulting andcoaching
Recommending appropriate solutions Helping others make informeddecisions Building other peoplersquos communications competence
Cross-functionalawareness
Understanding the different contributions from other disciplines andworking with colleagues from across the organization to achieve betterresults
Developing othercommunicators
Helping other communicators build their communications competenceand develop their career
Innovation andcreativity
Looking for new ways of working exploring best practice and deliveringoriginal and imaginative approaches to communication problems
Listening Conducting research and managing mechanisms for gathering feedbackand employee reaction
Making it happen Turning plans into successfully implemented actions
Planning Planning communication programs and operations evaluating results
Specialist Having specific subject-matter expertise in a specialist area
Vision and standards Defining or applying a consistent approach to communication andmaintaining professional and ethical standards
Craft (writing anddesign)
Using and developing the right mix of practical communication abilitiesto hold the confidence of peers and colleagues (eg writing designmanagement etc)
Figure Two Twelve competencies for internal communicators
19scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
some ineffective behaviors attached to theldquobusiness focusrdquo competency arebull Doesnrsquot make the link between
communication activity and the business ororganizational context
bull Delivers communication activity withoutconsidering whether it will serve any usefulpurpose
bull Lacks understanding of their business area
Building a framework for a specific role The next step in this project was to develop asimple table to map out the competencyframework for an individual role showingbull The competencies needed in this rolebull The level of competency needed in each casebull How much time we expect someone in this
role to spend on these types of behaviors
You can either build a competency frameworkfrom scratch or if you think the role fits one ofthe six types we identified from the survey use thecompetency framework for this type as a startingpoint (see the framework for a communicationleader Figure Three right)
In practice competency frameworks will varyaccording to the size of the organization thenumber of people in the internal-communicationteam the expectations of managers and thespecific requirements of each individual rolewhich is why wersquove built a flexible model
For example a communication leader in alarge multinational organization may spend muchof their time setting the vision and standardscoaching and consulting building relationshipsand developing other communicators and arelatively small amount of their time ldquomaking ithappenrdquo or on writing and design Howeversomeone in a stand-alone communication leaderrole in a much smaller organization wouldprobably have to be much more of a ldquoJack of alltradesrdquo dividing their time evenly between thedifferent competencies
Next stepsMore information about the 12 competencies andthe baseline competency maps for each of the sixrole types will be detailed in a forthcomingMelcrum report Ideas on how you use thesecompetencies to plan your development areavailable to download atwwwcompetentcommunicatorscom
We hope the framework will help bringstructure to the process of defining roles planningdevelopment and specifying recruitment andwould welcome your feedbackscm
1 The Inter-Comm skills matrix is described in an article in SCMFebruaryMarch 2005 (Volume 9 Issue 2) called Developingcore competencies for internal communicators
Figure Three Framework for a communication leader
COMPETENCY LEVEL TIME
Building effective relationships Advanced High
Business focus Advanced High
Consulting and coaching Advanced High
Cross-functional awareness Advanced Medium
Developing other communicators Advanced High
Innovation and creativity Advanced Medium
Listening Advanced Low
Making it happen Advanced Low
Planning Advanced Medium
Specialist NA NA
Vision and standards Advanced High
Craft (writing and design) Advanced Low
CONTACT DETAILS
Sue DewhurstCompetent Communicatorssuedewhurstcompetentcommunicatorscom
Liam FitzPatrickCompetent Communicatorsliamfitzpatrickcompetentcommunicatorscom
ldquoOUR RESEARCH FOUND A SMALL GROUP OFPEOPLE WORKING IN INTERNALCOMMUNICATION WHO SEE THEMSELVES ASSUBJECT-MATTER EXPERTSrdquo
20 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC President and CEO John Ryan joined theorganization in 1997 For the first few years hefocused on financial viability and positioning thecorporation for the future ndash articulating a newvision redefining strategic objectives expandingproduct and service offerings and identifyingpotential growth areas
The business results were outstanding double-digit growth increasing profits and great customerloyalty But something was missing
Like many successful organizations FCCoperated with a silo mentality Organizationalpolitics consumed energy that Ryan felt detractedfrom employee satisfaction and he worried aboutthe impact on the customer experience
He wanted his direct reports to work togetheras a real team ndash not to behave like individualleaders of functional areas Although the groupperformed well when there was a real challengeafter the challenge was gone so was the teamwork
This is not unusual for top executive groupsbut Ryan wasnrsquot willing to accept that fate ldquoTherehad to be a way to have a team-based
organization where leaders had the autonomythey needed to perform while actively collaboratingto achieve a new level of unprecedented resultsrdquohe said ldquoFCC had a very hierarchical culture withfirmly drawn divisional boundaries so I knew Ihad a challenge ahead of merdquo
Cultural transformation from the topIn 2002 John hired Malandro Communicationbased in Phoenix Arizona to guide FCCrsquos seniorleadership through a unique cultural transformationthat would lead to the creation of a high-performance team Leaders committed to being100-percent accountable for their impact onpeople and business results They let go of thetraditional 50-50 model ldquoIrsquoll do my part if you doyoursrdquo ndash a model that breeds a culture of blameconspiracies and distrust
In a series of formal training initiatives leaderswere taught to speak from the heart listen toother perspectives be open and responsive tofeedback and encourage personal andprofessional growth
Opportunity for internal communicationBy 2003 we were well on our way FCC producedremarkable business results with strong numbersright across the board The portfolio grew fromnearly CAN$9 billion to over CAN$10 billionThen two things happened that created anopportunity for internal communication tobecome a driver of business results 1 In 2003 we earned 50th place on Canadarsquos
ldquo50 Best Employersrdquo list and a respectableemployee engagement score of 69 percent
Defining the role ofstrategic comms atFarm Credit Canada
Farm Credit Canada (FCC) is in the fourth year of acultural-transformation program At the start of itsjourney clear expectations were set defining the role
to be played by internal communication In this summaryof the companyrsquos plans and achievements Kellie Garrettand Claire Watson describe the goals strategies andtactics employed by the internal communication teamand the impressive results achieved to date
Setting the stage for a cultural transformation
BY KELLIE GARRETT AND CLAIRE WATSON
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Farm Credit Canada isCanadarsquos largest provider offinancing to the agricultureindustry It serves 45000customers and has 1300employees working from 100rural offices across CanadaFCC is ranked eighth amongCanadarsquos 50 best employers
21scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC is a high performer in all otheroperational areas and employee engagementis a strong predictor of sustained corporateperformance But the survey showed therewas work to be done to align perceptionsbetween the senior leadership team andemployees Detailed results showed the gaps(see Figure One below)
2 Ryan became more determined to create ahigh-performance team that could deliver anextraordinary customer experience andsustainable business results
Establishing expected behaviorAs a first step towards creating a critical mass ofleaders who visibly demonstrate the behaviorsrequired to transform FCCrsquos culture middlemanagement and key cross-functional teams weretrained in responsible teamwork practices andcommunication skills
Ryan then created a set of 10 cultural practicesthat explicitly outlined how he expectedemployees at all levels to behave (see side barnext page) The foundation of these practices isthe belief that the drive for business results mustbe balanced by the attendant impact on people Inother words how the work was accomplished wasevery bit as important as what was accomplishedThe cultural practices were rolled out to allemployees in 2003
With the expected behavior from leaders andemployees clearly articulated it was time forinternal communication to find opportunities tosupport and promote these behaviors
Challenge 1 Creating a strategic frameworkOur first objective was to create a broaderstrategic framework for internal communicationA review of best-practice companies revealed thatformal media represents about 10 percent of allinternal communication channels with internalsystems accounting for another 10 percent Theremaining 80 percent is influenced by theorganizational culture
Our task was to put a formal strategy in placethat would strengthen the 10 percent ofcommunication we did have control over ndash theinternal communication channels
Within FCC the dominant employeecommunication channels were immediatemanagers e-mail and the intranet (Myinet)Front-line managers delivered corporate messagesdirectly to employees and their efforts weresupported by all-staff e-mails
There was nothing wrong with this approachbut it didnrsquot go far enough in the delivery of clearconsistent messages about strategic direction orcorporate priorities Nor did it create a line ofsight between individuals and business outcomes
For example a lack of central coordination wasresulting in unclear mixed messages thatconfused the internal audience A proliferation ofemployee surveys were independently conductedby various business units and the corporate e-mail system was choked with high volumecontributing to information overload
The intranetrsquos navigational structure and searchcapability needed major improvement datedinformation needed to be archived and majordocuments needed to be redeveloped in a web-friendly format
Defining our strategy and objectivesAware of these drawbacks we defined ourstrategy as To adopt a more integrated approachto internal communication and make sure allmessages focus employees on the businesspriorities Our strategies included the followingbull Segment the employee audience and define
communication needs based on demographicspsychographics and geographic location
bull Create a consistent voice across all groupsbull Ensure internal communication is mandatory
for all major corporate initiatives and isintegrated across channels and with othercommunication activities
bull Deliver targeted information through a varietyof channels and vehicles to reinforce messaginghelp with recall appeal to differentpreferences and create and sustain interest
bull Redevelop the intranet and position it as aninformation source for corporate businessemployee industry and technical information
bull Reduce the volume of corporate e-mailbull Implement a monthly employee survey to
replace the proliferation of one-off surveysindependently launched by business units
bull Create broad awareness and understanding ofkey corporate drivers such as business strategycorporate values and brand positioning 3
Kellie Garrett ABC MALeadership is senior VPStrategy Knowledge ampReputation at Farm CreditCanada and Chair of the IABCResearch Foundation Garrettis a frequent speaker onbusiness strategy leadershipand personal brand
Claire Watson ABC APR isthe master communicationstrategist for Farm CreditCanada Watson has won anumber of international andnational awards for her workis a published author and acertified change managementspecialist
MEASUREMENT EMPLOYEES SENIORMANAGERS
GAP
Senior management is open and honest incommunication
59 94 -35
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible
54 88 -34
Managers effectively support andimplement our people practices
48 81 -33
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 94 -23
Figure One Engagement survey results
22 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Defining the role of strategic comms at Farm Credit Canada
Successful tactics introducedSome of the tactics wersquove successfully introducedto bring this strategy to life include the following
1 Tracking key messagesWe created an employee key-message matrix thatis shared with leaders across the organization andhelps to ensure we deliver a consistent messageWe deliver the rewritten message through avariety of channels including e-mail letter featurearticle in the internal publication online throughour Monday Morning Update or directly to staffmeetings through managers and supervisors
2 Adopting a multi-channel approachWersquove expanded our channels beyond e-mail andthe intranet New channels now includebull AgriCulture ndash an employee print newsletter
published three times a year to communicatecorporate information and reinforce FCCrsquossocial and cultural fabric
bull An online feature called ldquoFrom the Desk ofthe CEOrdquo to keep employees in the loop
bull All staff e-mails from the CEO and VPsbull Discussion guides and QampAs for leadersbull Internal presentations and speeches delivered
by the senior leadership teambull Other printed material such as pocket cards
and brochures accompanied by a letter
3 Cutting down on information overloadSteps wersquove taken includebull Bundling all-staff messages into a Monday
Morning Update and bundling messages forcorporate headquarters staff into a CorporateOffice Update
bull Implementing a corporate e-mail policy withdefined subject-line conventions length andapproved topics
bull Restricting the use of all-staff e-mails to thesenior management team and certain keyindividuals
bull Improving the functionality of the intranetand redeveloping key business tools forefficient web use
bull Centralizing coordination of internal surveysbull Elevating the quality and clarity of internal
speeches and conferences to focus onstrategic business drivers
Challenge 2 Supporting leadershipThe results of our 2003 engagement survey alsorevealed an opportunity to increase trust betweenemployees and FCCrsquos senior management teamRyan and his VP responsible for communication(Kellie Garrett) believed that creating greatervisibility and better access to the senior managerswas vital to the establishment of a values-basedculture and a high-performance team
7
MEASUREMENT 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Senior management is open and honestin communication
59 73 81 83 91
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible to employees
54 71 82 83 81
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 81 87 87 85
I see strong evidence of effectiveleadership from the senior leadershipteam
69 83 87 88 93
I have a good understanding ofbusiness goals and objectives
76 77 81 81 88
Senior leadership has clearlycommunicated what we need to do tobe successful
NA NA 89 90 93
Figure Two Survey scores tracked from 2003-2007
FCCrsquoS 10 CULTURAL PRACTICESWe hold ourselves and each other accountable for
1 Our impact on business results and our impact on people
2 Delivering on commitments agreements and promises
3 Building and sustaining committed partnerships
4 Creating a safe environment where people can speak up without fear
5 We measure our success by how others perceive and respond to ourleadership not by our personal point of view
6 We talk straight in a responsible manner We are committed to the successof others ndash we do not engage in ldquoconspiracies againstrdquo people
7 We ldquolisten forrdquo contributions and commitment We do not listen againstpeople or ideas
8 We are highly coachable We actively seek and listen to coaching
9 We clean up and recover quickly
10 We acknowledge others often and celebrate both small and largesuccesses
ldquoLIKE DEVELOPING A COMPANYrsquoS IMAGE ORBRAND CULTURE CAN lsquoJUST HAPPENrsquo OR ITCAN BE DESIGNED STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONHAS PLAYED A CENTRAL ROLErdquo
23scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 FCC launched a culture-change program focused on
improving performance across the organization
bull Two key aims of the program are to encourage leaders and employeesto embody the values and improve staff engagement
bull Defining its strategy and goals at the outset internal communicationhas played a role in achieving these objectives
bull Results so far include less information overload a more accessibleleadership team and improved engagement scores
The challenge for internal communication wasto improve employeesrsquo perception of the visibilityaccessibility and trust for the senior managementteam Successful tactics introduced includebull A ldquoDine-Aroundrdquo program where three
senior leaders host a monthly lunch for ninepeople
bull An online forum called SMT Exchangewhere employees can anonymously askleaders tough questions and answers areposted for all to see
bull Senior leaders author more all-staff e-mailsare more visible and accessible at companyevents and deliver presentations that focus onconnecting employees to the business agenda
The goals we started with When we defined our internal communicationstrategy in 2003 we had some clear goals to worktowards These werebull To communicate relevant information in a
timely consistent and memorable waybull To reduce information overloadbull To influence an increase in the
communication-related elements of theengagement index
bull To contribute to an increase in employeeengagement from 69 to 74 percent
We also had specific year-one objectivesbull To increase understanding of business goals
and objectives beyond 78 percent bull To increase employee opinion about effective
senior leadership from 69 to 73 percentbull To improve employee opinions related to
senior management
Achievements and measurable resultsWith these goals guiding our efforts themeasurable results wersquove achieved so far includebull The bundling of all-staff e-mail has reduced
the volume by 88 percent ndash amounting toaround 350000 messages over one year
bull Over 450 employees have lunched with amember of the senior management team and170 QampAs have been posted on our seniormanagement online exchange
bull The survey scores relating to employeesrsquoperception of leadership and theirunderstanding of goals and objectives showsteady improvement since 2003 (see FigureTwo bottom left)
bull FCCrsquos engagement scores and subsequentranking among Canadarsquos 50 best employershas moved from 69 percent engagement and50th place in 2004 to 81 percent and 35thplace in 2005 84 percent and 12th place in2006 and 82 percent and 8th place in 2007
Cultural transformationThe internal communication strategy described inthis article has set the stage to communicatecultural transformation across the organization
Wersquore now in the fourth year of our culturaltransformation ndash creating an environment wherepeople are empowered feel safe and highperformance can flourish This involves aquantum shift in how employees behave andrelate to their co-workers and customers
Like developing a companyrsquos image or brandculture can ldquojust happenrdquo or it can be designedStrategic communication has played a central roleto create awareness understanding commitmentand motivate changes in behavior at every level ofthe organization
John Ryan has the final word ldquoOver the years Ihave learned that communication is at the heartof building a high-performance culture ndash a culturewhere people are fully engaged Communicationis vital Without it leaders cannot effect positivechange Our internal strategy recognizesemployees as a primary audience and a keyconduit to the customer the media stakeholdersand communities Our strategic approach tointernal communication significantly contributesto business resultsrdquo scm
CONTACT DETAILS
Kellie GarrettFarm Credit CanadaKellieGarrettfcc-facca
Claire WatsonFarm Credit CanadaClaireWatsonfcc-facca
24 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
In January 2004 Pfizer at Sandwich in Kent UKcommissioned a review of its existing charitablecontributions program which included matchedpayroll giving volunteering and grants for localcommunity charities and voluntary groups CCWorks the community investment consultancywas also approached to manage the day-to-dayadministration of grant applications from thecommunity
However it was decided that the administrationcould not be effectively managed until suitablecriteria were put in place for the grants programEssentially a company cannot outsourceresponsibility for its charitable donations unlesstherersquos a clear strategy in place for doing this
Although there were various policies in placefor the different elements of the existingcommunity investment program there was a lackof strategic direction to the program as a whole
Auditing the community grants programAs a first step CC Works examined the existinggrants program and also conducted external
benchmarking with voluntary organizations in thecommunity to gage perceptions of Pfizer
It emerged that many organizations werereceiving small grants ndash although some werenrsquotsure why ndash but only 16 percent of the currentspend was going on health-related causes ForPfizer a major global healthcare company thiswasnrsquot strategic It was clear that as a healthcarecompany Pfizer should be trying to improve thehealth of its local area by focusing on three coreareas health community and education
There was also a need for grants to be morelocally focused A significant amount of the spendwas going outside of the immediate East Kentarea CC Works recommended that to allow thecompany maximum freedom to operate in itscommunity it should focus grants on theimmediate community of East Kent which alsohappened to be a deprived area
Segmenting current grantsWorking in partnership with CC Works currentgrant allocation was examined by sector localarea and size of grant and in May 2004 two-yeartargets were set to increase the strategic impact ofcommunity grantsbull Increase grants allocated to health-related
projects to 50 percentbull Increase average grant from UKpound300 to
UKpound1000bull Increase East Kent allocation to 90 percent
This change was designed to be gradual so thatthe shift in allocation could be well managed
The new focus on the community mirrors
Engaging employees inPfizerrsquos communityinvestment program
In 2003 Pfizer at Sandwich UK was running manyelements of a community investment program butthere was little awareness among employees and no
real focus By July 2006 the program had beentransformed and now actively contributes to employeeand community relationships Here Pam Baker andChristine Jenkins describe the journey from disconnectedpolicies to award-winning program
Communicating an approach with clear links toemployees and the local community
BY PAM BAKER AND CHRISTINE JENKINS
scm FEATURES
Pfizerrsquos site at Sandwich inKent is the UK manufacturingheadquarters of Pfizer Incglobal pharmaceuticalcompany Its workforce of4000 makes it the largestprivate employer in East Kent
1 2 3 4 5
25scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pfizerrsquos global mission to be ldquothe most valuedcompany to patients customers colleaguesinvestors business partners and the communitieswhere we work and liverdquo For the communityinvestment program a measurable mission wascreated ldquoto improve the health indicators of thepeople of East Kentrdquo
Focus on colleague involvementThe next step in July 2004 was to conduct areview of the employee engagement elements ofcommunity investment to examine how thesecould be better integrated These elementsincluded payroll giving volunteering and staff-matched fundraising
For Pfizer at Sandwich the obvious first choicewas to look at volunteering Eighty-five percent ofPfizer employees are minimum graduate level ndashoffering much-needed skills to a deprived areaAll employees have five paid days a year they canuse for volunteering ndash this not only supports thecommunity it boosts employee engagement andcreates opportunities for employees to visiblyconnect with the community and vice versa
In October 2004 volunteering was identified asa key area for development but for employeevolunteering to be a success it had to beproactively marketed inside Pfizer and thereneeded to be adequate support andadministration behind the program
A database of volunteering opportunitiesIn conjunction with CC Works a searchable data-base of local volunteering opportunities was createdPfizer felt it was important to create a tailoreddatabase that would be furnished internally inorder to ensure a local bias and to maintain thequality of the information supplied to employees
In order to tie in with employeesrsquo personaldevelopment plans opportunities in the databasehad to meet at least two of Pfizerrsquos six keycompetencies 1 Team development2 Project management3 Coaching and development4 Decision making5 Effective partnership6 Working with change
To fill the database with relevant opportunities allorganizations that had contacted Pfizer for grantsor funding in the past three years were re-contacted and asked if they would also beinterested in volunteering
Over 70 percent responded positively and 300volunteering opportunities were sourced CCWorks helped the voluntary organizations puttogether opportunities that were most likely totake advantage of Pfizer employeesrsquo range of
specialist skillsThese opportunities were categorized on the
database according to skill geographic area andtype of charity allowing employees to search forsomething suitable for them Pfizer wasnrsquotprescriptive in its approach and allowed staff tovolunteer where the opportunity matched theirpersonal-development goals interests or wasgeographically convenient
Opportunities were wide-ranging from helpingin a charity shop to teaching in a schoolImportantly because database management isoutsourced to CC Works therersquos constantproactivitiy around seeking new opportunities andproviding administrative support that would havebeen difficult to maintain in-house
Launching the ldquoReaching Outrdquo programTo encourage involvement and awarenessemployees were asked to suggest a name for therevitalized volunteering program ldquoReaching Outrdquowas chosen and the new volunteering website waslaunched in May 2005 The site sits on PfizerSandwichrsquos intranet and any employee orcontractor can access it
A charity week was also held to help promotethe Reaching Out program Various charitiesvisited Pfizer during lunch breaks to explain whatthey do and the opportunities to work with themA soft incentive for staff to register on theReaching Out site was that Pfizer would donate20 rehydration sachets to Unicef (monetary valueof about pound2)
Reaching Out was also featured in a webcastfrom a senior leader that went to all employees(about 3000 staff plus contractors) at the start ofthe week and it was profiled in the weekly onlinemagazine Pipeline 3
Pam Baker is directorStrategic Operations andCommunity Affairs at Pfizer UK
Christine Jenkins is founderof CC Works a consultancyoffering communityinvestment advice andpractical solutions to thecorporate and voluntarysectors Previously she heldsenior manager roles in thevoluntary and private sectors
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 an audit of Pfizer at Sandwichrsquos community investment
program revealed a lack of strategic direction
bull In partnership with consultancy CC Works a decision was made tofocus the program on the local community
bull An effort to raise employee involvement through volunteering hasboosted the program and linked it to employee engagement
bull The ldquoReaching Outrdquo website gives employees the freedom to work withcharities of their choice
bull By July 2006 the ldquoHealthy Communitiesrdquo program had beentransformed and won a National Example of Excellence award fromBusiness in the Community
26 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TOP TIPS FOR COMMUNITY INVESTMENTbull Ask yourself why yoursquore undertaking this program and seek clarity around
your objectives
bull Focus on likely ldquowinsrdquondash ie areas with scope for improvement such asemployee engagement or external awareness
bull Tackle one area at a time in stages and aim for excellence in each arearather than trying to boil the ocean
bull Communication is key to success Create a distinct brand and identity forthe program to encourage awareness and involvement
bull Integrate different community programs ndash a holistic approach can maximizebenefits for the community staff engagement and corporate reputation
Over 450 employees registered to use thesite over the next two months with 230 employees(8 percent of staff) actively volunteering duringthe first year This beat a target to have 5 percentof employees volunteering 12 months after launchIn 2005 employees volunteered 4800 hours
Helping employees select the right optionEmployees can search the volunteering databaseby skill geographic area or type of charity and aregiven a range of choices Then the onus is on theemployee to speak to the charity and obtainfurther details on current opportunities inaddition to whatrsquos on the database The employeethen applies to his or her line manager Anintegrated work process enables staff to obtainapproval from their manager interact with thevoluntary organization and record their effortskeeping administration to a minimum
Managers at Pfizer Sandwich are keen foremployees to volunteer because theyrsquore aware ofthe potential benefits in terms of employeeengagement and skills development ndash a largenumber of managers are volunteers themselvesPfizer also held briefing sessions for managers toensure they were aware of the volunteeringprogram its benefits and how it works
7
Engaging employees in Pfizerrsquos community investment program
Incorporating employee feedbackThe database tracks employeesrsquo volunteeringefforts including how many hours theyrsquove doneand their feedback on the opportunitiesEmployee feedback can then be accessed by otherstaff looking for an opportunity The databasegives employees better insight into the availableopportunities and allows them to select somethingthat appeals to them so that both the employeeand the organization where they volunteer gets abetter ldquofitrdquo
The database also allows for better integrationof the whole program where volunteering canprovide an alternative or an addition to fundingFor example a well-known national charityapplied to Pfizer at Sandwich for some fundingaround a diversity initiative Pfizer suggested theirdiversity manager volunteer for them instead whohelped create the charityrsquos diversity program thatis now being launched nationally
Creating an integrated programIn May 2005 the decision was taken to bringtogether all the strands of community investmentunder one brand Healthy Communities Thisprogram was to includebull Charitable grantsbull Employee volunteeringbull Gifts in kind Community investment via gifts
in kind such as the use of Pfizer premisesresources and expertise is more easilysustainable and can bring real long-termbenefit to the local community When Pfizerfacilities are used to support communityinitiatives the face-to-face contact withemployees allows relationship-building andnetworking with key influencers Also invitingthe community to use Pfizer resources on siteldquodemystifiesrdquo the company
The overarching strategy behind HealthyCommunities was to support communityinvestment holistically (ie using several of theabove elements in combination) whereverpossible Focusing grants on the areas of greatestneed helps Pfizer achieve its overall missionHowever the donation of gifts in kind can have awider-reaching impact on the community
Taking a holistic approachAn award-winning example of this holisticapproach is the Helping Hartsdown projectwhich was Pfizer Sandwichrsquos biggest ever gift inkindvolunteering project Pfizer donated andrenovated much-needed classrooms at a localschool As well as financial support and gifts inkind the project involved over 100 staff andcontractor volunteers across all departments Aspecific promotion on the Reaching Out website
ldquoBY JULY 2006 THE lsquoHEALTHY COMMUNITIESrsquoPROGRAM HAD BEEN TRANSFORMED AND WONA NATIONAL EXAMPLE OF EXCELLENCE AWARDFROM BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITYrdquo
27scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
POSITIVE IMPACTS OF THE PROGRAMThe Healthy Communities program has had the following positive impacts for Pfizer
bull The program supports and protects Pfizerrsquos freedom to operate effectivelyin East Kent UK
bull Supporting and involving employees in the program engages and motivatesthem The company is also seen to be living its values In a recent survey55 percent of colleagues felt the program was ldquofocused and effectiverdquo
bull The program provides opportunities for colleagues to develop skills Twentypercent of colleagues surveyed stated that they had improved personalskills through taking part in the program
bull A healthy community is a better place to live and work for employees andwill aid retention Retention of the most highly skilled scientists givesPfizer Global Research and Development a competitive edge
bull A vibrant and healthy community helps to attract and retain leadingscientists from around the world
bull Community is one of Pfizerrsquos six core values Communicating activitiesinternally and externally gives a positive perception of the company
helped attract this large number of volunteersincluding senior leaders
Momentum was maintained behind thecommunication of the program with monthlynetworking breakfasts and several themed minicharity fairs to give local good causes the chanceto showcase their volunteering Individuals andteamsrsquo volunteering efforts were also regularlyprofiled in Pipeline
The December 2006 employee survey showedan 85-percent awareness level of Reaching Outand the program won a ldquoNational Example ofExcellence Awardrdquo from Business in theCommunity1
Relaunching the websiteIn June 2006 the Reaching Out website wasrelaunched to incorporate payroll giving andmatched fundraising under the same brand asvolunteering and utilize the existing software Allelements can now be applied for on the same site
The number of employees registered with thesite increased to over 1000 and the number of adhoc staff enquiries handled by CC Worksincreased dramatically as awareness andinvolvement levels rose among the workforce
External communicationA quarterly newsletter containing a round-up ofPfizerrsquos community investment work is producedand distributed widely to external stakeholdersincluding 3000 local residents Following theBusiness in the Community award the magazineCommunity News was revamped its circulationincreased and it was also desk-dropped to allemployees The magazine also helps to raiseawareness of Pfizer among local organizations
A pocket-sized booklet was produced containingkey facts and figures about the Healthy Communitiesprogram This gives employees especially seniorleaders at-a-glance information on the programallowing them to act as ambassadors for Pfizerrsquoscommunity investment work
Senior leaders at Pfizer Sandwich are keenadvocates of the program and having a clearbrand helps them communicate its benefits andraise awareness both internally and externally
Next stepsDespite its award-winning status there are plansto take Healthy Communities even further Theseinclude further research into employee feedbackand closer links to personal development plans InPfizer at Sandwichrsquos Global Operations functionvolunteering forms part of personal objectives ndashthis is an aspiration for the rest of the business
Pfizer also wants to improve team volunteeringand a toolkit is being prepared for team leaderswho wish to get involved in volunteering
Finally in order to share knowledge and bestpractice around community investment with otherlocal businesses Pfizer is hosting a Kentmembership network in conjunction with KentCounty Council This will help Pfizer work closelywith the local authority and bring local businessestogether to share ideas and collaborate toimprove their impact on the community scm
1 httpwwwbitcorguk
CONTACT DETAILS
Pam BakerPfizerpambakerpfizercom
Christine JenkinsCC Workschristinejenkinsccworkscouk
28 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Editorrsquos noteSucceeding in internal communication probablyisnrsquot all that different to succeeding in anyprofession understand whatrsquos expected of you dothe job well and deliver results But when youspeak to practitioners about how they personallyturned the corner in their careers and started tomake an impact it soon becomes clear that thereare many dos and donrsquots that can help or hinderprogress This article provides a handy checklistfor those with ambitious development plans
John G ClemonsVice President CommunicationsRaytheon Technical Services Co Llc
Take the initiativeThere have been a few career-defining momentsfor me Among them was the time when I realizedthat I was moving from a manager level to the
decision-making role of a director I worked for a senior executive who hired me
from a rival telecommunications company Uponjoining the company I developed strategiccommunication plans to address various businesschallenges During the development process Iperiodically checked in with my supervisor to gethis input and approval ndash probably more thannecessary ndash before moving to the next steps in planning
One day he called me into his office and saidthat while he liked the work I was doing for himhis expectation when he hired me as a directorwas that I would take the initiative in the job relyless on his frequent input and move forward with implementation and measurement Hewanted results
His counsel was along the lines of ldquoI hired youto do a directorrsquos job so do the job of a directorYou donrsquot have to get permission to make adifferencerdquo
Meet commitments and think strategicallyHis direction motivated me to take moreresponsibility at this new job level This alsomeant that I had to not just manage but leadmeet commitments and think more strategicallyto continue to earn not only his confidence butthe support of the entire leadership team
Irsquove found that being a communicationprofessional who is also a leader that can betrusted can get things done and truly support thegoals and objectives of an organization will notonly impress others but help build your credibilityand lead to success
How to get ahead ininternal communication
The path that leads internal communicators to thetop of their profession isnrsquot always an obvious oneWhich is why we asked a range of senior practitioners
to share their thoughts and experiences on gaining therespect of those who matter Whether its senior leadersfellow employees or your own team yoursquore looking toimpress these responses provide useful insight into howto make sure you and your work gets noticed
Senior practitioners share their views on how togain influence and credibility
COMPILED BY MANDY THATCHER
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
29scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Mark DarbyHead of Internal CommunicationsVisaUK
Be smart sharp and stubbornThe biggest lesson Irsquove learned and keep havingto remind myself is that I need to be smart sharpand stubborn to get ahead This is what thosewords mean to me in a work context
Smart I need to understand what Visa is doingand what people think about the business Thismeans constantly spending time in differentdepartments and learning from them I know whoour customers are what our challenges are andwhat our current financial performance is I havecontacts in most departments who have a fingeron the pulse which means I can have a relevantconversation with a senior person from any department
Sharp Internal communication is rarely near thetop of the agenda for senior people and my timewith them is usually short I always try to talkabout the impact on business performance assoon as possible If I circulate a document it willbe summarized to a single page at most and Idonrsquot use PowerPoint I ask a lot of ldquoonerdquo questionssuch as ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing you want employeesto do differentlyrdquo or ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing youwant me to change over the next six monthsrdquo
Stubborn I know what I want internal communica-tion to achieve at Visa and it has the support ofthe senior team Irsquove built up knowledge frombooks and articles I use my education from theBlack Belt training course1 and I speak to formercolleagues With this knowledge Irsquove becomestubborn and good at saying no because I have theinformation to back up my arguments Irsquove stoppedmy team from picking up extra projects that wonrsquotdeliver much value We focus only on projects thatadd the most value to the business and we deliveron these really well Successful delivery is thebiggest influence on any senior person
Monika StaffordHead of Internal CommunicationLloyds TSBUK
Be creative and focus on a killer issueUsing creative solutions to bring to life importantndash but often dull ndash programs can create a shinethat stretches beyond project boundaries For
example I worked on the implementation of SAPndash a business-critical systems program ndash requiringbehavior change from swathes of key yetuninterested people Successful implementationwas a big risk to get right but it was as dull asdishwater to communicate
Luckily there was a ldquoEurekardquo moment Byaligning the SAP story with the metaphor ofFormula-1 racing we could tell the tale of how itwould fulfill our need to create winningperformances for both the individual driver aswell as the back-up team in order to perform wellon the road ahead This storyline was a perfectmatch for the programrsquos objectives
Launch speakers from Formula 1 great designwork not to mention fantastic collateral allresulted in a no-hitch implementation that reallyresonated with people The global companypicked it up as the approach for worldwide rollout So faced with tedium it can actually pay tostare out of the window for creative inspiration
My other piece of advice is Focus on a killerissue If you really want to get ahead (and do besure you really do as being at the center ofchange is often akin to being in the eye of ahurricane ndash itrsquos no place for the feint-hearted)learn what keeps your business leaders up atnight Use your stakeholder-management skills toget to the people you need to help you deliversolutions then execute execute execute
Focus on value-adding work only because ifyou end up working on your companyrsquos cul-de-sacprojects yoursquoll never shine brightly enough forthe leaders in your company to notice you 3
COMPETENCY
Planning internal communication 76
Linking corporate messages to corporate vision 73
CEO communication 63
Change communication 60
Communicating to diverse audiences 60
Using the intranet as a communication tool 54
Defending your department in internal political battles 43
Line manager communication 42
Professional development of internal communication staff 33
Helping employees cope with information overload 32
Securing the appropriate level of budget for internal communication 30
Measuring the effectiveness of internal communication 28
Figure One Table from The Pulse report showing the percentage of communicators who ratethemselves as effective or very effective at listed competencies
30 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
WHATrsquoS CHANGED IN THE LAST 25 YEARS
David MoorcroftSenior Vice PresidentCorporate CommunicationsRBC Financial Group Canada
Irsquom constantly amazed at the changes that have taken place in our professionover the last 25 years and the degree of talent and knowledge required bycommunicators today to do their jobs well
Back in 1979 when I started in corporate PR the major skill sets werewriting editing and great media contacts Today good editorial skills are justtable stakes and the ability to understand business adapt technology thinkstrategically plan consummately and influence stakeholders are what landsenior communicators a seat at the management table
This change has been driven by the globalization of business the advent ofnew 247 media including the Internet the growing sophistication ofcustomers and employees increased demands for corporate transparency andmore rigorous requirements for high standards of public disclosure andfinancial reporting
MORE SKILLS THAN EVER BEFOREAs a result todayrsquos business communicator has to be more capable andknowledgeable and have more skills than ever before They must befinancially literate and technologically savvy They must understand the impactof evolving accounting and disclosure rules They must deal with legal HRpolitical and business issues And they must be prepared to deal with amultitude of potential crises that can arise at any moment in any language inany part of the world
Perhaps most challenging senior management today expects clear bottom-line returns for their investments in communication Itrsquos no longer enough toinform audiences and measure communication outputs CEOs expectcommunication to engage audiences and produce outcomes ndash something thatrequires strategic thinking planning and foresight
A friend of mine who left a senior corporate PR job to become COO of amajor public utility recently summed up the role of todayrsquos communicator thisway ldquoItrsquos one of the most important and critical roles in organizations todayand yet itrsquos often one of the least recognized and appreciatedrdquo
That sentiment may be a reality in some organizations today but with moreand more CEOs beginning to realize the bottom-line value of communication itwonrsquot be 25 years from now
Christina FeeSenior Vice President InternalCommunicationsDeutsche Post AGGermany
Seek out the important projectsI canrsquot pretend to have employed a specificapproach to my ldquopersonal PRrdquo at all But in theorganizations Irsquove worked for Irsquove had theopportunity to work on a number of excitinghigh-profile projects that have connected me withsenior stakeholders and influential people atdifferent levels
7
Irsquove learned a great deal from the project teamsIrsquove worked with and also due to the significanceand scope of the projects been able todemonstrate my worth approach and skills Irsquovehad to be passionate stand up for what I believein and think outside the box constantly
My roles within DHLDeutsche Post haveallowed me the freedom and flexibility to developand deliver new ideas but Irsquove also had to practiceand embody excellent internal communicationskills myself Having developed credibility and trustwith those that matter based on my track record Iwas allowed to go ahead with other projects
I donrsquot actively pursue the ldquoright relationshipsrdquobut rather let my work and my interactions withpeople speak for themselves This has helped medevelop mentors and supporters naturally Mylearning and development has also been expandedby the opportunity to work abroad and learn moreabout intercultural communication and interaction
Marc SilversideHead of Internal CommunicationsMacmillan Cancer SupportUK
Understand whatrsquos expected of youA newly established role heightens the need formaking a good impression so that people trustyou and feel they can come to you for advice
When I joined Macmillan I very nearly got thiswrong Perhaps this is an example that otherrsquos canlearn from
When my new CEO at Macmillan CancerSupport asked for a meeting ldquoafter a few weeks tosettle inrdquo I was confident that my wide-ranginginduction would help me understand the businessand provide the basis for what Irsquod present tosenior management
Forty structured face-to-face managerinterviews allowed me to understand needs andkey issues and I started to build personal rapportMy profile was raised and at the same timeinternal communication gained good visibility
Externally I networked with contacts in similarroles in other charities and soon found thebeginnings of a voluntary-sector network This hassince grown to over 25 members
By the time my CEO slot arrived I was armedwith input from across the charity and the resultsof an audit I felt well prepared to present myvision and solutions So I was surprised to be metwith significant resistance
I later discovered that my CEO intelligence wasincorrect What he wanted was to be askedspecifically about his own views on what internalcommunication should do and what I could do for
How to get ahead in internal communication
31scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
HOW DO YOUR SKILLS MEASURE UPFor Melcrumrsquos study into budgets salaries and trends in internalcommunication in 200607 we asked survey respondents to rate their owneffectiveness at a range of key communication competencies from planning tomeasurement The results may surprise you
For example 76 percent of respondents rate themselves as effective or veryeffective at planning internal communication but only 28 percent ratethemselves as equally effective at measuring its effectiveness (see Figure Onepage 29)
In her commentary on the results development expert Sue Dewhurst hadthe following to say
OUR STRENGTHSIt seems where we see our strengths as internal communicators is towards theldquofront endrdquo of the communication planning process For example being able tolink a plan to the business strategy knowing our audiences and being able tojoin up the dots and show people how messages link to the business vision
These are powerful strengths We are one of the few functions that tends tohave an overarching view of our entire company and is able to view thecompany and its strategy from a number of different perspectives Being ableto understand the vision and strategy view it from an audience perspectiveand then create line of sight to show what those things mean in practicalterms for peoplersquos day-to-day roles is one of the ways that we help drivebusiness performance ndash by showing people what they need to do to take thestrategy forward
In turn by knowing and working with our audiences hopefully wersquore thenalso able to make sure their views and suggestions can help shape the strategyand how itrsquos put into practice
MEASURING EFFECTIVENESSWe see ourselves as less effective towards the back end of the planningprocess in measuring the effectiveness of internal communication which tiesin with the feeling from previous questions that in fact wersquore not doing muchmeasurement or demonstrating our return on investment
Research and measurement is an area where there is plenty of expertisearound to call on There are measurement conferences research reports andpublications to understand what other organizations are doing and practicaltraining that will give you the opportunity to work in a smaller group askquestions and practice techniques For help with specific techniques try yourinternal marketing team Marketers are generally great with data and well-versed in running focus groups and putting together surveys If you have anexternal provider to support your employee engagement research try them too
Source The Pulse Essential data on budgets salaries and trends 2006-07wwwmelcrumcom
him rather than how I could benefit the charity Ihad to change my approach fast
This could have cost me my best ambassadorfrom day one So my advice is make sure yoursquoreabsolutely clear about whatrsquos expected from you
Of course the insights I gained in my first fewmonths have been valuable and since then myresults have done the talking Fortunately theCEO soon became an internal communicationsconvert and advocate
Darren CrozierCommunications ManagerHBOS plcUK
Make things happenDelivery is key to career development ndash if you sayyoursquore going to do something make sure you doit Put in the effort get the results you want andbe known as someone who can make things happenIf yoursquore seen to ldquoget things donerdquo no matter howsmall the job is people are more likely to get youinvolved in activities and ask your opinion
Gaining credibility and respect from seniorcolleagues is important but everyone in yourorganization will form an opinion of you from thepeople in the canteen right through to the CEOSo try and make sure that their opinion of you is agood one
Itrsquos not just the people within your immediatesphere of influence who can have an impact onyour career so extend your network go oncourses and get involved in professionalorganizations Many of my close workingrelationships career opportunities and indeedpersonal friendships have come from meetingpeople at such events and taking the time to keepin touch You never know how things will develop
Itrsquos also vital to earn respect be trustworthy andhave good manners To recall what an ex-bossonce said ldquoBe careful how you treat people onthe way up as you never know when you maycome across them againrdquo
One of the biggest challenges Irsquove found inrecent times is recognizing my own success andselling myself Sometimes you need to take a stepback to realize just what yoursquove achieved Evenbetter keep a log or portfolio of your successesand donrsquot be shy to speak about them becauseothers wonrsquot be shy to speak about theirs
Finally try and have some fun along the wayWe all have to work for a living so learn to makethe most of it scm
1 For more about Melcrumrsquos Internal Communication Black Belttraining program go to wwwmelcrumcom
32 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pitney Bowes has followed an aggressive strategyof growth through acquisition completing 60+acquisitions since 2001 Expansion has broadenedits product mix to include an extensive range ofsolutions from office equipment to globalpositioning software
But the companyrsquos many different specialismsand huge outsourcing operations meant that themajority of its 34000 employees werenrsquot aware ofthe full range of its service offering and thepotential for different divisions to work together
As Rob Hallam vice president EmployeeCommunication explains there was a strongbusiness case for adopting a ldquoone companyrdquoapproach ldquoBecause the businesses tended to besomewhat siloed even senior managers werefocused on their divisions
ldquoAlso because we were acquiring companiesand evolving so rapidly managers werenrsquot awareof a lot of the businesses and how they all workedtogether in the mailstreamrdquo says Hallam ldquoWewere missing out on potential cross-sellingopportunitiesrdquo
Communicating a new visionFour years ago Pitney Bowes created a OneCompany Vision statement ldquoOur aim was toensure support and cooperation across thebusiness so we could provide a comprehensive setof customer solutions ndash not just a list of productsand services by business unitrdquo says Hallam Theinternal communication challenge was to drawtogether 34000 employees and build a unifiedcorporate culture The communication strategyfocused on three key elements
1 PeopleThis focused on involving the leadershipstrengthening a two-way dialogue betweenmanagement and employees communicating theculture through leadership messaging enterprise-wide events and roadshows and buildingengagement so that everyone was workingtogether towards a One Company approach
2 ProcessesThis meant integrating the One Companyapproach into the organizationrsquos operations andinfrastructure by shifting management roles andadjusting incentives and reward structuresthroughout the company
The first step was to consolidate the companyrsquosoperating activities by appointing Murray DMartin as president and chief operating officer inSeptember 2004 Martinrsquos mantra is ldquoThink AsOne Act as One Operate As One to deliverwhat no other company canrdquo
ldquoThe COO position had previously been heldby the chairman so elevating someone to that
Communicating a OneCompany culture atPitney Bowes
Following rapid growth in the form of more than 60acquisitions over six years silo-working haddeveloped at Pitney Bowes and leaders were failing
to take advantage of profitable cross-selling opportunitiesHere Rob Hallam describes the communication elementsof a ldquoOne Companyrdquo culture-change program which hasturned the situation around simultaneously improvingcustomer service and boosting profits
Persuading disparate businessunits to work together
AN INTERVIEW WITH ROB HALLAM
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Pitney Bowes is an 87-year-old company best known forthe manufacturing operationand oversight of postagemeters It has over two millioncustomers more than 3500active patents and annualrevenue of close to $6 billion
33scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
role was a big changerdquo explains Hallam ldquoAll thebusiness units now report to a single individual atoperating level It represented a huge positivemove to start the company operationalizing OneCompany behaviorrdquo
The internal communication function wasrestructured to ensure that consistent messagingreached the entire employee population Regularmeasurement was a key part of the changeinitiative This served to define the contributionof communicating a One Company approachwhere it was adding value to Pitney Bowes and itsclients and customers and where there was stillwork to do
3 TechnologyIt was important to find the best ways to cascademessages throughout the company and keeppeople informed about what was going onwithout bombarding them with irrelevantcommunication Hallam and his team deploy avariety of channels and media including internalprint and online publications voicemail and e-mail Pitney Bowes is also in the process ofintegrating its different voicemail systems and e-mail platforms into one global system
Involving senior leadership from the outsetThe One Company strategy was an overridingpolicy that started at the top of the organizationldquoThere was a big launch at the strategic leadersrsquomeeting which is held every Januaryrdquo saysHallam ldquoThe messaging was then driven throughthe organization via a companywide globalcommunication strategyrdquo
From the outset the policy was championed bythe CEO Michael Critelli who believes thatculture is central to the Pitney Bowes brand andsaid recently ldquoMy first measure of success iswhether we are behaving as one companyrdquo Thiscommitment helped to ensure that the culturalchange was reinforced by parallel changes to thecorporate infrastructure
Building a two-way dialogueThe next step was to get the employee populationinvolved and build enterprisewide enthusiasm forthe culture change Pitney Bowes has alwaysrecognized the value of a two-way dialoguebetween management and employees and hasheld annual jobholders meetings which aresimilar to shareholdersrsquo meetings for 61 years In2005 Hallam reinvented it as an initiative calledOne Forum ndash a series of roadshows focusing oncommunicating the One Company culturethroughout the organization
Launching the One ForumIn 2005 Hallam and his team created an original
and memorable One Forum launch for the 90percent of Pitney Bowes employees based in theUS Around a quarter of US employees saw thisin person the others received a link to a websitewith streaming highlights
ldquoWe put together a two-hour roadshow eventwhich helped people to understand our OneCompany approach and made them aware of allthe businesses we were inrdquo says Hallam ldquoThethinking was that high change requires high touchFace-to-face can have far greater impact on theindividuals touched From there itrsquos a matter ofripple effect such as seeing improved One Forumbrand awareness among employees who didnrsquotactually attend one of the eventsrdquo
ldquoWe wanted the roadshow to be entertainingand energizing so we used gameshow techniquescustom-written songs and comedy specificallytailored to Pitney Bowes employees It was a funevent but it also included a keynote speech fromthe CEO and a lot of question-and-answersessions with employees It was entertainmentwith a purpose and it was a great success with employeesrdquo
The post-event employee evaluations provedthe success of this approach ldquoIn some cities anincredible 90 percent of employees gave the eventa top-box rating This shows that there was ahunger for both the knowledge and theapproachrdquo adds Hallam
Taking the show on the roadThe One Forum roadshow has become an annualevent ldquoIn a five-month period during 2005 therewere 17 One Forum events in 12 US citiesreaching about 6000 peoplerdquo says Hallam ldquoAftersome testing in March and April the first bigroadshows started in early May and continued forsix months with the final one in early Decemberin Seattle 3
Rob Hallam is vice presidentEmployee Communication atPitney Bowes (PB) in StamfordConnecticut where hersquos beenresponsible for internalcommunication strategy andimplementation since 2004Hallam has led a team ofprofessionals in reshapingcommunication at PB resultedin the communication teamearning the top ranking in HRdepartment satisfaction fromall PBrsquos US managers in 2005and 2006
KEY POINTSbull Internal communication has played an important role in embedding a
One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
bull The communication strategy focused on three key elements peopleprocess and technology
bull The campaign has been championed by the CEO from the outset andhas won senior leadership support over time
bull An entertaining roadshow helped win employee commitment
bull Cross-selling ratios have jumped substantially since the culture-changeeffort began
34 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ldquoIn 2006 we compressed the programsubstantially and drove down costs while stilltouching 6000 employees Together with ourcorporate marketing group we also introduced anextremely successful lsquoelevator speechrsquo that helpsemployees answer the much-feared questionlsquoWhat does Pitney Bowes dorsquordquo
Local variationsAlthough the entertainment component in theroadshows contributed to their success it wasspecific to the US so Hallam gave business unitsand internal communicators in other regions theresponsibility for communicating the OneCompany approach to local employees ldquoInCanada and the UK they conducted town-hallmeetings and in Latin America and other parts ofthe world they produced their own variations onthe One Forum theme We made sure that theyhad the information they needed but we limitedthe entertainment to English-speaking regionsrdquo
A commitment to employee engagementThe appointment of the new COO and the launchof the One Forum roadshows coincided with thefirst employee engagement survey in late 2004ldquoWe see engagement as very much tied to ourability to execute a One Company strategy andchange our culturerdquo says Hallam He sets outfour ways in which employee engagement isinstilled at all levels in the organization
1 Visible leadership commitment to engagementThe CEO underlines his commitment by sendingregular messages to employees via a variety ofmedia including voicemail and print and onlinepublications He also uses engagement scores todetermine a unitrsquos overall performance rating andbonus pool ldquoWhen one senior execrsquos bonus poolwas reduced due to poor engagement scores that
was a message requiring no communication planrdquosays Hallam ldquoWord spread quicklyrdquo
2 Celebrating top performers Pitney Bowes celebrates its top engagementperformers by running cover stories in its globalprint and online publication PB Today ldquoThisprogram was called lsquoThe Faces of Pitney Bowesrsquordquosays Hallam ldquoWe did 10 of these last year so theyran twice in five editions Wersquove also producedlarge mural-sized photos of those managers andtheir teamsrdquo he says ldquoWe celebrate success andpublish it everywhere Our CEO loves it and wersquoreactually selling part of our contemporary artcollection which decorates the building to makeroom for an expansion of additional OneCompany and Engagement photography all ofwhich will focus on our employeesrdquo
3 Incentivizing managers via the reward systemEmployee engagement is recognized andreinforced in the companyrsquos formal processesincluding its reward system ldquoWe use a tool calledthe Strategic Architecture which is our balancedscorecardrdquo explains Hallam ldquoItrsquos a Six-Sigma toolwhich measures employee shareholder andcustomer value Managersrsquo engagement scoresalso factor into their annual reviews soengagement has a direct impact on remunerationrdquo
4 Rewarding engagementA further program called Rapid Rewards awardscash bonuses to managers and employees foroutstanding behavior including that related toemployee engagement
Aligning the communication strategyHallam and his team are responsible fordelivering the overall employee communicationstrategy ldquoWe had to dramatically improve ourstrategic approach in order to make OneCompany a realityrdquo he says
In addition to organizing campaigns such as theOne Forum roadshows to publicize the culturechange across the enterprise Hallam hasintroduced initiatives aimed at improving thereach and delivery of internal communication andmaking sure messages get to their intendedaudiences He has also aligned the structure ofthe internal communication function with thecompanyrsquos unified culture
ldquoThere were a lot of different communicationgroups so we brought together all thecommunication leaders and formed a singleInternal Communications Councilrdquo explainsHallam ldquoThis means that the communicationfunctions in the different business units areworking together to help drive change andimprove coordinationrdquo
Communicating a One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
ldquoWHEN A SENIOR EXECrsquoS BONUS WAS REDUCEDDUE TO POOR ENGAGEMENT SCORES THAT WASA MESSAGE REQUIRING NO COMMUNICATIONPLAN WORD SPREAD QUICKLYrdquo
7
FURTHER RESOURCES3 THE IMPACT OF CULTURE AND CLIMATE ON CHANGE PROGRAMS
An article published in SCM Volume 10 Issue 6 OctoberNovember 2006
3 DRIVING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE CORPORATE CULTUREMelcrumrsquos report on communication tools techniques and best practicefrom leading organizationswwwmelcrumcom
35scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Developing a global approachHallam is also responsible for a globalcommunication project called Universal Reachwhich is sponsored by the chairman and designedto support and maintain a unified corporateculture ldquoOur goal is to provide 90 percentmessage accessibility within our key customer-facing audiencesrdquo he explains ldquoThe biggestchallenge is integrating our online communicationinfrastructure which has nine different voicemailsystems operating across the world and multiplee-mail and web platforms Wersquore pulling all thattogether to provide better reachrdquo
Since 911 the CEO and other top executiveshave broadcast weekly audio messages calledPower Talks Hallamrsquos team has worked with theleadership to ensure that they incorporate OneCompany messages and as he explains they reachmost of the employee population ldquoAbout 20000of our employees have voicemail Those whodonrsquot receive the Power Talk message either inprint or online In some divisions managers playthe Power Talk messages in staff meetingsrdquo
Engaging leadership reinforces the cultureBuilding on the CEOrsquos commitment to a OneCompany approach Hallam and his team haveorganized leadership events ndash most recently at thestrategic leadersrsquo meeting in December 2006 ndashshowing Pitney Bowes as one company in actionThis campaign has helped to engage the top 150managers in the culture change
ldquoOur post-event evaluations show a strongmove numerically in senior leadershiprsquos belief thatwersquore operating as one companyrdquo says Hallam(see Figure One above) ldquoAs theyrsquore our toughestjudges wersquore pleased by the significant differencein pre- and post-event measurementrdquo There wasalso an improvement in leadersrsquo understanding ofthe companyrsquos new mailstream category
Sustaining the new cultureAccording to Hallam rippling out the OneCompany messaging requires a consistent andcoordinated approach Communication leaders inthe various divisions are now working to weaveOne Company messages into the business-unitmeetings ldquoA lot of the messaging that welaunched at the strategic leadersrsquo meeting arebeing reiterated at the business unit level Thatrsquosbeen facilitated through the InternalCommunications Councilrdquo he says
ldquoKey metrics for the culture change programfocus on cross-selling ratios which have jumpedsubstantially since the culture change effortbeganrdquo says Hallam ldquoIn 2002 we also institutedthe ldquoPB1 Awardsrdquo which is a chairmanrecognition award that goes to teams who bestembody cross-functional behavior in working on
projects which improve our clientsrsquo profitabilityour profitability or bothrdquo
ldquoHowever wersquore only really a year into thisMuch of the evidence is anecdotal but what haschanged is that our managers have broadenedtheir vision and are thinking as solutions-providers rather than product-sellers As suchtheyrsquore involving other business units out of theirdesire to eliminate customer pain points ndashregardless of which part of Pitney Bowes gets the salerdquo
Adding value to customersUltimately managers and employees who arewell-informed about the companyrsquos products andservices are in a good position to take advantageof cross-selling opportunities Realizing thispotential enables Pitney Bowes to make extrasales to existing customers thereby increasing itsprofit margins and allowing customers to benefitfrom a mix of products and services
Shifting to a unified culture directly benefitsboth Pitney Bowes and its customers ldquoByfocusing on the whole cadre of products andservices we can help our customers improve theirbusinessesrdquo says Hallam ldquoThatrsquos where OneCompany is critical It enables our clients tobenefit from all our servicesrdquo scm
Figure One Measuring the impact of the strategic leadersrsquo meeting
CONTACT DETAILS
Rob HallamPitney Bowesrobhallampbcom
I BELIEVE THAT OUR SENIOR LEADERS (MEANING THE TOP 15 EXECS) AREWORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO DELIVER INTEGRATED HIGH-VALUESOLUTIONS TO OUR CUSTOMERS
Pre SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 73
Post SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 92
Gain in two months time 19
ldquoMANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WELL-INFORMED ABOUT THE COMPANYrsquoS PRODUCTSAND SERVICES ARE IN A GOOD POSITION TOTAKE ADVANTAGE OF CROSS-SELLINGrdquo
2007
36 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
MELCRUM TRAINING amp EVENTS
CALENDAR 2007UKEUROPESOCIAL MEDIA FORUM FORINTERNAL COMMUNICATORS UK
3 21-22 March 2007 Hilton Canary WharfLondon UKThis forum is designed for practitioners who wantto make social media part of their internalcommunication strategy Over two dayscompanies such as IBM Microsoft and BT willshare case studies demonstrating their use ofsocial-media tools Technology experts will also beon hand to provide training and show you how touse these tools
THE 3RD ANNUAL EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT CONFERENCE UK
3 22-24 May 2007 Millennium GloucesterLondon UK22 May ndash Practical workshops23-24 May ndash Two-day conferenceThis event will focus on transforming yourstrategies into action Listen to case studies fromcompanies that have achieved real andmeasurable results from their engagement effortsLearn how they did it what they achieved and howthe results were measured
THE 6TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT UK
3 16-18 October 2007 London UK After the huge success of the 2006 UK StrategicCommunication Management Summit next yearrsquosevent will once again provide you withpresentations from key figures in the industry anda chance to network with your peers Mark yourdiaries now ndash more details to follow
THE 3RD ANNUAL INTERNALCOMMUNICATION MEASUREMENTCONFERENCE UK
3 27-29 November 2007 London UKDetails available soon ndash mark your diary now
NORTH AMERICATHE 3RD ANNUAL CONFERENCEON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENTBUILDING AND SUSTAINING ACULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT
3 28 February ndash 1 March 2007 Crowne PlazaAtlanta-Buckhead Atlanta USLearn how to foster an environment whereemployees feel valued and respected Hear fromcompanies including Dow Corning CorporationAmerican Express Delta Hotels and Merck
THE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT US
3 26-28 March 2007 Crowne Plaza UnionSquare San Francisco26 March ndash Pre-conference workshops27-28 March ndash Two-day summitAttend this conference and discover how toimprove employee alignment with all segments ofyour internal audience ndash from your front-lineemployees to your executive officers bothnationally and worldwide
AUSTRALIATHE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION ENGAGEMENTSUMMIT SYDNEY
3 31 July ndash 2 August 2007 Sydney Australia Details available soon ndash mark your diary now
WEBINARSDEVELOPING PROFESSIONALCOMPETENCE
3 Thursday 22 February 2007 with LiamFitzPatrick and Sue Dewhurst
HELPING YOUR ORGANIZATIONTHRIVE DURING TURBULENTTIMES
3 Thursday 29 March 2007 with Carol KinseyGoman
TRAININGTHE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT PROGRAM
3 24-25 April and 1-2 May 2007 HenleyManagement College UK3 11-12 and 27-28 September 2007 Cranfield
School of Management UK
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT MASTERCLASSEFFECTIVE MEASUREMENT
3 14-15 March 2007 Hendon Hall Hendon UKAn essential two-day intensive training courses forinternal communicators on effective measurementRegister early as places are strictly limited to 20people per Masterclass
CSR DELIVERY ENGAGEMENT amp LEADERSHIP
3 19-20 April 2007 Central LondonOsney MediaWith an excellent speaker line-up from high-profile companies including Procter amp Gamble The BodyShop ExxonMobil Microsoft Belgium Vodafone UK Dell Ericsson and Alliance Boots this case studybased event will answer questions including how do Ibull Build a CSR-oriented leadershipbull Get people on boardbull Integrate CSR with the global strategy of the companybull Deliver CSR throughout the company to make it really happen
For more information visit wwwcsrleadershipcom or e-mail mariame_lindellosneymediacouk (Reference code 910MLC3)
38 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
DESIGN
YELLOW
The future success of all organisations will be builton trust understanding passion empowermentintegrity and relationships
The future is cool exciting sparkling organisationsbursting with energy life and action
The future of brand is the internal brand first andforemost
The future is colleague as customer
Turning communications upside down
No just inside-out
Be part of the future say hello to Yellow
We help large organisations bring their communicationsstrategies to life through the imaginative use of liveevents multimedia web and design ndash distributed acrossall media platforms including DVD TV mobile devicesintranet and extranet
Ultimately developing internal brands and ongoingcommunications that have a measurable impact onpeople-performance advocacy and the bottom line
Contact Paul MiddletonTel +44 (0)161 228 6700E-mail paulmiddletonyellowcomcomWebsite wwwyellowcomcom
NEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
DESIGN
BLUE GOOSE
blue goose specialize in visual communications We make communications work faster and better We will link what wedo back to your objectives but we donrsquot talk (or charge for) ldquostrategyrdquo when you simply want tactical implementation Weuse design and creativity tobull differentiate products and services bull develop and manage corporate and brand identity bull align external communications with agreed values bull internalize corporate and brand identitybull align internal communications with agreed values bull support organizational change and bull help organizations better understand and define who they are
We work for clients as diverse as PricewaterhouseCoopers Ford Europe Centrica plc Greene King City of London Policeand Le Meacuteridien
blue goose is for any organization more interested in designing their future than watching it happen
Contact Chris BarringtonE-mail thinkingbluegoosecoukTel +44 (0)20 8869 8500Web site wwwbluegoosecouk
CONSULTANCY
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION ampSURVEYS PTY LTD
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd is aboutique consultancy based in Sydney Australia Itspecializes in employee communication strategiessystems research and employee surveys of all kindsPrincipal Rodney Gray has been involved inorganizational consulting for over 20 years following a15-year career as a corporate human resourcesexecutive Services includebull Employee communication audits and surveys by
questionnaires focus groups and interviewsbull Employee communication systems strategies and
processesbull Employee communication training workshops and
talksbull Employee culture climate and opinion surveysbull Qualitative organizational diagnosis (focus groups
and interviews)bull Internal service quality research (qualitative and
quantitative)
Contact Rodney GrayTel +61 (0)2 9909 2900 Fax +61 (0)2 9909 2911E-mail rodneyrodneygraycomauWeb site wwwemployee-communicationcomau
CONSULTANCY
HEDRON
Internal and change communication that helps teamsand individuals to develop strategies relationshipsprocesses and skills to engage stakeholders supporthigh performance and deliver change
ldquoSharp strategic thinking quality execution effectiveinterpersonallyhelliprdquo ldquoCreativity drive resourcefulnessresults great funhelliprdquo say clients
All sectors ndash ABN AMRO AXA BT Cadbury SchweppesDepartment for Constitutional Affairs HealthcareCommission Group 4 Securicor SABMiller SiemensSouthern Rail Unilever Wincanton
Our clients are happy to tell you what itrsquos like workingwith us
Contact Helena MemoryTel + 44 (0) 20 7493 0735Fax + 44 (0) 20 7493 0743E-mail helena-mhedroncomWeb site wwwhedroncom
CONSULTANCY
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
39scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
CONSULTANCY
SYNOPSIS
Founded by change and communication authority Bill Quirke in 1992 Synopsis is one of Europersquos leading internalcommunication consultancies Our clients include such companies as ABN Amro BBC BP British Airways DiageoEricsson HP Lloyds TSB Roche Shell and Vodafone
We help clients use internal communication to engage their employees in delivering business strategy and get most valuefrom their internal communication
We can help youbull Develop communication strategies that support your business strategybull Coach leadersbull Develop line managersrsquo communication skillsbull Plan and coordinate your communication with colleagues onlinebull Check the health of your communication channels and improve return on investmentbull Build and develop the communication functionbull Measure and track employee engagement attitudes and opinions
To take a tour of our online planning tool go to wwwsynopsisonlinecomproductplanningtoolasp
Contact Jane LebeauE-mail janelebeausynopsisonlinecomTel +44 (0) 20 7490 2900Web site wwwsynopsisonlinecom
CONSULTANCY
HARKNESS KENNETT
We specialize in internal communication To us thatmeansbull motivating people through inspiring leadershipbull guiding people through organizational changebull engaging people in delivering the brand
Working in partnership with our clients is central to ourethos enabling us to help deliver practical solutionssupported by solid strategic thinking All of ourconsultants have held senior positions ldquoclient siderdquo sowe know what itrsquos like to be in your shoes The vastmajority of our work comes from recommendations fromexisting clients ndash 82 percent of our clients haverequested repeat work in the last two years
Our clients include Abbey Atkins BDO Stoy HaywardThe Environment Agency Marks amp Spencer NHS Blood ampTransplant Morgan Stanley Europe Nestleacute PoliceInformation Technology Organisation Royal ampSunAlliance South West Trains and Vodafone
Our vision is simple ndash we want to be the first callyou make
Contact James HarknessTel +44 (0)1483 222730E-mail jamesharknessharknesskennettcomWeb site wwwharknesskennettcom
CONSULTANCY
TRIDENT COMMUNICATIONS
Trident Communications is uniquely positioned to definedevelop and deliver award-winning solutions that aligncommunication with business goals
We advise and partner with organizations of all sizes tocreate high-value practical applications Our talentedproject teams provide innovative research designeditorial and imagery for print and online
We connect ideas and deliver results
Contact Peter Agertoft Tel +44 (0)207 536 8900E-mail peteragertoft
tridentcommunicationsnetWeb site wwwtridentcommunicationsnet
CONSULTANCY
FLEISHMAN-HILLARD
Fleishman-Hillardrsquos dedicated internal and changecommunication practice helps businesses focus onperforming ndash not just informing
We help organisations plan and implement programmeswith the right mix of information dialogue and trainingso that employees are engaged aligned and motivatedto achieve business objectives
Because effective internal communication is vital tobottom-line performance we partner with our clients tocreate a daily dialogue ndash not a monologue ndash withemployees
Contact Nick AndrewsTel +32 (0)2 230 05 45 E-mail nickandrewsfleishmancomWeb site wwwfleishmaneuropecom
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE A listing in our Directory of Services will giveyou a chance to reach communicationprofessionals at some of the worldrsquos largestand most admired companies and to tap intodecision-making practitioners
ContactVincent SorelTel +44 (0)208 600 4670E-mail vincentsorelmelcrumcom
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
INCLUDE YOUR COMPANY BY CONTACTING US ON +44(0)20 8600 4670 OR AT INFOMELCRUMCOM
CONSULTANCY
HILL amp KNOWLTON
Better business results the bottom line
How do I manage more change Motivate managers Getthe right information to the right people Show the bestreturn on communication investment
Sound familiar Hill amp Knowltonrsquos change and internalcommunication consultants work with companies aroundthe world to find the right answers for their situation
We offer strategy insight and creativity drawing on ourconsultancy expertise and in-house experience Plus wedeliver practical hands-on help
We know that effective employee communication has adirect impact on the bottom line Working together wecan make it happen for you
Contact EMEA DavidFerrabeehillandknowltoncom
+44 (0) 7413 3176USA BarbaraEdlerhillandknowltoncom
+1 415 281-7160Canada KristaThompsonhillandknowltoncom
+1 613 786-9961
RECRUITMENT
VMA GROUP
VMA Group is one of the UKrsquos leading executive searchand selection consultancies specializing in internal andcorporate communication recruitment
For over 25 years VMA Group has provided the highestlevel of service to some of the most demanding globalorganizations developing a strong track record for thequality and professionalism of our search and selection work
We have in-depth specialist knowledge of the internalcommunication market and can provide high-qualitypermanent and interim candidates with expertise acrossinternal communication change management and widercorporate communication We understand the needs ofour clients intrinsically and strive to develop long-termrelationships with clients and candidates alike
Please call to discuss how we can help you find theideal candidate or if you wish to make a career move
Contact David BroomeTel +44 (0)20 7436 4243E-mail dbroomevmagroupcoukWeb site wwwvmagroupcouk
40 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONALCOMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS E-mail gaitensunityncsueduWeb site wwwconsultingsuccessorgTel 919 469 3895
CIB ndash BRITISH ASSOCIATION OFCOMMUNICATORS IN BUSINESSE-mail enquiriescibukcomWeb site wwwcibukcomTel +44 (0)870 121 7606
CCM ndash COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATIONMANAGEMENT E-mail membership
ccmconnectioncomWeb site wwwccmconnectioncomTel 866 463 4226
CPRS ndash THE CANADIAN PUBLICRELATIONS SOCIETYE-mail admincprscaWeb site wwwcprscaTel 416 239 7034
IABC ndash THE INTERNATIONALASSOCIATION OF BUSINESSCOMMUNICATORS E-mail service_centreiabccomWeb site wwwiabccomTel 415 544 4700
ICA ndash THE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONALLIANCE E-mail amandafoistericaukorgWeb site wwwiprorgukicaTel +44 (0)1628 642 044
CIPR ndash THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OFPUBLIC RELATIONS UKE-mail infoiprorgukWeb site wwwiprorgukTel +44 (0)20 7253 5151
IPRA ndash THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICRELATIONS ASSOCIATIONE-mail ipraseccompuservecomWeb site wwwipraorgTel +44 (0) 1372 461 188
PRSA ndash PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OFAMERICAE-mail resourcesprsaorgWeb site wwwprsaorgTel 212 460 1459
DIRECTORY OF SERVICESNEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
CONSULTANCY
17scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
intranet or organizing eventsBut clearly the world of internal communication
isnrsquot quite that straightforward People join theprofession via all kinds of routes and at differentstages of their careers
We interviewed someone who started out as thedirectorrsquos PA a successful senior executive whostarted out as an engineer a former psychologylecturer and others who had joined through moreobvious routes in publishing and PR
Some had started out in junior roles Forothers their first role in internal communicationwas as a business partner Others had alreadyreached a senior position in another function andsimply moved across at the same level
A key objective of this study was to develop amodel that reflected the diverse reality of life ininternal communication one that was flexibleenough to be adapted to fit organizations andcommunication teams of all shapes and sizes
So we began our research by surveying communica-tors worldwide to find out how they actuallyspend their time on a daily basis and what skillsknowledge and experience they regularly use
The six types of practitionerStatistical analysis of the survey data suggestedthere were six stereotypical role types withininternal communication By ldquotypesrdquo we meansegments or groups of people who share verysimilar characteristics in terms of their skills andstrengths spend their time carrying out similartypes of activities and whose outputs tend to bejudged in similar ways
Most importantly these types can be plottedagainst two dimensions based on how they spendtheir time (advising or doing) and where theirfocus is (strategy or tactics) Figure One (right)illustrates these six types and how they plotagainst the two dimensions
Clearly every organization is slightly differentbut the six stereotypes described below shouldprovide a starting point for thinking about theroles and types of people you need in your team
1 The Leader Internal communication leaders manage teamsand lead the function either for an entire organiza-tion or for a large division or territory Theyspend much of their time managing and coachingteam members and working with senior managersThey see themselves as business people first andcommunicators second However itrsquos taken as readthat they have sound technical ability and will rollup their sleeves when needed Great internal andexternal networkers theyrsquore skilled at dealing withuncertainty and conflict Theyrsquore likely to bemeasured on business results and through thesubjective opinion of their senior customers
2 The Advisor Advisors support departments or major projectsby providing advice developing communicationplans and providing hands-on support to deliverthem Local managers trust them for their insightsinto business problems and understanding of howtheir organization really works Through well-developed networks and time spent understandingtheir audiences and carrying out research andfeedback they know whatrsquos really going onTheyrsquore judged on the quality of their advice andtheir ability to translate that advice into plansactivities and actions
3 The ManagerThe internal communication manager has excellentcraft skills and a sound knowledge of channelsThey spend most of their time on delivery Whenthey advise itrsquos normally about the best channelsto use or the most appropriate timing Goodmanagers arenrsquot easily intimidated and are greatat juggling different priorities Theyrsquore skilled attranslating between the boardroom and the shopfloor Their contribution is often measured bytheir ability to deliver activity against a plan andthe quality of work they and their team produce
4 The DelivererMost teams have someone in this role ndash a safepair of hands who can be trusted to make thingshappen That might range from compilingdistribution lists through to running a conferencesorting out the CEOrsquos open forum or writing andediting a newsletter Theyrsquore less likely tosupervise other communicators and depend ontheir organizational and craft skills to get the jobdone People value them for their ability to dothings on time and to a high standard 3
Sue Dewhurst and LiamFitzPatrick run CompetentCommunicators a firmspecializing in professionaldevelopment for internalcommunicators TheyrsquoreMelcrumrsquos official training anddevelopment advisors anddeliver Melcrumrsquos Black Belttraining program Theyrsquore alsothe authors of a forthcomingreport on competenciesdevelopment and standardsfor internal communicatorsand blog about developmentissues onwwwBlackBeltDojocouk
Figure One Six typical role types for internal communicators
TheLeader
TheLocal Agent
The Deliverer
TheAdvisor
TheManagerADVISE
STRATEGY
IMPLEMENT
TACTICS
TheSpecialist
KEY POINTSbull A new study has established how communicators spend their time and
what skills knowledge and experience they regularly use
bull The research identifies six stereotypical roles ranging from acommunication leader to a specialist (eg a web or events expert)
bull It also highlights 12 competencies that clarify the behaviors acompetent practitioner should display at each level An ldquoineffectiverdquocategory shows behaviors displayed by less able performers
bull The roles and competencies provide a framework for development
Building a learning framework for internal communicators
18 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
5 The Local AgentThis category covers a broad range of peoplefrom the plant managerrsquos personal assistant to aregional communication manager Internalcommunication is often one of severalresponsibilities for this person and they tend tohave a tactical focus Their agenda is normally setby the local management team although theirlocal knowledge and network makes them aninvaluable sounding board for the corporatecommunication team They tend to be judged onwhether activities happen and how satisfied theirlocal manager is with them
6 The SpecialistOur research found a small group of peopleworking in internal communication who see them-selves as subject-matter experts in a specialist areasuch as web management audio-visual productionor event management They have only a looseconnection to the mainstream profession andcould equally work in IT marketing or perhapsHR Because theyrsquore highly specialized they tendto work in large organizations
Building a competency frameworkOnce statistical analysis had suggested these sixrole types we began testing them out throughfocus groups and interviews with practitioners Inparticular we asked what skills knowledge andexperience people in each type of role neededwhat people saw outstanding practitioners doingwhat poor performance looked like and howpeople in the six role types spent their time
On the basis of this information we developeda series of 12 competencies (see Figure Two left)We found that each of the six role types could bedefined bybull Which of the competencies they need to carry
out their role (not everyone needs all 12)bull The level of skill knowledge and experience
they need in each competencybull How much of their time they spend using
each competency ndash a high medium or lowamount For instance there was commonagreement that the communication leadermust have strong craft skills (writing anddesign) but compared to say the delivererthey spend a relatively low percentage of theirtime working on this type of activity
Each of the 12 competencies has three levelsbasic intermediate and advanced Based on thedata we gathered we defined the behaviors youmight expect to see a competent internalcommunication professional display at each level
We also added an ldquoineffectiverdquo category listingthose behaviors our interviewees told us weredisplayed by less able performers For example
7
COMPETENCY DEFINITION
Building effectiverelationships
Developing and maintaining relationships that inspire trust and respectBuilding a network and influencing others to make things happen
Business focus Having a clear understanding of the business issues Usingcommunication to help solve organization issues and achieveorganizational problems
Consulting andcoaching
Recommending appropriate solutions Helping others make informeddecisions Building other peoplersquos communications competence
Cross-functionalawareness
Understanding the different contributions from other disciplines andworking with colleagues from across the organization to achieve betterresults
Developing othercommunicators
Helping other communicators build their communications competenceand develop their career
Innovation andcreativity
Looking for new ways of working exploring best practice and deliveringoriginal and imaginative approaches to communication problems
Listening Conducting research and managing mechanisms for gathering feedbackand employee reaction
Making it happen Turning plans into successfully implemented actions
Planning Planning communication programs and operations evaluating results
Specialist Having specific subject-matter expertise in a specialist area
Vision and standards Defining or applying a consistent approach to communication andmaintaining professional and ethical standards
Craft (writing anddesign)
Using and developing the right mix of practical communication abilitiesto hold the confidence of peers and colleagues (eg writing designmanagement etc)
Figure Two Twelve competencies for internal communicators
19scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
some ineffective behaviors attached to theldquobusiness focusrdquo competency arebull Doesnrsquot make the link between
communication activity and the business ororganizational context
bull Delivers communication activity withoutconsidering whether it will serve any usefulpurpose
bull Lacks understanding of their business area
Building a framework for a specific role The next step in this project was to develop asimple table to map out the competencyframework for an individual role showingbull The competencies needed in this rolebull The level of competency needed in each casebull How much time we expect someone in this
role to spend on these types of behaviors
You can either build a competency frameworkfrom scratch or if you think the role fits one ofthe six types we identified from the survey use thecompetency framework for this type as a startingpoint (see the framework for a communicationleader Figure Three right)
In practice competency frameworks will varyaccording to the size of the organization thenumber of people in the internal-communicationteam the expectations of managers and thespecific requirements of each individual rolewhich is why wersquove built a flexible model
For example a communication leader in alarge multinational organization may spend muchof their time setting the vision and standardscoaching and consulting building relationshipsand developing other communicators and arelatively small amount of their time ldquomaking ithappenrdquo or on writing and design Howeversomeone in a stand-alone communication leaderrole in a much smaller organization wouldprobably have to be much more of a ldquoJack of alltradesrdquo dividing their time evenly between thedifferent competencies
Next stepsMore information about the 12 competencies andthe baseline competency maps for each of the sixrole types will be detailed in a forthcomingMelcrum report Ideas on how you use thesecompetencies to plan your development areavailable to download atwwwcompetentcommunicatorscom
We hope the framework will help bringstructure to the process of defining roles planningdevelopment and specifying recruitment andwould welcome your feedbackscm
1 The Inter-Comm skills matrix is described in an article in SCMFebruaryMarch 2005 (Volume 9 Issue 2) called Developingcore competencies for internal communicators
Figure Three Framework for a communication leader
COMPETENCY LEVEL TIME
Building effective relationships Advanced High
Business focus Advanced High
Consulting and coaching Advanced High
Cross-functional awareness Advanced Medium
Developing other communicators Advanced High
Innovation and creativity Advanced Medium
Listening Advanced Low
Making it happen Advanced Low
Planning Advanced Medium
Specialist NA NA
Vision and standards Advanced High
Craft (writing and design) Advanced Low
CONTACT DETAILS
Sue DewhurstCompetent Communicatorssuedewhurstcompetentcommunicatorscom
Liam FitzPatrickCompetent Communicatorsliamfitzpatrickcompetentcommunicatorscom
ldquoOUR RESEARCH FOUND A SMALL GROUP OFPEOPLE WORKING IN INTERNALCOMMUNICATION WHO SEE THEMSELVES ASSUBJECT-MATTER EXPERTSrdquo
20 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC President and CEO John Ryan joined theorganization in 1997 For the first few years hefocused on financial viability and positioning thecorporation for the future ndash articulating a newvision redefining strategic objectives expandingproduct and service offerings and identifyingpotential growth areas
The business results were outstanding double-digit growth increasing profits and great customerloyalty But something was missing
Like many successful organizations FCCoperated with a silo mentality Organizationalpolitics consumed energy that Ryan felt detractedfrom employee satisfaction and he worried aboutthe impact on the customer experience
He wanted his direct reports to work togetheras a real team ndash not to behave like individualleaders of functional areas Although the groupperformed well when there was a real challengeafter the challenge was gone so was the teamwork
This is not unusual for top executive groupsbut Ryan wasnrsquot willing to accept that fate ldquoTherehad to be a way to have a team-based
organization where leaders had the autonomythey needed to perform while actively collaboratingto achieve a new level of unprecedented resultsrdquohe said ldquoFCC had a very hierarchical culture withfirmly drawn divisional boundaries so I knew Ihad a challenge ahead of merdquo
Cultural transformation from the topIn 2002 John hired Malandro Communicationbased in Phoenix Arizona to guide FCCrsquos seniorleadership through a unique cultural transformationthat would lead to the creation of a high-performance team Leaders committed to being100-percent accountable for their impact onpeople and business results They let go of thetraditional 50-50 model ldquoIrsquoll do my part if you doyoursrdquo ndash a model that breeds a culture of blameconspiracies and distrust
In a series of formal training initiatives leaderswere taught to speak from the heart listen toother perspectives be open and responsive tofeedback and encourage personal andprofessional growth
Opportunity for internal communicationBy 2003 we were well on our way FCC producedremarkable business results with strong numbersright across the board The portfolio grew fromnearly CAN$9 billion to over CAN$10 billionThen two things happened that created anopportunity for internal communication tobecome a driver of business results 1 In 2003 we earned 50th place on Canadarsquos
ldquo50 Best Employersrdquo list and a respectableemployee engagement score of 69 percent
Defining the role ofstrategic comms atFarm Credit Canada
Farm Credit Canada (FCC) is in the fourth year of acultural-transformation program At the start of itsjourney clear expectations were set defining the role
to be played by internal communication In this summaryof the companyrsquos plans and achievements Kellie Garrettand Claire Watson describe the goals strategies andtactics employed by the internal communication teamand the impressive results achieved to date
Setting the stage for a cultural transformation
BY KELLIE GARRETT AND CLAIRE WATSON
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Farm Credit Canada isCanadarsquos largest provider offinancing to the agricultureindustry It serves 45000customers and has 1300employees working from 100rural offices across CanadaFCC is ranked eighth amongCanadarsquos 50 best employers
21scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC is a high performer in all otheroperational areas and employee engagementis a strong predictor of sustained corporateperformance But the survey showed therewas work to be done to align perceptionsbetween the senior leadership team andemployees Detailed results showed the gaps(see Figure One below)
2 Ryan became more determined to create ahigh-performance team that could deliver anextraordinary customer experience andsustainable business results
Establishing expected behaviorAs a first step towards creating a critical mass ofleaders who visibly demonstrate the behaviorsrequired to transform FCCrsquos culture middlemanagement and key cross-functional teams weretrained in responsible teamwork practices andcommunication skills
Ryan then created a set of 10 cultural practicesthat explicitly outlined how he expectedemployees at all levels to behave (see side barnext page) The foundation of these practices isthe belief that the drive for business results mustbe balanced by the attendant impact on people Inother words how the work was accomplished wasevery bit as important as what was accomplishedThe cultural practices were rolled out to allemployees in 2003
With the expected behavior from leaders andemployees clearly articulated it was time forinternal communication to find opportunities tosupport and promote these behaviors
Challenge 1 Creating a strategic frameworkOur first objective was to create a broaderstrategic framework for internal communicationA review of best-practice companies revealed thatformal media represents about 10 percent of allinternal communication channels with internalsystems accounting for another 10 percent Theremaining 80 percent is influenced by theorganizational culture
Our task was to put a formal strategy in placethat would strengthen the 10 percent ofcommunication we did have control over ndash theinternal communication channels
Within FCC the dominant employeecommunication channels were immediatemanagers e-mail and the intranet (Myinet)Front-line managers delivered corporate messagesdirectly to employees and their efforts weresupported by all-staff e-mails
There was nothing wrong with this approachbut it didnrsquot go far enough in the delivery of clearconsistent messages about strategic direction orcorporate priorities Nor did it create a line ofsight between individuals and business outcomes
For example a lack of central coordination wasresulting in unclear mixed messages thatconfused the internal audience A proliferation ofemployee surveys were independently conductedby various business units and the corporate e-mail system was choked with high volumecontributing to information overload
The intranetrsquos navigational structure and searchcapability needed major improvement datedinformation needed to be archived and majordocuments needed to be redeveloped in a web-friendly format
Defining our strategy and objectivesAware of these drawbacks we defined ourstrategy as To adopt a more integrated approachto internal communication and make sure allmessages focus employees on the businesspriorities Our strategies included the followingbull Segment the employee audience and define
communication needs based on demographicspsychographics and geographic location
bull Create a consistent voice across all groupsbull Ensure internal communication is mandatory
for all major corporate initiatives and isintegrated across channels and with othercommunication activities
bull Deliver targeted information through a varietyof channels and vehicles to reinforce messaginghelp with recall appeal to differentpreferences and create and sustain interest
bull Redevelop the intranet and position it as aninformation source for corporate businessemployee industry and technical information
bull Reduce the volume of corporate e-mailbull Implement a monthly employee survey to
replace the proliferation of one-off surveysindependently launched by business units
bull Create broad awareness and understanding ofkey corporate drivers such as business strategycorporate values and brand positioning 3
Kellie Garrett ABC MALeadership is senior VPStrategy Knowledge ampReputation at Farm CreditCanada and Chair of the IABCResearch Foundation Garrettis a frequent speaker onbusiness strategy leadershipand personal brand
Claire Watson ABC APR isthe master communicationstrategist for Farm CreditCanada Watson has won anumber of international andnational awards for her workis a published author and acertified change managementspecialist
MEASUREMENT EMPLOYEES SENIORMANAGERS
GAP
Senior management is open and honest incommunication
59 94 -35
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible
54 88 -34
Managers effectively support andimplement our people practices
48 81 -33
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 94 -23
Figure One Engagement survey results
22 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Defining the role of strategic comms at Farm Credit Canada
Successful tactics introducedSome of the tactics wersquove successfully introducedto bring this strategy to life include the following
1 Tracking key messagesWe created an employee key-message matrix thatis shared with leaders across the organization andhelps to ensure we deliver a consistent messageWe deliver the rewritten message through avariety of channels including e-mail letter featurearticle in the internal publication online throughour Monday Morning Update or directly to staffmeetings through managers and supervisors
2 Adopting a multi-channel approachWersquove expanded our channels beyond e-mail andthe intranet New channels now includebull AgriCulture ndash an employee print newsletter
published three times a year to communicatecorporate information and reinforce FCCrsquossocial and cultural fabric
bull An online feature called ldquoFrom the Desk ofthe CEOrdquo to keep employees in the loop
bull All staff e-mails from the CEO and VPsbull Discussion guides and QampAs for leadersbull Internal presentations and speeches delivered
by the senior leadership teambull Other printed material such as pocket cards
and brochures accompanied by a letter
3 Cutting down on information overloadSteps wersquove taken includebull Bundling all-staff messages into a Monday
Morning Update and bundling messages forcorporate headquarters staff into a CorporateOffice Update
bull Implementing a corporate e-mail policy withdefined subject-line conventions length andapproved topics
bull Restricting the use of all-staff e-mails to thesenior management team and certain keyindividuals
bull Improving the functionality of the intranetand redeveloping key business tools forefficient web use
bull Centralizing coordination of internal surveysbull Elevating the quality and clarity of internal
speeches and conferences to focus onstrategic business drivers
Challenge 2 Supporting leadershipThe results of our 2003 engagement survey alsorevealed an opportunity to increase trust betweenemployees and FCCrsquos senior management teamRyan and his VP responsible for communication(Kellie Garrett) believed that creating greatervisibility and better access to the senior managerswas vital to the establishment of a values-basedculture and a high-performance team
7
MEASUREMENT 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Senior management is open and honestin communication
59 73 81 83 91
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible to employees
54 71 82 83 81
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 81 87 87 85
I see strong evidence of effectiveleadership from the senior leadershipteam
69 83 87 88 93
I have a good understanding ofbusiness goals and objectives
76 77 81 81 88
Senior leadership has clearlycommunicated what we need to do tobe successful
NA NA 89 90 93
Figure Two Survey scores tracked from 2003-2007
FCCrsquoS 10 CULTURAL PRACTICESWe hold ourselves and each other accountable for
1 Our impact on business results and our impact on people
2 Delivering on commitments agreements and promises
3 Building and sustaining committed partnerships
4 Creating a safe environment where people can speak up without fear
5 We measure our success by how others perceive and respond to ourleadership not by our personal point of view
6 We talk straight in a responsible manner We are committed to the successof others ndash we do not engage in ldquoconspiracies againstrdquo people
7 We ldquolisten forrdquo contributions and commitment We do not listen againstpeople or ideas
8 We are highly coachable We actively seek and listen to coaching
9 We clean up and recover quickly
10 We acknowledge others often and celebrate both small and largesuccesses
ldquoLIKE DEVELOPING A COMPANYrsquoS IMAGE ORBRAND CULTURE CAN lsquoJUST HAPPENrsquo OR ITCAN BE DESIGNED STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONHAS PLAYED A CENTRAL ROLErdquo
23scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 FCC launched a culture-change program focused on
improving performance across the organization
bull Two key aims of the program are to encourage leaders and employeesto embody the values and improve staff engagement
bull Defining its strategy and goals at the outset internal communicationhas played a role in achieving these objectives
bull Results so far include less information overload a more accessibleleadership team and improved engagement scores
The challenge for internal communication wasto improve employeesrsquo perception of the visibilityaccessibility and trust for the senior managementteam Successful tactics introduced includebull A ldquoDine-Aroundrdquo program where three
senior leaders host a monthly lunch for ninepeople
bull An online forum called SMT Exchangewhere employees can anonymously askleaders tough questions and answers areposted for all to see
bull Senior leaders author more all-staff e-mailsare more visible and accessible at companyevents and deliver presentations that focus onconnecting employees to the business agenda
The goals we started with When we defined our internal communicationstrategy in 2003 we had some clear goals to worktowards These werebull To communicate relevant information in a
timely consistent and memorable waybull To reduce information overloadbull To influence an increase in the
communication-related elements of theengagement index
bull To contribute to an increase in employeeengagement from 69 to 74 percent
We also had specific year-one objectivesbull To increase understanding of business goals
and objectives beyond 78 percent bull To increase employee opinion about effective
senior leadership from 69 to 73 percentbull To improve employee opinions related to
senior management
Achievements and measurable resultsWith these goals guiding our efforts themeasurable results wersquove achieved so far includebull The bundling of all-staff e-mail has reduced
the volume by 88 percent ndash amounting toaround 350000 messages over one year
bull Over 450 employees have lunched with amember of the senior management team and170 QampAs have been posted on our seniormanagement online exchange
bull The survey scores relating to employeesrsquoperception of leadership and theirunderstanding of goals and objectives showsteady improvement since 2003 (see FigureTwo bottom left)
bull FCCrsquos engagement scores and subsequentranking among Canadarsquos 50 best employershas moved from 69 percent engagement and50th place in 2004 to 81 percent and 35thplace in 2005 84 percent and 12th place in2006 and 82 percent and 8th place in 2007
Cultural transformationThe internal communication strategy described inthis article has set the stage to communicatecultural transformation across the organization
Wersquore now in the fourth year of our culturaltransformation ndash creating an environment wherepeople are empowered feel safe and highperformance can flourish This involves aquantum shift in how employees behave andrelate to their co-workers and customers
Like developing a companyrsquos image or brandculture can ldquojust happenrdquo or it can be designedStrategic communication has played a central roleto create awareness understanding commitmentand motivate changes in behavior at every level ofthe organization
John Ryan has the final word ldquoOver the years Ihave learned that communication is at the heartof building a high-performance culture ndash a culturewhere people are fully engaged Communicationis vital Without it leaders cannot effect positivechange Our internal strategy recognizesemployees as a primary audience and a keyconduit to the customer the media stakeholdersand communities Our strategic approach tointernal communication significantly contributesto business resultsrdquo scm
CONTACT DETAILS
Kellie GarrettFarm Credit CanadaKellieGarrettfcc-facca
Claire WatsonFarm Credit CanadaClaireWatsonfcc-facca
24 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
In January 2004 Pfizer at Sandwich in Kent UKcommissioned a review of its existing charitablecontributions program which included matchedpayroll giving volunteering and grants for localcommunity charities and voluntary groups CCWorks the community investment consultancywas also approached to manage the day-to-dayadministration of grant applications from thecommunity
However it was decided that the administrationcould not be effectively managed until suitablecriteria were put in place for the grants programEssentially a company cannot outsourceresponsibility for its charitable donations unlesstherersquos a clear strategy in place for doing this
Although there were various policies in placefor the different elements of the existingcommunity investment program there was a lackof strategic direction to the program as a whole
Auditing the community grants programAs a first step CC Works examined the existinggrants program and also conducted external
benchmarking with voluntary organizations in thecommunity to gage perceptions of Pfizer
It emerged that many organizations werereceiving small grants ndash although some werenrsquotsure why ndash but only 16 percent of the currentspend was going on health-related causes ForPfizer a major global healthcare company thiswasnrsquot strategic It was clear that as a healthcarecompany Pfizer should be trying to improve thehealth of its local area by focusing on three coreareas health community and education
There was also a need for grants to be morelocally focused A significant amount of the spendwas going outside of the immediate East Kentarea CC Works recommended that to allow thecompany maximum freedom to operate in itscommunity it should focus grants on theimmediate community of East Kent which alsohappened to be a deprived area
Segmenting current grantsWorking in partnership with CC Works currentgrant allocation was examined by sector localarea and size of grant and in May 2004 two-yeartargets were set to increase the strategic impact ofcommunity grantsbull Increase grants allocated to health-related
projects to 50 percentbull Increase average grant from UKpound300 to
UKpound1000bull Increase East Kent allocation to 90 percent
This change was designed to be gradual so thatthe shift in allocation could be well managed
The new focus on the community mirrors
Engaging employees inPfizerrsquos communityinvestment program
In 2003 Pfizer at Sandwich UK was running manyelements of a community investment program butthere was little awareness among employees and no
real focus By July 2006 the program had beentransformed and now actively contributes to employeeand community relationships Here Pam Baker andChristine Jenkins describe the journey from disconnectedpolicies to award-winning program
Communicating an approach with clear links toemployees and the local community
BY PAM BAKER AND CHRISTINE JENKINS
scm FEATURES
Pfizerrsquos site at Sandwich inKent is the UK manufacturingheadquarters of Pfizer Incglobal pharmaceuticalcompany Its workforce of4000 makes it the largestprivate employer in East Kent
1 2 3 4 5
25scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pfizerrsquos global mission to be ldquothe most valuedcompany to patients customers colleaguesinvestors business partners and the communitieswhere we work and liverdquo For the communityinvestment program a measurable mission wascreated ldquoto improve the health indicators of thepeople of East Kentrdquo
Focus on colleague involvementThe next step in July 2004 was to conduct areview of the employee engagement elements ofcommunity investment to examine how thesecould be better integrated These elementsincluded payroll giving volunteering and staff-matched fundraising
For Pfizer at Sandwich the obvious first choicewas to look at volunteering Eighty-five percent ofPfizer employees are minimum graduate level ndashoffering much-needed skills to a deprived areaAll employees have five paid days a year they canuse for volunteering ndash this not only supports thecommunity it boosts employee engagement andcreates opportunities for employees to visiblyconnect with the community and vice versa
In October 2004 volunteering was identified asa key area for development but for employeevolunteering to be a success it had to beproactively marketed inside Pfizer and thereneeded to be adequate support andadministration behind the program
A database of volunteering opportunitiesIn conjunction with CC Works a searchable data-base of local volunteering opportunities was createdPfizer felt it was important to create a tailoreddatabase that would be furnished internally inorder to ensure a local bias and to maintain thequality of the information supplied to employees
In order to tie in with employeesrsquo personaldevelopment plans opportunities in the databasehad to meet at least two of Pfizerrsquos six keycompetencies 1 Team development2 Project management3 Coaching and development4 Decision making5 Effective partnership6 Working with change
To fill the database with relevant opportunities allorganizations that had contacted Pfizer for grantsor funding in the past three years were re-contacted and asked if they would also beinterested in volunteering
Over 70 percent responded positively and 300volunteering opportunities were sourced CCWorks helped the voluntary organizations puttogether opportunities that were most likely totake advantage of Pfizer employeesrsquo range of
specialist skillsThese opportunities were categorized on the
database according to skill geographic area andtype of charity allowing employees to search forsomething suitable for them Pfizer wasnrsquotprescriptive in its approach and allowed staff tovolunteer where the opportunity matched theirpersonal-development goals interests or wasgeographically convenient
Opportunities were wide-ranging from helpingin a charity shop to teaching in a schoolImportantly because database management isoutsourced to CC Works therersquos constantproactivitiy around seeking new opportunities andproviding administrative support that would havebeen difficult to maintain in-house
Launching the ldquoReaching Outrdquo programTo encourage involvement and awarenessemployees were asked to suggest a name for therevitalized volunteering program ldquoReaching Outrdquowas chosen and the new volunteering website waslaunched in May 2005 The site sits on PfizerSandwichrsquos intranet and any employee orcontractor can access it
A charity week was also held to help promotethe Reaching Out program Various charitiesvisited Pfizer during lunch breaks to explain whatthey do and the opportunities to work with themA soft incentive for staff to register on theReaching Out site was that Pfizer would donate20 rehydration sachets to Unicef (monetary valueof about pound2)
Reaching Out was also featured in a webcastfrom a senior leader that went to all employees(about 3000 staff plus contractors) at the start ofthe week and it was profiled in the weekly onlinemagazine Pipeline 3
Pam Baker is directorStrategic Operations andCommunity Affairs at Pfizer UK
Christine Jenkins is founderof CC Works a consultancyoffering communityinvestment advice andpractical solutions to thecorporate and voluntarysectors Previously she heldsenior manager roles in thevoluntary and private sectors
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 an audit of Pfizer at Sandwichrsquos community investment
program revealed a lack of strategic direction
bull In partnership with consultancy CC Works a decision was made tofocus the program on the local community
bull An effort to raise employee involvement through volunteering hasboosted the program and linked it to employee engagement
bull The ldquoReaching Outrdquo website gives employees the freedom to work withcharities of their choice
bull By July 2006 the ldquoHealthy Communitiesrdquo program had beentransformed and won a National Example of Excellence award fromBusiness in the Community
26 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TOP TIPS FOR COMMUNITY INVESTMENTbull Ask yourself why yoursquore undertaking this program and seek clarity around
your objectives
bull Focus on likely ldquowinsrdquondash ie areas with scope for improvement such asemployee engagement or external awareness
bull Tackle one area at a time in stages and aim for excellence in each arearather than trying to boil the ocean
bull Communication is key to success Create a distinct brand and identity forthe program to encourage awareness and involvement
bull Integrate different community programs ndash a holistic approach can maximizebenefits for the community staff engagement and corporate reputation
Over 450 employees registered to use thesite over the next two months with 230 employees(8 percent of staff) actively volunteering duringthe first year This beat a target to have 5 percentof employees volunteering 12 months after launchIn 2005 employees volunteered 4800 hours
Helping employees select the right optionEmployees can search the volunteering databaseby skill geographic area or type of charity and aregiven a range of choices Then the onus is on theemployee to speak to the charity and obtainfurther details on current opportunities inaddition to whatrsquos on the database The employeethen applies to his or her line manager Anintegrated work process enables staff to obtainapproval from their manager interact with thevoluntary organization and record their effortskeeping administration to a minimum
Managers at Pfizer Sandwich are keen foremployees to volunteer because theyrsquore aware ofthe potential benefits in terms of employeeengagement and skills development ndash a largenumber of managers are volunteers themselvesPfizer also held briefing sessions for managers toensure they were aware of the volunteeringprogram its benefits and how it works
7
Engaging employees in Pfizerrsquos community investment program
Incorporating employee feedbackThe database tracks employeesrsquo volunteeringefforts including how many hours theyrsquove doneand their feedback on the opportunitiesEmployee feedback can then be accessed by otherstaff looking for an opportunity The databasegives employees better insight into the availableopportunities and allows them to select somethingthat appeals to them so that both the employeeand the organization where they volunteer gets abetter ldquofitrdquo
The database also allows for better integrationof the whole program where volunteering canprovide an alternative or an addition to fundingFor example a well-known national charityapplied to Pfizer at Sandwich for some fundingaround a diversity initiative Pfizer suggested theirdiversity manager volunteer for them instead whohelped create the charityrsquos diversity program thatis now being launched nationally
Creating an integrated programIn May 2005 the decision was taken to bringtogether all the strands of community investmentunder one brand Healthy Communities Thisprogram was to includebull Charitable grantsbull Employee volunteeringbull Gifts in kind Community investment via gifts
in kind such as the use of Pfizer premisesresources and expertise is more easilysustainable and can bring real long-termbenefit to the local community When Pfizerfacilities are used to support communityinitiatives the face-to-face contact withemployees allows relationship-building andnetworking with key influencers Also invitingthe community to use Pfizer resources on siteldquodemystifiesrdquo the company
The overarching strategy behind HealthyCommunities was to support communityinvestment holistically (ie using several of theabove elements in combination) whereverpossible Focusing grants on the areas of greatestneed helps Pfizer achieve its overall missionHowever the donation of gifts in kind can have awider-reaching impact on the community
Taking a holistic approachAn award-winning example of this holisticapproach is the Helping Hartsdown projectwhich was Pfizer Sandwichrsquos biggest ever gift inkindvolunteering project Pfizer donated andrenovated much-needed classrooms at a localschool As well as financial support and gifts inkind the project involved over 100 staff andcontractor volunteers across all departments Aspecific promotion on the Reaching Out website
ldquoBY JULY 2006 THE lsquoHEALTHY COMMUNITIESrsquoPROGRAM HAD BEEN TRANSFORMED AND WONA NATIONAL EXAMPLE OF EXCELLENCE AWARDFROM BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITYrdquo
27scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
POSITIVE IMPACTS OF THE PROGRAMThe Healthy Communities program has had the following positive impacts for Pfizer
bull The program supports and protects Pfizerrsquos freedom to operate effectivelyin East Kent UK
bull Supporting and involving employees in the program engages and motivatesthem The company is also seen to be living its values In a recent survey55 percent of colleagues felt the program was ldquofocused and effectiverdquo
bull The program provides opportunities for colleagues to develop skills Twentypercent of colleagues surveyed stated that they had improved personalskills through taking part in the program
bull A healthy community is a better place to live and work for employees andwill aid retention Retention of the most highly skilled scientists givesPfizer Global Research and Development a competitive edge
bull A vibrant and healthy community helps to attract and retain leadingscientists from around the world
bull Community is one of Pfizerrsquos six core values Communicating activitiesinternally and externally gives a positive perception of the company
helped attract this large number of volunteersincluding senior leaders
Momentum was maintained behind thecommunication of the program with monthlynetworking breakfasts and several themed minicharity fairs to give local good causes the chanceto showcase their volunteering Individuals andteamsrsquo volunteering efforts were also regularlyprofiled in Pipeline
The December 2006 employee survey showedan 85-percent awareness level of Reaching Outand the program won a ldquoNational Example ofExcellence Awardrdquo from Business in theCommunity1
Relaunching the websiteIn June 2006 the Reaching Out website wasrelaunched to incorporate payroll giving andmatched fundraising under the same brand asvolunteering and utilize the existing software Allelements can now be applied for on the same site
The number of employees registered with thesite increased to over 1000 and the number of adhoc staff enquiries handled by CC Worksincreased dramatically as awareness andinvolvement levels rose among the workforce
External communicationA quarterly newsletter containing a round-up ofPfizerrsquos community investment work is producedand distributed widely to external stakeholdersincluding 3000 local residents Following theBusiness in the Community award the magazineCommunity News was revamped its circulationincreased and it was also desk-dropped to allemployees The magazine also helps to raiseawareness of Pfizer among local organizations
A pocket-sized booklet was produced containingkey facts and figures about the Healthy Communitiesprogram This gives employees especially seniorleaders at-a-glance information on the programallowing them to act as ambassadors for Pfizerrsquoscommunity investment work
Senior leaders at Pfizer Sandwich are keenadvocates of the program and having a clearbrand helps them communicate its benefits andraise awareness both internally and externally
Next stepsDespite its award-winning status there are plansto take Healthy Communities even further Theseinclude further research into employee feedbackand closer links to personal development plans InPfizer at Sandwichrsquos Global Operations functionvolunteering forms part of personal objectives ndashthis is an aspiration for the rest of the business
Pfizer also wants to improve team volunteeringand a toolkit is being prepared for team leaderswho wish to get involved in volunteering
Finally in order to share knowledge and bestpractice around community investment with otherlocal businesses Pfizer is hosting a Kentmembership network in conjunction with KentCounty Council This will help Pfizer work closelywith the local authority and bring local businessestogether to share ideas and collaborate toimprove their impact on the community scm
1 httpwwwbitcorguk
CONTACT DETAILS
Pam BakerPfizerpambakerpfizercom
Christine JenkinsCC Workschristinejenkinsccworkscouk
28 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Editorrsquos noteSucceeding in internal communication probablyisnrsquot all that different to succeeding in anyprofession understand whatrsquos expected of you dothe job well and deliver results But when youspeak to practitioners about how they personallyturned the corner in their careers and started tomake an impact it soon becomes clear that thereare many dos and donrsquots that can help or hinderprogress This article provides a handy checklistfor those with ambitious development plans
John G ClemonsVice President CommunicationsRaytheon Technical Services Co Llc
Take the initiativeThere have been a few career-defining momentsfor me Among them was the time when I realizedthat I was moving from a manager level to the
decision-making role of a director I worked for a senior executive who hired me
from a rival telecommunications company Uponjoining the company I developed strategiccommunication plans to address various businesschallenges During the development process Iperiodically checked in with my supervisor to gethis input and approval ndash probably more thannecessary ndash before moving to the next steps in planning
One day he called me into his office and saidthat while he liked the work I was doing for himhis expectation when he hired me as a directorwas that I would take the initiative in the job relyless on his frequent input and move forward with implementation and measurement Hewanted results
His counsel was along the lines of ldquoI hired youto do a directorrsquos job so do the job of a directorYou donrsquot have to get permission to make adifferencerdquo
Meet commitments and think strategicallyHis direction motivated me to take moreresponsibility at this new job level This alsomeant that I had to not just manage but leadmeet commitments and think more strategicallyto continue to earn not only his confidence butthe support of the entire leadership team
Irsquove found that being a communicationprofessional who is also a leader that can betrusted can get things done and truly support thegoals and objectives of an organization will notonly impress others but help build your credibilityand lead to success
How to get ahead ininternal communication
The path that leads internal communicators to thetop of their profession isnrsquot always an obvious oneWhich is why we asked a range of senior practitioners
to share their thoughts and experiences on gaining therespect of those who matter Whether its senior leadersfellow employees or your own team yoursquore looking toimpress these responses provide useful insight into howto make sure you and your work gets noticed
Senior practitioners share their views on how togain influence and credibility
COMPILED BY MANDY THATCHER
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
29scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Mark DarbyHead of Internal CommunicationsVisaUK
Be smart sharp and stubbornThe biggest lesson Irsquove learned and keep havingto remind myself is that I need to be smart sharpand stubborn to get ahead This is what thosewords mean to me in a work context
Smart I need to understand what Visa is doingand what people think about the business Thismeans constantly spending time in differentdepartments and learning from them I know whoour customers are what our challenges are andwhat our current financial performance is I havecontacts in most departments who have a fingeron the pulse which means I can have a relevantconversation with a senior person from any department
Sharp Internal communication is rarely near thetop of the agenda for senior people and my timewith them is usually short I always try to talkabout the impact on business performance assoon as possible If I circulate a document it willbe summarized to a single page at most and Idonrsquot use PowerPoint I ask a lot of ldquoonerdquo questionssuch as ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing you want employeesto do differentlyrdquo or ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing youwant me to change over the next six monthsrdquo
Stubborn I know what I want internal communica-tion to achieve at Visa and it has the support ofthe senior team Irsquove built up knowledge frombooks and articles I use my education from theBlack Belt training course1 and I speak to formercolleagues With this knowledge Irsquove becomestubborn and good at saying no because I have theinformation to back up my arguments Irsquove stoppedmy team from picking up extra projects that wonrsquotdeliver much value We focus only on projects thatadd the most value to the business and we deliveron these really well Successful delivery is thebiggest influence on any senior person
Monika StaffordHead of Internal CommunicationLloyds TSBUK
Be creative and focus on a killer issueUsing creative solutions to bring to life importantndash but often dull ndash programs can create a shinethat stretches beyond project boundaries For
example I worked on the implementation of SAPndash a business-critical systems program ndash requiringbehavior change from swathes of key yetuninterested people Successful implementationwas a big risk to get right but it was as dull asdishwater to communicate
Luckily there was a ldquoEurekardquo moment Byaligning the SAP story with the metaphor ofFormula-1 racing we could tell the tale of how itwould fulfill our need to create winningperformances for both the individual driver aswell as the back-up team in order to perform wellon the road ahead This storyline was a perfectmatch for the programrsquos objectives
Launch speakers from Formula 1 great designwork not to mention fantastic collateral allresulted in a no-hitch implementation that reallyresonated with people The global companypicked it up as the approach for worldwide rollout So faced with tedium it can actually pay tostare out of the window for creative inspiration
My other piece of advice is Focus on a killerissue If you really want to get ahead (and do besure you really do as being at the center ofchange is often akin to being in the eye of ahurricane ndash itrsquos no place for the feint-hearted)learn what keeps your business leaders up atnight Use your stakeholder-management skills toget to the people you need to help you deliversolutions then execute execute execute
Focus on value-adding work only because ifyou end up working on your companyrsquos cul-de-sacprojects yoursquoll never shine brightly enough forthe leaders in your company to notice you 3
COMPETENCY
Planning internal communication 76
Linking corporate messages to corporate vision 73
CEO communication 63
Change communication 60
Communicating to diverse audiences 60
Using the intranet as a communication tool 54
Defending your department in internal political battles 43
Line manager communication 42
Professional development of internal communication staff 33
Helping employees cope with information overload 32
Securing the appropriate level of budget for internal communication 30
Measuring the effectiveness of internal communication 28
Figure One Table from The Pulse report showing the percentage of communicators who ratethemselves as effective or very effective at listed competencies
30 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
WHATrsquoS CHANGED IN THE LAST 25 YEARS
David MoorcroftSenior Vice PresidentCorporate CommunicationsRBC Financial Group Canada
Irsquom constantly amazed at the changes that have taken place in our professionover the last 25 years and the degree of talent and knowledge required bycommunicators today to do their jobs well
Back in 1979 when I started in corporate PR the major skill sets werewriting editing and great media contacts Today good editorial skills are justtable stakes and the ability to understand business adapt technology thinkstrategically plan consummately and influence stakeholders are what landsenior communicators a seat at the management table
This change has been driven by the globalization of business the advent ofnew 247 media including the Internet the growing sophistication ofcustomers and employees increased demands for corporate transparency andmore rigorous requirements for high standards of public disclosure andfinancial reporting
MORE SKILLS THAN EVER BEFOREAs a result todayrsquos business communicator has to be more capable andknowledgeable and have more skills than ever before They must befinancially literate and technologically savvy They must understand the impactof evolving accounting and disclosure rules They must deal with legal HRpolitical and business issues And they must be prepared to deal with amultitude of potential crises that can arise at any moment in any language inany part of the world
Perhaps most challenging senior management today expects clear bottom-line returns for their investments in communication Itrsquos no longer enough toinform audiences and measure communication outputs CEOs expectcommunication to engage audiences and produce outcomes ndash something thatrequires strategic thinking planning and foresight
A friend of mine who left a senior corporate PR job to become COO of amajor public utility recently summed up the role of todayrsquos communicator thisway ldquoItrsquos one of the most important and critical roles in organizations todayand yet itrsquos often one of the least recognized and appreciatedrdquo
That sentiment may be a reality in some organizations today but with moreand more CEOs beginning to realize the bottom-line value of communication itwonrsquot be 25 years from now
Christina FeeSenior Vice President InternalCommunicationsDeutsche Post AGGermany
Seek out the important projectsI canrsquot pretend to have employed a specificapproach to my ldquopersonal PRrdquo at all But in theorganizations Irsquove worked for Irsquove had theopportunity to work on a number of excitinghigh-profile projects that have connected me withsenior stakeholders and influential people atdifferent levels
7
Irsquove learned a great deal from the project teamsIrsquove worked with and also due to the significanceand scope of the projects been able todemonstrate my worth approach and skills Irsquovehad to be passionate stand up for what I believein and think outside the box constantly
My roles within DHLDeutsche Post haveallowed me the freedom and flexibility to developand deliver new ideas but Irsquove also had to practiceand embody excellent internal communicationskills myself Having developed credibility and trustwith those that matter based on my track record Iwas allowed to go ahead with other projects
I donrsquot actively pursue the ldquoright relationshipsrdquobut rather let my work and my interactions withpeople speak for themselves This has helped medevelop mentors and supporters naturally Mylearning and development has also been expandedby the opportunity to work abroad and learn moreabout intercultural communication and interaction
Marc SilversideHead of Internal CommunicationsMacmillan Cancer SupportUK
Understand whatrsquos expected of youA newly established role heightens the need formaking a good impression so that people trustyou and feel they can come to you for advice
When I joined Macmillan I very nearly got thiswrong Perhaps this is an example that otherrsquos canlearn from
When my new CEO at Macmillan CancerSupport asked for a meeting ldquoafter a few weeks tosettle inrdquo I was confident that my wide-ranginginduction would help me understand the businessand provide the basis for what Irsquod present tosenior management
Forty structured face-to-face managerinterviews allowed me to understand needs andkey issues and I started to build personal rapportMy profile was raised and at the same timeinternal communication gained good visibility
Externally I networked with contacts in similarroles in other charities and soon found thebeginnings of a voluntary-sector network This hassince grown to over 25 members
By the time my CEO slot arrived I was armedwith input from across the charity and the resultsof an audit I felt well prepared to present myvision and solutions So I was surprised to be metwith significant resistance
I later discovered that my CEO intelligence wasincorrect What he wanted was to be askedspecifically about his own views on what internalcommunication should do and what I could do for
How to get ahead in internal communication
31scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
HOW DO YOUR SKILLS MEASURE UPFor Melcrumrsquos study into budgets salaries and trends in internalcommunication in 200607 we asked survey respondents to rate their owneffectiveness at a range of key communication competencies from planning tomeasurement The results may surprise you
For example 76 percent of respondents rate themselves as effective or veryeffective at planning internal communication but only 28 percent ratethemselves as equally effective at measuring its effectiveness (see Figure Onepage 29)
In her commentary on the results development expert Sue Dewhurst hadthe following to say
OUR STRENGTHSIt seems where we see our strengths as internal communicators is towards theldquofront endrdquo of the communication planning process For example being able tolink a plan to the business strategy knowing our audiences and being able tojoin up the dots and show people how messages link to the business vision
These are powerful strengths We are one of the few functions that tends tohave an overarching view of our entire company and is able to view thecompany and its strategy from a number of different perspectives Being ableto understand the vision and strategy view it from an audience perspectiveand then create line of sight to show what those things mean in practicalterms for peoplersquos day-to-day roles is one of the ways that we help drivebusiness performance ndash by showing people what they need to do to take thestrategy forward
In turn by knowing and working with our audiences hopefully wersquore thenalso able to make sure their views and suggestions can help shape the strategyand how itrsquos put into practice
MEASURING EFFECTIVENESSWe see ourselves as less effective towards the back end of the planningprocess in measuring the effectiveness of internal communication which tiesin with the feeling from previous questions that in fact wersquore not doing muchmeasurement or demonstrating our return on investment
Research and measurement is an area where there is plenty of expertisearound to call on There are measurement conferences research reports andpublications to understand what other organizations are doing and practicaltraining that will give you the opportunity to work in a smaller group askquestions and practice techniques For help with specific techniques try yourinternal marketing team Marketers are generally great with data and well-versed in running focus groups and putting together surveys If you have anexternal provider to support your employee engagement research try them too
Source The Pulse Essential data on budgets salaries and trends 2006-07wwwmelcrumcom
him rather than how I could benefit the charity Ihad to change my approach fast
This could have cost me my best ambassadorfrom day one So my advice is make sure yoursquoreabsolutely clear about whatrsquos expected from you
Of course the insights I gained in my first fewmonths have been valuable and since then myresults have done the talking Fortunately theCEO soon became an internal communicationsconvert and advocate
Darren CrozierCommunications ManagerHBOS plcUK
Make things happenDelivery is key to career development ndash if you sayyoursquore going to do something make sure you doit Put in the effort get the results you want andbe known as someone who can make things happenIf yoursquore seen to ldquoget things donerdquo no matter howsmall the job is people are more likely to get youinvolved in activities and ask your opinion
Gaining credibility and respect from seniorcolleagues is important but everyone in yourorganization will form an opinion of you from thepeople in the canteen right through to the CEOSo try and make sure that their opinion of you is agood one
Itrsquos not just the people within your immediatesphere of influence who can have an impact onyour career so extend your network go oncourses and get involved in professionalorganizations Many of my close workingrelationships career opportunities and indeedpersonal friendships have come from meetingpeople at such events and taking the time to keepin touch You never know how things will develop
Itrsquos also vital to earn respect be trustworthy andhave good manners To recall what an ex-bossonce said ldquoBe careful how you treat people onthe way up as you never know when you maycome across them againrdquo
One of the biggest challenges Irsquove found inrecent times is recognizing my own success andselling myself Sometimes you need to take a stepback to realize just what yoursquove achieved Evenbetter keep a log or portfolio of your successesand donrsquot be shy to speak about them becauseothers wonrsquot be shy to speak about theirs
Finally try and have some fun along the wayWe all have to work for a living so learn to makethe most of it scm
1 For more about Melcrumrsquos Internal Communication Black Belttraining program go to wwwmelcrumcom
32 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pitney Bowes has followed an aggressive strategyof growth through acquisition completing 60+acquisitions since 2001 Expansion has broadenedits product mix to include an extensive range ofsolutions from office equipment to globalpositioning software
But the companyrsquos many different specialismsand huge outsourcing operations meant that themajority of its 34000 employees werenrsquot aware ofthe full range of its service offering and thepotential for different divisions to work together
As Rob Hallam vice president EmployeeCommunication explains there was a strongbusiness case for adopting a ldquoone companyrdquoapproach ldquoBecause the businesses tended to besomewhat siloed even senior managers werefocused on their divisions
ldquoAlso because we were acquiring companiesand evolving so rapidly managers werenrsquot awareof a lot of the businesses and how they all workedtogether in the mailstreamrdquo says Hallam ldquoWewere missing out on potential cross-sellingopportunitiesrdquo
Communicating a new visionFour years ago Pitney Bowes created a OneCompany Vision statement ldquoOur aim was toensure support and cooperation across thebusiness so we could provide a comprehensive setof customer solutions ndash not just a list of productsand services by business unitrdquo says Hallam Theinternal communication challenge was to drawtogether 34000 employees and build a unifiedcorporate culture The communication strategyfocused on three key elements
1 PeopleThis focused on involving the leadershipstrengthening a two-way dialogue betweenmanagement and employees communicating theculture through leadership messaging enterprise-wide events and roadshows and buildingengagement so that everyone was workingtogether towards a One Company approach
2 ProcessesThis meant integrating the One Companyapproach into the organizationrsquos operations andinfrastructure by shifting management roles andadjusting incentives and reward structuresthroughout the company
The first step was to consolidate the companyrsquosoperating activities by appointing Murray DMartin as president and chief operating officer inSeptember 2004 Martinrsquos mantra is ldquoThink AsOne Act as One Operate As One to deliverwhat no other company canrdquo
ldquoThe COO position had previously been heldby the chairman so elevating someone to that
Communicating a OneCompany culture atPitney Bowes
Following rapid growth in the form of more than 60acquisitions over six years silo-working haddeveloped at Pitney Bowes and leaders were failing
to take advantage of profitable cross-selling opportunitiesHere Rob Hallam describes the communication elementsof a ldquoOne Companyrdquo culture-change program which hasturned the situation around simultaneously improvingcustomer service and boosting profits
Persuading disparate businessunits to work together
AN INTERVIEW WITH ROB HALLAM
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Pitney Bowes is an 87-year-old company best known forthe manufacturing operationand oversight of postagemeters It has over two millioncustomers more than 3500active patents and annualrevenue of close to $6 billion
33scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
role was a big changerdquo explains Hallam ldquoAll thebusiness units now report to a single individual atoperating level It represented a huge positivemove to start the company operationalizing OneCompany behaviorrdquo
The internal communication function wasrestructured to ensure that consistent messagingreached the entire employee population Regularmeasurement was a key part of the changeinitiative This served to define the contributionof communicating a One Company approachwhere it was adding value to Pitney Bowes and itsclients and customers and where there was stillwork to do
3 TechnologyIt was important to find the best ways to cascademessages throughout the company and keeppeople informed about what was going onwithout bombarding them with irrelevantcommunication Hallam and his team deploy avariety of channels and media including internalprint and online publications voicemail and e-mail Pitney Bowes is also in the process ofintegrating its different voicemail systems and e-mail platforms into one global system
Involving senior leadership from the outsetThe One Company strategy was an overridingpolicy that started at the top of the organizationldquoThere was a big launch at the strategic leadersrsquomeeting which is held every Januaryrdquo saysHallam ldquoThe messaging was then driven throughthe organization via a companywide globalcommunication strategyrdquo
From the outset the policy was championed bythe CEO Michael Critelli who believes thatculture is central to the Pitney Bowes brand andsaid recently ldquoMy first measure of success iswhether we are behaving as one companyrdquo Thiscommitment helped to ensure that the culturalchange was reinforced by parallel changes to thecorporate infrastructure
Building a two-way dialogueThe next step was to get the employee populationinvolved and build enterprisewide enthusiasm forthe culture change Pitney Bowes has alwaysrecognized the value of a two-way dialoguebetween management and employees and hasheld annual jobholders meetings which aresimilar to shareholdersrsquo meetings for 61 years In2005 Hallam reinvented it as an initiative calledOne Forum ndash a series of roadshows focusing oncommunicating the One Company culturethroughout the organization
Launching the One ForumIn 2005 Hallam and his team created an original
and memorable One Forum launch for the 90percent of Pitney Bowes employees based in theUS Around a quarter of US employees saw thisin person the others received a link to a websitewith streaming highlights
ldquoWe put together a two-hour roadshow eventwhich helped people to understand our OneCompany approach and made them aware of allthe businesses we were inrdquo says Hallam ldquoThethinking was that high change requires high touchFace-to-face can have far greater impact on theindividuals touched From there itrsquos a matter ofripple effect such as seeing improved One Forumbrand awareness among employees who didnrsquotactually attend one of the eventsrdquo
ldquoWe wanted the roadshow to be entertainingand energizing so we used gameshow techniquescustom-written songs and comedy specificallytailored to Pitney Bowes employees It was a funevent but it also included a keynote speech fromthe CEO and a lot of question-and-answersessions with employees It was entertainmentwith a purpose and it was a great success with employeesrdquo
The post-event employee evaluations provedthe success of this approach ldquoIn some cities anincredible 90 percent of employees gave the eventa top-box rating This shows that there was ahunger for both the knowledge and theapproachrdquo adds Hallam
Taking the show on the roadThe One Forum roadshow has become an annualevent ldquoIn a five-month period during 2005 therewere 17 One Forum events in 12 US citiesreaching about 6000 peoplerdquo says Hallam ldquoAftersome testing in March and April the first bigroadshows started in early May and continued forsix months with the final one in early Decemberin Seattle 3
Rob Hallam is vice presidentEmployee Communication atPitney Bowes (PB) in StamfordConnecticut where hersquos beenresponsible for internalcommunication strategy andimplementation since 2004Hallam has led a team ofprofessionals in reshapingcommunication at PB resultedin the communication teamearning the top ranking in HRdepartment satisfaction fromall PBrsquos US managers in 2005and 2006
KEY POINTSbull Internal communication has played an important role in embedding a
One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
bull The communication strategy focused on three key elements peopleprocess and technology
bull The campaign has been championed by the CEO from the outset andhas won senior leadership support over time
bull An entertaining roadshow helped win employee commitment
bull Cross-selling ratios have jumped substantially since the culture-changeeffort began
34 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ldquoIn 2006 we compressed the programsubstantially and drove down costs while stilltouching 6000 employees Together with ourcorporate marketing group we also introduced anextremely successful lsquoelevator speechrsquo that helpsemployees answer the much-feared questionlsquoWhat does Pitney Bowes dorsquordquo
Local variationsAlthough the entertainment component in theroadshows contributed to their success it wasspecific to the US so Hallam gave business unitsand internal communicators in other regions theresponsibility for communicating the OneCompany approach to local employees ldquoInCanada and the UK they conducted town-hallmeetings and in Latin America and other parts ofthe world they produced their own variations onthe One Forum theme We made sure that theyhad the information they needed but we limitedthe entertainment to English-speaking regionsrdquo
A commitment to employee engagementThe appointment of the new COO and the launchof the One Forum roadshows coincided with thefirst employee engagement survey in late 2004ldquoWe see engagement as very much tied to ourability to execute a One Company strategy andchange our culturerdquo says Hallam He sets outfour ways in which employee engagement isinstilled at all levels in the organization
1 Visible leadership commitment to engagementThe CEO underlines his commitment by sendingregular messages to employees via a variety ofmedia including voicemail and print and onlinepublications He also uses engagement scores todetermine a unitrsquos overall performance rating andbonus pool ldquoWhen one senior execrsquos bonus poolwas reduced due to poor engagement scores that
was a message requiring no communication planrdquosays Hallam ldquoWord spread quicklyrdquo
2 Celebrating top performers Pitney Bowes celebrates its top engagementperformers by running cover stories in its globalprint and online publication PB Today ldquoThisprogram was called lsquoThe Faces of Pitney Bowesrsquordquosays Hallam ldquoWe did 10 of these last year so theyran twice in five editions Wersquove also producedlarge mural-sized photos of those managers andtheir teamsrdquo he says ldquoWe celebrate success andpublish it everywhere Our CEO loves it and wersquoreactually selling part of our contemporary artcollection which decorates the building to makeroom for an expansion of additional OneCompany and Engagement photography all ofwhich will focus on our employeesrdquo
3 Incentivizing managers via the reward systemEmployee engagement is recognized andreinforced in the companyrsquos formal processesincluding its reward system ldquoWe use a tool calledthe Strategic Architecture which is our balancedscorecardrdquo explains Hallam ldquoItrsquos a Six-Sigma toolwhich measures employee shareholder andcustomer value Managersrsquo engagement scoresalso factor into their annual reviews soengagement has a direct impact on remunerationrdquo
4 Rewarding engagementA further program called Rapid Rewards awardscash bonuses to managers and employees foroutstanding behavior including that related toemployee engagement
Aligning the communication strategyHallam and his team are responsible fordelivering the overall employee communicationstrategy ldquoWe had to dramatically improve ourstrategic approach in order to make OneCompany a realityrdquo he says
In addition to organizing campaigns such as theOne Forum roadshows to publicize the culturechange across the enterprise Hallam hasintroduced initiatives aimed at improving thereach and delivery of internal communication andmaking sure messages get to their intendedaudiences He has also aligned the structure ofthe internal communication function with thecompanyrsquos unified culture
ldquoThere were a lot of different communicationgroups so we brought together all thecommunication leaders and formed a singleInternal Communications Councilrdquo explainsHallam ldquoThis means that the communicationfunctions in the different business units areworking together to help drive change andimprove coordinationrdquo
Communicating a One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
ldquoWHEN A SENIOR EXECrsquoS BONUS WAS REDUCEDDUE TO POOR ENGAGEMENT SCORES THAT WASA MESSAGE REQUIRING NO COMMUNICATIONPLAN WORD SPREAD QUICKLYrdquo
7
FURTHER RESOURCES3 THE IMPACT OF CULTURE AND CLIMATE ON CHANGE PROGRAMS
An article published in SCM Volume 10 Issue 6 OctoberNovember 2006
3 DRIVING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE CORPORATE CULTUREMelcrumrsquos report on communication tools techniques and best practicefrom leading organizationswwwmelcrumcom
35scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Developing a global approachHallam is also responsible for a globalcommunication project called Universal Reachwhich is sponsored by the chairman and designedto support and maintain a unified corporateculture ldquoOur goal is to provide 90 percentmessage accessibility within our key customer-facing audiencesrdquo he explains ldquoThe biggestchallenge is integrating our online communicationinfrastructure which has nine different voicemailsystems operating across the world and multiplee-mail and web platforms Wersquore pulling all thattogether to provide better reachrdquo
Since 911 the CEO and other top executiveshave broadcast weekly audio messages calledPower Talks Hallamrsquos team has worked with theleadership to ensure that they incorporate OneCompany messages and as he explains they reachmost of the employee population ldquoAbout 20000of our employees have voicemail Those whodonrsquot receive the Power Talk message either inprint or online In some divisions managers playthe Power Talk messages in staff meetingsrdquo
Engaging leadership reinforces the cultureBuilding on the CEOrsquos commitment to a OneCompany approach Hallam and his team haveorganized leadership events ndash most recently at thestrategic leadersrsquo meeting in December 2006 ndashshowing Pitney Bowes as one company in actionThis campaign has helped to engage the top 150managers in the culture change
ldquoOur post-event evaluations show a strongmove numerically in senior leadershiprsquos belief thatwersquore operating as one companyrdquo says Hallam(see Figure One above) ldquoAs theyrsquore our toughestjudges wersquore pleased by the significant differencein pre- and post-event measurementrdquo There wasalso an improvement in leadersrsquo understanding ofthe companyrsquos new mailstream category
Sustaining the new cultureAccording to Hallam rippling out the OneCompany messaging requires a consistent andcoordinated approach Communication leaders inthe various divisions are now working to weaveOne Company messages into the business-unitmeetings ldquoA lot of the messaging that welaunched at the strategic leadersrsquo meeting arebeing reiterated at the business unit level Thatrsquosbeen facilitated through the InternalCommunications Councilrdquo he says
ldquoKey metrics for the culture change programfocus on cross-selling ratios which have jumpedsubstantially since the culture change effortbeganrdquo says Hallam ldquoIn 2002 we also institutedthe ldquoPB1 Awardsrdquo which is a chairmanrecognition award that goes to teams who bestembody cross-functional behavior in working on
projects which improve our clientsrsquo profitabilityour profitability or bothrdquo
ldquoHowever wersquore only really a year into thisMuch of the evidence is anecdotal but what haschanged is that our managers have broadenedtheir vision and are thinking as solutions-providers rather than product-sellers As suchtheyrsquore involving other business units out of theirdesire to eliminate customer pain points ndashregardless of which part of Pitney Bowes gets the salerdquo
Adding value to customersUltimately managers and employees who arewell-informed about the companyrsquos products andservices are in a good position to take advantageof cross-selling opportunities Realizing thispotential enables Pitney Bowes to make extrasales to existing customers thereby increasing itsprofit margins and allowing customers to benefitfrom a mix of products and services
Shifting to a unified culture directly benefitsboth Pitney Bowes and its customers ldquoByfocusing on the whole cadre of products andservices we can help our customers improve theirbusinessesrdquo says Hallam ldquoThatrsquos where OneCompany is critical It enables our clients tobenefit from all our servicesrdquo scm
Figure One Measuring the impact of the strategic leadersrsquo meeting
CONTACT DETAILS
Rob HallamPitney Bowesrobhallampbcom
I BELIEVE THAT OUR SENIOR LEADERS (MEANING THE TOP 15 EXECS) AREWORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO DELIVER INTEGRATED HIGH-VALUESOLUTIONS TO OUR CUSTOMERS
Pre SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 73
Post SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 92
Gain in two months time 19
ldquoMANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WELL-INFORMED ABOUT THE COMPANYrsquoS PRODUCTSAND SERVICES ARE IN A GOOD POSITION TOTAKE ADVANTAGE OF CROSS-SELLINGrdquo
2007
36 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
MELCRUM TRAINING amp EVENTS
CALENDAR 2007UKEUROPESOCIAL MEDIA FORUM FORINTERNAL COMMUNICATORS UK
3 21-22 March 2007 Hilton Canary WharfLondon UKThis forum is designed for practitioners who wantto make social media part of their internalcommunication strategy Over two dayscompanies such as IBM Microsoft and BT willshare case studies demonstrating their use ofsocial-media tools Technology experts will also beon hand to provide training and show you how touse these tools
THE 3RD ANNUAL EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT CONFERENCE UK
3 22-24 May 2007 Millennium GloucesterLondon UK22 May ndash Practical workshops23-24 May ndash Two-day conferenceThis event will focus on transforming yourstrategies into action Listen to case studies fromcompanies that have achieved real andmeasurable results from their engagement effortsLearn how they did it what they achieved and howthe results were measured
THE 6TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT UK
3 16-18 October 2007 London UK After the huge success of the 2006 UK StrategicCommunication Management Summit next yearrsquosevent will once again provide you withpresentations from key figures in the industry anda chance to network with your peers Mark yourdiaries now ndash more details to follow
THE 3RD ANNUAL INTERNALCOMMUNICATION MEASUREMENTCONFERENCE UK
3 27-29 November 2007 London UKDetails available soon ndash mark your diary now
NORTH AMERICATHE 3RD ANNUAL CONFERENCEON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENTBUILDING AND SUSTAINING ACULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT
3 28 February ndash 1 March 2007 Crowne PlazaAtlanta-Buckhead Atlanta USLearn how to foster an environment whereemployees feel valued and respected Hear fromcompanies including Dow Corning CorporationAmerican Express Delta Hotels and Merck
THE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT US
3 26-28 March 2007 Crowne Plaza UnionSquare San Francisco26 March ndash Pre-conference workshops27-28 March ndash Two-day summitAttend this conference and discover how toimprove employee alignment with all segments ofyour internal audience ndash from your front-lineemployees to your executive officers bothnationally and worldwide
AUSTRALIATHE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION ENGAGEMENTSUMMIT SYDNEY
3 31 July ndash 2 August 2007 Sydney Australia Details available soon ndash mark your diary now
WEBINARSDEVELOPING PROFESSIONALCOMPETENCE
3 Thursday 22 February 2007 with LiamFitzPatrick and Sue Dewhurst
HELPING YOUR ORGANIZATIONTHRIVE DURING TURBULENTTIMES
3 Thursday 29 March 2007 with Carol KinseyGoman
TRAININGTHE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT PROGRAM
3 24-25 April and 1-2 May 2007 HenleyManagement College UK3 11-12 and 27-28 September 2007 Cranfield
School of Management UK
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT MASTERCLASSEFFECTIVE MEASUREMENT
3 14-15 March 2007 Hendon Hall Hendon UKAn essential two-day intensive training courses forinternal communicators on effective measurementRegister early as places are strictly limited to 20people per Masterclass
CSR DELIVERY ENGAGEMENT amp LEADERSHIP
3 19-20 April 2007 Central LondonOsney MediaWith an excellent speaker line-up from high-profile companies including Procter amp Gamble The BodyShop ExxonMobil Microsoft Belgium Vodafone UK Dell Ericsson and Alliance Boots this case studybased event will answer questions including how do Ibull Build a CSR-oriented leadershipbull Get people on boardbull Integrate CSR with the global strategy of the companybull Deliver CSR throughout the company to make it really happen
For more information visit wwwcsrleadershipcom or e-mail mariame_lindellosneymediacouk (Reference code 910MLC3)
38 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
DESIGN
YELLOW
The future success of all organisations will be builton trust understanding passion empowermentintegrity and relationships
The future is cool exciting sparkling organisationsbursting with energy life and action
The future of brand is the internal brand first andforemost
The future is colleague as customer
Turning communications upside down
No just inside-out
Be part of the future say hello to Yellow
We help large organisations bring their communicationsstrategies to life through the imaginative use of liveevents multimedia web and design ndash distributed acrossall media platforms including DVD TV mobile devicesintranet and extranet
Ultimately developing internal brands and ongoingcommunications that have a measurable impact onpeople-performance advocacy and the bottom line
Contact Paul MiddletonTel +44 (0)161 228 6700E-mail paulmiddletonyellowcomcomWebsite wwwyellowcomcom
NEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
DESIGN
BLUE GOOSE
blue goose specialize in visual communications We make communications work faster and better We will link what wedo back to your objectives but we donrsquot talk (or charge for) ldquostrategyrdquo when you simply want tactical implementation Weuse design and creativity tobull differentiate products and services bull develop and manage corporate and brand identity bull align external communications with agreed values bull internalize corporate and brand identitybull align internal communications with agreed values bull support organizational change and bull help organizations better understand and define who they are
We work for clients as diverse as PricewaterhouseCoopers Ford Europe Centrica plc Greene King City of London Policeand Le Meacuteridien
blue goose is for any organization more interested in designing their future than watching it happen
Contact Chris BarringtonE-mail thinkingbluegoosecoukTel +44 (0)20 8869 8500Web site wwwbluegoosecouk
CONSULTANCY
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION ampSURVEYS PTY LTD
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd is aboutique consultancy based in Sydney Australia Itspecializes in employee communication strategiessystems research and employee surveys of all kindsPrincipal Rodney Gray has been involved inorganizational consulting for over 20 years following a15-year career as a corporate human resourcesexecutive Services includebull Employee communication audits and surveys by
questionnaires focus groups and interviewsbull Employee communication systems strategies and
processesbull Employee communication training workshops and
talksbull Employee culture climate and opinion surveysbull Qualitative organizational diagnosis (focus groups
and interviews)bull Internal service quality research (qualitative and
quantitative)
Contact Rodney GrayTel +61 (0)2 9909 2900 Fax +61 (0)2 9909 2911E-mail rodneyrodneygraycomauWeb site wwwemployee-communicationcomau
CONSULTANCY
HEDRON
Internal and change communication that helps teamsand individuals to develop strategies relationshipsprocesses and skills to engage stakeholders supporthigh performance and deliver change
ldquoSharp strategic thinking quality execution effectiveinterpersonallyhelliprdquo ldquoCreativity drive resourcefulnessresults great funhelliprdquo say clients
All sectors ndash ABN AMRO AXA BT Cadbury SchweppesDepartment for Constitutional Affairs HealthcareCommission Group 4 Securicor SABMiller SiemensSouthern Rail Unilever Wincanton
Our clients are happy to tell you what itrsquos like workingwith us
Contact Helena MemoryTel + 44 (0) 20 7493 0735Fax + 44 (0) 20 7493 0743E-mail helena-mhedroncomWeb site wwwhedroncom
CONSULTANCY
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
39scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
CONSULTANCY
SYNOPSIS
Founded by change and communication authority Bill Quirke in 1992 Synopsis is one of Europersquos leading internalcommunication consultancies Our clients include such companies as ABN Amro BBC BP British Airways DiageoEricsson HP Lloyds TSB Roche Shell and Vodafone
We help clients use internal communication to engage their employees in delivering business strategy and get most valuefrom their internal communication
We can help youbull Develop communication strategies that support your business strategybull Coach leadersbull Develop line managersrsquo communication skillsbull Plan and coordinate your communication with colleagues onlinebull Check the health of your communication channels and improve return on investmentbull Build and develop the communication functionbull Measure and track employee engagement attitudes and opinions
To take a tour of our online planning tool go to wwwsynopsisonlinecomproductplanningtoolasp
Contact Jane LebeauE-mail janelebeausynopsisonlinecomTel +44 (0) 20 7490 2900Web site wwwsynopsisonlinecom
CONSULTANCY
HARKNESS KENNETT
We specialize in internal communication To us thatmeansbull motivating people through inspiring leadershipbull guiding people through organizational changebull engaging people in delivering the brand
Working in partnership with our clients is central to ourethos enabling us to help deliver practical solutionssupported by solid strategic thinking All of ourconsultants have held senior positions ldquoclient siderdquo sowe know what itrsquos like to be in your shoes The vastmajority of our work comes from recommendations fromexisting clients ndash 82 percent of our clients haverequested repeat work in the last two years
Our clients include Abbey Atkins BDO Stoy HaywardThe Environment Agency Marks amp Spencer NHS Blood ampTransplant Morgan Stanley Europe Nestleacute PoliceInformation Technology Organisation Royal ampSunAlliance South West Trains and Vodafone
Our vision is simple ndash we want to be the first callyou make
Contact James HarknessTel +44 (0)1483 222730E-mail jamesharknessharknesskennettcomWeb site wwwharknesskennettcom
CONSULTANCY
TRIDENT COMMUNICATIONS
Trident Communications is uniquely positioned to definedevelop and deliver award-winning solutions that aligncommunication with business goals
We advise and partner with organizations of all sizes tocreate high-value practical applications Our talentedproject teams provide innovative research designeditorial and imagery for print and online
We connect ideas and deliver results
Contact Peter Agertoft Tel +44 (0)207 536 8900E-mail peteragertoft
tridentcommunicationsnetWeb site wwwtridentcommunicationsnet
CONSULTANCY
FLEISHMAN-HILLARD
Fleishman-Hillardrsquos dedicated internal and changecommunication practice helps businesses focus onperforming ndash not just informing
We help organisations plan and implement programmeswith the right mix of information dialogue and trainingso that employees are engaged aligned and motivatedto achieve business objectives
Because effective internal communication is vital tobottom-line performance we partner with our clients tocreate a daily dialogue ndash not a monologue ndash withemployees
Contact Nick AndrewsTel +32 (0)2 230 05 45 E-mail nickandrewsfleishmancomWeb site wwwfleishmaneuropecom
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE A listing in our Directory of Services will giveyou a chance to reach communicationprofessionals at some of the worldrsquos largestand most admired companies and to tap intodecision-making practitioners
ContactVincent SorelTel +44 (0)208 600 4670E-mail vincentsorelmelcrumcom
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
INCLUDE YOUR COMPANY BY CONTACTING US ON +44(0)20 8600 4670 OR AT INFOMELCRUMCOM
CONSULTANCY
HILL amp KNOWLTON
Better business results the bottom line
How do I manage more change Motivate managers Getthe right information to the right people Show the bestreturn on communication investment
Sound familiar Hill amp Knowltonrsquos change and internalcommunication consultants work with companies aroundthe world to find the right answers for their situation
We offer strategy insight and creativity drawing on ourconsultancy expertise and in-house experience Plus wedeliver practical hands-on help
We know that effective employee communication has adirect impact on the bottom line Working together wecan make it happen for you
Contact EMEA DavidFerrabeehillandknowltoncom
+44 (0) 7413 3176USA BarbaraEdlerhillandknowltoncom
+1 415 281-7160Canada KristaThompsonhillandknowltoncom
+1 613 786-9961
RECRUITMENT
VMA GROUP
VMA Group is one of the UKrsquos leading executive searchand selection consultancies specializing in internal andcorporate communication recruitment
For over 25 years VMA Group has provided the highestlevel of service to some of the most demanding globalorganizations developing a strong track record for thequality and professionalism of our search and selection work
We have in-depth specialist knowledge of the internalcommunication market and can provide high-qualitypermanent and interim candidates with expertise acrossinternal communication change management and widercorporate communication We understand the needs ofour clients intrinsically and strive to develop long-termrelationships with clients and candidates alike
Please call to discuss how we can help you find theideal candidate or if you wish to make a career move
Contact David BroomeTel +44 (0)20 7436 4243E-mail dbroomevmagroupcoukWeb site wwwvmagroupcouk
40 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONALCOMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS E-mail gaitensunityncsueduWeb site wwwconsultingsuccessorgTel 919 469 3895
CIB ndash BRITISH ASSOCIATION OFCOMMUNICATORS IN BUSINESSE-mail enquiriescibukcomWeb site wwwcibukcomTel +44 (0)870 121 7606
CCM ndash COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATIONMANAGEMENT E-mail membership
ccmconnectioncomWeb site wwwccmconnectioncomTel 866 463 4226
CPRS ndash THE CANADIAN PUBLICRELATIONS SOCIETYE-mail admincprscaWeb site wwwcprscaTel 416 239 7034
IABC ndash THE INTERNATIONALASSOCIATION OF BUSINESSCOMMUNICATORS E-mail service_centreiabccomWeb site wwwiabccomTel 415 544 4700
ICA ndash THE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONALLIANCE E-mail amandafoistericaukorgWeb site wwwiprorgukicaTel +44 (0)1628 642 044
CIPR ndash THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OFPUBLIC RELATIONS UKE-mail infoiprorgukWeb site wwwiprorgukTel +44 (0)20 7253 5151
IPRA ndash THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICRELATIONS ASSOCIATIONE-mail ipraseccompuservecomWeb site wwwipraorgTel +44 (0) 1372 461 188
PRSA ndash PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OFAMERICAE-mail resourcesprsaorgWeb site wwwprsaorgTel 212 460 1459
DIRECTORY OF SERVICESNEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
CONSULTANCY
KEY POINTSbull A new study has established how communicators spend their time and
what skills knowledge and experience they regularly use
bull The research identifies six stereotypical roles ranging from acommunication leader to a specialist (eg a web or events expert)
bull It also highlights 12 competencies that clarify the behaviors acompetent practitioner should display at each level An ldquoineffectiverdquocategory shows behaviors displayed by less able performers
bull The roles and competencies provide a framework for development
Building a learning framework for internal communicators
18 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
5 The Local AgentThis category covers a broad range of peoplefrom the plant managerrsquos personal assistant to aregional communication manager Internalcommunication is often one of severalresponsibilities for this person and they tend tohave a tactical focus Their agenda is normally setby the local management team although theirlocal knowledge and network makes them aninvaluable sounding board for the corporatecommunication team They tend to be judged onwhether activities happen and how satisfied theirlocal manager is with them
6 The SpecialistOur research found a small group of peopleworking in internal communication who see them-selves as subject-matter experts in a specialist areasuch as web management audio-visual productionor event management They have only a looseconnection to the mainstream profession andcould equally work in IT marketing or perhapsHR Because theyrsquore highly specialized they tendto work in large organizations
Building a competency frameworkOnce statistical analysis had suggested these sixrole types we began testing them out throughfocus groups and interviews with practitioners Inparticular we asked what skills knowledge andexperience people in each type of role neededwhat people saw outstanding practitioners doingwhat poor performance looked like and howpeople in the six role types spent their time
On the basis of this information we developeda series of 12 competencies (see Figure Two left)We found that each of the six role types could bedefined bybull Which of the competencies they need to carry
out their role (not everyone needs all 12)bull The level of skill knowledge and experience
they need in each competencybull How much of their time they spend using
each competency ndash a high medium or lowamount For instance there was commonagreement that the communication leadermust have strong craft skills (writing anddesign) but compared to say the delivererthey spend a relatively low percentage of theirtime working on this type of activity
Each of the 12 competencies has three levelsbasic intermediate and advanced Based on thedata we gathered we defined the behaviors youmight expect to see a competent internalcommunication professional display at each level
We also added an ldquoineffectiverdquo category listingthose behaviors our interviewees told us weredisplayed by less able performers For example
7
COMPETENCY DEFINITION
Building effectiverelationships
Developing and maintaining relationships that inspire trust and respectBuilding a network and influencing others to make things happen
Business focus Having a clear understanding of the business issues Usingcommunication to help solve organization issues and achieveorganizational problems
Consulting andcoaching
Recommending appropriate solutions Helping others make informeddecisions Building other peoplersquos communications competence
Cross-functionalawareness
Understanding the different contributions from other disciplines andworking with colleagues from across the organization to achieve betterresults
Developing othercommunicators
Helping other communicators build their communications competenceand develop their career
Innovation andcreativity
Looking for new ways of working exploring best practice and deliveringoriginal and imaginative approaches to communication problems
Listening Conducting research and managing mechanisms for gathering feedbackand employee reaction
Making it happen Turning plans into successfully implemented actions
Planning Planning communication programs and operations evaluating results
Specialist Having specific subject-matter expertise in a specialist area
Vision and standards Defining or applying a consistent approach to communication andmaintaining professional and ethical standards
Craft (writing anddesign)
Using and developing the right mix of practical communication abilitiesto hold the confidence of peers and colleagues (eg writing designmanagement etc)
Figure Two Twelve competencies for internal communicators
19scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
some ineffective behaviors attached to theldquobusiness focusrdquo competency arebull Doesnrsquot make the link between
communication activity and the business ororganizational context
bull Delivers communication activity withoutconsidering whether it will serve any usefulpurpose
bull Lacks understanding of their business area
Building a framework for a specific role The next step in this project was to develop asimple table to map out the competencyframework for an individual role showingbull The competencies needed in this rolebull The level of competency needed in each casebull How much time we expect someone in this
role to spend on these types of behaviors
You can either build a competency frameworkfrom scratch or if you think the role fits one ofthe six types we identified from the survey use thecompetency framework for this type as a startingpoint (see the framework for a communicationleader Figure Three right)
In practice competency frameworks will varyaccording to the size of the organization thenumber of people in the internal-communicationteam the expectations of managers and thespecific requirements of each individual rolewhich is why wersquove built a flexible model
For example a communication leader in alarge multinational organization may spend muchof their time setting the vision and standardscoaching and consulting building relationshipsand developing other communicators and arelatively small amount of their time ldquomaking ithappenrdquo or on writing and design Howeversomeone in a stand-alone communication leaderrole in a much smaller organization wouldprobably have to be much more of a ldquoJack of alltradesrdquo dividing their time evenly between thedifferent competencies
Next stepsMore information about the 12 competencies andthe baseline competency maps for each of the sixrole types will be detailed in a forthcomingMelcrum report Ideas on how you use thesecompetencies to plan your development areavailable to download atwwwcompetentcommunicatorscom
We hope the framework will help bringstructure to the process of defining roles planningdevelopment and specifying recruitment andwould welcome your feedbackscm
1 The Inter-Comm skills matrix is described in an article in SCMFebruaryMarch 2005 (Volume 9 Issue 2) called Developingcore competencies for internal communicators
Figure Three Framework for a communication leader
COMPETENCY LEVEL TIME
Building effective relationships Advanced High
Business focus Advanced High
Consulting and coaching Advanced High
Cross-functional awareness Advanced Medium
Developing other communicators Advanced High
Innovation and creativity Advanced Medium
Listening Advanced Low
Making it happen Advanced Low
Planning Advanced Medium
Specialist NA NA
Vision and standards Advanced High
Craft (writing and design) Advanced Low
CONTACT DETAILS
Sue DewhurstCompetent Communicatorssuedewhurstcompetentcommunicatorscom
Liam FitzPatrickCompetent Communicatorsliamfitzpatrickcompetentcommunicatorscom
ldquoOUR RESEARCH FOUND A SMALL GROUP OFPEOPLE WORKING IN INTERNALCOMMUNICATION WHO SEE THEMSELVES ASSUBJECT-MATTER EXPERTSrdquo
20 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC President and CEO John Ryan joined theorganization in 1997 For the first few years hefocused on financial viability and positioning thecorporation for the future ndash articulating a newvision redefining strategic objectives expandingproduct and service offerings and identifyingpotential growth areas
The business results were outstanding double-digit growth increasing profits and great customerloyalty But something was missing
Like many successful organizations FCCoperated with a silo mentality Organizationalpolitics consumed energy that Ryan felt detractedfrom employee satisfaction and he worried aboutthe impact on the customer experience
He wanted his direct reports to work togetheras a real team ndash not to behave like individualleaders of functional areas Although the groupperformed well when there was a real challengeafter the challenge was gone so was the teamwork
This is not unusual for top executive groupsbut Ryan wasnrsquot willing to accept that fate ldquoTherehad to be a way to have a team-based
organization where leaders had the autonomythey needed to perform while actively collaboratingto achieve a new level of unprecedented resultsrdquohe said ldquoFCC had a very hierarchical culture withfirmly drawn divisional boundaries so I knew Ihad a challenge ahead of merdquo
Cultural transformation from the topIn 2002 John hired Malandro Communicationbased in Phoenix Arizona to guide FCCrsquos seniorleadership through a unique cultural transformationthat would lead to the creation of a high-performance team Leaders committed to being100-percent accountable for their impact onpeople and business results They let go of thetraditional 50-50 model ldquoIrsquoll do my part if you doyoursrdquo ndash a model that breeds a culture of blameconspiracies and distrust
In a series of formal training initiatives leaderswere taught to speak from the heart listen toother perspectives be open and responsive tofeedback and encourage personal andprofessional growth
Opportunity for internal communicationBy 2003 we were well on our way FCC producedremarkable business results with strong numbersright across the board The portfolio grew fromnearly CAN$9 billion to over CAN$10 billionThen two things happened that created anopportunity for internal communication tobecome a driver of business results 1 In 2003 we earned 50th place on Canadarsquos
ldquo50 Best Employersrdquo list and a respectableemployee engagement score of 69 percent
Defining the role ofstrategic comms atFarm Credit Canada
Farm Credit Canada (FCC) is in the fourth year of acultural-transformation program At the start of itsjourney clear expectations were set defining the role
to be played by internal communication In this summaryof the companyrsquos plans and achievements Kellie Garrettand Claire Watson describe the goals strategies andtactics employed by the internal communication teamand the impressive results achieved to date
Setting the stage for a cultural transformation
BY KELLIE GARRETT AND CLAIRE WATSON
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Farm Credit Canada isCanadarsquos largest provider offinancing to the agricultureindustry It serves 45000customers and has 1300employees working from 100rural offices across CanadaFCC is ranked eighth amongCanadarsquos 50 best employers
21scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC is a high performer in all otheroperational areas and employee engagementis a strong predictor of sustained corporateperformance But the survey showed therewas work to be done to align perceptionsbetween the senior leadership team andemployees Detailed results showed the gaps(see Figure One below)
2 Ryan became more determined to create ahigh-performance team that could deliver anextraordinary customer experience andsustainable business results
Establishing expected behaviorAs a first step towards creating a critical mass ofleaders who visibly demonstrate the behaviorsrequired to transform FCCrsquos culture middlemanagement and key cross-functional teams weretrained in responsible teamwork practices andcommunication skills
Ryan then created a set of 10 cultural practicesthat explicitly outlined how he expectedemployees at all levels to behave (see side barnext page) The foundation of these practices isthe belief that the drive for business results mustbe balanced by the attendant impact on people Inother words how the work was accomplished wasevery bit as important as what was accomplishedThe cultural practices were rolled out to allemployees in 2003
With the expected behavior from leaders andemployees clearly articulated it was time forinternal communication to find opportunities tosupport and promote these behaviors
Challenge 1 Creating a strategic frameworkOur first objective was to create a broaderstrategic framework for internal communicationA review of best-practice companies revealed thatformal media represents about 10 percent of allinternal communication channels with internalsystems accounting for another 10 percent Theremaining 80 percent is influenced by theorganizational culture
Our task was to put a formal strategy in placethat would strengthen the 10 percent ofcommunication we did have control over ndash theinternal communication channels
Within FCC the dominant employeecommunication channels were immediatemanagers e-mail and the intranet (Myinet)Front-line managers delivered corporate messagesdirectly to employees and their efforts weresupported by all-staff e-mails
There was nothing wrong with this approachbut it didnrsquot go far enough in the delivery of clearconsistent messages about strategic direction orcorporate priorities Nor did it create a line ofsight between individuals and business outcomes
For example a lack of central coordination wasresulting in unclear mixed messages thatconfused the internal audience A proliferation ofemployee surveys were independently conductedby various business units and the corporate e-mail system was choked with high volumecontributing to information overload
The intranetrsquos navigational structure and searchcapability needed major improvement datedinformation needed to be archived and majordocuments needed to be redeveloped in a web-friendly format
Defining our strategy and objectivesAware of these drawbacks we defined ourstrategy as To adopt a more integrated approachto internal communication and make sure allmessages focus employees on the businesspriorities Our strategies included the followingbull Segment the employee audience and define
communication needs based on demographicspsychographics and geographic location
bull Create a consistent voice across all groupsbull Ensure internal communication is mandatory
for all major corporate initiatives and isintegrated across channels and with othercommunication activities
bull Deliver targeted information through a varietyof channels and vehicles to reinforce messaginghelp with recall appeal to differentpreferences and create and sustain interest
bull Redevelop the intranet and position it as aninformation source for corporate businessemployee industry and technical information
bull Reduce the volume of corporate e-mailbull Implement a monthly employee survey to
replace the proliferation of one-off surveysindependently launched by business units
bull Create broad awareness and understanding ofkey corporate drivers such as business strategycorporate values and brand positioning 3
Kellie Garrett ABC MALeadership is senior VPStrategy Knowledge ampReputation at Farm CreditCanada and Chair of the IABCResearch Foundation Garrettis a frequent speaker onbusiness strategy leadershipand personal brand
Claire Watson ABC APR isthe master communicationstrategist for Farm CreditCanada Watson has won anumber of international andnational awards for her workis a published author and acertified change managementspecialist
MEASUREMENT EMPLOYEES SENIORMANAGERS
GAP
Senior management is open and honest incommunication
59 94 -35
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible
54 88 -34
Managers effectively support andimplement our people practices
48 81 -33
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 94 -23
Figure One Engagement survey results
22 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Defining the role of strategic comms at Farm Credit Canada
Successful tactics introducedSome of the tactics wersquove successfully introducedto bring this strategy to life include the following
1 Tracking key messagesWe created an employee key-message matrix thatis shared with leaders across the organization andhelps to ensure we deliver a consistent messageWe deliver the rewritten message through avariety of channels including e-mail letter featurearticle in the internal publication online throughour Monday Morning Update or directly to staffmeetings through managers and supervisors
2 Adopting a multi-channel approachWersquove expanded our channels beyond e-mail andthe intranet New channels now includebull AgriCulture ndash an employee print newsletter
published three times a year to communicatecorporate information and reinforce FCCrsquossocial and cultural fabric
bull An online feature called ldquoFrom the Desk ofthe CEOrdquo to keep employees in the loop
bull All staff e-mails from the CEO and VPsbull Discussion guides and QampAs for leadersbull Internal presentations and speeches delivered
by the senior leadership teambull Other printed material such as pocket cards
and brochures accompanied by a letter
3 Cutting down on information overloadSteps wersquove taken includebull Bundling all-staff messages into a Monday
Morning Update and bundling messages forcorporate headquarters staff into a CorporateOffice Update
bull Implementing a corporate e-mail policy withdefined subject-line conventions length andapproved topics
bull Restricting the use of all-staff e-mails to thesenior management team and certain keyindividuals
bull Improving the functionality of the intranetand redeveloping key business tools forefficient web use
bull Centralizing coordination of internal surveysbull Elevating the quality and clarity of internal
speeches and conferences to focus onstrategic business drivers
Challenge 2 Supporting leadershipThe results of our 2003 engagement survey alsorevealed an opportunity to increase trust betweenemployees and FCCrsquos senior management teamRyan and his VP responsible for communication(Kellie Garrett) believed that creating greatervisibility and better access to the senior managerswas vital to the establishment of a values-basedculture and a high-performance team
7
MEASUREMENT 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Senior management is open and honestin communication
59 73 81 83 91
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible to employees
54 71 82 83 81
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 81 87 87 85
I see strong evidence of effectiveleadership from the senior leadershipteam
69 83 87 88 93
I have a good understanding ofbusiness goals and objectives
76 77 81 81 88
Senior leadership has clearlycommunicated what we need to do tobe successful
NA NA 89 90 93
Figure Two Survey scores tracked from 2003-2007
FCCrsquoS 10 CULTURAL PRACTICESWe hold ourselves and each other accountable for
1 Our impact on business results and our impact on people
2 Delivering on commitments agreements and promises
3 Building and sustaining committed partnerships
4 Creating a safe environment where people can speak up without fear
5 We measure our success by how others perceive and respond to ourleadership not by our personal point of view
6 We talk straight in a responsible manner We are committed to the successof others ndash we do not engage in ldquoconspiracies againstrdquo people
7 We ldquolisten forrdquo contributions and commitment We do not listen againstpeople or ideas
8 We are highly coachable We actively seek and listen to coaching
9 We clean up and recover quickly
10 We acknowledge others often and celebrate both small and largesuccesses
ldquoLIKE DEVELOPING A COMPANYrsquoS IMAGE ORBRAND CULTURE CAN lsquoJUST HAPPENrsquo OR ITCAN BE DESIGNED STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONHAS PLAYED A CENTRAL ROLErdquo
23scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 FCC launched a culture-change program focused on
improving performance across the organization
bull Two key aims of the program are to encourage leaders and employeesto embody the values and improve staff engagement
bull Defining its strategy and goals at the outset internal communicationhas played a role in achieving these objectives
bull Results so far include less information overload a more accessibleleadership team and improved engagement scores
The challenge for internal communication wasto improve employeesrsquo perception of the visibilityaccessibility and trust for the senior managementteam Successful tactics introduced includebull A ldquoDine-Aroundrdquo program where three
senior leaders host a monthly lunch for ninepeople
bull An online forum called SMT Exchangewhere employees can anonymously askleaders tough questions and answers areposted for all to see
bull Senior leaders author more all-staff e-mailsare more visible and accessible at companyevents and deliver presentations that focus onconnecting employees to the business agenda
The goals we started with When we defined our internal communicationstrategy in 2003 we had some clear goals to worktowards These werebull To communicate relevant information in a
timely consistent and memorable waybull To reduce information overloadbull To influence an increase in the
communication-related elements of theengagement index
bull To contribute to an increase in employeeengagement from 69 to 74 percent
We also had specific year-one objectivesbull To increase understanding of business goals
and objectives beyond 78 percent bull To increase employee opinion about effective
senior leadership from 69 to 73 percentbull To improve employee opinions related to
senior management
Achievements and measurable resultsWith these goals guiding our efforts themeasurable results wersquove achieved so far includebull The bundling of all-staff e-mail has reduced
the volume by 88 percent ndash amounting toaround 350000 messages over one year
bull Over 450 employees have lunched with amember of the senior management team and170 QampAs have been posted on our seniormanagement online exchange
bull The survey scores relating to employeesrsquoperception of leadership and theirunderstanding of goals and objectives showsteady improvement since 2003 (see FigureTwo bottom left)
bull FCCrsquos engagement scores and subsequentranking among Canadarsquos 50 best employershas moved from 69 percent engagement and50th place in 2004 to 81 percent and 35thplace in 2005 84 percent and 12th place in2006 and 82 percent and 8th place in 2007
Cultural transformationThe internal communication strategy described inthis article has set the stage to communicatecultural transformation across the organization
Wersquore now in the fourth year of our culturaltransformation ndash creating an environment wherepeople are empowered feel safe and highperformance can flourish This involves aquantum shift in how employees behave andrelate to their co-workers and customers
Like developing a companyrsquos image or brandculture can ldquojust happenrdquo or it can be designedStrategic communication has played a central roleto create awareness understanding commitmentand motivate changes in behavior at every level ofthe organization
John Ryan has the final word ldquoOver the years Ihave learned that communication is at the heartof building a high-performance culture ndash a culturewhere people are fully engaged Communicationis vital Without it leaders cannot effect positivechange Our internal strategy recognizesemployees as a primary audience and a keyconduit to the customer the media stakeholdersand communities Our strategic approach tointernal communication significantly contributesto business resultsrdquo scm
CONTACT DETAILS
Kellie GarrettFarm Credit CanadaKellieGarrettfcc-facca
Claire WatsonFarm Credit CanadaClaireWatsonfcc-facca
24 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
In January 2004 Pfizer at Sandwich in Kent UKcommissioned a review of its existing charitablecontributions program which included matchedpayroll giving volunteering and grants for localcommunity charities and voluntary groups CCWorks the community investment consultancywas also approached to manage the day-to-dayadministration of grant applications from thecommunity
However it was decided that the administrationcould not be effectively managed until suitablecriteria were put in place for the grants programEssentially a company cannot outsourceresponsibility for its charitable donations unlesstherersquos a clear strategy in place for doing this
Although there were various policies in placefor the different elements of the existingcommunity investment program there was a lackof strategic direction to the program as a whole
Auditing the community grants programAs a first step CC Works examined the existinggrants program and also conducted external
benchmarking with voluntary organizations in thecommunity to gage perceptions of Pfizer
It emerged that many organizations werereceiving small grants ndash although some werenrsquotsure why ndash but only 16 percent of the currentspend was going on health-related causes ForPfizer a major global healthcare company thiswasnrsquot strategic It was clear that as a healthcarecompany Pfizer should be trying to improve thehealth of its local area by focusing on three coreareas health community and education
There was also a need for grants to be morelocally focused A significant amount of the spendwas going outside of the immediate East Kentarea CC Works recommended that to allow thecompany maximum freedom to operate in itscommunity it should focus grants on theimmediate community of East Kent which alsohappened to be a deprived area
Segmenting current grantsWorking in partnership with CC Works currentgrant allocation was examined by sector localarea and size of grant and in May 2004 two-yeartargets were set to increase the strategic impact ofcommunity grantsbull Increase grants allocated to health-related
projects to 50 percentbull Increase average grant from UKpound300 to
UKpound1000bull Increase East Kent allocation to 90 percent
This change was designed to be gradual so thatthe shift in allocation could be well managed
The new focus on the community mirrors
Engaging employees inPfizerrsquos communityinvestment program
In 2003 Pfizer at Sandwich UK was running manyelements of a community investment program butthere was little awareness among employees and no
real focus By July 2006 the program had beentransformed and now actively contributes to employeeand community relationships Here Pam Baker andChristine Jenkins describe the journey from disconnectedpolicies to award-winning program
Communicating an approach with clear links toemployees and the local community
BY PAM BAKER AND CHRISTINE JENKINS
scm FEATURES
Pfizerrsquos site at Sandwich inKent is the UK manufacturingheadquarters of Pfizer Incglobal pharmaceuticalcompany Its workforce of4000 makes it the largestprivate employer in East Kent
1 2 3 4 5
25scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pfizerrsquos global mission to be ldquothe most valuedcompany to patients customers colleaguesinvestors business partners and the communitieswhere we work and liverdquo For the communityinvestment program a measurable mission wascreated ldquoto improve the health indicators of thepeople of East Kentrdquo
Focus on colleague involvementThe next step in July 2004 was to conduct areview of the employee engagement elements ofcommunity investment to examine how thesecould be better integrated These elementsincluded payroll giving volunteering and staff-matched fundraising
For Pfizer at Sandwich the obvious first choicewas to look at volunteering Eighty-five percent ofPfizer employees are minimum graduate level ndashoffering much-needed skills to a deprived areaAll employees have five paid days a year they canuse for volunteering ndash this not only supports thecommunity it boosts employee engagement andcreates opportunities for employees to visiblyconnect with the community and vice versa
In October 2004 volunteering was identified asa key area for development but for employeevolunteering to be a success it had to beproactively marketed inside Pfizer and thereneeded to be adequate support andadministration behind the program
A database of volunteering opportunitiesIn conjunction with CC Works a searchable data-base of local volunteering opportunities was createdPfizer felt it was important to create a tailoreddatabase that would be furnished internally inorder to ensure a local bias and to maintain thequality of the information supplied to employees
In order to tie in with employeesrsquo personaldevelopment plans opportunities in the databasehad to meet at least two of Pfizerrsquos six keycompetencies 1 Team development2 Project management3 Coaching and development4 Decision making5 Effective partnership6 Working with change
To fill the database with relevant opportunities allorganizations that had contacted Pfizer for grantsor funding in the past three years were re-contacted and asked if they would also beinterested in volunteering
Over 70 percent responded positively and 300volunteering opportunities were sourced CCWorks helped the voluntary organizations puttogether opportunities that were most likely totake advantage of Pfizer employeesrsquo range of
specialist skillsThese opportunities were categorized on the
database according to skill geographic area andtype of charity allowing employees to search forsomething suitable for them Pfizer wasnrsquotprescriptive in its approach and allowed staff tovolunteer where the opportunity matched theirpersonal-development goals interests or wasgeographically convenient
Opportunities were wide-ranging from helpingin a charity shop to teaching in a schoolImportantly because database management isoutsourced to CC Works therersquos constantproactivitiy around seeking new opportunities andproviding administrative support that would havebeen difficult to maintain in-house
Launching the ldquoReaching Outrdquo programTo encourage involvement and awarenessemployees were asked to suggest a name for therevitalized volunteering program ldquoReaching Outrdquowas chosen and the new volunteering website waslaunched in May 2005 The site sits on PfizerSandwichrsquos intranet and any employee orcontractor can access it
A charity week was also held to help promotethe Reaching Out program Various charitiesvisited Pfizer during lunch breaks to explain whatthey do and the opportunities to work with themA soft incentive for staff to register on theReaching Out site was that Pfizer would donate20 rehydration sachets to Unicef (monetary valueof about pound2)
Reaching Out was also featured in a webcastfrom a senior leader that went to all employees(about 3000 staff plus contractors) at the start ofthe week and it was profiled in the weekly onlinemagazine Pipeline 3
Pam Baker is directorStrategic Operations andCommunity Affairs at Pfizer UK
Christine Jenkins is founderof CC Works a consultancyoffering communityinvestment advice andpractical solutions to thecorporate and voluntarysectors Previously she heldsenior manager roles in thevoluntary and private sectors
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 an audit of Pfizer at Sandwichrsquos community investment
program revealed a lack of strategic direction
bull In partnership with consultancy CC Works a decision was made tofocus the program on the local community
bull An effort to raise employee involvement through volunteering hasboosted the program and linked it to employee engagement
bull The ldquoReaching Outrdquo website gives employees the freedom to work withcharities of their choice
bull By July 2006 the ldquoHealthy Communitiesrdquo program had beentransformed and won a National Example of Excellence award fromBusiness in the Community
26 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TOP TIPS FOR COMMUNITY INVESTMENTbull Ask yourself why yoursquore undertaking this program and seek clarity around
your objectives
bull Focus on likely ldquowinsrdquondash ie areas with scope for improvement such asemployee engagement or external awareness
bull Tackle one area at a time in stages and aim for excellence in each arearather than trying to boil the ocean
bull Communication is key to success Create a distinct brand and identity forthe program to encourage awareness and involvement
bull Integrate different community programs ndash a holistic approach can maximizebenefits for the community staff engagement and corporate reputation
Over 450 employees registered to use thesite over the next two months with 230 employees(8 percent of staff) actively volunteering duringthe first year This beat a target to have 5 percentof employees volunteering 12 months after launchIn 2005 employees volunteered 4800 hours
Helping employees select the right optionEmployees can search the volunteering databaseby skill geographic area or type of charity and aregiven a range of choices Then the onus is on theemployee to speak to the charity and obtainfurther details on current opportunities inaddition to whatrsquos on the database The employeethen applies to his or her line manager Anintegrated work process enables staff to obtainapproval from their manager interact with thevoluntary organization and record their effortskeeping administration to a minimum
Managers at Pfizer Sandwich are keen foremployees to volunteer because theyrsquore aware ofthe potential benefits in terms of employeeengagement and skills development ndash a largenumber of managers are volunteers themselvesPfizer also held briefing sessions for managers toensure they were aware of the volunteeringprogram its benefits and how it works
7
Engaging employees in Pfizerrsquos community investment program
Incorporating employee feedbackThe database tracks employeesrsquo volunteeringefforts including how many hours theyrsquove doneand their feedback on the opportunitiesEmployee feedback can then be accessed by otherstaff looking for an opportunity The databasegives employees better insight into the availableopportunities and allows them to select somethingthat appeals to them so that both the employeeand the organization where they volunteer gets abetter ldquofitrdquo
The database also allows for better integrationof the whole program where volunteering canprovide an alternative or an addition to fundingFor example a well-known national charityapplied to Pfizer at Sandwich for some fundingaround a diversity initiative Pfizer suggested theirdiversity manager volunteer for them instead whohelped create the charityrsquos diversity program thatis now being launched nationally
Creating an integrated programIn May 2005 the decision was taken to bringtogether all the strands of community investmentunder one brand Healthy Communities Thisprogram was to includebull Charitable grantsbull Employee volunteeringbull Gifts in kind Community investment via gifts
in kind such as the use of Pfizer premisesresources and expertise is more easilysustainable and can bring real long-termbenefit to the local community When Pfizerfacilities are used to support communityinitiatives the face-to-face contact withemployees allows relationship-building andnetworking with key influencers Also invitingthe community to use Pfizer resources on siteldquodemystifiesrdquo the company
The overarching strategy behind HealthyCommunities was to support communityinvestment holistically (ie using several of theabove elements in combination) whereverpossible Focusing grants on the areas of greatestneed helps Pfizer achieve its overall missionHowever the donation of gifts in kind can have awider-reaching impact on the community
Taking a holistic approachAn award-winning example of this holisticapproach is the Helping Hartsdown projectwhich was Pfizer Sandwichrsquos biggest ever gift inkindvolunteering project Pfizer donated andrenovated much-needed classrooms at a localschool As well as financial support and gifts inkind the project involved over 100 staff andcontractor volunteers across all departments Aspecific promotion on the Reaching Out website
ldquoBY JULY 2006 THE lsquoHEALTHY COMMUNITIESrsquoPROGRAM HAD BEEN TRANSFORMED AND WONA NATIONAL EXAMPLE OF EXCELLENCE AWARDFROM BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITYrdquo
27scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
POSITIVE IMPACTS OF THE PROGRAMThe Healthy Communities program has had the following positive impacts for Pfizer
bull The program supports and protects Pfizerrsquos freedom to operate effectivelyin East Kent UK
bull Supporting and involving employees in the program engages and motivatesthem The company is also seen to be living its values In a recent survey55 percent of colleagues felt the program was ldquofocused and effectiverdquo
bull The program provides opportunities for colleagues to develop skills Twentypercent of colleagues surveyed stated that they had improved personalskills through taking part in the program
bull A healthy community is a better place to live and work for employees andwill aid retention Retention of the most highly skilled scientists givesPfizer Global Research and Development a competitive edge
bull A vibrant and healthy community helps to attract and retain leadingscientists from around the world
bull Community is one of Pfizerrsquos six core values Communicating activitiesinternally and externally gives a positive perception of the company
helped attract this large number of volunteersincluding senior leaders
Momentum was maintained behind thecommunication of the program with monthlynetworking breakfasts and several themed minicharity fairs to give local good causes the chanceto showcase their volunteering Individuals andteamsrsquo volunteering efforts were also regularlyprofiled in Pipeline
The December 2006 employee survey showedan 85-percent awareness level of Reaching Outand the program won a ldquoNational Example ofExcellence Awardrdquo from Business in theCommunity1
Relaunching the websiteIn June 2006 the Reaching Out website wasrelaunched to incorporate payroll giving andmatched fundraising under the same brand asvolunteering and utilize the existing software Allelements can now be applied for on the same site
The number of employees registered with thesite increased to over 1000 and the number of adhoc staff enquiries handled by CC Worksincreased dramatically as awareness andinvolvement levels rose among the workforce
External communicationA quarterly newsletter containing a round-up ofPfizerrsquos community investment work is producedand distributed widely to external stakeholdersincluding 3000 local residents Following theBusiness in the Community award the magazineCommunity News was revamped its circulationincreased and it was also desk-dropped to allemployees The magazine also helps to raiseawareness of Pfizer among local organizations
A pocket-sized booklet was produced containingkey facts and figures about the Healthy Communitiesprogram This gives employees especially seniorleaders at-a-glance information on the programallowing them to act as ambassadors for Pfizerrsquoscommunity investment work
Senior leaders at Pfizer Sandwich are keenadvocates of the program and having a clearbrand helps them communicate its benefits andraise awareness both internally and externally
Next stepsDespite its award-winning status there are plansto take Healthy Communities even further Theseinclude further research into employee feedbackand closer links to personal development plans InPfizer at Sandwichrsquos Global Operations functionvolunteering forms part of personal objectives ndashthis is an aspiration for the rest of the business
Pfizer also wants to improve team volunteeringand a toolkit is being prepared for team leaderswho wish to get involved in volunteering
Finally in order to share knowledge and bestpractice around community investment with otherlocal businesses Pfizer is hosting a Kentmembership network in conjunction with KentCounty Council This will help Pfizer work closelywith the local authority and bring local businessestogether to share ideas and collaborate toimprove their impact on the community scm
1 httpwwwbitcorguk
CONTACT DETAILS
Pam BakerPfizerpambakerpfizercom
Christine JenkinsCC Workschristinejenkinsccworkscouk
28 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Editorrsquos noteSucceeding in internal communication probablyisnrsquot all that different to succeeding in anyprofession understand whatrsquos expected of you dothe job well and deliver results But when youspeak to practitioners about how they personallyturned the corner in their careers and started tomake an impact it soon becomes clear that thereare many dos and donrsquots that can help or hinderprogress This article provides a handy checklistfor those with ambitious development plans
John G ClemonsVice President CommunicationsRaytheon Technical Services Co Llc
Take the initiativeThere have been a few career-defining momentsfor me Among them was the time when I realizedthat I was moving from a manager level to the
decision-making role of a director I worked for a senior executive who hired me
from a rival telecommunications company Uponjoining the company I developed strategiccommunication plans to address various businesschallenges During the development process Iperiodically checked in with my supervisor to gethis input and approval ndash probably more thannecessary ndash before moving to the next steps in planning
One day he called me into his office and saidthat while he liked the work I was doing for himhis expectation when he hired me as a directorwas that I would take the initiative in the job relyless on his frequent input and move forward with implementation and measurement Hewanted results
His counsel was along the lines of ldquoI hired youto do a directorrsquos job so do the job of a directorYou donrsquot have to get permission to make adifferencerdquo
Meet commitments and think strategicallyHis direction motivated me to take moreresponsibility at this new job level This alsomeant that I had to not just manage but leadmeet commitments and think more strategicallyto continue to earn not only his confidence butthe support of the entire leadership team
Irsquove found that being a communicationprofessional who is also a leader that can betrusted can get things done and truly support thegoals and objectives of an organization will notonly impress others but help build your credibilityand lead to success
How to get ahead ininternal communication
The path that leads internal communicators to thetop of their profession isnrsquot always an obvious oneWhich is why we asked a range of senior practitioners
to share their thoughts and experiences on gaining therespect of those who matter Whether its senior leadersfellow employees or your own team yoursquore looking toimpress these responses provide useful insight into howto make sure you and your work gets noticed
Senior practitioners share their views on how togain influence and credibility
COMPILED BY MANDY THATCHER
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
29scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Mark DarbyHead of Internal CommunicationsVisaUK
Be smart sharp and stubbornThe biggest lesson Irsquove learned and keep havingto remind myself is that I need to be smart sharpand stubborn to get ahead This is what thosewords mean to me in a work context
Smart I need to understand what Visa is doingand what people think about the business Thismeans constantly spending time in differentdepartments and learning from them I know whoour customers are what our challenges are andwhat our current financial performance is I havecontacts in most departments who have a fingeron the pulse which means I can have a relevantconversation with a senior person from any department
Sharp Internal communication is rarely near thetop of the agenda for senior people and my timewith them is usually short I always try to talkabout the impact on business performance assoon as possible If I circulate a document it willbe summarized to a single page at most and Idonrsquot use PowerPoint I ask a lot of ldquoonerdquo questionssuch as ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing you want employeesto do differentlyrdquo or ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing youwant me to change over the next six monthsrdquo
Stubborn I know what I want internal communica-tion to achieve at Visa and it has the support ofthe senior team Irsquove built up knowledge frombooks and articles I use my education from theBlack Belt training course1 and I speak to formercolleagues With this knowledge Irsquove becomestubborn and good at saying no because I have theinformation to back up my arguments Irsquove stoppedmy team from picking up extra projects that wonrsquotdeliver much value We focus only on projects thatadd the most value to the business and we deliveron these really well Successful delivery is thebiggest influence on any senior person
Monika StaffordHead of Internal CommunicationLloyds TSBUK
Be creative and focus on a killer issueUsing creative solutions to bring to life importantndash but often dull ndash programs can create a shinethat stretches beyond project boundaries For
example I worked on the implementation of SAPndash a business-critical systems program ndash requiringbehavior change from swathes of key yetuninterested people Successful implementationwas a big risk to get right but it was as dull asdishwater to communicate
Luckily there was a ldquoEurekardquo moment Byaligning the SAP story with the metaphor ofFormula-1 racing we could tell the tale of how itwould fulfill our need to create winningperformances for both the individual driver aswell as the back-up team in order to perform wellon the road ahead This storyline was a perfectmatch for the programrsquos objectives
Launch speakers from Formula 1 great designwork not to mention fantastic collateral allresulted in a no-hitch implementation that reallyresonated with people The global companypicked it up as the approach for worldwide rollout So faced with tedium it can actually pay tostare out of the window for creative inspiration
My other piece of advice is Focus on a killerissue If you really want to get ahead (and do besure you really do as being at the center ofchange is often akin to being in the eye of ahurricane ndash itrsquos no place for the feint-hearted)learn what keeps your business leaders up atnight Use your stakeholder-management skills toget to the people you need to help you deliversolutions then execute execute execute
Focus on value-adding work only because ifyou end up working on your companyrsquos cul-de-sacprojects yoursquoll never shine brightly enough forthe leaders in your company to notice you 3
COMPETENCY
Planning internal communication 76
Linking corporate messages to corporate vision 73
CEO communication 63
Change communication 60
Communicating to diverse audiences 60
Using the intranet as a communication tool 54
Defending your department in internal political battles 43
Line manager communication 42
Professional development of internal communication staff 33
Helping employees cope with information overload 32
Securing the appropriate level of budget for internal communication 30
Measuring the effectiveness of internal communication 28
Figure One Table from The Pulse report showing the percentage of communicators who ratethemselves as effective or very effective at listed competencies
30 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
WHATrsquoS CHANGED IN THE LAST 25 YEARS
David MoorcroftSenior Vice PresidentCorporate CommunicationsRBC Financial Group Canada
Irsquom constantly amazed at the changes that have taken place in our professionover the last 25 years and the degree of talent and knowledge required bycommunicators today to do their jobs well
Back in 1979 when I started in corporate PR the major skill sets werewriting editing and great media contacts Today good editorial skills are justtable stakes and the ability to understand business adapt technology thinkstrategically plan consummately and influence stakeholders are what landsenior communicators a seat at the management table
This change has been driven by the globalization of business the advent ofnew 247 media including the Internet the growing sophistication ofcustomers and employees increased demands for corporate transparency andmore rigorous requirements for high standards of public disclosure andfinancial reporting
MORE SKILLS THAN EVER BEFOREAs a result todayrsquos business communicator has to be more capable andknowledgeable and have more skills than ever before They must befinancially literate and technologically savvy They must understand the impactof evolving accounting and disclosure rules They must deal with legal HRpolitical and business issues And they must be prepared to deal with amultitude of potential crises that can arise at any moment in any language inany part of the world
Perhaps most challenging senior management today expects clear bottom-line returns for their investments in communication Itrsquos no longer enough toinform audiences and measure communication outputs CEOs expectcommunication to engage audiences and produce outcomes ndash something thatrequires strategic thinking planning and foresight
A friend of mine who left a senior corporate PR job to become COO of amajor public utility recently summed up the role of todayrsquos communicator thisway ldquoItrsquos one of the most important and critical roles in organizations todayand yet itrsquos often one of the least recognized and appreciatedrdquo
That sentiment may be a reality in some organizations today but with moreand more CEOs beginning to realize the bottom-line value of communication itwonrsquot be 25 years from now
Christina FeeSenior Vice President InternalCommunicationsDeutsche Post AGGermany
Seek out the important projectsI canrsquot pretend to have employed a specificapproach to my ldquopersonal PRrdquo at all But in theorganizations Irsquove worked for Irsquove had theopportunity to work on a number of excitinghigh-profile projects that have connected me withsenior stakeholders and influential people atdifferent levels
7
Irsquove learned a great deal from the project teamsIrsquove worked with and also due to the significanceand scope of the projects been able todemonstrate my worth approach and skills Irsquovehad to be passionate stand up for what I believein and think outside the box constantly
My roles within DHLDeutsche Post haveallowed me the freedom and flexibility to developand deliver new ideas but Irsquove also had to practiceand embody excellent internal communicationskills myself Having developed credibility and trustwith those that matter based on my track record Iwas allowed to go ahead with other projects
I donrsquot actively pursue the ldquoright relationshipsrdquobut rather let my work and my interactions withpeople speak for themselves This has helped medevelop mentors and supporters naturally Mylearning and development has also been expandedby the opportunity to work abroad and learn moreabout intercultural communication and interaction
Marc SilversideHead of Internal CommunicationsMacmillan Cancer SupportUK
Understand whatrsquos expected of youA newly established role heightens the need formaking a good impression so that people trustyou and feel they can come to you for advice
When I joined Macmillan I very nearly got thiswrong Perhaps this is an example that otherrsquos canlearn from
When my new CEO at Macmillan CancerSupport asked for a meeting ldquoafter a few weeks tosettle inrdquo I was confident that my wide-ranginginduction would help me understand the businessand provide the basis for what Irsquod present tosenior management
Forty structured face-to-face managerinterviews allowed me to understand needs andkey issues and I started to build personal rapportMy profile was raised and at the same timeinternal communication gained good visibility
Externally I networked with contacts in similarroles in other charities and soon found thebeginnings of a voluntary-sector network This hassince grown to over 25 members
By the time my CEO slot arrived I was armedwith input from across the charity and the resultsof an audit I felt well prepared to present myvision and solutions So I was surprised to be metwith significant resistance
I later discovered that my CEO intelligence wasincorrect What he wanted was to be askedspecifically about his own views on what internalcommunication should do and what I could do for
How to get ahead in internal communication
31scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
HOW DO YOUR SKILLS MEASURE UPFor Melcrumrsquos study into budgets salaries and trends in internalcommunication in 200607 we asked survey respondents to rate their owneffectiveness at a range of key communication competencies from planning tomeasurement The results may surprise you
For example 76 percent of respondents rate themselves as effective or veryeffective at planning internal communication but only 28 percent ratethemselves as equally effective at measuring its effectiveness (see Figure Onepage 29)
In her commentary on the results development expert Sue Dewhurst hadthe following to say
OUR STRENGTHSIt seems where we see our strengths as internal communicators is towards theldquofront endrdquo of the communication planning process For example being able tolink a plan to the business strategy knowing our audiences and being able tojoin up the dots and show people how messages link to the business vision
These are powerful strengths We are one of the few functions that tends tohave an overarching view of our entire company and is able to view thecompany and its strategy from a number of different perspectives Being ableto understand the vision and strategy view it from an audience perspectiveand then create line of sight to show what those things mean in practicalterms for peoplersquos day-to-day roles is one of the ways that we help drivebusiness performance ndash by showing people what they need to do to take thestrategy forward
In turn by knowing and working with our audiences hopefully wersquore thenalso able to make sure their views and suggestions can help shape the strategyand how itrsquos put into practice
MEASURING EFFECTIVENESSWe see ourselves as less effective towards the back end of the planningprocess in measuring the effectiveness of internal communication which tiesin with the feeling from previous questions that in fact wersquore not doing muchmeasurement or demonstrating our return on investment
Research and measurement is an area where there is plenty of expertisearound to call on There are measurement conferences research reports andpublications to understand what other organizations are doing and practicaltraining that will give you the opportunity to work in a smaller group askquestions and practice techniques For help with specific techniques try yourinternal marketing team Marketers are generally great with data and well-versed in running focus groups and putting together surveys If you have anexternal provider to support your employee engagement research try them too
Source The Pulse Essential data on budgets salaries and trends 2006-07wwwmelcrumcom
him rather than how I could benefit the charity Ihad to change my approach fast
This could have cost me my best ambassadorfrom day one So my advice is make sure yoursquoreabsolutely clear about whatrsquos expected from you
Of course the insights I gained in my first fewmonths have been valuable and since then myresults have done the talking Fortunately theCEO soon became an internal communicationsconvert and advocate
Darren CrozierCommunications ManagerHBOS plcUK
Make things happenDelivery is key to career development ndash if you sayyoursquore going to do something make sure you doit Put in the effort get the results you want andbe known as someone who can make things happenIf yoursquore seen to ldquoget things donerdquo no matter howsmall the job is people are more likely to get youinvolved in activities and ask your opinion
Gaining credibility and respect from seniorcolleagues is important but everyone in yourorganization will form an opinion of you from thepeople in the canteen right through to the CEOSo try and make sure that their opinion of you is agood one
Itrsquos not just the people within your immediatesphere of influence who can have an impact onyour career so extend your network go oncourses and get involved in professionalorganizations Many of my close workingrelationships career opportunities and indeedpersonal friendships have come from meetingpeople at such events and taking the time to keepin touch You never know how things will develop
Itrsquos also vital to earn respect be trustworthy andhave good manners To recall what an ex-bossonce said ldquoBe careful how you treat people onthe way up as you never know when you maycome across them againrdquo
One of the biggest challenges Irsquove found inrecent times is recognizing my own success andselling myself Sometimes you need to take a stepback to realize just what yoursquove achieved Evenbetter keep a log or portfolio of your successesand donrsquot be shy to speak about them becauseothers wonrsquot be shy to speak about theirs
Finally try and have some fun along the wayWe all have to work for a living so learn to makethe most of it scm
1 For more about Melcrumrsquos Internal Communication Black Belttraining program go to wwwmelcrumcom
32 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pitney Bowes has followed an aggressive strategyof growth through acquisition completing 60+acquisitions since 2001 Expansion has broadenedits product mix to include an extensive range ofsolutions from office equipment to globalpositioning software
But the companyrsquos many different specialismsand huge outsourcing operations meant that themajority of its 34000 employees werenrsquot aware ofthe full range of its service offering and thepotential for different divisions to work together
As Rob Hallam vice president EmployeeCommunication explains there was a strongbusiness case for adopting a ldquoone companyrdquoapproach ldquoBecause the businesses tended to besomewhat siloed even senior managers werefocused on their divisions
ldquoAlso because we were acquiring companiesand evolving so rapidly managers werenrsquot awareof a lot of the businesses and how they all workedtogether in the mailstreamrdquo says Hallam ldquoWewere missing out on potential cross-sellingopportunitiesrdquo
Communicating a new visionFour years ago Pitney Bowes created a OneCompany Vision statement ldquoOur aim was toensure support and cooperation across thebusiness so we could provide a comprehensive setof customer solutions ndash not just a list of productsand services by business unitrdquo says Hallam Theinternal communication challenge was to drawtogether 34000 employees and build a unifiedcorporate culture The communication strategyfocused on three key elements
1 PeopleThis focused on involving the leadershipstrengthening a two-way dialogue betweenmanagement and employees communicating theculture through leadership messaging enterprise-wide events and roadshows and buildingengagement so that everyone was workingtogether towards a One Company approach
2 ProcessesThis meant integrating the One Companyapproach into the organizationrsquos operations andinfrastructure by shifting management roles andadjusting incentives and reward structuresthroughout the company
The first step was to consolidate the companyrsquosoperating activities by appointing Murray DMartin as president and chief operating officer inSeptember 2004 Martinrsquos mantra is ldquoThink AsOne Act as One Operate As One to deliverwhat no other company canrdquo
ldquoThe COO position had previously been heldby the chairman so elevating someone to that
Communicating a OneCompany culture atPitney Bowes
Following rapid growth in the form of more than 60acquisitions over six years silo-working haddeveloped at Pitney Bowes and leaders were failing
to take advantage of profitable cross-selling opportunitiesHere Rob Hallam describes the communication elementsof a ldquoOne Companyrdquo culture-change program which hasturned the situation around simultaneously improvingcustomer service and boosting profits
Persuading disparate businessunits to work together
AN INTERVIEW WITH ROB HALLAM
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Pitney Bowes is an 87-year-old company best known forthe manufacturing operationand oversight of postagemeters It has over two millioncustomers more than 3500active patents and annualrevenue of close to $6 billion
33scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
role was a big changerdquo explains Hallam ldquoAll thebusiness units now report to a single individual atoperating level It represented a huge positivemove to start the company operationalizing OneCompany behaviorrdquo
The internal communication function wasrestructured to ensure that consistent messagingreached the entire employee population Regularmeasurement was a key part of the changeinitiative This served to define the contributionof communicating a One Company approachwhere it was adding value to Pitney Bowes and itsclients and customers and where there was stillwork to do
3 TechnologyIt was important to find the best ways to cascademessages throughout the company and keeppeople informed about what was going onwithout bombarding them with irrelevantcommunication Hallam and his team deploy avariety of channels and media including internalprint and online publications voicemail and e-mail Pitney Bowes is also in the process ofintegrating its different voicemail systems and e-mail platforms into one global system
Involving senior leadership from the outsetThe One Company strategy was an overridingpolicy that started at the top of the organizationldquoThere was a big launch at the strategic leadersrsquomeeting which is held every Januaryrdquo saysHallam ldquoThe messaging was then driven throughthe organization via a companywide globalcommunication strategyrdquo
From the outset the policy was championed bythe CEO Michael Critelli who believes thatculture is central to the Pitney Bowes brand andsaid recently ldquoMy first measure of success iswhether we are behaving as one companyrdquo Thiscommitment helped to ensure that the culturalchange was reinforced by parallel changes to thecorporate infrastructure
Building a two-way dialogueThe next step was to get the employee populationinvolved and build enterprisewide enthusiasm forthe culture change Pitney Bowes has alwaysrecognized the value of a two-way dialoguebetween management and employees and hasheld annual jobholders meetings which aresimilar to shareholdersrsquo meetings for 61 years In2005 Hallam reinvented it as an initiative calledOne Forum ndash a series of roadshows focusing oncommunicating the One Company culturethroughout the organization
Launching the One ForumIn 2005 Hallam and his team created an original
and memorable One Forum launch for the 90percent of Pitney Bowes employees based in theUS Around a quarter of US employees saw thisin person the others received a link to a websitewith streaming highlights
ldquoWe put together a two-hour roadshow eventwhich helped people to understand our OneCompany approach and made them aware of allthe businesses we were inrdquo says Hallam ldquoThethinking was that high change requires high touchFace-to-face can have far greater impact on theindividuals touched From there itrsquos a matter ofripple effect such as seeing improved One Forumbrand awareness among employees who didnrsquotactually attend one of the eventsrdquo
ldquoWe wanted the roadshow to be entertainingand energizing so we used gameshow techniquescustom-written songs and comedy specificallytailored to Pitney Bowes employees It was a funevent but it also included a keynote speech fromthe CEO and a lot of question-and-answersessions with employees It was entertainmentwith a purpose and it was a great success with employeesrdquo
The post-event employee evaluations provedthe success of this approach ldquoIn some cities anincredible 90 percent of employees gave the eventa top-box rating This shows that there was ahunger for both the knowledge and theapproachrdquo adds Hallam
Taking the show on the roadThe One Forum roadshow has become an annualevent ldquoIn a five-month period during 2005 therewere 17 One Forum events in 12 US citiesreaching about 6000 peoplerdquo says Hallam ldquoAftersome testing in March and April the first bigroadshows started in early May and continued forsix months with the final one in early Decemberin Seattle 3
Rob Hallam is vice presidentEmployee Communication atPitney Bowes (PB) in StamfordConnecticut where hersquos beenresponsible for internalcommunication strategy andimplementation since 2004Hallam has led a team ofprofessionals in reshapingcommunication at PB resultedin the communication teamearning the top ranking in HRdepartment satisfaction fromall PBrsquos US managers in 2005and 2006
KEY POINTSbull Internal communication has played an important role in embedding a
One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
bull The communication strategy focused on three key elements peopleprocess and technology
bull The campaign has been championed by the CEO from the outset andhas won senior leadership support over time
bull An entertaining roadshow helped win employee commitment
bull Cross-selling ratios have jumped substantially since the culture-changeeffort began
34 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ldquoIn 2006 we compressed the programsubstantially and drove down costs while stilltouching 6000 employees Together with ourcorporate marketing group we also introduced anextremely successful lsquoelevator speechrsquo that helpsemployees answer the much-feared questionlsquoWhat does Pitney Bowes dorsquordquo
Local variationsAlthough the entertainment component in theroadshows contributed to their success it wasspecific to the US so Hallam gave business unitsand internal communicators in other regions theresponsibility for communicating the OneCompany approach to local employees ldquoInCanada and the UK they conducted town-hallmeetings and in Latin America and other parts ofthe world they produced their own variations onthe One Forum theme We made sure that theyhad the information they needed but we limitedthe entertainment to English-speaking regionsrdquo
A commitment to employee engagementThe appointment of the new COO and the launchof the One Forum roadshows coincided with thefirst employee engagement survey in late 2004ldquoWe see engagement as very much tied to ourability to execute a One Company strategy andchange our culturerdquo says Hallam He sets outfour ways in which employee engagement isinstilled at all levels in the organization
1 Visible leadership commitment to engagementThe CEO underlines his commitment by sendingregular messages to employees via a variety ofmedia including voicemail and print and onlinepublications He also uses engagement scores todetermine a unitrsquos overall performance rating andbonus pool ldquoWhen one senior execrsquos bonus poolwas reduced due to poor engagement scores that
was a message requiring no communication planrdquosays Hallam ldquoWord spread quicklyrdquo
2 Celebrating top performers Pitney Bowes celebrates its top engagementperformers by running cover stories in its globalprint and online publication PB Today ldquoThisprogram was called lsquoThe Faces of Pitney Bowesrsquordquosays Hallam ldquoWe did 10 of these last year so theyran twice in five editions Wersquove also producedlarge mural-sized photos of those managers andtheir teamsrdquo he says ldquoWe celebrate success andpublish it everywhere Our CEO loves it and wersquoreactually selling part of our contemporary artcollection which decorates the building to makeroom for an expansion of additional OneCompany and Engagement photography all ofwhich will focus on our employeesrdquo
3 Incentivizing managers via the reward systemEmployee engagement is recognized andreinforced in the companyrsquos formal processesincluding its reward system ldquoWe use a tool calledthe Strategic Architecture which is our balancedscorecardrdquo explains Hallam ldquoItrsquos a Six-Sigma toolwhich measures employee shareholder andcustomer value Managersrsquo engagement scoresalso factor into their annual reviews soengagement has a direct impact on remunerationrdquo
4 Rewarding engagementA further program called Rapid Rewards awardscash bonuses to managers and employees foroutstanding behavior including that related toemployee engagement
Aligning the communication strategyHallam and his team are responsible fordelivering the overall employee communicationstrategy ldquoWe had to dramatically improve ourstrategic approach in order to make OneCompany a realityrdquo he says
In addition to organizing campaigns such as theOne Forum roadshows to publicize the culturechange across the enterprise Hallam hasintroduced initiatives aimed at improving thereach and delivery of internal communication andmaking sure messages get to their intendedaudiences He has also aligned the structure ofthe internal communication function with thecompanyrsquos unified culture
ldquoThere were a lot of different communicationgroups so we brought together all thecommunication leaders and formed a singleInternal Communications Councilrdquo explainsHallam ldquoThis means that the communicationfunctions in the different business units areworking together to help drive change andimprove coordinationrdquo
Communicating a One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
ldquoWHEN A SENIOR EXECrsquoS BONUS WAS REDUCEDDUE TO POOR ENGAGEMENT SCORES THAT WASA MESSAGE REQUIRING NO COMMUNICATIONPLAN WORD SPREAD QUICKLYrdquo
7
FURTHER RESOURCES3 THE IMPACT OF CULTURE AND CLIMATE ON CHANGE PROGRAMS
An article published in SCM Volume 10 Issue 6 OctoberNovember 2006
3 DRIVING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE CORPORATE CULTUREMelcrumrsquos report on communication tools techniques and best practicefrom leading organizationswwwmelcrumcom
35scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Developing a global approachHallam is also responsible for a globalcommunication project called Universal Reachwhich is sponsored by the chairman and designedto support and maintain a unified corporateculture ldquoOur goal is to provide 90 percentmessage accessibility within our key customer-facing audiencesrdquo he explains ldquoThe biggestchallenge is integrating our online communicationinfrastructure which has nine different voicemailsystems operating across the world and multiplee-mail and web platforms Wersquore pulling all thattogether to provide better reachrdquo
Since 911 the CEO and other top executiveshave broadcast weekly audio messages calledPower Talks Hallamrsquos team has worked with theleadership to ensure that they incorporate OneCompany messages and as he explains they reachmost of the employee population ldquoAbout 20000of our employees have voicemail Those whodonrsquot receive the Power Talk message either inprint or online In some divisions managers playthe Power Talk messages in staff meetingsrdquo
Engaging leadership reinforces the cultureBuilding on the CEOrsquos commitment to a OneCompany approach Hallam and his team haveorganized leadership events ndash most recently at thestrategic leadersrsquo meeting in December 2006 ndashshowing Pitney Bowes as one company in actionThis campaign has helped to engage the top 150managers in the culture change
ldquoOur post-event evaluations show a strongmove numerically in senior leadershiprsquos belief thatwersquore operating as one companyrdquo says Hallam(see Figure One above) ldquoAs theyrsquore our toughestjudges wersquore pleased by the significant differencein pre- and post-event measurementrdquo There wasalso an improvement in leadersrsquo understanding ofthe companyrsquos new mailstream category
Sustaining the new cultureAccording to Hallam rippling out the OneCompany messaging requires a consistent andcoordinated approach Communication leaders inthe various divisions are now working to weaveOne Company messages into the business-unitmeetings ldquoA lot of the messaging that welaunched at the strategic leadersrsquo meeting arebeing reiterated at the business unit level Thatrsquosbeen facilitated through the InternalCommunications Councilrdquo he says
ldquoKey metrics for the culture change programfocus on cross-selling ratios which have jumpedsubstantially since the culture change effortbeganrdquo says Hallam ldquoIn 2002 we also institutedthe ldquoPB1 Awardsrdquo which is a chairmanrecognition award that goes to teams who bestembody cross-functional behavior in working on
projects which improve our clientsrsquo profitabilityour profitability or bothrdquo
ldquoHowever wersquore only really a year into thisMuch of the evidence is anecdotal but what haschanged is that our managers have broadenedtheir vision and are thinking as solutions-providers rather than product-sellers As suchtheyrsquore involving other business units out of theirdesire to eliminate customer pain points ndashregardless of which part of Pitney Bowes gets the salerdquo
Adding value to customersUltimately managers and employees who arewell-informed about the companyrsquos products andservices are in a good position to take advantageof cross-selling opportunities Realizing thispotential enables Pitney Bowes to make extrasales to existing customers thereby increasing itsprofit margins and allowing customers to benefitfrom a mix of products and services
Shifting to a unified culture directly benefitsboth Pitney Bowes and its customers ldquoByfocusing on the whole cadre of products andservices we can help our customers improve theirbusinessesrdquo says Hallam ldquoThatrsquos where OneCompany is critical It enables our clients tobenefit from all our servicesrdquo scm
Figure One Measuring the impact of the strategic leadersrsquo meeting
CONTACT DETAILS
Rob HallamPitney Bowesrobhallampbcom
I BELIEVE THAT OUR SENIOR LEADERS (MEANING THE TOP 15 EXECS) AREWORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO DELIVER INTEGRATED HIGH-VALUESOLUTIONS TO OUR CUSTOMERS
Pre SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 73
Post SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 92
Gain in two months time 19
ldquoMANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WELL-INFORMED ABOUT THE COMPANYrsquoS PRODUCTSAND SERVICES ARE IN A GOOD POSITION TOTAKE ADVANTAGE OF CROSS-SELLINGrdquo
2007
36 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
MELCRUM TRAINING amp EVENTS
CALENDAR 2007UKEUROPESOCIAL MEDIA FORUM FORINTERNAL COMMUNICATORS UK
3 21-22 March 2007 Hilton Canary WharfLondon UKThis forum is designed for practitioners who wantto make social media part of their internalcommunication strategy Over two dayscompanies such as IBM Microsoft and BT willshare case studies demonstrating their use ofsocial-media tools Technology experts will also beon hand to provide training and show you how touse these tools
THE 3RD ANNUAL EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT CONFERENCE UK
3 22-24 May 2007 Millennium GloucesterLondon UK22 May ndash Practical workshops23-24 May ndash Two-day conferenceThis event will focus on transforming yourstrategies into action Listen to case studies fromcompanies that have achieved real andmeasurable results from their engagement effortsLearn how they did it what they achieved and howthe results were measured
THE 6TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT UK
3 16-18 October 2007 London UK After the huge success of the 2006 UK StrategicCommunication Management Summit next yearrsquosevent will once again provide you withpresentations from key figures in the industry anda chance to network with your peers Mark yourdiaries now ndash more details to follow
THE 3RD ANNUAL INTERNALCOMMUNICATION MEASUREMENTCONFERENCE UK
3 27-29 November 2007 London UKDetails available soon ndash mark your diary now
NORTH AMERICATHE 3RD ANNUAL CONFERENCEON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENTBUILDING AND SUSTAINING ACULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT
3 28 February ndash 1 March 2007 Crowne PlazaAtlanta-Buckhead Atlanta USLearn how to foster an environment whereemployees feel valued and respected Hear fromcompanies including Dow Corning CorporationAmerican Express Delta Hotels and Merck
THE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT US
3 26-28 March 2007 Crowne Plaza UnionSquare San Francisco26 March ndash Pre-conference workshops27-28 March ndash Two-day summitAttend this conference and discover how toimprove employee alignment with all segments ofyour internal audience ndash from your front-lineemployees to your executive officers bothnationally and worldwide
AUSTRALIATHE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION ENGAGEMENTSUMMIT SYDNEY
3 31 July ndash 2 August 2007 Sydney Australia Details available soon ndash mark your diary now
WEBINARSDEVELOPING PROFESSIONALCOMPETENCE
3 Thursday 22 February 2007 with LiamFitzPatrick and Sue Dewhurst
HELPING YOUR ORGANIZATIONTHRIVE DURING TURBULENTTIMES
3 Thursday 29 March 2007 with Carol KinseyGoman
TRAININGTHE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT PROGRAM
3 24-25 April and 1-2 May 2007 HenleyManagement College UK3 11-12 and 27-28 September 2007 Cranfield
School of Management UK
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT MASTERCLASSEFFECTIVE MEASUREMENT
3 14-15 March 2007 Hendon Hall Hendon UKAn essential two-day intensive training courses forinternal communicators on effective measurementRegister early as places are strictly limited to 20people per Masterclass
CSR DELIVERY ENGAGEMENT amp LEADERSHIP
3 19-20 April 2007 Central LondonOsney MediaWith an excellent speaker line-up from high-profile companies including Procter amp Gamble The BodyShop ExxonMobil Microsoft Belgium Vodafone UK Dell Ericsson and Alliance Boots this case studybased event will answer questions including how do Ibull Build a CSR-oriented leadershipbull Get people on boardbull Integrate CSR with the global strategy of the companybull Deliver CSR throughout the company to make it really happen
For more information visit wwwcsrleadershipcom or e-mail mariame_lindellosneymediacouk (Reference code 910MLC3)
38 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
DESIGN
YELLOW
The future success of all organisations will be builton trust understanding passion empowermentintegrity and relationships
The future is cool exciting sparkling organisationsbursting with energy life and action
The future of brand is the internal brand first andforemost
The future is colleague as customer
Turning communications upside down
No just inside-out
Be part of the future say hello to Yellow
We help large organisations bring their communicationsstrategies to life through the imaginative use of liveevents multimedia web and design ndash distributed acrossall media platforms including DVD TV mobile devicesintranet and extranet
Ultimately developing internal brands and ongoingcommunications that have a measurable impact onpeople-performance advocacy and the bottom line
Contact Paul MiddletonTel +44 (0)161 228 6700E-mail paulmiddletonyellowcomcomWebsite wwwyellowcomcom
NEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
DESIGN
BLUE GOOSE
blue goose specialize in visual communications We make communications work faster and better We will link what wedo back to your objectives but we donrsquot talk (or charge for) ldquostrategyrdquo when you simply want tactical implementation Weuse design and creativity tobull differentiate products and services bull develop and manage corporate and brand identity bull align external communications with agreed values bull internalize corporate and brand identitybull align internal communications with agreed values bull support organizational change and bull help organizations better understand and define who they are
We work for clients as diverse as PricewaterhouseCoopers Ford Europe Centrica plc Greene King City of London Policeand Le Meacuteridien
blue goose is for any organization more interested in designing their future than watching it happen
Contact Chris BarringtonE-mail thinkingbluegoosecoukTel +44 (0)20 8869 8500Web site wwwbluegoosecouk
CONSULTANCY
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION ampSURVEYS PTY LTD
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd is aboutique consultancy based in Sydney Australia Itspecializes in employee communication strategiessystems research and employee surveys of all kindsPrincipal Rodney Gray has been involved inorganizational consulting for over 20 years following a15-year career as a corporate human resourcesexecutive Services includebull Employee communication audits and surveys by
questionnaires focus groups and interviewsbull Employee communication systems strategies and
processesbull Employee communication training workshops and
talksbull Employee culture climate and opinion surveysbull Qualitative organizational diagnosis (focus groups
and interviews)bull Internal service quality research (qualitative and
quantitative)
Contact Rodney GrayTel +61 (0)2 9909 2900 Fax +61 (0)2 9909 2911E-mail rodneyrodneygraycomauWeb site wwwemployee-communicationcomau
CONSULTANCY
HEDRON
Internal and change communication that helps teamsand individuals to develop strategies relationshipsprocesses and skills to engage stakeholders supporthigh performance and deliver change
ldquoSharp strategic thinking quality execution effectiveinterpersonallyhelliprdquo ldquoCreativity drive resourcefulnessresults great funhelliprdquo say clients
All sectors ndash ABN AMRO AXA BT Cadbury SchweppesDepartment for Constitutional Affairs HealthcareCommission Group 4 Securicor SABMiller SiemensSouthern Rail Unilever Wincanton
Our clients are happy to tell you what itrsquos like workingwith us
Contact Helena MemoryTel + 44 (0) 20 7493 0735Fax + 44 (0) 20 7493 0743E-mail helena-mhedroncomWeb site wwwhedroncom
CONSULTANCY
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
39scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
CONSULTANCY
SYNOPSIS
Founded by change and communication authority Bill Quirke in 1992 Synopsis is one of Europersquos leading internalcommunication consultancies Our clients include such companies as ABN Amro BBC BP British Airways DiageoEricsson HP Lloyds TSB Roche Shell and Vodafone
We help clients use internal communication to engage their employees in delivering business strategy and get most valuefrom their internal communication
We can help youbull Develop communication strategies that support your business strategybull Coach leadersbull Develop line managersrsquo communication skillsbull Plan and coordinate your communication with colleagues onlinebull Check the health of your communication channels and improve return on investmentbull Build and develop the communication functionbull Measure and track employee engagement attitudes and opinions
To take a tour of our online planning tool go to wwwsynopsisonlinecomproductplanningtoolasp
Contact Jane LebeauE-mail janelebeausynopsisonlinecomTel +44 (0) 20 7490 2900Web site wwwsynopsisonlinecom
CONSULTANCY
HARKNESS KENNETT
We specialize in internal communication To us thatmeansbull motivating people through inspiring leadershipbull guiding people through organizational changebull engaging people in delivering the brand
Working in partnership with our clients is central to ourethos enabling us to help deliver practical solutionssupported by solid strategic thinking All of ourconsultants have held senior positions ldquoclient siderdquo sowe know what itrsquos like to be in your shoes The vastmajority of our work comes from recommendations fromexisting clients ndash 82 percent of our clients haverequested repeat work in the last two years
Our clients include Abbey Atkins BDO Stoy HaywardThe Environment Agency Marks amp Spencer NHS Blood ampTransplant Morgan Stanley Europe Nestleacute PoliceInformation Technology Organisation Royal ampSunAlliance South West Trains and Vodafone
Our vision is simple ndash we want to be the first callyou make
Contact James HarknessTel +44 (0)1483 222730E-mail jamesharknessharknesskennettcomWeb site wwwharknesskennettcom
CONSULTANCY
TRIDENT COMMUNICATIONS
Trident Communications is uniquely positioned to definedevelop and deliver award-winning solutions that aligncommunication with business goals
We advise and partner with organizations of all sizes tocreate high-value practical applications Our talentedproject teams provide innovative research designeditorial and imagery for print and online
We connect ideas and deliver results
Contact Peter Agertoft Tel +44 (0)207 536 8900E-mail peteragertoft
tridentcommunicationsnetWeb site wwwtridentcommunicationsnet
CONSULTANCY
FLEISHMAN-HILLARD
Fleishman-Hillardrsquos dedicated internal and changecommunication practice helps businesses focus onperforming ndash not just informing
We help organisations plan and implement programmeswith the right mix of information dialogue and trainingso that employees are engaged aligned and motivatedto achieve business objectives
Because effective internal communication is vital tobottom-line performance we partner with our clients tocreate a daily dialogue ndash not a monologue ndash withemployees
Contact Nick AndrewsTel +32 (0)2 230 05 45 E-mail nickandrewsfleishmancomWeb site wwwfleishmaneuropecom
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE A listing in our Directory of Services will giveyou a chance to reach communicationprofessionals at some of the worldrsquos largestand most admired companies and to tap intodecision-making practitioners
ContactVincent SorelTel +44 (0)208 600 4670E-mail vincentsorelmelcrumcom
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
INCLUDE YOUR COMPANY BY CONTACTING US ON +44(0)20 8600 4670 OR AT INFOMELCRUMCOM
CONSULTANCY
HILL amp KNOWLTON
Better business results the bottom line
How do I manage more change Motivate managers Getthe right information to the right people Show the bestreturn on communication investment
Sound familiar Hill amp Knowltonrsquos change and internalcommunication consultants work with companies aroundthe world to find the right answers for their situation
We offer strategy insight and creativity drawing on ourconsultancy expertise and in-house experience Plus wedeliver practical hands-on help
We know that effective employee communication has adirect impact on the bottom line Working together wecan make it happen for you
Contact EMEA DavidFerrabeehillandknowltoncom
+44 (0) 7413 3176USA BarbaraEdlerhillandknowltoncom
+1 415 281-7160Canada KristaThompsonhillandknowltoncom
+1 613 786-9961
RECRUITMENT
VMA GROUP
VMA Group is one of the UKrsquos leading executive searchand selection consultancies specializing in internal andcorporate communication recruitment
For over 25 years VMA Group has provided the highestlevel of service to some of the most demanding globalorganizations developing a strong track record for thequality and professionalism of our search and selection work
We have in-depth specialist knowledge of the internalcommunication market and can provide high-qualitypermanent and interim candidates with expertise acrossinternal communication change management and widercorporate communication We understand the needs ofour clients intrinsically and strive to develop long-termrelationships with clients and candidates alike
Please call to discuss how we can help you find theideal candidate or if you wish to make a career move
Contact David BroomeTel +44 (0)20 7436 4243E-mail dbroomevmagroupcoukWeb site wwwvmagroupcouk
40 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONALCOMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS E-mail gaitensunityncsueduWeb site wwwconsultingsuccessorgTel 919 469 3895
CIB ndash BRITISH ASSOCIATION OFCOMMUNICATORS IN BUSINESSE-mail enquiriescibukcomWeb site wwwcibukcomTel +44 (0)870 121 7606
CCM ndash COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATIONMANAGEMENT E-mail membership
ccmconnectioncomWeb site wwwccmconnectioncomTel 866 463 4226
CPRS ndash THE CANADIAN PUBLICRELATIONS SOCIETYE-mail admincprscaWeb site wwwcprscaTel 416 239 7034
IABC ndash THE INTERNATIONALASSOCIATION OF BUSINESSCOMMUNICATORS E-mail service_centreiabccomWeb site wwwiabccomTel 415 544 4700
ICA ndash THE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONALLIANCE E-mail amandafoistericaukorgWeb site wwwiprorgukicaTel +44 (0)1628 642 044
CIPR ndash THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OFPUBLIC RELATIONS UKE-mail infoiprorgukWeb site wwwiprorgukTel +44 (0)20 7253 5151
IPRA ndash THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICRELATIONS ASSOCIATIONE-mail ipraseccompuservecomWeb site wwwipraorgTel +44 (0) 1372 461 188
PRSA ndash PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OFAMERICAE-mail resourcesprsaorgWeb site wwwprsaorgTel 212 460 1459
DIRECTORY OF SERVICESNEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
CONSULTANCY
19scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
some ineffective behaviors attached to theldquobusiness focusrdquo competency arebull Doesnrsquot make the link between
communication activity and the business ororganizational context
bull Delivers communication activity withoutconsidering whether it will serve any usefulpurpose
bull Lacks understanding of their business area
Building a framework for a specific role The next step in this project was to develop asimple table to map out the competencyframework for an individual role showingbull The competencies needed in this rolebull The level of competency needed in each casebull How much time we expect someone in this
role to spend on these types of behaviors
You can either build a competency frameworkfrom scratch or if you think the role fits one ofthe six types we identified from the survey use thecompetency framework for this type as a startingpoint (see the framework for a communicationleader Figure Three right)
In practice competency frameworks will varyaccording to the size of the organization thenumber of people in the internal-communicationteam the expectations of managers and thespecific requirements of each individual rolewhich is why wersquove built a flexible model
For example a communication leader in alarge multinational organization may spend muchof their time setting the vision and standardscoaching and consulting building relationshipsand developing other communicators and arelatively small amount of their time ldquomaking ithappenrdquo or on writing and design Howeversomeone in a stand-alone communication leaderrole in a much smaller organization wouldprobably have to be much more of a ldquoJack of alltradesrdquo dividing their time evenly between thedifferent competencies
Next stepsMore information about the 12 competencies andthe baseline competency maps for each of the sixrole types will be detailed in a forthcomingMelcrum report Ideas on how you use thesecompetencies to plan your development areavailable to download atwwwcompetentcommunicatorscom
We hope the framework will help bringstructure to the process of defining roles planningdevelopment and specifying recruitment andwould welcome your feedbackscm
1 The Inter-Comm skills matrix is described in an article in SCMFebruaryMarch 2005 (Volume 9 Issue 2) called Developingcore competencies for internal communicators
Figure Three Framework for a communication leader
COMPETENCY LEVEL TIME
Building effective relationships Advanced High
Business focus Advanced High
Consulting and coaching Advanced High
Cross-functional awareness Advanced Medium
Developing other communicators Advanced High
Innovation and creativity Advanced Medium
Listening Advanced Low
Making it happen Advanced Low
Planning Advanced Medium
Specialist NA NA
Vision and standards Advanced High
Craft (writing and design) Advanced Low
CONTACT DETAILS
Sue DewhurstCompetent Communicatorssuedewhurstcompetentcommunicatorscom
Liam FitzPatrickCompetent Communicatorsliamfitzpatrickcompetentcommunicatorscom
ldquoOUR RESEARCH FOUND A SMALL GROUP OFPEOPLE WORKING IN INTERNALCOMMUNICATION WHO SEE THEMSELVES ASSUBJECT-MATTER EXPERTSrdquo
20 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC President and CEO John Ryan joined theorganization in 1997 For the first few years hefocused on financial viability and positioning thecorporation for the future ndash articulating a newvision redefining strategic objectives expandingproduct and service offerings and identifyingpotential growth areas
The business results were outstanding double-digit growth increasing profits and great customerloyalty But something was missing
Like many successful organizations FCCoperated with a silo mentality Organizationalpolitics consumed energy that Ryan felt detractedfrom employee satisfaction and he worried aboutthe impact on the customer experience
He wanted his direct reports to work togetheras a real team ndash not to behave like individualleaders of functional areas Although the groupperformed well when there was a real challengeafter the challenge was gone so was the teamwork
This is not unusual for top executive groupsbut Ryan wasnrsquot willing to accept that fate ldquoTherehad to be a way to have a team-based
organization where leaders had the autonomythey needed to perform while actively collaboratingto achieve a new level of unprecedented resultsrdquohe said ldquoFCC had a very hierarchical culture withfirmly drawn divisional boundaries so I knew Ihad a challenge ahead of merdquo
Cultural transformation from the topIn 2002 John hired Malandro Communicationbased in Phoenix Arizona to guide FCCrsquos seniorleadership through a unique cultural transformationthat would lead to the creation of a high-performance team Leaders committed to being100-percent accountable for their impact onpeople and business results They let go of thetraditional 50-50 model ldquoIrsquoll do my part if you doyoursrdquo ndash a model that breeds a culture of blameconspiracies and distrust
In a series of formal training initiatives leaderswere taught to speak from the heart listen toother perspectives be open and responsive tofeedback and encourage personal andprofessional growth
Opportunity for internal communicationBy 2003 we were well on our way FCC producedremarkable business results with strong numbersright across the board The portfolio grew fromnearly CAN$9 billion to over CAN$10 billionThen two things happened that created anopportunity for internal communication tobecome a driver of business results 1 In 2003 we earned 50th place on Canadarsquos
ldquo50 Best Employersrdquo list and a respectableemployee engagement score of 69 percent
Defining the role ofstrategic comms atFarm Credit Canada
Farm Credit Canada (FCC) is in the fourth year of acultural-transformation program At the start of itsjourney clear expectations were set defining the role
to be played by internal communication In this summaryof the companyrsquos plans and achievements Kellie Garrettand Claire Watson describe the goals strategies andtactics employed by the internal communication teamand the impressive results achieved to date
Setting the stage for a cultural transformation
BY KELLIE GARRETT AND CLAIRE WATSON
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Farm Credit Canada isCanadarsquos largest provider offinancing to the agricultureindustry It serves 45000customers and has 1300employees working from 100rural offices across CanadaFCC is ranked eighth amongCanadarsquos 50 best employers
21scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC is a high performer in all otheroperational areas and employee engagementis a strong predictor of sustained corporateperformance But the survey showed therewas work to be done to align perceptionsbetween the senior leadership team andemployees Detailed results showed the gaps(see Figure One below)
2 Ryan became more determined to create ahigh-performance team that could deliver anextraordinary customer experience andsustainable business results
Establishing expected behaviorAs a first step towards creating a critical mass ofleaders who visibly demonstrate the behaviorsrequired to transform FCCrsquos culture middlemanagement and key cross-functional teams weretrained in responsible teamwork practices andcommunication skills
Ryan then created a set of 10 cultural practicesthat explicitly outlined how he expectedemployees at all levels to behave (see side barnext page) The foundation of these practices isthe belief that the drive for business results mustbe balanced by the attendant impact on people Inother words how the work was accomplished wasevery bit as important as what was accomplishedThe cultural practices were rolled out to allemployees in 2003
With the expected behavior from leaders andemployees clearly articulated it was time forinternal communication to find opportunities tosupport and promote these behaviors
Challenge 1 Creating a strategic frameworkOur first objective was to create a broaderstrategic framework for internal communicationA review of best-practice companies revealed thatformal media represents about 10 percent of allinternal communication channels with internalsystems accounting for another 10 percent Theremaining 80 percent is influenced by theorganizational culture
Our task was to put a formal strategy in placethat would strengthen the 10 percent ofcommunication we did have control over ndash theinternal communication channels
Within FCC the dominant employeecommunication channels were immediatemanagers e-mail and the intranet (Myinet)Front-line managers delivered corporate messagesdirectly to employees and their efforts weresupported by all-staff e-mails
There was nothing wrong with this approachbut it didnrsquot go far enough in the delivery of clearconsistent messages about strategic direction orcorporate priorities Nor did it create a line ofsight between individuals and business outcomes
For example a lack of central coordination wasresulting in unclear mixed messages thatconfused the internal audience A proliferation ofemployee surveys were independently conductedby various business units and the corporate e-mail system was choked with high volumecontributing to information overload
The intranetrsquos navigational structure and searchcapability needed major improvement datedinformation needed to be archived and majordocuments needed to be redeveloped in a web-friendly format
Defining our strategy and objectivesAware of these drawbacks we defined ourstrategy as To adopt a more integrated approachto internal communication and make sure allmessages focus employees on the businesspriorities Our strategies included the followingbull Segment the employee audience and define
communication needs based on demographicspsychographics and geographic location
bull Create a consistent voice across all groupsbull Ensure internal communication is mandatory
for all major corporate initiatives and isintegrated across channels and with othercommunication activities
bull Deliver targeted information through a varietyof channels and vehicles to reinforce messaginghelp with recall appeal to differentpreferences and create and sustain interest
bull Redevelop the intranet and position it as aninformation source for corporate businessemployee industry and technical information
bull Reduce the volume of corporate e-mailbull Implement a monthly employee survey to
replace the proliferation of one-off surveysindependently launched by business units
bull Create broad awareness and understanding ofkey corporate drivers such as business strategycorporate values and brand positioning 3
Kellie Garrett ABC MALeadership is senior VPStrategy Knowledge ampReputation at Farm CreditCanada and Chair of the IABCResearch Foundation Garrettis a frequent speaker onbusiness strategy leadershipand personal brand
Claire Watson ABC APR isthe master communicationstrategist for Farm CreditCanada Watson has won anumber of international andnational awards for her workis a published author and acertified change managementspecialist
MEASUREMENT EMPLOYEES SENIORMANAGERS
GAP
Senior management is open and honest incommunication
59 94 -35
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible
54 88 -34
Managers effectively support andimplement our people practices
48 81 -33
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 94 -23
Figure One Engagement survey results
22 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Defining the role of strategic comms at Farm Credit Canada
Successful tactics introducedSome of the tactics wersquove successfully introducedto bring this strategy to life include the following
1 Tracking key messagesWe created an employee key-message matrix thatis shared with leaders across the organization andhelps to ensure we deliver a consistent messageWe deliver the rewritten message through avariety of channels including e-mail letter featurearticle in the internal publication online throughour Monday Morning Update or directly to staffmeetings through managers and supervisors
2 Adopting a multi-channel approachWersquove expanded our channels beyond e-mail andthe intranet New channels now includebull AgriCulture ndash an employee print newsletter
published three times a year to communicatecorporate information and reinforce FCCrsquossocial and cultural fabric
bull An online feature called ldquoFrom the Desk ofthe CEOrdquo to keep employees in the loop
bull All staff e-mails from the CEO and VPsbull Discussion guides and QampAs for leadersbull Internal presentations and speeches delivered
by the senior leadership teambull Other printed material such as pocket cards
and brochures accompanied by a letter
3 Cutting down on information overloadSteps wersquove taken includebull Bundling all-staff messages into a Monday
Morning Update and bundling messages forcorporate headquarters staff into a CorporateOffice Update
bull Implementing a corporate e-mail policy withdefined subject-line conventions length andapproved topics
bull Restricting the use of all-staff e-mails to thesenior management team and certain keyindividuals
bull Improving the functionality of the intranetand redeveloping key business tools forefficient web use
bull Centralizing coordination of internal surveysbull Elevating the quality and clarity of internal
speeches and conferences to focus onstrategic business drivers
Challenge 2 Supporting leadershipThe results of our 2003 engagement survey alsorevealed an opportunity to increase trust betweenemployees and FCCrsquos senior management teamRyan and his VP responsible for communication(Kellie Garrett) believed that creating greatervisibility and better access to the senior managerswas vital to the establishment of a values-basedculture and a high-performance team
7
MEASUREMENT 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Senior management is open and honestin communication
59 73 81 83 91
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible to employees
54 71 82 83 81
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 81 87 87 85
I see strong evidence of effectiveleadership from the senior leadershipteam
69 83 87 88 93
I have a good understanding ofbusiness goals and objectives
76 77 81 81 88
Senior leadership has clearlycommunicated what we need to do tobe successful
NA NA 89 90 93
Figure Two Survey scores tracked from 2003-2007
FCCrsquoS 10 CULTURAL PRACTICESWe hold ourselves and each other accountable for
1 Our impact on business results and our impact on people
2 Delivering on commitments agreements and promises
3 Building and sustaining committed partnerships
4 Creating a safe environment where people can speak up without fear
5 We measure our success by how others perceive and respond to ourleadership not by our personal point of view
6 We talk straight in a responsible manner We are committed to the successof others ndash we do not engage in ldquoconspiracies againstrdquo people
7 We ldquolisten forrdquo contributions and commitment We do not listen againstpeople or ideas
8 We are highly coachable We actively seek and listen to coaching
9 We clean up and recover quickly
10 We acknowledge others often and celebrate both small and largesuccesses
ldquoLIKE DEVELOPING A COMPANYrsquoS IMAGE ORBRAND CULTURE CAN lsquoJUST HAPPENrsquo OR ITCAN BE DESIGNED STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONHAS PLAYED A CENTRAL ROLErdquo
23scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 FCC launched a culture-change program focused on
improving performance across the organization
bull Two key aims of the program are to encourage leaders and employeesto embody the values and improve staff engagement
bull Defining its strategy and goals at the outset internal communicationhas played a role in achieving these objectives
bull Results so far include less information overload a more accessibleleadership team and improved engagement scores
The challenge for internal communication wasto improve employeesrsquo perception of the visibilityaccessibility and trust for the senior managementteam Successful tactics introduced includebull A ldquoDine-Aroundrdquo program where three
senior leaders host a monthly lunch for ninepeople
bull An online forum called SMT Exchangewhere employees can anonymously askleaders tough questions and answers areposted for all to see
bull Senior leaders author more all-staff e-mailsare more visible and accessible at companyevents and deliver presentations that focus onconnecting employees to the business agenda
The goals we started with When we defined our internal communicationstrategy in 2003 we had some clear goals to worktowards These werebull To communicate relevant information in a
timely consistent and memorable waybull To reduce information overloadbull To influence an increase in the
communication-related elements of theengagement index
bull To contribute to an increase in employeeengagement from 69 to 74 percent
We also had specific year-one objectivesbull To increase understanding of business goals
and objectives beyond 78 percent bull To increase employee opinion about effective
senior leadership from 69 to 73 percentbull To improve employee opinions related to
senior management
Achievements and measurable resultsWith these goals guiding our efforts themeasurable results wersquove achieved so far includebull The bundling of all-staff e-mail has reduced
the volume by 88 percent ndash amounting toaround 350000 messages over one year
bull Over 450 employees have lunched with amember of the senior management team and170 QampAs have been posted on our seniormanagement online exchange
bull The survey scores relating to employeesrsquoperception of leadership and theirunderstanding of goals and objectives showsteady improvement since 2003 (see FigureTwo bottom left)
bull FCCrsquos engagement scores and subsequentranking among Canadarsquos 50 best employershas moved from 69 percent engagement and50th place in 2004 to 81 percent and 35thplace in 2005 84 percent and 12th place in2006 and 82 percent and 8th place in 2007
Cultural transformationThe internal communication strategy described inthis article has set the stage to communicatecultural transformation across the organization
Wersquore now in the fourth year of our culturaltransformation ndash creating an environment wherepeople are empowered feel safe and highperformance can flourish This involves aquantum shift in how employees behave andrelate to their co-workers and customers
Like developing a companyrsquos image or brandculture can ldquojust happenrdquo or it can be designedStrategic communication has played a central roleto create awareness understanding commitmentand motivate changes in behavior at every level ofthe organization
John Ryan has the final word ldquoOver the years Ihave learned that communication is at the heartof building a high-performance culture ndash a culturewhere people are fully engaged Communicationis vital Without it leaders cannot effect positivechange Our internal strategy recognizesemployees as a primary audience and a keyconduit to the customer the media stakeholdersand communities Our strategic approach tointernal communication significantly contributesto business resultsrdquo scm
CONTACT DETAILS
Kellie GarrettFarm Credit CanadaKellieGarrettfcc-facca
Claire WatsonFarm Credit CanadaClaireWatsonfcc-facca
24 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
In January 2004 Pfizer at Sandwich in Kent UKcommissioned a review of its existing charitablecontributions program which included matchedpayroll giving volunteering and grants for localcommunity charities and voluntary groups CCWorks the community investment consultancywas also approached to manage the day-to-dayadministration of grant applications from thecommunity
However it was decided that the administrationcould not be effectively managed until suitablecriteria were put in place for the grants programEssentially a company cannot outsourceresponsibility for its charitable donations unlesstherersquos a clear strategy in place for doing this
Although there were various policies in placefor the different elements of the existingcommunity investment program there was a lackof strategic direction to the program as a whole
Auditing the community grants programAs a first step CC Works examined the existinggrants program and also conducted external
benchmarking with voluntary organizations in thecommunity to gage perceptions of Pfizer
It emerged that many organizations werereceiving small grants ndash although some werenrsquotsure why ndash but only 16 percent of the currentspend was going on health-related causes ForPfizer a major global healthcare company thiswasnrsquot strategic It was clear that as a healthcarecompany Pfizer should be trying to improve thehealth of its local area by focusing on three coreareas health community and education
There was also a need for grants to be morelocally focused A significant amount of the spendwas going outside of the immediate East Kentarea CC Works recommended that to allow thecompany maximum freedom to operate in itscommunity it should focus grants on theimmediate community of East Kent which alsohappened to be a deprived area
Segmenting current grantsWorking in partnership with CC Works currentgrant allocation was examined by sector localarea and size of grant and in May 2004 two-yeartargets were set to increase the strategic impact ofcommunity grantsbull Increase grants allocated to health-related
projects to 50 percentbull Increase average grant from UKpound300 to
UKpound1000bull Increase East Kent allocation to 90 percent
This change was designed to be gradual so thatthe shift in allocation could be well managed
The new focus on the community mirrors
Engaging employees inPfizerrsquos communityinvestment program
In 2003 Pfizer at Sandwich UK was running manyelements of a community investment program butthere was little awareness among employees and no
real focus By July 2006 the program had beentransformed and now actively contributes to employeeand community relationships Here Pam Baker andChristine Jenkins describe the journey from disconnectedpolicies to award-winning program
Communicating an approach with clear links toemployees and the local community
BY PAM BAKER AND CHRISTINE JENKINS
scm FEATURES
Pfizerrsquos site at Sandwich inKent is the UK manufacturingheadquarters of Pfizer Incglobal pharmaceuticalcompany Its workforce of4000 makes it the largestprivate employer in East Kent
1 2 3 4 5
25scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pfizerrsquos global mission to be ldquothe most valuedcompany to patients customers colleaguesinvestors business partners and the communitieswhere we work and liverdquo For the communityinvestment program a measurable mission wascreated ldquoto improve the health indicators of thepeople of East Kentrdquo
Focus on colleague involvementThe next step in July 2004 was to conduct areview of the employee engagement elements ofcommunity investment to examine how thesecould be better integrated These elementsincluded payroll giving volunteering and staff-matched fundraising
For Pfizer at Sandwich the obvious first choicewas to look at volunteering Eighty-five percent ofPfizer employees are minimum graduate level ndashoffering much-needed skills to a deprived areaAll employees have five paid days a year they canuse for volunteering ndash this not only supports thecommunity it boosts employee engagement andcreates opportunities for employees to visiblyconnect with the community and vice versa
In October 2004 volunteering was identified asa key area for development but for employeevolunteering to be a success it had to beproactively marketed inside Pfizer and thereneeded to be adequate support andadministration behind the program
A database of volunteering opportunitiesIn conjunction with CC Works a searchable data-base of local volunteering opportunities was createdPfizer felt it was important to create a tailoreddatabase that would be furnished internally inorder to ensure a local bias and to maintain thequality of the information supplied to employees
In order to tie in with employeesrsquo personaldevelopment plans opportunities in the databasehad to meet at least two of Pfizerrsquos six keycompetencies 1 Team development2 Project management3 Coaching and development4 Decision making5 Effective partnership6 Working with change
To fill the database with relevant opportunities allorganizations that had contacted Pfizer for grantsor funding in the past three years were re-contacted and asked if they would also beinterested in volunteering
Over 70 percent responded positively and 300volunteering opportunities were sourced CCWorks helped the voluntary organizations puttogether opportunities that were most likely totake advantage of Pfizer employeesrsquo range of
specialist skillsThese opportunities were categorized on the
database according to skill geographic area andtype of charity allowing employees to search forsomething suitable for them Pfizer wasnrsquotprescriptive in its approach and allowed staff tovolunteer where the opportunity matched theirpersonal-development goals interests or wasgeographically convenient
Opportunities were wide-ranging from helpingin a charity shop to teaching in a schoolImportantly because database management isoutsourced to CC Works therersquos constantproactivitiy around seeking new opportunities andproviding administrative support that would havebeen difficult to maintain in-house
Launching the ldquoReaching Outrdquo programTo encourage involvement and awarenessemployees were asked to suggest a name for therevitalized volunteering program ldquoReaching Outrdquowas chosen and the new volunteering website waslaunched in May 2005 The site sits on PfizerSandwichrsquos intranet and any employee orcontractor can access it
A charity week was also held to help promotethe Reaching Out program Various charitiesvisited Pfizer during lunch breaks to explain whatthey do and the opportunities to work with themA soft incentive for staff to register on theReaching Out site was that Pfizer would donate20 rehydration sachets to Unicef (monetary valueof about pound2)
Reaching Out was also featured in a webcastfrom a senior leader that went to all employees(about 3000 staff plus contractors) at the start ofthe week and it was profiled in the weekly onlinemagazine Pipeline 3
Pam Baker is directorStrategic Operations andCommunity Affairs at Pfizer UK
Christine Jenkins is founderof CC Works a consultancyoffering communityinvestment advice andpractical solutions to thecorporate and voluntarysectors Previously she heldsenior manager roles in thevoluntary and private sectors
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 an audit of Pfizer at Sandwichrsquos community investment
program revealed a lack of strategic direction
bull In partnership with consultancy CC Works a decision was made tofocus the program on the local community
bull An effort to raise employee involvement through volunteering hasboosted the program and linked it to employee engagement
bull The ldquoReaching Outrdquo website gives employees the freedom to work withcharities of their choice
bull By July 2006 the ldquoHealthy Communitiesrdquo program had beentransformed and won a National Example of Excellence award fromBusiness in the Community
26 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TOP TIPS FOR COMMUNITY INVESTMENTbull Ask yourself why yoursquore undertaking this program and seek clarity around
your objectives
bull Focus on likely ldquowinsrdquondash ie areas with scope for improvement such asemployee engagement or external awareness
bull Tackle one area at a time in stages and aim for excellence in each arearather than trying to boil the ocean
bull Communication is key to success Create a distinct brand and identity forthe program to encourage awareness and involvement
bull Integrate different community programs ndash a holistic approach can maximizebenefits for the community staff engagement and corporate reputation
Over 450 employees registered to use thesite over the next two months with 230 employees(8 percent of staff) actively volunteering duringthe first year This beat a target to have 5 percentof employees volunteering 12 months after launchIn 2005 employees volunteered 4800 hours
Helping employees select the right optionEmployees can search the volunteering databaseby skill geographic area or type of charity and aregiven a range of choices Then the onus is on theemployee to speak to the charity and obtainfurther details on current opportunities inaddition to whatrsquos on the database The employeethen applies to his or her line manager Anintegrated work process enables staff to obtainapproval from their manager interact with thevoluntary organization and record their effortskeeping administration to a minimum
Managers at Pfizer Sandwich are keen foremployees to volunteer because theyrsquore aware ofthe potential benefits in terms of employeeengagement and skills development ndash a largenumber of managers are volunteers themselvesPfizer also held briefing sessions for managers toensure they were aware of the volunteeringprogram its benefits and how it works
7
Engaging employees in Pfizerrsquos community investment program
Incorporating employee feedbackThe database tracks employeesrsquo volunteeringefforts including how many hours theyrsquove doneand their feedback on the opportunitiesEmployee feedback can then be accessed by otherstaff looking for an opportunity The databasegives employees better insight into the availableopportunities and allows them to select somethingthat appeals to them so that both the employeeand the organization where they volunteer gets abetter ldquofitrdquo
The database also allows for better integrationof the whole program where volunteering canprovide an alternative or an addition to fundingFor example a well-known national charityapplied to Pfizer at Sandwich for some fundingaround a diversity initiative Pfizer suggested theirdiversity manager volunteer for them instead whohelped create the charityrsquos diversity program thatis now being launched nationally
Creating an integrated programIn May 2005 the decision was taken to bringtogether all the strands of community investmentunder one brand Healthy Communities Thisprogram was to includebull Charitable grantsbull Employee volunteeringbull Gifts in kind Community investment via gifts
in kind such as the use of Pfizer premisesresources and expertise is more easilysustainable and can bring real long-termbenefit to the local community When Pfizerfacilities are used to support communityinitiatives the face-to-face contact withemployees allows relationship-building andnetworking with key influencers Also invitingthe community to use Pfizer resources on siteldquodemystifiesrdquo the company
The overarching strategy behind HealthyCommunities was to support communityinvestment holistically (ie using several of theabove elements in combination) whereverpossible Focusing grants on the areas of greatestneed helps Pfizer achieve its overall missionHowever the donation of gifts in kind can have awider-reaching impact on the community
Taking a holistic approachAn award-winning example of this holisticapproach is the Helping Hartsdown projectwhich was Pfizer Sandwichrsquos biggest ever gift inkindvolunteering project Pfizer donated andrenovated much-needed classrooms at a localschool As well as financial support and gifts inkind the project involved over 100 staff andcontractor volunteers across all departments Aspecific promotion on the Reaching Out website
ldquoBY JULY 2006 THE lsquoHEALTHY COMMUNITIESrsquoPROGRAM HAD BEEN TRANSFORMED AND WONA NATIONAL EXAMPLE OF EXCELLENCE AWARDFROM BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITYrdquo
27scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
POSITIVE IMPACTS OF THE PROGRAMThe Healthy Communities program has had the following positive impacts for Pfizer
bull The program supports and protects Pfizerrsquos freedom to operate effectivelyin East Kent UK
bull Supporting and involving employees in the program engages and motivatesthem The company is also seen to be living its values In a recent survey55 percent of colleagues felt the program was ldquofocused and effectiverdquo
bull The program provides opportunities for colleagues to develop skills Twentypercent of colleagues surveyed stated that they had improved personalskills through taking part in the program
bull A healthy community is a better place to live and work for employees andwill aid retention Retention of the most highly skilled scientists givesPfizer Global Research and Development a competitive edge
bull A vibrant and healthy community helps to attract and retain leadingscientists from around the world
bull Community is one of Pfizerrsquos six core values Communicating activitiesinternally and externally gives a positive perception of the company
helped attract this large number of volunteersincluding senior leaders
Momentum was maintained behind thecommunication of the program with monthlynetworking breakfasts and several themed minicharity fairs to give local good causes the chanceto showcase their volunteering Individuals andteamsrsquo volunteering efforts were also regularlyprofiled in Pipeline
The December 2006 employee survey showedan 85-percent awareness level of Reaching Outand the program won a ldquoNational Example ofExcellence Awardrdquo from Business in theCommunity1
Relaunching the websiteIn June 2006 the Reaching Out website wasrelaunched to incorporate payroll giving andmatched fundraising under the same brand asvolunteering and utilize the existing software Allelements can now be applied for on the same site
The number of employees registered with thesite increased to over 1000 and the number of adhoc staff enquiries handled by CC Worksincreased dramatically as awareness andinvolvement levels rose among the workforce
External communicationA quarterly newsletter containing a round-up ofPfizerrsquos community investment work is producedand distributed widely to external stakeholdersincluding 3000 local residents Following theBusiness in the Community award the magazineCommunity News was revamped its circulationincreased and it was also desk-dropped to allemployees The magazine also helps to raiseawareness of Pfizer among local organizations
A pocket-sized booklet was produced containingkey facts and figures about the Healthy Communitiesprogram This gives employees especially seniorleaders at-a-glance information on the programallowing them to act as ambassadors for Pfizerrsquoscommunity investment work
Senior leaders at Pfizer Sandwich are keenadvocates of the program and having a clearbrand helps them communicate its benefits andraise awareness both internally and externally
Next stepsDespite its award-winning status there are plansto take Healthy Communities even further Theseinclude further research into employee feedbackand closer links to personal development plans InPfizer at Sandwichrsquos Global Operations functionvolunteering forms part of personal objectives ndashthis is an aspiration for the rest of the business
Pfizer also wants to improve team volunteeringand a toolkit is being prepared for team leaderswho wish to get involved in volunteering
Finally in order to share knowledge and bestpractice around community investment with otherlocal businesses Pfizer is hosting a Kentmembership network in conjunction with KentCounty Council This will help Pfizer work closelywith the local authority and bring local businessestogether to share ideas and collaborate toimprove their impact on the community scm
1 httpwwwbitcorguk
CONTACT DETAILS
Pam BakerPfizerpambakerpfizercom
Christine JenkinsCC Workschristinejenkinsccworkscouk
28 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Editorrsquos noteSucceeding in internal communication probablyisnrsquot all that different to succeeding in anyprofession understand whatrsquos expected of you dothe job well and deliver results But when youspeak to practitioners about how they personallyturned the corner in their careers and started tomake an impact it soon becomes clear that thereare many dos and donrsquots that can help or hinderprogress This article provides a handy checklistfor those with ambitious development plans
John G ClemonsVice President CommunicationsRaytheon Technical Services Co Llc
Take the initiativeThere have been a few career-defining momentsfor me Among them was the time when I realizedthat I was moving from a manager level to the
decision-making role of a director I worked for a senior executive who hired me
from a rival telecommunications company Uponjoining the company I developed strategiccommunication plans to address various businesschallenges During the development process Iperiodically checked in with my supervisor to gethis input and approval ndash probably more thannecessary ndash before moving to the next steps in planning
One day he called me into his office and saidthat while he liked the work I was doing for himhis expectation when he hired me as a directorwas that I would take the initiative in the job relyless on his frequent input and move forward with implementation and measurement Hewanted results
His counsel was along the lines of ldquoI hired youto do a directorrsquos job so do the job of a directorYou donrsquot have to get permission to make adifferencerdquo
Meet commitments and think strategicallyHis direction motivated me to take moreresponsibility at this new job level This alsomeant that I had to not just manage but leadmeet commitments and think more strategicallyto continue to earn not only his confidence butthe support of the entire leadership team
Irsquove found that being a communicationprofessional who is also a leader that can betrusted can get things done and truly support thegoals and objectives of an organization will notonly impress others but help build your credibilityand lead to success
How to get ahead ininternal communication
The path that leads internal communicators to thetop of their profession isnrsquot always an obvious oneWhich is why we asked a range of senior practitioners
to share their thoughts and experiences on gaining therespect of those who matter Whether its senior leadersfellow employees or your own team yoursquore looking toimpress these responses provide useful insight into howto make sure you and your work gets noticed
Senior practitioners share their views on how togain influence and credibility
COMPILED BY MANDY THATCHER
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
29scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Mark DarbyHead of Internal CommunicationsVisaUK
Be smart sharp and stubbornThe biggest lesson Irsquove learned and keep havingto remind myself is that I need to be smart sharpand stubborn to get ahead This is what thosewords mean to me in a work context
Smart I need to understand what Visa is doingand what people think about the business Thismeans constantly spending time in differentdepartments and learning from them I know whoour customers are what our challenges are andwhat our current financial performance is I havecontacts in most departments who have a fingeron the pulse which means I can have a relevantconversation with a senior person from any department
Sharp Internal communication is rarely near thetop of the agenda for senior people and my timewith them is usually short I always try to talkabout the impact on business performance assoon as possible If I circulate a document it willbe summarized to a single page at most and Idonrsquot use PowerPoint I ask a lot of ldquoonerdquo questionssuch as ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing you want employeesto do differentlyrdquo or ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing youwant me to change over the next six monthsrdquo
Stubborn I know what I want internal communica-tion to achieve at Visa and it has the support ofthe senior team Irsquove built up knowledge frombooks and articles I use my education from theBlack Belt training course1 and I speak to formercolleagues With this knowledge Irsquove becomestubborn and good at saying no because I have theinformation to back up my arguments Irsquove stoppedmy team from picking up extra projects that wonrsquotdeliver much value We focus only on projects thatadd the most value to the business and we deliveron these really well Successful delivery is thebiggest influence on any senior person
Monika StaffordHead of Internal CommunicationLloyds TSBUK
Be creative and focus on a killer issueUsing creative solutions to bring to life importantndash but often dull ndash programs can create a shinethat stretches beyond project boundaries For
example I worked on the implementation of SAPndash a business-critical systems program ndash requiringbehavior change from swathes of key yetuninterested people Successful implementationwas a big risk to get right but it was as dull asdishwater to communicate
Luckily there was a ldquoEurekardquo moment Byaligning the SAP story with the metaphor ofFormula-1 racing we could tell the tale of how itwould fulfill our need to create winningperformances for both the individual driver aswell as the back-up team in order to perform wellon the road ahead This storyline was a perfectmatch for the programrsquos objectives
Launch speakers from Formula 1 great designwork not to mention fantastic collateral allresulted in a no-hitch implementation that reallyresonated with people The global companypicked it up as the approach for worldwide rollout So faced with tedium it can actually pay tostare out of the window for creative inspiration
My other piece of advice is Focus on a killerissue If you really want to get ahead (and do besure you really do as being at the center ofchange is often akin to being in the eye of ahurricane ndash itrsquos no place for the feint-hearted)learn what keeps your business leaders up atnight Use your stakeholder-management skills toget to the people you need to help you deliversolutions then execute execute execute
Focus on value-adding work only because ifyou end up working on your companyrsquos cul-de-sacprojects yoursquoll never shine brightly enough forthe leaders in your company to notice you 3
COMPETENCY
Planning internal communication 76
Linking corporate messages to corporate vision 73
CEO communication 63
Change communication 60
Communicating to diverse audiences 60
Using the intranet as a communication tool 54
Defending your department in internal political battles 43
Line manager communication 42
Professional development of internal communication staff 33
Helping employees cope with information overload 32
Securing the appropriate level of budget for internal communication 30
Measuring the effectiveness of internal communication 28
Figure One Table from The Pulse report showing the percentage of communicators who ratethemselves as effective or very effective at listed competencies
30 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
WHATrsquoS CHANGED IN THE LAST 25 YEARS
David MoorcroftSenior Vice PresidentCorporate CommunicationsRBC Financial Group Canada
Irsquom constantly amazed at the changes that have taken place in our professionover the last 25 years and the degree of talent and knowledge required bycommunicators today to do their jobs well
Back in 1979 when I started in corporate PR the major skill sets werewriting editing and great media contacts Today good editorial skills are justtable stakes and the ability to understand business adapt technology thinkstrategically plan consummately and influence stakeholders are what landsenior communicators a seat at the management table
This change has been driven by the globalization of business the advent ofnew 247 media including the Internet the growing sophistication ofcustomers and employees increased demands for corporate transparency andmore rigorous requirements for high standards of public disclosure andfinancial reporting
MORE SKILLS THAN EVER BEFOREAs a result todayrsquos business communicator has to be more capable andknowledgeable and have more skills than ever before They must befinancially literate and technologically savvy They must understand the impactof evolving accounting and disclosure rules They must deal with legal HRpolitical and business issues And they must be prepared to deal with amultitude of potential crises that can arise at any moment in any language inany part of the world
Perhaps most challenging senior management today expects clear bottom-line returns for their investments in communication Itrsquos no longer enough toinform audiences and measure communication outputs CEOs expectcommunication to engage audiences and produce outcomes ndash something thatrequires strategic thinking planning and foresight
A friend of mine who left a senior corporate PR job to become COO of amajor public utility recently summed up the role of todayrsquos communicator thisway ldquoItrsquos one of the most important and critical roles in organizations todayand yet itrsquos often one of the least recognized and appreciatedrdquo
That sentiment may be a reality in some organizations today but with moreand more CEOs beginning to realize the bottom-line value of communication itwonrsquot be 25 years from now
Christina FeeSenior Vice President InternalCommunicationsDeutsche Post AGGermany
Seek out the important projectsI canrsquot pretend to have employed a specificapproach to my ldquopersonal PRrdquo at all But in theorganizations Irsquove worked for Irsquove had theopportunity to work on a number of excitinghigh-profile projects that have connected me withsenior stakeholders and influential people atdifferent levels
7
Irsquove learned a great deal from the project teamsIrsquove worked with and also due to the significanceand scope of the projects been able todemonstrate my worth approach and skills Irsquovehad to be passionate stand up for what I believein and think outside the box constantly
My roles within DHLDeutsche Post haveallowed me the freedom and flexibility to developand deliver new ideas but Irsquove also had to practiceand embody excellent internal communicationskills myself Having developed credibility and trustwith those that matter based on my track record Iwas allowed to go ahead with other projects
I donrsquot actively pursue the ldquoright relationshipsrdquobut rather let my work and my interactions withpeople speak for themselves This has helped medevelop mentors and supporters naturally Mylearning and development has also been expandedby the opportunity to work abroad and learn moreabout intercultural communication and interaction
Marc SilversideHead of Internal CommunicationsMacmillan Cancer SupportUK
Understand whatrsquos expected of youA newly established role heightens the need formaking a good impression so that people trustyou and feel they can come to you for advice
When I joined Macmillan I very nearly got thiswrong Perhaps this is an example that otherrsquos canlearn from
When my new CEO at Macmillan CancerSupport asked for a meeting ldquoafter a few weeks tosettle inrdquo I was confident that my wide-ranginginduction would help me understand the businessand provide the basis for what Irsquod present tosenior management
Forty structured face-to-face managerinterviews allowed me to understand needs andkey issues and I started to build personal rapportMy profile was raised and at the same timeinternal communication gained good visibility
Externally I networked with contacts in similarroles in other charities and soon found thebeginnings of a voluntary-sector network This hassince grown to over 25 members
By the time my CEO slot arrived I was armedwith input from across the charity and the resultsof an audit I felt well prepared to present myvision and solutions So I was surprised to be metwith significant resistance
I later discovered that my CEO intelligence wasincorrect What he wanted was to be askedspecifically about his own views on what internalcommunication should do and what I could do for
How to get ahead in internal communication
31scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
HOW DO YOUR SKILLS MEASURE UPFor Melcrumrsquos study into budgets salaries and trends in internalcommunication in 200607 we asked survey respondents to rate their owneffectiveness at a range of key communication competencies from planning tomeasurement The results may surprise you
For example 76 percent of respondents rate themselves as effective or veryeffective at planning internal communication but only 28 percent ratethemselves as equally effective at measuring its effectiveness (see Figure Onepage 29)
In her commentary on the results development expert Sue Dewhurst hadthe following to say
OUR STRENGTHSIt seems where we see our strengths as internal communicators is towards theldquofront endrdquo of the communication planning process For example being able tolink a plan to the business strategy knowing our audiences and being able tojoin up the dots and show people how messages link to the business vision
These are powerful strengths We are one of the few functions that tends tohave an overarching view of our entire company and is able to view thecompany and its strategy from a number of different perspectives Being ableto understand the vision and strategy view it from an audience perspectiveand then create line of sight to show what those things mean in practicalterms for peoplersquos day-to-day roles is one of the ways that we help drivebusiness performance ndash by showing people what they need to do to take thestrategy forward
In turn by knowing and working with our audiences hopefully wersquore thenalso able to make sure their views and suggestions can help shape the strategyand how itrsquos put into practice
MEASURING EFFECTIVENESSWe see ourselves as less effective towards the back end of the planningprocess in measuring the effectiveness of internal communication which tiesin with the feeling from previous questions that in fact wersquore not doing muchmeasurement or demonstrating our return on investment
Research and measurement is an area where there is plenty of expertisearound to call on There are measurement conferences research reports andpublications to understand what other organizations are doing and practicaltraining that will give you the opportunity to work in a smaller group askquestions and practice techniques For help with specific techniques try yourinternal marketing team Marketers are generally great with data and well-versed in running focus groups and putting together surveys If you have anexternal provider to support your employee engagement research try them too
Source The Pulse Essential data on budgets salaries and trends 2006-07wwwmelcrumcom
him rather than how I could benefit the charity Ihad to change my approach fast
This could have cost me my best ambassadorfrom day one So my advice is make sure yoursquoreabsolutely clear about whatrsquos expected from you
Of course the insights I gained in my first fewmonths have been valuable and since then myresults have done the talking Fortunately theCEO soon became an internal communicationsconvert and advocate
Darren CrozierCommunications ManagerHBOS plcUK
Make things happenDelivery is key to career development ndash if you sayyoursquore going to do something make sure you doit Put in the effort get the results you want andbe known as someone who can make things happenIf yoursquore seen to ldquoget things donerdquo no matter howsmall the job is people are more likely to get youinvolved in activities and ask your opinion
Gaining credibility and respect from seniorcolleagues is important but everyone in yourorganization will form an opinion of you from thepeople in the canteen right through to the CEOSo try and make sure that their opinion of you is agood one
Itrsquos not just the people within your immediatesphere of influence who can have an impact onyour career so extend your network go oncourses and get involved in professionalorganizations Many of my close workingrelationships career opportunities and indeedpersonal friendships have come from meetingpeople at such events and taking the time to keepin touch You never know how things will develop
Itrsquos also vital to earn respect be trustworthy andhave good manners To recall what an ex-bossonce said ldquoBe careful how you treat people onthe way up as you never know when you maycome across them againrdquo
One of the biggest challenges Irsquove found inrecent times is recognizing my own success andselling myself Sometimes you need to take a stepback to realize just what yoursquove achieved Evenbetter keep a log or portfolio of your successesand donrsquot be shy to speak about them becauseothers wonrsquot be shy to speak about theirs
Finally try and have some fun along the wayWe all have to work for a living so learn to makethe most of it scm
1 For more about Melcrumrsquos Internal Communication Black Belttraining program go to wwwmelcrumcom
32 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pitney Bowes has followed an aggressive strategyof growth through acquisition completing 60+acquisitions since 2001 Expansion has broadenedits product mix to include an extensive range ofsolutions from office equipment to globalpositioning software
But the companyrsquos many different specialismsand huge outsourcing operations meant that themajority of its 34000 employees werenrsquot aware ofthe full range of its service offering and thepotential for different divisions to work together
As Rob Hallam vice president EmployeeCommunication explains there was a strongbusiness case for adopting a ldquoone companyrdquoapproach ldquoBecause the businesses tended to besomewhat siloed even senior managers werefocused on their divisions
ldquoAlso because we were acquiring companiesand evolving so rapidly managers werenrsquot awareof a lot of the businesses and how they all workedtogether in the mailstreamrdquo says Hallam ldquoWewere missing out on potential cross-sellingopportunitiesrdquo
Communicating a new visionFour years ago Pitney Bowes created a OneCompany Vision statement ldquoOur aim was toensure support and cooperation across thebusiness so we could provide a comprehensive setof customer solutions ndash not just a list of productsand services by business unitrdquo says Hallam Theinternal communication challenge was to drawtogether 34000 employees and build a unifiedcorporate culture The communication strategyfocused on three key elements
1 PeopleThis focused on involving the leadershipstrengthening a two-way dialogue betweenmanagement and employees communicating theculture through leadership messaging enterprise-wide events and roadshows and buildingengagement so that everyone was workingtogether towards a One Company approach
2 ProcessesThis meant integrating the One Companyapproach into the organizationrsquos operations andinfrastructure by shifting management roles andadjusting incentives and reward structuresthroughout the company
The first step was to consolidate the companyrsquosoperating activities by appointing Murray DMartin as president and chief operating officer inSeptember 2004 Martinrsquos mantra is ldquoThink AsOne Act as One Operate As One to deliverwhat no other company canrdquo
ldquoThe COO position had previously been heldby the chairman so elevating someone to that
Communicating a OneCompany culture atPitney Bowes
Following rapid growth in the form of more than 60acquisitions over six years silo-working haddeveloped at Pitney Bowes and leaders were failing
to take advantage of profitable cross-selling opportunitiesHere Rob Hallam describes the communication elementsof a ldquoOne Companyrdquo culture-change program which hasturned the situation around simultaneously improvingcustomer service and boosting profits
Persuading disparate businessunits to work together
AN INTERVIEW WITH ROB HALLAM
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Pitney Bowes is an 87-year-old company best known forthe manufacturing operationand oversight of postagemeters It has over two millioncustomers more than 3500active patents and annualrevenue of close to $6 billion
33scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
role was a big changerdquo explains Hallam ldquoAll thebusiness units now report to a single individual atoperating level It represented a huge positivemove to start the company operationalizing OneCompany behaviorrdquo
The internal communication function wasrestructured to ensure that consistent messagingreached the entire employee population Regularmeasurement was a key part of the changeinitiative This served to define the contributionof communicating a One Company approachwhere it was adding value to Pitney Bowes and itsclients and customers and where there was stillwork to do
3 TechnologyIt was important to find the best ways to cascademessages throughout the company and keeppeople informed about what was going onwithout bombarding them with irrelevantcommunication Hallam and his team deploy avariety of channels and media including internalprint and online publications voicemail and e-mail Pitney Bowes is also in the process ofintegrating its different voicemail systems and e-mail platforms into one global system
Involving senior leadership from the outsetThe One Company strategy was an overridingpolicy that started at the top of the organizationldquoThere was a big launch at the strategic leadersrsquomeeting which is held every Januaryrdquo saysHallam ldquoThe messaging was then driven throughthe organization via a companywide globalcommunication strategyrdquo
From the outset the policy was championed bythe CEO Michael Critelli who believes thatculture is central to the Pitney Bowes brand andsaid recently ldquoMy first measure of success iswhether we are behaving as one companyrdquo Thiscommitment helped to ensure that the culturalchange was reinforced by parallel changes to thecorporate infrastructure
Building a two-way dialogueThe next step was to get the employee populationinvolved and build enterprisewide enthusiasm forthe culture change Pitney Bowes has alwaysrecognized the value of a two-way dialoguebetween management and employees and hasheld annual jobholders meetings which aresimilar to shareholdersrsquo meetings for 61 years In2005 Hallam reinvented it as an initiative calledOne Forum ndash a series of roadshows focusing oncommunicating the One Company culturethroughout the organization
Launching the One ForumIn 2005 Hallam and his team created an original
and memorable One Forum launch for the 90percent of Pitney Bowes employees based in theUS Around a quarter of US employees saw thisin person the others received a link to a websitewith streaming highlights
ldquoWe put together a two-hour roadshow eventwhich helped people to understand our OneCompany approach and made them aware of allthe businesses we were inrdquo says Hallam ldquoThethinking was that high change requires high touchFace-to-face can have far greater impact on theindividuals touched From there itrsquos a matter ofripple effect such as seeing improved One Forumbrand awareness among employees who didnrsquotactually attend one of the eventsrdquo
ldquoWe wanted the roadshow to be entertainingand energizing so we used gameshow techniquescustom-written songs and comedy specificallytailored to Pitney Bowes employees It was a funevent but it also included a keynote speech fromthe CEO and a lot of question-and-answersessions with employees It was entertainmentwith a purpose and it was a great success with employeesrdquo
The post-event employee evaluations provedthe success of this approach ldquoIn some cities anincredible 90 percent of employees gave the eventa top-box rating This shows that there was ahunger for both the knowledge and theapproachrdquo adds Hallam
Taking the show on the roadThe One Forum roadshow has become an annualevent ldquoIn a five-month period during 2005 therewere 17 One Forum events in 12 US citiesreaching about 6000 peoplerdquo says Hallam ldquoAftersome testing in March and April the first bigroadshows started in early May and continued forsix months with the final one in early Decemberin Seattle 3
Rob Hallam is vice presidentEmployee Communication atPitney Bowes (PB) in StamfordConnecticut where hersquos beenresponsible for internalcommunication strategy andimplementation since 2004Hallam has led a team ofprofessionals in reshapingcommunication at PB resultedin the communication teamearning the top ranking in HRdepartment satisfaction fromall PBrsquos US managers in 2005and 2006
KEY POINTSbull Internal communication has played an important role in embedding a
One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
bull The communication strategy focused on three key elements peopleprocess and technology
bull The campaign has been championed by the CEO from the outset andhas won senior leadership support over time
bull An entertaining roadshow helped win employee commitment
bull Cross-selling ratios have jumped substantially since the culture-changeeffort began
34 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ldquoIn 2006 we compressed the programsubstantially and drove down costs while stilltouching 6000 employees Together with ourcorporate marketing group we also introduced anextremely successful lsquoelevator speechrsquo that helpsemployees answer the much-feared questionlsquoWhat does Pitney Bowes dorsquordquo
Local variationsAlthough the entertainment component in theroadshows contributed to their success it wasspecific to the US so Hallam gave business unitsand internal communicators in other regions theresponsibility for communicating the OneCompany approach to local employees ldquoInCanada and the UK they conducted town-hallmeetings and in Latin America and other parts ofthe world they produced their own variations onthe One Forum theme We made sure that theyhad the information they needed but we limitedthe entertainment to English-speaking regionsrdquo
A commitment to employee engagementThe appointment of the new COO and the launchof the One Forum roadshows coincided with thefirst employee engagement survey in late 2004ldquoWe see engagement as very much tied to ourability to execute a One Company strategy andchange our culturerdquo says Hallam He sets outfour ways in which employee engagement isinstilled at all levels in the organization
1 Visible leadership commitment to engagementThe CEO underlines his commitment by sendingregular messages to employees via a variety ofmedia including voicemail and print and onlinepublications He also uses engagement scores todetermine a unitrsquos overall performance rating andbonus pool ldquoWhen one senior execrsquos bonus poolwas reduced due to poor engagement scores that
was a message requiring no communication planrdquosays Hallam ldquoWord spread quicklyrdquo
2 Celebrating top performers Pitney Bowes celebrates its top engagementperformers by running cover stories in its globalprint and online publication PB Today ldquoThisprogram was called lsquoThe Faces of Pitney Bowesrsquordquosays Hallam ldquoWe did 10 of these last year so theyran twice in five editions Wersquove also producedlarge mural-sized photos of those managers andtheir teamsrdquo he says ldquoWe celebrate success andpublish it everywhere Our CEO loves it and wersquoreactually selling part of our contemporary artcollection which decorates the building to makeroom for an expansion of additional OneCompany and Engagement photography all ofwhich will focus on our employeesrdquo
3 Incentivizing managers via the reward systemEmployee engagement is recognized andreinforced in the companyrsquos formal processesincluding its reward system ldquoWe use a tool calledthe Strategic Architecture which is our balancedscorecardrdquo explains Hallam ldquoItrsquos a Six-Sigma toolwhich measures employee shareholder andcustomer value Managersrsquo engagement scoresalso factor into their annual reviews soengagement has a direct impact on remunerationrdquo
4 Rewarding engagementA further program called Rapid Rewards awardscash bonuses to managers and employees foroutstanding behavior including that related toemployee engagement
Aligning the communication strategyHallam and his team are responsible fordelivering the overall employee communicationstrategy ldquoWe had to dramatically improve ourstrategic approach in order to make OneCompany a realityrdquo he says
In addition to organizing campaigns such as theOne Forum roadshows to publicize the culturechange across the enterprise Hallam hasintroduced initiatives aimed at improving thereach and delivery of internal communication andmaking sure messages get to their intendedaudiences He has also aligned the structure ofthe internal communication function with thecompanyrsquos unified culture
ldquoThere were a lot of different communicationgroups so we brought together all thecommunication leaders and formed a singleInternal Communications Councilrdquo explainsHallam ldquoThis means that the communicationfunctions in the different business units areworking together to help drive change andimprove coordinationrdquo
Communicating a One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
ldquoWHEN A SENIOR EXECrsquoS BONUS WAS REDUCEDDUE TO POOR ENGAGEMENT SCORES THAT WASA MESSAGE REQUIRING NO COMMUNICATIONPLAN WORD SPREAD QUICKLYrdquo
7
FURTHER RESOURCES3 THE IMPACT OF CULTURE AND CLIMATE ON CHANGE PROGRAMS
An article published in SCM Volume 10 Issue 6 OctoberNovember 2006
3 DRIVING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE CORPORATE CULTUREMelcrumrsquos report on communication tools techniques and best practicefrom leading organizationswwwmelcrumcom
35scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Developing a global approachHallam is also responsible for a globalcommunication project called Universal Reachwhich is sponsored by the chairman and designedto support and maintain a unified corporateculture ldquoOur goal is to provide 90 percentmessage accessibility within our key customer-facing audiencesrdquo he explains ldquoThe biggestchallenge is integrating our online communicationinfrastructure which has nine different voicemailsystems operating across the world and multiplee-mail and web platforms Wersquore pulling all thattogether to provide better reachrdquo
Since 911 the CEO and other top executiveshave broadcast weekly audio messages calledPower Talks Hallamrsquos team has worked with theleadership to ensure that they incorporate OneCompany messages and as he explains they reachmost of the employee population ldquoAbout 20000of our employees have voicemail Those whodonrsquot receive the Power Talk message either inprint or online In some divisions managers playthe Power Talk messages in staff meetingsrdquo
Engaging leadership reinforces the cultureBuilding on the CEOrsquos commitment to a OneCompany approach Hallam and his team haveorganized leadership events ndash most recently at thestrategic leadersrsquo meeting in December 2006 ndashshowing Pitney Bowes as one company in actionThis campaign has helped to engage the top 150managers in the culture change
ldquoOur post-event evaluations show a strongmove numerically in senior leadershiprsquos belief thatwersquore operating as one companyrdquo says Hallam(see Figure One above) ldquoAs theyrsquore our toughestjudges wersquore pleased by the significant differencein pre- and post-event measurementrdquo There wasalso an improvement in leadersrsquo understanding ofthe companyrsquos new mailstream category
Sustaining the new cultureAccording to Hallam rippling out the OneCompany messaging requires a consistent andcoordinated approach Communication leaders inthe various divisions are now working to weaveOne Company messages into the business-unitmeetings ldquoA lot of the messaging that welaunched at the strategic leadersrsquo meeting arebeing reiterated at the business unit level Thatrsquosbeen facilitated through the InternalCommunications Councilrdquo he says
ldquoKey metrics for the culture change programfocus on cross-selling ratios which have jumpedsubstantially since the culture change effortbeganrdquo says Hallam ldquoIn 2002 we also institutedthe ldquoPB1 Awardsrdquo which is a chairmanrecognition award that goes to teams who bestembody cross-functional behavior in working on
projects which improve our clientsrsquo profitabilityour profitability or bothrdquo
ldquoHowever wersquore only really a year into thisMuch of the evidence is anecdotal but what haschanged is that our managers have broadenedtheir vision and are thinking as solutions-providers rather than product-sellers As suchtheyrsquore involving other business units out of theirdesire to eliminate customer pain points ndashregardless of which part of Pitney Bowes gets the salerdquo
Adding value to customersUltimately managers and employees who arewell-informed about the companyrsquos products andservices are in a good position to take advantageof cross-selling opportunities Realizing thispotential enables Pitney Bowes to make extrasales to existing customers thereby increasing itsprofit margins and allowing customers to benefitfrom a mix of products and services
Shifting to a unified culture directly benefitsboth Pitney Bowes and its customers ldquoByfocusing on the whole cadre of products andservices we can help our customers improve theirbusinessesrdquo says Hallam ldquoThatrsquos where OneCompany is critical It enables our clients tobenefit from all our servicesrdquo scm
Figure One Measuring the impact of the strategic leadersrsquo meeting
CONTACT DETAILS
Rob HallamPitney Bowesrobhallampbcom
I BELIEVE THAT OUR SENIOR LEADERS (MEANING THE TOP 15 EXECS) AREWORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO DELIVER INTEGRATED HIGH-VALUESOLUTIONS TO OUR CUSTOMERS
Pre SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 73
Post SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 92
Gain in two months time 19
ldquoMANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WELL-INFORMED ABOUT THE COMPANYrsquoS PRODUCTSAND SERVICES ARE IN A GOOD POSITION TOTAKE ADVANTAGE OF CROSS-SELLINGrdquo
2007
36 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
MELCRUM TRAINING amp EVENTS
CALENDAR 2007UKEUROPESOCIAL MEDIA FORUM FORINTERNAL COMMUNICATORS UK
3 21-22 March 2007 Hilton Canary WharfLondon UKThis forum is designed for practitioners who wantto make social media part of their internalcommunication strategy Over two dayscompanies such as IBM Microsoft and BT willshare case studies demonstrating their use ofsocial-media tools Technology experts will also beon hand to provide training and show you how touse these tools
THE 3RD ANNUAL EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT CONFERENCE UK
3 22-24 May 2007 Millennium GloucesterLondon UK22 May ndash Practical workshops23-24 May ndash Two-day conferenceThis event will focus on transforming yourstrategies into action Listen to case studies fromcompanies that have achieved real andmeasurable results from their engagement effortsLearn how they did it what they achieved and howthe results were measured
THE 6TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT UK
3 16-18 October 2007 London UK After the huge success of the 2006 UK StrategicCommunication Management Summit next yearrsquosevent will once again provide you withpresentations from key figures in the industry anda chance to network with your peers Mark yourdiaries now ndash more details to follow
THE 3RD ANNUAL INTERNALCOMMUNICATION MEASUREMENTCONFERENCE UK
3 27-29 November 2007 London UKDetails available soon ndash mark your diary now
NORTH AMERICATHE 3RD ANNUAL CONFERENCEON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENTBUILDING AND SUSTAINING ACULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT
3 28 February ndash 1 March 2007 Crowne PlazaAtlanta-Buckhead Atlanta USLearn how to foster an environment whereemployees feel valued and respected Hear fromcompanies including Dow Corning CorporationAmerican Express Delta Hotels and Merck
THE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT US
3 26-28 March 2007 Crowne Plaza UnionSquare San Francisco26 March ndash Pre-conference workshops27-28 March ndash Two-day summitAttend this conference and discover how toimprove employee alignment with all segments ofyour internal audience ndash from your front-lineemployees to your executive officers bothnationally and worldwide
AUSTRALIATHE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION ENGAGEMENTSUMMIT SYDNEY
3 31 July ndash 2 August 2007 Sydney Australia Details available soon ndash mark your diary now
WEBINARSDEVELOPING PROFESSIONALCOMPETENCE
3 Thursday 22 February 2007 with LiamFitzPatrick and Sue Dewhurst
HELPING YOUR ORGANIZATIONTHRIVE DURING TURBULENTTIMES
3 Thursday 29 March 2007 with Carol KinseyGoman
TRAININGTHE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT PROGRAM
3 24-25 April and 1-2 May 2007 HenleyManagement College UK3 11-12 and 27-28 September 2007 Cranfield
School of Management UK
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT MASTERCLASSEFFECTIVE MEASUREMENT
3 14-15 March 2007 Hendon Hall Hendon UKAn essential two-day intensive training courses forinternal communicators on effective measurementRegister early as places are strictly limited to 20people per Masterclass
CSR DELIVERY ENGAGEMENT amp LEADERSHIP
3 19-20 April 2007 Central LondonOsney MediaWith an excellent speaker line-up from high-profile companies including Procter amp Gamble The BodyShop ExxonMobil Microsoft Belgium Vodafone UK Dell Ericsson and Alliance Boots this case studybased event will answer questions including how do Ibull Build a CSR-oriented leadershipbull Get people on boardbull Integrate CSR with the global strategy of the companybull Deliver CSR throughout the company to make it really happen
For more information visit wwwcsrleadershipcom or e-mail mariame_lindellosneymediacouk (Reference code 910MLC3)
38 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
DESIGN
YELLOW
The future success of all organisations will be builton trust understanding passion empowermentintegrity and relationships
The future is cool exciting sparkling organisationsbursting with energy life and action
The future of brand is the internal brand first andforemost
The future is colleague as customer
Turning communications upside down
No just inside-out
Be part of the future say hello to Yellow
We help large organisations bring their communicationsstrategies to life through the imaginative use of liveevents multimedia web and design ndash distributed acrossall media platforms including DVD TV mobile devicesintranet and extranet
Ultimately developing internal brands and ongoingcommunications that have a measurable impact onpeople-performance advocacy and the bottom line
Contact Paul MiddletonTel +44 (0)161 228 6700E-mail paulmiddletonyellowcomcomWebsite wwwyellowcomcom
NEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
DESIGN
BLUE GOOSE
blue goose specialize in visual communications We make communications work faster and better We will link what wedo back to your objectives but we donrsquot talk (or charge for) ldquostrategyrdquo when you simply want tactical implementation Weuse design and creativity tobull differentiate products and services bull develop and manage corporate and brand identity bull align external communications with agreed values bull internalize corporate and brand identitybull align internal communications with agreed values bull support organizational change and bull help organizations better understand and define who they are
We work for clients as diverse as PricewaterhouseCoopers Ford Europe Centrica plc Greene King City of London Policeand Le Meacuteridien
blue goose is for any organization more interested in designing their future than watching it happen
Contact Chris BarringtonE-mail thinkingbluegoosecoukTel +44 (0)20 8869 8500Web site wwwbluegoosecouk
CONSULTANCY
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION ampSURVEYS PTY LTD
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd is aboutique consultancy based in Sydney Australia Itspecializes in employee communication strategiessystems research and employee surveys of all kindsPrincipal Rodney Gray has been involved inorganizational consulting for over 20 years following a15-year career as a corporate human resourcesexecutive Services includebull Employee communication audits and surveys by
questionnaires focus groups and interviewsbull Employee communication systems strategies and
processesbull Employee communication training workshops and
talksbull Employee culture climate and opinion surveysbull Qualitative organizational diagnosis (focus groups
and interviews)bull Internal service quality research (qualitative and
quantitative)
Contact Rodney GrayTel +61 (0)2 9909 2900 Fax +61 (0)2 9909 2911E-mail rodneyrodneygraycomauWeb site wwwemployee-communicationcomau
CONSULTANCY
HEDRON
Internal and change communication that helps teamsand individuals to develop strategies relationshipsprocesses and skills to engage stakeholders supporthigh performance and deliver change
ldquoSharp strategic thinking quality execution effectiveinterpersonallyhelliprdquo ldquoCreativity drive resourcefulnessresults great funhelliprdquo say clients
All sectors ndash ABN AMRO AXA BT Cadbury SchweppesDepartment for Constitutional Affairs HealthcareCommission Group 4 Securicor SABMiller SiemensSouthern Rail Unilever Wincanton
Our clients are happy to tell you what itrsquos like workingwith us
Contact Helena MemoryTel + 44 (0) 20 7493 0735Fax + 44 (0) 20 7493 0743E-mail helena-mhedroncomWeb site wwwhedroncom
CONSULTANCY
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
39scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
CONSULTANCY
SYNOPSIS
Founded by change and communication authority Bill Quirke in 1992 Synopsis is one of Europersquos leading internalcommunication consultancies Our clients include such companies as ABN Amro BBC BP British Airways DiageoEricsson HP Lloyds TSB Roche Shell and Vodafone
We help clients use internal communication to engage their employees in delivering business strategy and get most valuefrom their internal communication
We can help youbull Develop communication strategies that support your business strategybull Coach leadersbull Develop line managersrsquo communication skillsbull Plan and coordinate your communication with colleagues onlinebull Check the health of your communication channels and improve return on investmentbull Build and develop the communication functionbull Measure and track employee engagement attitudes and opinions
To take a tour of our online planning tool go to wwwsynopsisonlinecomproductplanningtoolasp
Contact Jane LebeauE-mail janelebeausynopsisonlinecomTel +44 (0) 20 7490 2900Web site wwwsynopsisonlinecom
CONSULTANCY
HARKNESS KENNETT
We specialize in internal communication To us thatmeansbull motivating people through inspiring leadershipbull guiding people through organizational changebull engaging people in delivering the brand
Working in partnership with our clients is central to ourethos enabling us to help deliver practical solutionssupported by solid strategic thinking All of ourconsultants have held senior positions ldquoclient siderdquo sowe know what itrsquos like to be in your shoes The vastmajority of our work comes from recommendations fromexisting clients ndash 82 percent of our clients haverequested repeat work in the last two years
Our clients include Abbey Atkins BDO Stoy HaywardThe Environment Agency Marks amp Spencer NHS Blood ampTransplant Morgan Stanley Europe Nestleacute PoliceInformation Technology Organisation Royal ampSunAlliance South West Trains and Vodafone
Our vision is simple ndash we want to be the first callyou make
Contact James HarknessTel +44 (0)1483 222730E-mail jamesharknessharknesskennettcomWeb site wwwharknesskennettcom
CONSULTANCY
TRIDENT COMMUNICATIONS
Trident Communications is uniquely positioned to definedevelop and deliver award-winning solutions that aligncommunication with business goals
We advise and partner with organizations of all sizes tocreate high-value practical applications Our talentedproject teams provide innovative research designeditorial and imagery for print and online
We connect ideas and deliver results
Contact Peter Agertoft Tel +44 (0)207 536 8900E-mail peteragertoft
tridentcommunicationsnetWeb site wwwtridentcommunicationsnet
CONSULTANCY
FLEISHMAN-HILLARD
Fleishman-Hillardrsquos dedicated internal and changecommunication practice helps businesses focus onperforming ndash not just informing
We help organisations plan and implement programmeswith the right mix of information dialogue and trainingso that employees are engaged aligned and motivatedto achieve business objectives
Because effective internal communication is vital tobottom-line performance we partner with our clients tocreate a daily dialogue ndash not a monologue ndash withemployees
Contact Nick AndrewsTel +32 (0)2 230 05 45 E-mail nickandrewsfleishmancomWeb site wwwfleishmaneuropecom
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE A listing in our Directory of Services will giveyou a chance to reach communicationprofessionals at some of the worldrsquos largestand most admired companies and to tap intodecision-making practitioners
ContactVincent SorelTel +44 (0)208 600 4670E-mail vincentsorelmelcrumcom
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
INCLUDE YOUR COMPANY BY CONTACTING US ON +44(0)20 8600 4670 OR AT INFOMELCRUMCOM
CONSULTANCY
HILL amp KNOWLTON
Better business results the bottom line
How do I manage more change Motivate managers Getthe right information to the right people Show the bestreturn on communication investment
Sound familiar Hill amp Knowltonrsquos change and internalcommunication consultants work with companies aroundthe world to find the right answers for their situation
We offer strategy insight and creativity drawing on ourconsultancy expertise and in-house experience Plus wedeliver practical hands-on help
We know that effective employee communication has adirect impact on the bottom line Working together wecan make it happen for you
Contact EMEA DavidFerrabeehillandknowltoncom
+44 (0) 7413 3176USA BarbaraEdlerhillandknowltoncom
+1 415 281-7160Canada KristaThompsonhillandknowltoncom
+1 613 786-9961
RECRUITMENT
VMA GROUP
VMA Group is one of the UKrsquos leading executive searchand selection consultancies specializing in internal andcorporate communication recruitment
For over 25 years VMA Group has provided the highestlevel of service to some of the most demanding globalorganizations developing a strong track record for thequality and professionalism of our search and selection work
We have in-depth specialist knowledge of the internalcommunication market and can provide high-qualitypermanent and interim candidates with expertise acrossinternal communication change management and widercorporate communication We understand the needs ofour clients intrinsically and strive to develop long-termrelationships with clients and candidates alike
Please call to discuss how we can help you find theideal candidate or if you wish to make a career move
Contact David BroomeTel +44 (0)20 7436 4243E-mail dbroomevmagroupcoukWeb site wwwvmagroupcouk
40 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONALCOMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS E-mail gaitensunityncsueduWeb site wwwconsultingsuccessorgTel 919 469 3895
CIB ndash BRITISH ASSOCIATION OFCOMMUNICATORS IN BUSINESSE-mail enquiriescibukcomWeb site wwwcibukcomTel +44 (0)870 121 7606
CCM ndash COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATIONMANAGEMENT E-mail membership
ccmconnectioncomWeb site wwwccmconnectioncomTel 866 463 4226
CPRS ndash THE CANADIAN PUBLICRELATIONS SOCIETYE-mail admincprscaWeb site wwwcprscaTel 416 239 7034
IABC ndash THE INTERNATIONALASSOCIATION OF BUSINESSCOMMUNICATORS E-mail service_centreiabccomWeb site wwwiabccomTel 415 544 4700
ICA ndash THE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONALLIANCE E-mail amandafoistericaukorgWeb site wwwiprorgukicaTel +44 (0)1628 642 044
CIPR ndash THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OFPUBLIC RELATIONS UKE-mail infoiprorgukWeb site wwwiprorgukTel +44 (0)20 7253 5151
IPRA ndash THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICRELATIONS ASSOCIATIONE-mail ipraseccompuservecomWeb site wwwipraorgTel +44 (0) 1372 461 188
PRSA ndash PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OFAMERICAE-mail resourcesprsaorgWeb site wwwprsaorgTel 212 460 1459
DIRECTORY OF SERVICESNEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
CONSULTANCY
20 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC President and CEO John Ryan joined theorganization in 1997 For the first few years hefocused on financial viability and positioning thecorporation for the future ndash articulating a newvision redefining strategic objectives expandingproduct and service offerings and identifyingpotential growth areas
The business results were outstanding double-digit growth increasing profits and great customerloyalty But something was missing
Like many successful organizations FCCoperated with a silo mentality Organizationalpolitics consumed energy that Ryan felt detractedfrom employee satisfaction and he worried aboutthe impact on the customer experience
He wanted his direct reports to work togetheras a real team ndash not to behave like individualleaders of functional areas Although the groupperformed well when there was a real challengeafter the challenge was gone so was the teamwork
This is not unusual for top executive groupsbut Ryan wasnrsquot willing to accept that fate ldquoTherehad to be a way to have a team-based
organization where leaders had the autonomythey needed to perform while actively collaboratingto achieve a new level of unprecedented resultsrdquohe said ldquoFCC had a very hierarchical culture withfirmly drawn divisional boundaries so I knew Ihad a challenge ahead of merdquo
Cultural transformation from the topIn 2002 John hired Malandro Communicationbased in Phoenix Arizona to guide FCCrsquos seniorleadership through a unique cultural transformationthat would lead to the creation of a high-performance team Leaders committed to being100-percent accountable for their impact onpeople and business results They let go of thetraditional 50-50 model ldquoIrsquoll do my part if you doyoursrdquo ndash a model that breeds a culture of blameconspiracies and distrust
In a series of formal training initiatives leaderswere taught to speak from the heart listen toother perspectives be open and responsive tofeedback and encourage personal andprofessional growth
Opportunity for internal communicationBy 2003 we were well on our way FCC producedremarkable business results with strong numbersright across the board The portfolio grew fromnearly CAN$9 billion to over CAN$10 billionThen two things happened that created anopportunity for internal communication tobecome a driver of business results 1 In 2003 we earned 50th place on Canadarsquos
ldquo50 Best Employersrdquo list and a respectableemployee engagement score of 69 percent
Defining the role ofstrategic comms atFarm Credit Canada
Farm Credit Canada (FCC) is in the fourth year of acultural-transformation program At the start of itsjourney clear expectations were set defining the role
to be played by internal communication In this summaryof the companyrsquos plans and achievements Kellie Garrettand Claire Watson describe the goals strategies andtactics employed by the internal communication teamand the impressive results achieved to date
Setting the stage for a cultural transformation
BY KELLIE GARRETT AND CLAIRE WATSON
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Farm Credit Canada isCanadarsquos largest provider offinancing to the agricultureindustry It serves 45000customers and has 1300employees working from 100rural offices across CanadaFCC is ranked eighth amongCanadarsquos 50 best employers
21scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC is a high performer in all otheroperational areas and employee engagementis a strong predictor of sustained corporateperformance But the survey showed therewas work to be done to align perceptionsbetween the senior leadership team andemployees Detailed results showed the gaps(see Figure One below)
2 Ryan became more determined to create ahigh-performance team that could deliver anextraordinary customer experience andsustainable business results
Establishing expected behaviorAs a first step towards creating a critical mass ofleaders who visibly demonstrate the behaviorsrequired to transform FCCrsquos culture middlemanagement and key cross-functional teams weretrained in responsible teamwork practices andcommunication skills
Ryan then created a set of 10 cultural practicesthat explicitly outlined how he expectedemployees at all levels to behave (see side barnext page) The foundation of these practices isthe belief that the drive for business results mustbe balanced by the attendant impact on people Inother words how the work was accomplished wasevery bit as important as what was accomplishedThe cultural practices were rolled out to allemployees in 2003
With the expected behavior from leaders andemployees clearly articulated it was time forinternal communication to find opportunities tosupport and promote these behaviors
Challenge 1 Creating a strategic frameworkOur first objective was to create a broaderstrategic framework for internal communicationA review of best-practice companies revealed thatformal media represents about 10 percent of allinternal communication channels with internalsystems accounting for another 10 percent Theremaining 80 percent is influenced by theorganizational culture
Our task was to put a formal strategy in placethat would strengthen the 10 percent ofcommunication we did have control over ndash theinternal communication channels
Within FCC the dominant employeecommunication channels were immediatemanagers e-mail and the intranet (Myinet)Front-line managers delivered corporate messagesdirectly to employees and their efforts weresupported by all-staff e-mails
There was nothing wrong with this approachbut it didnrsquot go far enough in the delivery of clearconsistent messages about strategic direction orcorporate priorities Nor did it create a line ofsight between individuals and business outcomes
For example a lack of central coordination wasresulting in unclear mixed messages thatconfused the internal audience A proliferation ofemployee surveys were independently conductedby various business units and the corporate e-mail system was choked with high volumecontributing to information overload
The intranetrsquos navigational structure and searchcapability needed major improvement datedinformation needed to be archived and majordocuments needed to be redeveloped in a web-friendly format
Defining our strategy and objectivesAware of these drawbacks we defined ourstrategy as To adopt a more integrated approachto internal communication and make sure allmessages focus employees on the businesspriorities Our strategies included the followingbull Segment the employee audience and define
communication needs based on demographicspsychographics and geographic location
bull Create a consistent voice across all groupsbull Ensure internal communication is mandatory
for all major corporate initiatives and isintegrated across channels and with othercommunication activities
bull Deliver targeted information through a varietyof channels and vehicles to reinforce messaginghelp with recall appeal to differentpreferences and create and sustain interest
bull Redevelop the intranet and position it as aninformation source for corporate businessemployee industry and technical information
bull Reduce the volume of corporate e-mailbull Implement a monthly employee survey to
replace the proliferation of one-off surveysindependently launched by business units
bull Create broad awareness and understanding ofkey corporate drivers such as business strategycorporate values and brand positioning 3
Kellie Garrett ABC MALeadership is senior VPStrategy Knowledge ampReputation at Farm CreditCanada and Chair of the IABCResearch Foundation Garrettis a frequent speaker onbusiness strategy leadershipand personal brand
Claire Watson ABC APR isthe master communicationstrategist for Farm CreditCanada Watson has won anumber of international andnational awards for her workis a published author and acertified change managementspecialist
MEASUREMENT EMPLOYEES SENIORMANAGERS
GAP
Senior management is open and honest incommunication
59 94 -35
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible
54 88 -34
Managers effectively support andimplement our people practices
48 81 -33
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 94 -23
Figure One Engagement survey results
22 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Defining the role of strategic comms at Farm Credit Canada
Successful tactics introducedSome of the tactics wersquove successfully introducedto bring this strategy to life include the following
1 Tracking key messagesWe created an employee key-message matrix thatis shared with leaders across the organization andhelps to ensure we deliver a consistent messageWe deliver the rewritten message through avariety of channels including e-mail letter featurearticle in the internal publication online throughour Monday Morning Update or directly to staffmeetings through managers and supervisors
2 Adopting a multi-channel approachWersquove expanded our channels beyond e-mail andthe intranet New channels now includebull AgriCulture ndash an employee print newsletter
published three times a year to communicatecorporate information and reinforce FCCrsquossocial and cultural fabric
bull An online feature called ldquoFrom the Desk ofthe CEOrdquo to keep employees in the loop
bull All staff e-mails from the CEO and VPsbull Discussion guides and QampAs for leadersbull Internal presentations and speeches delivered
by the senior leadership teambull Other printed material such as pocket cards
and brochures accompanied by a letter
3 Cutting down on information overloadSteps wersquove taken includebull Bundling all-staff messages into a Monday
Morning Update and bundling messages forcorporate headquarters staff into a CorporateOffice Update
bull Implementing a corporate e-mail policy withdefined subject-line conventions length andapproved topics
bull Restricting the use of all-staff e-mails to thesenior management team and certain keyindividuals
bull Improving the functionality of the intranetand redeveloping key business tools forefficient web use
bull Centralizing coordination of internal surveysbull Elevating the quality and clarity of internal
speeches and conferences to focus onstrategic business drivers
Challenge 2 Supporting leadershipThe results of our 2003 engagement survey alsorevealed an opportunity to increase trust betweenemployees and FCCrsquos senior management teamRyan and his VP responsible for communication(Kellie Garrett) believed that creating greatervisibility and better access to the senior managerswas vital to the establishment of a values-basedculture and a high-performance team
7
MEASUREMENT 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Senior management is open and honestin communication
59 73 81 83 91
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible to employees
54 71 82 83 81
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 81 87 87 85
I see strong evidence of effectiveleadership from the senior leadershipteam
69 83 87 88 93
I have a good understanding ofbusiness goals and objectives
76 77 81 81 88
Senior leadership has clearlycommunicated what we need to do tobe successful
NA NA 89 90 93
Figure Two Survey scores tracked from 2003-2007
FCCrsquoS 10 CULTURAL PRACTICESWe hold ourselves and each other accountable for
1 Our impact on business results and our impact on people
2 Delivering on commitments agreements and promises
3 Building and sustaining committed partnerships
4 Creating a safe environment where people can speak up without fear
5 We measure our success by how others perceive and respond to ourleadership not by our personal point of view
6 We talk straight in a responsible manner We are committed to the successof others ndash we do not engage in ldquoconspiracies againstrdquo people
7 We ldquolisten forrdquo contributions and commitment We do not listen againstpeople or ideas
8 We are highly coachable We actively seek and listen to coaching
9 We clean up and recover quickly
10 We acknowledge others often and celebrate both small and largesuccesses
ldquoLIKE DEVELOPING A COMPANYrsquoS IMAGE ORBRAND CULTURE CAN lsquoJUST HAPPENrsquo OR ITCAN BE DESIGNED STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONHAS PLAYED A CENTRAL ROLErdquo
23scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 FCC launched a culture-change program focused on
improving performance across the organization
bull Two key aims of the program are to encourage leaders and employeesto embody the values and improve staff engagement
bull Defining its strategy and goals at the outset internal communicationhas played a role in achieving these objectives
bull Results so far include less information overload a more accessibleleadership team and improved engagement scores
The challenge for internal communication wasto improve employeesrsquo perception of the visibilityaccessibility and trust for the senior managementteam Successful tactics introduced includebull A ldquoDine-Aroundrdquo program where three
senior leaders host a monthly lunch for ninepeople
bull An online forum called SMT Exchangewhere employees can anonymously askleaders tough questions and answers areposted for all to see
bull Senior leaders author more all-staff e-mailsare more visible and accessible at companyevents and deliver presentations that focus onconnecting employees to the business agenda
The goals we started with When we defined our internal communicationstrategy in 2003 we had some clear goals to worktowards These werebull To communicate relevant information in a
timely consistent and memorable waybull To reduce information overloadbull To influence an increase in the
communication-related elements of theengagement index
bull To contribute to an increase in employeeengagement from 69 to 74 percent
We also had specific year-one objectivesbull To increase understanding of business goals
and objectives beyond 78 percent bull To increase employee opinion about effective
senior leadership from 69 to 73 percentbull To improve employee opinions related to
senior management
Achievements and measurable resultsWith these goals guiding our efforts themeasurable results wersquove achieved so far includebull The bundling of all-staff e-mail has reduced
the volume by 88 percent ndash amounting toaround 350000 messages over one year
bull Over 450 employees have lunched with amember of the senior management team and170 QampAs have been posted on our seniormanagement online exchange
bull The survey scores relating to employeesrsquoperception of leadership and theirunderstanding of goals and objectives showsteady improvement since 2003 (see FigureTwo bottom left)
bull FCCrsquos engagement scores and subsequentranking among Canadarsquos 50 best employershas moved from 69 percent engagement and50th place in 2004 to 81 percent and 35thplace in 2005 84 percent and 12th place in2006 and 82 percent and 8th place in 2007
Cultural transformationThe internal communication strategy described inthis article has set the stage to communicatecultural transformation across the organization
Wersquore now in the fourth year of our culturaltransformation ndash creating an environment wherepeople are empowered feel safe and highperformance can flourish This involves aquantum shift in how employees behave andrelate to their co-workers and customers
Like developing a companyrsquos image or brandculture can ldquojust happenrdquo or it can be designedStrategic communication has played a central roleto create awareness understanding commitmentand motivate changes in behavior at every level ofthe organization
John Ryan has the final word ldquoOver the years Ihave learned that communication is at the heartof building a high-performance culture ndash a culturewhere people are fully engaged Communicationis vital Without it leaders cannot effect positivechange Our internal strategy recognizesemployees as a primary audience and a keyconduit to the customer the media stakeholdersand communities Our strategic approach tointernal communication significantly contributesto business resultsrdquo scm
CONTACT DETAILS
Kellie GarrettFarm Credit CanadaKellieGarrettfcc-facca
Claire WatsonFarm Credit CanadaClaireWatsonfcc-facca
24 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
In January 2004 Pfizer at Sandwich in Kent UKcommissioned a review of its existing charitablecontributions program which included matchedpayroll giving volunteering and grants for localcommunity charities and voluntary groups CCWorks the community investment consultancywas also approached to manage the day-to-dayadministration of grant applications from thecommunity
However it was decided that the administrationcould not be effectively managed until suitablecriteria were put in place for the grants programEssentially a company cannot outsourceresponsibility for its charitable donations unlesstherersquos a clear strategy in place for doing this
Although there were various policies in placefor the different elements of the existingcommunity investment program there was a lackof strategic direction to the program as a whole
Auditing the community grants programAs a first step CC Works examined the existinggrants program and also conducted external
benchmarking with voluntary organizations in thecommunity to gage perceptions of Pfizer
It emerged that many organizations werereceiving small grants ndash although some werenrsquotsure why ndash but only 16 percent of the currentspend was going on health-related causes ForPfizer a major global healthcare company thiswasnrsquot strategic It was clear that as a healthcarecompany Pfizer should be trying to improve thehealth of its local area by focusing on three coreareas health community and education
There was also a need for grants to be morelocally focused A significant amount of the spendwas going outside of the immediate East Kentarea CC Works recommended that to allow thecompany maximum freedom to operate in itscommunity it should focus grants on theimmediate community of East Kent which alsohappened to be a deprived area
Segmenting current grantsWorking in partnership with CC Works currentgrant allocation was examined by sector localarea and size of grant and in May 2004 two-yeartargets were set to increase the strategic impact ofcommunity grantsbull Increase grants allocated to health-related
projects to 50 percentbull Increase average grant from UKpound300 to
UKpound1000bull Increase East Kent allocation to 90 percent
This change was designed to be gradual so thatthe shift in allocation could be well managed
The new focus on the community mirrors
Engaging employees inPfizerrsquos communityinvestment program
In 2003 Pfizer at Sandwich UK was running manyelements of a community investment program butthere was little awareness among employees and no
real focus By July 2006 the program had beentransformed and now actively contributes to employeeand community relationships Here Pam Baker andChristine Jenkins describe the journey from disconnectedpolicies to award-winning program
Communicating an approach with clear links toemployees and the local community
BY PAM BAKER AND CHRISTINE JENKINS
scm FEATURES
Pfizerrsquos site at Sandwich inKent is the UK manufacturingheadquarters of Pfizer Incglobal pharmaceuticalcompany Its workforce of4000 makes it the largestprivate employer in East Kent
1 2 3 4 5
25scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pfizerrsquos global mission to be ldquothe most valuedcompany to patients customers colleaguesinvestors business partners and the communitieswhere we work and liverdquo For the communityinvestment program a measurable mission wascreated ldquoto improve the health indicators of thepeople of East Kentrdquo
Focus on colleague involvementThe next step in July 2004 was to conduct areview of the employee engagement elements ofcommunity investment to examine how thesecould be better integrated These elementsincluded payroll giving volunteering and staff-matched fundraising
For Pfizer at Sandwich the obvious first choicewas to look at volunteering Eighty-five percent ofPfizer employees are minimum graduate level ndashoffering much-needed skills to a deprived areaAll employees have five paid days a year they canuse for volunteering ndash this not only supports thecommunity it boosts employee engagement andcreates opportunities for employees to visiblyconnect with the community and vice versa
In October 2004 volunteering was identified asa key area for development but for employeevolunteering to be a success it had to beproactively marketed inside Pfizer and thereneeded to be adequate support andadministration behind the program
A database of volunteering opportunitiesIn conjunction with CC Works a searchable data-base of local volunteering opportunities was createdPfizer felt it was important to create a tailoreddatabase that would be furnished internally inorder to ensure a local bias and to maintain thequality of the information supplied to employees
In order to tie in with employeesrsquo personaldevelopment plans opportunities in the databasehad to meet at least two of Pfizerrsquos six keycompetencies 1 Team development2 Project management3 Coaching and development4 Decision making5 Effective partnership6 Working with change
To fill the database with relevant opportunities allorganizations that had contacted Pfizer for grantsor funding in the past three years were re-contacted and asked if they would also beinterested in volunteering
Over 70 percent responded positively and 300volunteering opportunities were sourced CCWorks helped the voluntary organizations puttogether opportunities that were most likely totake advantage of Pfizer employeesrsquo range of
specialist skillsThese opportunities were categorized on the
database according to skill geographic area andtype of charity allowing employees to search forsomething suitable for them Pfizer wasnrsquotprescriptive in its approach and allowed staff tovolunteer where the opportunity matched theirpersonal-development goals interests or wasgeographically convenient
Opportunities were wide-ranging from helpingin a charity shop to teaching in a schoolImportantly because database management isoutsourced to CC Works therersquos constantproactivitiy around seeking new opportunities andproviding administrative support that would havebeen difficult to maintain in-house
Launching the ldquoReaching Outrdquo programTo encourage involvement and awarenessemployees were asked to suggest a name for therevitalized volunteering program ldquoReaching Outrdquowas chosen and the new volunteering website waslaunched in May 2005 The site sits on PfizerSandwichrsquos intranet and any employee orcontractor can access it
A charity week was also held to help promotethe Reaching Out program Various charitiesvisited Pfizer during lunch breaks to explain whatthey do and the opportunities to work with themA soft incentive for staff to register on theReaching Out site was that Pfizer would donate20 rehydration sachets to Unicef (monetary valueof about pound2)
Reaching Out was also featured in a webcastfrom a senior leader that went to all employees(about 3000 staff plus contractors) at the start ofthe week and it was profiled in the weekly onlinemagazine Pipeline 3
Pam Baker is directorStrategic Operations andCommunity Affairs at Pfizer UK
Christine Jenkins is founderof CC Works a consultancyoffering communityinvestment advice andpractical solutions to thecorporate and voluntarysectors Previously she heldsenior manager roles in thevoluntary and private sectors
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 an audit of Pfizer at Sandwichrsquos community investment
program revealed a lack of strategic direction
bull In partnership with consultancy CC Works a decision was made tofocus the program on the local community
bull An effort to raise employee involvement through volunteering hasboosted the program and linked it to employee engagement
bull The ldquoReaching Outrdquo website gives employees the freedom to work withcharities of their choice
bull By July 2006 the ldquoHealthy Communitiesrdquo program had beentransformed and won a National Example of Excellence award fromBusiness in the Community
26 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TOP TIPS FOR COMMUNITY INVESTMENTbull Ask yourself why yoursquore undertaking this program and seek clarity around
your objectives
bull Focus on likely ldquowinsrdquondash ie areas with scope for improvement such asemployee engagement or external awareness
bull Tackle one area at a time in stages and aim for excellence in each arearather than trying to boil the ocean
bull Communication is key to success Create a distinct brand and identity forthe program to encourage awareness and involvement
bull Integrate different community programs ndash a holistic approach can maximizebenefits for the community staff engagement and corporate reputation
Over 450 employees registered to use thesite over the next two months with 230 employees(8 percent of staff) actively volunteering duringthe first year This beat a target to have 5 percentof employees volunteering 12 months after launchIn 2005 employees volunteered 4800 hours
Helping employees select the right optionEmployees can search the volunteering databaseby skill geographic area or type of charity and aregiven a range of choices Then the onus is on theemployee to speak to the charity and obtainfurther details on current opportunities inaddition to whatrsquos on the database The employeethen applies to his or her line manager Anintegrated work process enables staff to obtainapproval from their manager interact with thevoluntary organization and record their effortskeeping administration to a minimum
Managers at Pfizer Sandwich are keen foremployees to volunteer because theyrsquore aware ofthe potential benefits in terms of employeeengagement and skills development ndash a largenumber of managers are volunteers themselvesPfizer also held briefing sessions for managers toensure they were aware of the volunteeringprogram its benefits and how it works
7
Engaging employees in Pfizerrsquos community investment program
Incorporating employee feedbackThe database tracks employeesrsquo volunteeringefforts including how many hours theyrsquove doneand their feedback on the opportunitiesEmployee feedback can then be accessed by otherstaff looking for an opportunity The databasegives employees better insight into the availableopportunities and allows them to select somethingthat appeals to them so that both the employeeand the organization where they volunteer gets abetter ldquofitrdquo
The database also allows for better integrationof the whole program where volunteering canprovide an alternative or an addition to fundingFor example a well-known national charityapplied to Pfizer at Sandwich for some fundingaround a diversity initiative Pfizer suggested theirdiversity manager volunteer for them instead whohelped create the charityrsquos diversity program thatis now being launched nationally
Creating an integrated programIn May 2005 the decision was taken to bringtogether all the strands of community investmentunder one brand Healthy Communities Thisprogram was to includebull Charitable grantsbull Employee volunteeringbull Gifts in kind Community investment via gifts
in kind such as the use of Pfizer premisesresources and expertise is more easilysustainable and can bring real long-termbenefit to the local community When Pfizerfacilities are used to support communityinitiatives the face-to-face contact withemployees allows relationship-building andnetworking with key influencers Also invitingthe community to use Pfizer resources on siteldquodemystifiesrdquo the company
The overarching strategy behind HealthyCommunities was to support communityinvestment holistically (ie using several of theabove elements in combination) whereverpossible Focusing grants on the areas of greatestneed helps Pfizer achieve its overall missionHowever the donation of gifts in kind can have awider-reaching impact on the community
Taking a holistic approachAn award-winning example of this holisticapproach is the Helping Hartsdown projectwhich was Pfizer Sandwichrsquos biggest ever gift inkindvolunteering project Pfizer donated andrenovated much-needed classrooms at a localschool As well as financial support and gifts inkind the project involved over 100 staff andcontractor volunteers across all departments Aspecific promotion on the Reaching Out website
ldquoBY JULY 2006 THE lsquoHEALTHY COMMUNITIESrsquoPROGRAM HAD BEEN TRANSFORMED AND WONA NATIONAL EXAMPLE OF EXCELLENCE AWARDFROM BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITYrdquo
27scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
POSITIVE IMPACTS OF THE PROGRAMThe Healthy Communities program has had the following positive impacts for Pfizer
bull The program supports and protects Pfizerrsquos freedom to operate effectivelyin East Kent UK
bull Supporting and involving employees in the program engages and motivatesthem The company is also seen to be living its values In a recent survey55 percent of colleagues felt the program was ldquofocused and effectiverdquo
bull The program provides opportunities for colleagues to develop skills Twentypercent of colleagues surveyed stated that they had improved personalskills through taking part in the program
bull A healthy community is a better place to live and work for employees andwill aid retention Retention of the most highly skilled scientists givesPfizer Global Research and Development a competitive edge
bull A vibrant and healthy community helps to attract and retain leadingscientists from around the world
bull Community is one of Pfizerrsquos six core values Communicating activitiesinternally and externally gives a positive perception of the company
helped attract this large number of volunteersincluding senior leaders
Momentum was maintained behind thecommunication of the program with monthlynetworking breakfasts and several themed minicharity fairs to give local good causes the chanceto showcase their volunteering Individuals andteamsrsquo volunteering efforts were also regularlyprofiled in Pipeline
The December 2006 employee survey showedan 85-percent awareness level of Reaching Outand the program won a ldquoNational Example ofExcellence Awardrdquo from Business in theCommunity1
Relaunching the websiteIn June 2006 the Reaching Out website wasrelaunched to incorporate payroll giving andmatched fundraising under the same brand asvolunteering and utilize the existing software Allelements can now be applied for on the same site
The number of employees registered with thesite increased to over 1000 and the number of adhoc staff enquiries handled by CC Worksincreased dramatically as awareness andinvolvement levels rose among the workforce
External communicationA quarterly newsletter containing a round-up ofPfizerrsquos community investment work is producedand distributed widely to external stakeholdersincluding 3000 local residents Following theBusiness in the Community award the magazineCommunity News was revamped its circulationincreased and it was also desk-dropped to allemployees The magazine also helps to raiseawareness of Pfizer among local organizations
A pocket-sized booklet was produced containingkey facts and figures about the Healthy Communitiesprogram This gives employees especially seniorleaders at-a-glance information on the programallowing them to act as ambassadors for Pfizerrsquoscommunity investment work
Senior leaders at Pfizer Sandwich are keenadvocates of the program and having a clearbrand helps them communicate its benefits andraise awareness both internally and externally
Next stepsDespite its award-winning status there are plansto take Healthy Communities even further Theseinclude further research into employee feedbackand closer links to personal development plans InPfizer at Sandwichrsquos Global Operations functionvolunteering forms part of personal objectives ndashthis is an aspiration for the rest of the business
Pfizer also wants to improve team volunteeringand a toolkit is being prepared for team leaderswho wish to get involved in volunteering
Finally in order to share knowledge and bestpractice around community investment with otherlocal businesses Pfizer is hosting a Kentmembership network in conjunction with KentCounty Council This will help Pfizer work closelywith the local authority and bring local businessestogether to share ideas and collaborate toimprove their impact on the community scm
1 httpwwwbitcorguk
CONTACT DETAILS
Pam BakerPfizerpambakerpfizercom
Christine JenkinsCC Workschristinejenkinsccworkscouk
28 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Editorrsquos noteSucceeding in internal communication probablyisnrsquot all that different to succeeding in anyprofession understand whatrsquos expected of you dothe job well and deliver results But when youspeak to practitioners about how they personallyturned the corner in their careers and started tomake an impact it soon becomes clear that thereare many dos and donrsquots that can help or hinderprogress This article provides a handy checklistfor those with ambitious development plans
John G ClemonsVice President CommunicationsRaytheon Technical Services Co Llc
Take the initiativeThere have been a few career-defining momentsfor me Among them was the time when I realizedthat I was moving from a manager level to the
decision-making role of a director I worked for a senior executive who hired me
from a rival telecommunications company Uponjoining the company I developed strategiccommunication plans to address various businesschallenges During the development process Iperiodically checked in with my supervisor to gethis input and approval ndash probably more thannecessary ndash before moving to the next steps in planning
One day he called me into his office and saidthat while he liked the work I was doing for himhis expectation when he hired me as a directorwas that I would take the initiative in the job relyless on his frequent input and move forward with implementation and measurement Hewanted results
His counsel was along the lines of ldquoI hired youto do a directorrsquos job so do the job of a directorYou donrsquot have to get permission to make adifferencerdquo
Meet commitments and think strategicallyHis direction motivated me to take moreresponsibility at this new job level This alsomeant that I had to not just manage but leadmeet commitments and think more strategicallyto continue to earn not only his confidence butthe support of the entire leadership team
Irsquove found that being a communicationprofessional who is also a leader that can betrusted can get things done and truly support thegoals and objectives of an organization will notonly impress others but help build your credibilityand lead to success
How to get ahead ininternal communication
The path that leads internal communicators to thetop of their profession isnrsquot always an obvious oneWhich is why we asked a range of senior practitioners
to share their thoughts and experiences on gaining therespect of those who matter Whether its senior leadersfellow employees or your own team yoursquore looking toimpress these responses provide useful insight into howto make sure you and your work gets noticed
Senior practitioners share their views on how togain influence and credibility
COMPILED BY MANDY THATCHER
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
29scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Mark DarbyHead of Internal CommunicationsVisaUK
Be smart sharp and stubbornThe biggest lesson Irsquove learned and keep havingto remind myself is that I need to be smart sharpand stubborn to get ahead This is what thosewords mean to me in a work context
Smart I need to understand what Visa is doingand what people think about the business Thismeans constantly spending time in differentdepartments and learning from them I know whoour customers are what our challenges are andwhat our current financial performance is I havecontacts in most departments who have a fingeron the pulse which means I can have a relevantconversation with a senior person from any department
Sharp Internal communication is rarely near thetop of the agenda for senior people and my timewith them is usually short I always try to talkabout the impact on business performance assoon as possible If I circulate a document it willbe summarized to a single page at most and Idonrsquot use PowerPoint I ask a lot of ldquoonerdquo questionssuch as ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing you want employeesto do differentlyrdquo or ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing youwant me to change over the next six monthsrdquo
Stubborn I know what I want internal communica-tion to achieve at Visa and it has the support ofthe senior team Irsquove built up knowledge frombooks and articles I use my education from theBlack Belt training course1 and I speak to formercolleagues With this knowledge Irsquove becomestubborn and good at saying no because I have theinformation to back up my arguments Irsquove stoppedmy team from picking up extra projects that wonrsquotdeliver much value We focus only on projects thatadd the most value to the business and we deliveron these really well Successful delivery is thebiggest influence on any senior person
Monika StaffordHead of Internal CommunicationLloyds TSBUK
Be creative and focus on a killer issueUsing creative solutions to bring to life importantndash but often dull ndash programs can create a shinethat stretches beyond project boundaries For
example I worked on the implementation of SAPndash a business-critical systems program ndash requiringbehavior change from swathes of key yetuninterested people Successful implementationwas a big risk to get right but it was as dull asdishwater to communicate
Luckily there was a ldquoEurekardquo moment Byaligning the SAP story with the metaphor ofFormula-1 racing we could tell the tale of how itwould fulfill our need to create winningperformances for both the individual driver aswell as the back-up team in order to perform wellon the road ahead This storyline was a perfectmatch for the programrsquos objectives
Launch speakers from Formula 1 great designwork not to mention fantastic collateral allresulted in a no-hitch implementation that reallyresonated with people The global companypicked it up as the approach for worldwide rollout So faced with tedium it can actually pay tostare out of the window for creative inspiration
My other piece of advice is Focus on a killerissue If you really want to get ahead (and do besure you really do as being at the center ofchange is often akin to being in the eye of ahurricane ndash itrsquos no place for the feint-hearted)learn what keeps your business leaders up atnight Use your stakeholder-management skills toget to the people you need to help you deliversolutions then execute execute execute
Focus on value-adding work only because ifyou end up working on your companyrsquos cul-de-sacprojects yoursquoll never shine brightly enough forthe leaders in your company to notice you 3
COMPETENCY
Planning internal communication 76
Linking corporate messages to corporate vision 73
CEO communication 63
Change communication 60
Communicating to diverse audiences 60
Using the intranet as a communication tool 54
Defending your department in internal political battles 43
Line manager communication 42
Professional development of internal communication staff 33
Helping employees cope with information overload 32
Securing the appropriate level of budget for internal communication 30
Measuring the effectiveness of internal communication 28
Figure One Table from The Pulse report showing the percentage of communicators who ratethemselves as effective or very effective at listed competencies
30 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
WHATrsquoS CHANGED IN THE LAST 25 YEARS
David MoorcroftSenior Vice PresidentCorporate CommunicationsRBC Financial Group Canada
Irsquom constantly amazed at the changes that have taken place in our professionover the last 25 years and the degree of talent and knowledge required bycommunicators today to do their jobs well
Back in 1979 when I started in corporate PR the major skill sets werewriting editing and great media contacts Today good editorial skills are justtable stakes and the ability to understand business adapt technology thinkstrategically plan consummately and influence stakeholders are what landsenior communicators a seat at the management table
This change has been driven by the globalization of business the advent ofnew 247 media including the Internet the growing sophistication ofcustomers and employees increased demands for corporate transparency andmore rigorous requirements for high standards of public disclosure andfinancial reporting
MORE SKILLS THAN EVER BEFOREAs a result todayrsquos business communicator has to be more capable andknowledgeable and have more skills than ever before They must befinancially literate and technologically savvy They must understand the impactof evolving accounting and disclosure rules They must deal with legal HRpolitical and business issues And they must be prepared to deal with amultitude of potential crises that can arise at any moment in any language inany part of the world
Perhaps most challenging senior management today expects clear bottom-line returns for their investments in communication Itrsquos no longer enough toinform audiences and measure communication outputs CEOs expectcommunication to engage audiences and produce outcomes ndash something thatrequires strategic thinking planning and foresight
A friend of mine who left a senior corporate PR job to become COO of amajor public utility recently summed up the role of todayrsquos communicator thisway ldquoItrsquos one of the most important and critical roles in organizations todayand yet itrsquos often one of the least recognized and appreciatedrdquo
That sentiment may be a reality in some organizations today but with moreand more CEOs beginning to realize the bottom-line value of communication itwonrsquot be 25 years from now
Christina FeeSenior Vice President InternalCommunicationsDeutsche Post AGGermany
Seek out the important projectsI canrsquot pretend to have employed a specificapproach to my ldquopersonal PRrdquo at all But in theorganizations Irsquove worked for Irsquove had theopportunity to work on a number of excitinghigh-profile projects that have connected me withsenior stakeholders and influential people atdifferent levels
7
Irsquove learned a great deal from the project teamsIrsquove worked with and also due to the significanceand scope of the projects been able todemonstrate my worth approach and skills Irsquovehad to be passionate stand up for what I believein and think outside the box constantly
My roles within DHLDeutsche Post haveallowed me the freedom and flexibility to developand deliver new ideas but Irsquove also had to practiceand embody excellent internal communicationskills myself Having developed credibility and trustwith those that matter based on my track record Iwas allowed to go ahead with other projects
I donrsquot actively pursue the ldquoright relationshipsrdquobut rather let my work and my interactions withpeople speak for themselves This has helped medevelop mentors and supporters naturally Mylearning and development has also been expandedby the opportunity to work abroad and learn moreabout intercultural communication and interaction
Marc SilversideHead of Internal CommunicationsMacmillan Cancer SupportUK
Understand whatrsquos expected of youA newly established role heightens the need formaking a good impression so that people trustyou and feel they can come to you for advice
When I joined Macmillan I very nearly got thiswrong Perhaps this is an example that otherrsquos canlearn from
When my new CEO at Macmillan CancerSupport asked for a meeting ldquoafter a few weeks tosettle inrdquo I was confident that my wide-ranginginduction would help me understand the businessand provide the basis for what Irsquod present tosenior management
Forty structured face-to-face managerinterviews allowed me to understand needs andkey issues and I started to build personal rapportMy profile was raised and at the same timeinternal communication gained good visibility
Externally I networked with contacts in similarroles in other charities and soon found thebeginnings of a voluntary-sector network This hassince grown to over 25 members
By the time my CEO slot arrived I was armedwith input from across the charity and the resultsof an audit I felt well prepared to present myvision and solutions So I was surprised to be metwith significant resistance
I later discovered that my CEO intelligence wasincorrect What he wanted was to be askedspecifically about his own views on what internalcommunication should do and what I could do for
How to get ahead in internal communication
31scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
HOW DO YOUR SKILLS MEASURE UPFor Melcrumrsquos study into budgets salaries and trends in internalcommunication in 200607 we asked survey respondents to rate their owneffectiveness at a range of key communication competencies from planning tomeasurement The results may surprise you
For example 76 percent of respondents rate themselves as effective or veryeffective at planning internal communication but only 28 percent ratethemselves as equally effective at measuring its effectiveness (see Figure Onepage 29)
In her commentary on the results development expert Sue Dewhurst hadthe following to say
OUR STRENGTHSIt seems where we see our strengths as internal communicators is towards theldquofront endrdquo of the communication planning process For example being able tolink a plan to the business strategy knowing our audiences and being able tojoin up the dots and show people how messages link to the business vision
These are powerful strengths We are one of the few functions that tends tohave an overarching view of our entire company and is able to view thecompany and its strategy from a number of different perspectives Being ableto understand the vision and strategy view it from an audience perspectiveand then create line of sight to show what those things mean in practicalterms for peoplersquos day-to-day roles is one of the ways that we help drivebusiness performance ndash by showing people what they need to do to take thestrategy forward
In turn by knowing and working with our audiences hopefully wersquore thenalso able to make sure their views and suggestions can help shape the strategyand how itrsquos put into practice
MEASURING EFFECTIVENESSWe see ourselves as less effective towards the back end of the planningprocess in measuring the effectiveness of internal communication which tiesin with the feeling from previous questions that in fact wersquore not doing muchmeasurement or demonstrating our return on investment
Research and measurement is an area where there is plenty of expertisearound to call on There are measurement conferences research reports andpublications to understand what other organizations are doing and practicaltraining that will give you the opportunity to work in a smaller group askquestions and practice techniques For help with specific techniques try yourinternal marketing team Marketers are generally great with data and well-versed in running focus groups and putting together surveys If you have anexternal provider to support your employee engagement research try them too
Source The Pulse Essential data on budgets salaries and trends 2006-07wwwmelcrumcom
him rather than how I could benefit the charity Ihad to change my approach fast
This could have cost me my best ambassadorfrom day one So my advice is make sure yoursquoreabsolutely clear about whatrsquos expected from you
Of course the insights I gained in my first fewmonths have been valuable and since then myresults have done the talking Fortunately theCEO soon became an internal communicationsconvert and advocate
Darren CrozierCommunications ManagerHBOS plcUK
Make things happenDelivery is key to career development ndash if you sayyoursquore going to do something make sure you doit Put in the effort get the results you want andbe known as someone who can make things happenIf yoursquore seen to ldquoget things donerdquo no matter howsmall the job is people are more likely to get youinvolved in activities and ask your opinion
Gaining credibility and respect from seniorcolleagues is important but everyone in yourorganization will form an opinion of you from thepeople in the canteen right through to the CEOSo try and make sure that their opinion of you is agood one
Itrsquos not just the people within your immediatesphere of influence who can have an impact onyour career so extend your network go oncourses and get involved in professionalorganizations Many of my close workingrelationships career opportunities and indeedpersonal friendships have come from meetingpeople at such events and taking the time to keepin touch You never know how things will develop
Itrsquos also vital to earn respect be trustworthy andhave good manners To recall what an ex-bossonce said ldquoBe careful how you treat people onthe way up as you never know when you maycome across them againrdquo
One of the biggest challenges Irsquove found inrecent times is recognizing my own success andselling myself Sometimes you need to take a stepback to realize just what yoursquove achieved Evenbetter keep a log or portfolio of your successesand donrsquot be shy to speak about them becauseothers wonrsquot be shy to speak about theirs
Finally try and have some fun along the wayWe all have to work for a living so learn to makethe most of it scm
1 For more about Melcrumrsquos Internal Communication Black Belttraining program go to wwwmelcrumcom
32 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pitney Bowes has followed an aggressive strategyof growth through acquisition completing 60+acquisitions since 2001 Expansion has broadenedits product mix to include an extensive range ofsolutions from office equipment to globalpositioning software
But the companyrsquos many different specialismsand huge outsourcing operations meant that themajority of its 34000 employees werenrsquot aware ofthe full range of its service offering and thepotential for different divisions to work together
As Rob Hallam vice president EmployeeCommunication explains there was a strongbusiness case for adopting a ldquoone companyrdquoapproach ldquoBecause the businesses tended to besomewhat siloed even senior managers werefocused on their divisions
ldquoAlso because we were acquiring companiesand evolving so rapidly managers werenrsquot awareof a lot of the businesses and how they all workedtogether in the mailstreamrdquo says Hallam ldquoWewere missing out on potential cross-sellingopportunitiesrdquo
Communicating a new visionFour years ago Pitney Bowes created a OneCompany Vision statement ldquoOur aim was toensure support and cooperation across thebusiness so we could provide a comprehensive setof customer solutions ndash not just a list of productsand services by business unitrdquo says Hallam Theinternal communication challenge was to drawtogether 34000 employees and build a unifiedcorporate culture The communication strategyfocused on three key elements
1 PeopleThis focused on involving the leadershipstrengthening a two-way dialogue betweenmanagement and employees communicating theculture through leadership messaging enterprise-wide events and roadshows and buildingengagement so that everyone was workingtogether towards a One Company approach
2 ProcessesThis meant integrating the One Companyapproach into the organizationrsquos operations andinfrastructure by shifting management roles andadjusting incentives and reward structuresthroughout the company
The first step was to consolidate the companyrsquosoperating activities by appointing Murray DMartin as president and chief operating officer inSeptember 2004 Martinrsquos mantra is ldquoThink AsOne Act as One Operate As One to deliverwhat no other company canrdquo
ldquoThe COO position had previously been heldby the chairman so elevating someone to that
Communicating a OneCompany culture atPitney Bowes
Following rapid growth in the form of more than 60acquisitions over six years silo-working haddeveloped at Pitney Bowes and leaders were failing
to take advantage of profitable cross-selling opportunitiesHere Rob Hallam describes the communication elementsof a ldquoOne Companyrdquo culture-change program which hasturned the situation around simultaneously improvingcustomer service and boosting profits
Persuading disparate businessunits to work together
AN INTERVIEW WITH ROB HALLAM
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Pitney Bowes is an 87-year-old company best known forthe manufacturing operationand oversight of postagemeters It has over two millioncustomers more than 3500active patents and annualrevenue of close to $6 billion
33scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
role was a big changerdquo explains Hallam ldquoAll thebusiness units now report to a single individual atoperating level It represented a huge positivemove to start the company operationalizing OneCompany behaviorrdquo
The internal communication function wasrestructured to ensure that consistent messagingreached the entire employee population Regularmeasurement was a key part of the changeinitiative This served to define the contributionof communicating a One Company approachwhere it was adding value to Pitney Bowes and itsclients and customers and where there was stillwork to do
3 TechnologyIt was important to find the best ways to cascademessages throughout the company and keeppeople informed about what was going onwithout bombarding them with irrelevantcommunication Hallam and his team deploy avariety of channels and media including internalprint and online publications voicemail and e-mail Pitney Bowes is also in the process ofintegrating its different voicemail systems and e-mail platforms into one global system
Involving senior leadership from the outsetThe One Company strategy was an overridingpolicy that started at the top of the organizationldquoThere was a big launch at the strategic leadersrsquomeeting which is held every Januaryrdquo saysHallam ldquoThe messaging was then driven throughthe organization via a companywide globalcommunication strategyrdquo
From the outset the policy was championed bythe CEO Michael Critelli who believes thatculture is central to the Pitney Bowes brand andsaid recently ldquoMy first measure of success iswhether we are behaving as one companyrdquo Thiscommitment helped to ensure that the culturalchange was reinforced by parallel changes to thecorporate infrastructure
Building a two-way dialogueThe next step was to get the employee populationinvolved and build enterprisewide enthusiasm forthe culture change Pitney Bowes has alwaysrecognized the value of a two-way dialoguebetween management and employees and hasheld annual jobholders meetings which aresimilar to shareholdersrsquo meetings for 61 years In2005 Hallam reinvented it as an initiative calledOne Forum ndash a series of roadshows focusing oncommunicating the One Company culturethroughout the organization
Launching the One ForumIn 2005 Hallam and his team created an original
and memorable One Forum launch for the 90percent of Pitney Bowes employees based in theUS Around a quarter of US employees saw thisin person the others received a link to a websitewith streaming highlights
ldquoWe put together a two-hour roadshow eventwhich helped people to understand our OneCompany approach and made them aware of allthe businesses we were inrdquo says Hallam ldquoThethinking was that high change requires high touchFace-to-face can have far greater impact on theindividuals touched From there itrsquos a matter ofripple effect such as seeing improved One Forumbrand awareness among employees who didnrsquotactually attend one of the eventsrdquo
ldquoWe wanted the roadshow to be entertainingand energizing so we used gameshow techniquescustom-written songs and comedy specificallytailored to Pitney Bowes employees It was a funevent but it also included a keynote speech fromthe CEO and a lot of question-and-answersessions with employees It was entertainmentwith a purpose and it was a great success with employeesrdquo
The post-event employee evaluations provedthe success of this approach ldquoIn some cities anincredible 90 percent of employees gave the eventa top-box rating This shows that there was ahunger for both the knowledge and theapproachrdquo adds Hallam
Taking the show on the roadThe One Forum roadshow has become an annualevent ldquoIn a five-month period during 2005 therewere 17 One Forum events in 12 US citiesreaching about 6000 peoplerdquo says Hallam ldquoAftersome testing in March and April the first bigroadshows started in early May and continued forsix months with the final one in early Decemberin Seattle 3
Rob Hallam is vice presidentEmployee Communication atPitney Bowes (PB) in StamfordConnecticut where hersquos beenresponsible for internalcommunication strategy andimplementation since 2004Hallam has led a team ofprofessionals in reshapingcommunication at PB resultedin the communication teamearning the top ranking in HRdepartment satisfaction fromall PBrsquos US managers in 2005and 2006
KEY POINTSbull Internal communication has played an important role in embedding a
One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
bull The communication strategy focused on three key elements peopleprocess and technology
bull The campaign has been championed by the CEO from the outset andhas won senior leadership support over time
bull An entertaining roadshow helped win employee commitment
bull Cross-selling ratios have jumped substantially since the culture-changeeffort began
34 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ldquoIn 2006 we compressed the programsubstantially and drove down costs while stilltouching 6000 employees Together with ourcorporate marketing group we also introduced anextremely successful lsquoelevator speechrsquo that helpsemployees answer the much-feared questionlsquoWhat does Pitney Bowes dorsquordquo
Local variationsAlthough the entertainment component in theroadshows contributed to their success it wasspecific to the US so Hallam gave business unitsand internal communicators in other regions theresponsibility for communicating the OneCompany approach to local employees ldquoInCanada and the UK they conducted town-hallmeetings and in Latin America and other parts ofthe world they produced their own variations onthe One Forum theme We made sure that theyhad the information they needed but we limitedthe entertainment to English-speaking regionsrdquo
A commitment to employee engagementThe appointment of the new COO and the launchof the One Forum roadshows coincided with thefirst employee engagement survey in late 2004ldquoWe see engagement as very much tied to ourability to execute a One Company strategy andchange our culturerdquo says Hallam He sets outfour ways in which employee engagement isinstilled at all levels in the organization
1 Visible leadership commitment to engagementThe CEO underlines his commitment by sendingregular messages to employees via a variety ofmedia including voicemail and print and onlinepublications He also uses engagement scores todetermine a unitrsquos overall performance rating andbonus pool ldquoWhen one senior execrsquos bonus poolwas reduced due to poor engagement scores that
was a message requiring no communication planrdquosays Hallam ldquoWord spread quicklyrdquo
2 Celebrating top performers Pitney Bowes celebrates its top engagementperformers by running cover stories in its globalprint and online publication PB Today ldquoThisprogram was called lsquoThe Faces of Pitney Bowesrsquordquosays Hallam ldquoWe did 10 of these last year so theyran twice in five editions Wersquove also producedlarge mural-sized photos of those managers andtheir teamsrdquo he says ldquoWe celebrate success andpublish it everywhere Our CEO loves it and wersquoreactually selling part of our contemporary artcollection which decorates the building to makeroom for an expansion of additional OneCompany and Engagement photography all ofwhich will focus on our employeesrdquo
3 Incentivizing managers via the reward systemEmployee engagement is recognized andreinforced in the companyrsquos formal processesincluding its reward system ldquoWe use a tool calledthe Strategic Architecture which is our balancedscorecardrdquo explains Hallam ldquoItrsquos a Six-Sigma toolwhich measures employee shareholder andcustomer value Managersrsquo engagement scoresalso factor into their annual reviews soengagement has a direct impact on remunerationrdquo
4 Rewarding engagementA further program called Rapid Rewards awardscash bonuses to managers and employees foroutstanding behavior including that related toemployee engagement
Aligning the communication strategyHallam and his team are responsible fordelivering the overall employee communicationstrategy ldquoWe had to dramatically improve ourstrategic approach in order to make OneCompany a realityrdquo he says
In addition to organizing campaigns such as theOne Forum roadshows to publicize the culturechange across the enterprise Hallam hasintroduced initiatives aimed at improving thereach and delivery of internal communication andmaking sure messages get to their intendedaudiences He has also aligned the structure ofthe internal communication function with thecompanyrsquos unified culture
ldquoThere were a lot of different communicationgroups so we brought together all thecommunication leaders and formed a singleInternal Communications Councilrdquo explainsHallam ldquoThis means that the communicationfunctions in the different business units areworking together to help drive change andimprove coordinationrdquo
Communicating a One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
ldquoWHEN A SENIOR EXECrsquoS BONUS WAS REDUCEDDUE TO POOR ENGAGEMENT SCORES THAT WASA MESSAGE REQUIRING NO COMMUNICATIONPLAN WORD SPREAD QUICKLYrdquo
7
FURTHER RESOURCES3 THE IMPACT OF CULTURE AND CLIMATE ON CHANGE PROGRAMS
An article published in SCM Volume 10 Issue 6 OctoberNovember 2006
3 DRIVING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE CORPORATE CULTUREMelcrumrsquos report on communication tools techniques and best practicefrom leading organizationswwwmelcrumcom
35scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Developing a global approachHallam is also responsible for a globalcommunication project called Universal Reachwhich is sponsored by the chairman and designedto support and maintain a unified corporateculture ldquoOur goal is to provide 90 percentmessage accessibility within our key customer-facing audiencesrdquo he explains ldquoThe biggestchallenge is integrating our online communicationinfrastructure which has nine different voicemailsystems operating across the world and multiplee-mail and web platforms Wersquore pulling all thattogether to provide better reachrdquo
Since 911 the CEO and other top executiveshave broadcast weekly audio messages calledPower Talks Hallamrsquos team has worked with theleadership to ensure that they incorporate OneCompany messages and as he explains they reachmost of the employee population ldquoAbout 20000of our employees have voicemail Those whodonrsquot receive the Power Talk message either inprint or online In some divisions managers playthe Power Talk messages in staff meetingsrdquo
Engaging leadership reinforces the cultureBuilding on the CEOrsquos commitment to a OneCompany approach Hallam and his team haveorganized leadership events ndash most recently at thestrategic leadersrsquo meeting in December 2006 ndashshowing Pitney Bowes as one company in actionThis campaign has helped to engage the top 150managers in the culture change
ldquoOur post-event evaluations show a strongmove numerically in senior leadershiprsquos belief thatwersquore operating as one companyrdquo says Hallam(see Figure One above) ldquoAs theyrsquore our toughestjudges wersquore pleased by the significant differencein pre- and post-event measurementrdquo There wasalso an improvement in leadersrsquo understanding ofthe companyrsquos new mailstream category
Sustaining the new cultureAccording to Hallam rippling out the OneCompany messaging requires a consistent andcoordinated approach Communication leaders inthe various divisions are now working to weaveOne Company messages into the business-unitmeetings ldquoA lot of the messaging that welaunched at the strategic leadersrsquo meeting arebeing reiterated at the business unit level Thatrsquosbeen facilitated through the InternalCommunications Councilrdquo he says
ldquoKey metrics for the culture change programfocus on cross-selling ratios which have jumpedsubstantially since the culture change effortbeganrdquo says Hallam ldquoIn 2002 we also institutedthe ldquoPB1 Awardsrdquo which is a chairmanrecognition award that goes to teams who bestembody cross-functional behavior in working on
projects which improve our clientsrsquo profitabilityour profitability or bothrdquo
ldquoHowever wersquore only really a year into thisMuch of the evidence is anecdotal but what haschanged is that our managers have broadenedtheir vision and are thinking as solutions-providers rather than product-sellers As suchtheyrsquore involving other business units out of theirdesire to eliminate customer pain points ndashregardless of which part of Pitney Bowes gets the salerdquo
Adding value to customersUltimately managers and employees who arewell-informed about the companyrsquos products andservices are in a good position to take advantageof cross-selling opportunities Realizing thispotential enables Pitney Bowes to make extrasales to existing customers thereby increasing itsprofit margins and allowing customers to benefitfrom a mix of products and services
Shifting to a unified culture directly benefitsboth Pitney Bowes and its customers ldquoByfocusing on the whole cadre of products andservices we can help our customers improve theirbusinessesrdquo says Hallam ldquoThatrsquos where OneCompany is critical It enables our clients tobenefit from all our servicesrdquo scm
Figure One Measuring the impact of the strategic leadersrsquo meeting
CONTACT DETAILS
Rob HallamPitney Bowesrobhallampbcom
I BELIEVE THAT OUR SENIOR LEADERS (MEANING THE TOP 15 EXECS) AREWORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO DELIVER INTEGRATED HIGH-VALUESOLUTIONS TO OUR CUSTOMERS
Pre SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 73
Post SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 92
Gain in two months time 19
ldquoMANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WELL-INFORMED ABOUT THE COMPANYrsquoS PRODUCTSAND SERVICES ARE IN A GOOD POSITION TOTAKE ADVANTAGE OF CROSS-SELLINGrdquo
2007
36 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
MELCRUM TRAINING amp EVENTS
CALENDAR 2007UKEUROPESOCIAL MEDIA FORUM FORINTERNAL COMMUNICATORS UK
3 21-22 March 2007 Hilton Canary WharfLondon UKThis forum is designed for practitioners who wantto make social media part of their internalcommunication strategy Over two dayscompanies such as IBM Microsoft and BT willshare case studies demonstrating their use ofsocial-media tools Technology experts will also beon hand to provide training and show you how touse these tools
THE 3RD ANNUAL EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT CONFERENCE UK
3 22-24 May 2007 Millennium GloucesterLondon UK22 May ndash Practical workshops23-24 May ndash Two-day conferenceThis event will focus on transforming yourstrategies into action Listen to case studies fromcompanies that have achieved real andmeasurable results from their engagement effortsLearn how they did it what they achieved and howthe results were measured
THE 6TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT UK
3 16-18 October 2007 London UK After the huge success of the 2006 UK StrategicCommunication Management Summit next yearrsquosevent will once again provide you withpresentations from key figures in the industry anda chance to network with your peers Mark yourdiaries now ndash more details to follow
THE 3RD ANNUAL INTERNALCOMMUNICATION MEASUREMENTCONFERENCE UK
3 27-29 November 2007 London UKDetails available soon ndash mark your diary now
NORTH AMERICATHE 3RD ANNUAL CONFERENCEON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENTBUILDING AND SUSTAINING ACULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT
3 28 February ndash 1 March 2007 Crowne PlazaAtlanta-Buckhead Atlanta USLearn how to foster an environment whereemployees feel valued and respected Hear fromcompanies including Dow Corning CorporationAmerican Express Delta Hotels and Merck
THE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT US
3 26-28 March 2007 Crowne Plaza UnionSquare San Francisco26 March ndash Pre-conference workshops27-28 March ndash Two-day summitAttend this conference and discover how toimprove employee alignment with all segments ofyour internal audience ndash from your front-lineemployees to your executive officers bothnationally and worldwide
AUSTRALIATHE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION ENGAGEMENTSUMMIT SYDNEY
3 31 July ndash 2 August 2007 Sydney Australia Details available soon ndash mark your diary now
WEBINARSDEVELOPING PROFESSIONALCOMPETENCE
3 Thursday 22 February 2007 with LiamFitzPatrick and Sue Dewhurst
HELPING YOUR ORGANIZATIONTHRIVE DURING TURBULENTTIMES
3 Thursday 29 March 2007 with Carol KinseyGoman
TRAININGTHE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT PROGRAM
3 24-25 April and 1-2 May 2007 HenleyManagement College UK3 11-12 and 27-28 September 2007 Cranfield
School of Management UK
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT MASTERCLASSEFFECTIVE MEASUREMENT
3 14-15 March 2007 Hendon Hall Hendon UKAn essential two-day intensive training courses forinternal communicators on effective measurementRegister early as places are strictly limited to 20people per Masterclass
CSR DELIVERY ENGAGEMENT amp LEADERSHIP
3 19-20 April 2007 Central LondonOsney MediaWith an excellent speaker line-up from high-profile companies including Procter amp Gamble The BodyShop ExxonMobil Microsoft Belgium Vodafone UK Dell Ericsson and Alliance Boots this case studybased event will answer questions including how do Ibull Build a CSR-oriented leadershipbull Get people on boardbull Integrate CSR with the global strategy of the companybull Deliver CSR throughout the company to make it really happen
For more information visit wwwcsrleadershipcom or e-mail mariame_lindellosneymediacouk (Reference code 910MLC3)
38 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
DESIGN
YELLOW
The future success of all organisations will be builton trust understanding passion empowermentintegrity and relationships
The future is cool exciting sparkling organisationsbursting with energy life and action
The future of brand is the internal brand first andforemost
The future is colleague as customer
Turning communications upside down
No just inside-out
Be part of the future say hello to Yellow
We help large organisations bring their communicationsstrategies to life through the imaginative use of liveevents multimedia web and design ndash distributed acrossall media platforms including DVD TV mobile devicesintranet and extranet
Ultimately developing internal brands and ongoingcommunications that have a measurable impact onpeople-performance advocacy and the bottom line
Contact Paul MiddletonTel +44 (0)161 228 6700E-mail paulmiddletonyellowcomcomWebsite wwwyellowcomcom
NEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
DESIGN
BLUE GOOSE
blue goose specialize in visual communications We make communications work faster and better We will link what wedo back to your objectives but we donrsquot talk (or charge for) ldquostrategyrdquo when you simply want tactical implementation Weuse design and creativity tobull differentiate products and services bull develop and manage corporate and brand identity bull align external communications with agreed values bull internalize corporate and brand identitybull align internal communications with agreed values bull support organizational change and bull help organizations better understand and define who they are
We work for clients as diverse as PricewaterhouseCoopers Ford Europe Centrica plc Greene King City of London Policeand Le Meacuteridien
blue goose is for any organization more interested in designing their future than watching it happen
Contact Chris BarringtonE-mail thinkingbluegoosecoukTel +44 (0)20 8869 8500Web site wwwbluegoosecouk
CONSULTANCY
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION ampSURVEYS PTY LTD
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd is aboutique consultancy based in Sydney Australia Itspecializes in employee communication strategiessystems research and employee surveys of all kindsPrincipal Rodney Gray has been involved inorganizational consulting for over 20 years following a15-year career as a corporate human resourcesexecutive Services includebull Employee communication audits and surveys by
questionnaires focus groups and interviewsbull Employee communication systems strategies and
processesbull Employee communication training workshops and
talksbull Employee culture climate and opinion surveysbull Qualitative organizational diagnosis (focus groups
and interviews)bull Internal service quality research (qualitative and
quantitative)
Contact Rodney GrayTel +61 (0)2 9909 2900 Fax +61 (0)2 9909 2911E-mail rodneyrodneygraycomauWeb site wwwemployee-communicationcomau
CONSULTANCY
HEDRON
Internal and change communication that helps teamsand individuals to develop strategies relationshipsprocesses and skills to engage stakeholders supporthigh performance and deliver change
ldquoSharp strategic thinking quality execution effectiveinterpersonallyhelliprdquo ldquoCreativity drive resourcefulnessresults great funhelliprdquo say clients
All sectors ndash ABN AMRO AXA BT Cadbury SchweppesDepartment for Constitutional Affairs HealthcareCommission Group 4 Securicor SABMiller SiemensSouthern Rail Unilever Wincanton
Our clients are happy to tell you what itrsquos like workingwith us
Contact Helena MemoryTel + 44 (0) 20 7493 0735Fax + 44 (0) 20 7493 0743E-mail helena-mhedroncomWeb site wwwhedroncom
CONSULTANCY
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
39scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
CONSULTANCY
SYNOPSIS
Founded by change and communication authority Bill Quirke in 1992 Synopsis is one of Europersquos leading internalcommunication consultancies Our clients include such companies as ABN Amro BBC BP British Airways DiageoEricsson HP Lloyds TSB Roche Shell and Vodafone
We help clients use internal communication to engage their employees in delivering business strategy and get most valuefrom their internal communication
We can help youbull Develop communication strategies that support your business strategybull Coach leadersbull Develop line managersrsquo communication skillsbull Plan and coordinate your communication with colleagues onlinebull Check the health of your communication channels and improve return on investmentbull Build and develop the communication functionbull Measure and track employee engagement attitudes and opinions
To take a tour of our online planning tool go to wwwsynopsisonlinecomproductplanningtoolasp
Contact Jane LebeauE-mail janelebeausynopsisonlinecomTel +44 (0) 20 7490 2900Web site wwwsynopsisonlinecom
CONSULTANCY
HARKNESS KENNETT
We specialize in internal communication To us thatmeansbull motivating people through inspiring leadershipbull guiding people through organizational changebull engaging people in delivering the brand
Working in partnership with our clients is central to ourethos enabling us to help deliver practical solutionssupported by solid strategic thinking All of ourconsultants have held senior positions ldquoclient siderdquo sowe know what itrsquos like to be in your shoes The vastmajority of our work comes from recommendations fromexisting clients ndash 82 percent of our clients haverequested repeat work in the last two years
Our clients include Abbey Atkins BDO Stoy HaywardThe Environment Agency Marks amp Spencer NHS Blood ampTransplant Morgan Stanley Europe Nestleacute PoliceInformation Technology Organisation Royal ampSunAlliance South West Trains and Vodafone
Our vision is simple ndash we want to be the first callyou make
Contact James HarknessTel +44 (0)1483 222730E-mail jamesharknessharknesskennettcomWeb site wwwharknesskennettcom
CONSULTANCY
TRIDENT COMMUNICATIONS
Trident Communications is uniquely positioned to definedevelop and deliver award-winning solutions that aligncommunication with business goals
We advise and partner with organizations of all sizes tocreate high-value practical applications Our talentedproject teams provide innovative research designeditorial and imagery for print and online
We connect ideas and deliver results
Contact Peter Agertoft Tel +44 (0)207 536 8900E-mail peteragertoft
tridentcommunicationsnetWeb site wwwtridentcommunicationsnet
CONSULTANCY
FLEISHMAN-HILLARD
Fleishman-Hillardrsquos dedicated internal and changecommunication practice helps businesses focus onperforming ndash not just informing
We help organisations plan and implement programmeswith the right mix of information dialogue and trainingso that employees are engaged aligned and motivatedto achieve business objectives
Because effective internal communication is vital tobottom-line performance we partner with our clients tocreate a daily dialogue ndash not a monologue ndash withemployees
Contact Nick AndrewsTel +32 (0)2 230 05 45 E-mail nickandrewsfleishmancomWeb site wwwfleishmaneuropecom
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE A listing in our Directory of Services will giveyou a chance to reach communicationprofessionals at some of the worldrsquos largestand most admired companies and to tap intodecision-making practitioners
ContactVincent SorelTel +44 (0)208 600 4670E-mail vincentsorelmelcrumcom
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
INCLUDE YOUR COMPANY BY CONTACTING US ON +44(0)20 8600 4670 OR AT INFOMELCRUMCOM
CONSULTANCY
HILL amp KNOWLTON
Better business results the bottom line
How do I manage more change Motivate managers Getthe right information to the right people Show the bestreturn on communication investment
Sound familiar Hill amp Knowltonrsquos change and internalcommunication consultants work with companies aroundthe world to find the right answers for their situation
We offer strategy insight and creativity drawing on ourconsultancy expertise and in-house experience Plus wedeliver practical hands-on help
We know that effective employee communication has adirect impact on the bottom line Working together wecan make it happen for you
Contact EMEA DavidFerrabeehillandknowltoncom
+44 (0) 7413 3176USA BarbaraEdlerhillandknowltoncom
+1 415 281-7160Canada KristaThompsonhillandknowltoncom
+1 613 786-9961
RECRUITMENT
VMA GROUP
VMA Group is one of the UKrsquos leading executive searchand selection consultancies specializing in internal andcorporate communication recruitment
For over 25 years VMA Group has provided the highestlevel of service to some of the most demanding globalorganizations developing a strong track record for thequality and professionalism of our search and selection work
We have in-depth specialist knowledge of the internalcommunication market and can provide high-qualitypermanent and interim candidates with expertise acrossinternal communication change management and widercorporate communication We understand the needs ofour clients intrinsically and strive to develop long-termrelationships with clients and candidates alike
Please call to discuss how we can help you find theideal candidate or if you wish to make a career move
Contact David BroomeTel +44 (0)20 7436 4243E-mail dbroomevmagroupcoukWeb site wwwvmagroupcouk
40 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONALCOMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS E-mail gaitensunityncsueduWeb site wwwconsultingsuccessorgTel 919 469 3895
CIB ndash BRITISH ASSOCIATION OFCOMMUNICATORS IN BUSINESSE-mail enquiriescibukcomWeb site wwwcibukcomTel +44 (0)870 121 7606
CCM ndash COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATIONMANAGEMENT E-mail membership
ccmconnectioncomWeb site wwwccmconnectioncomTel 866 463 4226
CPRS ndash THE CANADIAN PUBLICRELATIONS SOCIETYE-mail admincprscaWeb site wwwcprscaTel 416 239 7034
IABC ndash THE INTERNATIONALASSOCIATION OF BUSINESSCOMMUNICATORS E-mail service_centreiabccomWeb site wwwiabccomTel 415 544 4700
ICA ndash THE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONALLIANCE E-mail amandafoistericaukorgWeb site wwwiprorgukicaTel +44 (0)1628 642 044
CIPR ndash THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OFPUBLIC RELATIONS UKE-mail infoiprorgukWeb site wwwiprorgukTel +44 (0)20 7253 5151
IPRA ndash THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICRELATIONS ASSOCIATIONE-mail ipraseccompuservecomWeb site wwwipraorgTel +44 (0) 1372 461 188
PRSA ndash PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OFAMERICAE-mail resourcesprsaorgWeb site wwwprsaorgTel 212 460 1459
DIRECTORY OF SERVICESNEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
CONSULTANCY
21scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
FCC is a high performer in all otheroperational areas and employee engagementis a strong predictor of sustained corporateperformance But the survey showed therewas work to be done to align perceptionsbetween the senior leadership team andemployees Detailed results showed the gaps(see Figure One below)
2 Ryan became more determined to create ahigh-performance team that could deliver anextraordinary customer experience andsustainable business results
Establishing expected behaviorAs a first step towards creating a critical mass ofleaders who visibly demonstrate the behaviorsrequired to transform FCCrsquos culture middlemanagement and key cross-functional teams weretrained in responsible teamwork practices andcommunication skills
Ryan then created a set of 10 cultural practicesthat explicitly outlined how he expectedemployees at all levels to behave (see side barnext page) The foundation of these practices isthe belief that the drive for business results mustbe balanced by the attendant impact on people Inother words how the work was accomplished wasevery bit as important as what was accomplishedThe cultural practices were rolled out to allemployees in 2003
With the expected behavior from leaders andemployees clearly articulated it was time forinternal communication to find opportunities tosupport and promote these behaviors
Challenge 1 Creating a strategic frameworkOur first objective was to create a broaderstrategic framework for internal communicationA review of best-practice companies revealed thatformal media represents about 10 percent of allinternal communication channels with internalsystems accounting for another 10 percent Theremaining 80 percent is influenced by theorganizational culture
Our task was to put a formal strategy in placethat would strengthen the 10 percent ofcommunication we did have control over ndash theinternal communication channels
Within FCC the dominant employeecommunication channels were immediatemanagers e-mail and the intranet (Myinet)Front-line managers delivered corporate messagesdirectly to employees and their efforts weresupported by all-staff e-mails
There was nothing wrong with this approachbut it didnrsquot go far enough in the delivery of clearconsistent messages about strategic direction orcorporate priorities Nor did it create a line ofsight between individuals and business outcomes
For example a lack of central coordination wasresulting in unclear mixed messages thatconfused the internal audience A proliferation ofemployee surveys were independently conductedby various business units and the corporate e-mail system was choked with high volumecontributing to information overload
The intranetrsquos navigational structure and searchcapability needed major improvement datedinformation needed to be archived and majordocuments needed to be redeveloped in a web-friendly format
Defining our strategy and objectivesAware of these drawbacks we defined ourstrategy as To adopt a more integrated approachto internal communication and make sure allmessages focus employees on the businesspriorities Our strategies included the followingbull Segment the employee audience and define
communication needs based on demographicspsychographics and geographic location
bull Create a consistent voice across all groupsbull Ensure internal communication is mandatory
for all major corporate initiatives and isintegrated across channels and with othercommunication activities
bull Deliver targeted information through a varietyof channels and vehicles to reinforce messaginghelp with recall appeal to differentpreferences and create and sustain interest
bull Redevelop the intranet and position it as aninformation source for corporate businessemployee industry and technical information
bull Reduce the volume of corporate e-mailbull Implement a monthly employee survey to
replace the proliferation of one-off surveysindependently launched by business units
bull Create broad awareness and understanding ofkey corporate drivers such as business strategycorporate values and brand positioning 3
Kellie Garrett ABC MALeadership is senior VPStrategy Knowledge ampReputation at Farm CreditCanada and Chair of the IABCResearch Foundation Garrettis a frequent speaker onbusiness strategy leadershipand personal brand
Claire Watson ABC APR isthe master communicationstrategist for Farm CreditCanada Watson has won anumber of international andnational awards for her workis a published author and acertified change managementspecialist
MEASUREMENT EMPLOYEES SENIORMANAGERS
GAP
Senior management is open and honest incommunication
59 94 -35
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible
54 88 -34
Managers effectively support andimplement our people practices
48 81 -33
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 94 -23
Figure One Engagement survey results
22 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Defining the role of strategic comms at Farm Credit Canada
Successful tactics introducedSome of the tactics wersquove successfully introducedto bring this strategy to life include the following
1 Tracking key messagesWe created an employee key-message matrix thatis shared with leaders across the organization andhelps to ensure we deliver a consistent messageWe deliver the rewritten message through avariety of channels including e-mail letter featurearticle in the internal publication online throughour Monday Morning Update or directly to staffmeetings through managers and supervisors
2 Adopting a multi-channel approachWersquove expanded our channels beyond e-mail andthe intranet New channels now includebull AgriCulture ndash an employee print newsletter
published three times a year to communicatecorporate information and reinforce FCCrsquossocial and cultural fabric
bull An online feature called ldquoFrom the Desk ofthe CEOrdquo to keep employees in the loop
bull All staff e-mails from the CEO and VPsbull Discussion guides and QampAs for leadersbull Internal presentations and speeches delivered
by the senior leadership teambull Other printed material such as pocket cards
and brochures accompanied by a letter
3 Cutting down on information overloadSteps wersquove taken includebull Bundling all-staff messages into a Monday
Morning Update and bundling messages forcorporate headquarters staff into a CorporateOffice Update
bull Implementing a corporate e-mail policy withdefined subject-line conventions length andapproved topics
bull Restricting the use of all-staff e-mails to thesenior management team and certain keyindividuals
bull Improving the functionality of the intranetand redeveloping key business tools forefficient web use
bull Centralizing coordination of internal surveysbull Elevating the quality and clarity of internal
speeches and conferences to focus onstrategic business drivers
Challenge 2 Supporting leadershipThe results of our 2003 engagement survey alsorevealed an opportunity to increase trust betweenemployees and FCCrsquos senior management teamRyan and his VP responsible for communication(Kellie Garrett) believed that creating greatervisibility and better access to the senior managerswas vital to the establishment of a values-basedculture and a high-performance team
7
MEASUREMENT 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Senior management is open and honestin communication
59 73 81 83 91
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible to employees
54 71 82 83 81
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 81 87 87 85
I see strong evidence of effectiveleadership from the senior leadershipteam
69 83 87 88 93
I have a good understanding ofbusiness goals and objectives
76 77 81 81 88
Senior leadership has clearlycommunicated what we need to do tobe successful
NA NA 89 90 93
Figure Two Survey scores tracked from 2003-2007
FCCrsquoS 10 CULTURAL PRACTICESWe hold ourselves and each other accountable for
1 Our impact on business results and our impact on people
2 Delivering on commitments agreements and promises
3 Building and sustaining committed partnerships
4 Creating a safe environment where people can speak up without fear
5 We measure our success by how others perceive and respond to ourleadership not by our personal point of view
6 We talk straight in a responsible manner We are committed to the successof others ndash we do not engage in ldquoconspiracies againstrdquo people
7 We ldquolisten forrdquo contributions and commitment We do not listen againstpeople or ideas
8 We are highly coachable We actively seek and listen to coaching
9 We clean up and recover quickly
10 We acknowledge others often and celebrate both small and largesuccesses
ldquoLIKE DEVELOPING A COMPANYrsquoS IMAGE ORBRAND CULTURE CAN lsquoJUST HAPPENrsquo OR ITCAN BE DESIGNED STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONHAS PLAYED A CENTRAL ROLErdquo
23scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 FCC launched a culture-change program focused on
improving performance across the organization
bull Two key aims of the program are to encourage leaders and employeesto embody the values and improve staff engagement
bull Defining its strategy and goals at the outset internal communicationhas played a role in achieving these objectives
bull Results so far include less information overload a more accessibleleadership team and improved engagement scores
The challenge for internal communication wasto improve employeesrsquo perception of the visibilityaccessibility and trust for the senior managementteam Successful tactics introduced includebull A ldquoDine-Aroundrdquo program where three
senior leaders host a monthly lunch for ninepeople
bull An online forum called SMT Exchangewhere employees can anonymously askleaders tough questions and answers areposted for all to see
bull Senior leaders author more all-staff e-mailsare more visible and accessible at companyevents and deliver presentations that focus onconnecting employees to the business agenda
The goals we started with When we defined our internal communicationstrategy in 2003 we had some clear goals to worktowards These werebull To communicate relevant information in a
timely consistent and memorable waybull To reduce information overloadbull To influence an increase in the
communication-related elements of theengagement index
bull To contribute to an increase in employeeengagement from 69 to 74 percent
We also had specific year-one objectivesbull To increase understanding of business goals
and objectives beyond 78 percent bull To increase employee opinion about effective
senior leadership from 69 to 73 percentbull To improve employee opinions related to
senior management
Achievements and measurable resultsWith these goals guiding our efforts themeasurable results wersquove achieved so far includebull The bundling of all-staff e-mail has reduced
the volume by 88 percent ndash amounting toaround 350000 messages over one year
bull Over 450 employees have lunched with amember of the senior management team and170 QampAs have been posted on our seniormanagement online exchange
bull The survey scores relating to employeesrsquoperception of leadership and theirunderstanding of goals and objectives showsteady improvement since 2003 (see FigureTwo bottom left)
bull FCCrsquos engagement scores and subsequentranking among Canadarsquos 50 best employershas moved from 69 percent engagement and50th place in 2004 to 81 percent and 35thplace in 2005 84 percent and 12th place in2006 and 82 percent and 8th place in 2007
Cultural transformationThe internal communication strategy described inthis article has set the stage to communicatecultural transformation across the organization
Wersquore now in the fourth year of our culturaltransformation ndash creating an environment wherepeople are empowered feel safe and highperformance can flourish This involves aquantum shift in how employees behave andrelate to their co-workers and customers
Like developing a companyrsquos image or brandculture can ldquojust happenrdquo or it can be designedStrategic communication has played a central roleto create awareness understanding commitmentand motivate changes in behavior at every level ofthe organization
John Ryan has the final word ldquoOver the years Ihave learned that communication is at the heartof building a high-performance culture ndash a culturewhere people are fully engaged Communicationis vital Without it leaders cannot effect positivechange Our internal strategy recognizesemployees as a primary audience and a keyconduit to the customer the media stakeholdersand communities Our strategic approach tointernal communication significantly contributesto business resultsrdquo scm
CONTACT DETAILS
Kellie GarrettFarm Credit CanadaKellieGarrettfcc-facca
Claire WatsonFarm Credit CanadaClaireWatsonfcc-facca
24 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
In January 2004 Pfizer at Sandwich in Kent UKcommissioned a review of its existing charitablecontributions program which included matchedpayroll giving volunteering and grants for localcommunity charities and voluntary groups CCWorks the community investment consultancywas also approached to manage the day-to-dayadministration of grant applications from thecommunity
However it was decided that the administrationcould not be effectively managed until suitablecriteria were put in place for the grants programEssentially a company cannot outsourceresponsibility for its charitable donations unlesstherersquos a clear strategy in place for doing this
Although there were various policies in placefor the different elements of the existingcommunity investment program there was a lackof strategic direction to the program as a whole
Auditing the community grants programAs a first step CC Works examined the existinggrants program and also conducted external
benchmarking with voluntary organizations in thecommunity to gage perceptions of Pfizer
It emerged that many organizations werereceiving small grants ndash although some werenrsquotsure why ndash but only 16 percent of the currentspend was going on health-related causes ForPfizer a major global healthcare company thiswasnrsquot strategic It was clear that as a healthcarecompany Pfizer should be trying to improve thehealth of its local area by focusing on three coreareas health community and education
There was also a need for grants to be morelocally focused A significant amount of the spendwas going outside of the immediate East Kentarea CC Works recommended that to allow thecompany maximum freedom to operate in itscommunity it should focus grants on theimmediate community of East Kent which alsohappened to be a deprived area
Segmenting current grantsWorking in partnership with CC Works currentgrant allocation was examined by sector localarea and size of grant and in May 2004 two-yeartargets were set to increase the strategic impact ofcommunity grantsbull Increase grants allocated to health-related
projects to 50 percentbull Increase average grant from UKpound300 to
UKpound1000bull Increase East Kent allocation to 90 percent
This change was designed to be gradual so thatthe shift in allocation could be well managed
The new focus on the community mirrors
Engaging employees inPfizerrsquos communityinvestment program
In 2003 Pfizer at Sandwich UK was running manyelements of a community investment program butthere was little awareness among employees and no
real focus By July 2006 the program had beentransformed and now actively contributes to employeeand community relationships Here Pam Baker andChristine Jenkins describe the journey from disconnectedpolicies to award-winning program
Communicating an approach with clear links toemployees and the local community
BY PAM BAKER AND CHRISTINE JENKINS
scm FEATURES
Pfizerrsquos site at Sandwich inKent is the UK manufacturingheadquarters of Pfizer Incglobal pharmaceuticalcompany Its workforce of4000 makes it the largestprivate employer in East Kent
1 2 3 4 5
25scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pfizerrsquos global mission to be ldquothe most valuedcompany to patients customers colleaguesinvestors business partners and the communitieswhere we work and liverdquo For the communityinvestment program a measurable mission wascreated ldquoto improve the health indicators of thepeople of East Kentrdquo
Focus on colleague involvementThe next step in July 2004 was to conduct areview of the employee engagement elements ofcommunity investment to examine how thesecould be better integrated These elementsincluded payroll giving volunteering and staff-matched fundraising
For Pfizer at Sandwich the obvious first choicewas to look at volunteering Eighty-five percent ofPfizer employees are minimum graduate level ndashoffering much-needed skills to a deprived areaAll employees have five paid days a year they canuse for volunteering ndash this not only supports thecommunity it boosts employee engagement andcreates opportunities for employees to visiblyconnect with the community and vice versa
In October 2004 volunteering was identified asa key area for development but for employeevolunteering to be a success it had to beproactively marketed inside Pfizer and thereneeded to be adequate support andadministration behind the program
A database of volunteering opportunitiesIn conjunction with CC Works a searchable data-base of local volunteering opportunities was createdPfizer felt it was important to create a tailoreddatabase that would be furnished internally inorder to ensure a local bias and to maintain thequality of the information supplied to employees
In order to tie in with employeesrsquo personaldevelopment plans opportunities in the databasehad to meet at least two of Pfizerrsquos six keycompetencies 1 Team development2 Project management3 Coaching and development4 Decision making5 Effective partnership6 Working with change
To fill the database with relevant opportunities allorganizations that had contacted Pfizer for grantsor funding in the past three years were re-contacted and asked if they would also beinterested in volunteering
Over 70 percent responded positively and 300volunteering opportunities were sourced CCWorks helped the voluntary organizations puttogether opportunities that were most likely totake advantage of Pfizer employeesrsquo range of
specialist skillsThese opportunities were categorized on the
database according to skill geographic area andtype of charity allowing employees to search forsomething suitable for them Pfizer wasnrsquotprescriptive in its approach and allowed staff tovolunteer where the opportunity matched theirpersonal-development goals interests or wasgeographically convenient
Opportunities were wide-ranging from helpingin a charity shop to teaching in a schoolImportantly because database management isoutsourced to CC Works therersquos constantproactivitiy around seeking new opportunities andproviding administrative support that would havebeen difficult to maintain in-house
Launching the ldquoReaching Outrdquo programTo encourage involvement and awarenessemployees were asked to suggest a name for therevitalized volunteering program ldquoReaching Outrdquowas chosen and the new volunteering website waslaunched in May 2005 The site sits on PfizerSandwichrsquos intranet and any employee orcontractor can access it
A charity week was also held to help promotethe Reaching Out program Various charitiesvisited Pfizer during lunch breaks to explain whatthey do and the opportunities to work with themA soft incentive for staff to register on theReaching Out site was that Pfizer would donate20 rehydration sachets to Unicef (monetary valueof about pound2)
Reaching Out was also featured in a webcastfrom a senior leader that went to all employees(about 3000 staff plus contractors) at the start ofthe week and it was profiled in the weekly onlinemagazine Pipeline 3
Pam Baker is directorStrategic Operations andCommunity Affairs at Pfizer UK
Christine Jenkins is founderof CC Works a consultancyoffering communityinvestment advice andpractical solutions to thecorporate and voluntarysectors Previously she heldsenior manager roles in thevoluntary and private sectors
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 an audit of Pfizer at Sandwichrsquos community investment
program revealed a lack of strategic direction
bull In partnership with consultancy CC Works a decision was made tofocus the program on the local community
bull An effort to raise employee involvement through volunteering hasboosted the program and linked it to employee engagement
bull The ldquoReaching Outrdquo website gives employees the freedom to work withcharities of their choice
bull By July 2006 the ldquoHealthy Communitiesrdquo program had beentransformed and won a National Example of Excellence award fromBusiness in the Community
26 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TOP TIPS FOR COMMUNITY INVESTMENTbull Ask yourself why yoursquore undertaking this program and seek clarity around
your objectives
bull Focus on likely ldquowinsrdquondash ie areas with scope for improvement such asemployee engagement or external awareness
bull Tackle one area at a time in stages and aim for excellence in each arearather than trying to boil the ocean
bull Communication is key to success Create a distinct brand and identity forthe program to encourage awareness and involvement
bull Integrate different community programs ndash a holistic approach can maximizebenefits for the community staff engagement and corporate reputation
Over 450 employees registered to use thesite over the next two months with 230 employees(8 percent of staff) actively volunteering duringthe first year This beat a target to have 5 percentof employees volunteering 12 months after launchIn 2005 employees volunteered 4800 hours
Helping employees select the right optionEmployees can search the volunteering databaseby skill geographic area or type of charity and aregiven a range of choices Then the onus is on theemployee to speak to the charity and obtainfurther details on current opportunities inaddition to whatrsquos on the database The employeethen applies to his or her line manager Anintegrated work process enables staff to obtainapproval from their manager interact with thevoluntary organization and record their effortskeeping administration to a minimum
Managers at Pfizer Sandwich are keen foremployees to volunteer because theyrsquore aware ofthe potential benefits in terms of employeeengagement and skills development ndash a largenumber of managers are volunteers themselvesPfizer also held briefing sessions for managers toensure they were aware of the volunteeringprogram its benefits and how it works
7
Engaging employees in Pfizerrsquos community investment program
Incorporating employee feedbackThe database tracks employeesrsquo volunteeringefforts including how many hours theyrsquove doneand their feedback on the opportunitiesEmployee feedback can then be accessed by otherstaff looking for an opportunity The databasegives employees better insight into the availableopportunities and allows them to select somethingthat appeals to them so that both the employeeand the organization where they volunteer gets abetter ldquofitrdquo
The database also allows for better integrationof the whole program where volunteering canprovide an alternative or an addition to fundingFor example a well-known national charityapplied to Pfizer at Sandwich for some fundingaround a diversity initiative Pfizer suggested theirdiversity manager volunteer for them instead whohelped create the charityrsquos diversity program thatis now being launched nationally
Creating an integrated programIn May 2005 the decision was taken to bringtogether all the strands of community investmentunder one brand Healthy Communities Thisprogram was to includebull Charitable grantsbull Employee volunteeringbull Gifts in kind Community investment via gifts
in kind such as the use of Pfizer premisesresources and expertise is more easilysustainable and can bring real long-termbenefit to the local community When Pfizerfacilities are used to support communityinitiatives the face-to-face contact withemployees allows relationship-building andnetworking with key influencers Also invitingthe community to use Pfizer resources on siteldquodemystifiesrdquo the company
The overarching strategy behind HealthyCommunities was to support communityinvestment holistically (ie using several of theabove elements in combination) whereverpossible Focusing grants on the areas of greatestneed helps Pfizer achieve its overall missionHowever the donation of gifts in kind can have awider-reaching impact on the community
Taking a holistic approachAn award-winning example of this holisticapproach is the Helping Hartsdown projectwhich was Pfizer Sandwichrsquos biggest ever gift inkindvolunteering project Pfizer donated andrenovated much-needed classrooms at a localschool As well as financial support and gifts inkind the project involved over 100 staff andcontractor volunteers across all departments Aspecific promotion on the Reaching Out website
ldquoBY JULY 2006 THE lsquoHEALTHY COMMUNITIESrsquoPROGRAM HAD BEEN TRANSFORMED AND WONA NATIONAL EXAMPLE OF EXCELLENCE AWARDFROM BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITYrdquo
27scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
POSITIVE IMPACTS OF THE PROGRAMThe Healthy Communities program has had the following positive impacts for Pfizer
bull The program supports and protects Pfizerrsquos freedom to operate effectivelyin East Kent UK
bull Supporting and involving employees in the program engages and motivatesthem The company is also seen to be living its values In a recent survey55 percent of colleagues felt the program was ldquofocused and effectiverdquo
bull The program provides opportunities for colleagues to develop skills Twentypercent of colleagues surveyed stated that they had improved personalskills through taking part in the program
bull A healthy community is a better place to live and work for employees andwill aid retention Retention of the most highly skilled scientists givesPfizer Global Research and Development a competitive edge
bull A vibrant and healthy community helps to attract and retain leadingscientists from around the world
bull Community is one of Pfizerrsquos six core values Communicating activitiesinternally and externally gives a positive perception of the company
helped attract this large number of volunteersincluding senior leaders
Momentum was maintained behind thecommunication of the program with monthlynetworking breakfasts and several themed minicharity fairs to give local good causes the chanceto showcase their volunteering Individuals andteamsrsquo volunteering efforts were also regularlyprofiled in Pipeline
The December 2006 employee survey showedan 85-percent awareness level of Reaching Outand the program won a ldquoNational Example ofExcellence Awardrdquo from Business in theCommunity1
Relaunching the websiteIn June 2006 the Reaching Out website wasrelaunched to incorporate payroll giving andmatched fundraising under the same brand asvolunteering and utilize the existing software Allelements can now be applied for on the same site
The number of employees registered with thesite increased to over 1000 and the number of adhoc staff enquiries handled by CC Worksincreased dramatically as awareness andinvolvement levels rose among the workforce
External communicationA quarterly newsletter containing a round-up ofPfizerrsquos community investment work is producedand distributed widely to external stakeholdersincluding 3000 local residents Following theBusiness in the Community award the magazineCommunity News was revamped its circulationincreased and it was also desk-dropped to allemployees The magazine also helps to raiseawareness of Pfizer among local organizations
A pocket-sized booklet was produced containingkey facts and figures about the Healthy Communitiesprogram This gives employees especially seniorleaders at-a-glance information on the programallowing them to act as ambassadors for Pfizerrsquoscommunity investment work
Senior leaders at Pfizer Sandwich are keenadvocates of the program and having a clearbrand helps them communicate its benefits andraise awareness both internally and externally
Next stepsDespite its award-winning status there are plansto take Healthy Communities even further Theseinclude further research into employee feedbackand closer links to personal development plans InPfizer at Sandwichrsquos Global Operations functionvolunteering forms part of personal objectives ndashthis is an aspiration for the rest of the business
Pfizer also wants to improve team volunteeringand a toolkit is being prepared for team leaderswho wish to get involved in volunteering
Finally in order to share knowledge and bestpractice around community investment with otherlocal businesses Pfizer is hosting a Kentmembership network in conjunction with KentCounty Council This will help Pfizer work closelywith the local authority and bring local businessestogether to share ideas and collaborate toimprove their impact on the community scm
1 httpwwwbitcorguk
CONTACT DETAILS
Pam BakerPfizerpambakerpfizercom
Christine JenkinsCC Workschristinejenkinsccworkscouk
28 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Editorrsquos noteSucceeding in internal communication probablyisnrsquot all that different to succeeding in anyprofession understand whatrsquos expected of you dothe job well and deliver results But when youspeak to practitioners about how they personallyturned the corner in their careers and started tomake an impact it soon becomes clear that thereare many dos and donrsquots that can help or hinderprogress This article provides a handy checklistfor those with ambitious development plans
John G ClemonsVice President CommunicationsRaytheon Technical Services Co Llc
Take the initiativeThere have been a few career-defining momentsfor me Among them was the time when I realizedthat I was moving from a manager level to the
decision-making role of a director I worked for a senior executive who hired me
from a rival telecommunications company Uponjoining the company I developed strategiccommunication plans to address various businesschallenges During the development process Iperiodically checked in with my supervisor to gethis input and approval ndash probably more thannecessary ndash before moving to the next steps in planning
One day he called me into his office and saidthat while he liked the work I was doing for himhis expectation when he hired me as a directorwas that I would take the initiative in the job relyless on his frequent input and move forward with implementation and measurement Hewanted results
His counsel was along the lines of ldquoI hired youto do a directorrsquos job so do the job of a directorYou donrsquot have to get permission to make adifferencerdquo
Meet commitments and think strategicallyHis direction motivated me to take moreresponsibility at this new job level This alsomeant that I had to not just manage but leadmeet commitments and think more strategicallyto continue to earn not only his confidence butthe support of the entire leadership team
Irsquove found that being a communicationprofessional who is also a leader that can betrusted can get things done and truly support thegoals and objectives of an organization will notonly impress others but help build your credibilityand lead to success
How to get ahead ininternal communication
The path that leads internal communicators to thetop of their profession isnrsquot always an obvious oneWhich is why we asked a range of senior practitioners
to share their thoughts and experiences on gaining therespect of those who matter Whether its senior leadersfellow employees or your own team yoursquore looking toimpress these responses provide useful insight into howto make sure you and your work gets noticed
Senior practitioners share their views on how togain influence and credibility
COMPILED BY MANDY THATCHER
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
29scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Mark DarbyHead of Internal CommunicationsVisaUK
Be smart sharp and stubbornThe biggest lesson Irsquove learned and keep havingto remind myself is that I need to be smart sharpand stubborn to get ahead This is what thosewords mean to me in a work context
Smart I need to understand what Visa is doingand what people think about the business Thismeans constantly spending time in differentdepartments and learning from them I know whoour customers are what our challenges are andwhat our current financial performance is I havecontacts in most departments who have a fingeron the pulse which means I can have a relevantconversation with a senior person from any department
Sharp Internal communication is rarely near thetop of the agenda for senior people and my timewith them is usually short I always try to talkabout the impact on business performance assoon as possible If I circulate a document it willbe summarized to a single page at most and Idonrsquot use PowerPoint I ask a lot of ldquoonerdquo questionssuch as ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing you want employeesto do differentlyrdquo or ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing youwant me to change over the next six monthsrdquo
Stubborn I know what I want internal communica-tion to achieve at Visa and it has the support ofthe senior team Irsquove built up knowledge frombooks and articles I use my education from theBlack Belt training course1 and I speak to formercolleagues With this knowledge Irsquove becomestubborn and good at saying no because I have theinformation to back up my arguments Irsquove stoppedmy team from picking up extra projects that wonrsquotdeliver much value We focus only on projects thatadd the most value to the business and we deliveron these really well Successful delivery is thebiggest influence on any senior person
Monika StaffordHead of Internal CommunicationLloyds TSBUK
Be creative and focus on a killer issueUsing creative solutions to bring to life importantndash but often dull ndash programs can create a shinethat stretches beyond project boundaries For
example I worked on the implementation of SAPndash a business-critical systems program ndash requiringbehavior change from swathes of key yetuninterested people Successful implementationwas a big risk to get right but it was as dull asdishwater to communicate
Luckily there was a ldquoEurekardquo moment Byaligning the SAP story with the metaphor ofFormula-1 racing we could tell the tale of how itwould fulfill our need to create winningperformances for both the individual driver aswell as the back-up team in order to perform wellon the road ahead This storyline was a perfectmatch for the programrsquos objectives
Launch speakers from Formula 1 great designwork not to mention fantastic collateral allresulted in a no-hitch implementation that reallyresonated with people The global companypicked it up as the approach for worldwide rollout So faced with tedium it can actually pay tostare out of the window for creative inspiration
My other piece of advice is Focus on a killerissue If you really want to get ahead (and do besure you really do as being at the center ofchange is often akin to being in the eye of ahurricane ndash itrsquos no place for the feint-hearted)learn what keeps your business leaders up atnight Use your stakeholder-management skills toget to the people you need to help you deliversolutions then execute execute execute
Focus on value-adding work only because ifyou end up working on your companyrsquos cul-de-sacprojects yoursquoll never shine brightly enough forthe leaders in your company to notice you 3
COMPETENCY
Planning internal communication 76
Linking corporate messages to corporate vision 73
CEO communication 63
Change communication 60
Communicating to diverse audiences 60
Using the intranet as a communication tool 54
Defending your department in internal political battles 43
Line manager communication 42
Professional development of internal communication staff 33
Helping employees cope with information overload 32
Securing the appropriate level of budget for internal communication 30
Measuring the effectiveness of internal communication 28
Figure One Table from The Pulse report showing the percentage of communicators who ratethemselves as effective or very effective at listed competencies
30 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
WHATrsquoS CHANGED IN THE LAST 25 YEARS
David MoorcroftSenior Vice PresidentCorporate CommunicationsRBC Financial Group Canada
Irsquom constantly amazed at the changes that have taken place in our professionover the last 25 years and the degree of talent and knowledge required bycommunicators today to do their jobs well
Back in 1979 when I started in corporate PR the major skill sets werewriting editing and great media contacts Today good editorial skills are justtable stakes and the ability to understand business adapt technology thinkstrategically plan consummately and influence stakeholders are what landsenior communicators a seat at the management table
This change has been driven by the globalization of business the advent ofnew 247 media including the Internet the growing sophistication ofcustomers and employees increased demands for corporate transparency andmore rigorous requirements for high standards of public disclosure andfinancial reporting
MORE SKILLS THAN EVER BEFOREAs a result todayrsquos business communicator has to be more capable andknowledgeable and have more skills than ever before They must befinancially literate and technologically savvy They must understand the impactof evolving accounting and disclosure rules They must deal with legal HRpolitical and business issues And they must be prepared to deal with amultitude of potential crises that can arise at any moment in any language inany part of the world
Perhaps most challenging senior management today expects clear bottom-line returns for their investments in communication Itrsquos no longer enough toinform audiences and measure communication outputs CEOs expectcommunication to engage audiences and produce outcomes ndash something thatrequires strategic thinking planning and foresight
A friend of mine who left a senior corporate PR job to become COO of amajor public utility recently summed up the role of todayrsquos communicator thisway ldquoItrsquos one of the most important and critical roles in organizations todayand yet itrsquos often one of the least recognized and appreciatedrdquo
That sentiment may be a reality in some organizations today but with moreand more CEOs beginning to realize the bottom-line value of communication itwonrsquot be 25 years from now
Christina FeeSenior Vice President InternalCommunicationsDeutsche Post AGGermany
Seek out the important projectsI canrsquot pretend to have employed a specificapproach to my ldquopersonal PRrdquo at all But in theorganizations Irsquove worked for Irsquove had theopportunity to work on a number of excitinghigh-profile projects that have connected me withsenior stakeholders and influential people atdifferent levels
7
Irsquove learned a great deal from the project teamsIrsquove worked with and also due to the significanceand scope of the projects been able todemonstrate my worth approach and skills Irsquovehad to be passionate stand up for what I believein and think outside the box constantly
My roles within DHLDeutsche Post haveallowed me the freedom and flexibility to developand deliver new ideas but Irsquove also had to practiceand embody excellent internal communicationskills myself Having developed credibility and trustwith those that matter based on my track record Iwas allowed to go ahead with other projects
I donrsquot actively pursue the ldquoright relationshipsrdquobut rather let my work and my interactions withpeople speak for themselves This has helped medevelop mentors and supporters naturally Mylearning and development has also been expandedby the opportunity to work abroad and learn moreabout intercultural communication and interaction
Marc SilversideHead of Internal CommunicationsMacmillan Cancer SupportUK
Understand whatrsquos expected of youA newly established role heightens the need formaking a good impression so that people trustyou and feel they can come to you for advice
When I joined Macmillan I very nearly got thiswrong Perhaps this is an example that otherrsquos canlearn from
When my new CEO at Macmillan CancerSupport asked for a meeting ldquoafter a few weeks tosettle inrdquo I was confident that my wide-ranginginduction would help me understand the businessand provide the basis for what Irsquod present tosenior management
Forty structured face-to-face managerinterviews allowed me to understand needs andkey issues and I started to build personal rapportMy profile was raised and at the same timeinternal communication gained good visibility
Externally I networked with contacts in similarroles in other charities and soon found thebeginnings of a voluntary-sector network This hassince grown to over 25 members
By the time my CEO slot arrived I was armedwith input from across the charity and the resultsof an audit I felt well prepared to present myvision and solutions So I was surprised to be metwith significant resistance
I later discovered that my CEO intelligence wasincorrect What he wanted was to be askedspecifically about his own views on what internalcommunication should do and what I could do for
How to get ahead in internal communication
31scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
HOW DO YOUR SKILLS MEASURE UPFor Melcrumrsquos study into budgets salaries and trends in internalcommunication in 200607 we asked survey respondents to rate their owneffectiveness at a range of key communication competencies from planning tomeasurement The results may surprise you
For example 76 percent of respondents rate themselves as effective or veryeffective at planning internal communication but only 28 percent ratethemselves as equally effective at measuring its effectiveness (see Figure Onepage 29)
In her commentary on the results development expert Sue Dewhurst hadthe following to say
OUR STRENGTHSIt seems where we see our strengths as internal communicators is towards theldquofront endrdquo of the communication planning process For example being able tolink a plan to the business strategy knowing our audiences and being able tojoin up the dots and show people how messages link to the business vision
These are powerful strengths We are one of the few functions that tends tohave an overarching view of our entire company and is able to view thecompany and its strategy from a number of different perspectives Being ableto understand the vision and strategy view it from an audience perspectiveand then create line of sight to show what those things mean in practicalterms for peoplersquos day-to-day roles is one of the ways that we help drivebusiness performance ndash by showing people what they need to do to take thestrategy forward
In turn by knowing and working with our audiences hopefully wersquore thenalso able to make sure their views and suggestions can help shape the strategyand how itrsquos put into practice
MEASURING EFFECTIVENESSWe see ourselves as less effective towards the back end of the planningprocess in measuring the effectiveness of internal communication which tiesin with the feeling from previous questions that in fact wersquore not doing muchmeasurement or demonstrating our return on investment
Research and measurement is an area where there is plenty of expertisearound to call on There are measurement conferences research reports andpublications to understand what other organizations are doing and practicaltraining that will give you the opportunity to work in a smaller group askquestions and practice techniques For help with specific techniques try yourinternal marketing team Marketers are generally great with data and well-versed in running focus groups and putting together surveys If you have anexternal provider to support your employee engagement research try them too
Source The Pulse Essential data on budgets salaries and trends 2006-07wwwmelcrumcom
him rather than how I could benefit the charity Ihad to change my approach fast
This could have cost me my best ambassadorfrom day one So my advice is make sure yoursquoreabsolutely clear about whatrsquos expected from you
Of course the insights I gained in my first fewmonths have been valuable and since then myresults have done the talking Fortunately theCEO soon became an internal communicationsconvert and advocate
Darren CrozierCommunications ManagerHBOS plcUK
Make things happenDelivery is key to career development ndash if you sayyoursquore going to do something make sure you doit Put in the effort get the results you want andbe known as someone who can make things happenIf yoursquore seen to ldquoget things donerdquo no matter howsmall the job is people are more likely to get youinvolved in activities and ask your opinion
Gaining credibility and respect from seniorcolleagues is important but everyone in yourorganization will form an opinion of you from thepeople in the canteen right through to the CEOSo try and make sure that their opinion of you is agood one
Itrsquos not just the people within your immediatesphere of influence who can have an impact onyour career so extend your network go oncourses and get involved in professionalorganizations Many of my close workingrelationships career opportunities and indeedpersonal friendships have come from meetingpeople at such events and taking the time to keepin touch You never know how things will develop
Itrsquos also vital to earn respect be trustworthy andhave good manners To recall what an ex-bossonce said ldquoBe careful how you treat people onthe way up as you never know when you maycome across them againrdquo
One of the biggest challenges Irsquove found inrecent times is recognizing my own success andselling myself Sometimes you need to take a stepback to realize just what yoursquove achieved Evenbetter keep a log or portfolio of your successesand donrsquot be shy to speak about them becauseothers wonrsquot be shy to speak about theirs
Finally try and have some fun along the wayWe all have to work for a living so learn to makethe most of it scm
1 For more about Melcrumrsquos Internal Communication Black Belttraining program go to wwwmelcrumcom
32 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pitney Bowes has followed an aggressive strategyof growth through acquisition completing 60+acquisitions since 2001 Expansion has broadenedits product mix to include an extensive range ofsolutions from office equipment to globalpositioning software
But the companyrsquos many different specialismsand huge outsourcing operations meant that themajority of its 34000 employees werenrsquot aware ofthe full range of its service offering and thepotential for different divisions to work together
As Rob Hallam vice president EmployeeCommunication explains there was a strongbusiness case for adopting a ldquoone companyrdquoapproach ldquoBecause the businesses tended to besomewhat siloed even senior managers werefocused on their divisions
ldquoAlso because we were acquiring companiesand evolving so rapidly managers werenrsquot awareof a lot of the businesses and how they all workedtogether in the mailstreamrdquo says Hallam ldquoWewere missing out on potential cross-sellingopportunitiesrdquo
Communicating a new visionFour years ago Pitney Bowes created a OneCompany Vision statement ldquoOur aim was toensure support and cooperation across thebusiness so we could provide a comprehensive setof customer solutions ndash not just a list of productsand services by business unitrdquo says Hallam Theinternal communication challenge was to drawtogether 34000 employees and build a unifiedcorporate culture The communication strategyfocused on three key elements
1 PeopleThis focused on involving the leadershipstrengthening a two-way dialogue betweenmanagement and employees communicating theculture through leadership messaging enterprise-wide events and roadshows and buildingengagement so that everyone was workingtogether towards a One Company approach
2 ProcessesThis meant integrating the One Companyapproach into the organizationrsquos operations andinfrastructure by shifting management roles andadjusting incentives and reward structuresthroughout the company
The first step was to consolidate the companyrsquosoperating activities by appointing Murray DMartin as president and chief operating officer inSeptember 2004 Martinrsquos mantra is ldquoThink AsOne Act as One Operate As One to deliverwhat no other company canrdquo
ldquoThe COO position had previously been heldby the chairman so elevating someone to that
Communicating a OneCompany culture atPitney Bowes
Following rapid growth in the form of more than 60acquisitions over six years silo-working haddeveloped at Pitney Bowes and leaders were failing
to take advantage of profitable cross-selling opportunitiesHere Rob Hallam describes the communication elementsof a ldquoOne Companyrdquo culture-change program which hasturned the situation around simultaneously improvingcustomer service and boosting profits
Persuading disparate businessunits to work together
AN INTERVIEW WITH ROB HALLAM
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Pitney Bowes is an 87-year-old company best known forthe manufacturing operationand oversight of postagemeters It has over two millioncustomers more than 3500active patents and annualrevenue of close to $6 billion
33scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
role was a big changerdquo explains Hallam ldquoAll thebusiness units now report to a single individual atoperating level It represented a huge positivemove to start the company operationalizing OneCompany behaviorrdquo
The internal communication function wasrestructured to ensure that consistent messagingreached the entire employee population Regularmeasurement was a key part of the changeinitiative This served to define the contributionof communicating a One Company approachwhere it was adding value to Pitney Bowes and itsclients and customers and where there was stillwork to do
3 TechnologyIt was important to find the best ways to cascademessages throughout the company and keeppeople informed about what was going onwithout bombarding them with irrelevantcommunication Hallam and his team deploy avariety of channels and media including internalprint and online publications voicemail and e-mail Pitney Bowes is also in the process ofintegrating its different voicemail systems and e-mail platforms into one global system
Involving senior leadership from the outsetThe One Company strategy was an overridingpolicy that started at the top of the organizationldquoThere was a big launch at the strategic leadersrsquomeeting which is held every Januaryrdquo saysHallam ldquoThe messaging was then driven throughthe organization via a companywide globalcommunication strategyrdquo
From the outset the policy was championed bythe CEO Michael Critelli who believes thatculture is central to the Pitney Bowes brand andsaid recently ldquoMy first measure of success iswhether we are behaving as one companyrdquo Thiscommitment helped to ensure that the culturalchange was reinforced by parallel changes to thecorporate infrastructure
Building a two-way dialogueThe next step was to get the employee populationinvolved and build enterprisewide enthusiasm forthe culture change Pitney Bowes has alwaysrecognized the value of a two-way dialoguebetween management and employees and hasheld annual jobholders meetings which aresimilar to shareholdersrsquo meetings for 61 years In2005 Hallam reinvented it as an initiative calledOne Forum ndash a series of roadshows focusing oncommunicating the One Company culturethroughout the organization
Launching the One ForumIn 2005 Hallam and his team created an original
and memorable One Forum launch for the 90percent of Pitney Bowes employees based in theUS Around a quarter of US employees saw thisin person the others received a link to a websitewith streaming highlights
ldquoWe put together a two-hour roadshow eventwhich helped people to understand our OneCompany approach and made them aware of allthe businesses we were inrdquo says Hallam ldquoThethinking was that high change requires high touchFace-to-face can have far greater impact on theindividuals touched From there itrsquos a matter ofripple effect such as seeing improved One Forumbrand awareness among employees who didnrsquotactually attend one of the eventsrdquo
ldquoWe wanted the roadshow to be entertainingand energizing so we used gameshow techniquescustom-written songs and comedy specificallytailored to Pitney Bowes employees It was a funevent but it also included a keynote speech fromthe CEO and a lot of question-and-answersessions with employees It was entertainmentwith a purpose and it was a great success with employeesrdquo
The post-event employee evaluations provedthe success of this approach ldquoIn some cities anincredible 90 percent of employees gave the eventa top-box rating This shows that there was ahunger for both the knowledge and theapproachrdquo adds Hallam
Taking the show on the roadThe One Forum roadshow has become an annualevent ldquoIn a five-month period during 2005 therewere 17 One Forum events in 12 US citiesreaching about 6000 peoplerdquo says Hallam ldquoAftersome testing in March and April the first bigroadshows started in early May and continued forsix months with the final one in early Decemberin Seattle 3
Rob Hallam is vice presidentEmployee Communication atPitney Bowes (PB) in StamfordConnecticut where hersquos beenresponsible for internalcommunication strategy andimplementation since 2004Hallam has led a team ofprofessionals in reshapingcommunication at PB resultedin the communication teamearning the top ranking in HRdepartment satisfaction fromall PBrsquos US managers in 2005and 2006
KEY POINTSbull Internal communication has played an important role in embedding a
One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
bull The communication strategy focused on three key elements peopleprocess and technology
bull The campaign has been championed by the CEO from the outset andhas won senior leadership support over time
bull An entertaining roadshow helped win employee commitment
bull Cross-selling ratios have jumped substantially since the culture-changeeffort began
34 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ldquoIn 2006 we compressed the programsubstantially and drove down costs while stilltouching 6000 employees Together with ourcorporate marketing group we also introduced anextremely successful lsquoelevator speechrsquo that helpsemployees answer the much-feared questionlsquoWhat does Pitney Bowes dorsquordquo
Local variationsAlthough the entertainment component in theroadshows contributed to their success it wasspecific to the US so Hallam gave business unitsand internal communicators in other regions theresponsibility for communicating the OneCompany approach to local employees ldquoInCanada and the UK they conducted town-hallmeetings and in Latin America and other parts ofthe world they produced their own variations onthe One Forum theme We made sure that theyhad the information they needed but we limitedthe entertainment to English-speaking regionsrdquo
A commitment to employee engagementThe appointment of the new COO and the launchof the One Forum roadshows coincided with thefirst employee engagement survey in late 2004ldquoWe see engagement as very much tied to ourability to execute a One Company strategy andchange our culturerdquo says Hallam He sets outfour ways in which employee engagement isinstilled at all levels in the organization
1 Visible leadership commitment to engagementThe CEO underlines his commitment by sendingregular messages to employees via a variety ofmedia including voicemail and print and onlinepublications He also uses engagement scores todetermine a unitrsquos overall performance rating andbonus pool ldquoWhen one senior execrsquos bonus poolwas reduced due to poor engagement scores that
was a message requiring no communication planrdquosays Hallam ldquoWord spread quicklyrdquo
2 Celebrating top performers Pitney Bowes celebrates its top engagementperformers by running cover stories in its globalprint and online publication PB Today ldquoThisprogram was called lsquoThe Faces of Pitney Bowesrsquordquosays Hallam ldquoWe did 10 of these last year so theyran twice in five editions Wersquove also producedlarge mural-sized photos of those managers andtheir teamsrdquo he says ldquoWe celebrate success andpublish it everywhere Our CEO loves it and wersquoreactually selling part of our contemporary artcollection which decorates the building to makeroom for an expansion of additional OneCompany and Engagement photography all ofwhich will focus on our employeesrdquo
3 Incentivizing managers via the reward systemEmployee engagement is recognized andreinforced in the companyrsquos formal processesincluding its reward system ldquoWe use a tool calledthe Strategic Architecture which is our balancedscorecardrdquo explains Hallam ldquoItrsquos a Six-Sigma toolwhich measures employee shareholder andcustomer value Managersrsquo engagement scoresalso factor into their annual reviews soengagement has a direct impact on remunerationrdquo
4 Rewarding engagementA further program called Rapid Rewards awardscash bonuses to managers and employees foroutstanding behavior including that related toemployee engagement
Aligning the communication strategyHallam and his team are responsible fordelivering the overall employee communicationstrategy ldquoWe had to dramatically improve ourstrategic approach in order to make OneCompany a realityrdquo he says
In addition to organizing campaigns such as theOne Forum roadshows to publicize the culturechange across the enterprise Hallam hasintroduced initiatives aimed at improving thereach and delivery of internal communication andmaking sure messages get to their intendedaudiences He has also aligned the structure ofthe internal communication function with thecompanyrsquos unified culture
ldquoThere were a lot of different communicationgroups so we brought together all thecommunication leaders and formed a singleInternal Communications Councilrdquo explainsHallam ldquoThis means that the communicationfunctions in the different business units areworking together to help drive change andimprove coordinationrdquo
Communicating a One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
ldquoWHEN A SENIOR EXECrsquoS BONUS WAS REDUCEDDUE TO POOR ENGAGEMENT SCORES THAT WASA MESSAGE REQUIRING NO COMMUNICATIONPLAN WORD SPREAD QUICKLYrdquo
7
FURTHER RESOURCES3 THE IMPACT OF CULTURE AND CLIMATE ON CHANGE PROGRAMS
An article published in SCM Volume 10 Issue 6 OctoberNovember 2006
3 DRIVING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE CORPORATE CULTUREMelcrumrsquos report on communication tools techniques and best practicefrom leading organizationswwwmelcrumcom
35scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Developing a global approachHallam is also responsible for a globalcommunication project called Universal Reachwhich is sponsored by the chairman and designedto support and maintain a unified corporateculture ldquoOur goal is to provide 90 percentmessage accessibility within our key customer-facing audiencesrdquo he explains ldquoThe biggestchallenge is integrating our online communicationinfrastructure which has nine different voicemailsystems operating across the world and multiplee-mail and web platforms Wersquore pulling all thattogether to provide better reachrdquo
Since 911 the CEO and other top executiveshave broadcast weekly audio messages calledPower Talks Hallamrsquos team has worked with theleadership to ensure that they incorporate OneCompany messages and as he explains they reachmost of the employee population ldquoAbout 20000of our employees have voicemail Those whodonrsquot receive the Power Talk message either inprint or online In some divisions managers playthe Power Talk messages in staff meetingsrdquo
Engaging leadership reinforces the cultureBuilding on the CEOrsquos commitment to a OneCompany approach Hallam and his team haveorganized leadership events ndash most recently at thestrategic leadersrsquo meeting in December 2006 ndashshowing Pitney Bowes as one company in actionThis campaign has helped to engage the top 150managers in the culture change
ldquoOur post-event evaluations show a strongmove numerically in senior leadershiprsquos belief thatwersquore operating as one companyrdquo says Hallam(see Figure One above) ldquoAs theyrsquore our toughestjudges wersquore pleased by the significant differencein pre- and post-event measurementrdquo There wasalso an improvement in leadersrsquo understanding ofthe companyrsquos new mailstream category
Sustaining the new cultureAccording to Hallam rippling out the OneCompany messaging requires a consistent andcoordinated approach Communication leaders inthe various divisions are now working to weaveOne Company messages into the business-unitmeetings ldquoA lot of the messaging that welaunched at the strategic leadersrsquo meeting arebeing reiterated at the business unit level Thatrsquosbeen facilitated through the InternalCommunications Councilrdquo he says
ldquoKey metrics for the culture change programfocus on cross-selling ratios which have jumpedsubstantially since the culture change effortbeganrdquo says Hallam ldquoIn 2002 we also institutedthe ldquoPB1 Awardsrdquo which is a chairmanrecognition award that goes to teams who bestembody cross-functional behavior in working on
projects which improve our clientsrsquo profitabilityour profitability or bothrdquo
ldquoHowever wersquore only really a year into thisMuch of the evidence is anecdotal but what haschanged is that our managers have broadenedtheir vision and are thinking as solutions-providers rather than product-sellers As suchtheyrsquore involving other business units out of theirdesire to eliminate customer pain points ndashregardless of which part of Pitney Bowes gets the salerdquo
Adding value to customersUltimately managers and employees who arewell-informed about the companyrsquos products andservices are in a good position to take advantageof cross-selling opportunities Realizing thispotential enables Pitney Bowes to make extrasales to existing customers thereby increasing itsprofit margins and allowing customers to benefitfrom a mix of products and services
Shifting to a unified culture directly benefitsboth Pitney Bowes and its customers ldquoByfocusing on the whole cadre of products andservices we can help our customers improve theirbusinessesrdquo says Hallam ldquoThatrsquos where OneCompany is critical It enables our clients tobenefit from all our servicesrdquo scm
Figure One Measuring the impact of the strategic leadersrsquo meeting
CONTACT DETAILS
Rob HallamPitney Bowesrobhallampbcom
I BELIEVE THAT OUR SENIOR LEADERS (MEANING THE TOP 15 EXECS) AREWORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO DELIVER INTEGRATED HIGH-VALUESOLUTIONS TO OUR CUSTOMERS
Pre SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 73
Post SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 92
Gain in two months time 19
ldquoMANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WELL-INFORMED ABOUT THE COMPANYrsquoS PRODUCTSAND SERVICES ARE IN A GOOD POSITION TOTAKE ADVANTAGE OF CROSS-SELLINGrdquo
2007
36 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
MELCRUM TRAINING amp EVENTS
CALENDAR 2007UKEUROPESOCIAL MEDIA FORUM FORINTERNAL COMMUNICATORS UK
3 21-22 March 2007 Hilton Canary WharfLondon UKThis forum is designed for practitioners who wantto make social media part of their internalcommunication strategy Over two dayscompanies such as IBM Microsoft and BT willshare case studies demonstrating their use ofsocial-media tools Technology experts will also beon hand to provide training and show you how touse these tools
THE 3RD ANNUAL EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT CONFERENCE UK
3 22-24 May 2007 Millennium GloucesterLondon UK22 May ndash Practical workshops23-24 May ndash Two-day conferenceThis event will focus on transforming yourstrategies into action Listen to case studies fromcompanies that have achieved real andmeasurable results from their engagement effortsLearn how they did it what they achieved and howthe results were measured
THE 6TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT UK
3 16-18 October 2007 London UK After the huge success of the 2006 UK StrategicCommunication Management Summit next yearrsquosevent will once again provide you withpresentations from key figures in the industry anda chance to network with your peers Mark yourdiaries now ndash more details to follow
THE 3RD ANNUAL INTERNALCOMMUNICATION MEASUREMENTCONFERENCE UK
3 27-29 November 2007 London UKDetails available soon ndash mark your diary now
NORTH AMERICATHE 3RD ANNUAL CONFERENCEON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENTBUILDING AND SUSTAINING ACULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT
3 28 February ndash 1 March 2007 Crowne PlazaAtlanta-Buckhead Atlanta USLearn how to foster an environment whereemployees feel valued and respected Hear fromcompanies including Dow Corning CorporationAmerican Express Delta Hotels and Merck
THE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT US
3 26-28 March 2007 Crowne Plaza UnionSquare San Francisco26 March ndash Pre-conference workshops27-28 March ndash Two-day summitAttend this conference and discover how toimprove employee alignment with all segments ofyour internal audience ndash from your front-lineemployees to your executive officers bothnationally and worldwide
AUSTRALIATHE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION ENGAGEMENTSUMMIT SYDNEY
3 31 July ndash 2 August 2007 Sydney Australia Details available soon ndash mark your diary now
WEBINARSDEVELOPING PROFESSIONALCOMPETENCE
3 Thursday 22 February 2007 with LiamFitzPatrick and Sue Dewhurst
HELPING YOUR ORGANIZATIONTHRIVE DURING TURBULENTTIMES
3 Thursday 29 March 2007 with Carol KinseyGoman
TRAININGTHE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT PROGRAM
3 24-25 April and 1-2 May 2007 HenleyManagement College UK3 11-12 and 27-28 September 2007 Cranfield
School of Management UK
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT MASTERCLASSEFFECTIVE MEASUREMENT
3 14-15 March 2007 Hendon Hall Hendon UKAn essential two-day intensive training courses forinternal communicators on effective measurementRegister early as places are strictly limited to 20people per Masterclass
CSR DELIVERY ENGAGEMENT amp LEADERSHIP
3 19-20 April 2007 Central LondonOsney MediaWith an excellent speaker line-up from high-profile companies including Procter amp Gamble The BodyShop ExxonMobil Microsoft Belgium Vodafone UK Dell Ericsson and Alliance Boots this case studybased event will answer questions including how do Ibull Build a CSR-oriented leadershipbull Get people on boardbull Integrate CSR with the global strategy of the companybull Deliver CSR throughout the company to make it really happen
For more information visit wwwcsrleadershipcom or e-mail mariame_lindellosneymediacouk (Reference code 910MLC3)
38 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
DESIGN
YELLOW
The future success of all organisations will be builton trust understanding passion empowermentintegrity and relationships
The future is cool exciting sparkling organisationsbursting with energy life and action
The future of brand is the internal brand first andforemost
The future is colleague as customer
Turning communications upside down
No just inside-out
Be part of the future say hello to Yellow
We help large organisations bring their communicationsstrategies to life through the imaginative use of liveevents multimedia web and design ndash distributed acrossall media platforms including DVD TV mobile devicesintranet and extranet
Ultimately developing internal brands and ongoingcommunications that have a measurable impact onpeople-performance advocacy and the bottom line
Contact Paul MiddletonTel +44 (0)161 228 6700E-mail paulmiddletonyellowcomcomWebsite wwwyellowcomcom
NEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
DESIGN
BLUE GOOSE
blue goose specialize in visual communications We make communications work faster and better We will link what wedo back to your objectives but we donrsquot talk (or charge for) ldquostrategyrdquo when you simply want tactical implementation Weuse design and creativity tobull differentiate products and services bull develop and manage corporate and brand identity bull align external communications with agreed values bull internalize corporate and brand identitybull align internal communications with agreed values bull support organizational change and bull help organizations better understand and define who they are
We work for clients as diverse as PricewaterhouseCoopers Ford Europe Centrica plc Greene King City of London Policeand Le Meacuteridien
blue goose is for any organization more interested in designing their future than watching it happen
Contact Chris BarringtonE-mail thinkingbluegoosecoukTel +44 (0)20 8869 8500Web site wwwbluegoosecouk
CONSULTANCY
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION ampSURVEYS PTY LTD
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd is aboutique consultancy based in Sydney Australia Itspecializes in employee communication strategiessystems research and employee surveys of all kindsPrincipal Rodney Gray has been involved inorganizational consulting for over 20 years following a15-year career as a corporate human resourcesexecutive Services includebull Employee communication audits and surveys by
questionnaires focus groups and interviewsbull Employee communication systems strategies and
processesbull Employee communication training workshops and
talksbull Employee culture climate and opinion surveysbull Qualitative organizational diagnosis (focus groups
and interviews)bull Internal service quality research (qualitative and
quantitative)
Contact Rodney GrayTel +61 (0)2 9909 2900 Fax +61 (0)2 9909 2911E-mail rodneyrodneygraycomauWeb site wwwemployee-communicationcomau
CONSULTANCY
HEDRON
Internal and change communication that helps teamsand individuals to develop strategies relationshipsprocesses and skills to engage stakeholders supporthigh performance and deliver change
ldquoSharp strategic thinking quality execution effectiveinterpersonallyhelliprdquo ldquoCreativity drive resourcefulnessresults great funhelliprdquo say clients
All sectors ndash ABN AMRO AXA BT Cadbury SchweppesDepartment for Constitutional Affairs HealthcareCommission Group 4 Securicor SABMiller SiemensSouthern Rail Unilever Wincanton
Our clients are happy to tell you what itrsquos like workingwith us
Contact Helena MemoryTel + 44 (0) 20 7493 0735Fax + 44 (0) 20 7493 0743E-mail helena-mhedroncomWeb site wwwhedroncom
CONSULTANCY
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
39scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
CONSULTANCY
SYNOPSIS
Founded by change and communication authority Bill Quirke in 1992 Synopsis is one of Europersquos leading internalcommunication consultancies Our clients include such companies as ABN Amro BBC BP British Airways DiageoEricsson HP Lloyds TSB Roche Shell and Vodafone
We help clients use internal communication to engage their employees in delivering business strategy and get most valuefrom their internal communication
We can help youbull Develop communication strategies that support your business strategybull Coach leadersbull Develop line managersrsquo communication skillsbull Plan and coordinate your communication with colleagues onlinebull Check the health of your communication channels and improve return on investmentbull Build and develop the communication functionbull Measure and track employee engagement attitudes and opinions
To take a tour of our online planning tool go to wwwsynopsisonlinecomproductplanningtoolasp
Contact Jane LebeauE-mail janelebeausynopsisonlinecomTel +44 (0) 20 7490 2900Web site wwwsynopsisonlinecom
CONSULTANCY
HARKNESS KENNETT
We specialize in internal communication To us thatmeansbull motivating people through inspiring leadershipbull guiding people through organizational changebull engaging people in delivering the brand
Working in partnership with our clients is central to ourethos enabling us to help deliver practical solutionssupported by solid strategic thinking All of ourconsultants have held senior positions ldquoclient siderdquo sowe know what itrsquos like to be in your shoes The vastmajority of our work comes from recommendations fromexisting clients ndash 82 percent of our clients haverequested repeat work in the last two years
Our clients include Abbey Atkins BDO Stoy HaywardThe Environment Agency Marks amp Spencer NHS Blood ampTransplant Morgan Stanley Europe Nestleacute PoliceInformation Technology Organisation Royal ampSunAlliance South West Trains and Vodafone
Our vision is simple ndash we want to be the first callyou make
Contact James HarknessTel +44 (0)1483 222730E-mail jamesharknessharknesskennettcomWeb site wwwharknesskennettcom
CONSULTANCY
TRIDENT COMMUNICATIONS
Trident Communications is uniquely positioned to definedevelop and deliver award-winning solutions that aligncommunication with business goals
We advise and partner with organizations of all sizes tocreate high-value practical applications Our talentedproject teams provide innovative research designeditorial and imagery for print and online
We connect ideas and deliver results
Contact Peter Agertoft Tel +44 (0)207 536 8900E-mail peteragertoft
tridentcommunicationsnetWeb site wwwtridentcommunicationsnet
CONSULTANCY
FLEISHMAN-HILLARD
Fleishman-Hillardrsquos dedicated internal and changecommunication practice helps businesses focus onperforming ndash not just informing
We help organisations plan and implement programmeswith the right mix of information dialogue and trainingso that employees are engaged aligned and motivatedto achieve business objectives
Because effective internal communication is vital tobottom-line performance we partner with our clients tocreate a daily dialogue ndash not a monologue ndash withemployees
Contact Nick AndrewsTel +32 (0)2 230 05 45 E-mail nickandrewsfleishmancomWeb site wwwfleishmaneuropecom
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE A listing in our Directory of Services will giveyou a chance to reach communicationprofessionals at some of the worldrsquos largestand most admired companies and to tap intodecision-making practitioners
ContactVincent SorelTel +44 (0)208 600 4670E-mail vincentsorelmelcrumcom
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
INCLUDE YOUR COMPANY BY CONTACTING US ON +44(0)20 8600 4670 OR AT INFOMELCRUMCOM
CONSULTANCY
HILL amp KNOWLTON
Better business results the bottom line
How do I manage more change Motivate managers Getthe right information to the right people Show the bestreturn on communication investment
Sound familiar Hill amp Knowltonrsquos change and internalcommunication consultants work with companies aroundthe world to find the right answers for their situation
We offer strategy insight and creativity drawing on ourconsultancy expertise and in-house experience Plus wedeliver practical hands-on help
We know that effective employee communication has adirect impact on the bottom line Working together wecan make it happen for you
Contact EMEA DavidFerrabeehillandknowltoncom
+44 (0) 7413 3176USA BarbaraEdlerhillandknowltoncom
+1 415 281-7160Canada KristaThompsonhillandknowltoncom
+1 613 786-9961
RECRUITMENT
VMA GROUP
VMA Group is one of the UKrsquos leading executive searchand selection consultancies specializing in internal andcorporate communication recruitment
For over 25 years VMA Group has provided the highestlevel of service to some of the most demanding globalorganizations developing a strong track record for thequality and professionalism of our search and selection work
We have in-depth specialist knowledge of the internalcommunication market and can provide high-qualitypermanent and interim candidates with expertise acrossinternal communication change management and widercorporate communication We understand the needs ofour clients intrinsically and strive to develop long-termrelationships with clients and candidates alike
Please call to discuss how we can help you find theideal candidate or if you wish to make a career move
Contact David BroomeTel +44 (0)20 7436 4243E-mail dbroomevmagroupcoukWeb site wwwvmagroupcouk
40 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONALCOMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS E-mail gaitensunityncsueduWeb site wwwconsultingsuccessorgTel 919 469 3895
CIB ndash BRITISH ASSOCIATION OFCOMMUNICATORS IN BUSINESSE-mail enquiriescibukcomWeb site wwwcibukcomTel +44 (0)870 121 7606
CCM ndash COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATIONMANAGEMENT E-mail membership
ccmconnectioncomWeb site wwwccmconnectioncomTel 866 463 4226
CPRS ndash THE CANADIAN PUBLICRELATIONS SOCIETYE-mail admincprscaWeb site wwwcprscaTel 416 239 7034
IABC ndash THE INTERNATIONALASSOCIATION OF BUSINESSCOMMUNICATORS E-mail service_centreiabccomWeb site wwwiabccomTel 415 544 4700
ICA ndash THE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONALLIANCE E-mail amandafoistericaukorgWeb site wwwiprorgukicaTel +44 (0)1628 642 044
CIPR ndash THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OFPUBLIC RELATIONS UKE-mail infoiprorgukWeb site wwwiprorgukTel +44 (0)20 7253 5151
IPRA ndash THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICRELATIONS ASSOCIATIONE-mail ipraseccompuservecomWeb site wwwipraorgTel +44 (0) 1372 461 188
PRSA ndash PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OFAMERICAE-mail resourcesprsaorgWeb site wwwprsaorgTel 212 460 1459
DIRECTORY OF SERVICESNEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
CONSULTANCY
22 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Defining the role of strategic comms at Farm Credit Canada
Successful tactics introducedSome of the tactics wersquove successfully introducedto bring this strategy to life include the following
1 Tracking key messagesWe created an employee key-message matrix thatis shared with leaders across the organization andhelps to ensure we deliver a consistent messageWe deliver the rewritten message through avariety of channels including e-mail letter featurearticle in the internal publication online throughour Monday Morning Update or directly to staffmeetings through managers and supervisors
2 Adopting a multi-channel approachWersquove expanded our channels beyond e-mail andthe intranet New channels now includebull AgriCulture ndash an employee print newsletter
published three times a year to communicatecorporate information and reinforce FCCrsquossocial and cultural fabric
bull An online feature called ldquoFrom the Desk ofthe CEOrdquo to keep employees in the loop
bull All staff e-mails from the CEO and VPsbull Discussion guides and QampAs for leadersbull Internal presentations and speeches delivered
by the senior leadership teambull Other printed material such as pocket cards
and brochures accompanied by a letter
3 Cutting down on information overloadSteps wersquove taken includebull Bundling all-staff messages into a Monday
Morning Update and bundling messages forcorporate headquarters staff into a CorporateOffice Update
bull Implementing a corporate e-mail policy withdefined subject-line conventions length andapproved topics
bull Restricting the use of all-staff e-mails to thesenior management team and certain keyindividuals
bull Improving the functionality of the intranetand redeveloping key business tools forefficient web use
bull Centralizing coordination of internal surveysbull Elevating the quality and clarity of internal
speeches and conferences to focus onstrategic business drivers
Challenge 2 Supporting leadershipThe results of our 2003 engagement survey alsorevealed an opportunity to increase trust betweenemployees and FCCrsquos senior management teamRyan and his VP responsible for communication(Kellie Garrett) believed that creating greatervisibility and better access to the senior managerswas vital to the establishment of a values-basedculture and a high-performance team
7
MEASUREMENT 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Senior management is open and honestin communication
59 73 81 83 91
Senior management is appropriatelyaccessible to employees
54 71 82 83 81
Senior management provides cleardirection for the future
71 81 87 87 85
I see strong evidence of effectiveleadership from the senior leadershipteam
69 83 87 88 93
I have a good understanding ofbusiness goals and objectives
76 77 81 81 88
Senior leadership has clearlycommunicated what we need to do tobe successful
NA NA 89 90 93
Figure Two Survey scores tracked from 2003-2007
FCCrsquoS 10 CULTURAL PRACTICESWe hold ourselves and each other accountable for
1 Our impact on business results and our impact on people
2 Delivering on commitments agreements and promises
3 Building and sustaining committed partnerships
4 Creating a safe environment where people can speak up without fear
5 We measure our success by how others perceive and respond to ourleadership not by our personal point of view
6 We talk straight in a responsible manner We are committed to the successof others ndash we do not engage in ldquoconspiracies againstrdquo people
7 We ldquolisten forrdquo contributions and commitment We do not listen againstpeople or ideas
8 We are highly coachable We actively seek and listen to coaching
9 We clean up and recover quickly
10 We acknowledge others often and celebrate both small and largesuccesses
ldquoLIKE DEVELOPING A COMPANYrsquoS IMAGE ORBRAND CULTURE CAN lsquoJUST HAPPENrsquo OR ITCAN BE DESIGNED STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONHAS PLAYED A CENTRAL ROLErdquo
23scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 FCC launched a culture-change program focused on
improving performance across the organization
bull Two key aims of the program are to encourage leaders and employeesto embody the values and improve staff engagement
bull Defining its strategy and goals at the outset internal communicationhas played a role in achieving these objectives
bull Results so far include less information overload a more accessibleleadership team and improved engagement scores
The challenge for internal communication wasto improve employeesrsquo perception of the visibilityaccessibility and trust for the senior managementteam Successful tactics introduced includebull A ldquoDine-Aroundrdquo program where three
senior leaders host a monthly lunch for ninepeople
bull An online forum called SMT Exchangewhere employees can anonymously askleaders tough questions and answers areposted for all to see
bull Senior leaders author more all-staff e-mailsare more visible and accessible at companyevents and deliver presentations that focus onconnecting employees to the business agenda
The goals we started with When we defined our internal communicationstrategy in 2003 we had some clear goals to worktowards These werebull To communicate relevant information in a
timely consistent and memorable waybull To reduce information overloadbull To influence an increase in the
communication-related elements of theengagement index
bull To contribute to an increase in employeeengagement from 69 to 74 percent
We also had specific year-one objectivesbull To increase understanding of business goals
and objectives beyond 78 percent bull To increase employee opinion about effective
senior leadership from 69 to 73 percentbull To improve employee opinions related to
senior management
Achievements and measurable resultsWith these goals guiding our efforts themeasurable results wersquove achieved so far includebull The bundling of all-staff e-mail has reduced
the volume by 88 percent ndash amounting toaround 350000 messages over one year
bull Over 450 employees have lunched with amember of the senior management team and170 QampAs have been posted on our seniormanagement online exchange
bull The survey scores relating to employeesrsquoperception of leadership and theirunderstanding of goals and objectives showsteady improvement since 2003 (see FigureTwo bottom left)
bull FCCrsquos engagement scores and subsequentranking among Canadarsquos 50 best employershas moved from 69 percent engagement and50th place in 2004 to 81 percent and 35thplace in 2005 84 percent and 12th place in2006 and 82 percent and 8th place in 2007
Cultural transformationThe internal communication strategy described inthis article has set the stage to communicatecultural transformation across the organization
Wersquore now in the fourth year of our culturaltransformation ndash creating an environment wherepeople are empowered feel safe and highperformance can flourish This involves aquantum shift in how employees behave andrelate to their co-workers and customers
Like developing a companyrsquos image or brandculture can ldquojust happenrdquo or it can be designedStrategic communication has played a central roleto create awareness understanding commitmentand motivate changes in behavior at every level ofthe organization
John Ryan has the final word ldquoOver the years Ihave learned that communication is at the heartof building a high-performance culture ndash a culturewhere people are fully engaged Communicationis vital Without it leaders cannot effect positivechange Our internal strategy recognizesemployees as a primary audience and a keyconduit to the customer the media stakeholdersand communities Our strategic approach tointernal communication significantly contributesto business resultsrdquo scm
CONTACT DETAILS
Kellie GarrettFarm Credit CanadaKellieGarrettfcc-facca
Claire WatsonFarm Credit CanadaClaireWatsonfcc-facca
24 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
In January 2004 Pfizer at Sandwich in Kent UKcommissioned a review of its existing charitablecontributions program which included matchedpayroll giving volunteering and grants for localcommunity charities and voluntary groups CCWorks the community investment consultancywas also approached to manage the day-to-dayadministration of grant applications from thecommunity
However it was decided that the administrationcould not be effectively managed until suitablecriteria were put in place for the grants programEssentially a company cannot outsourceresponsibility for its charitable donations unlesstherersquos a clear strategy in place for doing this
Although there were various policies in placefor the different elements of the existingcommunity investment program there was a lackof strategic direction to the program as a whole
Auditing the community grants programAs a first step CC Works examined the existinggrants program and also conducted external
benchmarking with voluntary organizations in thecommunity to gage perceptions of Pfizer
It emerged that many organizations werereceiving small grants ndash although some werenrsquotsure why ndash but only 16 percent of the currentspend was going on health-related causes ForPfizer a major global healthcare company thiswasnrsquot strategic It was clear that as a healthcarecompany Pfizer should be trying to improve thehealth of its local area by focusing on three coreareas health community and education
There was also a need for grants to be morelocally focused A significant amount of the spendwas going outside of the immediate East Kentarea CC Works recommended that to allow thecompany maximum freedom to operate in itscommunity it should focus grants on theimmediate community of East Kent which alsohappened to be a deprived area
Segmenting current grantsWorking in partnership with CC Works currentgrant allocation was examined by sector localarea and size of grant and in May 2004 two-yeartargets were set to increase the strategic impact ofcommunity grantsbull Increase grants allocated to health-related
projects to 50 percentbull Increase average grant from UKpound300 to
UKpound1000bull Increase East Kent allocation to 90 percent
This change was designed to be gradual so thatthe shift in allocation could be well managed
The new focus on the community mirrors
Engaging employees inPfizerrsquos communityinvestment program
In 2003 Pfizer at Sandwich UK was running manyelements of a community investment program butthere was little awareness among employees and no
real focus By July 2006 the program had beentransformed and now actively contributes to employeeand community relationships Here Pam Baker andChristine Jenkins describe the journey from disconnectedpolicies to award-winning program
Communicating an approach with clear links toemployees and the local community
BY PAM BAKER AND CHRISTINE JENKINS
scm FEATURES
Pfizerrsquos site at Sandwich inKent is the UK manufacturingheadquarters of Pfizer Incglobal pharmaceuticalcompany Its workforce of4000 makes it the largestprivate employer in East Kent
1 2 3 4 5
25scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pfizerrsquos global mission to be ldquothe most valuedcompany to patients customers colleaguesinvestors business partners and the communitieswhere we work and liverdquo For the communityinvestment program a measurable mission wascreated ldquoto improve the health indicators of thepeople of East Kentrdquo
Focus on colleague involvementThe next step in July 2004 was to conduct areview of the employee engagement elements ofcommunity investment to examine how thesecould be better integrated These elementsincluded payroll giving volunteering and staff-matched fundraising
For Pfizer at Sandwich the obvious first choicewas to look at volunteering Eighty-five percent ofPfizer employees are minimum graduate level ndashoffering much-needed skills to a deprived areaAll employees have five paid days a year they canuse for volunteering ndash this not only supports thecommunity it boosts employee engagement andcreates opportunities for employees to visiblyconnect with the community and vice versa
In October 2004 volunteering was identified asa key area for development but for employeevolunteering to be a success it had to beproactively marketed inside Pfizer and thereneeded to be adequate support andadministration behind the program
A database of volunteering opportunitiesIn conjunction with CC Works a searchable data-base of local volunteering opportunities was createdPfizer felt it was important to create a tailoreddatabase that would be furnished internally inorder to ensure a local bias and to maintain thequality of the information supplied to employees
In order to tie in with employeesrsquo personaldevelopment plans opportunities in the databasehad to meet at least two of Pfizerrsquos six keycompetencies 1 Team development2 Project management3 Coaching and development4 Decision making5 Effective partnership6 Working with change
To fill the database with relevant opportunities allorganizations that had contacted Pfizer for grantsor funding in the past three years were re-contacted and asked if they would also beinterested in volunteering
Over 70 percent responded positively and 300volunteering opportunities were sourced CCWorks helped the voluntary organizations puttogether opportunities that were most likely totake advantage of Pfizer employeesrsquo range of
specialist skillsThese opportunities were categorized on the
database according to skill geographic area andtype of charity allowing employees to search forsomething suitable for them Pfizer wasnrsquotprescriptive in its approach and allowed staff tovolunteer where the opportunity matched theirpersonal-development goals interests or wasgeographically convenient
Opportunities were wide-ranging from helpingin a charity shop to teaching in a schoolImportantly because database management isoutsourced to CC Works therersquos constantproactivitiy around seeking new opportunities andproviding administrative support that would havebeen difficult to maintain in-house
Launching the ldquoReaching Outrdquo programTo encourage involvement and awarenessemployees were asked to suggest a name for therevitalized volunteering program ldquoReaching Outrdquowas chosen and the new volunteering website waslaunched in May 2005 The site sits on PfizerSandwichrsquos intranet and any employee orcontractor can access it
A charity week was also held to help promotethe Reaching Out program Various charitiesvisited Pfizer during lunch breaks to explain whatthey do and the opportunities to work with themA soft incentive for staff to register on theReaching Out site was that Pfizer would donate20 rehydration sachets to Unicef (monetary valueof about pound2)
Reaching Out was also featured in a webcastfrom a senior leader that went to all employees(about 3000 staff plus contractors) at the start ofthe week and it was profiled in the weekly onlinemagazine Pipeline 3
Pam Baker is directorStrategic Operations andCommunity Affairs at Pfizer UK
Christine Jenkins is founderof CC Works a consultancyoffering communityinvestment advice andpractical solutions to thecorporate and voluntarysectors Previously she heldsenior manager roles in thevoluntary and private sectors
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 an audit of Pfizer at Sandwichrsquos community investment
program revealed a lack of strategic direction
bull In partnership with consultancy CC Works a decision was made tofocus the program on the local community
bull An effort to raise employee involvement through volunteering hasboosted the program and linked it to employee engagement
bull The ldquoReaching Outrdquo website gives employees the freedom to work withcharities of their choice
bull By July 2006 the ldquoHealthy Communitiesrdquo program had beentransformed and won a National Example of Excellence award fromBusiness in the Community
26 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TOP TIPS FOR COMMUNITY INVESTMENTbull Ask yourself why yoursquore undertaking this program and seek clarity around
your objectives
bull Focus on likely ldquowinsrdquondash ie areas with scope for improvement such asemployee engagement or external awareness
bull Tackle one area at a time in stages and aim for excellence in each arearather than trying to boil the ocean
bull Communication is key to success Create a distinct brand and identity forthe program to encourage awareness and involvement
bull Integrate different community programs ndash a holistic approach can maximizebenefits for the community staff engagement and corporate reputation
Over 450 employees registered to use thesite over the next two months with 230 employees(8 percent of staff) actively volunteering duringthe first year This beat a target to have 5 percentof employees volunteering 12 months after launchIn 2005 employees volunteered 4800 hours
Helping employees select the right optionEmployees can search the volunteering databaseby skill geographic area or type of charity and aregiven a range of choices Then the onus is on theemployee to speak to the charity and obtainfurther details on current opportunities inaddition to whatrsquos on the database The employeethen applies to his or her line manager Anintegrated work process enables staff to obtainapproval from their manager interact with thevoluntary organization and record their effortskeeping administration to a minimum
Managers at Pfizer Sandwich are keen foremployees to volunteer because theyrsquore aware ofthe potential benefits in terms of employeeengagement and skills development ndash a largenumber of managers are volunteers themselvesPfizer also held briefing sessions for managers toensure they were aware of the volunteeringprogram its benefits and how it works
7
Engaging employees in Pfizerrsquos community investment program
Incorporating employee feedbackThe database tracks employeesrsquo volunteeringefforts including how many hours theyrsquove doneand their feedback on the opportunitiesEmployee feedback can then be accessed by otherstaff looking for an opportunity The databasegives employees better insight into the availableopportunities and allows them to select somethingthat appeals to them so that both the employeeand the organization where they volunteer gets abetter ldquofitrdquo
The database also allows for better integrationof the whole program where volunteering canprovide an alternative or an addition to fundingFor example a well-known national charityapplied to Pfizer at Sandwich for some fundingaround a diversity initiative Pfizer suggested theirdiversity manager volunteer for them instead whohelped create the charityrsquos diversity program thatis now being launched nationally
Creating an integrated programIn May 2005 the decision was taken to bringtogether all the strands of community investmentunder one brand Healthy Communities Thisprogram was to includebull Charitable grantsbull Employee volunteeringbull Gifts in kind Community investment via gifts
in kind such as the use of Pfizer premisesresources and expertise is more easilysustainable and can bring real long-termbenefit to the local community When Pfizerfacilities are used to support communityinitiatives the face-to-face contact withemployees allows relationship-building andnetworking with key influencers Also invitingthe community to use Pfizer resources on siteldquodemystifiesrdquo the company
The overarching strategy behind HealthyCommunities was to support communityinvestment holistically (ie using several of theabove elements in combination) whereverpossible Focusing grants on the areas of greatestneed helps Pfizer achieve its overall missionHowever the donation of gifts in kind can have awider-reaching impact on the community
Taking a holistic approachAn award-winning example of this holisticapproach is the Helping Hartsdown projectwhich was Pfizer Sandwichrsquos biggest ever gift inkindvolunteering project Pfizer donated andrenovated much-needed classrooms at a localschool As well as financial support and gifts inkind the project involved over 100 staff andcontractor volunteers across all departments Aspecific promotion on the Reaching Out website
ldquoBY JULY 2006 THE lsquoHEALTHY COMMUNITIESrsquoPROGRAM HAD BEEN TRANSFORMED AND WONA NATIONAL EXAMPLE OF EXCELLENCE AWARDFROM BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITYrdquo
27scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
POSITIVE IMPACTS OF THE PROGRAMThe Healthy Communities program has had the following positive impacts for Pfizer
bull The program supports and protects Pfizerrsquos freedom to operate effectivelyin East Kent UK
bull Supporting and involving employees in the program engages and motivatesthem The company is also seen to be living its values In a recent survey55 percent of colleagues felt the program was ldquofocused and effectiverdquo
bull The program provides opportunities for colleagues to develop skills Twentypercent of colleagues surveyed stated that they had improved personalskills through taking part in the program
bull A healthy community is a better place to live and work for employees andwill aid retention Retention of the most highly skilled scientists givesPfizer Global Research and Development a competitive edge
bull A vibrant and healthy community helps to attract and retain leadingscientists from around the world
bull Community is one of Pfizerrsquos six core values Communicating activitiesinternally and externally gives a positive perception of the company
helped attract this large number of volunteersincluding senior leaders
Momentum was maintained behind thecommunication of the program with monthlynetworking breakfasts and several themed minicharity fairs to give local good causes the chanceto showcase their volunteering Individuals andteamsrsquo volunteering efforts were also regularlyprofiled in Pipeline
The December 2006 employee survey showedan 85-percent awareness level of Reaching Outand the program won a ldquoNational Example ofExcellence Awardrdquo from Business in theCommunity1
Relaunching the websiteIn June 2006 the Reaching Out website wasrelaunched to incorporate payroll giving andmatched fundraising under the same brand asvolunteering and utilize the existing software Allelements can now be applied for on the same site
The number of employees registered with thesite increased to over 1000 and the number of adhoc staff enquiries handled by CC Worksincreased dramatically as awareness andinvolvement levels rose among the workforce
External communicationA quarterly newsletter containing a round-up ofPfizerrsquos community investment work is producedand distributed widely to external stakeholdersincluding 3000 local residents Following theBusiness in the Community award the magazineCommunity News was revamped its circulationincreased and it was also desk-dropped to allemployees The magazine also helps to raiseawareness of Pfizer among local organizations
A pocket-sized booklet was produced containingkey facts and figures about the Healthy Communitiesprogram This gives employees especially seniorleaders at-a-glance information on the programallowing them to act as ambassadors for Pfizerrsquoscommunity investment work
Senior leaders at Pfizer Sandwich are keenadvocates of the program and having a clearbrand helps them communicate its benefits andraise awareness both internally and externally
Next stepsDespite its award-winning status there are plansto take Healthy Communities even further Theseinclude further research into employee feedbackand closer links to personal development plans InPfizer at Sandwichrsquos Global Operations functionvolunteering forms part of personal objectives ndashthis is an aspiration for the rest of the business
Pfizer also wants to improve team volunteeringand a toolkit is being prepared for team leaderswho wish to get involved in volunteering
Finally in order to share knowledge and bestpractice around community investment with otherlocal businesses Pfizer is hosting a Kentmembership network in conjunction with KentCounty Council This will help Pfizer work closelywith the local authority and bring local businessestogether to share ideas and collaborate toimprove their impact on the community scm
1 httpwwwbitcorguk
CONTACT DETAILS
Pam BakerPfizerpambakerpfizercom
Christine JenkinsCC Workschristinejenkinsccworkscouk
28 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Editorrsquos noteSucceeding in internal communication probablyisnrsquot all that different to succeeding in anyprofession understand whatrsquos expected of you dothe job well and deliver results But when youspeak to practitioners about how they personallyturned the corner in their careers and started tomake an impact it soon becomes clear that thereare many dos and donrsquots that can help or hinderprogress This article provides a handy checklistfor those with ambitious development plans
John G ClemonsVice President CommunicationsRaytheon Technical Services Co Llc
Take the initiativeThere have been a few career-defining momentsfor me Among them was the time when I realizedthat I was moving from a manager level to the
decision-making role of a director I worked for a senior executive who hired me
from a rival telecommunications company Uponjoining the company I developed strategiccommunication plans to address various businesschallenges During the development process Iperiodically checked in with my supervisor to gethis input and approval ndash probably more thannecessary ndash before moving to the next steps in planning
One day he called me into his office and saidthat while he liked the work I was doing for himhis expectation when he hired me as a directorwas that I would take the initiative in the job relyless on his frequent input and move forward with implementation and measurement Hewanted results
His counsel was along the lines of ldquoI hired youto do a directorrsquos job so do the job of a directorYou donrsquot have to get permission to make adifferencerdquo
Meet commitments and think strategicallyHis direction motivated me to take moreresponsibility at this new job level This alsomeant that I had to not just manage but leadmeet commitments and think more strategicallyto continue to earn not only his confidence butthe support of the entire leadership team
Irsquove found that being a communicationprofessional who is also a leader that can betrusted can get things done and truly support thegoals and objectives of an organization will notonly impress others but help build your credibilityand lead to success
How to get ahead ininternal communication
The path that leads internal communicators to thetop of their profession isnrsquot always an obvious oneWhich is why we asked a range of senior practitioners
to share their thoughts and experiences on gaining therespect of those who matter Whether its senior leadersfellow employees or your own team yoursquore looking toimpress these responses provide useful insight into howto make sure you and your work gets noticed
Senior practitioners share their views on how togain influence and credibility
COMPILED BY MANDY THATCHER
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
29scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Mark DarbyHead of Internal CommunicationsVisaUK
Be smart sharp and stubbornThe biggest lesson Irsquove learned and keep havingto remind myself is that I need to be smart sharpand stubborn to get ahead This is what thosewords mean to me in a work context
Smart I need to understand what Visa is doingand what people think about the business Thismeans constantly spending time in differentdepartments and learning from them I know whoour customers are what our challenges are andwhat our current financial performance is I havecontacts in most departments who have a fingeron the pulse which means I can have a relevantconversation with a senior person from any department
Sharp Internal communication is rarely near thetop of the agenda for senior people and my timewith them is usually short I always try to talkabout the impact on business performance assoon as possible If I circulate a document it willbe summarized to a single page at most and Idonrsquot use PowerPoint I ask a lot of ldquoonerdquo questionssuch as ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing you want employeesto do differentlyrdquo or ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing youwant me to change over the next six monthsrdquo
Stubborn I know what I want internal communica-tion to achieve at Visa and it has the support ofthe senior team Irsquove built up knowledge frombooks and articles I use my education from theBlack Belt training course1 and I speak to formercolleagues With this knowledge Irsquove becomestubborn and good at saying no because I have theinformation to back up my arguments Irsquove stoppedmy team from picking up extra projects that wonrsquotdeliver much value We focus only on projects thatadd the most value to the business and we deliveron these really well Successful delivery is thebiggest influence on any senior person
Monika StaffordHead of Internal CommunicationLloyds TSBUK
Be creative and focus on a killer issueUsing creative solutions to bring to life importantndash but often dull ndash programs can create a shinethat stretches beyond project boundaries For
example I worked on the implementation of SAPndash a business-critical systems program ndash requiringbehavior change from swathes of key yetuninterested people Successful implementationwas a big risk to get right but it was as dull asdishwater to communicate
Luckily there was a ldquoEurekardquo moment Byaligning the SAP story with the metaphor ofFormula-1 racing we could tell the tale of how itwould fulfill our need to create winningperformances for both the individual driver aswell as the back-up team in order to perform wellon the road ahead This storyline was a perfectmatch for the programrsquos objectives
Launch speakers from Formula 1 great designwork not to mention fantastic collateral allresulted in a no-hitch implementation that reallyresonated with people The global companypicked it up as the approach for worldwide rollout So faced with tedium it can actually pay tostare out of the window for creative inspiration
My other piece of advice is Focus on a killerissue If you really want to get ahead (and do besure you really do as being at the center ofchange is often akin to being in the eye of ahurricane ndash itrsquos no place for the feint-hearted)learn what keeps your business leaders up atnight Use your stakeholder-management skills toget to the people you need to help you deliversolutions then execute execute execute
Focus on value-adding work only because ifyou end up working on your companyrsquos cul-de-sacprojects yoursquoll never shine brightly enough forthe leaders in your company to notice you 3
COMPETENCY
Planning internal communication 76
Linking corporate messages to corporate vision 73
CEO communication 63
Change communication 60
Communicating to diverse audiences 60
Using the intranet as a communication tool 54
Defending your department in internal political battles 43
Line manager communication 42
Professional development of internal communication staff 33
Helping employees cope with information overload 32
Securing the appropriate level of budget for internal communication 30
Measuring the effectiveness of internal communication 28
Figure One Table from The Pulse report showing the percentage of communicators who ratethemselves as effective or very effective at listed competencies
30 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
WHATrsquoS CHANGED IN THE LAST 25 YEARS
David MoorcroftSenior Vice PresidentCorporate CommunicationsRBC Financial Group Canada
Irsquom constantly amazed at the changes that have taken place in our professionover the last 25 years and the degree of talent and knowledge required bycommunicators today to do their jobs well
Back in 1979 when I started in corporate PR the major skill sets werewriting editing and great media contacts Today good editorial skills are justtable stakes and the ability to understand business adapt technology thinkstrategically plan consummately and influence stakeholders are what landsenior communicators a seat at the management table
This change has been driven by the globalization of business the advent ofnew 247 media including the Internet the growing sophistication ofcustomers and employees increased demands for corporate transparency andmore rigorous requirements for high standards of public disclosure andfinancial reporting
MORE SKILLS THAN EVER BEFOREAs a result todayrsquos business communicator has to be more capable andknowledgeable and have more skills than ever before They must befinancially literate and technologically savvy They must understand the impactof evolving accounting and disclosure rules They must deal with legal HRpolitical and business issues And they must be prepared to deal with amultitude of potential crises that can arise at any moment in any language inany part of the world
Perhaps most challenging senior management today expects clear bottom-line returns for their investments in communication Itrsquos no longer enough toinform audiences and measure communication outputs CEOs expectcommunication to engage audiences and produce outcomes ndash something thatrequires strategic thinking planning and foresight
A friend of mine who left a senior corporate PR job to become COO of amajor public utility recently summed up the role of todayrsquos communicator thisway ldquoItrsquos one of the most important and critical roles in organizations todayand yet itrsquos often one of the least recognized and appreciatedrdquo
That sentiment may be a reality in some organizations today but with moreand more CEOs beginning to realize the bottom-line value of communication itwonrsquot be 25 years from now
Christina FeeSenior Vice President InternalCommunicationsDeutsche Post AGGermany
Seek out the important projectsI canrsquot pretend to have employed a specificapproach to my ldquopersonal PRrdquo at all But in theorganizations Irsquove worked for Irsquove had theopportunity to work on a number of excitinghigh-profile projects that have connected me withsenior stakeholders and influential people atdifferent levels
7
Irsquove learned a great deal from the project teamsIrsquove worked with and also due to the significanceand scope of the projects been able todemonstrate my worth approach and skills Irsquovehad to be passionate stand up for what I believein and think outside the box constantly
My roles within DHLDeutsche Post haveallowed me the freedom and flexibility to developand deliver new ideas but Irsquove also had to practiceand embody excellent internal communicationskills myself Having developed credibility and trustwith those that matter based on my track record Iwas allowed to go ahead with other projects
I donrsquot actively pursue the ldquoright relationshipsrdquobut rather let my work and my interactions withpeople speak for themselves This has helped medevelop mentors and supporters naturally Mylearning and development has also been expandedby the opportunity to work abroad and learn moreabout intercultural communication and interaction
Marc SilversideHead of Internal CommunicationsMacmillan Cancer SupportUK
Understand whatrsquos expected of youA newly established role heightens the need formaking a good impression so that people trustyou and feel they can come to you for advice
When I joined Macmillan I very nearly got thiswrong Perhaps this is an example that otherrsquos canlearn from
When my new CEO at Macmillan CancerSupport asked for a meeting ldquoafter a few weeks tosettle inrdquo I was confident that my wide-ranginginduction would help me understand the businessand provide the basis for what Irsquod present tosenior management
Forty structured face-to-face managerinterviews allowed me to understand needs andkey issues and I started to build personal rapportMy profile was raised and at the same timeinternal communication gained good visibility
Externally I networked with contacts in similarroles in other charities and soon found thebeginnings of a voluntary-sector network This hassince grown to over 25 members
By the time my CEO slot arrived I was armedwith input from across the charity and the resultsof an audit I felt well prepared to present myvision and solutions So I was surprised to be metwith significant resistance
I later discovered that my CEO intelligence wasincorrect What he wanted was to be askedspecifically about his own views on what internalcommunication should do and what I could do for
How to get ahead in internal communication
31scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
HOW DO YOUR SKILLS MEASURE UPFor Melcrumrsquos study into budgets salaries and trends in internalcommunication in 200607 we asked survey respondents to rate their owneffectiveness at a range of key communication competencies from planning tomeasurement The results may surprise you
For example 76 percent of respondents rate themselves as effective or veryeffective at planning internal communication but only 28 percent ratethemselves as equally effective at measuring its effectiveness (see Figure Onepage 29)
In her commentary on the results development expert Sue Dewhurst hadthe following to say
OUR STRENGTHSIt seems where we see our strengths as internal communicators is towards theldquofront endrdquo of the communication planning process For example being able tolink a plan to the business strategy knowing our audiences and being able tojoin up the dots and show people how messages link to the business vision
These are powerful strengths We are one of the few functions that tends tohave an overarching view of our entire company and is able to view thecompany and its strategy from a number of different perspectives Being ableto understand the vision and strategy view it from an audience perspectiveand then create line of sight to show what those things mean in practicalterms for peoplersquos day-to-day roles is one of the ways that we help drivebusiness performance ndash by showing people what they need to do to take thestrategy forward
In turn by knowing and working with our audiences hopefully wersquore thenalso able to make sure their views and suggestions can help shape the strategyand how itrsquos put into practice
MEASURING EFFECTIVENESSWe see ourselves as less effective towards the back end of the planningprocess in measuring the effectiveness of internal communication which tiesin with the feeling from previous questions that in fact wersquore not doing muchmeasurement or demonstrating our return on investment
Research and measurement is an area where there is plenty of expertisearound to call on There are measurement conferences research reports andpublications to understand what other organizations are doing and practicaltraining that will give you the opportunity to work in a smaller group askquestions and practice techniques For help with specific techniques try yourinternal marketing team Marketers are generally great with data and well-versed in running focus groups and putting together surveys If you have anexternal provider to support your employee engagement research try them too
Source The Pulse Essential data on budgets salaries and trends 2006-07wwwmelcrumcom
him rather than how I could benefit the charity Ihad to change my approach fast
This could have cost me my best ambassadorfrom day one So my advice is make sure yoursquoreabsolutely clear about whatrsquos expected from you
Of course the insights I gained in my first fewmonths have been valuable and since then myresults have done the talking Fortunately theCEO soon became an internal communicationsconvert and advocate
Darren CrozierCommunications ManagerHBOS plcUK
Make things happenDelivery is key to career development ndash if you sayyoursquore going to do something make sure you doit Put in the effort get the results you want andbe known as someone who can make things happenIf yoursquore seen to ldquoget things donerdquo no matter howsmall the job is people are more likely to get youinvolved in activities and ask your opinion
Gaining credibility and respect from seniorcolleagues is important but everyone in yourorganization will form an opinion of you from thepeople in the canteen right through to the CEOSo try and make sure that their opinion of you is agood one
Itrsquos not just the people within your immediatesphere of influence who can have an impact onyour career so extend your network go oncourses and get involved in professionalorganizations Many of my close workingrelationships career opportunities and indeedpersonal friendships have come from meetingpeople at such events and taking the time to keepin touch You never know how things will develop
Itrsquos also vital to earn respect be trustworthy andhave good manners To recall what an ex-bossonce said ldquoBe careful how you treat people onthe way up as you never know when you maycome across them againrdquo
One of the biggest challenges Irsquove found inrecent times is recognizing my own success andselling myself Sometimes you need to take a stepback to realize just what yoursquove achieved Evenbetter keep a log or portfolio of your successesand donrsquot be shy to speak about them becauseothers wonrsquot be shy to speak about theirs
Finally try and have some fun along the wayWe all have to work for a living so learn to makethe most of it scm
1 For more about Melcrumrsquos Internal Communication Black Belttraining program go to wwwmelcrumcom
32 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pitney Bowes has followed an aggressive strategyof growth through acquisition completing 60+acquisitions since 2001 Expansion has broadenedits product mix to include an extensive range ofsolutions from office equipment to globalpositioning software
But the companyrsquos many different specialismsand huge outsourcing operations meant that themajority of its 34000 employees werenrsquot aware ofthe full range of its service offering and thepotential for different divisions to work together
As Rob Hallam vice president EmployeeCommunication explains there was a strongbusiness case for adopting a ldquoone companyrdquoapproach ldquoBecause the businesses tended to besomewhat siloed even senior managers werefocused on their divisions
ldquoAlso because we were acquiring companiesand evolving so rapidly managers werenrsquot awareof a lot of the businesses and how they all workedtogether in the mailstreamrdquo says Hallam ldquoWewere missing out on potential cross-sellingopportunitiesrdquo
Communicating a new visionFour years ago Pitney Bowes created a OneCompany Vision statement ldquoOur aim was toensure support and cooperation across thebusiness so we could provide a comprehensive setof customer solutions ndash not just a list of productsand services by business unitrdquo says Hallam Theinternal communication challenge was to drawtogether 34000 employees and build a unifiedcorporate culture The communication strategyfocused on three key elements
1 PeopleThis focused on involving the leadershipstrengthening a two-way dialogue betweenmanagement and employees communicating theculture through leadership messaging enterprise-wide events and roadshows and buildingengagement so that everyone was workingtogether towards a One Company approach
2 ProcessesThis meant integrating the One Companyapproach into the organizationrsquos operations andinfrastructure by shifting management roles andadjusting incentives and reward structuresthroughout the company
The first step was to consolidate the companyrsquosoperating activities by appointing Murray DMartin as president and chief operating officer inSeptember 2004 Martinrsquos mantra is ldquoThink AsOne Act as One Operate As One to deliverwhat no other company canrdquo
ldquoThe COO position had previously been heldby the chairman so elevating someone to that
Communicating a OneCompany culture atPitney Bowes
Following rapid growth in the form of more than 60acquisitions over six years silo-working haddeveloped at Pitney Bowes and leaders were failing
to take advantage of profitable cross-selling opportunitiesHere Rob Hallam describes the communication elementsof a ldquoOne Companyrdquo culture-change program which hasturned the situation around simultaneously improvingcustomer service and boosting profits
Persuading disparate businessunits to work together
AN INTERVIEW WITH ROB HALLAM
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Pitney Bowes is an 87-year-old company best known forthe manufacturing operationand oversight of postagemeters It has over two millioncustomers more than 3500active patents and annualrevenue of close to $6 billion
33scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
role was a big changerdquo explains Hallam ldquoAll thebusiness units now report to a single individual atoperating level It represented a huge positivemove to start the company operationalizing OneCompany behaviorrdquo
The internal communication function wasrestructured to ensure that consistent messagingreached the entire employee population Regularmeasurement was a key part of the changeinitiative This served to define the contributionof communicating a One Company approachwhere it was adding value to Pitney Bowes and itsclients and customers and where there was stillwork to do
3 TechnologyIt was important to find the best ways to cascademessages throughout the company and keeppeople informed about what was going onwithout bombarding them with irrelevantcommunication Hallam and his team deploy avariety of channels and media including internalprint and online publications voicemail and e-mail Pitney Bowes is also in the process ofintegrating its different voicemail systems and e-mail platforms into one global system
Involving senior leadership from the outsetThe One Company strategy was an overridingpolicy that started at the top of the organizationldquoThere was a big launch at the strategic leadersrsquomeeting which is held every Januaryrdquo saysHallam ldquoThe messaging was then driven throughthe organization via a companywide globalcommunication strategyrdquo
From the outset the policy was championed bythe CEO Michael Critelli who believes thatculture is central to the Pitney Bowes brand andsaid recently ldquoMy first measure of success iswhether we are behaving as one companyrdquo Thiscommitment helped to ensure that the culturalchange was reinforced by parallel changes to thecorporate infrastructure
Building a two-way dialogueThe next step was to get the employee populationinvolved and build enterprisewide enthusiasm forthe culture change Pitney Bowes has alwaysrecognized the value of a two-way dialoguebetween management and employees and hasheld annual jobholders meetings which aresimilar to shareholdersrsquo meetings for 61 years In2005 Hallam reinvented it as an initiative calledOne Forum ndash a series of roadshows focusing oncommunicating the One Company culturethroughout the organization
Launching the One ForumIn 2005 Hallam and his team created an original
and memorable One Forum launch for the 90percent of Pitney Bowes employees based in theUS Around a quarter of US employees saw thisin person the others received a link to a websitewith streaming highlights
ldquoWe put together a two-hour roadshow eventwhich helped people to understand our OneCompany approach and made them aware of allthe businesses we were inrdquo says Hallam ldquoThethinking was that high change requires high touchFace-to-face can have far greater impact on theindividuals touched From there itrsquos a matter ofripple effect such as seeing improved One Forumbrand awareness among employees who didnrsquotactually attend one of the eventsrdquo
ldquoWe wanted the roadshow to be entertainingand energizing so we used gameshow techniquescustom-written songs and comedy specificallytailored to Pitney Bowes employees It was a funevent but it also included a keynote speech fromthe CEO and a lot of question-and-answersessions with employees It was entertainmentwith a purpose and it was a great success with employeesrdquo
The post-event employee evaluations provedthe success of this approach ldquoIn some cities anincredible 90 percent of employees gave the eventa top-box rating This shows that there was ahunger for both the knowledge and theapproachrdquo adds Hallam
Taking the show on the roadThe One Forum roadshow has become an annualevent ldquoIn a five-month period during 2005 therewere 17 One Forum events in 12 US citiesreaching about 6000 peoplerdquo says Hallam ldquoAftersome testing in March and April the first bigroadshows started in early May and continued forsix months with the final one in early Decemberin Seattle 3
Rob Hallam is vice presidentEmployee Communication atPitney Bowes (PB) in StamfordConnecticut where hersquos beenresponsible for internalcommunication strategy andimplementation since 2004Hallam has led a team ofprofessionals in reshapingcommunication at PB resultedin the communication teamearning the top ranking in HRdepartment satisfaction fromall PBrsquos US managers in 2005and 2006
KEY POINTSbull Internal communication has played an important role in embedding a
One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
bull The communication strategy focused on three key elements peopleprocess and technology
bull The campaign has been championed by the CEO from the outset andhas won senior leadership support over time
bull An entertaining roadshow helped win employee commitment
bull Cross-selling ratios have jumped substantially since the culture-changeeffort began
34 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ldquoIn 2006 we compressed the programsubstantially and drove down costs while stilltouching 6000 employees Together with ourcorporate marketing group we also introduced anextremely successful lsquoelevator speechrsquo that helpsemployees answer the much-feared questionlsquoWhat does Pitney Bowes dorsquordquo
Local variationsAlthough the entertainment component in theroadshows contributed to their success it wasspecific to the US so Hallam gave business unitsand internal communicators in other regions theresponsibility for communicating the OneCompany approach to local employees ldquoInCanada and the UK they conducted town-hallmeetings and in Latin America and other parts ofthe world they produced their own variations onthe One Forum theme We made sure that theyhad the information they needed but we limitedthe entertainment to English-speaking regionsrdquo
A commitment to employee engagementThe appointment of the new COO and the launchof the One Forum roadshows coincided with thefirst employee engagement survey in late 2004ldquoWe see engagement as very much tied to ourability to execute a One Company strategy andchange our culturerdquo says Hallam He sets outfour ways in which employee engagement isinstilled at all levels in the organization
1 Visible leadership commitment to engagementThe CEO underlines his commitment by sendingregular messages to employees via a variety ofmedia including voicemail and print and onlinepublications He also uses engagement scores todetermine a unitrsquos overall performance rating andbonus pool ldquoWhen one senior execrsquos bonus poolwas reduced due to poor engagement scores that
was a message requiring no communication planrdquosays Hallam ldquoWord spread quicklyrdquo
2 Celebrating top performers Pitney Bowes celebrates its top engagementperformers by running cover stories in its globalprint and online publication PB Today ldquoThisprogram was called lsquoThe Faces of Pitney Bowesrsquordquosays Hallam ldquoWe did 10 of these last year so theyran twice in five editions Wersquove also producedlarge mural-sized photos of those managers andtheir teamsrdquo he says ldquoWe celebrate success andpublish it everywhere Our CEO loves it and wersquoreactually selling part of our contemporary artcollection which decorates the building to makeroom for an expansion of additional OneCompany and Engagement photography all ofwhich will focus on our employeesrdquo
3 Incentivizing managers via the reward systemEmployee engagement is recognized andreinforced in the companyrsquos formal processesincluding its reward system ldquoWe use a tool calledthe Strategic Architecture which is our balancedscorecardrdquo explains Hallam ldquoItrsquos a Six-Sigma toolwhich measures employee shareholder andcustomer value Managersrsquo engagement scoresalso factor into their annual reviews soengagement has a direct impact on remunerationrdquo
4 Rewarding engagementA further program called Rapid Rewards awardscash bonuses to managers and employees foroutstanding behavior including that related toemployee engagement
Aligning the communication strategyHallam and his team are responsible fordelivering the overall employee communicationstrategy ldquoWe had to dramatically improve ourstrategic approach in order to make OneCompany a realityrdquo he says
In addition to organizing campaigns such as theOne Forum roadshows to publicize the culturechange across the enterprise Hallam hasintroduced initiatives aimed at improving thereach and delivery of internal communication andmaking sure messages get to their intendedaudiences He has also aligned the structure ofthe internal communication function with thecompanyrsquos unified culture
ldquoThere were a lot of different communicationgroups so we brought together all thecommunication leaders and formed a singleInternal Communications Councilrdquo explainsHallam ldquoThis means that the communicationfunctions in the different business units areworking together to help drive change andimprove coordinationrdquo
Communicating a One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
ldquoWHEN A SENIOR EXECrsquoS BONUS WAS REDUCEDDUE TO POOR ENGAGEMENT SCORES THAT WASA MESSAGE REQUIRING NO COMMUNICATIONPLAN WORD SPREAD QUICKLYrdquo
7
FURTHER RESOURCES3 THE IMPACT OF CULTURE AND CLIMATE ON CHANGE PROGRAMS
An article published in SCM Volume 10 Issue 6 OctoberNovember 2006
3 DRIVING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE CORPORATE CULTUREMelcrumrsquos report on communication tools techniques and best practicefrom leading organizationswwwmelcrumcom
35scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Developing a global approachHallam is also responsible for a globalcommunication project called Universal Reachwhich is sponsored by the chairman and designedto support and maintain a unified corporateculture ldquoOur goal is to provide 90 percentmessage accessibility within our key customer-facing audiencesrdquo he explains ldquoThe biggestchallenge is integrating our online communicationinfrastructure which has nine different voicemailsystems operating across the world and multiplee-mail and web platforms Wersquore pulling all thattogether to provide better reachrdquo
Since 911 the CEO and other top executiveshave broadcast weekly audio messages calledPower Talks Hallamrsquos team has worked with theleadership to ensure that they incorporate OneCompany messages and as he explains they reachmost of the employee population ldquoAbout 20000of our employees have voicemail Those whodonrsquot receive the Power Talk message either inprint or online In some divisions managers playthe Power Talk messages in staff meetingsrdquo
Engaging leadership reinforces the cultureBuilding on the CEOrsquos commitment to a OneCompany approach Hallam and his team haveorganized leadership events ndash most recently at thestrategic leadersrsquo meeting in December 2006 ndashshowing Pitney Bowes as one company in actionThis campaign has helped to engage the top 150managers in the culture change
ldquoOur post-event evaluations show a strongmove numerically in senior leadershiprsquos belief thatwersquore operating as one companyrdquo says Hallam(see Figure One above) ldquoAs theyrsquore our toughestjudges wersquore pleased by the significant differencein pre- and post-event measurementrdquo There wasalso an improvement in leadersrsquo understanding ofthe companyrsquos new mailstream category
Sustaining the new cultureAccording to Hallam rippling out the OneCompany messaging requires a consistent andcoordinated approach Communication leaders inthe various divisions are now working to weaveOne Company messages into the business-unitmeetings ldquoA lot of the messaging that welaunched at the strategic leadersrsquo meeting arebeing reiterated at the business unit level Thatrsquosbeen facilitated through the InternalCommunications Councilrdquo he says
ldquoKey metrics for the culture change programfocus on cross-selling ratios which have jumpedsubstantially since the culture change effortbeganrdquo says Hallam ldquoIn 2002 we also institutedthe ldquoPB1 Awardsrdquo which is a chairmanrecognition award that goes to teams who bestembody cross-functional behavior in working on
projects which improve our clientsrsquo profitabilityour profitability or bothrdquo
ldquoHowever wersquore only really a year into thisMuch of the evidence is anecdotal but what haschanged is that our managers have broadenedtheir vision and are thinking as solutions-providers rather than product-sellers As suchtheyrsquore involving other business units out of theirdesire to eliminate customer pain points ndashregardless of which part of Pitney Bowes gets the salerdquo
Adding value to customersUltimately managers and employees who arewell-informed about the companyrsquos products andservices are in a good position to take advantageof cross-selling opportunities Realizing thispotential enables Pitney Bowes to make extrasales to existing customers thereby increasing itsprofit margins and allowing customers to benefitfrom a mix of products and services
Shifting to a unified culture directly benefitsboth Pitney Bowes and its customers ldquoByfocusing on the whole cadre of products andservices we can help our customers improve theirbusinessesrdquo says Hallam ldquoThatrsquos where OneCompany is critical It enables our clients tobenefit from all our servicesrdquo scm
Figure One Measuring the impact of the strategic leadersrsquo meeting
CONTACT DETAILS
Rob HallamPitney Bowesrobhallampbcom
I BELIEVE THAT OUR SENIOR LEADERS (MEANING THE TOP 15 EXECS) AREWORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO DELIVER INTEGRATED HIGH-VALUESOLUTIONS TO OUR CUSTOMERS
Pre SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 73
Post SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 92
Gain in two months time 19
ldquoMANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WELL-INFORMED ABOUT THE COMPANYrsquoS PRODUCTSAND SERVICES ARE IN A GOOD POSITION TOTAKE ADVANTAGE OF CROSS-SELLINGrdquo
2007
36 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
MELCRUM TRAINING amp EVENTS
CALENDAR 2007UKEUROPESOCIAL MEDIA FORUM FORINTERNAL COMMUNICATORS UK
3 21-22 March 2007 Hilton Canary WharfLondon UKThis forum is designed for practitioners who wantto make social media part of their internalcommunication strategy Over two dayscompanies such as IBM Microsoft and BT willshare case studies demonstrating their use ofsocial-media tools Technology experts will also beon hand to provide training and show you how touse these tools
THE 3RD ANNUAL EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT CONFERENCE UK
3 22-24 May 2007 Millennium GloucesterLondon UK22 May ndash Practical workshops23-24 May ndash Two-day conferenceThis event will focus on transforming yourstrategies into action Listen to case studies fromcompanies that have achieved real andmeasurable results from their engagement effortsLearn how they did it what they achieved and howthe results were measured
THE 6TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT UK
3 16-18 October 2007 London UK After the huge success of the 2006 UK StrategicCommunication Management Summit next yearrsquosevent will once again provide you withpresentations from key figures in the industry anda chance to network with your peers Mark yourdiaries now ndash more details to follow
THE 3RD ANNUAL INTERNALCOMMUNICATION MEASUREMENTCONFERENCE UK
3 27-29 November 2007 London UKDetails available soon ndash mark your diary now
NORTH AMERICATHE 3RD ANNUAL CONFERENCEON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENTBUILDING AND SUSTAINING ACULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT
3 28 February ndash 1 March 2007 Crowne PlazaAtlanta-Buckhead Atlanta USLearn how to foster an environment whereemployees feel valued and respected Hear fromcompanies including Dow Corning CorporationAmerican Express Delta Hotels and Merck
THE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT US
3 26-28 March 2007 Crowne Plaza UnionSquare San Francisco26 March ndash Pre-conference workshops27-28 March ndash Two-day summitAttend this conference and discover how toimprove employee alignment with all segments ofyour internal audience ndash from your front-lineemployees to your executive officers bothnationally and worldwide
AUSTRALIATHE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION ENGAGEMENTSUMMIT SYDNEY
3 31 July ndash 2 August 2007 Sydney Australia Details available soon ndash mark your diary now
WEBINARSDEVELOPING PROFESSIONALCOMPETENCE
3 Thursday 22 February 2007 with LiamFitzPatrick and Sue Dewhurst
HELPING YOUR ORGANIZATIONTHRIVE DURING TURBULENTTIMES
3 Thursday 29 March 2007 with Carol KinseyGoman
TRAININGTHE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT PROGRAM
3 24-25 April and 1-2 May 2007 HenleyManagement College UK3 11-12 and 27-28 September 2007 Cranfield
School of Management UK
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT MASTERCLASSEFFECTIVE MEASUREMENT
3 14-15 March 2007 Hendon Hall Hendon UKAn essential two-day intensive training courses forinternal communicators on effective measurementRegister early as places are strictly limited to 20people per Masterclass
CSR DELIVERY ENGAGEMENT amp LEADERSHIP
3 19-20 April 2007 Central LondonOsney MediaWith an excellent speaker line-up from high-profile companies including Procter amp Gamble The BodyShop ExxonMobil Microsoft Belgium Vodafone UK Dell Ericsson and Alliance Boots this case studybased event will answer questions including how do Ibull Build a CSR-oriented leadershipbull Get people on boardbull Integrate CSR with the global strategy of the companybull Deliver CSR throughout the company to make it really happen
For more information visit wwwcsrleadershipcom or e-mail mariame_lindellosneymediacouk (Reference code 910MLC3)
38 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
DESIGN
YELLOW
The future success of all organisations will be builton trust understanding passion empowermentintegrity and relationships
The future is cool exciting sparkling organisationsbursting with energy life and action
The future of brand is the internal brand first andforemost
The future is colleague as customer
Turning communications upside down
No just inside-out
Be part of the future say hello to Yellow
We help large organisations bring their communicationsstrategies to life through the imaginative use of liveevents multimedia web and design ndash distributed acrossall media platforms including DVD TV mobile devicesintranet and extranet
Ultimately developing internal brands and ongoingcommunications that have a measurable impact onpeople-performance advocacy and the bottom line
Contact Paul MiddletonTel +44 (0)161 228 6700E-mail paulmiddletonyellowcomcomWebsite wwwyellowcomcom
NEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
DESIGN
BLUE GOOSE
blue goose specialize in visual communications We make communications work faster and better We will link what wedo back to your objectives but we donrsquot talk (or charge for) ldquostrategyrdquo when you simply want tactical implementation Weuse design and creativity tobull differentiate products and services bull develop and manage corporate and brand identity bull align external communications with agreed values bull internalize corporate and brand identitybull align internal communications with agreed values bull support organizational change and bull help organizations better understand and define who they are
We work for clients as diverse as PricewaterhouseCoopers Ford Europe Centrica plc Greene King City of London Policeand Le Meacuteridien
blue goose is for any organization more interested in designing their future than watching it happen
Contact Chris BarringtonE-mail thinkingbluegoosecoukTel +44 (0)20 8869 8500Web site wwwbluegoosecouk
CONSULTANCY
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION ampSURVEYS PTY LTD
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd is aboutique consultancy based in Sydney Australia Itspecializes in employee communication strategiessystems research and employee surveys of all kindsPrincipal Rodney Gray has been involved inorganizational consulting for over 20 years following a15-year career as a corporate human resourcesexecutive Services includebull Employee communication audits and surveys by
questionnaires focus groups and interviewsbull Employee communication systems strategies and
processesbull Employee communication training workshops and
talksbull Employee culture climate and opinion surveysbull Qualitative organizational diagnosis (focus groups
and interviews)bull Internal service quality research (qualitative and
quantitative)
Contact Rodney GrayTel +61 (0)2 9909 2900 Fax +61 (0)2 9909 2911E-mail rodneyrodneygraycomauWeb site wwwemployee-communicationcomau
CONSULTANCY
HEDRON
Internal and change communication that helps teamsand individuals to develop strategies relationshipsprocesses and skills to engage stakeholders supporthigh performance and deliver change
ldquoSharp strategic thinking quality execution effectiveinterpersonallyhelliprdquo ldquoCreativity drive resourcefulnessresults great funhelliprdquo say clients
All sectors ndash ABN AMRO AXA BT Cadbury SchweppesDepartment for Constitutional Affairs HealthcareCommission Group 4 Securicor SABMiller SiemensSouthern Rail Unilever Wincanton
Our clients are happy to tell you what itrsquos like workingwith us
Contact Helena MemoryTel + 44 (0) 20 7493 0735Fax + 44 (0) 20 7493 0743E-mail helena-mhedroncomWeb site wwwhedroncom
CONSULTANCY
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
39scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
CONSULTANCY
SYNOPSIS
Founded by change and communication authority Bill Quirke in 1992 Synopsis is one of Europersquos leading internalcommunication consultancies Our clients include such companies as ABN Amro BBC BP British Airways DiageoEricsson HP Lloyds TSB Roche Shell and Vodafone
We help clients use internal communication to engage their employees in delivering business strategy and get most valuefrom their internal communication
We can help youbull Develop communication strategies that support your business strategybull Coach leadersbull Develop line managersrsquo communication skillsbull Plan and coordinate your communication with colleagues onlinebull Check the health of your communication channels and improve return on investmentbull Build and develop the communication functionbull Measure and track employee engagement attitudes and opinions
To take a tour of our online planning tool go to wwwsynopsisonlinecomproductplanningtoolasp
Contact Jane LebeauE-mail janelebeausynopsisonlinecomTel +44 (0) 20 7490 2900Web site wwwsynopsisonlinecom
CONSULTANCY
HARKNESS KENNETT
We specialize in internal communication To us thatmeansbull motivating people through inspiring leadershipbull guiding people through organizational changebull engaging people in delivering the brand
Working in partnership with our clients is central to ourethos enabling us to help deliver practical solutionssupported by solid strategic thinking All of ourconsultants have held senior positions ldquoclient siderdquo sowe know what itrsquos like to be in your shoes The vastmajority of our work comes from recommendations fromexisting clients ndash 82 percent of our clients haverequested repeat work in the last two years
Our clients include Abbey Atkins BDO Stoy HaywardThe Environment Agency Marks amp Spencer NHS Blood ampTransplant Morgan Stanley Europe Nestleacute PoliceInformation Technology Organisation Royal ampSunAlliance South West Trains and Vodafone
Our vision is simple ndash we want to be the first callyou make
Contact James HarknessTel +44 (0)1483 222730E-mail jamesharknessharknesskennettcomWeb site wwwharknesskennettcom
CONSULTANCY
TRIDENT COMMUNICATIONS
Trident Communications is uniquely positioned to definedevelop and deliver award-winning solutions that aligncommunication with business goals
We advise and partner with organizations of all sizes tocreate high-value practical applications Our talentedproject teams provide innovative research designeditorial and imagery for print and online
We connect ideas and deliver results
Contact Peter Agertoft Tel +44 (0)207 536 8900E-mail peteragertoft
tridentcommunicationsnetWeb site wwwtridentcommunicationsnet
CONSULTANCY
FLEISHMAN-HILLARD
Fleishman-Hillardrsquos dedicated internal and changecommunication practice helps businesses focus onperforming ndash not just informing
We help organisations plan and implement programmeswith the right mix of information dialogue and trainingso that employees are engaged aligned and motivatedto achieve business objectives
Because effective internal communication is vital tobottom-line performance we partner with our clients tocreate a daily dialogue ndash not a monologue ndash withemployees
Contact Nick AndrewsTel +32 (0)2 230 05 45 E-mail nickandrewsfleishmancomWeb site wwwfleishmaneuropecom
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE A listing in our Directory of Services will giveyou a chance to reach communicationprofessionals at some of the worldrsquos largestand most admired companies and to tap intodecision-making practitioners
ContactVincent SorelTel +44 (0)208 600 4670E-mail vincentsorelmelcrumcom
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
INCLUDE YOUR COMPANY BY CONTACTING US ON +44(0)20 8600 4670 OR AT INFOMELCRUMCOM
CONSULTANCY
HILL amp KNOWLTON
Better business results the bottom line
How do I manage more change Motivate managers Getthe right information to the right people Show the bestreturn on communication investment
Sound familiar Hill amp Knowltonrsquos change and internalcommunication consultants work with companies aroundthe world to find the right answers for their situation
We offer strategy insight and creativity drawing on ourconsultancy expertise and in-house experience Plus wedeliver practical hands-on help
We know that effective employee communication has adirect impact on the bottom line Working together wecan make it happen for you
Contact EMEA DavidFerrabeehillandknowltoncom
+44 (0) 7413 3176USA BarbaraEdlerhillandknowltoncom
+1 415 281-7160Canada KristaThompsonhillandknowltoncom
+1 613 786-9961
RECRUITMENT
VMA GROUP
VMA Group is one of the UKrsquos leading executive searchand selection consultancies specializing in internal andcorporate communication recruitment
For over 25 years VMA Group has provided the highestlevel of service to some of the most demanding globalorganizations developing a strong track record for thequality and professionalism of our search and selection work
We have in-depth specialist knowledge of the internalcommunication market and can provide high-qualitypermanent and interim candidates with expertise acrossinternal communication change management and widercorporate communication We understand the needs ofour clients intrinsically and strive to develop long-termrelationships with clients and candidates alike
Please call to discuss how we can help you find theideal candidate or if you wish to make a career move
Contact David BroomeTel +44 (0)20 7436 4243E-mail dbroomevmagroupcoukWeb site wwwvmagroupcouk
40 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONALCOMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS E-mail gaitensunityncsueduWeb site wwwconsultingsuccessorgTel 919 469 3895
CIB ndash BRITISH ASSOCIATION OFCOMMUNICATORS IN BUSINESSE-mail enquiriescibukcomWeb site wwwcibukcomTel +44 (0)870 121 7606
CCM ndash COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATIONMANAGEMENT E-mail membership
ccmconnectioncomWeb site wwwccmconnectioncomTel 866 463 4226
CPRS ndash THE CANADIAN PUBLICRELATIONS SOCIETYE-mail admincprscaWeb site wwwcprscaTel 416 239 7034
IABC ndash THE INTERNATIONALASSOCIATION OF BUSINESSCOMMUNICATORS E-mail service_centreiabccomWeb site wwwiabccomTel 415 544 4700
ICA ndash THE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONALLIANCE E-mail amandafoistericaukorgWeb site wwwiprorgukicaTel +44 (0)1628 642 044
CIPR ndash THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OFPUBLIC RELATIONS UKE-mail infoiprorgukWeb site wwwiprorgukTel +44 (0)20 7253 5151
IPRA ndash THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICRELATIONS ASSOCIATIONE-mail ipraseccompuservecomWeb site wwwipraorgTel +44 (0) 1372 461 188
PRSA ndash PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OFAMERICAE-mail resourcesprsaorgWeb site wwwprsaorgTel 212 460 1459
DIRECTORY OF SERVICESNEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
CONSULTANCY
23scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 FCC launched a culture-change program focused on
improving performance across the organization
bull Two key aims of the program are to encourage leaders and employeesto embody the values and improve staff engagement
bull Defining its strategy and goals at the outset internal communicationhas played a role in achieving these objectives
bull Results so far include less information overload a more accessibleleadership team and improved engagement scores
The challenge for internal communication wasto improve employeesrsquo perception of the visibilityaccessibility and trust for the senior managementteam Successful tactics introduced includebull A ldquoDine-Aroundrdquo program where three
senior leaders host a monthly lunch for ninepeople
bull An online forum called SMT Exchangewhere employees can anonymously askleaders tough questions and answers areposted for all to see
bull Senior leaders author more all-staff e-mailsare more visible and accessible at companyevents and deliver presentations that focus onconnecting employees to the business agenda
The goals we started with When we defined our internal communicationstrategy in 2003 we had some clear goals to worktowards These werebull To communicate relevant information in a
timely consistent and memorable waybull To reduce information overloadbull To influence an increase in the
communication-related elements of theengagement index
bull To contribute to an increase in employeeengagement from 69 to 74 percent
We also had specific year-one objectivesbull To increase understanding of business goals
and objectives beyond 78 percent bull To increase employee opinion about effective
senior leadership from 69 to 73 percentbull To improve employee opinions related to
senior management
Achievements and measurable resultsWith these goals guiding our efforts themeasurable results wersquove achieved so far includebull The bundling of all-staff e-mail has reduced
the volume by 88 percent ndash amounting toaround 350000 messages over one year
bull Over 450 employees have lunched with amember of the senior management team and170 QampAs have been posted on our seniormanagement online exchange
bull The survey scores relating to employeesrsquoperception of leadership and theirunderstanding of goals and objectives showsteady improvement since 2003 (see FigureTwo bottom left)
bull FCCrsquos engagement scores and subsequentranking among Canadarsquos 50 best employershas moved from 69 percent engagement and50th place in 2004 to 81 percent and 35thplace in 2005 84 percent and 12th place in2006 and 82 percent and 8th place in 2007
Cultural transformationThe internal communication strategy described inthis article has set the stage to communicatecultural transformation across the organization
Wersquore now in the fourth year of our culturaltransformation ndash creating an environment wherepeople are empowered feel safe and highperformance can flourish This involves aquantum shift in how employees behave andrelate to their co-workers and customers
Like developing a companyrsquos image or brandculture can ldquojust happenrdquo or it can be designedStrategic communication has played a central roleto create awareness understanding commitmentand motivate changes in behavior at every level ofthe organization
John Ryan has the final word ldquoOver the years Ihave learned that communication is at the heartof building a high-performance culture ndash a culturewhere people are fully engaged Communicationis vital Without it leaders cannot effect positivechange Our internal strategy recognizesemployees as a primary audience and a keyconduit to the customer the media stakeholdersand communities Our strategic approach tointernal communication significantly contributesto business resultsrdquo scm
CONTACT DETAILS
Kellie GarrettFarm Credit CanadaKellieGarrettfcc-facca
Claire WatsonFarm Credit CanadaClaireWatsonfcc-facca
24 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
In January 2004 Pfizer at Sandwich in Kent UKcommissioned a review of its existing charitablecontributions program which included matchedpayroll giving volunteering and grants for localcommunity charities and voluntary groups CCWorks the community investment consultancywas also approached to manage the day-to-dayadministration of grant applications from thecommunity
However it was decided that the administrationcould not be effectively managed until suitablecriteria were put in place for the grants programEssentially a company cannot outsourceresponsibility for its charitable donations unlesstherersquos a clear strategy in place for doing this
Although there were various policies in placefor the different elements of the existingcommunity investment program there was a lackof strategic direction to the program as a whole
Auditing the community grants programAs a first step CC Works examined the existinggrants program and also conducted external
benchmarking with voluntary organizations in thecommunity to gage perceptions of Pfizer
It emerged that many organizations werereceiving small grants ndash although some werenrsquotsure why ndash but only 16 percent of the currentspend was going on health-related causes ForPfizer a major global healthcare company thiswasnrsquot strategic It was clear that as a healthcarecompany Pfizer should be trying to improve thehealth of its local area by focusing on three coreareas health community and education
There was also a need for grants to be morelocally focused A significant amount of the spendwas going outside of the immediate East Kentarea CC Works recommended that to allow thecompany maximum freedom to operate in itscommunity it should focus grants on theimmediate community of East Kent which alsohappened to be a deprived area
Segmenting current grantsWorking in partnership with CC Works currentgrant allocation was examined by sector localarea and size of grant and in May 2004 two-yeartargets were set to increase the strategic impact ofcommunity grantsbull Increase grants allocated to health-related
projects to 50 percentbull Increase average grant from UKpound300 to
UKpound1000bull Increase East Kent allocation to 90 percent
This change was designed to be gradual so thatthe shift in allocation could be well managed
The new focus on the community mirrors
Engaging employees inPfizerrsquos communityinvestment program
In 2003 Pfizer at Sandwich UK was running manyelements of a community investment program butthere was little awareness among employees and no
real focus By July 2006 the program had beentransformed and now actively contributes to employeeand community relationships Here Pam Baker andChristine Jenkins describe the journey from disconnectedpolicies to award-winning program
Communicating an approach with clear links toemployees and the local community
BY PAM BAKER AND CHRISTINE JENKINS
scm FEATURES
Pfizerrsquos site at Sandwich inKent is the UK manufacturingheadquarters of Pfizer Incglobal pharmaceuticalcompany Its workforce of4000 makes it the largestprivate employer in East Kent
1 2 3 4 5
25scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pfizerrsquos global mission to be ldquothe most valuedcompany to patients customers colleaguesinvestors business partners and the communitieswhere we work and liverdquo For the communityinvestment program a measurable mission wascreated ldquoto improve the health indicators of thepeople of East Kentrdquo
Focus on colleague involvementThe next step in July 2004 was to conduct areview of the employee engagement elements ofcommunity investment to examine how thesecould be better integrated These elementsincluded payroll giving volunteering and staff-matched fundraising
For Pfizer at Sandwich the obvious first choicewas to look at volunteering Eighty-five percent ofPfizer employees are minimum graduate level ndashoffering much-needed skills to a deprived areaAll employees have five paid days a year they canuse for volunteering ndash this not only supports thecommunity it boosts employee engagement andcreates opportunities for employees to visiblyconnect with the community and vice versa
In October 2004 volunteering was identified asa key area for development but for employeevolunteering to be a success it had to beproactively marketed inside Pfizer and thereneeded to be adequate support andadministration behind the program
A database of volunteering opportunitiesIn conjunction with CC Works a searchable data-base of local volunteering opportunities was createdPfizer felt it was important to create a tailoreddatabase that would be furnished internally inorder to ensure a local bias and to maintain thequality of the information supplied to employees
In order to tie in with employeesrsquo personaldevelopment plans opportunities in the databasehad to meet at least two of Pfizerrsquos six keycompetencies 1 Team development2 Project management3 Coaching and development4 Decision making5 Effective partnership6 Working with change
To fill the database with relevant opportunities allorganizations that had contacted Pfizer for grantsor funding in the past three years were re-contacted and asked if they would also beinterested in volunteering
Over 70 percent responded positively and 300volunteering opportunities were sourced CCWorks helped the voluntary organizations puttogether opportunities that were most likely totake advantage of Pfizer employeesrsquo range of
specialist skillsThese opportunities were categorized on the
database according to skill geographic area andtype of charity allowing employees to search forsomething suitable for them Pfizer wasnrsquotprescriptive in its approach and allowed staff tovolunteer where the opportunity matched theirpersonal-development goals interests or wasgeographically convenient
Opportunities were wide-ranging from helpingin a charity shop to teaching in a schoolImportantly because database management isoutsourced to CC Works therersquos constantproactivitiy around seeking new opportunities andproviding administrative support that would havebeen difficult to maintain in-house
Launching the ldquoReaching Outrdquo programTo encourage involvement and awarenessemployees were asked to suggest a name for therevitalized volunteering program ldquoReaching Outrdquowas chosen and the new volunteering website waslaunched in May 2005 The site sits on PfizerSandwichrsquos intranet and any employee orcontractor can access it
A charity week was also held to help promotethe Reaching Out program Various charitiesvisited Pfizer during lunch breaks to explain whatthey do and the opportunities to work with themA soft incentive for staff to register on theReaching Out site was that Pfizer would donate20 rehydration sachets to Unicef (monetary valueof about pound2)
Reaching Out was also featured in a webcastfrom a senior leader that went to all employees(about 3000 staff plus contractors) at the start ofthe week and it was profiled in the weekly onlinemagazine Pipeline 3
Pam Baker is directorStrategic Operations andCommunity Affairs at Pfizer UK
Christine Jenkins is founderof CC Works a consultancyoffering communityinvestment advice andpractical solutions to thecorporate and voluntarysectors Previously she heldsenior manager roles in thevoluntary and private sectors
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 an audit of Pfizer at Sandwichrsquos community investment
program revealed a lack of strategic direction
bull In partnership with consultancy CC Works a decision was made tofocus the program on the local community
bull An effort to raise employee involvement through volunteering hasboosted the program and linked it to employee engagement
bull The ldquoReaching Outrdquo website gives employees the freedom to work withcharities of their choice
bull By July 2006 the ldquoHealthy Communitiesrdquo program had beentransformed and won a National Example of Excellence award fromBusiness in the Community
26 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TOP TIPS FOR COMMUNITY INVESTMENTbull Ask yourself why yoursquore undertaking this program and seek clarity around
your objectives
bull Focus on likely ldquowinsrdquondash ie areas with scope for improvement such asemployee engagement or external awareness
bull Tackle one area at a time in stages and aim for excellence in each arearather than trying to boil the ocean
bull Communication is key to success Create a distinct brand and identity forthe program to encourage awareness and involvement
bull Integrate different community programs ndash a holistic approach can maximizebenefits for the community staff engagement and corporate reputation
Over 450 employees registered to use thesite over the next two months with 230 employees(8 percent of staff) actively volunteering duringthe first year This beat a target to have 5 percentof employees volunteering 12 months after launchIn 2005 employees volunteered 4800 hours
Helping employees select the right optionEmployees can search the volunteering databaseby skill geographic area or type of charity and aregiven a range of choices Then the onus is on theemployee to speak to the charity and obtainfurther details on current opportunities inaddition to whatrsquos on the database The employeethen applies to his or her line manager Anintegrated work process enables staff to obtainapproval from their manager interact with thevoluntary organization and record their effortskeeping administration to a minimum
Managers at Pfizer Sandwich are keen foremployees to volunteer because theyrsquore aware ofthe potential benefits in terms of employeeengagement and skills development ndash a largenumber of managers are volunteers themselvesPfizer also held briefing sessions for managers toensure they were aware of the volunteeringprogram its benefits and how it works
7
Engaging employees in Pfizerrsquos community investment program
Incorporating employee feedbackThe database tracks employeesrsquo volunteeringefforts including how many hours theyrsquove doneand their feedback on the opportunitiesEmployee feedback can then be accessed by otherstaff looking for an opportunity The databasegives employees better insight into the availableopportunities and allows them to select somethingthat appeals to them so that both the employeeand the organization where they volunteer gets abetter ldquofitrdquo
The database also allows for better integrationof the whole program where volunteering canprovide an alternative or an addition to fundingFor example a well-known national charityapplied to Pfizer at Sandwich for some fundingaround a diversity initiative Pfizer suggested theirdiversity manager volunteer for them instead whohelped create the charityrsquos diversity program thatis now being launched nationally
Creating an integrated programIn May 2005 the decision was taken to bringtogether all the strands of community investmentunder one brand Healthy Communities Thisprogram was to includebull Charitable grantsbull Employee volunteeringbull Gifts in kind Community investment via gifts
in kind such as the use of Pfizer premisesresources and expertise is more easilysustainable and can bring real long-termbenefit to the local community When Pfizerfacilities are used to support communityinitiatives the face-to-face contact withemployees allows relationship-building andnetworking with key influencers Also invitingthe community to use Pfizer resources on siteldquodemystifiesrdquo the company
The overarching strategy behind HealthyCommunities was to support communityinvestment holistically (ie using several of theabove elements in combination) whereverpossible Focusing grants on the areas of greatestneed helps Pfizer achieve its overall missionHowever the donation of gifts in kind can have awider-reaching impact on the community
Taking a holistic approachAn award-winning example of this holisticapproach is the Helping Hartsdown projectwhich was Pfizer Sandwichrsquos biggest ever gift inkindvolunteering project Pfizer donated andrenovated much-needed classrooms at a localschool As well as financial support and gifts inkind the project involved over 100 staff andcontractor volunteers across all departments Aspecific promotion on the Reaching Out website
ldquoBY JULY 2006 THE lsquoHEALTHY COMMUNITIESrsquoPROGRAM HAD BEEN TRANSFORMED AND WONA NATIONAL EXAMPLE OF EXCELLENCE AWARDFROM BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITYrdquo
27scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
POSITIVE IMPACTS OF THE PROGRAMThe Healthy Communities program has had the following positive impacts for Pfizer
bull The program supports and protects Pfizerrsquos freedom to operate effectivelyin East Kent UK
bull Supporting and involving employees in the program engages and motivatesthem The company is also seen to be living its values In a recent survey55 percent of colleagues felt the program was ldquofocused and effectiverdquo
bull The program provides opportunities for colleagues to develop skills Twentypercent of colleagues surveyed stated that they had improved personalskills through taking part in the program
bull A healthy community is a better place to live and work for employees andwill aid retention Retention of the most highly skilled scientists givesPfizer Global Research and Development a competitive edge
bull A vibrant and healthy community helps to attract and retain leadingscientists from around the world
bull Community is one of Pfizerrsquos six core values Communicating activitiesinternally and externally gives a positive perception of the company
helped attract this large number of volunteersincluding senior leaders
Momentum was maintained behind thecommunication of the program with monthlynetworking breakfasts and several themed minicharity fairs to give local good causes the chanceto showcase their volunteering Individuals andteamsrsquo volunteering efforts were also regularlyprofiled in Pipeline
The December 2006 employee survey showedan 85-percent awareness level of Reaching Outand the program won a ldquoNational Example ofExcellence Awardrdquo from Business in theCommunity1
Relaunching the websiteIn June 2006 the Reaching Out website wasrelaunched to incorporate payroll giving andmatched fundraising under the same brand asvolunteering and utilize the existing software Allelements can now be applied for on the same site
The number of employees registered with thesite increased to over 1000 and the number of adhoc staff enquiries handled by CC Worksincreased dramatically as awareness andinvolvement levels rose among the workforce
External communicationA quarterly newsletter containing a round-up ofPfizerrsquos community investment work is producedand distributed widely to external stakeholdersincluding 3000 local residents Following theBusiness in the Community award the magazineCommunity News was revamped its circulationincreased and it was also desk-dropped to allemployees The magazine also helps to raiseawareness of Pfizer among local organizations
A pocket-sized booklet was produced containingkey facts and figures about the Healthy Communitiesprogram This gives employees especially seniorleaders at-a-glance information on the programallowing them to act as ambassadors for Pfizerrsquoscommunity investment work
Senior leaders at Pfizer Sandwich are keenadvocates of the program and having a clearbrand helps them communicate its benefits andraise awareness both internally and externally
Next stepsDespite its award-winning status there are plansto take Healthy Communities even further Theseinclude further research into employee feedbackand closer links to personal development plans InPfizer at Sandwichrsquos Global Operations functionvolunteering forms part of personal objectives ndashthis is an aspiration for the rest of the business
Pfizer also wants to improve team volunteeringand a toolkit is being prepared for team leaderswho wish to get involved in volunteering
Finally in order to share knowledge and bestpractice around community investment with otherlocal businesses Pfizer is hosting a Kentmembership network in conjunction with KentCounty Council This will help Pfizer work closelywith the local authority and bring local businessestogether to share ideas and collaborate toimprove their impact on the community scm
1 httpwwwbitcorguk
CONTACT DETAILS
Pam BakerPfizerpambakerpfizercom
Christine JenkinsCC Workschristinejenkinsccworkscouk
28 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Editorrsquos noteSucceeding in internal communication probablyisnrsquot all that different to succeeding in anyprofession understand whatrsquos expected of you dothe job well and deliver results But when youspeak to practitioners about how they personallyturned the corner in their careers and started tomake an impact it soon becomes clear that thereare many dos and donrsquots that can help or hinderprogress This article provides a handy checklistfor those with ambitious development plans
John G ClemonsVice President CommunicationsRaytheon Technical Services Co Llc
Take the initiativeThere have been a few career-defining momentsfor me Among them was the time when I realizedthat I was moving from a manager level to the
decision-making role of a director I worked for a senior executive who hired me
from a rival telecommunications company Uponjoining the company I developed strategiccommunication plans to address various businesschallenges During the development process Iperiodically checked in with my supervisor to gethis input and approval ndash probably more thannecessary ndash before moving to the next steps in planning
One day he called me into his office and saidthat while he liked the work I was doing for himhis expectation when he hired me as a directorwas that I would take the initiative in the job relyless on his frequent input and move forward with implementation and measurement Hewanted results
His counsel was along the lines of ldquoI hired youto do a directorrsquos job so do the job of a directorYou donrsquot have to get permission to make adifferencerdquo
Meet commitments and think strategicallyHis direction motivated me to take moreresponsibility at this new job level This alsomeant that I had to not just manage but leadmeet commitments and think more strategicallyto continue to earn not only his confidence butthe support of the entire leadership team
Irsquove found that being a communicationprofessional who is also a leader that can betrusted can get things done and truly support thegoals and objectives of an organization will notonly impress others but help build your credibilityand lead to success
How to get ahead ininternal communication
The path that leads internal communicators to thetop of their profession isnrsquot always an obvious oneWhich is why we asked a range of senior practitioners
to share their thoughts and experiences on gaining therespect of those who matter Whether its senior leadersfellow employees or your own team yoursquore looking toimpress these responses provide useful insight into howto make sure you and your work gets noticed
Senior practitioners share their views on how togain influence and credibility
COMPILED BY MANDY THATCHER
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
29scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Mark DarbyHead of Internal CommunicationsVisaUK
Be smart sharp and stubbornThe biggest lesson Irsquove learned and keep havingto remind myself is that I need to be smart sharpand stubborn to get ahead This is what thosewords mean to me in a work context
Smart I need to understand what Visa is doingand what people think about the business Thismeans constantly spending time in differentdepartments and learning from them I know whoour customers are what our challenges are andwhat our current financial performance is I havecontacts in most departments who have a fingeron the pulse which means I can have a relevantconversation with a senior person from any department
Sharp Internal communication is rarely near thetop of the agenda for senior people and my timewith them is usually short I always try to talkabout the impact on business performance assoon as possible If I circulate a document it willbe summarized to a single page at most and Idonrsquot use PowerPoint I ask a lot of ldquoonerdquo questionssuch as ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing you want employeesto do differentlyrdquo or ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing youwant me to change over the next six monthsrdquo
Stubborn I know what I want internal communica-tion to achieve at Visa and it has the support ofthe senior team Irsquove built up knowledge frombooks and articles I use my education from theBlack Belt training course1 and I speak to formercolleagues With this knowledge Irsquove becomestubborn and good at saying no because I have theinformation to back up my arguments Irsquove stoppedmy team from picking up extra projects that wonrsquotdeliver much value We focus only on projects thatadd the most value to the business and we deliveron these really well Successful delivery is thebiggest influence on any senior person
Monika StaffordHead of Internal CommunicationLloyds TSBUK
Be creative and focus on a killer issueUsing creative solutions to bring to life importantndash but often dull ndash programs can create a shinethat stretches beyond project boundaries For
example I worked on the implementation of SAPndash a business-critical systems program ndash requiringbehavior change from swathes of key yetuninterested people Successful implementationwas a big risk to get right but it was as dull asdishwater to communicate
Luckily there was a ldquoEurekardquo moment Byaligning the SAP story with the metaphor ofFormula-1 racing we could tell the tale of how itwould fulfill our need to create winningperformances for both the individual driver aswell as the back-up team in order to perform wellon the road ahead This storyline was a perfectmatch for the programrsquos objectives
Launch speakers from Formula 1 great designwork not to mention fantastic collateral allresulted in a no-hitch implementation that reallyresonated with people The global companypicked it up as the approach for worldwide rollout So faced with tedium it can actually pay tostare out of the window for creative inspiration
My other piece of advice is Focus on a killerissue If you really want to get ahead (and do besure you really do as being at the center ofchange is often akin to being in the eye of ahurricane ndash itrsquos no place for the feint-hearted)learn what keeps your business leaders up atnight Use your stakeholder-management skills toget to the people you need to help you deliversolutions then execute execute execute
Focus on value-adding work only because ifyou end up working on your companyrsquos cul-de-sacprojects yoursquoll never shine brightly enough forthe leaders in your company to notice you 3
COMPETENCY
Planning internal communication 76
Linking corporate messages to corporate vision 73
CEO communication 63
Change communication 60
Communicating to diverse audiences 60
Using the intranet as a communication tool 54
Defending your department in internal political battles 43
Line manager communication 42
Professional development of internal communication staff 33
Helping employees cope with information overload 32
Securing the appropriate level of budget for internal communication 30
Measuring the effectiveness of internal communication 28
Figure One Table from The Pulse report showing the percentage of communicators who ratethemselves as effective or very effective at listed competencies
30 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
WHATrsquoS CHANGED IN THE LAST 25 YEARS
David MoorcroftSenior Vice PresidentCorporate CommunicationsRBC Financial Group Canada
Irsquom constantly amazed at the changes that have taken place in our professionover the last 25 years and the degree of talent and knowledge required bycommunicators today to do their jobs well
Back in 1979 when I started in corporate PR the major skill sets werewriting editing and great media contacts Today good editorial skills are justtable stakes and the ability to understand business adapt technology thinkstrategically plan consummately and influence stakeholders are what landsenior communicators a seat at the management table
This change has been driven by the globalization of business the advent ofnew 247 media including the Internet the growing sophistication ofcustomers and employees increased demands for corporate transparency andmore rigorous requirements for high standards of public disclosure andfinancial reporting
MORE SKILLS THAN EVER BEFOREAs a result todayrsquos business communicator has to be more capable andknowledgeable and have more skills than ever before They must befinancially literate and technologically savvy They must understand the impactof evolving accounting and disclosure rules They must deal with legal HRpolitical and business issues And they must be prepared to deal with amultitude of potential crises that can arise at any moment in any language inany part of the world
Perhaps most challenging senior management today expects clear bottom-line returns for their investments in communication Itrsquos no longer enough toinform audiences and measure communication outputs CEOs expectcommunication to engage audiences and produce outcomes ndash something thatrequires strategic thinking planning and foresight
A friend of mine who left a senior corporate PR job to become COO of amajor public utility recently summed up the role of todayrsquos communicator thisway ldquoItrsquos one of the most important and critical roles in organizations todayand yet itrsquos often one of the least recognized and appreciatedrdquo
That sentiment may be a reality in some organizations today but with moreand more CEOs beginning to realize the bottom-line value of communication itwonrsquot be 25 years from now
Christina FeeSenior Vice President InternalCommunicationsDeutsche Post AGGermany
Seek out the important projectsI canrsquot pretend to have employed a specificapproach to my ldquopersonal PRrdquo at all But in theorganizations Irsquove worked for Irsquove had theopportunity to work on a number of excitinghigh-profile projects that have connected me withsenior stakeholders and influential people atdifferent levels
7
Irsquove learned a great deal from the project teamsIrsquove worked with and also due to the significanceand scope of the projects been able todemonstrate my worth approach and skills Irsquovehad to be passionate stand up for what I believein and think outside the box constantly
My roles within DHLDeutsche Post haveallowed me the freedom and flexibility to developand deliver new ideas but Irsquove also had to practiceand embody excellent internal communicationskills myself Having developed credibility and trustwith those that matter based on my track record Iwas allowed to go ahead with other projects
I donrsquot actively pursue the ldquoright relationshipsrdquobut rather let my work and my interactions withpeople speak for themselves This has helped medevelop mentors and supporters naturally Mylearning and development has also been expandedby the opportunity to work abroad and learn moreabout intercultural communication and interaction
Marc SilversideHead of Internal CommunicationsMacmillan Cancer SupportUK
Understand whatrsquos expected of youA newly established role heightens the need formaking a good impression so that people trustyou and feel they can come to you for advice
When I joined Macmillan I very nearly got thiswrong Perhaps this is an example that otherrsquos canlearn from
When my new CEO at Macmillan CancerSupport asked for a meeting ldquoafter a few weeks tosettle inrdquo I was confident that my wide-ranginginduction would help me understand the businessand provide the basis for what Irsquod present tosenior management
Forty structured face-to-face managerinterviews allowed me to understand needs andkey issues and I started to build personal rapportMy profile was raised and at the same timeinternal communication gained good visibility
Externally I networked with contacts in similarroles in other charities and soon found thebeginnings of a voluntary-sector network This hassince grown to over 25 members
By the time my CEO slot arrived I was armedwith input from across the charity and the resultsof an audit I felt well prepared to present myvision and solutions So I was surprised to be metwith significant resistance
I later discovered that my CEO intelligence wasincorrect What he wanted was to be askedspecifically about his own views on what internalcommunication should do and what I could do for
How to get ahead in internal communication
31scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
HOW DO YOUR SKILLS MEASURE UPFor Melcrumrsquos study into budgets salaries and trends in internalcommunication in 200607 we asked survey respondents to rate their owneffectiveness at a range of key communication competencies from planning tomeasurement The results may surprise you
For example 76 percent of respondents rate themselves as effective or veryeffective at planning internal communication but only 28 percent ratethemselves as equally effective at measuring its effectiveness (see Figure Onepage 29)
In her commentary on the results development expert Sue Dewhurst hadthe following to say
OUR STRENGTHSIt seems where we see our strengths as internal communicators is towards theldquofront endrdquo of the communication planning process For example being able tolink a plan to the business strategy knowing our audiences and being able tojoin up the dots and show people how messages link to the business vision
These are powerful strengths We are one of the few functions that tends tohave an overarching view of our entire company and is able to view thecompany and its strategy from a number of different perspectives Being ableto understand the vision and strategy view it from an audience perspectiveand then create line of sight to show what those things mean in practicalterms for peoplersquos day-to-day roles is one of the ways that we help drivebusiness performance ndash by showing people what they need to do to take thestrategy forward
In turn by knowing and working with our audiences hopefully wersquore thenalso able to make sure their views and suggestions can help shape the strategyand how itrsquos put into practice
MEASURING EFFECTIVENESSWe see ourselves as less effective towards the back end of the planningprocess in measuring the effectiveness of internal communication which tiesin with the feeling from previous questions that in fact wersquore not doing muchmeasurement or demonstrating our return on investment
Research and measurement is an area where there is plenty of expertisearound to call on There are measurement conferences research reports andpublications to understand what other organizations are doing and practicaltraining that will give you the opportunity to work in a smaller group askquestions and practice techniques For help with specific techniques try yourinternal marketing team Marketers are generally great with data and well-versed in running focus groups and putting together surveys If you have anexternal provider to support your employee engagement research try them too
Source The Pulse Essential data on budgets salaries and trends 2006-07wwwmelcrumcom
him rather than how I could benefit the charity Ihad to change my approach fast
This could have cost me my best ambassadorfrom day one So my advice is make sure yoursquoreabsolutely clear about whatrsquos expected from you
Of course the insights I gained in my first fewmonths have been valuable and since then myresults have done the talking Fortunately theCEO soon became an internal communicationsconvert and advocate
Darren CrozierCommunications ManagerHBOS plcUK
Make things happenDelivery is key to career development ndash if you sayyoursquore going to do something make sure you doit Put in the effort get the results you want andbe known as someone who can make things happenIf yoursquore seen to ldquoget things donerdquo no matter howsmall the job is people are more likely to get youinvolved in activities and ask your opinion
Gaining credibility and respect from seniorcolleagues is important but everyone in yourorganization will form an opinion of you from thepeople in the canteen right through to the CEOSo try and make sure that their opinion of you is agood one
Itrsquos not just the people within your immediatesphere of influence who can have an impact onyour career so extend your network go oncourses and get involved in professionalorganizations Many of my close workingrelationships career opportunities and indeedpersonal friendships have come from meetingpeople at such events and taking the time to keepin touch You never know how things will develop
Itrsquos also vital to earn respect be trustworthy andhave good manners To recall what an ex-bossonce said ldquoBe careful how you treat people onthe way up as you never know when you maycome across them againrdquo
One of the biggest challenges Irsquove found inrecent times is recognizing my own success andselling myself Sometimes you need to take a stepback to realize just what yoursquove achieved Evenbetter keep a log or portfolio of your successesand donrsquot be shy to speak about them becauseothers wonrsquot be shy to speak about theirs
Finally try and have some fun along the wayWe all have to work for a living so learn to makethe most of it scm
1 For more about Melcrumrsquos Internal Communication Black Belttraining program go to wwwmelcrumcom
32 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pitney Bowes has followed an aggressive strategyof growth through acquisition completing 60+acquisitions since 2001 Expansion has broadenedits product mix to include an extensive range ofsolutions from office equipment to globalpositioning software
But the companyrsquos many different specialismsand huge outsourcing operations meant that themajority of its 34000 employees werenrsquot aware ofthe full range of its service offering and thepotential for different divisions to work together
As Rob Hallam vice president EmployeeCommunication explains there was a strongbusiness case for adopting a ldquoone companyrdquoapproach ldquoBecause the businesses tended to besomewhat siloed even senior managers werefocused on their divisions
ldquoAlso because we were acquiring companiesand evolving so rapidly managers werenrsquot awareof a lot of the businesses and how they all workedtogether in the mailstreamrdquo says Hallam ldquoWewere missing out on potential cross-sellingopportunitiesrdquo
Communicating a new visionFour years ago Pitney Bowes created a OneCompany Vision statement ldquoOur aim was toensure support and cooperation across thebusiness so we could provide a comprehensive setof customer solutions ndash not just a list of productsand services by business unitrdquo says Hallam Theinternal communication challenge was to drawtogether 34000 employees and build a unifiedcorporate culture The communication strategyfocused on three key elements
1 PeopleThis focused on involving the leadershipstrengthening a two-way dialogue betweenmanagement and employees communicating theculture through leadership messaging enterprise-wide events and roadshows and buildingengagement so that everyone was workingtogether towards a One Company approach
2 ProcessesThis meant integrating the One Companyapproach into the organizationrsquos operations andinfrastructure by shifting management roles andadjusting incentives and reward structuresthroughout the company
The first step was to consolidate the companyrsquosoperating activities by appointing Murray DMartin as president and chief operating officer inSeptember 2004 Martinrsquos mantra is ldquoThink AsOne Act as One Operate As One to deliverwhat no other company canrdquo
ldquoThe COO position had previously been heldby the chairman so elevating someone to that
Communicating a OneCompany culture atPitney Bowes
Following rapid growth in the form of more than 60acquisitions over six years silo-working haddeveloped at Pitney Bowes and leaders were failing
to take advantage of profitable cross-selling opportunitiesHere Rob Hallam describes the communication elementsof a ldquoOne Companyrdquo culture-change program which hasturned the situation around simultaneously improvingcustomer service and boosting profits
Persuading disparate businessunits to work together
AN INTERVIEW WITH ROB HALLAM
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Pitney Bowes is an 87-year-old company best known forthe manufacturing operationand oversight of postagemeters It has over two millioncustomers more than 3500active patents and annualrevenue of close to $6 billion
33scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
role was a big changerdquo explains Hallam ldquoAll thebusiness units now report to a single individual atoperating level It represented a huge positivemove to start the company operationalizing OneCompany behaviorrdquo
The internal communication function wasrestructured to ensure that consistent messagingreached the entire employee population Regularmeasurement was a key part of the changeinitiative This served to define the contributionof communicating a One Company approachwhere it was adding value to Pitney Bowes and itsclients and customers and where there was stillwork to do
3 TechnologyIt was important to find the best ways to cascademessages throughout the company and keeppeople informed about what was going onwithout bombarding them with irrelevantcommunication Hallam and his team deploy avariety of channels and media including internalprint and online publications voicemail and e-mail Pitney Bowes is also in the process ofintegrating its different voicemail systems and e-mail platforms into one global system
Involving senior leadership from the outsetThe One Company strategy was an overridingpolicy that started at the top of the organizationldquoThere was a big launch at the strategic leadersrsquomeeting which is held every Januaryrdquo saysHallam ldquoThe messaging was then driven throughthe organization via a companywide globalcommunication strategyrdquo
From the outset the policy was championed bythe CEO Michael Critelli who believes thatculture is central to the Pitney Bowes brand andsaid recently ldquoMy first measure of success iswhether we are behaving as one companyrdquo Thiscommitment helped to ensure that the culturalchange was reinforced by parallel changes to thecorporate infrastructure
Building a two-way dialogueThe next step was to get the employee populationinvolved and build enterprisewide enthusiasm forthe culture change Pitney Bowes has alwaysrecognized the value of a two-way dialoguebetween management and employees and hasheld annual jobholders meetings which aresimilar to shareholdersrsquo meetings for 61 years In2005 Hallam reinvented it as an initiative calledOne Forum ndash a series of roadshows focusing oncommunicating the One Company culturethroughout the organization
Launching the One ForumIn 2005 Hallam and his team created an original
and memorable One Forum launch for the 90percent of Pitney Bowes employees based in theUS Around a quarter of US employees saw thisin person the others received a link to a websitewith streaming highlights
ldquoWe put together a two-hour roadshow eventwhich helped people to understand our OneCompany approach and made them aware of allthe businesses we were inrdquo says Hallam ldquoThethinking was that high change requires high touchFace-to-face can have far greater impact on theindividuals touched From there itrsquos a matter ofripple effect such as seeing improved One Forumbrand awareness among employees who didnrsquotactually attend one of the eventsrdquo
ldquoWe wanted the roadshow to be entertainingand energizing so we used gameshow techniquescustom-written songs and comedy specificallytailored to Pitney Bowes employees It was a funevent but it also included a keynote speech fromthe CEO and a lot of question-and-answersessions with employees It was entertainmentwith a purpose and it was a great success with employeesrdquo
The post-event employee evaluations provedthe success of this approach ldquoIn some cities anincredible 90 percent of employees gave the eventa top-box rating This shows that there was ahunger for both the knowledge and theapproachrdquo adds Hallam
Taking the show on the roadThe One Forum roadshow has become an annualevent ldquoIn a five-month period during 2005 therewere 17 One Forum events in 12 US citiesreaching about 6000 peoplerdquo says Hallam ldquoAftersome testing in March and April the first bigroadshows started in early May and continued forsix months with the final one in early Decemberin Seattle 3
Rob Hallam is vice presidentEmployee Communication atPitney Bowes (PB) in StamfordConnecticut where hersquos beenresponsible for internalcommunication strategy andimplementation since 2004Hallam has led a team ofprofessionals in reshapingcommunication at PB resultedin the communication teamearning the top ranking in HRdepartment satisfaction fromall PBrsquos US managers in 2005and 2006
KEY POINTSbull Internal communication has played an important role in embedding a
One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
bull The communication strategy focused on three key elements peopleprocess and technology
bull The campaign has been championed by the CEO from the outset andhas won senior leadership support over time
bull An entertaining roadshow helped win employee commitment
bull Cross-selling ratios have jumped substantially since the culture-changeeffort began
34 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ldquoIn 2006 we compressed the programsubstantially and drove down costs while stilltouching 6000 employees Together with ourcorporate marketing group we also introduced anextremely successful lsquoelevator speechrsquo that helpsemployees answer the much-feared questionlsquoWhat does Pitney Bowes dorsquordquo
Local variationsAlthough the entertainment component in theroadshows contributed to their success it wasspecific to the US so Hallam gave business unitsand internal communicators in other regions theresponsibility for communicating the OneCompany approach to local employees ldquoInCanada and the UK they conducted town-hallmeetings and in Latin America and other parts ofthe world they produced their own variations onthe One Forum theme We made sure that theyhad the information they needed but we limitedthe entertainment to English-speaking regionsrdquo
A commitment to employee engagementThe appointment of the new COO and the launchof the One Forum roadshows coincided with thefirst employee engagement survey in late 2004ldquoWe see engagement as very much tied to ourability to execute a One Company strategy andchange our culturerdquo says Hallam He sets outfour ways in which employee engagement isinstilled at all levels in the organization
1 Visible leadership commitment to engagementThe CEO underlines his commitment by sendingregular messages to employees via a variety ofmedia including voicemail and print and onlinepublications He also uses engagement scores todetermine a unitrsquos overall performance rating andbonus pool ldquoWhen one senior execrsquos bonus poolwas reduced due to poor engagement scores that
was a message requiring no communication planrdquosays Hallam ldquoWord spread quicklyrdquo
2 Celebrating top performers Pitney Bowes celebrates its top engagementperformers by running cover stories in its globalprint and online publication PB Today ldquoThisprogram was called lsquoThe Faces of Pitney Bowesrsquordquosays Hallam ldquoWe did 10 of these last year so theyran twice in five editions Wersquove also producedlarge mural-sized photos of those managers andtheir teamsrdquo he says ldquoWe celebrate success andpublish it everywhere Our CEO loves it and wersquoreactually selling part of our contemporary artcollection which decorates the building to makeroom for an expansion of additional OneCompany and Engagement photography all ofwhich will focus on our employeesrdquo
3 Incentivizing managers via the reward systemEmployee engagement is recognized andreinforced in the companyrsquos formal processesincluding its reward system ldquoWe use a tool calledthe Strategic Architecture which is our balancedscorecardrdquo explains Hallam ldquoItrsquos a Six-Sigma toolwhich measures employee shareholder andcustomer value Managersrsquo engagement scoresalso factor into their annual reviews soengagement has a direct impact on remunerationrdquo
4 Rewarding engagementA further program called Rapid Rewards awardscash bonuses to managers and employees foroutstanding behavior including that related toemployee engagement
Aligning the communication strategyHallam and his team are responsible fordelivering the overall employee communicationstrategy ldquoWe had to dramatically improve ourstrategic approach in order to make OneCompany a realityrdquo he says
In addition to organizing campaigns such as theOne Forum roadshows to publicize the culturechange across the enterprise Hallam hasintroduced initiatives aimed at improving thereach and delivery of internal communication andmaking sure messages get to their intendedaudiences He has also aligned the structure ofthe internal communication function with thecompanyrsquos unified culture
ldquoThere were a lot of different communicationgroups so we brought together all thecommunication leaders and formed a singleInternal Communications Councilrdquo explainsHallam ldquoThis means that the communicationfunctions in the different business units areworking together to help drive change andimprove coordinationrdquo
Communicating a One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
ldquoWHEN A SENIOR EXECrsquoS BONUS WAS REDUCEDDUE TO POOR ENGAGEMENT SCORES THAT WASA MESSAGE REQUIRING NO COMMUNICATIONPLAN WORD SPREAD QUICKLYrdquo
7
FURTHER RESOURCES3 THE IMPACT OF CULTURE AND CLIMATE ON CHANGE PROGRAMS
An article published in SCM Volume 10 Issue 6 OctoberNovember 2006
3 DRIVING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE CORPORATE CULTUREMelcrumrsquos report on communication tools techniques and best practicefrom leading organizationswwwmelcrumcom
35scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Developing a global approachHallam is also responsible for a globalcommunication project called Universal Reachwhich is sponsored by the chairman and designedto support and maintain a unified corporateculture ldquoOur goal is to provide 90 percentmessage accessibility within our key customer-facing audiencesrdquo he explains ldquoThe biggestchallenge is integrating our online communicationinfrastructure which has nine different voicemailsystems operating across the world and multiplee-mail and web platforms Wersquore pulling all thattogether to provide better reachrdquo
Since 911 the CEO and other top executiveshave broadcast weekly audio messages calledPower Talks Hallamrsquos team has worked with theleadership to ensure that they incorporate OneCompany messages and as he explains they reachmost of the employee population ldquoAbout 20000of our employees have voicemail Those whodonrsquot receive the Power Talk message either inprint or online In some divisions managers playthe Power Talk messages in staff meetingsrdquo
Engaging leadership reinforces the cultureBuilding on the CEOrsquos commitment to a OneCompany approach Hallam and his team haveorganized leadership events ndash most recently at thestrategic leadersrsquo meeting in December 2006 ndashshowing Pitney Bowes as one company in actionThis campaign has helped to engage the top 150managers in the culture change
ldquoOur post-event evaluations show a strongmove numerically in senior leadershiprsquos belief thatwersquore operating as one companyrdquo says Hallam(see Figure One above) ldquoAs theyrsquore our toughestjudges wersquore pleased by the significant differencein pre- and post-event measurementrdquo There wasalso an improvement in leadersrsquo understanding ofthe companyrsquos new mailstream category
Sustaining the new cultureAccording to Hallam rippling out the OneCompany messaging requires a consistent andcoordinated approach Communication leaders inthe various divisions are now working to weaveOne Company messages into the business-unitmeetings ldquoA lot of the messaging that welaunched at the strategic leadersrsquo meeting arebeing reiterated at the business unit level Thatrsquosbeen facilitated through the InternalCommunications Councilrdquo he says
ldquoKey metrics for the culture change programfocus on cross-selling ratios which have jumpedsubstantially since the culture change effortbeganrdquo says Hallam ldquoIn 2002 we also institutedthe ldquoPB1 Awardsrdquo which is a chairmanrecognition award that goes to teams who bestembody cross-functional behavior in working on
projects which improve our clientsrsquo profitabilityour profitability or bothrdquo
ldquoHowever wersquore only really a year into thisMuch of the evidence is anecdotal but what haschanged is that our managers have broadenedtheir vision and are thinking as solutions-providers rather than product-sellers As suchtheyrsquore involving other business units out of theirdesire to eliminate customer pain points ndashregardless of which part of Pitney Bowes gets the salerdquo
Adding value to customersUltimately managers and employees who arewell-informed about the companyrsquos products andservices are in a good position to take advantageof cross-selling opportunities Realizing thispotential enables Pitney Bowes to make extrasales to existing customers thereby increasing itsprofit margins and allowing customers to benefitfrom a mix of products and services
Shifting to a unified culture directly benefitsboth Pitney Bowes and its customers ldquoByfocusing on the whole cadre of products andservices we can help our customers improve theirbusinessesrdquo says Hallam ldquoThatrsquos where OneCompany is critical It enables our clients tobenefit from all our servicesrdquo scm
Figure One Measuring the impact of the strategic leadersrsquo meeting
CONTACT DETAILS
Rob HallamPitney Bowesrobhallampbcom
I BELIEVE THAT OUR SENIOR LEADERS (MEANING THE TOP 15 EXECS) AREWORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO DELIVER INTEGRATED HIGH-VALUESOLUTIONS TO OUR CUSTOMERS
Pre SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 73
Post SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 92
Gain in two months time 19
ldquoMANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WELL-INFORMED ABOUT THE COMPANYrsquoS PRODUCTSAND SERVICES ARE IN A GOOD POSITION TOTAKE ADVANTAGE OF CROSS-SELLINGrdquo
2007
36 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
MELCRUM TRAINING amp EVENTS
CALENDAR 2007UKEUROPESOCIAL MEDIA FORUM FORINTERNAL COMMUNICATORS UK
3 21-22 March 2007 Hilton Canary WharfLondon UKThis forum is designed for practitioners who wantto make social media part of their internalcommunication strategy Over two dayscompanies such as IBM Microsoft and BT willshare case studies demonstrating their use ofsocial-media tools Technology experts will also beon hand to provide training and show you how touse these tools
THE 3RD ANNUAL EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT CONFERENCE UK
3 22-24 May 2007 Millennium GloucesterLondon UK22 May ndash Practical workshops23-24 May ndash Two-day conferenceThis event will focus on transforming yourstrategies into action Listen to case studies fromcompanies that have achieved real andmeasurable results from their engagement effortsLearn how they did it what they achieved and howthe results were measured
THE 6TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT UK
3 16-18 October 2007 London UK After the huge success of the 2006 UK StrategicCommunication Management Summit next yearrsquosevent will once again provide you withpresentations from key figures in the industry anda chance to network with your peers Mark yourdiaries now ndash more details to follow
THE 3RD ANNUAL INTERNALCOMMUNICATION MEASUREMENTCONFERENCE UK
3 27-29 November 2007 London UKDetails available soon ndash mark your diary now
NORTH AMERICATHE 3RD ANNUAL CONFERENCEON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENTBUILDING AND SUSTAINING ACULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT
3 28 February ndash 1 March 2007 Crowne PlazaAtlanta-Buckhead Atlanta USLearn how to foster an environment whereemployees feel valued and respected Hear fromcompanies including Dow Corning CorporationAmerican Express Delta Hotels and Merck
THE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT US
3 26-28 March 2007 Crowne Plaza UnionSquare San Francisco26 March ndash Pre-conference workshops27-28 March ndash Two-day summitAttend this conference and discover how toimprove employee alignment with all segments ofyour internal audience ndash from your front-lineemployees to your executive officers bothnationally and worldwide
AUSTRALIATHE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION ENGAGEMENTSUMMIT SYDNEY
3 31 July ndash 2 August 2007 Sydney Australia Details available soon ndash mark your diary now
WEBINARSDEVELOPING PROFESSIONALCOMPETENCE
3 Thursday 22 February 2007 with LiamFitzPatrick and Sue Dewhurst
HELPING YOUR ORGANIZATIONTHRIVE DURING TURBULENTTIMES
3 Thursday 29 March 2007 with Carol KinseyGoman
TRAININGTHE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT PROGRAM
3 24-25 April and 1-2 May 2007 HenleyManagement College UK3 11-12 and 27-28 September 2007 Cranfield
School of Management UK
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT MASTERCLASSEFFECTIVE MEASUREMENT
3 14-15 March 2007 Hendon Hall Hendon UKAn essential two-day intensive training courses forinternal communicators on effective measurementRegister early as places are strictly limited to 20people per Masterclass
CSR DELIVERY ENGAGEMENT amp LEADERSHIP
3 19-20 April 2007 Central LondonOsney MediaWith an excellent speaker line-up from high-profile companies including Procter amp Gamble The BodyShop ExxonMobil Microsoft Belgium Vodafone UK Dell Ericsson and Alliance Boots this case studybased event will answer questions including how do Ibull Build a CSR-oriented leadershipbull Get people on boardbull Integrate CSR with the global strategy of the companybull Deliver CSR throughout the company to make it really happen
For more information visit wwwcsrleadershipcom or e-mail mariame_lindellosneymediacouk (Reference code 910MLC3)
38 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
DESIGN
YELLOW
The future success of all organisations will be builton trust understanding passion empowermentintegrity and relationships
The future is cool exciting sparkling organisationsbursting with energy life and action
The future of brand is the internal brand first andforemost
The future is colleague as customer
Turning communications upside down
No just inside-out
Be part of the future say hello to Yellow
We help large organisations bring their communicationsstrategies to life through the imaginative use of liveevents multimedia web and design ndash distributed acrossall media platforms including DVD TV mobile devicesintranet and extranet
Ultimately developing internal brands and ongoingcommunications that have a measurable impact onpeople-performance advocacy and the bottom line
Contact Paul MiddletonTel +44 (0)161 228 6700E-mail paulmiddletonyellowcomcomWebsite wwwyellowcomcom
NEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
DESIGN
BLUE GOOSE
blue goose specialize in visual communications We make communications work faster and better We will link what wedo back to your objectives but we donrsquot talk (or charge for) ldquostrategyrdquo when you simply want tactical implementation Weuse design and creativity tobull differentiate products and services bull develop and manage corporate and brand identity bull align external communications with agreed values bull internalize corporate and brand identitybull align internal communications with agreed values bull support organizational change and bull help organizations better understand and define who they are
We work for clients as diverse as PricewaterhouseCoopers Ford Europe Centrica plc Greene King City of London Policeand Le Meacuteridien
blue goose is for any organization more interested in designing their future than watching it happen
Contact Chris BarringtonE-mail thinkingbluegoosecoukTel +44 (0)20 8869 8500Web site wwwbluegoosecouk
CONSULTANCY
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION ampSURVEYS PTY LTD
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd is aboutique consultancy based in Sydney Australia Itspecializes in employee communication strategiessystems research and employee surveys of all kindsPrincipal Rodney Gray has been involved inorganizational consulting for over 20 years following a15-year career as a corporate human resourcesexecutive Services includebull Employee communication audits and surveys by
questionnaires focus groups and interviewsbull Employee communication systems strategies and
processesbull Employee communication training workshops and
talksbull Employee culture climate and opinion surveysbull Qualitative organizational diagnosis (focus groups
and interviews)bull Internal service quality research (qualitative and
quantitative)
Contact Rodney GrayTel +61 (0)2 9909 2900 Fax +61 (0)2 9909 2911E-mail rodneyrodneygraycomauWeb site wwwemployee-communicationcomau
CONSULTANCY
HEDRON
Internal and change communication that helps teamsand individuals to develop strategies relationshipsprocesses and skills to engage stakeholders supporthigh performance and deliver change
ldquoSharp strategic thinking quality execution effectiveinterpersonallyhelliprdquo ldquoCreativity drive resourcefulnessresults great funhelliprdquo say clients
All sectors ndash ABN AMRO AXA BT Cadbury SchweppesDepartment for Constitutional Affairs HealthcareCommission Group 4 Securicor SABMiller SiemensSouthern Rail Unilever Wincanton
Our clients are happy to tell you what itrsquos like workingwith us
Contact Helena MemoryTel + 44 (0) 20 7493 0735Fax + 44 (0) 20 7493 0743E-mail helena-mhedroncomWeb site wwwhedroncom
CONSULTANCY
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
39scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
CONSULTANCY
SYNOPSIS
Founded by change and communication authority Bill Quirke in 1992 Synopsis is one of Europersquos leading internalcommunication consultancies Our clients include such companies as ABN Amro BBC BP British Airways DiageoEricsson HP Lloyds TSB Roche Shell and Vodafone
We help clients use internal communication to engage their employees in delivering business strategy and get most valuefrom their internal communication
We can help youbull Develop communication strategies that support your business strategybull Coach leadersbull Develop line managersrsquo communication skillsbull Plan and coordinate your communication with colleagues onlinebull Check the health of your communication channels and improve return on investmentbull Build and develop the communication functionbull Measure and track employee engagement attitudes and opinions
To take a tour of our online planning tool go to wwwsynopsisonlinecomproductplanningtoolasp
Contact Jane LebeauE-mail janelebeausynopsisonlinecomTel +44 (0) 20 7490 2900Web site wwwsynopsisonlinecom
CONSULTANCY
HARKNESS KENNETT
We specialize in internal communication To us thatmeansbull motivating people through inspiring leadershipbull guiding people through organizational changebull engaging people in delivering the brand
Working in partnership with our clients is central to ourethos enabling us to help deliver practical solutionssupported by solid strategic thinking All of ourconsultants have held senior positions ldquoclient siderdquo sowe know what itrsquos like to be in your shoes The vastmajority of our work comes from recommendations fromexisting clients ndash 82 percent of our clients haverequested repeat work in the last two years
Our clients include Abbey Atkins BDO Stoy HaywardThe Environment Agency Marks amp Spencer NHS Blood ampTransplant Morgan Stanley Europe Nestleacute PoliceInformation Technology Organisation Royal ampSunAlliance South West Trains and Vodafone
Our vision is simple ndash we want to be the first callyou make
Contact James HarknessTel +44 (0)1483 222730E-mail jamesharknessharknesskennettcomWeb site wwwharknesskennettcom
CONSULTANCY
TRIDENT COMMUNICATIONS
Trident Communications is uniquely positioned to definedevelop and deliver award-winning solutions that aligncommunication with business goals
We advise and partner with organizations of all sizes tocreate high-value practical applications Our talentedproject teams provide innovative research designeditorial and imagery for print and online
We connect ideas and deliver results
Contact Peter Agertoft Tel +44 (0)207 536 8900E-mail peteragertoft
tridentcommunicationsnetWeb site wwwtridentcommunicationsnet
CONSULTANCY
FLEISHMAN-HILLARD
Fleishman-Hillardrsquos dedicated internal and changecommunication practice helps businesses focus onperforming ndash not just informing
We help organisations plan and implement programmeswith the right mix of information dialogue and trainingso that employees are engaged aligned and motivatedto achieve business objectives
Because effective internal communication is vital tobottom-line performance we partner with our clients tocreate a daily dialogue ndash not a monologue ndash withemployees
Contact Nick AndrewsTel +32 (0)2 230 05 45 E-mail nickandrewsfleishmancomWeb site wwwfleishmaneuropecom
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE A listing in our Directory of Services will giveyou a chance to reach communicationprofessionals at some of the worldrsquos largestand most admired companies and to tap intodecision-making practitioners
ContactVincent SorelTel +44 (0)208 600 4670E-mail vincentsorelmelcrumcom
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
INCLUDE YOUR COMPANY BY CONTACTING US ON +44(0)20 8600 4670 OR AT INFOMELCRUMCOM
CONSULTANCY
HILL amp KNOWLTON
Better business results the bottom line
How do I manage more change Motivate managers Getthe right information to the right people Show the bestreturn on communication investment
Sound familiar Hill amp Knowltonrsquos change and internalcommunication consultants work with companies aroundthe world to find the right answers for their situation
We offer strategy insight and creativity drawing on ourconsultancy expertise and in-house experience Plus wedeliver practical hands-on help
We know that effective employee communication has adirect impact on the bottom line Working together wecan make it happen for you
Contact EMEA DavidFerrabeehillandknowltoncom
+44 (0) 7413 3176USA BarbaraEdlerhillandknowltoncom
+1 415 281-7160Canada KristaThompsonhillandknowltoncom
+1 613 786-9961
RECRUITMENT
VMA GROUP
VMA Group is one of the UKrsquos leading executive searchand selection consultancies specializing in internal andcorporate communication recruitment
For over 25 years VMA Group has provided the highestlevel of service to some of the most demanding globalorganizations developing a strong track record for thequality and professionalism of our search and selection work
We have in-depth specialist knowledge of the internalcommunication market and can provide high-qualitypermanent and interim candidates with expertise acrossinternal communication change management and widercorporate communication We understand the needs ofour clients intrinsically and strive to develop long-termrelationships with clients and candidates alike
Please call to discuss how we can help you find theideal candidate or if you wish to make a career move
Contact David BroomeTel +44 (0)20 7436 4243E-mail dbroomevmagroupcoukWeb site wwwvmagroupcouk
40 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONALCOMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS E-mail gaitensunityncsueduWeb site wwwconsultingsuccessorgTel 919 469 3895
CIB ndash BRITISH ASSOCIATION OFCOMMUNICATORS IN BUSINESSE-mail enquiriescibukcomWeb site wwwcibukcomTel +44 (0)870 121 7606
CCM ndash COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATIONMANAGEMENT E-mail membership
ccmconnectioncomWeb site wwwccmconnectioncomTel 866 463 4226
CPRS ndash THE CANADIAN PUBLICRELATIONS SOCIETYE-mail admincprscaWeb site wwwcprscaTel 416 239 7034
IABC ndash THE INTERNATIONALASSOCIATION OF BUSINESSCOMMUNICATORS E-mail service_centreiabccomWeb site wwwiabccomTel 415 544 4700
ICA ndash THE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONALLIANCE E-mail amandafoistericaukorgWeb site wwwiprorgukicaTel +44 (0)1628 642 044
CIPR ndash THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OFPUBLIC RELATIONS UKE-mail infoiprorgukWeb site wwwiprorgukTel +44 (0)20 7253 5151
IPRA ndash THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICRELATIONS ASSOCIATIONE-mail ipraseccompuservecomWeb site wwwipraorgTel +44 (0) 1372 461 188
PRSA ndash PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OFAMERICAE-mail resourcesprsaorgWeb site wwwprsaorgTel 212 460 1459
DIRECTORY OF SERVICESNEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
CONSULTANCY
24 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
In January 2004 Pfizer at Sandwich in Kent UKcommissioned a review of its existing charitablecontributions program which included matchedpayroll giving volunteering and grants for localcommunity charities and voluntary groups CCWorks the community investment consultancywas also approached to manage the day-to-dayadministration of grant applications from thecommunity
However it was decided that the administrationcould not be effectively managed until suitablecriteria were put in place for the grants programEssentially a company cannot outsourceresponsibility for its charitable donations unlesstherersquos a clear strategy in place for doing this
Although there were various policies in placefor the different elements of the existingcommunity investment program there was a lackof strategic direction to the program as a whole
Auditing the community grants programAs a first step CC Works examined the existinggrants program and also conducted external
benchmarking with voluntary organizations in thecommunity to gage perceptions of Pfizer
It emerged that many organizations werereceiving small grants ndash although some werenrsquotsure why ndash but only 16 percent of the currentspend was going on health-related causes ForPfizer a major global healthcare company thiswasnrsquot strategic It was clear that as a healthcarecompany Pfizer should be trying to improve thehealth of its local area by focusing on three coreareas health community and education
There was also a need for grants to be morelocally focused A significant amount of the spendwas going outside of the immediate East Kentarea CC Works recommended that to allow thecompany maximum freedom to operate in itscommunity it should focus grants on theimmediate community of East Kent which alsohappened to be a deprived area
Segmenting current grantsWorking in partnership with CC Works currentgrant allocation was examined by sector localarea and size of grant and in May 2004 two-yeartargets were set to increase the strategic impact ofcommunity grantsbull Increase grants allocated to health-related
projects to 50 percentbull Increase average grant from UKpound300 to
UKpound1000bull Increase East Kent allocation to 90 percent
This change was designed to be gradual so thatthe shift in allocation could be well managed
The new focus on the community mirrors
Engaging employees inPfizerrsquos communityinvestment program
In 2003 Pfizer at Sandwich UK was running manyelements of a community investment program butthere was little awareness among employees and no
real focus By July 2006 the program had beentransformed and now actively contributes to employeeand community relationships Here Pam Baker andChristine Jenkins describe the journey from disconnectedpolicies to award-winning program
Communicating an approach with clear links toemployees and the local community
BY PAM BAKER AND CHRISTINE JENKINS
scm FEATURES
Pfizerrsquos site at Sandwich inKent is the UK manufacturingheadquarters of Pfizer Incglobal pharmaceuticalcompany Its workforce of4000 makes it the largestprivate employer in East Kent
1 2 3 4 5
25scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pfizerrsquos global mission to be ldquothe most valuedcompany to patients customers colleaguesinvestors business partners and the communitieswhere we work and liverdquo For the communityinvestment program a measurable mission wascreated ldquoto improve the health indicators of thepeople of East Kentrdquo
Focus on colleague involvementThe next step in July 2004 was to conduct areview of the employee engagement elements ofcommunity investment to examine how thesecould be better integrated These elementsincluded payroll giving volunteering and staff-matched fundraising
For Pfizer at Sandwich the obvious first choicewas to look at volunteering Eighty-five percent ofPfizer employees are minimum graduate level ndashoffering much-needed skills to a deprived areaAll employees have five paid days a year they canuse for volunteering ndash this not only supports thecommunity it boosts employee engagement andcreates opportunities for employees to visiblyconnect with the community and vice versa
In October 2004 volunteering was identified asa key area for development but for employeevolunteering to be a success it had to beproactively marketed inside Pfizer and thereneeded to be adequate support andadministration behind the program
A database of volunteering opportunitiesIn conjunction with CC Works a searchable data-base of local volunteering opportunities was createdPfizer felt it was important to create a tailoreddatabase that would be furnished internally inorder to ensure a local bias and to maintain thequality of the information supplied to employees
In order to tie in with employeesrsquo personaldevelopment plans opportunities in the databasehad to meet at least two of Pfizerrsquos six keycompetencies 1 Team development2 Project management3 Coaching and development4 Decision making5 Effective partnership6 Working with change
To fill the database with relevant opportunities allorganizations that had contacted Pfizer for grantsor funding in the past three years were re-contacted and asked if they would also beinterested in volunteering
Over 70 percent responded positively and 300volunteering opportunities were sourced CCWorks helped the voluntary organizations puttogether opportunities that were most likely totake advantage of Pfizer employeesrsquo range of
specialist skillsThese opportunities were categorized on the
database according to skill geographic area andtype of charity allowing employees to search forsomething suitable for them Pfizer wasnrsquotprescriptive in its approach and allowed staff tovolunteer where the opportunity matched theirpersonal-development goals interests or wasgeographically convenient
Opportunities were wide-ranging from helpingin a charity shop to teaching in a schoolImportantly because database management isoutsourced to CC Works therersquos constantproactivitiy around seeking new opportunities andproviding administrative support that would havebeen difficult to maintain in-house
Launching the ldquoReaching Outrdquo programTo encourage involvement and awarenessemployees were asked to suggest a name for therevitalized volunteering program ldquoReaching Outrdquowas chosen and the new volunteering website waslaunched in May 2005 The site sits on PfizerSandwichrsquos intranet and any employee orcontractor can access it
A charity week was also held to help promotethe Reaching Out program Various charitiesvisited Pfizer during lunch breaks to explain whatthey do and the opportunities to work with themA soft incentive for staff to register on theReaching Out site was that Pfizer would donate20 rehydration sachets to Unicef (monetary valueof about pound2)
Reaching Out was also featured in a webcastfrom a senior leader that went to all employees(about 3000 staff plus contractors) at the start ofthe week and it was profiled in the weekly onlinemagazine Pipeline 3
Pam Baker is directorStrategic Operations andCommunity Affairs at Pfizer UK
Christine Jenkins is founderof CC Works a consultancyoffering communityinvestment advice andpractical solutions to thecorporate and voluntarysectors Previously she heldsenior manager roles in thevoluntary and private sectors
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 an audit of Pfizer at Sandwichrsquos community investment
program revealed a lack of strategic direction
bull In partnership with consultancy CC Works a decision was made tofocus the program on the local community
bull An effort to raise employee involvement through volunteering hasboosted the program and linked it to employee engagement
bull The ldquoReaching Outrdquo website gives employees the freedom to work withcharities of their choice
bull By July 2006 the ldquoHealthy Communitiesrdquo program had beentransformed and won a National Example of Excellence award fromBusiness in the Community
26 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TOP TIPS FOR COMMUNITY INVESTMENTbull Ask yourself why yoursquore undertaking this program and seek clarity around
your objectives
bull Focus on likely ldquowinsrdquondash ie areas with scope for improvement such asemployee engagement or external awareness
bull Tackle one area at a time in stages and aim for excellence in each arearather than trying to boil the ocean
bull Communication is key to success Create a distinct brand and identity forthe program to encourage awareness and involvement
bull Integrate different community programs ndash a holistic approach can maximizebenefits for the community staff engagement and corporate reputation
Over 450 employees registered to use thesite over the next two months with 230 employees(8 percent of staff) actively volunteering duringthe first year This beat a target to have 5 percentof employees volunteering 12 months after launchIn 2005 employees volunteered 4800 hours
Helping employees select the right optionEmployees can search the volunteering databaseby skill geographic area or type of charity and aregiven a range of choices Then the onus is on theemployee to speak to the charity and obtainfurther details on current opportunities inaddition to whatrsquos on the database The employeethen applies to his or her line manager Anintegrated work process enables staff to obtainapproval from their manager interact with thevoluntary organization and record their effortskeeping administration to a minimum
Managers at Pfizer Sandwich are keen foremployees to volunteer because theyrsquore aware ofthe potential benefits in terms of employeeengagement and skills development ndash a largenumber of managers are volunteers themselvesPfizer also held briefing sessions for managers toensure they were aware of the volunteeringprogram its benefits and how it works
7
Engaging employees in Pfizerrsquos community investment program
Incorporating employee feedbackThe database tracks employeesrsquo volunteeringefforts including how many hours theyrsquove doneand their feedback on the opportunitiesEmployee feedback can then be accessed by otherstaff looking for an opportunity The databasegives employees better insight into the availableopportunities and allows them to select somethingthat appeals to them so that both the employeeand the organization where they volunteer gets abetter ldquofitrdquo
The database also allows for better integrationof the whole program where volunteering canprovide an alternative or an addition to fundingFor example a well-known national charityapplied to Pfizer at Sandwich for some fundingaround a diversity initiative Pfizer suggested theirdiversity manager volunteer for them instead whohelped create the charityrsquos diversity program thatis now being launched nationally
Creating an integrated programIn May 2005 the decision was taken to bringtogether all the strands of community investmentunder one brand Healthy Communities Thisprogram was to includebull Charitable grantsbull Employee volunteeringbull Gifts in kind Community investment via gifts
in kind such as the use of Pfizer premisesresources and expertise is more easilysustainable and can bring real long-termbenefit to the local community When Pfizerfacilities are used to support communityinitiatives the face-to-face contact withemployees allows relationship-building andnetworking with key influencers Also invitingthe community to use Pfizer resources on siteldquodemystifiesrdquo the company
The overarching strategy behind HealthyCommunities was to support communityinvestment holistically (ie using several of theabove elements in combination) whereverpossible Focusing grants on the areas of greatestneed helps Pfizer achieve its overall missionHowever the donation of gifts in kind can have awider-reaching impact on the community
Taking a holistic approachAn award-winning example of this holisticapproach is the Helping Hartsdown projectwhich was Pfizer Sandwichrsquos biggest ever gift inkindvolunteering project Pfizer donated andrenovated much-needed classrooms at a localschool As well as financial support and gifts inkind the project involved over 100 staff andcontractor volunteers across all departments Aspecific promotion on the Reaching Out website
ldquoBY JULY 2006 THE lsquoHEALTHY COMMUNITIESrsquoPROGRAM HAD BEEN TRANSFORMED AND WONA NATIONAL EXAMPLE OF EXCELLENCE AWARDFROM BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITYrdquo
27scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
POSITIVE IMPACTS OF THE PROGRAMThe Healthy Communities program has had the following positive impacts for Pfizer
bull The program supports and protects Pfizerrsquos freedom to operate effectivelyin East Kent UK
bull Supporting and involving employees in the program engages and motivatesthem The company is also seen to be living its values In a recent survey55 percent of colleagues felt the program was ldquofocused and effectiverdquo
bull The program provides opportunities for colleagues to develop skills Twentypercent of colleagues surveyed stated that they had improved personalskills through taking part in the program
bull A healthy community is a better place to live and work for employees andwill aid retention Retention of the most highly skilled scientists givesPfizer Global Research and Development a competitive edge
bull A vibrant and healthy community helps to attract and retain leadingscientists from around the world
bull Community is one of Pfizerrsquos six core values Communicating activitiesinternally and externally gives a positive perception of the company
helped attract this large number of volunteersincluding senior leaders
Momentum was maintained behind thecommunication of the program with monthlynetworking breakfasts and several themed minicharity fairs to give local good causes the chanceto showcase their volunteering Individuals andteamsrsquo volunteering efforts were also regularlyprofiled in Pipeline
The December 2006 employee survey showedan 85-percent awareness level of Reaching Outand the program won a ldquoNational Example ofExcellence Awardrdquo from Business in theCommunity1
Relaunching the websiteIn June 2006 the Reaching Out website wasrelaunched to incorporate payroll giving andmatched fundraising under the same brand asvolunteering and utilize the existing software Allelements can now be applied for on the same site
The number of employees registered with thesite increased to over 1000 and the number of adhoc staff enquiries handled by CC Worksincreased dramatically as awareness andinvolvement levels rose among the workforce
External communicationA quarterly newsletter containing a round-up ofPfizerrsquos community investment work is producedand distributed widely to external stakeholdersincluding 3000 local residents Following theBusiness in the Community award the magazineCommunity News was revamped its circulationincreased and it was also desk-dropped to allemployees The magazine also helps to raiseawareness of Pfizer among local organizations
A pocket-sized booklet was produced containingkey facts and figures about the Healthy Communitiesprogram This gives employees especially seniorleaders at-a-glance information on the programallowing them to act as ambassadors for Pfizerrsquoscommunity investment work
Senior leaders at Pfizer Sandwich are keenadvocates of the program and having a clearbrand helps them communicate its benefits andraise awareness both internally and externally
Next stepsDespite its award-winning status there are plansto take Healthy Communities even further Theseinclude further research into employee feedbackand closer links to personal development plans InPfizer at Sandwichrsquos Global Operations functionvolunteering forms part of personal objectives ndashthis is an aspiration for the rest of the business
Pfizer also wants to improve team volunteeringand a toolkit is being prepared for team leaderswho wish to get involved in volunteering
Finally in order to share knowledge and bestpractice around community investment with otherlocal businesses Pfizer is hosting a Kentmembership network in conjunction with KentCounty Council This will help Pfizer work closelywith the local authority and bring local businessestogether to share ideas and collaborate toimprove their impact on the community scm
1 httpwwwbitcorguk
CONTACT DETAILS
Pam BakerPfizerpambakerpfizercom
Christine JenkinsCC Workschristinejenkinsccworkscouk
28 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Editorrsquos noteSucceeding in internal communication probablyisnrsquot all that different to succeeding in anyprofession understand whatrsquos expected of you dothe job well and deliver results But when youspeak to practitioners about how they personallyturned the corner in their careers and started tomake an impact it soon becomes clear that thereare many dos and donrsquots that can help or hinderprogress This article provides a handy checklistfor those with ambitious development plans
John G ClemonsVice President CommunicationsRaytheon Technical Services Co Llc
Take the initiativeThere have been a few career-defining momentsfor me Among them was the time when I realizedthat I was moving from a manager level to the
decision-making role of a director I worked for a senior executive who hired me
from a rival telecommunications company Uponjoining the company I developed strategiccommunication plans to address various businesschallenges During the development process Iperiodically checked in with my supervisor to gethis input and approval ndash probably more thannecessary ndash before moving to the next steps in planning
One day he called me into his office and saidthat while he liked the work I was doing for himhis expectation when he hired me as a directorwas that I would take the initiative in the job relyless on his frequent input and move forward with implementation and measurement Hewanted results
His counsel was along the lines of ldquoI hired youto do a directorrsquos job so do the job of a directorYou donrsquot have to get permission to make adifferencerdquo
Meet commitments and think strategicallyHis direction motivated me to take moreresponsibility at this new job level This alsomeant that I had to not just manage but leadmeet commitments and think more strategicallyto continue to earn not only his confidence butthe support of the entire leadership team
Irsquove found that being a communicationprofessional who is also a leader that can betrusted can get things done and truly support thegoals and objectives of an organization will notonly impress others but help build your credibilityand lead to success
How to get ahead ininternal communication
The path that leads internal communicators to thetop of their profession isnrsquot always an obvious oneWhich is why we asked a range of senior practitioners
to share their thoughts and experiences on gaining therespect of those who matter Whether its senior leadersfellow employees or your own team yoursquore looking toimpress these responses provide useful insight into howto make sure you and your work gets noticed
Senior practitioners share their views on how togain influence and credibility
COMPILED BY MANDY THATCHER
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
29scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Mark DarbyHead of Internal CommunicationsVisaUK
Be smart sharp and stubbornThe biggest lesson Irsquove learned and keep havingto remind myself is that I need to be smart sharpand stubborn to get ahead This is what thosewords mean to me in a work context
Smart I need to understand what Visa is doingand what people think about the business Thismeans constantly spending time in differentdepartments and learning from them I know whoour customers are what our challenges are andwhat our current financial performance is I havecontacts in most departments who have a fingeron the pulse which means I can have a relevantconversation with a senior person from any department
Sharp Internal communication is rarely near thetop of the agenda for senior people and my timewith them is usually short I always try to talkabout the impact on business performance assoon as possible If I circulate a document it willbe summarized to a single page at most and Idonrsquot use PowerPoint I ask a lot of ldquoonerdquo questionssuch as ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing you want employeesto do differentlyrdquo or ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing youwant me to change over the next six monthsrdquo
Stubborn I know what I want internal communica-tion to achieve at Visa and it has the support ofthe senior team Irsquove built up knowledge frombooks and articles I use my education from theBlack Belt training course1 and I speak to formercolleagues With this knowledge Irsquove becomestubborn and good at saying no because I have theinformation to back up my arguments Irsquove stoppedmy team from picking up extra projects that wonrsquotdeliver much value We focus only on projects thatadd the most value to the business and we deliveron these really well Successful delivery is thebiggest influence on any senior person
Monika StaffordHead of Internal CommunicationLloyds TSBUK
Be creative and focus on a killer issueUsing creative solutions to bring to life importantndash but often dull ndash programs can create a shinethat stretches beyond project boundaries For
example I worked on the implementation of SAPndash a business-critical systems program ndash requiringbehavior change from swathes of key yetuninterested people Successful implementationwas a big risk to get right but it was as dull asdishwater to communicate
Luckily there was a ldquoEurekardquo moment Byaligning the SAP story with the metaphor ofFormula-1 racing we could tell the tale of how itwould fulfill our need to create winningperformances for both the individual driver aswell as the back-up team in order to perform wellon the road ahead This storyline was a perfectmatch for the programrsquos objectives
Launch speakers from Formula 1 great designwork not to mention fantastic collateral allresulted in a no-hitch implementation that reallyresonated with people The global companypicked it up as the approach for worldwide rollout So faced with tedium it can actually pay tostare out of the window for creative inspiration
My other piece of advice is Focus on a killerissue If you really want to get ahead (and do besure you really do as being at the center ofchange is often akin to being in the eye of ahurricane ndash itrsquos no place for the feint-hearted)learn what keeps your business leaders up atnight Use your stakeholder-management skills toget to the people you need to help you deliversolutions then execute execute execute
Focus on value-adding work only because ifyou end up working on your companyrsquos cul-de-sacprojects yoursquoll never shine brightly enough forthe leaders in your company to notice you 3
COMPETENCY
Planning internal communication 76
Linking corporate messages to corporate vision 73
CEO communication 63
Change communication 60
Communicating to diverse audiences 60
Using the intranet as a communication tool 54
Defending your department in internal political battles 43
Line manager communication 42
Professional development of internal communication staff 33
Helping employees cope with information overload 32
Securing the appropriate level of budget for internal communication 30
Measuring the effectiveness of internal communication 28
Figure One Table from The Pulse report showing the percentage of communicators who ratethemselves as effective or very effective at listed competencies
30 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
WHATrsquoS CHANGED IN THE LAST 25 YEARS
David MoorcroftSenior Vice PresidentCorporate CommunicationsRBC Financial Group Canada
Irsquom constantly amazed at the changes that have taken place in our professionover the last 25 years and the degree of talent and knowledge required bycommunicators today to do their jobs well
Back in 1979 when I started in corporate PR the major skill sets werewriting editing and great media contacts Today good editorial skills are justtable stakes and the ability to understand business adapt technology thinkstrategically plan consummately and influence stakeholders are what landsenior communicators a seat at the management table
This change has been driven by the globalization of business the advent ofnew 247 media including the Internet the growing sophistication ofcustomers and employees increased demands for corporate transparency andmore rigorous requirements for high standards of public disclosure andfinancial reporting
MORE SKILLS THAN EVER BEFOREAs a result todayrsquos business communicator has to be more capable andknowledgeable and have more skills than ever before They must befinancially literate and technologically savvy They must understand the impactof evolving accounting and disclosure rules They must deal with legal HRpolitical and business issues And they must be prepared to deal with amultitude of potential crises that can arise at any moment in any language inany part of the world
Perhaps most challenging senior management today expects clear bottom-line returns for their investments in communication Itrsquos no longer enough toinform audiences and measure communication outputs CEOs expectcommunication to engage audiences and produce outcomes ndash something thatrequires strategic thinking planning and foresight
A friend of mine who left a senior corporate PR job to become COO of amajor public utility recently summed up the role of todayrsquos communicator thisway ldquoItrsquos one of the most important and critical roles in organizations todayand yet itrsquos often one of the least recognized and appreciatedrdquo
That sentiment may be a reality in some organizations today but with moreand more CEOs beginning to realize the bottom-line value of communication itwonrsquot be 25 years from now
Christina FeeSenior Vice President InternalCommunicationsDeutsche Post AGGermany
Seek out the important projectsI canrsquot pretend to have employed a specificapproach to my ldquopersonal PRrdquo at all But in theorganizations Irsquove worked for Irsquove had theopportunity to work on a number of excitinghigh-profile projects that have connected me withsenior stakeholders and influential people atdifferent levels
7
Irsquove learned a great deal from the project teamsIrsquove worked with and also due to the significanceand scope of the projects been able todemonstrate my worth approach and skills Irsquovehad to be passionate stand up for what I believein and think outside the box constantly
My roles within DHLDeutsche Post haveallowed me the freedom and flexibility to developand deliver new ideas but Irsquove also had to practiceand embody excellent internal communicationskills myself Having developed credibility and trustwith those that matter based on my track record Iwas allowed to go ahead with other projects
I donrsquot actively pursue the ldquoright relationshipsrdquobut rather let my work and my interactions withpeople speak for themselves This has helped medevelop mentors and supporters naturally Mylearning and development has also been expandedby the opportunity to work abroad and learn moreabout intercultural communication and interaction
Marc SilversideHead of Internal CommunicationsMacmillan Cancer SupportUK
Understand whatrsquos expected of youA newly established role heightens the need formaking a good impression so that people trustyou and feel they can come to you for advice
When I joined Macmillan I very nearly got thiswrong Perhaps this is an example that otherrsquos canlearn from
When my new CEO at Macmillan CancerSupport asked for a meeting ldquoafter a few weeks tosettle inrdquo I was confident that my wide-ranginginduction would help me understand the businessand provide the basis for what Irsquod present tosenior management
Forty structured face-to-face managerinterviews allowed me to understand needs andkey issues and I started to build personal rapportMy profile was raised and at the same timeinternal communication gained good visibility
Externally I networked with contacts in similarroles in other charities and soon found thebeginnings of a voluntary-sector network This hassince grown to over 25 members
By the time my CEO slot arrived I was armedwith input from across the charity and the resultsof an audit I felt well prepared to present myvision and solutions So I was surprised to be metwith significant resistance
I later discovered that my CEO intelligence wasincorrect What he wanted was to be askedspecifically about his own views on what internalcommunication should do and what I could do for
How to get ahead in internal communication
31scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
HOW DO YOUR SKILLS MEASURE UPFor Melcrumrsquos study into budgets salaries and trends in internalcommunication in 200607 we asked survey respondents to rate their owneffectiveness at a range of key communication competencies from planning tomeasurement The results may surprise you
For example 76 percent of respondents rate themselves as effective or veryeffective at planning internal communication but only 28 percent ratethemselves as equally effective at measuring its effectiveness (see Figure Onepage 29)
In her commentary on the results development expert Sue Dewhurst hadthe following to say
OUR STRENGTHSIt seems where we see our strengths as internal communicators is towards theldquofront endrdquo of the communication planning process For example being able tolink a plan to the business strategy knowing our audiences and being able tojoin up the dots and show people how messages link to the business vision
These are powerful strengths We are one of the few functions that tends tohave an overarching view of our entire company and is able to view thecompany and its strategy from a number of different perspectives Being ableto understand the vision and strategy view it from an audience perspectiveand then create line of sight to show what those things mean in practicalterms for peoplersquos day-to-day roles is one of the ways that we help drivebusiness performance ndash by showing people what they need to do to take thestrategy forward
In turn by knowing and working with our audiences hopefully wersquore thenalso able to make sure their views and suggestions can help shape the strategyand how itrsquos put into practice
MEASURING EFFECTIVENESSWe see ourselves as less effective towards the back end of the planningprocess in measuring the effectiveness of internal communication which tiesin with the feeling from previous questions that in fact wersquore not doing muchmeasurement or demonstrating our return on investment
Research and measurement is an area where there is plenty of expertisearound to call on There are measurement conferences research reports andpublications to understand what other organizations are doing and practicaltraining that will give you the opportunity to work in a smaller group askquestions and practice techniques For help with specific techniques try yourinternal marketing team Marketers are generally great with data and well-versed in running focus groups and putting together surveys If you have anexternal provider to support your employee engagement research try them too
Source The Pulse Essential data on budgets salaries and trends 2006-07wwwmelcrumcom
him rather than how I could benefit the charity Ihad to change my approach fast
This could have cost me my best ambassadorfrom day one So my advice is make sure yoursquoreabsolutely clear about whatrsquos expected from you
Of course the insights I gained in my first fewmonths have been valuable and since then myresults have done the talking Fortunately theCEO soon became an internal communicationsconvert and advocate
Darren CrozierCommunications ManagerHBOS plcUK
Make things happenDelivery is key to career development ndash if you sayyoursquore going to do something make sure you doit Put in the effort get the results you want andbe known as someone who can make things happenIf yoursquore seen to ldquoget things donerdquo no matter howsmall the job is people are more likely to get youinvolved in activities and ask your opinion
Gaining credibility and respect from seniorcolleagues is important but everyone in yourorganization will form an opinion of you from thepeople in the canteen right through to the CEOSo try and make sure that their opinion of you is agood one
Itrsquos not just the people within your immediatesphere of influence who can have an impact onyour career so extend your network go oncourses and get involved in professionalorganizations Many of my close workingrelationships career opportunities and indeedpersonal friendships have come from meetingpeople at such events and taking the time to keepin touch You never know how things will develop
Itrsquos also vital to earn respect be trustworthy andhave good manners To recall what an ex-bossonce said ldquoBe careful how you treat people onthe way up as you never know when you maycome across them againrdquo
One of the biggest challenges Irsquove found inrecent times is recognizing my own success andselling myself Sometimes you need to take a stepback to realize just what yoursquove achieved Evenbetter keep a log or portfolio of your successesand donrsquot be shy to speak about them becauseothers wonrsquot be shy to speak about theirs
Finally try and have some fun along the wayWe all have to work for a living so learn to makethe most of it scm
1 For more about Melcrumrsquos Internal Communication Black Belttraining program go to wwwmelcrumcom
32 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pitney Bowes has followed an aggressive strategyof growth through acquisition completing 60+acquisitions since 2001 Expansion has broadenedits product mix to include an extensive range ofsolutions from office equipment to globalpositioning software
But the companyrsquos many different specialismsand huge outsourcing operations meant that themajority of its 34000 employees werenrsquot aware ofthe full range of its service offering and thepotential for different divisions to work together
As Rob Hallam vice president EmployeeCommunication explains there was a strongbusiness case for adopting a ldquoone companyrdquoapproach ldquoBecause the businesses tended to besomewhat siloed even senior managers werefocused on their divisions
ldquoAlso because we were acquiring companiesand evolving so rapidly managers werenrsquot awareof a lot of the businesses and how they all workedtogether in the mailstreamrdquo says Hallam ldquoWewere missing out on potential cross-sellingopportunitiesrdquo
Communicating a new visionFour years ago Pitney Bowes created a OneCompany Vision statement ldquoOur aim was toensure support and cooperation across thebusiness so we could provide a comprehensive setof customer solutions ndash not just a list of productsand services by business unitrdquo says Hallam Theinternal communication challenge was to drawtogether 34000 employees and build a unifiedcorporate culture The communication strategyfocused on three key elements
1 PeopleThis focused on involving the leadershipstrengthening a two-way dialogue betweenmanagement and employees communicating theculture through leadership messaging enterprise-wide events and roadshows and buildingengagement so that everyone was workingtogether towards a One Company approach
2 ProcessesThis meant integrating the One Companyapproach into the organizationrsquos operations andinfrastructure by shifting management roles andadjusting incentives and reward structuresthroughout the company
The first step was to consolidate the companyrsquosoperating activities by appointing Murray DMartin as president and chief operating officer inSeptember 2004 Martinrsquos mantra is ldquoThink AsOne Act as One Operate As One to deliverwhat no other company canrdquo
ldquoThe COO position had previously been heldby the chairman so elevating someone to that
Communicating a OneCompany culture atPitney Bowes
Following rapid growth in the form of more than 60acquisitions over six years silo-working haddeveloped at Pitney Bowes and leaders were failing
to take advantage of profitable cross-selling opportunitiesHere Rob Hallam describes the communication elementsof a ldquoOne Companyrdquo culture-change program which hasturned the situation around simultaneously improvingcustomer service and boosting profits
Persuading disparate businessunits to work together
AN INTERVIEW WITH ROB HALLAM
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Pitney Bowes is an 87-year-old company best known forthe manufacturing operationand oversight of postagemeters It has over two millioncustomers more than 3500active patents and annualrevenue of close to $6 billion
33scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
role was a big changerdquo explains Hallam ldquoAll thebusiness units now report to a single individual atoperating level It represented a huge positivemove to start the company operationalizing OneCompany behaviorrdquo
The internal communication function wasrestructured to ensure that consistent messagingreached the entire employee population Regularmeasurement was a key part of the changeinitiative This served to define the contributionof communicating a One Company approachwhere it was adding value to Pitney Bowes and itsclients and customers and where there was stillwork to do
3 TechnologyIt was important to find the best ways to cascademessages throughout the company and keeppeople informed about what was going onwithout bombarding them with irrelevantcommunication Hallam and his team deploy avariety of channels and media including internalprint and online publications voicemail and e-mail Pitney Bowes is also in the process ofintegrating its different voicemail systems and e-mail platforms into one global system
Involving senior leadership from the outsetThe One Company strategy was an overridingpolicy that started at the top of the organizationldquoThere was a big launch at the strategic leadersrsquomeeting which is held every Januaryrdquo saysHallam ldquoThe messaging was then driven throughthe organization via a companywide globalcommunication strategyrdquo
From the outset the policy was championed bythe CEO Michael Critelli who believes thatculture is central to the Pitney Bowes brand andsaid recently ldquoMy first measure of success iswhether we are behaving as one companyrdquo Thiscommitment helped to ensure that the culturalchange was reinforced by parallel changes to thecorporate infrastructure
Building a two-way dialogueThe next step was to get the employee populationinvolved and build enterprisewide enthusiasm forthe culture change Pitney Bowes has alwaysrecognized the value of a two-way dialoguebetween management and employees and hasheld annual jobholders meetings which aresimilar to shareholdersrsquo meetings for 61 years In2005 Hallam reinvented it as an initiative calledOne Forum ndash a series of roadshows focusing oncommunicating the One Company culturethroughout the organization
Launching the One ForumIn 2005 Hallam and his team created an original
and memorable One Forum launch for the 90percent of Pitney Bowes employees based in theUS Around a quarter of US employees saw thisin person the others received a link to a websitewith streaming highlights
ldquoWe put together a two-hour roadshow eventwhich helped people to understand our OneCompany approach and made them aware of allthe businesses we were inrdquo says Hallam ldquoThethinking was that high change requires high touchFace-to-face can have far greater impact on theindividuals touched From there itrsquos a matter ofripple effect such as seeing improved One Forumbrand awareness among employees who didnrsquotactually attend one of the eventsrdquo
ldquoWe wanted the roadshow to be entertainingand energizing so we used gameshow techniquescustom-written songs and comedy specificallytailored to Pitney Bowes employees It was a funevent but it also included a keynote speech fromthe CEO and a lot of question-and-answersessions with employees It was entertainmentwith a purpose and it was a great success with employeesrdquo
The post-event employee evaluations provedthe success of this approach ldquoIn some cities anincredible 90 percent of employees gave the eventa top-box rating This shows that there was ahunger for both the knowledge and theapproachrdquo adds Hallam
Taking the show on the roadThe One Forum roadshow has become an annualevent ldquoIn a five-month period during 2005 therewere 17 One Forum events in 12 US citiesreaching about 6000 peoplerdquo says Hallam ldquoAftersome testing in March and April the first bigroadshows started in early May and continued forsix months with the final one in early Decemberin Seattle 3
Rob Hallam is vice presidentEmployee Communication atPitney Bowes (PB) in StamfordConnecticut where hersquos beenresponsible for internalcommunication strategy andimplementation since 2004Hallam has led a team ofprofessionals in reshapingcommunication at PB resultedin the communication teamearning the top ranking in HRdepartment satisfaction fromall PBrsquos US managers in 2005and 2006
KEY POINTSbull Internal communication has played an important role in embedding a
One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
bull The communication strategy focused on three key elements peopleprocess and technology
bull The campaign has been championed by the CEO from the outset andhas won senior leadership support over time
bull An entertaining roadshow helped win employee commitment
bull Cross-selling ratios have jumped substantially since the culture-changeeffort began
34 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ldquoIn 2006 we compressed the programsubstantially and drove down costs while stilltouching 6000 employees Together with ourcorporate marketing group we also introduced anextremely successful lsquoelevator speechrsquo that helpsemployees answer the much-feared questionlsquoWhat does Pitney Bowes dorsquordquo
Local variationsAlthough the entertainment component in theroadshows contributed to their success it wasspecific to the US so Hallam gave business unitsand internal communicators in other regions theresponsibility for communicating the OneCompany approach to local employees ldquoInCanada and the UK they conducted town-hallmeetings and in Latin America and other parts ofthe world they produced their own variations onthe One Forum theme We made sure that theyhad the information they needed but we limitedthe entertainment to English-speaking regionsrdquo
A commitment to employee engagementThe appointment of the new COO and the launchof the One Forum roadshows coincided with thefirst employee engagement survey in late 2004ldquoWe see engagement as very much tied to ourability to execute a One Company strategy andchange our culturerdquo says Hallam He sets outfour ways in which employee engagement isinstilled at all levels in the organization
1 Visible leadership commitment to engagementThe CEO underlines his commitment by sendingregular messages to employees via a variety ofmedia including voicemail and print and onlinepublications He also uses engagement scores todetermine a unitrsquos overall performance rating andbonus pool ldquoWhen one senior execrsquos bonus poolwas reduced due to poor engagement scores that
was a message requiring no communication planrdquosays Hallam ldquoWord spread quicklyrdquo
2 Celebrating top performers Pitney Bowes celebrates its top engagementperformers by running cover stories in its globalprint and online publication PB Today ldquoThisprogram was called lsquoThe Faces of Pitney Bowesrsquordquosays Hallam ldquoWe did 10 of these last year so theyran twice in five editions Wersquove also producedlarge mural-sized photos of those managers andtheir teamsrdquo he says ldquoWe celebrate success andpublish it everywhere Our CEO loves it and wersquoreactually selling part of our contemporary artcollection which decorates the building to makeroom for an expansion of additional OneCompany and Engagement photography all ofwhich will focus on our employeesrdquo
3 Incentivizing managers via the reward systemEmployee engagement is recognized andreinforced in the companyrsquos formal processesincluding its reward system ldquoWe use a tool calledthe Strategic Architecture which is our balancedscorecardrdquo explains Hallam ldquoItrsquos a Six-Sigma toolwhich measures employee shareholder andcustomer value Managersrsquo engagement scoresalso factor into their annual reviews soengagement has a direct impact on remunerationrdquo
4 Rewarding engagementA further program called Rapid Rewards awardscash bonuses to managers and employees foroutstanding behavior including that related toemployee engagement
Aligning the communication strategyHallam and his team are responsible fordelivering the overall employee communicationstrategy ldquoWe had to dramatically improve ourstrategic approach in order to make OneCompany a realityrdquo he says
In addition to organizing campaigns such as theOne Forum roadshows to publicize the culturechange across the enterprise Hallam hasintroduced initiatives aimed at improving thereach and delivery of internal communication andmaking sure messages get to their intendedaudiences He has also aligned the structure ofthe internal communication function with thecompanyrsquos unified culture
ldquoThere were a lot of different communicationgroups so we brought together all thecommunication leaders and formed a singleInternal Communications Councilrdquo explainsHallam ldquoThis means that the communicationfunctions in the different business units areworking together to help drive change andimprove coordinationrdquo
Communicating a One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
ldquoWHEN A SENIOR EXECrsquoS BONUS WAS REDUCEDDUE TO POOR ENGAGEMENT SCORES THAT WASA MESSAGE REQUIRING NO COMMUNICATIONPLAN WORD SPREAD QUICKLYrdquo
7
FURTHER RESOURCES3 THE IMPACT OF CULTURE AND CLIMATE ON CHANGE PROGRAMS
An article published in SCM Volume 10 Issue 6 OctoberNovember 2006
3 DRIVING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE CORPORATE CULTUREMelcrumrsquos report on communication tools techniques and best practicefrom leading organizationswwwmelcrumcom
35scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Developing a global approachHallam is also responsible for a globalcommunication project called Universal Reachwhich is sponsored by the chairman and designedto support and maintain a unified corporateculture ldquoOur goal is to provide 90 percentmessage accessibility within our key customer-facing audiencesrdquo he explains ldquoThe biggestchallenge is integrating our online communicationinfrastructure which has nine different voicemailsystems operating across the world and multiplee-mail and web platforms Wersquore pulling all thattogether to provide better reachrdquo
Since 911 the CEO and other top executiveshave broadcast weekly audio messages calledPower Talks Hallamrsquos team has worked with theleadership to ensure that they incorporate OneCompany messages and as he explains they reachmost of the employee population ldquoAbout 20000of our employees have voicemail Those whodonrsquot receive the Power Talk message either inprint or online In some divisions managers playthe Power Talk messages in staff meetingsrdquo
Engaging leadership reinforces the cultureBuilding on the CEOrsquos commitment to a OneCompany approach Hallam and his team haveorganized leadership events ndash most recently at thestrategic leadersrsquo meeting in December 2006 ndashshowing Pitney Bowes as one company in actionThis campaign has helped to engage the top 150managers in the culture change
ldquoOur post-event evaluations show a strongmove numerically in senior leadershiprsquos belief thatwersquore operating as one companyrdquo says Hallam(see Figure One above) ldquoAs theyrsquore our toughestjudges wersquore pleased by the significant differencein pre- and post-event measurementrdquo There wasalso an improvement in leadersrsquo understanding ofthe companyrsquos new mailstream category
Sustaining the new cultureAccording to Hallam rippling out the OneCompany messaging requires a consistent andcoordinated approach Communication leaders inthe various divisions are now working to weaveOne Company messages into the business-unitmeetings ldquoA lot of the messaging that welaunched at the strategic leadersrsquo meeting arebeing reiterated at the business unit level Thatrsquosbeen facilitated through the InternalCommunications Councilrdquo he says
ldquoKey metrics for the culture change programfocus on cross-selling ratios which have jumpedsubstantially since the culture change effortbeganrdquo says Hallam ldquoIn 2002 we also institutedthe ldquoPB1 Awardsrdquo which is a chairmanrecognition award that goes to teams who bestembody cross-functional behavior in working on
projects which improve our clientsrsquo profitabilityour profitability or bothrdquo
ldquoHowever wersquore only really a year into thisMuch of the evidence is anecdotal but what haschanged is that our managers have broadenedtheir vision and are thinking as solutions-providers rather than product-sellers As suchtheyrsquore involving other business units out of theirdesire to eliminate customer pain points ndashregardless of which part of Pitney Bowes gets the salerdquo
Adding value to customersUltimately managers and employees who arewell-informed about the companyrsquos products andservices are in a good position to take advantageof cross-selling opportunities Realizing thispotential enables Pitney Bowes to make extrasales to existing customers thereby increasing itsprofit margins and allowing customers to benefitfrom a mix of products and services
Shifting to a unified culture directly benefitsboth Pitney Bowes and its customers ldquoByfocusing on the whole cadre of products andservices we can help our customers improve theirbusinessesrdquo says Hallam ldquoThatrsquos where OneCompany is critical It enables our clients tobenefit from all our servicesrdquo scm
Figure One Measuring the impact of the strategic leadersrsquo meeting
CONTACT DETAILS
Rob HallamPitney Bowesrobhallampbcom
I BELIEVE THAT OUR SENIOR LEADERS (MEANING THE TOP 15 EXECS) AREWORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO DELIVER INTEGRATED HIGH-VALUESOLUTIONS TO OUR CUSTOMERS
Pre SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 73
Post SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 92
Gain in two months time 19
ldquoMANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WELL-INFORMED ABOUT THE COMPANYrsquoS PRODUCTSAND SERVICES ARE IN A GOOD POSITION TOTAKE ADVANTAGE OF CROSS-SELLINGrdquo
2007
36 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
MELCRUM TRAINING amp EVENTS
CALENDAR 2007UKEUROPESOCIAL MEDIA FORUM FORINTERNAL COMMUNICATORS UK
3 21-22 March 2007 Hilton Canary WharfLondon UKThis forum is designed for practitioners who wantto make social media part of their internalcommunication strategy Over two dayscompanies such as IBM Microsoft and BT willshare case studies demonstrating their use ofsocial-media tools Technology experts will also beon hand to provide training and show you how touse these tools
THE 3RD ANNUAL EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT CONFERENCE UK
3 22-24 May 2007 Millennium GloucesterLondon UK22 May ndash Practical workshops23-24 May ndash Two-day conferenceThis event will focus on transforming yourstrategies into action Listen to case studies fromcompanies that have achieved real andmeasurable results from their engagement effortsLearn how they did it what they achieved and howthe results were measured
THE 6TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT UK
3 16-18 October 2007 London UK After the huge success of the 2006 UK StrategicCommunication Management Summit next yearrsquosevent will once again provide you withpresentations from key figures in the industry anda chance to network with your peers Mark yourdiaries now ndash more details to follow
THE 3RD ANNUAL INTERNALCOMMUNICATION MEASUREMENTCONFERENCE UK
3 27-29 November 2007 London UKDetails available soon ndash mark your diary now
NORTH AMERICATHE 3RD ANNUAL CONFERENCEON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENTBUILDING AND SUSTAINING ACULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT
3 28 February ndash 1 March 2007 Crowne PlazaAtlanta-Buckhead Atlanta USLearn how to foster an environment whereemployees feel valued and respected Hear fromcompanies including Dow Corning CorporationAmerican Express Delta Hotels and Merck
THE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT US
3 26-28 March 2007 Crowne Plaza UnionSquare San Francisco26 March ndash Pre-conference workshops27-28 March ndash Two-day summitAttend this conference and discover how toimprove employee alignment with all segments ofyour internal audience ndash from your front-lineemployees to your executive officers bothnationally and worldwide
AUSTRALIATHE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION ENGAGEMENTSUMMIT SYDNEY
3 31 July ndash 2 August 2007 Sydney Australia Details available soon ndash mark your diary now
WEBINARSDEVELOPING PROFESSIONALCOMPETENCE
3 Thursday 22 February 2007 with LiamFitzPatrick and Sue Dewhurst
HELPING YOUR ORGANIZATIONTHRIVE DURING TURBULENTTIMES
3 Thursday 29 March 2007 with Carol KinseyGoman
TRAININGTHE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT PROGRAM
3 24-25 April and 1-2 May 2007 HenleyManagement College UK3 11-12 and 27-28 September 2007 Cranfield
School of Management UK
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT MASTERCLASSEFFECTIVE MEASUREMENT
3 14-15 March 2007 Hendon Hall Hendon UKAn essential two-day intensive training courses forinternal communicators on effective measurementRegister early as places are strictly limited to 20people per Masterclass
CSR DELIVERY ENGAGEMENT amp LEADERSHIP
3 19-20 April 2007 Central LondonOsney MediaWith an excellent speaker line-up from high-profile companies including Procter amp Gamble The BodyShop ExxonMobil Microsoft Belgium Vodafone UK Dell Ericsson and Alliance Boots this case studybased event will answer questions including how do Ibull Build a CSR-oriented leadershipbull Get people on boardbull Integrate CSR with the global strategy of the companybull Deliver CSR throughout the company to make it really happen
For more information visit wwwcsrleadershipcom or e-mail mariame_lindellosneymediacouk (Reference code 910MLC3)
38 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
DESIGN
YELLOW
The future success of all organisations will be builton trust understanding passion empowermentintegrity and relationships
The future is cool exciting sparkling organisationsbursting with energy life and action
The future of brand is the internal brand first andforemost
The future is colleague as customer
Turning communications upside down
No just inside-out
Be part of the future say hello to Yellow
We help large organisations bring their communicationsstrategies to life through the imaginative use of liveevents multimedia web and design ndash distributed acrossall media platforms including DVD TV mobile devicesintranet and extranet
Ultimately developing internal brands and ongoingcommunications that have a measurable impact onpeople-performance advocacy and the bottom line
Contact Paul MiddletonTel +44 (0)161 228 6700E-mail paulmiddletonyellowcomcomWebsite wwwyellowcomcom
NEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
DESIGN
BLUE GOOSE
blue goose specialize in visual communications We make communications work faster and better We will link what wedo back to your objectives but we donrsquot talk (or charge for) ldquostrategyrdquo when you simply want tactical implementation Weuse design and creativity tobull differentiate products and services bull develop and manage corporate and brand identity bull align external communications with agreed values bull internalize corporate and brand identitybull align internal communications with agreed values bull support organizational change and bull help organizations better understand and define who they are
We work for clients as diverse as PricewaterhouseCoopers Ford Europe Centrica plc Greene King City of London Policeand Le Meacuteridien
blue goose is for any organization more interested in designing their future than watching it happen
Contact Chris BarringtonE-mail thinkingbluegoosecoukTel +44 (0)20 8869 8500Web site wwwbluegoosecouk
CONSULTANCY
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION ampSURVEYS PTY LTD
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd is aboutique consultancy based in Sydney Australia Itspecializes in employee communication strategiessystems research and employee surveys of all kindsPrincipal Rodney Gray has been involved inorganizational consulting for over 20 years following a15-year career as a corporate human resourcesexecutive Services includebull Employee communication audits and surveys by
questionnaires focus groups and interviewsbull Employee communication systems strategies and
processesbull Employee communication training workshops and
talksbull Employee culture climate and opinion surveysbull Qualitative organizational diagnosis (focus groups
and interviews)bull Internal service quality research (qualitative and
quantitative)
Contact Rodney GrayTel +61 (0)2 9909 2900 Fax +61 (0)2 9909 2911E-mail rodneyrodneygraycomauWeb site wwwemployee-communicationcomau
CONSULTANCY
HEDRON
Internal and change communication that helps teamsand individuals to develop strategies relationshipsprocesses and skills to engage stakeholders supporthigh performance and deliver change
ldquoSharp strategic thinking quality execution effectiveinterpersonallyhelliprdquo ldquoCreativity drive resourcefulnessresults great funhelliprdquo say clients
All sectors ndash ABN AMRO AXA BT Cadbury SchweppesDepartment for Constitutional Affairs HealthcareCommission Group 4 Securicor SABMiller SiemensSouthern Rail Unilever Wincanton
Our clients are happy to tell you what itrsquos like workingwith us
Contact Helena MemoryTel + 44 (0) 20 7493 0735Fax + 44 (0) 20 7493 0743E-mail helena-mhedroncomWeb site wwwhedroncom
CONSULTANCY
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
39scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
CONSULTANCY
SYNOPSIS
Founded by change and communication authority Bill Quirke in 1992 Synopsis is one of Europersquos leading internalcommunication consultancies Our clients include such companies as ABN Amro BBC BP British Airways DiageoEricsson HP Lloyds TSB Roche Shell and Vodafone
We help clients use internal communication to engage their employees in delivering business strategy and get most valuefrom their internal communication
We can help youbull Develop communication strategies that support your business strategybull Coach leadersbull Develop line managersrsquo communication skillsbull Plan and coordinate your communication with colleagues onlinebull Check the health of your communication channels and improve return on investmentbull Build and develop the communication functionbull Measure and track employee engagement attitudes and opinions
To take a tour of our online planning tool go to wwwsynopsisonlinecomproductplanningtoolasp
Contact Jane LebeauE-mail janelebeausynopsisonlinecomTel +44 (0) 20 7490 2900Web site wwwsynopsisonlinecom
CONSULTANCY
HARKNESS KENNETT
We specialize in internal communication To us thatmeansbull motivating people through inspiring leadershipbull guiding people through organizational changebull engaging people in delivering the brand
Working in partnership with our clients is central to ourethos enabling us to help deliver practical solutionssupported by solid strategic thinking All of ourconsultants have held senior positions ldquoclient siderdquo sowe know what itrsquos like to be in your shoes The vastmajority of our work comes from recommendations fromexisting clients ndash 82 percent of our clients haverequested repeat work in the last two years
Our clients include Abbey Atkins BDO Stoy HaywardThe Environment Agency Marks amp Spencer NHS Blood ampTransplant Morgan Stanley Europe Nestleacute PoliceInformation Technology Organisation Royal ampSunAlliance South West Trains and Vodafone
Our vision is simple ndash we want to be the first callyou make
Contact James HarknessTel +44 (0)1483 222730E-mail jamesharknessharknesskennettcomWeb site wwwharknesskennettcom
CONSULTANCY
TRIDENT COMMUNICATIONS
Trident Communications is uniquely positioned to definedevelop and deliver award-winning solutions that aligncommunication with business goals
We advise and partner with organizations of all sizes tocreate high-value practical applications Our talentedproject teams provide innovative research designeditorial and imagery for print and online
We connect ideas and deliver results
Contact Peter Agertoft Tel +44 (0)207 536 8900E-mail peteragertoft
tridentcommunicationsnetWeb site wwwtridentcommunicationsnet
CONSULTANCY
FLEISHMAN-HILLARD
Fleishman-Hillardrsquos dedicated internal and changecommunication practice helps businesses focus onperforming ndash not just informing
We help organisations plan and implement programmeswith the right mix of information dialogue and trainingso that employees are engaged aligned and motivatedto achieve business objectives
Because effective internal communication is vital tobottom-line performance we partner with our clients tocreate a daily dialogue ndash not a monologue ndash withemployees
Contact Nick AndrewsTel +32 (0)2 230 05 45 E-mail nickandrewsfleishmancomWeb site wwwfleishmaneuropecom
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE A listing in our Directory of Services will giveyou a chance to reach communicationprofessionals at some of the worldrsquos largestand most admired companies and to tap intodecision-making practitioners
ContactVincent SorelTel +44 (0)208 600 4670E-mail vincentsorelmelcrumcom
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
INCLUDE YOUR COMPANY BY CONTACTING US ON +44(0)20 8600 4670 OR AT INFOMELCRUMCOM
CONSULTANCY
HILL amp KNOWLTON
Better business results the bottom line
How do I manage more change Motivate managers Getthe right information to the right people Show the bestreturn on communication investment
Sound familiar Hill amp Knowltonrsquos change and internalcommunication consultants work with companies aroundthe world to find the right answers for their situation
We offer strategy insight and creativity drawing on ourconsultancy expertise and in-house experience Plus wedeliver practical hands-on help
We know that effective employee communication has adirect impact on the bottom line Working together wecan make it happen for you
Contact EMEA DavidFerrabeehillandknowltoncom
+44 (0) 7413 3176USA BarbaraEdlerhillandknowltoncom
+1 415 281-7160Canada KristaThompsonhillandknowltoncom
+1 613 786-9961
RECRUITMENT
VMA GROUP
VMA Group is one of the UKrsquos leading executive searchand selection consultancies specializing in internal andcorporate communication recruitment
For over 25 years VMA Group has provided the highestlevel of service to some of the most demanding globalorganizations developing a strong track record for thequality and professionalism of our search and selection work
We have in-depth specialist knowledge of the internalcommunication market and can provide high-qualitypermanent and interim candidates with expertise acrossinternal communication change management and widercorporate communication We understand the needs ofour clients intrinsically and strive to develop long-termrelationships with clients and candidates alike
Please call to discuss how we can help you find theideal candidate or if you wish to make a career move
Contact David BroomeTel +44 (0)20 7436 4243E-mail dbroomevmagroupcoukWeb site wwwvmagroupcouk
40 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONALCOMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS E-mail gaitensunityncsueduWeb site wwwconsultingsuccessorgTel 919 469 3895
CIB ndash BRITISH ASSOCIATION OFCOMMUNICATORS IN BUSINESSE-mail enquiriescibukcomWeb site wwwcibukcomTel +44 (0)870 121 7606
CCM ndash COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATIONMANAGEMENT E-mail membership
ccmconnectioncomWeb site wwwccmconnectioncomTel 866 463 4226
CPRS ndash THE CANADIAN PUBLICRELATIONS SOCIETYE-mail admincprscaWeb site wwwcprscaTel 416 239 7034
IABC ndash THE INTERNATIONALASSOCIATION OF BUSINESSCOMMUNICATORS E-mail service_centreiabccomWeb site wwwiabccomTel 415 544 4700
ICA ndash THE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONALLIANCE E-mail amandafoistericaukorgWeb site wwwiprorgukicaTel +44 (0)1628 642 044
CIPR ndash THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OFPUBLIC RELATIONS UKE-mail infoiprorgukWeb site wwwiprorgukTel +44 (0)20 7253 5151
IPRA ndash THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICRELATIONS ASSOCIATIONE-mail ipraseccompuservecomWeb site wwwipraorgTel +44 (0) 1372 461 188
PRSA ndash PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OFAMERICAE-mail resourcesprsaorgWeb site wwwprsaorgTel 212 460 1459
DIRECTORY OF SERVICESNEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
CONSULTANCY
25scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pfizerrsquos global mission to be ldquothe most valuedcompany to patients customers colleaguesinvestors business partners and the communitieswhere we work and liverdquo For the communityinvestment program a measurable mission wascreated ldquoto improve the health indicators of thepeople of East Kentrdquo
Focus on colleague involvementThe next step in July 2004 was to conduct areview of the employee engagement elements ofcommunity investment to examine how thesecould be better integrated These elementsincluded payroll giving volunteering and staff-matched fundraising
For Pfizer at Sandwich the obvious first choicewas to look at volunteering Eighty-five percent ofPfizer employees are minimum graduate level ndashoffering much-needed skills to a deprived areaAll employees have five paid days a year they canuse for volunteering ndash this not only supports thecommunity it boosts employee engagement andcreates opportunities for employees to visiblyconnect with the community and vice versa
In October 2004 volunteering was identified asa key area for development but for employeevolunteering to be a success it had to beproactively marketed inside Pfizer and thereneeded to be adequate support andadministration behind the program
A database of volunteering opportunitiesIn conjunction with CC Works a searchable data-base of local volunteering opportunities was createdPfizer felt it was important to create a tailoreddatabase that would be furnished internally inorder to ensure a local bias and to maintain thequality of the information supplied to employees
In order to tie in with employeesrsquo personaldevelopment plans opportunities in the databasehad to meet at least two of Pfizerrsquos six keycompetencies 1 Team development2 Project management3 Coaching and development4 Decision making5 Effective partnership6 Working with change
To fill the database with relevant opportunities allorganizations that had contacted Pfizer for grantsor funding in the past three years were re-contacted and asked if they would also beinterested in volunteering
Over 70 percent responded positively and 300volunteering opportunities were sourced CCWorks helped the voluntary organizations puttogether opportunities that were most likely totake advantage of Pfizer employeesrsquo range of
specialist skillsThese opportunities were categorized on the
database according to skill geographic area andtype of charity allowing employees to search forsomething suitable for them Pfizer wasnrsquotprescriptive in its approach and allowed staff tovolunteer where the opportunity matched theirpersonal-development goals interests or wasgeographically convenient
Opportunities were wide-ranging from helpingin a charity shop to teaching in a schoolImportantly because database management isoutsourced to CC Works therersquos constantproactivitiy around seeking new opportunities andproviding administrative support that would havebeen difficult to maintain in-house
Launching the ldquoReaching Outrdquo programTo encourage involvement and awarenessemployees were asked to suggest a name for therevitalized volunteering program ldquoReaching Outrdquowas chosen and the new volunteering website waslaunched in May 2005 The site sits on PfizerSandwichrsquos intranet and any employee orcontractor can access it
A charity week was also held to help promotethe Reaching Out program Various charitiesvisited Pfizer during lunch breaks to explain whatthey do and the opportunities to work with themA soft incentive for staff to register on theReaching Out site was that Pfizer would donate20 rehydration sachets to Unicef (monetary valueof about pound2)
Reaching Out was also featured in a webcastfrom a senior leader that went to all employees(about 3000 staff plus contractors) at the start ofthe week and it was profiled in the weekly onlinemagazine Pipeline 3
Pam Baker is directorStrategic Operations andCommunity Affairs at Pfizer UK
Christine Jenkins is founderof CC Works a consultancyoffering communityinvestment advice andpractical solutions to thecorporate and voluntarysectors Previously she heldsenior manager roles in thevoluntary and private sectors
KEY POINTSbull In 2003 an audit of Pfizer at Sandwichrsquos community investment
program revealed a lack of strategic direction
bull In partnership with consultancy CC Works a decision was made tofocus the program on the local community
bull An effort to raise employee involvement through volunteering hasboosted the program and linked it to employee engagement
bull The ldquoReaching Outrdquo website gives employees the freedom to work withcharities of their choice
bull By July 2006 the ldquoHealthy Communitiesrdquo program had beentransformed and won a National Example of Excellence award fromBusiness in the Community
26 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TOP TIPS FOR COMMUNITY INVESTMENTbull Ask yourself why yoursquore undertaking this program and seek clarity around
your objectives
bull Focus on likely ldquowinsrdquondash ie areas with scope for improvement such asemployee engagement or external awareness
bull Tackle one area at a time in stages and aim for excellence in each arearather than trying to boil the ocean
bull Communication is key to success Create a distinct brand and identity forthe program to encourage awareness and involvement
bull Integrate different community programs ndash a holistic approach can maximizebenefits for the community staff engagement and corporate reputation
Over 450 employees registered to use thesite over the next two months with 230 employees(8 percent of staff) actively volunteering duringthe first year This beat a target to have 5 percentof employees volunteering 12 months after launchIn 2005 employees volunteered 4800 hours
Helping employees select the right optionEmployees can search the volunteering databaseby skill geographic area or type of charity and aregiven a range of choices Then the onus is on theemployee to speak to the charity and obtainfurther details on current opportunities inaddition to whatrsquos on the database The employeethen applies to his or her line manager Anintegrated work process enables staff to obtainapproval from their manager interact with thevoluntary organization and record their effortskeeping administration to a minimum
Managers at Pfizer Sandwich are keen foremployees to volunteer because theyrsquore aware ofthe potential benefits in terms of employeeengagement and skills development ndash a largenumber of managers are volunteers themselvesPfizer also held briefing sessions for managers toensure they were aware of the volunteeringprogram its benefits and how it works
7
Engaging employees in Pfizerrsquos community investment program
Incorporating employee feedbackThe database tracks employeesrsquo volunteeringefforts including how many hours theyrsquove doneand their feedback on the opportunitiesEmployee feedback can then be accessed by otherstaff looking for an opportunity The databasegives employees better insight into the availableopportunities and allows them to select somethingthat appeals to them so that both the employeeand the organization where they volunteer gets abetter ldquofitrdquo
The database also allows for better integrationof the whole program where volunteering canprovide an alternative or an addition to fundingFor example a well-known national charityapplied to Pfizer at Sandwich for some fundingaround a diversity initiative Pfizer suggested theirdiversity manager volunteer for them instead whohelped create the charityrsquos diversity program thatis now being launched nationally
Creating an integrated programIn May 2005 the decision was taken to bringtogether all the strands of community investmentunder one brand Healthy Communities Thisprogram was to includebull Charitable grantsbull Employee volunteeringbull Gifts in kind Community investment via gifts
in kind such as the use of Pfizer premisesresources and expertise is more easilysustainable and can bring real long-termbenefit to the local community When Pfizerfacilities are used to support communityinitiatives the face-to-face contact withemployees allows relationship-building andnetworking with key influencers Also invitingthe community to use Pfizer resources on siteldquodemystifiesrdquo the company
The overarching strategy behind HealthyCommunities was to support communityinvestment holistically (ie using several of theabove elements in combination) whereverpossible Focusing grants on the areas of greatestneed helps Pfizer achieve its overall missionHowever the donation of gifts in kind can have awider-reaching impact on the community
Taking a holistic approachAn award-winning example of this holisticapproach is the Helping Hartsdown projectwhich was Pfizer Sandwichrsquos biggest ever gift inkindvolunteering project Pfizer donated andrenovated much-needed classrooms at a localschool As well as financial support and gifts inkind the project involved over 100 staff andcontractor volunteers across all departments Aspecific promotion on the Reaching Out website
ldquoBY JULY 2006 THE lsquoHEALTHY COMMUNITIESrsquoPROGRAM HAD BEEN TRANSFORMED AND WONA NATIONAL EXAMPLE OF EXCELLENCE AWARDFROM BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITYrdquo
27scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
POSITIVE IMPACTS OF THE PROGRAMThe Healthy Communities program has had the following positive impacts for Pfizer
bull The program supports and protects Pfizerrsquos freedom to operate effectivelyin East Kent UK
bull Supporting and involving employees in the program engages and motivatesthem The company is also seen to be living its values In a recent survey55 percent of colleagues felt the program was ldquofocused and effectiverdquo
bull The program provides opportunities for colleagues to develop skills Twentypercent of colleagues surveyed stated that they had improved personalskills through taking part in the program
bull A healthy community is a better place to live and work for employees andwill aid retention Retention of the most highly skilled scientists givesPfizer Global Research and Development a competitive edge
bull A vibrant and healthy community helps to attract and retain leadingscientists from around the world
bull Community is one of Pfizerrsquos six core values Communicating activitiesinternally and externally gives a positive perception of the company
helped attract this large number of volunteersincluding senior leaders
Momentum was maintained behind thecommunication of the program with monthlynetworking breakfasts and several themed minicharity fairs to give local good causes the chanceto showcase their volunteering Individuals andteamsrsquo volunteering efforts were also regularlyprofiled in Pipeline
The December 2006 employee survey showedan 85-percent awareness level of Reaching Outand the program won a ldquoNational Example ofExcellence Awardrdquo from Business in theCommunity1
Relaunching the websiteIn June 2006 the Reaching Out website wasrelaunched to incorporate payroll giving andmatched fundraising under the same brand asvolunteering and utilize the existing software Allelements can now be applied for on the same site
The number of employees registered with thesite increased to over 1000 and the number of adhoc staff enquiries handled by CC Worksincreased dramatically as awareness andinvolvement levels rose among the workforce
External communicationA quarterly newsletter containing a round-up ofPfizerrsquos community investment work is producedand distributed widely to external stakeholdersincluding 3000 local residents Following theBusiness in the Community award the magazineCommunity News was revamped its circulationincreased and it was also desk-dropped to allemployees The magazine also helps to raiseawareness of Pfizer among local organizations
A pocket-sized booklet was produced containingkey facts and figures about the Healthy Communitiesprogram This gives employees especially seniorleaders at-a-glance information on the programallowing them to act as ambassadors for Pfizerrsquoscommunity investment work
Senior leaders at Pfizer Sandwich are keenadvocates of the program and having a clearbrand helps them communicate its benefits andraise awareness both internally and externally
Next stepsDespite its award-winning status there are plansto take Healthy Communities even further Theseinclude further research into employee feedbackand closer links to personal development plans InPfizer at Sandwichrsquos Global Operations functionvolunteering forms part of personal objectives ndashthis is an aspiration for the rest of the business
Pfizer also wants to improve team volunteeringand a toolkit is being prepared for team leaderswho wish to get involved in volunteering
Finally in order to share knowledge and bestpractice around community investment with otherlocal businesses Pfizer is hosting a Kentmembership network in conjunction with KentCounty Council This will help Pfizer work closelywith the local authority and bring local businessestogether to share ideas and collaborate toimprove their impact on the community scm
1 httpwwwbitcorguk
CONTACT DETAILS
Pam BakerPfizerpambakerpfizercom
Christine JenkinsCC Workschristinejenkinsccworkscouk
28 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Editorrsquos noteSucceeding in internal communication probablyisnrsquot all that different to succeeding in anyprofession understand whatrsquos expected of you dothe job well and deliver results But when youspeak to practitioners about how they personallyturned the corner in their careers and started tomake an impact it soon becomes clear that thereare many dos and donrsquots that can help or hinderprogress This article provides a handy checklistfor those with ambitious development plans
John G ClemonsVice President CommunicationsRaytheon Technical Services Co Llc
Take the initiativeThere have been a few career-defining momentsfor me Among them was the time when I realizedthat I was moving from a manager level to the
decision-making role of a director I worked for a senior executive who hired me
from a rival telecommunications company Uponjoining the company I developed strategiccommunication plans to address various businesschallenges During the development process Iperiodically checked in with my supervisor to gethis input and approval ndash probably more thannecessary ndash before moving to the next steps in planning
One day he called me into his office and saidthat while he liked the work I was doing for himhis expectation when he hired me as a directorwas that I would take the initiative in the job relyless on his frequent input and move forward with implementation and measurement Hewanted results
His counsel was along the lines of ldquoI hired youto do a directorrsquos job so do the job of a directorYou donrsquot have to get permission to make adifferencerdquo
Meet commitments and think strategicallyHis direction motivated me to take moreresponsibility at this new job level This alsomeant that I had to not just manage but leadmeet commitments and think more strategicallyto continue to earn not only his confidence butthe support of the entire leadership team
Irsquove found that being a communicationprofessional who is also a leader that can betrusted can get things done and truly support thegoals and objectives of an organization will notonly impress others but help build your credibilityand lead to success
How to get ahead ininternal communication
The path that leads internal communicators to thetop of their profession isnrsquot always an obvious oneWhich is why we asked a range of senior practitioners
to share their thoughts and experiences on gaining therespect of those who matter Whether its senior leadersfellow employees or your own team yoursquore looking toimpress these responses provide useful insight into howto make sure you and your work gets noticed
Senior practitioners share their views on how togain influence and credibility
COMPILED BY MANDY THATCHER
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
29scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Mark DarbyHead of Internal CommunicationsVisaUK
Be smart sharp and stubbornThe biggest lesson Irsquove learned and keep havingto remind myself is that I need to be smart sharpand stubborn to get ahead This is what thosewords mean to me in a work context
Smart I need to understand what Visa is doingand what people think about the business Thismeans constantly spending time in differentdepartments and learning from them I know whoour customers are what our challenges are andwhat our current financial performance is I havecontacts in most departments who have a fingeron the pulse which means I can have a relevantconversation with a senior person from any department
Sharp Internal communication is rarely near thetop of the agenda for senior people and my timewith them is usually short I always try to talkabout the impact on business performance assoon as possible If I circulate a document it willbe summarized to a single page at most and Idonrsquot use PowerPoint I ask a lot of ldquoonerdquo questionssuch as ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing you want employeesto do differentlyrdquo or ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing youwant me to change over the next six monthsrdquo
Stubborn I know what I want internal communica-tion to achieve at Visa and it has the support ofthe senior team Irsquove built up knowledge frombooks and articles I use my education from theBlack Belt training course1 and I speak to formercolleagues With this knowledge Irsquove becomestubborn and good at saying no because I have theinformation to back up my arguments Irsquove stoppedmy team from picking up extra projects that wonrsquotdeliver much value We focus only on projects thatadd the most value to the business and we deliveron these really well Successful delivery is thebiggest influence on any senior person
Monika StaffordHead of Internal CommunicationLloyds TSBUK
Be creative and focus on a killer issueUsing creative solutions to bring to life importantndash but often dull ndash programs can create a shinethat stretches beyond project boundaries For
example I worked on the implementation of SAPndash a business-critical systems program ndash requiringbehavior change from swathes of key yetuninterested people Successful implementationwas a big risk to get right but it was as dull asdishwater to communicate
Luckily there was a ldquoEurekardquo moment Byaligning the SAP story with the metaphor ofFormula-1 racing we could tell the tale of how itwould fulfill our need to create winningperformances for both the individual driver aswell as the back-up team in order to perform wellon the road ahead This storyline was a perfectmatch for the programrsquos objectives
Launch speakers from Formula 1 great designwork not to mention fantastic collateral allresulted in a no-hitch implementation that reallyresonated with people The global companypicked it up as the approach for worldwide rollout So faced with tedium it can actually pay tostare out of the window for creative inspiration
My other piece of advice is Focus on a killerissue If you really want to get ahead (and do besure you really do as being at the center ofchange is often akin to being in the eye of ahurricane ndash itrsquos no place for the feint-hearted)learn what keeps your business leaders up atnight Use your stakeholder-management skills toget to the people you need to help you deliversolutions then execute execute execute
Focus on value-adding work only because ifyou end up working on your companyrsquos cul-de-sacprojects yoursquoll never shine brightly enough forthe leaders in your company to notice you 3
COMPETENCY
Planning internal communication 76
Linking corporate messages to corporate vision 73
CEO communication 63
Change communication 60
Communicating to diverse audiences 60
Using the intranet as a communication tool 54
Defending your department in internal political battles 43
Line manager communication 42
Professional development of internal communication staff 33
Helping employees cope with information overload 32
Securing the appropriate level of budget for internal communication 30
Measuring the effectiveness of internal communication 28
Figure One Table from The Pulse report showing the percentage of communicators who ratethemselves as effective or very effective at listed competencies
30 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
WHATrsquoS CHANGED IN THE LAST 25 YEARS
David MoorcroftSenior Vice PresidentCorporate CommunicationsRBC Financial Group Canada
Irsquom constantly amazed at the changes that have taken place in our professionover the last 25 years and the degree of talent and knowledge required bycommunicators today to do their jobs well
Back in 1979 when I started in corporate PR the major skill sets werewriting editing and great media contacts Today good editorial skills are justtable stakes and the ability to understand business adapt technology thinkstrategically plan consummately and influence stakeholders are what landsenior communicators a seat at the management table
This change has been driven by the globalization of business the advent ofnew 247 media including the Internet the growing sophistication ofcustomers and employees increased demands for corporate transparency andmore rigorous requirements for high standards of public disclosure andfinancial reporting
MORE SKILLS THAN EVER BEFOREAs a result todayrsquos business communicator has to be more capable andknowledgeable and have more skills than ever before They must befinancially literate and technologically savvy They must understand the impactof evolving accounting and disclosure rules They must deal with legal HRpolitical and business issues And they must be prepared to deal with amultitude of potential crises that can arise at any moment in any language inany part of the world
Perhaps most challenging senior management today expects clear bottom-line returns for their investments in communication Itrsquos no longer enough toinform audiences and measure communication outputs CEOs expectcommunication to engage audiences and produce outcomes ndash something thatrequires strategic thinking planning and foresight
A friend of mine who left a senior corporate PR job to become COO of amajor public utility recently summed up the role of todayrsquos communicator thisway ldquoItrsquos one of the most important and critical roles in organizations todayand yet itrsquos often one of the least recognized and appreciatedrdquo
That sentiment may be a reality in some organizations today but with moreand more CEOs beginning to realize the bottom-line value of communication itwonrsquot be 25 years from now
Christina FeeSenior Vice President InternalCommunicationsDeutsche Post AGGermany
Seek out the important projectsI canrsquot pretend to have employed a specificapproach to my ldquopersonal PRrdquo at all But in theorganizations Irsquove worked for Irsquove had theopportunity to work on a number of excitinghigh-profile projects that have connected me withsenior stakeholders and influential people atdifferent levels
7
Irsquove learned a great deal from the project teamsIrsquove worked with and also due to the significanceand scope of the projects been able todemonstrate my worth approach and skills Irsquovehad to be passionate stand up for what I believein and think outside the box constantly
My roles within DHLDeutsche Post haveallowed me the freedom and flexibility to developand deliver new ideas but Irsquove also had to practiceand embody excellent internal communicationskills myself Having developed credibility and trustwith those that matter based on my track record Iwas allowed to go ahead with other projects
I donrsquot actively pursue the ldquoright relationshipsrdquobut rather let my work and my interactions withpeople speak for themselves This has helped medevelop mentors and supporters naturally Mylearning and development has also been expandedby the opportunity to work abroad and learn moreabout intercultural communication and interaction
Marc SilversideHead of Internal CommunicationsMacmillan Cancer SupportUK
Understand whatrsquos expected of youA newly established role heightens the need formaking a good impression so that people trustyou and feel they can come to you for advice
When I joined Macmillan I very nearly got thiswrong Perhaps this is an example that otherrsquos canlearn from
When my new CEO at Macmillan CancerSupport asked for a meeting ldquoafter a few weeks tosettle inrdquo I was confident that my wide-ranginginduction would help me understand the businessand provide the basis for what Irsquod present tosenior management
Forty structured face-to-face managerinterviews allowed me to understand needs andkey issues and I started to build personal rapportMy profile was raised and at the same timeinternal communication gained good visibility
Externally I networked with contacts in similarroles in other charities and soon found thebeginnings of a voluntary-sector network This hassince grown to over 25 members
By the time my CEO slot arrived I was armedwith input from across the charity and the resultsof an audit I felt well prepared to present myvision and solutions So I was surprised to be metwith significant resistance
I later discovered that my CEO intelligence wasincorrect What he wanted was to be askedspecifically about his own views on what internalcommunication should do and what I could do for
How to get ahead in internal communication
31scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
HOW DO YOUR SKILLS MEASURE UPFor Melcrumrsquos study into budgets salaries and trends in internalcommunication in 200607 we asked survey respondents to rate their owneffectiveness at a range of key communication competencies from planning tomeasurement The results may surprise you
For example 76 percent of respondents rate themselves as effective or veryeffective at planning internal communication but only 28 percent ratethemselves as equally effective at measuring its effectiveness (see Figure Onepage 29)
In her commentary on the results development expert Sue Dewhurst hadthe following to say
OUR STRENGTHSIt seems where we see our strengths as internal communicators is towards theldquofront endrdquo of the communication planning process For example being able tolink a plan to the business strategy knowing our audiences and being able tojoin up the dots and show people how messages link to the business vision
These are powerful strengths We are one of the few functions that tends tohave an overarching view of our entire company and is able to view thecompany and its strategy from a number of different perspectives Being ableto understand the vision and strategy view it from an audience perspectiveand then create line of sight to show what those things mean in practicalterms for peoplersquos day-to-day roles is one of the ways that we help drivebusiness performance ndash by showing people what they need to do to take thestrategy forward
In turn by knowing and working with our audiences hopefully wersquore thenalso able to make sure their views and suggestions can help shape the strategyand how itrsquos put into practice
MEASURING EFFECTIVENESSWe see ourselves as less effective towards the back end of the planningprocess in measuring the effectiveness of internal communication which tiesin with the feeling from previous questions that in fact wersquore not doing muchmeasurement or demonstrating our return on investment
Research and measurement is an area where there is plenty of expertisearound to call on There are measurement conferences research reports andpublications to understand what other organizations are doing and practicaltraining that will give you the opportunity to work in a smaller group askquestions and practice techniques For help with specific techniques try yourinternal marketing team Marketers are generally great with data and well-versed in running focus groups and putting together surveys If you have anexternal provider to support your employee engagement research try them too
Source The Pulse Essential data on budgets salaries and trends 2006-07wwwmelcrumcom
him rather than how I could benefit the charity Ihad to change my approach fast
This could have cost me my best ambassadorfrom day one So my advice is make sure yoursquoreabsolutely clear about whatrsquos expected from you
Of course the insights I gained in my first fewmonths have been valuable and since then myresults have done the talking Fortunately theCEO soon became an internal communicationsconvert and advocate
Darren CrozierCommunications ManagerHBOS plcUK
Make things happenDelivery is key to career development ndash if you sayyoursquore going to do something make sure you doit Put in the effort get the results you want andbe known as someone who can make things happenIf yoursquore seen to ldquoget things donerdquo no matter howsmall the job is people are more likely to get youinvolved in activities and ask your opinion
Gaining credibility and respect from seniorcolleagues is important but everyone in yourorganization will form an opinion of you from thepeople in the canteen right through to the CEOSo try and make sure that their opinion of you is agood one
Itrsquos not just the people within your immediatesphere of influence who can have an impact onyour career so extend your network go oncourses and get involved in professionalorganizations Many of my close workingrelationships career opportunities and indeedpersonal friendships have come from meetingpeople at such events and taking the time to keepin touch You never know how things will develop
Itrsquos also vital to earn respect be trustworthy andhave good manners To recall what an ex-bossonce said ldquoBe careful how you treat people onthe way up as you never know when you maycome across them againrdquo
One of the biggest challenges Irsquove found inrecent times is recognizing my own success andselling myself Sometimes you need to take a stepback to realize just what yoursquove achieved Evenbetter keep a log or portfolio of your successesand donrsquot be shy to speak about them becauseothers wonrsquot be shy to speak about theirs
Finally try and have some fun along the wayWe all have to work for a living so learn to makethe most of it scm
1 For more about Melcrumrsquos Internal Communication Black Belttraining program go to wwwmelcrumcom
32 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pitney Bowes has followed an aggressive strategyof growth through acquisition completing 60+acquisitions since 2001 Expansion has broadenedits product mix to include an extensive range ofsolutions from office equipment to globalpositioning software
But the companyrsquos many different specialismsand huge outsourcing operations meant that themajority of its 34000 employees werenrsquot aware ofthe full range of its service offering and thepotential for different divisions to work together
As Rob Hallam vice president EmployeeCommunication explains there was a strongbusiness case for adopting a ldquoone companyrdquoapproach ldquoBecause the businesses tended to besomewhat siloed even senior managers werefocused on their divisions
ldquoAlso because we were acquiring companiesand evolving so rapidly managers werenrsquot awareof a lot of the businesses and how they all workedtogether in the mailstreamrdquo says Hallam ldquoWewere missing out on potential cross-sellingopportunitiesrdquo
Communicating a new visionFour years ago Pitney Bowes created a OneCompany Vision statement ldquoOur aim was toensure support and cooperation across thebusiness so we could provide a comprehensive setof customer solutions ndash not just a list of productsand services by business unitrdquo says Hallam Theinternal communication challenge was to drawtogether 34000 employees and build a unifiedcorporate culture The communication strategyfocused on three key elements
1 PeopleThis focused on involving the leadershipstrengthening a two-way dialogue betweenmanagement and employees communicating theculture through leadership messaging enterprise-wide events and roadshows and buildingengagement so that everyone was workingtogether towards a One Company approach
2 ProcessesThis meant integrating the One Companyapproach into the organizationrsquos operations andinfrastructure by shifting management roles andadjusting incentives and reward structuresthroughout the company
The first step was to consolidate the companyrsquosoperating activities by appointing Murray DMartin as president and chief operating officer inSeptember 2004 Martinrsquos mantra is ldquoThink AsOne Act as One Operate As One to deliverwhat no other company canrdquo
ldquoThe COO position had previously been heldby the chairman so elevating someone to that
Communicating a OneCompany culture atPitney Bowes
Following rapid growth in the form of more than 60acquisitions over six years silo-working haddeveloped at Pitney Bowes and leaders were failing
to take advantage of profitable cross-selling opportunitiesHere Rob Hallam describes the communication elementsof a ldquoOne Companyrdquo culture-change program which hasturned the situation around simultaneously improvingcustomer service and boosting profits
Persuading disparate businessunits to work together
AN INTERVIEW WITH ROB HALLAM
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Pitney Bowes is an 87-year-old company best known forthe manufacturing operationand oversight of postagemeters It has over two millioncustomers more than 3500active patents and annualrevenue of close to $6 billion
33scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
role was a big changerdquo explains Hallam ldquoAll thebusiness units now report to a single individual atoperating level It represented a huge positivemove to start the company operationalizing OneCompany behaviorrdquo
The internal communication function wasrestructured to ensure that consistent messagingreached the entire employee population Regularmeasurement was a key part of the changeinitiative This served to define the contributionof communicating a One Company approachwhere it was adding value to Pitney Bowes and itsclients and customers and where there was stillwork to do
3 TechnologyIt was important to find the best ways to cascademessages throughout the company and keeppeople informed about what was going onwithout bombarding them with irrelevantcommunication Hallam and his team deploy avariety of channels and media including internalprint and online publications voicemail and e-mail Pitney Bowes is also in the process ofintegrating its different voicemail systems and e-mail platforms into one global system
Involving senior leadership from the outsetThe One Company strategy was an overridingpolicy that started at the top of the organizationldquoThere was a big launch at the strategic leadersrsquomeeting which is held every Januaryrdquo saysHallam ldquoThe messaging was then driven throughthe organization via a companywide globalcommunication strategyrdquo
From the outset the policy was championed bythe CEO Michael Critelli who believes thatculture is central to the Pitney Bowes brand andsaid recently ldquoMy first measure of success iswhether we are behaving as one companyrdquo Thiscommitment helped to ensure that the culturalchange was reinforced by parallel changes to thecorporate infrastructure
Building a two-way dialogueThe next step was to get the employee populationinvolved and build enterprisewide enthusiasm forthe culture change Pitney Bowes has alwaysrecognized the value of a two-way dialoguebetween management and employees and hasheld annual jobholders meetings which aresimilar to shareholdersrsquo meetings for 61 years In2005 Hallam reinvented it as an initiative calledOne Forum ndash a series of roadshows focusing oncommunicating the One Company culturethroughout the organization
Launching the One ForumIn 2005 Hallam and his team created an original
and memorable One Forum launch for the 90percent of Pitney Bowes employees based in theUS Around a quarter of US employees saw thisin person the others received a link to a websitewith streaming highlights
ldquoWe put together a two-hour roadshow eventwhich helped people to understand our OneCompany approach and made them aware of allthe businesses we were inrdquo says Hallam ldquoThethinking was that high change requires high touchFace-to-face can have far greater impact on theindividuals touched From there itrsquos a matter ofripple effect such as seeing improved One Forumbrand awareness among employees who didnrsquotactually attend one of the eventsrdquo
ldquoWe wanted the roadshow to be entertainingand energizing so we used gameshow techniquescustom-written songs and comedy specificallytailored to Pitney Bowes employees It was a funevent but it also included a keynote speech fromthe CEO and a lot of question-and-answersessions with employees It was entertainmentwith a purpose and it was a great success with employeesrdquo
The post-event employee evaluations provedthe success of this approach ldquoIn some cities anincredible 90 percent of employees gave the eventa top-box rating This shows that there was ahunger for both the knowledge and theapproachrdquo adds Hallam
Taking the show on the roadThe One Forum roadshow has become an annualevent ldquoIn a five-month period during 2005 therewere 17 One Forum events in 12 US citiesreaching about 6000 peoplerdquo says Hallam ldquoAftersome testing in March and April the first bigroadshows started in early May and continued forsix months with the final one in early Decemberin Seattle 3
Rob Hallam is vice presidentEmployee Communication atPitney Bowes (PB) in StamfordConnecticut where hersquos beenresponsible for internalcommunication strategy andimplementation since 2004Hallam has led a team ofprofessionals in reshapingcommunication at PB resultedin the communication teamearning the top ranking in HRdepartment satisfaction fromall PBrsquos US managers in 2005and 2006
KEY POINTSbull Internal communication has played an important role in embedding a
One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
bull The communication strategy focused on three key elements peopleprocess and technology
bull The campaign has been championed by the CEO from the outset andhas won senior leadership support over time
bull An entertaining roadshow helped win employee commitment
bull Cross-selling ratios have jumped substantially since the culture-changeeffort began
34 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ldquoIn 2006 we compressed the programsubstantially and drove down costs while stilltouching 6000 employees Together with ourcorporate marketing group we also introduced anextremely successful lsquoelevator speechrsquo that helpsemployees answer the much-feared questionlsquoWhat does Pitney Bowes dorsquordquo
Local variationsAlthough the entertainment component in theroadshows contributed to their success it wasspecific to the US so Hallam gave business unitsand internal communicators in other regions theresponsibility for communicating the OneCompany approach to local employees ldquoInCanada and the UK they conducted town-hallmeetings and in Latin America and other parts ofthe world they produced their own variations onthe One Forum theme We made sure that theyhad the information they needed but we limitedthe entertainment to English-speaking regionsrdquo
A commitment to employee engagementThe appointment of the new COO and the launchof the One Forum roadshows coincided with thefirst employee engagement survey in late 2004ldquoWe see engagement as very much tied to ourability to execute a One Company strategy andchange our culturerdquo says Hallam He sets outfour ways in which employee engagement isinstilled at all levels in the organization
1 Visible leadership commitment to engagementThe CEO underlines his commitment by sendingregular messages to employees via a variety ofmedia including voicemail and print and onlinepublications He also uses engagement scores todetermine a unitrsquos overall performance rating andbonus pool ldquoWhen one senior execrsquos bonus poolwas reduced due to poor engagement scores that
was a message requiring no communication planrdquosays Hallam ldquoWord spread quicklyrdquo
2 Celebrating top performers Pitney Bowes celebrates its top engagementperformers by running cover stories in its globalprint and online publication PB Today ldquoThisprogram was called lsquoThe Faces of Pitney Bowesrsquordquosays Hallam ldquoWe did 10 of these last year so theyran twice in five editions Wersquove also producedlarge mural-sized photos of those managers andtheir teamsrdquo he says ldquoWe celebrate success andpublish it everywhere Our CEO loves it and wersquoreactually selling part of our contemporary artcollection which decorates the building to makeroom for an expansion of additional OneCompany and Engagement photography all ofwhich will focus on our employeesrdquo
3 Incentivizing managers via the reward systemEmployee engagement is recognized andreinforced in the companyrsquos formal processesincluding its reward system ldquoWe use a tool calledthe Strategic Architecture which is our balancedscorecardrdquo explains Hallam ldquoItrsquos a Six-Sigma toolwhich measures employee shareholder andcustomer value Managersrsquo engagement scoresalso factor into their annual reviews soengagement has a direct impact on remunerationrdquo
4 Rewarding engagementA further program called Rapid Rewards awardscash bonuses to managers and employees foroutstanding behavior including that related toemployee engagement
Aligning the communication strategyHallam and his team are responsible fordelivering the overall employee communicationstrategy ldquoWe had to dramatically improve ourstrategic approach in order to make OneCompany a realityrdquo he says
In addition to organizing campaigns such as theOne Forum roadshows to publicize the culturechange across the enterprise Hallam hasintroduced initiatives aimed at improving thereach and delivery of internal communication andmaking sure messages get to their intendedaudiences He has also aligned the structure ofthe internal communication function with thecompanyrsquos unified culture
ldquoThere were a lot of different communicationgroups so we brought together all thecommunication leaders and formed a singleInternal Communications Councilrdquo explainsHallam ldquoThis means that the communicationfunctions in the different business units areworking together to help drive change andimprove coordinationrdquo
Communicating a One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
ldquoWHEN A SENIOR EXECrsquoS BONUS WAS REDUCEDDUE TO POOR ENGAGEMENT SCORES THAT WASA MESSAGE REQUIRING NO COMMUNICATIONPLAN WORD SPREAD QUICKLYrdquo
7
FURTHER RESOURCES3 THE IMPACT OF CULTURE AND CLIMATE ON CHANGE PROGRAMS
An article published in SCM Volume 10 Issue 6 OctoberNovember 2006
3 DRIVING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE CORPORATE CULTUREMelcrumrsquos report on communication tools techniques and best practicefrom leading organizationswwwmelcrumcom
35scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Developing a global approachHallam is also responsible for a globalcommunication project called Universal Reachwhich is sponsored by the chairman and designedto support and maintain a unified corporateculture ldquoOur goal is to provide 90 percentmessage accessibility within our key customer-facing audiencesrdquo he explains ldquoThe biggestchallenge is integrating our online communicationinfrastructure which has nine different voicemailsystems operating across the world and multiplee-mail and web platforms Wersquore pulling all thattogether to provide better reachrdquo
Since 911 the CEO and other top executiveshave broadcast weekly audio messages calledPower Talks Hallamrsquos team has worked with theleadership to ensure that they incorporate OneCompany messages and as he explains they reachmost of the employee population ldquoAbout 20000of our employees have voicemail Those whodonrsquot receive the Power Talk message either inprint or online In some divisions managers playthe Power Talk messages in staff meetingsrdquo
Engaging leadership reinforces the cultureBuilding on the CEOrsquos commitment to a OneCompany approach Hallam and his team haveorganized leadership events ndash most recently at thestrategic leadersrsquo meeting in December 2006 ndashshowing Pitney Bowes as one company in actionThis campaign has helped to engage the top 150managers in the culture change
ldquoOur post-event evaluations show a strongmove numerically in senior leadershiprsquos belief thatwersquore operating as one companyrdquo says Hallam(see Figure One above) ldquoAs theyrsquore our toughestjudges wersquore pleased by the significant differencein pre- and post-event measurementrdquo There wasalso an improvement in leadersrsquo understanding ofthe companyrsquos new mailstream category
Sustaining the new cultureAccording to Hallam rippling out the OneCompany messaging requires a consistent andcoordinated approach Communication leaders inthe various divisions are now working to weaveOne Company messages into the business-unitmeetings ldquoA lot of the messaging that welaunched at the strategic leadersrsquo meeting arebeing reiterated at the business unit level Thatrsquosbeen facilitated through the InternalCommunications Councilrdquo he says
ldquoKey metrics for the culture change programfocus on cross-selling ratios which have jumpedsubstantially since the culture change effortbeganrdquo says Hallam ldquoIn 2002 we also institutedthe ldquoPB1 Awardsrdquo which is a chairmanrecognition award that goes to teams who bestembody cross-functional behavior in working on
projects which improve our clientsrsquo profitabilityour profitability or bothrdquo
ldquoHowever wersquore only really a year into thisMuch of the evidence is anecdotal but what haschanged is that our managers have broadenedtheir vision and are thinking as solutions-providers rather than product-sellers As suchtheyrsquore involving other business units out of theirdesire to eliminate customer pain points ndashregardless of which part of Pitney Bowes gets the salerdquo
Adding value to customersUltimately managers and employees who arewell-informed about the companyrsquos products andservices are in a good position to take advantageof cross-selling opportunities Realizing thispotential enables Pitney Bowes to make extrasales to existing customers thereby increasing itsprofit margins and allowing customers to benefitfrom a mix of products and services
Shifting to a unified culture directly benefitsboth Pitney Bowes and its customers ldquoByfocusing on the whole cadre of products andservices we can help our customers improve theirbusinessesrdquo says Hallam ldquoThatrsquos where OneCompany is critical It enables our clients tobenefit from all our servicesrdquo scm
Figure One Measuring the impact of the strategic leadersrsquo meeting
CONTACT DETAILS
Rob HallamPitney Bowesrobhallampbcom
I BELIEVE THAT OUR SENIOR LEADERS (MEANING THE TOP 15 EXECS) AREWORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO DELIVER INTEGRATED HIGH-VALUESOLUTIONS TO OUR CUSTOMERS
Pre SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 73
Post SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 92
Gain in two months time 19
ldquoMANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WELL-INFORMED ABOUT THE COMPANYrsquoS PRODUCTSAND SERVICES ARE IN A GOOD POSITION TOTAKE ADVANTAGE OF CROSS-SELLINGrdquo
2007
36 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
MELCRUM TRAINING amp EVENTS
CALENDAR 2007UKEUROPESOCIAL MEDIA FORUM FORINTERNAL COMMUNICATORS UK
3 21-22 March 2007 Hilton Canary WharfLondon UKThis forum is designed for practitioners who wantto make social media part of their internalcommunication strategy Over two dayscompanies such as IBM Microsoft and BT willshare case studies demonstrating their use ofsocial-media tools Technology experts will also beon hand to provide training and show you how touse these tools
THE 3RD ANNUAL EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT CONFERENCE UK
3 22-24 May 2007 Millennium GloucesterLondon UK22 May ndash Practical workshops23-24 May ndash Two-day conferenceThis event will focus on transforming yourstrategies into action Listen to case studies fromcompanies that have achieved real andmeasurable results from their engagement effortsLearn how they did it what they achieved and howthe results were measured
THE 6TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT UK
3 16-18 October 2007 London UK After the huge success of the 2006 UK StrategicCommunication Management Summit next yearrsquosevent will once again provide you withpresentations from key figures in the industry anda chance to network with your peers Mark yourdiaries now ndash more details to follow
THE 3RD ANNUAL INTERNALCOMMUNICATION MEASUREMENTCONFERENCE UK
3 27-29 November 2007 London UKDetails available soon ndash mark your diary now
NORTH AMERICATHE 3RD ANNUAL CONFERENCEON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENTBUILDING AND SUSTAINING ACULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT
3 28 February ndash 1 March 2007 Crowne PlazaAtlanta-Buckhead Atlanta USLearn how to foster an environment whereemployees feel valued and respected Hear fromcompanies including Dow Corning CorporationAmerican Express Delta Hotels and Merck
THE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT US
3 26-28 March 2007 Crowne Plaza UnionSquare San Francisco26 March ndash Pre-conference workshops27-28 March ndash Two-day summitAttend this conference and discover how toimprove employee alignment with all segments ofyour internal audience ndash from your front-lineemployees to your executive officers bothnationally and worldwide
AUSTRALIATHE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION ENGAGEMENTSUMMIT SYDNEY
3 31 July ndash 2 August 2007 Sydney Australia Details available soon ndash mark your diary now
WEBINARSDEVELOPING PROFESSIONALCOMPETENCE
3 Thursday 22 February 2007 with LiamFitzPatrick and Sue Dewhurst
HELPING YOUR ORGANIZATIONTHRIVE DURING TURBULENTTIMES
3 Thursday 29 March 2007 with Carol KinseyGoman
TRAININGTHE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT PROGRAM
3 24-25 April and 1-2 May 2007 HenleyManagement College UK3 11-12 and 27-28 September 2007 Cranfield
School of Management UK
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT MASTERCLASSEFFECTIVE MEASUREMENT
3 14-15 March 2007 Hendon Hall Hendon UKAn essential two-day intensive training courses forinternal communicators on effective measurementRegister early as places are strictly limited to 20people per Masterclass
CSR DELIVERY ENGAGEMENT amp LEADERSHIP
3 19-20 April 2007 Central LondonOsney MediaWith an excellent speaker line-up from high-profile companies including Procter amp Gamble The BodyShop ExxonMobil Microsoft Belgium Vodafone UK Dell Ericsson and Alliance Boots this case studybased event will answer questions including how do Ibull Build a CSR-oriented leadershipbull Get people on boardbull Integrate CSR with the global strategy of the companybull Deliver CSR throughout the company to make it really happen
For more information visit wwwcsrleadershipcom or e-mail mariame_lindellosneymediacouk (Reference code 910MLC3)
38 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
DESIGN
YELLOW
The future success of all organisations will be builton trust understanding passion empowermentintegrity and relationships
The future is cool exciting sparkling organisationsbursting with energy life and action
The future of brand is the internal brand first andforemost
The future is colleague as customer
Turning communications upside down
No just inside-out
Be part of the future say hello to Yellow
We help large organisations bring their communicationsstrategies to life through the imaginative use of liveevents multimedia web and design ndash distributed acrossall media platforms including DVD TV mobile devicesintranet and extranet
Ultimately developing internal brands and ongoingcommunications that have a measurable impact onpeople-performance advocacy and the bottom line
Contact Paul MiddletonTel +44 (0)161 228 6700E-mail paulmiddletonyellowcomcomWebsite wwwyellowcomcom
NEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
DESIGN
BLUE GOOSE
blue goose specialize in visual communications We make communications work faster and better We will link what wedo back to your objectives but we donrsquot talk (or charge for) ldquostrategyrdquo when you simply want tactical implementation Weuse design and creativity tobull differentiate products and services bull develop and manage corporate and brand identity bull align external communications with agreed values bull internalize corporate and brand identitybull align internal communications with agreed values bull support organizational change and bull help organizations better understand and define who they are
We work for clients as diverse as PricewaterhouseCoopers Ford Europe Centrica plc Greene King City of London Policeand Le Meacuteridien
blue goose is for any organization more interested in designing their future than watching it happen
Contact Chris BarringtonE-mail thinkingbluegoosecoukTel +44 (0)20 8869 8500Web site wwwbluegoosecouk
CONSULTANCY
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION ampSURVEYS PTY LTD
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd is aboutique consultancy based in Sydney Australia Itspecializes in employee communication strategiessystems research and employee surveys of all kindsPrincipal Rodney Gray has been involved inorganizational consulting for over 20 years following a15-year career as a corporate human resourcesexecutive Services includebull Employee communication audits and surveys by
questionnaires focus groups and interviewsbull Employee communication systems strategies and
processesbull Employee communication training workshops and
talksbull Employee culture climate and opinion surveysbull Qualitative organizational diagnosis (focus groups
and interviews)bull Internal service quality research (qualitative and
quantitative)
Contact Rodney GrayTel +61 (0)2 9909 2900 Fax +61 (0)2 9909 2911E-mail rodneyrodneygraycomauWeb site wwwemployee-communicationcomau
CONSULTANCY
HEDRON
Internal and change communication that helps teamsand individuals to develop strategies relationshipsprocesses and skills to engage stakeholders supporthigh performance and deliver change
ldquoSharp strategic thinking quality execution effectiveinterpersonallyhelliprdquo ldquoCreativity drive resourcefulnessresults great funhelliprdquo say clients
All sectors ndash ABN AMRO AXA BT Cadbury SchweppesDepartment for Constitutional Affairs HealthcareCommission Group 4 Securicor SABMiller SiemensSouthern Rail Unilever Wincanton
Our clients are happy to tell you what itrsquos like workingwith us
Contact Helena MemoryTel + 44 (0) 20 7493 0735Fax + 44 (0) 20 7493 0743E-mail helena-mhedroncomWeb site wwwhedroncom
CONSULTANCY
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
39scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
CONSULTANCY
SYNOPSIS
Founded by change and communication authority Bill Quirke in 1992 Synopsis is one of Europersquos leading internalcommunication consultancies Our clients include such companies as ABN Amro BBC BP British Airways DiageoEricsson HP Lloyds TSB Roche Shell and Vodafone
We help clients use internal communication to engage their employees in delivering business strategy and get most valuefrom their internal communication
We can help youbull Develop communication strategies that support your business strategybull Coach leadersbull Develop line managersrsquo communication skillsbull Plan and coordinate your communication with colleagues onlinebull Check the health of your communication channels and improve return on investmentbull Build and develop the communication functionbull Measure and track employee engagement attitudes and opinions
To take a tour of our online planning tool go to wwwsynopsisonlinecomproductplanningtoolasp
Contact Jane LebeauE-mail janelebeausynopsisonlinecomTel +44 (0) 20 7490 2900Web site wwwsynopsisonlinecom
CONSULTANCY
HARKNESS KENNETT
We specialize in internal communication To us thatmeansbull motivating people through inspiring leadershipbull guiding people through organizational changebull engaging people in delivering the brand
Working in partnership with our clients is central to ourethos enabling us to help deliver practical solutionssupported by solid strategic thinking All of ourconsultants have held senior positions ldquoclient siderdquo sowe know what itrsquos like to be in your shoes The vastmajority of our work comes from recommendations fromexisting clients ndash 82 percent of our clients haverequested repeat work in the last two years
Our clients include Abbey Atkins BDO Stoy HaywardThe Environment Agency Marks amp Spencer NHS Blood ampTransplant Morgan Stanley Europe Nestleacute PoliceInformation Technology Organisation Royal ampSunAlliance South West Trains and Vodafone
Our vision is simple ndash we want to be the first callyou make
Contact James HarknessTel +44 (0)1483 222730E-mail jamesharknessharknesskennettcomWeb site wwwharknesskennettcom
CONSULTANCY
TRIDENT COMMUNICATIONS
Trident Communications is uniquely positioned to definedevelop and deliver award-winning solutions that aligncommunication with business goals
We advise and partner with organizations of all sizes tocreate high-value practical applications Our talentedproject teams provide innovative research designeditorial and imagery for print and online
We connect ideas and deliver results
Contact Peter Agertoft Tel +44 (0)207 536 8900E-mail peteragertoft
tridentcommunicationsnetWeb site wwwtridentcommunicationsnet
CONSULTANCY
FLEISHMAN-HILLARD
Fleishman-Hillardrsquos dedicated internal and changecommunication practice helps businesses focus onperforming ndash not just informing
We help organisations plan and implement programmeswith the right mix of information dialogue and trainingso that employees are engaged aligned and motivatedto achieve business objectives
Because effective internal communication is vital tobottom-line performance we partner with our clients tocreate a daily dialogue ndash not a monologue ndash withemployees
Contact Nick AndrewsTel +32 (0)2 230 05 45 E-mail nickandrewsfleishmancomWeb site wwwfleishmaneuropecom
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE A listing in our Directory of Services will giveyou a chance to reach communicationprofessionals at some of the worldrsquos largestand most admired companies and to tap intodecision-making practitioners
ContactVincent SorelTel +44 (0)208 600 4670E-mail vincentsorelmelcrumcom
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
INCLUDE YOUR COMPANY BY CONTACTING US ON +44(0)20 8600 4670 OR AT INFOMELCRUMCOM
CONSULTANCY
HILL amp KNOWLTON
Better business results the bottom line
How do I manage more change Motivate managers Getthe right information to the right people Show the bestreturn on communication investment
Sound familiar Hill amp Knowltonrsquos change and internalcommunication consultants work with companies aroundthe world to find the right answers for their situation
We offer strategy insight and creativity drawing on ourconsultancy expertise and in-house experience Plus wedeliver practical hands-on help
We know that effective employee communication has adirect impact on the bottom line Working together wecan make it happen for you
Contact EMEA DavidFerrabeehillandknowltoncom
+44 (0) 7413 3176USA BarbaraEdlerhillandknowltoncom
+1 415 281-7160Canada KristaThompsonhillandknowltoncom
+1 613 786-9961
RECRUITMENT
VMA GROUP
VMA Group is one of the UKrsquos leading executive searchand selection consultancies specializing in internal andcorporate communication recruitment
For over 25 years VMA Group has provided the highestlevel of service to some of the most demanding globalorganizations developing a strong track record for thequality and professionalism of our search and selection work
We have in-depth specialist knowledge of the internalcommunication market and can provide high-qualitypermanent and interim candidates with expertise acrossinternal communication change management and widercorporate communication We understand the needs ofour clients intrinsically and strive to develop long-termrelationships with clients and candidates alike
Please call to discuss how we can help you find theideal candidate or if you wish to make a career move
Contact David BroomeTel +44 (0)20 7436 4243E-mail dbroomevmagroupcoukWeb site wwwvmagroupcouk
40 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONALCOMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS E-mail gaitensunityncsueduWeb site wwwconsultingsuccessorgTel 919 469 3895
CIB ndash BRITISH ASSOCIATION OFCOMMUNICATORS IN BUSINESSE-mail enquiriescibukcomWeb site wwwcibukcomTel +44 (0)870 121 7606
CCM ndash COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATIONMANAGEMENT E-mail membership
ccmconnectioncomWeb site wwwccmconnectioncomTel 866 463 4226
CPRS ndash THE CANADIAN PUBLICRELATIONS SOCIETYE-mail admincprscaWeb site wwwcprscaTel 416 239 7034
IABC ndash THE INTERNATIONALASSOCIATION OF BUSINESSCOMMUNICATORS E-mail service_centreiabccomWeb site wwwiabccomTel 415 544 4700
ICA ndash THE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONALLIANCE E-mail amandafoistericaukorgWeb site wwwiprorgukicaTel +44 (0)1628 642 044
CIPR ndash THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OFPUBLIC RELATIONS UKE-mail infoiprorgukWeb site wwwiprorgukTel +44 (0)20 7253 5151
IPRA ndash THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICRELATIONS ASSOCIATIONE-mail ipraseccompuservecomWeb site wwwipraorgTel +44 (0) 1372 461 188
PRSA ndash PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OFAMERICAE-mail resourcesprsaorgWeb site wwwprsaorgTel 212 460 1459
DIRECTORY OF SERVICESNEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
CONSULTANCY
26 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
TOP TIPS FOR COMMUNITY INVESTMENTbull Ask yourself why yoursquore undertaking this program and seek clarity around
your objectives
bull Focus on likely ldquowinsrdquondash ie areas with scope for improvement such asemployee engagement or external awareness
bull Tackle one area at a time in stages and aim for excellence in each arearather than trying to boil the ocean
bull Communication is key to success Create a distinct brand and identity forthe program to encourage awareness and involvement
bull Integrate different community programs ndash a holistic approach can maximizebenefits for the community staff engagement and corporate reputation
Over 450 employees registered to use thesite over the next two months with 230 employees(8 percent of staff) actively volunteering duringthe first year This beat a target to have 5 percentof employees volunteering 12 months after launchIn 2005 employees volunteered 4800 hours
Helping employees select the right optionEmployees can search the volunteering databaseby skill geographic area or type of charity and aregiven a range of choices Then the onus is on theemployee to speak to the charity and obtainfurther details on current opportunities inaddition to whatrsquos on the database The employeethen applies to his or her line manager Anintegrated work process enables staff to obtainapproval from their manager interact with thevoluntary organization and record their effortskeeping administration to a minimum
Managers at Pfizer Sandwich are keen foremployees to volunteer because theyrsquore aware ofthe potential benefits in terms of employeeengagement and skills development ndash a largenumber of managers are volunteers themselvesPfizer also held briefing sessions for managers toensure they were aware of the volunteeringprogram its benefits and how it works
7
Engaging employees in Pfizerrsquos community investment program
Incorporating employee feedbackThe database tracks employeesrsquo volunteeringefforts including how many hours theyrsquove doneand their feedback on the opportunitiesEmployee feedback can then be accessed by otherstaff looking for an opportunity The databasegives employees better insight into the availableopportunities and allows them to select somethingthat appeals to them so that both the employeeand the organization where they volunteer gets abetter ldquofitrdquo
The database also allows for better integrationof the whole program where volunteering canprovide an alternative or an addition to fundingFor example a well-known national charityapplied to Pfizer at Sandwich for some fundingaround a diversity initiative Pfizer suggested theirdiversity manager volunteer for them instead whohelped create the charityrsquos diversity program thatis now being launched nationally
Creating an integrated programIn May 2005 the decision was taken to bringtogether all the strands of community investmentunder one brand Healthy Communities Thisprogram was to includebull Charitable grantsbull Employee volunteeringbull Gifts in kind Community investment via gifts
in kind such as the use of Pfizer premisesresources and expertise is more easilysustainable and can bring real long-termbenefit to the local community When Pfizerfacilities are used to support communityinitiatives the face-to-face contact withemployees allows relationship-building andnetworking with key influencers Also invitingthe community to use Pfizer resources on siteldquodemystifiesrdquo the company
The overarching strategy behind HealthyCommunities was to support communityinvestment holistically (ie using several of theabove elements in combination) whereverpossible Focusing grants on the areas of greatestneed helps Pfizer achieve its overall missionHowever the donation of gifts in kind can have awider-reaching impact on the community
Taking a holistic approachAn award-winning example of this holisticapproach is the Helping Hartsdown projectwhich was Pfizer Sandwichrsquos biggest ever gift inkindvolunteering project Pfizer donated andrenovated much-needed classrooms at a localschool As well as financial support and gifts inkind the project involved over 100 staff andcontractor volunteers across all departments Aspecific promotion on the Reaching Out website
ldquoBY JULY 2006 THE lsquoHEALTHY COMMUNITIESrsquoPROGRAM HAD BEEN TRANSFORMED AND WONA NATIONAL EXAMPLE OF EXCELLENCE AWARDFROM BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITYrdquo
27scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
POSITIVE IMPACTS OF THE PROGRAMThe Healthy Communities program has had the following positive impacts for Pfizer
bull The program supports and protects Pfizerrsquos freedom to operate effectivelyin East Kent UK
bull Supporting and involving employees in the program engages and motivatesthem The company is also seen to be living its values In a recent survey55 percent of colleagues felt the program was ldquofocused and effectiverdquo
bull The program provides opportunities for colleagues to develop skills Twentypercent of colleagues surveyed stated that they had improved personalskills through taking part in the program
bull A healthy community is a better place to live and work for employees andwill aid retention Retention of the most highly skilled scientists givesPfizer Global Research and Development a competitive edge
bull A vibrant and healthy community helps to attract and retain leadingscientists from around the world
bull Community is one of Pfizerrsquos six core values Communicating activitiesinternally and externally gives a positive perception of the company
helped attract this large number of volunteersincluding senior leaders
Momentum was maintained behind thecommunication of the program with monthlynetworking breakfasts and several themed minicharity fairs to give local good causes the chanceto showcase their volunteering Individuals andteamsrsquo volunteering efforts were also regularlyprofiled in Pipeline
The December 2006 employee survey showedan 85-percent awareness level of Reaching Outand the program won a ldquoNational Example ofExcellence Awardrdquo from Business in theCommunity1
Relaunching the websiteIn June 2006 the Reaching Out website wasrelaunched to incorporate payroll giving andmatched fundraising under the same brand asvolunteering and utilize the existing software Allelements can now be applied for on the same site
The number of employees registered with thesite increased to over 1000 and the number of adhoc staff enquiries handled by CC Worksincreased dramatically as awareness andinvolvement levels rose among the workforce
External communicationA quarterly newsletter containing a round-up ofPfizerrsquos community investment work is producedand distributed widely to external stakeholdersincluding 3000 local residents Following theBusiness in the Community award the magazineCommunity News was revamped its circulationincreased and it was also desk-dropped to allemployees The magazine also helps to raiseawareness of Pfizer among local organizations
A pocket-sized booklet was produced containingkey facts and figures about the Healthy Communitiesprogram This gives employees especially seniorleaders at-a-glance information on the programallowing them to act as ambassadors for Pfizerrsquoscommunity investment work
Senior leaders at Pfizer Sandwich are keenadvocates of the program and having a clearbrand helps them communicate its benefits andraise awareness both internally and externally
Next stepsDespite its award-winning status there are plansto take Healthy Communities even further Theseinclude further research into employee feedbackand closer links to personal development plans InPfizer at Sandwichrsquos Global Operations functionvolunteering forms part of personal objectives ndashthis is an aspiration for the rest of the business
Pfizer also wants to improve team volunteeringand a toolkit is being prepared for team leaderswho wish to get involved in volunteering
Finally in order to share knowledge and bestpractice around community investment with otherlocal businesses Pfizer is hosting a Kentmembership network in conjunction with KentCounty Council This will help Pfizer work closelywith the local authority and bring local businessestogether to share ideas and collaborate toimprove their impact on the community scm
1 httpwwwbitcorguk
CONTACT DETAILS
Pam BakerPfizerpambakerpfizercom
Christine JenkinsCC Workschristinejenkinsccworkscouk
28 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Editorrsquos noteSucceeding in internal communication probablyisnrsquot all that different to succeeding in anyprofession understand whatrsquos expected of you dothe job well and deliver results But when youspeak to practitioners about how they personallyturned the corner in their careers and started tomake an impact it soon becomes clear that thereare many dos and donrsquots that can help or hinderprogress This article provides a handy checklistfor those with ambitious development plans
John G ClemonsVice President CommunicationsRaytheon Technical Services Co Llc
Take the initiativeThere have been a few career-defining momentsfor me Among them was the time when I realizedthat I was moving from a manager level to the
decision-making role of a director I worked for a senior executive who hired me
from a rival telecommunications company Uponjoining the company I developed strategiccommunication plans to address various businesschallenges During the development process Iperiodically checked in with my supervisor to gethis input and approval ndash probably more thannecessary ndash before moving to the next steps in planning
One day he called me into his office and saidthat while he liked the work I was doing for himhis expectation when he hired me as a directorwas that I would take the initiative in the job relyless on his frequent input and move forward with implementation and measurement Hewanted results
His counsel was along the lines of ldquoI hired youto do a directorrsquos job so do the job of a directorYou donrsquot have to get permission to make adifferencerdquo
Meet commitments and think strategicallyHis direction motivated me to take moreresponsibility at this new job level This alsomeant that I had to not just manage but leadmeet commitments and think more strategicallyto continue to earn not only his confidence butthe support of the entire leadership team
Irsquove found that being a communicationprofessional who is also a leader that can betrusted can get things done and truly support thegoals and objectives of an organization will notonly impress others but help build your credibilityand lead to success
How to get ahead ininternal communication
The path that leads internal communicators to thetop of their profession isnrsquot always an obvious oneWhich is why we asked a range of senior practitioners
to share their thoughts and experiences on gaining therespect of those who matter Whether its senior leadersfellow employees or your own team yoursquore looking toimpress these responses provide useful insight into howto make sure you and your work gets noticed
Senior practitioners share their views on how togain influence and credibility
COMPILED BY MANDY THATCHER
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
29scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Mark DarbyHead of Internal CommunicationsVisaUK
Be smart sharp and stubbornThe biggest lesson Irsquove learned and keep havingto remind myself is that I need to be smart sharpand stubborn to get ahead This is what thosewords mean to me in a work context
Smart I need to understand what Visa is doingand what people think about the business Thismeans constantly spending time in differentdepartments and learning from them I know whoour customers are what our challenges are andwhat our current financial performance is I havecontacts in most departments who have a fingeron the pulse which means I can have a relevantconversation with a senior person from any department
Sharp Internal communication is rarely near thetop of the agenda for senior people and my timewith them is usually short I always try to talkabout the impact on business performance assoon as possible If I circulate a document it willbe summarized to a single page at most and Idonrsquot use PowerPoint I ask a lot of ldquoonerdquo questionssuch as ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing you want employeesto do differentlyrdquo or ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing youwant me to change over the next six monthsrdquo
Stubborn I know what I want internal communica-tion to achieve at Visa and it has the support ofthe senior team Irsquove built up knowledge frombooks and articles I use my education from theBlack Belt training course1 and I speak to formercolleagues With this knowledge Irsquove becomestubborn and good at saying no because I have theinformation to back up my arguments Irsquove stoppedmy team from picking up extra projects that wonrsquotdeliver much value We focus only on projects thatadd the most value to the business and we deliveron these really well Successful delivery is thebiggest influence on any senior person
Monika StaffordHead of Internal CommunicationLloyds TSBUK
Be creative and focus on a killer issueUsing creative solutions to bring to life importantndash but often dull ndash programs can create a shinethat stretches beyond project boundaries For
example I worked on the implementation of SAPndash a business-critical systems program ndash requiringbehavior change from swathes of key yetuninterested people Successful implementationwas a big risk to get right but it was as dull asdishwater to communicate
Luckily there was a ldquoEurekardquo moment Byaligning the SAP story with the metaphor ofFormula-1 racing we could tell the tale of how itwould fulfill our need to create winningperformances for both the individual driver aswell as the back-up team in order to perform wellon the road ahead This storyline was a perfectmatch for the programrsquos objectives
Launch speakers from Formula 1 great designwork not to mention fantastic collateral allresulted in a no-hitch implementation that reallyresonated with people The global companypicked it up as the approach for worldwide rollout So faced with tedium it can actually pay tostare out of the window for creative inspiration
My other piece of advice is Focus on a killerissue If you really want to get ahead (and do besure you really do as being at the center ofchange is often akin to being in the eye of ahurricane ndash itrsquos no place for the feint-hearted)learn what keeps your business leaders up atnight Use your stakeholder-management skills toget to the people you need to help you deliversolutions then execute execute execute
Focus on value-adding work only because ifyou end up working on your companyrsquos cul-de-sacprojects yoursquoll never shine brightly enough forthe leaders in your company to notice you 3
COMPETENCY
Planning internal communication 76
Linking corporate messages to corporate vision 73
CEO communication 63
Change communication 60
Communicating to diverse audiences 60
Using the intranet as a communication tool 54
Defending your department in internal political battles 43
Line manager communication 42
Professional development of internal communication staff 33
Helping employees cope with information overload 32
Securing the appropriate level of budget for internal communication 30
Measuring the effectiveness of internal communication 28
Figure One Table from The Pulse report showing the percentage of communicators who ratethemselves as effective or very effective at listed competencies
30 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
WHATrsquoS CHANGED IN THE LAST 25 YEARS
David MoorcroftSenior Vice PresidentCorporate CommunicationsRBC Financial Group Canada
Irsquom constantly amazed at the changes that have taken place in our professionover the last 25 years and the degree of talent and knowledge required bycommunicators today to do their jobs well
Back in 1979 when I started in corporate PR the major skill sets werewriting editing and great media contacts Today good editorial skills are justtable stakes and the ability to understand business adapt technology thinkstrategically plan consummately and influence stakeholders are what landsenior communicators a seat at the management table
This change has been driven by the globalization of business the advent ofnew 247 media including the Internet the growing sophistication ofcustomers and employees increased demands for corporate transparency andmore rigorous requirements for high standards of public disclosure andfinancial reporting
MORE SKILLS THAN EVER BEFOREAs a result todayrsquos business communicator has to be more capable andknowledgeable and have more skills than ever before They must befinancially literate and technologically savvy They must understand the impactof evolving accounting and disclosure rules They must deal with legal HRpolitical and business issues And they must be prepared to deal with amultitude of potential crises that can arise at any moment in any language inany part of the world
Perhaps most challenging senior management today expects clear bottom-line returns for their investments in communication Itrsquos no longer enough toinform audiences and measure communication outputs CEOs expectcommunication to engage audiences and produce outcomes ndash something thatrequires strategic thinking planning and foresight
A friend of mine who left a senior corporate PR job to become COO of amajor public utility recently summed up the role of todayrsquos communicator thisway ldquoItrsquos one of the most important and critical roles in organizations todayand yet itrsquos often one of the least recognized and appreciatedrdquo
That sentiment may be a reality in some organizations today but with moreand more CEOs beginning to realize the bottom-line value of communication itwonrsquot be 25 years from now
Christina FeeSenior Vice President InternalCommunicationsDeutsche Post AGGermany
Seek out the important projectsI canrsquot pretend to have employed a specificapproach to my ldquopersonal PRrdquo at all But in theorganizations Irsquove worked for Irsquove had theopportunity to work on a number of excitinghigh-profile projects that have connected me withsenior stakeholders and influential people atdifferent levels
7
Irsquove learned a great deal from the project teamsIrsquove worked with and also due to the significanceand scope of the projects been able todemonstrate my worth approach and skills Irsquovehad to be passionate stand up for what I believein and think outside the box constantly
My roles within DHLDeutsche Post haveallowed me the freedom and flexibility to developand deliver new ideas but Irsquove also had to practiceand embody excellent internal communicationskills myself Having developed credibility and trustwith those that matter based on my track record Iwas allowed to go ahead with other projects
I donrsquot actively pursue the ldquoright relationshipsrdquobut rather let my work and my interactions withpeople speak for themselves This has helped medevelop mentors and supporters naturally Mylearning and development has also been expandedby the opportunity to work abroad and learn moreabout intercultural communication and interaction
Marc SilversideHead of Internal CommunicationsMacmillan Cancer SupportUK
Understand whatrsquos expected of youA newly established role heightens the need formaking a good impression so that people trustyou and feel they can come to you for advice
When I joined Macmillan I very nearly got thiswrong Perhaps this is an example that otherrsquos canlearn from
When my new CEO at Macmillan CancerSupport asked for a meeting ldquoafter a few weeks tosettle inrdquo I was confident that my wide-ranginginduction would help me understand the businessand provide the basis for what Irsquod present tosenior management
Forty structured face-to-face managerinterviews allowed me to understand needs andkey issues and I started to build personal rapportMy profile was raised and at the same timeinternal communication gained good visibility
Externally I networked with contacts in similarroles in other charities and soon found thebeginnings of a voluntary-sector network This hassince grown to over 25 members
By the time my CEO slot arrived I was armedwith input from across the charity and the resultsof an audit I felt well prepared to present myvision and solutions So I was surprised to be metwith significant resistance
I later discovered that my CEO intelligence wasincorrect What he wanted was to be askedspecifically about his own views on what internalcommunication should do and what I could do for
How to get ahead in internal communication
31scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
HOW DO YOUR SKILLS MEASURE UPFor Melcrumrsquos study into budgets salaries and trends in internalcommunication in 200607 we asked survey respondents to rate their owneffectiveness at a range of key communication competencies from planning tomeasurement The results may surprise you
For example 76 percent of respondents rate themselves as effective or veryeffective at planning internal communication but only 28 percent ratethemselves as equally effective at measuring its effectiveness (see Figure Onepage 29)
In her commentary on the results development expert Sue Dewhurst hadthe following to say
OUR STRENGTHSIt seems where we see our strengths as internal communicators is towards theldquofront endrdquo of the communication planning process For example being able tolink a plan to the business strategy knowing our audiences and being able tojoin up the dots and show people how messages link to the business vision
These are powerful strengths We are one of the few functions that tends tohave an overarching view of our entire company and is able to view thecompany and its strategy from a number of different perspectives Being ableto understand the vision and strategy view it from an audience perspectiveand then create line of sight to show what those things mean in practicalterms for peoplersquos day-to-day roles is one of the ways that we help drivebusiness performance ndash by showing people what they need to do to take thestrategy forward
In turn by knowing and working with our audiences hopefully wersquore thenalso able to make sure their views and suggestions can help shape the strategyand how itrsquos put into practice
MEASURING EFFECTIVENESSWe see ourselves as less effective towards the back end of the planningprocess in measuring the effectiveness of internal communication which tiesin with the feeling from previous questions that in fact wersquore not doing muchmeasurement or demonstrating our return on investment
Research and measurement is an area where there is plenty of expertisearound to call on There are measurement conferences research reports andpublications to understand what other organizations are doing and practicaltraining that will give you the opportunity to work in a smaller group askquestions and practice techniques For help with specific techniques try yourinternal marketing team Marketers are generally great with data and well-versed in running focus groups and putting together surveys If you have anexternal provider to support your employee engagement research try them too
Source The Pulse Essential data on budgets salaries and trends 2006-07wwwmelcrumcom
him rather than how I could benefit the charity Ihad to change my approach fast
This could have cost me my best ambassadorfrom day one So my advice is make sure yoursquoreabsolutely clear about whatrsquos expected from you
Of course the insights I gained in my first fewmonths have been valuable and since then myresults have done the talking Fortunately theCEO soon became an internal communicationsconvert and advocate
Darren CrozierCommunications ManagerHBOS plcUK
Make things happenDelivery is key to career development ndash if you sayyoursquore going to do something make sure you doit Put in the effort get the results you want andbe known as someone who can make things happenIf yoursquore seen to ldquoget things donerdquo no matter howsmall the job is people are more likely to get youinvolved in activities and ask your opinion
Gaining credibility and respect from seniorcolleagues is important but everyone in yourorganization will form an opinion of you from thepeople in the canteen right through to the CEOSo try and make sure that their opinion of you is agood one
Itrsquos not just the people within your immediatesphere of influence who can have an impact onyour career so extend your network go oncourses and get involved in professionalorganizations Many of my close workingrelationships career opportunities and indeedpersonal friendships have come from meetingpeople at such events and taking the time to keepin touch You never know how things will develop
Itrsquos also vital to earn respect be trustworthy andhave good manners To recall what an ex-bossonce said ldquoBe careful how you treat people onthe way up as you never know when you maycome across them againrdquo
One of the biggest challenges Irsquove found inrecent times is recognizing my own success andselling myself Sometimes you need to take a stepback to realize just what yoursquove achieved Evenbetter keep a log or portfolio of your successesand donrsquot be shy to speak about them becauseothers wonrsquot be shy to speak about theirs
Finally try and have some fun along the wayWe all have to work for a living so learn to makethe most of it scm
1 For more about Melcrumrsquos Internal Communication Black Belttraining program go to wwwmelcrumcom
32 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pitney Bowes has followed an aggressive strategyof growth through acquisition completing 60+acquisitions since 2001 Expansion has broadenedits product mix to include an extensive range ofsolutions from office equipment to globalpositioning software
But the companyrsquos many different specialismsand huge outsourcing operations meant that themajority of its 34000 employees werenrsquot aware ofthe full range of its service offering and thepotential for different divisions to work together
As Rob Hallam vice president EmployeeCommunication explains there was a strongbusiness case for adopting a ldquoone companyrdquoapproach ldquoBecause the businesses tended to besomewhat siloed even senior managers werefocused on their divisions
ldquoAlso because we were acquiring companiesand evolving so rapidly managers werenrsquot awareof a lot of the businesses and how they all workedtogether in the mailstreamrdquo says Hallam ldquoWewere missing out on potential cross-sellingopportunitiesrdquo
Communicating a new visionFour years ago Pitney Bowes created a OneCompany Vision statement ldquoOur aim was toensure support and cooperation across thebusiness so we could provide a comprehensive setof customer solutions ndash not just a list of productsand services by business unitrdquo says Hallam Theinternal communication challenge was to drawtogether 34000 employees and build a unifiedcorporate culture The communication strategyfocused on three key elements
1 PeopleThis focused on involving the leadershipstrengthening a two-way dialogue betweenmanagement and employees communicating theculture through leadership messaging enterprise-wide events and roadshows and buildingengagement so that everyone was workingtogether towards a One Company approach
2 ProcessesThis meant integrating the One Companyapproach into the organizationrsquos operations andinfrastructure by shifting management roles andadjusting incentives and reward structuresthroughout the company
The first step was to consolidate the companyrsquosoperating activities by appointing Murray DMartin as president and chief operating officer inSeptember 2004 Martinrsquos mantra is ldquoThink AsOne Act as One Operate As One to deliverwhat no other company canrdquo
ldquoThe COO position had previously been heldby the chairman so elevating someone to that
Communicating a OneCompany culture atPitney Bowes
Following rapid growth in the form of more than 60acquisitions over six years silo-working haddeveloped at Pitney Bowes and leaders were failing
to take advantage of profitable cross-selling opportunitiesHere Rob Hallam describes the communication elementsof a ldquoOne Companyrdquo culture-change program which hasturned the situation around simultaneously improvingcustomer service and boosting profits
Persuading disparate businessunits to work together
AN INTERVIEW WITH ROB HALLAM
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Pitney Bowes is an 87-year-old company best known forthe manufacturing operationand oversight of postagemeters It has over two millioncustomers more than 3500active patents and annualrevenue of close to $6 billion
33scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
role was a big changerdquo explains Hallam ldquoAll thebusiness units now report to a single individual atoperating level It represented a huge positivemove to start the company operationalizing OneCompany behaviorrdquo
The internal communication function wasrestructured to ensure that consistent messagingreached the entire employee population Regularmeasurement was a key part of the changeinitiative This served to define the contributionof communicating a One Company approachwhere it was adding value to Pitney Bowes and itsclients and customers and where there was stillwork to do
3 TechnologyIt was important to find the best ways to cascademessages throughout the company and keeppeople informed about what was going onwithout bombarding them with irrelevantcommunication Hallam and his team deploy avariety of channels and media including internalprint and online publications voicemail and e-mail Pitney Bowes is also in the process ofintegrating its different voicemail systems and e-mail platforms into one global system
Involving senior leadership from the outsetThe One Company strategy was an overridingpolicy that started at the top of the organizationldquoThere was a big launch at the strategic leadersrsquomeeting which is held every Januaryrdquo saysHallam ldquoThe messaging was then driven throughthe organization via a companywide globalcommunication strategyrdquo
From the outset the policy was championed bythe CEO Michael Critelli who believes thatculture is central to the Pitney Bowes brand andsaid recently ldquoMy first measure of success iswhether we are behaving as one companyrdquo Thiscommitment helped to ensure that the culturalchange was reinforced by parallel changes to thecorporate infrastructure
Building a two-way dialogueThe next step was to get the employee populationinvolved and build enterprisewide enthusiasm forthe culture change Pitney Bowes has alwaysrecognized the value of a two-way dialoguebetween management and employees and hasheld annual jobholders meetings which aresimilar to shareholdersrsquo meetings for 61 years In2005 Hallam reinvented it as an initiative calledOne Forum ndash a series of roadshows focusing oncommunicating the One Company culturethroughout the organization
Launching the One ForumIn 2005 Hallam and his team created an original
and memorable One Forum launch for the 90percent of Pitney Bowes employees based in theUS Around a quarter of US employees saw thisin person the others received a link to a websitewith streaming highlights
ldquoWe put together a two-hour roadshow eventwhich helped people to understand our OneCompany approach and made them aware of allthe businesses we were inrdquo says Hallam ldquoThethinking was that high change requires high touchFace-to-face can have far greater impact on theindividuals touched From there itrsquos a matter ofripple effect such as seeing improved One Forumbrand awareness among employees who didnrsquotactually attend one of the eventsrdquo
ldquoWe wanted the roadshow to be entertainingand energizing so we used gameshow techniquescustom-written songs and comedy specificallytailored to Pitney Bowes employees It was a funevent but it also included a keynote speech fromthe CEO and a lot of question-and-answersessions with employees It was entertainmentwith a purpose and it was a great success with employeesrdquo
The post-event employee evaluations provedthe success of this approach ldquoIn some cities anincredible 90 percent of employees gave the eventa top-box rating This shows that there was ahunger for both the knowledge and theapproachrdquo adds Hallam
Taking the show on the roadThe One Forum roadshow has become an annualevent ldquoIn a five-month period during 2005 therewere 17 One Forum events in 12 US citiesreaching about 6000 peoplerdquo says Hallam ldquoAftersome testing in March and April the first bigroadshows started in early May and continued forsix months with the final one in early Decemberin Seattle 3
Rob Hallam is vice presidentEmployee Communication atPitney Bowes (PB) in StamfordConnecticut where hersquos beenresponsible for internalcommunication strategy andimplementation since 2004Hallam has led a team ofprofessionals in reshapingcommunication at PB resultedin the communication teamearning the top ranking in HRdepartment satisfaction fromall PBrsquos US managers in 2005and 2006
KEY POINTSbull Internal communication has played an important role in embedding a
One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
bull The communication strategy focused on three key elements peopleprocess and technology
bull The campaign has been championed by the CEO from the outset andhas won senior leadership support over time
bull An entertaining roadshow helped win employee commitment
bull Cross-selling ratios have jumped substantially since the culture-changeeffort began
34 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ldquoIn 2006 we compressed the programsubstantially and drove down costs while stilltouching 6000 employees Together with ourcorporate marketing group we also introduced anextremely successful lsquoelevator speechrsquo that helpsemployees answer the much-feared questionlsquoWhat does Pitney Bowes dorsquordquo
Local variationsAlthough the entertainment component in theroadshows contributed to their success it wasspecific to the US so Hallam gave business unitsand internal communicators in other regions theresponsibility for communicating the OneCompany approach to local employees ldquoInCanada and the UK they conducted town-hallmeetings and in Latin America and other parts ofthe world they produced their own variations onthe One Forum theme We made sure that theyhad the information they needed but we limitedthe entertainment to English-speaking regionsrdquo
A commitment to employee engagementThe appointment of the new COO and the launchof the One Forum roadshows coincided with thefirst employee engagement survey in late 2004ldquoWe see engagement as very much tied to ourability to execute a One Company strategy andchange our culturerdquo says Hallam He sets outfour ways in which employee engagement isinstilled at all levels in the organization
1 Visible leadership commitment to engagementThe CEO underlines his commitment by sendingregular messages to employees via a variety ofmedia including voicemail and print and onlinepublications He also uses engagement scores todetermine a unitrsquos overall performance rating andbonus pool ldquoWhen one senior execrsquos bonus poolwas reduced due to poor engagement scores that
was a message requiring no communication planrdquosays Hallam ldquoWord spread quicklyrdquo
2 Celebrating top performers Pitney Bowes celebrates its top engagementperformers by running cover stories in its globalprint and online publication PB Today ldquoThisprogram was called lsquoThe Faces of Pitney Bowesrsquordquosays Hallam ldquoWe did 10 of these last year so theyran twice in five editions Wersquove also producedlarge mural-sized photos of those managers andtheir teamsrdquo he says ldquoWe celebrate success andpublish it everywhere Our CEO loves it and wersquoreactually selling part of our contemporary artcollection which decorates the building to makeroom for an expansion of additional OneCompany and Engagement photography all ofwhich will focus on our employeesrdquo
3 Incentivizing managers via the reward systemEmployee engagement is recognized andreinforced in the companyrsquos formal processesincluding its reward system ldquoWe use a tool calledthe Strategic Architecture which is our balancedscorecardrdquo explains Hallam ldquoItrsquos a Six-Sigma toolwhich measures employee shareholder andcustomer value Managersrsquo engagement scoresalso factor into their annual reviews soengagement has a direct impact on remunerationrdquo
4 Rewarding engagementA further program called Rapid Rewards awardscash bonuses to managers and employees foroutstanding behavior including that related toemployee engagement
Aligning the communication strategyHallam and his team are responsible fordelivering the overall employee communicationstrategy ldquoWe had to dramatically improve ourstrategic approach in order to make OneCompany a realityrdquo he says
In addition to organizing campaigns such as theOne Forum roadshows to publicize the culturechange across the enterprise Hallam hasintroduced initiatives aimed at improving thereach and delivery of internal communication andmaking sure messages get to their intendedaudiences He has also aligned the structure ofthe internal communication function with thecompanyrsquos unified culture
ldquoThere were a lot of different communicationgroups so we brought together all thecommunication leaders and formed a singleInternal Communications Councilrdquo explainsHallam ldquoThis means that the communicationfunctions in the different business units areworking together to help drive change andimprove coordinationrdquo
Communicating a One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
ldquoWHEN A SENIOR EXECrsquoS BONUS WAS REDUCEDDUE TO POOR ENGAGEMENT SCORES THAT WASA MESSAGE REQUIRING NO COMMUNICATIONPLAN WORD SPREAD QUICKLYrdquo
7
FURTHER RESOURCES3 THE IMPACT OF CULTURE AND CLIMATE ON CHANGE PROGRAMS
An article published in SCM Volume 10 Issue 6 OctoberNovember 2006
3 DRIVING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE CORPORATE CULTUREMelcrumrsquos report on communication tools techniques and best practicefrom leading organizationswwwmelcrumcom
35scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Developing a global approachHallam is also responsible for a globalcommunication project called Universal Reachwhich is sponsored by the chairman and designedto support and maintain a unified corporateculture ldquoOur goal is to provide 90 percentmessage accessibility within our key customer-facing audiencesrdquo he explains ldquoThe biggestchallenge is integrating our online communicationinfrastructure which has nine different voicemailsystems operating across the world and multiplee-mail and web platforms Wersquore pulling all thattogether to provide better reachrdquo
Since 911 the CEO and other top executiveshave broadcast weekly audio messages calledPower Talks Hallamrsquos team has worked with theleadership to ensure that they incorporate OneCompany messages and as he explains they reachmost of the employee population ldquoAbout 20000of our employees have voicemail Those whodonrsquot receive the Power Talk message either inprint or online In some divisions managers playthe Power Talk messages in staff meetingsrdquo
Engaging leadership reinforces the cultureBuilding on the CEOrsquos commitment to a OneCompany approach Hallam and his team haveorganized leadership events ndash most recently at thestrategic leadersrsquo meeting in December 2006 ndashshowing Pitney Bowes as one company in actionThis campaign has helped to engage the top 150managers in the culture change
ldquoOur post-event evaluations show a strongmove numerically in senior leadershiprsquos belief thatwersquore operating as one companyrdquo says Hallam(see Figure One above) ldquoAs theyrsquore our toughestjudges wersquore pleased by the significant differencein pre- and post-event measurementrdquo There wasalso an improvement in leadersrsquo understanding ofthe companyrsquos new mailstream category
Sustaining the new cultureAccording to Hallam rippling out the OneCompany messaging requires a consistent andcoordinated approach Communication leaders inthe various divisions are now working to weaveOne Company messages into the business-unitmeetings ldquoA lot of the messaging that welaunched at the strategic leadersrsquo meeting arebeing reiterated at the business unit level Thatrsquosbeen facilitated through the InternalCommunications Councilrdquo he says
ldquoKey metrics for the culture change programfocus on cross-selling ratios which have jumpedsubstantially since the culture change effortbeganrdquo says Hallam ldquoIn 2002 we also institutedthe ldquoPB1 Awardsrdquo which is a chairmanrecognition award that goes to teams who bestembody cross-functional behavior in working on
projects which improve our clientsrsquo profitabilityour profitability or bothrdquo
ldquoHowever wersquore only really a year into thisMuch of the evidence is anecdotal but what haschanged is that our managers have broadenedtheir vision and are thinking as solutions-providers rather than product-sellers As suchtheyrsquore involving other business units out of theirdesire to eliminate customer pain points ndashregardless of which part of Pitney Bowes gets the salerdquo
Adding value to customersUltimately managers and employees who arewell-informed about the companyrsquos products andservices are in a good position to take advantageof cross-selling opportunities Realizing thispotential enables Pitney Bowes to make extrasales to existing customers thereby increasing itsprofit margins and allowing customers to benefitfrom a mix of products and services
Shifting to a unified culture directly benefitsboth Pitney Bowes and its customers ldquoByfocusing on the whole cadre of products andservices we can help our customers improve theirbusinessesrdquo says Hallam ldquoThatrsquos where OneCompany is critical It enables our clients tobenefit from all our servicesrdquo scm
Figure One Measuring the impact of the strategic leadersrsquo meeting
CONTACT DETAILS
Rob HallamPitney Bowesrobhallampbcom
I BELIEVE THAT OUR SENIOR LEADERS (MEANING THE TOP 15 EXECS) AREWORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO DELIVER INTEGRATED HIGH-VALUESOLUTIONS TO OUR CUSTOMERS
Pre SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 73
Post SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 92
Gain in two months time 19
ldquoMANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WELL-INFORMED ABOUT THE COMPANYrsquoS PRODUCTSAND SERVICES ARE IN A GOOD POSITION TOTAKE ADVANTAGE OF CROSS-SELLINGrdquo
2007
36 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
MELCRUM TRAINING amp EVENTS
CALENDAR 2007UKEUROPESOCIAL MEDIA FORUM FORINTERNAL COMMUNICATORS UK
3 21-22 March 2007 Hilton Canary WharfLondon UKThis forum is designed for practitioners who wantto make social media part of their internalcommunication strategy Over two dayscompanies such as IBM Microsoft and BT willshare case studies demonstrating their use ofsocial-media tools Technology experts will also beon hand to provide training and show you how touse these tools
THE 3RD ANNUAL EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT CONFERENCE UK
3 22-24 May 2007 Millennium GloucesterLondon UK22 May ndash Practical workshops23-24 May ndash Two-day conferenceThis event will focus on transforming yourstrategies into action Listen to case studies fromcompanies that have achieved real andmeasurable results from their engagement effortsLearn how they did it what they achieved and howthe results were measured
THE 6TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT UK
3 16-18 October 2007 London UK After the huge success of the 2006 UK StrategicCommunication Management Summit next yearrsquosevent will once again provide you withpresentations from key figures in the industry anda chance to network with your peers Mark yourdiaries now ndash more details to follow
THE 3RD ANNUAL INTERNALCOMMUNICATION MEASUREMENTCONFERENCE UK
3 27-29 November 2007 London UKDetails available soon ndash mark your diary now
NORTH AMERICATHE 3RD ANNUAL CONFERENCEON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENTBUILDING AND SUSTAINING ACULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT
3 28 February ndash 1 March 2007 Crowne PlazaAtlanta-Buckhead Atlanta USLearn how to foster an environment whereemployees feel valued and respected Hear fromcompanies including Dow Corning CorporationAmerican Express Delta Hotels and Merck
THE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT US
3 26-28 March 2007 Crowne Plaza UnionSquare San Francisco26 March ndash Pre-conference workshops27-28 March ndash Two-day summitAttend this conference and discover how toimprove employee alignment with all segments ofyour internal audience ndash from your front-lineemployees to your executive officers bothnationally and worldwide
AUSTRALIATHE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION ENGAGEMENTSUMMIT SYDNEY
3 31 July ndash 2 August 2007 Sydney Australia Details available soon ndash mark your diary now
WEBINARSDEVELOPING PROFESSIONALCOMPETENCE
3 Thursday 22 February 2007 with LiamFitzPatrick and Sue Dewhurst
HELPING YOUR ORGANIZATIONTHRIVE DURING TURBULENTTIMES
3 Thursday 29 March 2007 with Carol KinseyGoman
TRAININGTHE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT PROGRAM
3 24-25 April and 1-2 May 2007 HenleyManagement College UK3 11-12 and 27-28 September 2007 Cranfield
School of Management UK
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT MASTERCLASSEFFECTIVE MEASUREMENT
3 14-15 March 2007 Hendon Hall Hendon UKAn essential two-day intensive training courses forinternal communicators on effective measurementRegister early as places are strictly limited to 20people per Masterclass
CSR DELIVERY ENGAGEMENT amp LEADERSHIP
3 19-20 April 2007 Central LondonOsney MediaWith an excellent speaker line-up from high-profile companies including Procter amp Gamble The BodyShop ExxonMobil Microsoft Belgium Vodafone UK Dell Ericsson and Alliance Boots this case studybased event will answer questions including how do Ibull Build a CSR-oriented leadershipbull Get people on boardbull Integrate CSR with the global strategy of the companybull Deliver CSR throughout the company to make it really happen
For more information visit wwwcsrleadershipcom or e-mail mariame_lindellosneymediacouk (Reference code 910MLC3)
38 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
DESIGN
YELLOW
The future success of all organisations will be builton trust understanding passion empowermentintegrity and relationships
The future is cool exciting sparkling organisationsbursting with energy life and action
The future of brand is the internal brand first andforemost
The future is colleague as customer
Turning communications upside down
No just inside-out
Be part of the future say hello to Yellow
We help large organisations bring their communicationsstrategies to life through the imaginative use of liveevents multimedia web and design ndash distributed acrossall media platforms including DVD TV mobile devicesintranet and extranet
Ultimately developing internal brands and ongoingcommunications that have a measurable impact onpeople-performance advocacy and the bottom line
Contact Paul MiddletonTel +44 (0)161 228 6700E-mail paulmiddletonyellowcomcomWebsite wwwyellowcomcom
NEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
DESIGN
BLUE GOOSE
blue goose specialize in visual communications We make communications work faster and better We will link what wedo back to your objectives but we donrsquot talk (or charge for) ldquostrategyrdquo when you simply want tactical implementation Weuse design and creativity tobull differentiate products and services bull develop and manage corporate and brand identity bull align external communications with agreed values bull internalize corporate and brand identitybull align internal communications with agreed values bull support organizational change and bull help organizations better understand and define who they are
We work for clients as diverse as PricewaterhouseCoopers Ford Europe Centrica plc Greene King City of London Policeand Le Meacuteridien
blue goose is for any organization more interested in designing their future than watching it happen
Contact Chris BarringtonE-mail thinkingbluegoosecoukTel +44 (0)20 8869 8500Web site wwwbluegoosecouk
CONSULTANCY
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION ampSURVEYS PTY LTD
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd is aboutique consultancy based in Sydney Australia Itspecializes in employee communication strategiessystems research and employee surveys of all kindsPrincipal Rodney Gray has been involved inorganizational consulting for over 20 years following a15-year career as a corporate human resourcesexecutive Services includebull Employee communication audits and surveys by
questionnaires focus groups and interviewsbull Employee communication systems strategies and
processesbull Employee communication training workshops and
talksbull Employee culture climate and opinion surveysbull Qualitative organizational diagnosis (focus groups
and interviews)bull Internal service quality research (qualitative and
quantitative)
Contact Rodney GrayTel +61 (0)2 9909 2900 Fax +61 (0)2 9909 2911E-mail rodneyrodneygraycomauWeb site wwwemployee-communicationcomau
CONSULTANCY
HEDRON
Internal and change communication that helps teamsand individuals to develop strategies relationshipsprocesses and skills to engage stakeholders supporthigh performance and deliver change
ldquoSharp strategic thinking quality execution effectiveinterpersonallyhelliprdquo ldquoCreativity drive resourcefulnessresults great funhelliprdquo say clients
All sectors ndash ABN AMRO AXA BT Cadbury SchweppesDepartment for Constitutional Affairs HealthcareCommission Group 4 Securicor SABMiller SiemensSouthern Rail Unilever Wincanton
Our clients are happy to tell you what itrsquos like workingwith us
Contact Helena MemoryTel + 44 (0) 20 7493 0735Fax + 44 (0) 20 7493 0743E-mail helena-mhedroncomWeb site wwwhedroncom
CONSULTANCY
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
39scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
CONSULTANCY
SYNOPSIS
Founded by change and communication authority Bill Quirke in 1992 Synopsis is one of Europersquos leading internalcommunication consultancies Our clients include such companies as ABN Amro BBC BP British Airways DiageoEricsson HP Lloyds TSB Roche Shell and Vodafone
We help clients use internal communication to engage their employees in delivering business strategy and get most valuefrom their internal communication
We can help youbull Develop communication strategies that support your business strategybull Coach leadersbull Develop line managersrsquo communication skillsbull Plan and coordinate your communication with colleagues onlinebull Check the health of your communication channels and improve return on investmentbull Build and develop the communication functionbull Measure and track employee engagement attitudes and opinions
To take a tour of our online planning tool go to wwwsynopsisonlinecomproductplanningtoolasp
Contact Jane LebeauE-mail janelebeausynopsisonlinecomTel +44 (0) 20 7490 2900Web site wwwsynopsisonlinecom
CONSULTANCY
HARKNESS KENNETT
We specialize in internal communication To us thatmeansbull motivating people through inspiring leadershipbull guiding people through organizational changebull engaging people in delivering the brand
Working in partnership with our clients is central to ourethos enabling us to help deliver practical solutionssupported by solid strategic thinking All of ourconsultants have held senior positions ldquoclient siderdquo sowe know what itrsquos like to be in your shoes The vastmajority of our work comes from recommendations fromexisting clients ndash 82 percent of our clients haverequested repeat work in the last two years
Our clients include Abbey Atkins BDO Stoy HaywardThe Environment Agency Marks amp Spencer NHS Blood ampTransplant Morgan Stanley Europe Nestleacute PoliceInformation Technology Organisation Royal ampSunAlliance South West Trains and Vodafone
Our vision is simple ndash we want to be the first callyou make
Contact James HarknessTel +44 (0)1483 222730E-mail jamesharknessharknesskennettcomWeb site wwwharknesskennettcom
CONSULTANCY
TRIDENT COMMUNICATIONS
Trident Communications is uniquely positioned to definedevelop and deliver award-winning solutions that aligncommunication with business goals
We advise and partner with organizations of all sizes tocreate high-value practical applications Our talentedproject teams provide innovative research designeditorial and imagery for print and online
We connect ideas and deliver results
Contact Peter Agertoft Tel +44 (0)207 536 8900E-mail peteragertoft
tridentcommunicationsnetWeb site wwwtridentcommunicationsnet
CONSULTANCY
FLEISHMAN-HILLARD
Fleishman-Hillardrsquos dedicated internal and changecommunication practice helps businesses focus onperforming ndash not just informing
We help organisations plan and implement programmeswith the right mix of information dialogue and trainingso that employees are engaged aligned and motivatedto achieve business objectives
Because effective internal communication is vital tobottom-line performance we partner with our clients tocreate a daily dialogue ndash not a monologue ndash withemployees
Contact Nick AndrewsTel +32 (0)2 230 05 45 E-mail nickandrewsfleishmancomWeb site wwwfleishmaneuropecom
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE A listing in our Directory of Services will giveyou a chance to reach communicationprofessionals at some of the worldrsquos largestand most admired companies and to tap intodecision-making practitioners
ContactVincent SorelTel +44 (0)208 600 4670E-mail vincentsorelmelcrumcom
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
INCLUDE YOUR COMPANY BY CONTACTING US ON +44(0)20 8600 4670 OR AT INFOMELCRUMCOM
CONSULTANCY
HILL amp KNOWLTON
Better business results the bottom line
How do I manage more change Motivate managers Getthe right information to the right people Show the bestreturn on communication investment
Sound familiar Hill amp Knowltonrsquos change and internalcommunication consultants work with companies aroundthe world to find the right answers for their situation
We offer strategy insight and creativity drawing on ourconsultancy expertise and in-house experience Plus wedeliver practical hands-on help
We know that effective employee communication has adirect impact on the bottom line Working together wecan make it happen for you
Contact EMEA DavidFerrabeehillandknowltoncom
+44 (0) 7413 3176USA BarbaraEdlerhillandknowltoncom
+1 415 281-7160Canada KristaThompsonhillandknowltoncom
+1 613 786-9961
RECRUITMENT
VMA GROUP
VMA Group is one of the UKrsquos leading executive searchand selection consultancies specializing in internal andcorporate communication recruitment
For over 25 years VMA Group has provided the highestlevel of service to some of the most demanding globalorganizations developing a strong track record for thequality and professionalism of our search and selection work
We have in-depth specialist knowledge of the internalcommunication market and can provide high-qualitypermanent and interim candidates with expertise acrossinternal communication change management and widercorporate communication We understand the needs ofour clients intrinsically and strive to develop long-termrelationships with clients and candidates alike
Please call to discuss how we can help you find theideal candidate or if you wish to make a career move
Contact David BroomeTel +44 (0)20 7436 4243E-mail dbroomevmagroupcoukWeb site wwwvmagroupcouk
40 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONALCOMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS E-mail gaitensunityncsueduWeb site wwwconsultingsuccessorgTel 919 469 3895
CIB ndash BRITISH ASSOCIATION OFCOMMUNICATORS IN BUSINESSE-mail enquiriescibukcomWeb site wwwcibukcomTel +44 (0)870 121 7606
CCM ndash COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATIONMANAGEMENT E-mail membership
ccmconnectioncomWeb site wwwccmconnectioncomTel 866 463 4226
CPRS ndash THE CANADIAN PUBLICRELATIONS SOCIETYE-mail admincprscaWeb site wwwcprscaTel 416 239 7034
IABC ndash THE INTERNATIONALASSOCIATION OF BUSINESSCOMMUNICATORS E-mail service_centreiabccomWeb site wwwiabccomTel 415 544 4700
ICA ndash THE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONALLIANCE E-mail amandafoistericaukorgWeb site wwwiprorgukicaTel +44 (0)1628 642 044
CIPR ndash THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OFPUBLIC RELATIONS UKE-mail infoiprorgukWeb site wwwiprorgukTel +44 (0)20 7253 5151
IPRA ndash THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICRELATIONS ASSOCIATIONE-mail ipraseccompuservecomWeb site wwwipraorgTel +44 (0) 1372 461 188
PRSA ndash PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OFAMERICAE-mail resourcesprsaorgWeb site wwwprsaorgTel 212 460 1459
DIRECTORY OF SERVICESNEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
CONSULTANCY
27scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
POSITIVE IMPACTS OF THE PROGRAMThe Healthy Communities program has had the following positive impacts for Pfizer
bull The program supports and protects Pfizerrsquos freedom to operate effectivelyin East Kent UK
bull Supporting and involving employees in the program engages and motivatesthem The company is also seen to be living its values In a recent survey55 percent of colleagues felt the program was ldquofocused and effectiverdquo
bull The program provides opportunities for colleagues to develop skills Twentypercent of colleagues surveyed stated that they had improved personalskills through taking part in the program
bull A healthy community is a better place to live and work for employees andwill aid retention Retention of the most highly skilled scientists givesPfizer Global Research and Development a competitive edge
bull A vibrant and healthy community helps to attract and retain leadingscientists from around the world
bull Community is one of Pfizerrsquos six core values Communicating activitiesinternally and externally gives a positive perception of the company
helped attract this large number of volunteersincluding senior leaders
Momentum was maintained behind thecommunication of the program with monthlynetworking breakfasts and several themed minicharity fairs to give local good causes the chanceto showcase their volunteering Individuals andteamsrsquo volunteering efforts were also regularlyprofiled in Pipeline
The December 2006 employee survey showedan 85-percent awareness level of Reaching Outand the program won a ldquoNational Example ofExcellence Awardrdquo from Business in theCommunity1
Relaunching the websiteIn June 2006 the Reaching Out website wasrelaunched to incorporate payroll giving andmatched fundraising under the same brand asvolunteering and utilize the existing software Allelements can now be applied for on the same site
The number of employees registered with thesite increased to over 1000 and the number of adhoc staff enquiries handled by CC Worksincreased dramatically as awareness andinvolvement levels rose among the workforce
External communicationA quarterly newsletter containing a round-up ofPfizerrsquos community investment work is producedand distributed widely to external stakeholdersincluding 3000 local residents Following theBusiness in the Community award the magazineCommunity News was revamped its circulationincreased and it was also desk-dropped to allemployees The magazine also helps to raiseawareness of Pfizer among local organizations
A pocket-sized booklet was produced containingkey facts and figures about the Healthy Communitiesprogram This gives employees especially seniorleaders at-a-glance information on the programallowing them to act as ambassadors for Pfizerrsquoscommunity investment work
Senior leaders at Pfizer Sandwich are keenadvocates of the program and having a clearbrand helps them communicate its benefits andraise awareness both internally and externally
Next stepsDespite its award-winning status there are plansto take Healthy Communities even further Theseinclude further research into employee feedbackand closer links to personal development plans InPfizer at Sandwichrsquos Global Operations functionvolunteering forms part of personal objectives ndashthis is an aspiration for the rest of the business
Pfizer also wants to improve team volunteeringand a toolkit is being prepared for team leaderswho wish to get involved in volunteering
Finally in order to share knowledge and bestpractice around community investment with otherlocal businesses Pfizer is hosting a Kentmembership network in conjunction with KentCounty Council This will help Pfizer work closelywith the local authority and bring local businessestogether to share ideas and collaborate toimprove their impact on the community scm
1 httpwwwbitcorguk
CONTACT DETAILS
Pam BakerPfizerpambakerpfizercom
Christine JenkinsCC Workschristinejenkinsccworkscouk
28 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Editorrsquos noteSucceeding in internal communication probablyisnrsquot all that different to succeeding in anyprofession understand whatrsquos expected of you dothe job well and deliver results But when youspeak to practitioners about how they personallyturned the corner in their careers and started tomake an impact it soon becomes clear that thereare many dos and donrsquots that can help or hinderprogress This article provides a handy checklistfor those with ambitious development plans
John G ClemonsVice President CommunicationsRaytheon Technical Services Co Llc
Take the initiativeThere have been a few career-defining momentsfor me Among them was the time when I realizedthat I was moving from a manager level to the
decision-making role of a director I worked for a senior executive who hired me
from a rival telecommunications company Uponjoining the company I developed strategiccommunication plans to address various businesschallenges During the development process Iperiodically checked in with my supervisor to gethis input and approval ndash probably more thannecessary ndash before moving to the next steps in planning
One day he called me into his office and saidthat while he liked the work I was doing for himhis expectation when he hired me as a directorwas that I would take the initiative in the job relyless on his frequent input and move forward with implementation and measurement Hewanted results
His counsel was along the lines of ldquoI hired youto do a directorrsquos job so do the job of a directorYou donrsquot have to get permission to make adifferencerdquo
Meet commitments and think strategicallyHis direction motivated me to take moreresponsibility at this new job level This alsomeant that I had to not just manage but leadmeet commitments and think more strategicallyto continue to earn not only his confidence butthe support of the entire leadership team
Irsquove found that being a communicationprofessional who is also a leader that can betrusted can get things done and truly support thegoals and objectives of an organization will notonly impress others but help build your credibilityand lead to success
How to get ahead ininternal communication
The path that leads internal communicators to thetop of their profession isnrsquot always an obvious oneWhich is why we asked a range of senior practitioners
to share their thoughts and experiences on gaining therespect of those who matter Whether its senior leadersfellow employees or your own team yoursquore looking toimpress these responses provide useful insight into howto make sure you and your work gets noticed
Senior practitioners share their views on how togain influence and credibility
COMPILED BY MANDY THATCHER
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
29scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Mark DarbyHead of Internal CommunicationsVisaUK
Be smart sharp and stubbornThe biggest lesson Irsquove learned and keep havingto remind myself is that I need to be smart sharpand stubborn to get ahead This is what thosewords mean to me in a work context
Smart I need to understand what Visa is doingand what people think about the business Thismeans constantly spending time in differentdepartments and learning from them I know whoour customers are what our challenges are andwhat our current financial performance is I havecontacts in most departments who have a fingeron the pulse which means I can have a relevantconversation with a senior person from any department
Sharp Internal communication is rarely near thetop of the agenda for senior people and my timewith them is usually short I always try to talkabout the impact on business performance assoon as possible If I circulate a document it willbe summarized to a single page at most and Idonrsquot use PowerPoint I ask a lot of ldquoonerdquo questionssuch as ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing you want employeesto do differentlyrdquo or ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing youwant me to change over the next six monthsrdquo
Stubborn I know what I want internal communica-tion to achieve at Visa and it has the support ofthe senior team Irsquove built up knowledge frombooks and articles I use my education from theBlack Belt training course1 and I speak to formercolleagues With this knowledge Irsquove becomestubborn and good at saying no because I have theinformation to back up my arguments Irsquove stoppedmy team from picking up extra projects that wonrsquotdeliver much value We focus only on projects thatadd the most value to the business and we deliveron these really well Successful delivery is thebiggest influence on any senior person
Monika StaffordHead of Internal CommunicationLloyds TSBUK
Be creative and focus on a killer issueUsing creative solutions to bring to life importantndash but often dull ndash programs can create a shinethat stretches beyond project boundaries For
example I worked on the implementation of SAPndash a business-critical systems program ndash requiringbehavior change from swathes of key yetuninterested people Successful implementationwas a big risk to get right but it was as dull asdishwater to communicate
Luckily there was a ldquoEurekardquo moment Byaligning the SAP story with the metaphor ofFormula-1 racing we could tell the tale of how itwould fulfill our need to create winningperformances for both the individual driver aswell as the back-up team in order to perform wellon the road ahead This storyline was a perfectmatch for the programrsquos objectives
Launch speakers from Formula 1 great designwork not to mention fantastic collateral allresulted in a no-hitch implementation that reallyresonated with people The global companypicked it up as the approach for worldwide rollout So faced with tedium it can actually pay tostare out of the window for creative inspiration
My other piece of advice is Focus on a killerissue If you really want to get ahead (and do besure you really do as being at the center ofchange is often akin to being in the eye of ahurricane ndash itrsquos no place for the feint-hearted)learn what keeps your business leaders up atnight Use your stakeholder-management skills toget to the people you need to help you deliversolutions then execute execute execute
Focus on value-adding work only because ifyou end up working on your companyrsquos cul-de-sacprojects yoursquoll never shine brightly enough forthe leaders in your company to notice you 3
COMPETENCY
Planning internal communication 76
Linking corporate messages to corporate vision 73
CEO communication 63
Change communication 60
Communicating to diverse audiences 60
Using the intranet as a communication tool 54
Defending your department in internal political battles 43
Line manager communication 42
Professional development of internal communication staff 33
Helping employees cope with information overload 32
Securing the appropriate level of budget for internal communication 30
Measuring the effectiveness of internal communication 28
Figure One Table from The Pulse report showing the percentage of communicators who ratethemselves as effective or very effective at listed competencies
30 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
WHATrsquoS CHANGED IN THE LAST 25 YEARS
David MoorcroftSenior Vice PresidentCorporate CommunicationsRBC Financial Group Canada
Irsquom constantly amazed at the changes that have taken place in our professionover the last 25 years and the degree of talent and knowledge required bycommunicators today to do their jobs well
Back in 1979 when I started in corporate PR the major skill sets werewriting editing and great media contacts Today good editorial skills are justtable stakes and the ability to understand business adapt technology thinkstrategically plan consummately and influence stakeholders are what landsenior communicators a seat at the management table
This change has been driven by the globalization of business the advent ofnew 247 media including the Internet the growing sophistication ofcustomers and employees increased demands for corporate transparency andmore rigorous requirements for high standards of public disclosure andfinancial reporting
MORE SKILLS THAN EVER BEFOREAs a result todayrsquos business communicator has to be more capable andknowledgeable and have more skills than ever before They must befinancially literate and technologically savvy They must understand the impactof evolving accounting and disclosure rules They must deal with legal HRpolitical and business issues And they must be prepared to deal with amultitude of potential crises that can arise at any moment in any language inany part of the world
Perhaps most challenging senior management today expects clear bottom-line returns for their investments in communication Itrsquos no longer enough toinform audiences and measure communication outputs CEOs expectcommunication to engage audiences and produce outcomes ndash something thatrequires strategic thinking planning and foresight
A friend of mine who left a senior corporate PR job to become COO of amajor public utility recently summed up the role of todayrsquos communicator thisway ldquoItrsquos one of the most important and critical roles in organizations todayand yet itrsquos often one of the least recognized and appreciatedrdquo
That sentiment may be a reality in some organizations today but with moreand more CEOs beginning to realize the bottom-line value of communication itwonrsquot be 25 years from now
Christina FeeSenior Vice President InternalCommunicationsDeutsche Post AGGermany
Seek out the important projectsI canrsquot pretend to have employed a specificapproach to my ldquopersonal PRrdquo at all But in theorganizations Irsquove worked for Irsquove had theopportunity to work on a number of excitinghigh-profile projects that have connected me withsenior stakeholders and influential people atdifferent levels
7
Irsquove learned a great deal from the project teamsIrsquove worked with and also due to the significanceand scope of the projects been able todemonstrate my worth approach and skills Irsquovehad to be passionate stand up for what I believein and think outside the box constantly
My roles within DHLDeutsche Post haveallowed me the freedom and flexibility to developand deliver new ideas but Irsquove also had to practiceand embody excellent internal communicationskills myself Having developed credibility and trustwith those that matter based on my track record Iwas allowed to go ahead with other projects
I donrsquot actively pursue the ldquoright relationshipsrdquobut rather let my work and my interactions withpeople speak for themselves This has helped medevelop mentors and supporters naturally Mylearning and development has also been expandedby the opportunity to work abroad and learn moreabout intercultural communication and interaction
Marc SilversideHead of Internal CommunicationsMacmillan Cancer SupportUK
Understand whatrsquos expected of youA newly established role heightens the need formaking a good impression so that people trustyou and feel they can come to you for advice
When I joined Macmillan I very nearly got thiswrong Perhaps this is an example that otherrsquos canlearn from
When my new CEO at Macmillan CancerSupport asked for a meeting ldquoafter a few weeks tosettle inrdquo I was confident that my wide-ranginginduction would help me understand the businessand provide the basis for what Irsquod present tosenior management
Forty structured face-to-face managerinterviews allowed me to understand needs andkey issues and I started to build personal rapportMy profile was raised and at the same timeinternal communication gained good visibility
Externally I networked with contacts in similarroles in other charities and soon found thebeginnings of a voluntary-sector network This hassince grown to over 25 members
By the time my CEO slot arrived I was armedwith input from across the charity and the resultsof an audit I felt well prepared to present myvision and solutions So I was surprised to be metwith significant resistance
I later discovered that my CEO intelligence wasincorrect What he wanted was to be askedspecifically about his own views on what internalcommunication should do and what I could do for
How to get ahead in internal communication
31scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
HOW DO YOUR SKILLS MEASURE UPFor Melcrumrsquos study into budgets salaries and trends in internalcommunication in 200607 we asked survey respondents to rate their owneffectiveness at a range of key communication competencies from planning tomeasurement The results may surprise you
For example 76 percent of respondents rate themselves as effective or veryeffective at planning internal communication but only 28 percent ratethemselves as equally effective at measuring its effectiveness (see Figure Onepage 29)
In her commentary on the results development expert Sue Dewhurst hadthe following to say
OUR STRENGTHSIt seems where we see our strengths as internal communicators is towards theldquofront endrdquo of the communication planning process For example being able tolink a plan to the business strategy knowing our audiences and being able tojoin up the dots and show people how messages link to the business vision
These are powerful strengths We are one of the few functions that tends tohave an overarching view of our entire company and is able to view thecompany and its strategy from a number of different perspectives Being ableto understand the vision and strategy view it from an audience perspectiveand then create line of sight to show what those things mean in practicalterms for peoplersquos day-to-day roles is one of the ways that we help drivebusiness performance ndash by showing people what they need to do to take thestrategy forward
In turn by knowing and working with our audiences hopefully wersquore thenalso able to make sure their views and suggestions can help shape the strategyand how itrsquos put into practice
MEASURING EFFECTIVENESSWe see ourselves as less effective towards the back end of the planningprocess in measuring the effectiveness of internal communication which tiesin with the feeling from previous questions that in fact wersquore not doing muchmeasurement or demonstrating our return on investment
Research and measurement is an area where there is plenty of expertisearound to call on There are measurement conferences research reports andpublications to understand what other organizations are doing and practicaltraining that will give you the opportunity to work in a smaller group askquestions and practice techniques For help with specific techniques try yourinternal marketing team Marketers are generally great with data and well-versed in running focus groups and putting together surveys If you have anexternal provider to support your employee engagement research try them too
Source The Pulse Essential data on budgets salaries and trends 2006-07wwwmelcrumcom
him rather than how I could benefit the charity Ihad to change my approach fast
This could have cost me my best ambassadorfrom day one So my advice is make sure yoursquoreabsolutely clear about whatrsquos expected from you
Of course the insights I gained in my first fewmonths have been valuable and since then myresults have done the talking Fortunately theCEO soon became an internal communicationsconvert and advocate
Darren CrozierCommunications ManagerHBOS plcUK
Make things happenDelivery is key to career development ndash if you sayyoursquore going to do something make sure you doit Put in the effort get the results you want andbe known as someone who can make things happenIf yoursquore seen to ldquoget things donerdquo no matter howsmall the job is people are more likely to get youinvolved in activities and ask your opinion
Gaining credibility and respect from seniorcolleagues is important but everyone in yourorganization will form an opinion of you from thepeople in the canteen right through to the CEOSo try and make sure that their opinion of you is agood one
Itrsquos not just the people within your immediatesphere of influence who can have an impact onyour career so extend your network go oncourses and get involved in professionalorganizations Many of my close workingrelationships career opportunities and indeedpersonal friendships have come from meetingpeople at such events and taking the time to keepin touch You never know how things will develop
Itrsquos also vital to earn respect be trustworthy andhave good manners To recall what an ex-bossonce said ldquoBe careful how you treat people onthe way up as you never know when you maycome across them againrdquo
One of the biggest challenges Irsquove found inrecent times is recognizing my own success andselling myself Sometimes you need to take a stepback to realize just what yoursquove achieved Evenbetter keep a log or portfolio of your successesand donrsquot be shy to speak about them becauseothers wonrsquot be shy to speak about theirs
Finally try and have some fun along the wayWe all have to work for a living so learn to makethe most of it scm
1 For more about Melcrumrsquos Internal Communication Black Belttraining program go to wwwmelcrumcom
32 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pitney Bowes has followed an aggressive strategyof growth through acquisition completing 60+acquisitions since 2001 Expansion has broadenedits product mix to include an extensive range ofsolutions from office equipment to globalpositioning software
But the companyrsquos many different specialismsand huge outsourcing operations meant that themajority of its 34000 employees werenrsquot aware ofthe full range of its service offering and thepotential for different divisions to work together
As Rob Hallam vice president EmployeeCommunication explains there was a strongbusiness case for adopting a ldquoone companyrdquoapproach ldquoBecause the businesses tended to besomewhat siloed even senior managers werefocused on their divisions
ldquoAlso because we were acquiring companiesand evolving so rapidly managers werenrsquot awareof a lot of the businesses and how they all workedtogether in the mailstreamrdquo says Hallam ldquoWewere missing out on potential cross-sellingopportunitiesrdquo
Communicating a new visionFour years ago Pitney Bowes created a OneCompany Vision statement ldquoOur aim was toensure support and cooperation across thebusiness so we could provide a comprehensive setof customer solutions ndash not just a list of productsand services by business unitrdquo says Hallam Theinternal communication challenge was to drawtogether 34000 employees and build a unifiedcorporate culture The communication strategyfocused on three key elements
1 PeopleThis focused on involving the leadershipstrengthening a two-way dialogue betweenmanagement and employees communicating theculture through leadership messaging enterprise-wide events and roadshows and buildingengagement so that everyone was workingtogether towards a One Company approach
2 ProcessesThis meant integrating the One Companyapproach into the organizationrsquos operations andinfrastructure by shifting management roles andadjusting incentives and reward structuresthroughout the company
The first step was to consolidate the companyrsquosoperating activities by appointing Murray DMartin as president and chief operating officer inSeptember 2004 Martinrsquos mantra is ldquoThink AsOne Act as One Operate As One to deliverwhat no other company canrdquo
ldquoThe COO position had previously been heldby the chairman so elevating someone to that
Communicating a OneCompany culture atPitney Bowes
Following rapid growth in the form of more than 60acquisitions over six years silo-working haddeveloped at Pitney Bowes and leaders were failing
to take advantage of profitable cross-selling opportunitiesHere Rob Hallam describes the communication elementsof a ldquoOne Companyrdquo culture-change program which hasturned the situation around simultaneously improvingcustomer service and boosting profits
Persuading disparate businessunits to work together
AN INTERVIEW WITH ROB HALLAM
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Pitney Bowes is an 87-year-old company best known forthe manufacturing operationand oversight of postagemeters It has over two millioncustomers more than 3500active patents and annualrevenue of close to $6 billion
33scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
role was a big changerdquo explains Hallam ldquoAll thebusiness units now report to a single individual atoperating level It represented a huge positivemove to start the company operationalizing OneCompany behaviorrdquo
The internal communication function wasrestructured to ensure that consistent messagingreached the entire employee population Regularmeasurement was a key part of the changeinitiative This served to define the contributionof communicating a One Company approachwhere it was adding value to Pitney Bowes and itsclients and customers and where there was stillwork to do
3 TechnologyIt was important to find the best ways to cascademessages throughout the company and keeppeople informed about what was going onwithout bombarding them with irrelevantcommunication Hallam and his team deploy avariety of channels and media including internalprint and online publications voicemail and e-mail Pitney Bowes is also in the process ofintegrating its different voicemail systems and e-mail platforms into one global system
Involving senior leadership from the outsetThe One Company strategy was an overridingpolicy that started at the top of the organizationldquoThere was a big launch at the strategic leadersrsquomeeting which is held every Januaryrdquo saysHallam ldquoThe messaging was then driven throughthe organization via a companywide globalcommunication strategyrdquo
From the outset the policy was championed bythe CEO Michael Critelli who believes thatculture is central to the Pitney Bowes brand andsaid recently ldquoMy first measure of success iswhether we are behaving as one companyrdquo Thiscommitment helped to ensure that the culturalchange was reinforced by parallel changes to thecorporate infrastructure
Building a two-way dialogueThe next step was to get the employee populationinvolved and build enterprisewide enthusiasm forthe culture change Pitney Bowes has alwaysrecognized the value of a two-way dialoguebetween management and employees and hasheld annual jobholders meetings which aresimilar to shareholdersrsquo meetings for 61 years In2005 Hallam reinvented it as an initiative calledOne Forum ndash a series of roadshows focusing oncommunicating the One Company culturethroughout the organization
Launching the One ForumIn 2005 Hallam and his team created an original
and memorable One Forum launch for the 90percent of Pitney Bowes employees based in theUS Around a quarter of US employees saw thisin person the others received a link to a websitewith streaming highlights
ldquoWe put together a two-hour roadshow eventwhich helped people to understand our OneCompany approach and made them aware of allthe businesses we were inrdquo says Hallam ldquoThethinking was that high change requires high touchFace-to-face can have far greater impact on theindividuals touched From there itrsquos a matter ofripple effect such as seeing improved One Forumbrand awareness among employees who didnrsquotactually attend one of the eventsrdquo
ldquoWe wanted the roadshow to be entertainingand energizing so we used gameshow techniquescustom-written songs and comedy specificallytailored to Pitney Bowes employees It was a funevent but it also included a keynote speech fromthe CEO and a lot of question-and-answersessions with employees It was entertainmentwith a purpose and it was a great success with employeesrdquo
The post-event employee evaluations provedthe success of this approach ldquoIn some cities anincredible 90 percent of employees gave the eventa top-box rating This shows that there was ahunger for both the knowledge and theapproachrdquo adds Hallam
Taking the show on the roadThe One Forum roadshow has become an annualevent ldquoIn a five-month period during 2005 therewere 17 One Forum events in 12 US citiesreaching about 6000 peoplerdquo says Hallam ldquoAftersome testing in March and April the first bigroadshows started in early May and continued forsix months with the final one in early Decemberin Seattle 3
Rob Hallam is vice presidentEmployee Communication atPitney Bowes (PB) in StamfordConnecticut where hersquos beenresponsible for internalcommunication strategy andimplementation since 2004Hallam has led a team ofprofessionals in reshapingcommunication at PB resultedin the communication teamearning the top ranking in HRdepartment satisfaction fromall PBrsquos US managers in 2005and 2006
KEY POINTSbull Internal communication has played an important role in embedding a
One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
bull The communication strategy focused on three key elements peopleprocess and technology
bull The campaign has been championed by the CEO from the outset andhas won senior leadership support over time
bull An entertaining roadshow helped win employee commitment
bull Cross-selling ratios have jumped substantially since the culture-changeeffort began
34 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ldquoIn 2006 we compressed the programsubstantially and drove down costs while stilltouching 6000 employees Together with ourcorporate marketing group we also introduced anextremely successful lsquoelevator speechrsquo that helpsemployees answer the much-feared questionlsquoWhat does Pitney Bowes dorsquordquo
Local variationsAlthough the entertainment component in theroadshows contributed to their success it wasspecific to the US so Hallam gave business unitsand internal communicators in other regions theresponsibility for communicating the OneCompany approach to local employees ldquoInCanada and the UK they conducted town-hallmeetings and in Latin America and other parts ofthe world they produced their own variations onthe One Forum theme We made sure that theyhad the information they needed but we limitedthe entertainment to English-speaking regionsrdquo
A commitment to employee engagementThe appointment of the new COO and the launchof the One Forum roadshows coincided with thefirst employee engagement survey in late 2004ldquoWe see engagement as very much tied to ourability to execute a One Company strategy andchange our culturerdquo says Hallam He sets outfour ways in which employee engagement isinstilled at all levels in the organization
1 Visible leadership commitment to engagementThe CEO underlines his commitment by sendingregular messages to employees via a variety ofmedia including voicemail and print and onlinepublications He also uses engagement scores todetermine a unitrsquos overall performance rating andbonus pool ldquoWhen one senior execrsquos bonus poolwas reduced due to poor engagement scores that
was a message requiring no communication planrdquosays Hallam ldquoWord spread quicklyrdquo
2 Celebrating top performers Pitney Bowes celebrates its top engagementperformers by running cover stories in its globalprint and online publication PB Today ldquoThisprogram was called lsquoThe Faces of Pitney Bowesrsquordquosays Hallam ldquoWe did 10 of these last year so theyran twice in five editions Wersquove also producedlarge mural-sized photos of those managers andtheir teamsrdquo he says ldquoWe celebrate success andpublish it everywhere Our CEO loves it and wersquoreactually selling part of our contemporary artcollection which decorates the building to makeroom for an expansion of additional OneCompany and Engagement photography all ofwhich will focus on our employeesrdquo
3 Incentivizing managers via the reward systemEmployee engagement is recognized andreinforced in the companyrsquos formal processesincluding its reward system ldquoWe use a tool calledthe Strategic Architecture which is our balancedscorecardrdquo explains Hallam ldquoItrsquos a Six-Sigma toolwhich measures employee shareholder andcustomer value Managersrsquo engagement scoresalso factor into their annual reviews soengagement has a direct impact on remunerationrdquo
4 Rewarding engagementA further program called Rapid Rewards awardscash bonuses to managers and employees foroutstanding behavior including that related toemployee engagement
Aligning the communication strategyHallam and his team are responsible fordelivering the overall employee communicationstrategy ldquoWe had to dramatically improve ourstrategic approach in order to make OneCompany a realityrdquo he says
In addition to organizing campaigns such as theOne Forum roadshows to publicize the culturechange across the enterprise Hallam hasintroduced initiatives aimed at improving thereach and delivery of internal communication andmaking sure messages get to their intendedaudiences He has also aligned the structure ofthe internal communication function with thecompanyrsquos unified culture
ldquoThere were a lot of different communicationgroups so we brought together all thecommunication leaders and formed a singleInternal Communications Councilrdquo explainsHallam ldquoThis means that the communicationfunctions in the different business units areworking together to help drive change andimprove coordinationrdquo
Communicating a One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
ldquoWHEN A SENIOR EXECrsquoS BONUS WAS REDUCEDDUE TO POOR ENGAGEMENT SCORES THAT WASA MESSAGE REQUIRING NO COMMUNICATIONPLAN WORD SPREAD QUICKLYrdquo
7
FURTHER RESOURCES3 THE IMPACT OF CULTURE AND CLIMATE ON CHANGE PROGRAMS
An article published in SCM Volume 10 Issue 6 OctoberNovember 2006
3 DRIVING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE CORPORATE CULTUREMelcrumrsquos report on communication tools techniques and best practicefrom leading organizationswwwmelcrumcom
35scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Developing a global approachHallam is also responsible for a globalcommunication project called Universal Reachwhich is sponsored by the chairman and designedto support and maintain a unified corporateculture ldquoOur goal is to provide 90 percentmessage accessibility within our key customer-facing audiencesrdquo he explains ldquoThe biggestchallenge is integrating our online communicationinfrastructure which has nine different voicemailsystems operating across the world and multiplee-mail and web platforms Wersquore pulling all thattogether to provide better reachrdquo
Since 911 the CEO and other top executiveshave broadcast weekly audio messages calledPower Talks Hallamrsquos team has worked with theleadership to ensure that they incorporate OneCompany messages and as he explains they reachmost of the employee population ldquoAbout 20000of our employees have voicemail Those whodonrsquot receive the Power Talk message either inprint or online In some divisions managers playthe Power Talk messages in staff meetingsrdquo
Engaging leadership reinforces the cultureBuilding on the CEOrsquos commitment to a OneCompany approach Hallam and his team haveorganized leadership events ndash most recently at thestrategic leadersrsquo meeting in December 2006 ndashshowing Pitney Bowes as one company in actionThis campaign has helped to engage the top 150managers in the culture change
ldquoOur post-event evaluations show a strongmove numerically in senior leadershiprsquos belief thatwersquore operating as one companyrdquo says Hallam(see Figure One above) ldquoAs theyrsquore our toughestjudges wersquore pleased by the significant differencein pre- and post-event measurementrdquo There wasalso an improvement in leadersrsquo understanding ofthe companyrsquos new mailstream category
Sustaining the new cultureAccording to Hallam rippling out the OneCompany messaging requires a consistent andcoordinated approach Communication leaders inthe various divisions are now working to weaveOne Company messages into the business-unitmeetings ldquoA lot of the messaging that welaunched at the strategic leadersrsquo meeting arebeing reiterated at the business unit level Thatrsquosbeen facilitated through the InternalCommunications Councilrdquo he says
ldquoKey metrics for the culture change programfocus on cross-selling ratios which have jumpedsubstantially since the culture change effortbeganrdquo says Hallam ldquoIn 2002 we also institutedthe ldquoPB1 Awardsrdquo which is a chairmanrecognition award that goes to teams who bestembody cross-functional behavior in working on
projects which improve our clientsrsquo profitabilityour profitability or bothrdquo
ldquoHowever wersquore only really a year into thisMuch of the evidence is anecdotal but what haschanged is that our managers have broadenedtheir vision and are thinking as solutions-providers rather than product-sellers As suchtheyrsquore involving other business units out of theirdesire to eliminate customer pain points ndashregardless of which part of Pitney Bowes gets the salerdquo
Adding value to customersUltimately managers and employees who arewell-informed about the companyrsquos products andservices are in a good position to take advantageof cross-selling opportunities Realizing thispotential enables Pitney Bowes to make extrasales to existing customers thereby increasing itsprofit margins and allowing customers to benefitfrom a mix of products and services
Shifting to a unified culture directly benefitsboth Pitney Bowes and its customers ldquoByfocusing on the whole cadre of products andservices we can help our customers improve theirbusinessesrdquo says Hallam ldquoThatrsquos where OneCompany is critical It enables our clients tobenefit from all our servicesrdquo scm
Figure One Measuring the impact of the strategic leadersrsquo meeting
CONTACT DETAILS
Rob HallamPitney Bowesrobhallampbcom
I BELIEVE THAT OUR SENIOR LEADERS (MEANING THE TOP 15 EXECS) AREWORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO DELIVER INTEGRATED HIGH-VALUESOLUTIONS TO OUR CUSTOMERS
Pre SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 73
Post SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 92
Gain in two months time 19
ldquoMANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WELL-INFORMED ABOUT THE COMPANYrsquoS PRODUCTSAND SERVICES ARE IN A GOOD POSITION TOTAKE ADVANTAGE OF CROSS-SELLINGrdquo
2007
36 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
MELCRUM TRAINING amp EVENTS
CALENDAR 2007UKEUROPESOCIAL MEDIA FORUM FORINTERNAL COMMUNICATORS UK
3 21-22 March 2007 Hilton Canary WharfLondon UKThis forum is designed for practitioners who wantto make social media part of their internalcommunication strategy Over two dayscompanies such as IBM Microsoft and BT willshare case studies demonstrating their use ofsocial-media tools Technology experts will also beon hand to provide training and show you how touse these tools
THE 3RD ANNUAL EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT CONFERENCE UK
3 22-24 May 2007 Millennium GloucesterLondon UK22 May ndash Practical workshops23-24 May ndash Two-day conferenceThis event will focus on transforming yourstrategies into action Listen to case studies fromcompanies that have achieved real andmeasurable results from their engagement effortsLearn how they did it what they achieved and howthe results were measured
THE 6TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT UK
3 16-18 October 2007 London UK After the huge success of the 2006 UK StrategicCommunication Management Summit next yearrsquosevent will once again provide you withpresentations from key figures in the industry anda chance to network with your peers Mark yourdiaries now ndash more details to follow
THE 3RD ANNUAL INTERNALCOMMUNICATION MEASUREMENTCONFERENCE UK
3 27-29 November 2007 London UKDetails available soon ndash mark your diary now
NORTH AMERICATHE 3RD ANNUAL CONFERENCEON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENTBUILDING AND SUSTAINING ACULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT
3 28 February ndash 1 March 2007 Crowne PlazaAtlanta-Buckhead Atlanta USLearn how to foster an environment whereemployees feel valued and respected Hear fromcompanies including Dow Corning CorporationAmerican Express Delta Hotels and Merck
THE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT US
3 26-28 March 2007 Crowne Plaza UnionSquare San Francisco26 March ndash Pre-conference workshops27-28 March ndash Two-day summitAttend this conference and discover how toimprove employee alignment with all segments ofyour internal audience ndash from your front-lineemployees to your executive officers bothnationally and worldwide
AUSTRALIATHE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION ENGAGEMENTSUMMIT SYDNEY
3 31 July ndash 2 August 2007 Sydney Australia Details available soon ndash mark your diary now
WEBINARSDEVELOPING PROFESSIONALCOMPETENCE
3 Thursday 22 February 2007 with LiamFitzPatrick and Sue Dewhurst
HELPING YOUR ORGANIZATIONTHRIVE DURING TURBULENTTIMES
3 Thursday 29 March 2007 with Carol KinseyGoman
TRAININGTHE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT PROGRAM
3 24-25 April and 1-2 May 2007 HenleyManagement College UK3 11-12 and 27-28 September 2007 Cranfield
School of Management UK
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT MASTERCLASSEFFECTIVE MEASUREMENT
3 14-15 March 2007 Hendon Hall Hendon UKAn essential two-day intensive training courses forinternal communicators on effective measurementRegister early as places are strictly limited to 20people per Masterclass
CSR DELIVERY ENGAGEMENT amp LEADERSHIP
3 19-20 April 2007 Central LondonOsney MediaWith an excellent speaker line-up from high-profile companies including Procter amp Gamble The BodyShop ExxonMobil Microsoft Belgium Vodafone UK Dell Ericsson and Alliance Boots this case studybased event will answer questions including how do Ibull Build a CSR-oriented leadershipbull Get people on boardbull Integrate CSR with the global strategy of the companybull Deliver CSR throughout the company to make it really happen
For more information visit wwwcsrleadershipcom or e-mail mariame_lindellosneymediacouk (Reference code 910MLC3)
38 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
DESIGN
YELLOW
The future success of all organisations will be builton trust understanding passion empowermentintegrity and relationships
The future is cool exciting sparkling organisationsbursting with energy life and action
The future of brand is the internal brand first andforemost
The future is colleague as customer
Turning communications upside down
No just inside-out
Be part of the future say hello to Yellow
We help large organisations bring their communicationsstrategies to life through the imaginative use of liveevents multimedia web and design ndash distributed acrossall media platforms including DVD TV mobile devicesintranet and extranet
Ultimately developing internal brands and ongoingcommunications that have a measurable impact onpeople-performance advocacy and the bottom line
Contact Paul MiddletonTel +44 (0)161 228 6700E-mail paulmiddletonyellowcomcomWebsite wwwyellowcomcom
NEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
DESIGN
BLUE GOOSE
blue goose specialize in visual communications We make communications work faster and better We will link what wedo back to your objectives but we donrsquot talk (or charge for) ldquostrategyrdquo when you simply want tactical implementation Weuse design and creativity tobull differentiate products and services bull develop and manage corporate and brand identity bull align external communications with agreed values bull internalize corporate and brand identitybull align internal communications with agreed values bull support organizational change and bull help organizations better understand and define who they are
We work for clients as diverse as PricewaterhouseCoopers Ford Europe Centrica plc Greene King City of London Policeand Le Meacuteridien
blue goose is for any organization more interested in designing their future than watching it happen
Contact Chris BarringtonE-mail thinkingbluegoosecoukTel +44 (0)20 8869 8500Web site wwwbluegoosecouk
CONSULTANCY
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION ampSURVEYS PTY LTD
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd is aboutique consultancy based in Sydney Australia Itspecializes in employee communication strategiessystems research and employee surveys of all kindsPrincipal Rodney Gray has been involved inorganizational consulting for over 20 years following a15-year career as a corporate human resourcesexecutive Services includebull Employee communication audits and surveys by
questionnaires focus groups and interviewsbull Employee communication systems strategies and
processesbull Employee communication training workshops and
talksbull Employee culture climate and opinion surveysbull Qualitative organizational diagnosis (focus groups
and interviews)bull Internal service quality research (qualitative and
quantitative)
Contact Rodney GrayTel +61 (0)2 9909 2900 Fax +61 (0)2 9909 2911E-mail rodneyrodneygraycomauWeb site wwwemployee-communicationcomau
CONSULTANCY
HEDRON
Internal and change communication that helps teamsand individuals to develop strategies relationshipsprocesses and skills to engage stakeholders supporthigh performance and deliver change
ldquoSharp strategic thinking quality execution effectiveinterpersonallyhelliprdquo ldquoCreativity drive resourcefulnessresults great funhelliprdquo say clients
All sectors ndash ABN AMRO AXA BT Cadbury SchweppesDepartment for Constitutional Affairs HealthcareCommission Group 4 Securicor SABMiller SiemensSouthern Rail Unilever Wincanton
Our clients are happy to tell you what itrsquos like workingwith us
Contact Helena MemoryTel + 44 (0) 20 7493 0735Fax + 44 (0) 20 7493 0743E-mail helena-mhedroncomWeb site wwwhedroncom
CONSULTANCY
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
39scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
CONSULTANCY
SYNOPSIS
Founded by change and communication authority Bill Quirke in 1992 Synopsis is one of Europersquos leading internalcommunication consultancies Our clients include such companies as ABN Amro BBC BP British Airways DiageoEricsson HP Lloyds TSB Roche Shell and Vodafone
We help clients use internal communication to engage their employees in delivering business strategy and get most valuefrom their internal communication
We can help youbull Develop communication strategies that support your business strategybull Coach leadersbull Develop line managersrsquo communication skillsbull Plan and coordinate your communication with colleagues onlinebull Check the health of your communication channels and improve return on investmentbull Build and develop the communication functionbull Measure and track employee engagement attitudes and opinions
To take a tour of our online planning tool go to wwwsynopsisonlinecomproductplanningtoolasp
Contact Jane LebeauE-mail janelebeausynopsisonlinecomTel +44 (0) 20 7490 2900Web site wwwsynopsisonlinecom
CONSULTANCY
HARKNESS KENNETT
We specialize in internal communication To us thatmeansbull motivating people through inspiring leadershipbull guiding people through organizational changebull engaging people in delivering the brand
Working in partnership with our clients is central to ourethos enabling us to help deliver practical solutionssupported by solid strategic thinking All of ourconsultants have held senior positions ldquoclient siderdquo sowe know what itrsquos like to be in your shoes The vastmajority of our work comes from recommendations fromexisting clients ndash 82 percent of our clients haverequested repeat work in the last two years
Our clients include Abbey Atkins BDO Stoy HaywardThe Environment Agency Marks amp Spencer NHS Blood ampTransplant Morgan Stanley Europe Nestleacute PoliceInformation Technology Organisation Royal ampSunAlliance South West Trains and Vodafone
Our vision is simple ndash we want to be the first callyou make
Contact James HarknessTel +44 (0)1483 222730E-mail jamesharknessharknesskennettcomWeb site wwwharknesskennettcom
CONSULTANCY
TRIDENT COMMUNICATIONS
Trident Communications is uniquely positioned to definedevelop and deliver award-winning solutions that aligncommunication with business goals
We advise and partner with organizations of all sizes tocreate high-value practical applications Our talentedproject teams provide innovative research designeditorial and imagery for print and online
We connect ideas and deliver results
Contact Peter Agertoft Tel +44 (0)207 536 8900E-mail peteragertoft
tridentcommunicationsnetWeb site wwwtridentcommunicationsnet
CONSULTANCY
FLEISHMAN-HILLARD
Fleishman-Hillardrsquos dedicated internal and changecommunication practice helps businesses focus onperforming ndash not just informing
We help organisations plan and implement programmeswith the right mix of information dialogue and trainingso that employees are engaged aligned and motivatedto achieve business objectives
Because effective internal communication is vital tobottom-line performance we partner with our clients tocreate a daily dialogue ndash not a monologue ndash withemployees
Contact Nick AndrewsTel +32 (0)2 230 05 45 E-mail nickandrewsfleishmancomWeb site wwwfleishmaneuropecom
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE A listing in our Directory of Services will giveyou a chance to reach communicationprofessionals at some of the worldrsquos largestand most admired companies and to tap intodecision-making practitioners
ContactVincent SorelTel +44 (0)208 600 4670E-mail vincentsorelmelcrumcom
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
INCLUDE YOUR COMPANY BY CONTACTING US ON +44(0)20 8600 4670 OR AT INFOMELCRUMCOM
CONSULTANCY
HILL amp KNOWLTON
Better business results the bottom line
How do I manage more change Motivate managers Getthe right information to the right people Show the bestreturn on communication investment
Sound familiar Hill amp Knowltonrsquos change and internalcommunication consultants work with companies aroundthe world to find the right answers for their situation
We offer strategy insight and creativity drawing on ourconsultancy expertise and in-house experience Plus wedeliver practical hands-on help
We know that effective employee communication has adirect impact on the bottom line Working together wecan make it happen for you
Contact EMEA DavidFerrabeehillandknowltoncom
+44 (0) 7413 3176USA BarbaraEdlerhillandknowltoncom
+1 415 281-7160Canada KristaThompsonhillandknowltoncom
+1 613 786-9961
RECRUITMENT
VMA GROUP
VMA Group is one of the UKrsquos leading executive searchand selection consultancies specializing in internal andcorporate communication recruitment
For over 25 years VMA Group has provided the highestlevel of service to some of the most demanding globalorganizations developing a strong track record for thequality and professionalism of our search and selection work
We have in-depth specialist knowledge of the internalcommunication market and can provide high-qualitypermanent and interim candidates with expertise acrossinternal communication change management and widercorporate communication We understand the needs ofour clients intrinsically and strive to develop long-termrelationships with clients and candidates alike
Please call to discuss how we can help you find theideal candidate or if you wish to make a career move
Contact David BroomeTel +44 (0)20 7436 4243E-mail dbroomevmagroupcoukWeb site wwwvmagroupcouk
40 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONALCOMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS E-mail gaitensunityncsueduWeb site wwwconsultingsuccessorgTel 919 469 3895
CIB ndash BRITISH ASSOCIATION OFCOMMUNICATORS IN BUSINESSE-mail enquiriescibukcomWeb site wwwcibukcomTel +44 (0)870 121 7606
CCM ndash COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATIONMANAGEMENT E-mail membership
ccmconnectioncomWeb site wwwccmconnectioncomTel 866 463 4226
CPRS ndash THE CANADIAN PUBLICRELATIONS SOCIETYE-mail admincprscaWeb site wwwcprscaTel 416 239 7034
IABC ndash THE INTERNATIONALASSOCIATION OF BUSINESSCOMMUNICATORS E-mail service_centreiabccomWeb site wwwiabccomTel 415 544 4700
ICA ndash THE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONALLIANCE E-mail amandafoistericaukorgWeb site wwwiprorgukicaTel +44 (0)1628 642 044
CIPR ndash THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OFPUBLIC RELATIONS UKE-mail infoiprorgukWeb site wwwiprorgukTel +44 (0)20 7253 5151
IPRA ndash THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICRELATIONS ASSOCIATIONE-mail ipraseccompuservecomWeb site wwwipraorgTel +44 (0) 1372 461 188
PRSA ndash PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OFAMERICAE-mail resourcesprsaorgWeb site wwwprsaorgTel 212 460 1459
DIRECTORY OF SERVICESNEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
CONSULTANCY
28 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Editorrsquos noteSucceeding in internal communication probablyisnrsquot all that different to succeeding in anyprofession understand whatrsquos expected of you dothe job well and deliver results But when youspeak to practitioners about how they personallyturned the corner in their careers and started tomake an impact it soon becomes clear that thereare many dos and donrsquots that can help or hinderprogress This article provides a handy checklistfor those with ambitious development plans
John G ClemonsVice President CommunicationsRaytheon Technical Services Co Llc
Take the initiativeThere have been a few career-defining momentsfor me Among them was the time when I realizedthat I was moving from a manager level to the
decision-making role of a director I worked for a senior executive who hired me
from a rival telecommunications company Uponjoining the company I developed strategiccommunication plans to address various businesschallenges During the development process Iperiodically checked in with my supervisor to gethis input and approval ndash probably more thannecessary ndash before moving to the next steps in planning
One day he called me into his office and saidthat while he liked the work I was doing for himhis expectation when he hired me as a directorwas that I would take the initiative in the job relyless on his frequent input and move forward with implementation and measurement Hewanted results
His counsel was along the lines of ldquoI hired youto do a directorrsquos job so do the job of a directorYou donrsquot have to get permission to make adifferencerdquo
Meet commitments and think strategicallyHis direction motivated me to take moreresponsibility at this new job level This alsomeant that I had to not just manage but leadmeet commitments and think more strategicallyto continue to earn not only his confidence butthe support of the entire leadership team
Irsquove found that being a communicationprofessional who is also a leader that can betrusted can get things done and truly support thegoals and objectives of an organization will notonly impress others but help build your credibilityand lead to success
How to get ahead ininternal communication
The path that leads internal communicators to thetop of their profession isnrsquot always an obvious oneWhich is why we asked a range of senior practitioners
to share their thoughts and experiences on gaining therespect of those who matter Whether its senior leadersfellow employees or your own team yoursquore looking toimpress these responses provide useful insight into howto make sure you and your work gets noticed
Senior practitioners share their views on how togain influence and credibility
COMPILED BY MANDY THATCHER
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
29scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Mark DarbyHead of Internal CommunicationsVisaUK
Be smart sharp and stubbornThe biggest lesson Irsquove learned and keep havingto remind myself is that I need to be smart sharpand stubborn to get ahead This is what thosewords mean to me in a work context
Smart I need to understand what Visa is doingand what people think about the business Thismeans constantly spending time in differentdepartments and learning from them I know whoour customers are what our challenges are andwhat our current financial performance is I havecontacts in most departments who have a fingeron the pulse which means I can have a relevantconversation with a senior person from any department
Sharp Internal communication is rarely near thetop of the agenda for senior people and my timewith them is usually short I always try to talkabout the impact on business performance assoon as possible If I circulate a document it willbe summarized to a single page at most and Idonrsquot use PowerPoint I ask a lot of ldquoonerdquo questionssuch as ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing you want employeesto do differentlyrdquo or ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing youwant me to change over the next six monthsrdquo
Stubborn I know what I want internal communica-tion to achieve at Visa and it has the support ofthe senior team Irsquove built up knowledge frombooks and articles I use my education from theBlack Belt training course1 and I speak to formercolleagues With this knowledge Irsquove becomestubborn and good at saying no because I have theinformation to back up my arguments Irsquove stoppedmy team from picking up extra projects that wonrsquotdeliver much value We focus only on projects thatadd the most value to the business and we deliveron these really well Successful delivery is thebiggest influence on any senior person
Monika StaffordHead of Internal CommunicationLloyds TSBUK
Be creative and focus on a killer issueUsing creative solutions to bring to life importantndash but often dull ndash programs can create a shinethat stretches beyond project boundaries For
example I worked on the implementation of SAPndash a business-critical systems program ndash requiringbehavior change from swathes of key yetuninterested people Successful implementationwas a big risk to get right but it was as dull asdishwater to communicate
Luckily there was a ldquoEurekardquo moment Byaligning the SAP story with the metaphor ofFormula-1 racing we could tell the tale of how itwould fulfill our need to create winningperformances for both the individual driver aswell as the back-up team in order to perform wellon the road ahead This storyline was a perfectmatch for the programrsquos objectives
Launch speakers from Formula 1 great designwork not to mention fantastic collateral allresulted in a no-hitch implementation that reallyresonated with people The global companypicked it up as the approach for worldwide rollout So faced with tedium it can actually pay tostare out of the window for creative inspiration
My other piece of advice is Focus on a killerissue If you really want to get ahead (and do besure you really do as being at the center ofchange is often akin to being in the eye of ahurricane ndash itrsquos no place for the feint-hearted)learn what keeps your business leaders up atnight Use your stakeholder-management skills toget to the people you need to help you deliversolutions then execute execute execute
Focus on value-adding work only because ifyou end up working on your companyrsquos cul-de-sacprojects yoursquoll never shine brightly enough forthe leaders in your company to notice you 3
COMPETENCY
Planning internal communication 76
Linking corporate messages to corporate vision 73
CEO communication 63
Change communication 60
Communicating to diverse audiences 60
Using the intranet as a communication tool 54
Defending your department in internal political battles 43
Line manager communication 42
Professional development of internal communication staff 33
Helping employees cope with information overload 32
Securing the appropriate level of budget for internal communication 30
Measuring the effectiveness of internal communication 28
Figure One Table from The Pulse report showing the percentage of communicators who ratethemselves as effective or very effective at listed competencies
30 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
WHATrsquoS CHANGED IN THE LAST 25 YEARS
David MoorcroftSenior Vice PresidentCorporate CommunicationsRBC Financial Group Canada
Irsquom constantly amazed at the changes that have taken place in our professionover the last 25 years and the degree of talent and knowledge required bycommunicators today to do their jobs well
Back in 1979 when I started in corporate PR the major skill sets werewriting editing and great media contacts Today good editorial skills are justtable stakes and the ability to understand business adapt technology thinkstrategically plan consummately and influence stakeholders are what landsenior communicators a seat at the management table
This change has been driven by the globalization of business the advent ofnew 247 media including the Internet the growing sophistication ofcustomers and employees increased demands for corporate transparency andmore rigorous requirements for high standards of public disclosure andfinancial reporting
MORE SKILLS THAN EVER BEFOREAs a result todayrsquos business communicator has to be more capable andknowledgeable and have more skills than ever before They must befinancially literate and technologically savvy They must understand the impactof evolving accounting and disclosure rules They must deal with legal HRpolitical and business issues And they must be prepared to deal with amultitude of potential crises that can arise at any moment in any language inany part of the world
Perhaps most challenging senior management today expects clear bottom-line returns for their investments in communication Itrsquos no longer enough toinform audiences and measure communication outputs CEOs expectcommunication to engage audiences and produce outcomes ndash something thatrequires strategic thinking planning and foresight
A friend of mine who left a senior corporate PR job to become COO of amajor public utility recently summed up the role of todayrsquos communicator thisway ldquoItrsquos one of the most important and critical roles in organizations todayand yet itrsquos often one of the least recognized and appreciatedrdquo
That sentiment may be a reality in some organizations today but with moreand more CEOs beginning to realize the bottom-line value of communication itwonrsquot be 25 years from now
Christina FeeSenior Vice President InternalCommunicationsDeutsche Post AGGermany
Seek out the important projectsI canrsquot pretend to have employed a specificapproach to my ldquopersonal PRrdquo at all But in theorganizations Irsquove worked for Irsquove had theopportunity to work on a number of excitinghigh-profile projects that have connected me withsenior stakeholders and influential people atdifferent levels
7
Irsquove learned a great deal from the project teamsIrsquove worked with and also due to the significanceand scope of the projects been able todemonstrate my worth approach and skills Irsquovehad to be passionate stand up for what I believein and think outside the box constantly
My roles within DHLDeutsche Post haveallowed me the freedom and flexibility to developand deliver new ideas but Irsquove also had to practiceand embody excellent internal communicationskills myself Having developed credibility and trustwith those that matter based on my track record Iwas allowed to go ahead with other projects
I donrsquot actively pursue the ldquoright relationshipsrdquobut rather let my work and my interactions withpeople speak for themselves This has helped medevelop mentors and supporters naturally Mylearning and development has also been expandedby the opportunity to work abroad and learn moreabout intercultural communication and interaction
Marc SilversideHead of Internal CommunicationsMacmillan Cancer SupportUK
Understand whatrsquos expected of youA newly established role heightens the need formaking a good impression so that people trustyou and feel they can come to you for advice
When I joined Macmillan I very nearly got thiswrong Perhaps this is an example that otherrsquos canlearn from
When my new CEO at Macmillan CancerSupport asked for a meeting ldquoafter a few weeks tosettle inrdquo I was confident that my wide-ranginginduction would help me understand the businessand provide the basis for what Irsquod present tosenior management
Forty structured face-to-face managerinterviews allowed me to understand needs andkey issues and I started to build personal rapportMy profile was raised and at the same timeinternal communication gained good visibility
Externally I networked with contacts in similarroles in other charities and soon found thebeginnings of a voluntary-sector network This hassince grown to over 25 members
By the time my CEO slot arrived I was armedwith input from across the charity and the resultsof an audit I felt well prepared to present myvision and solutions So I was surprised to be metwith significant resistance
I later discovered that my CEO intelligence wasincorrect What he wanted was to be askedspecifically about his own views on what internalcommunication should do and what I could do for
How to get ahead in internal communication
31scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
HOW DO YOUR SKILLS MEASURE UPFor Melcrumrsquos study into budgets salaries and trends in internalcommunication in 200607 we asked survey respondents to rate their owneffectiveness at a range of key communication competencies from planning tomeasurement The results may surprise you
For example 76 percent of respondents rate themselves as effective or veryeffective at planning internal communication but only 28 percent ratethemselves as equally effective at measuring its effectiveness (see Figure Onepage 29)
In her commentary on the results development expert Sue Dewhurst hadthe following to say
OUR STRENGTHSIt seems where we see our strengths as internal communicators is towards theldquofront endrdquo of the communication planning process For example being able tolink a plan to the business strategy knowing our audiences and being able tojoin up the dots and show people how messages link to the business vision
These are powerful strengths We are one of the few functions that tends tohave an overarching view of our entire company and is able to view thecompany and its strategy from a number of different perspectives Being ableto understand the vision and strategy view it from an audience perspectiveand then create line of sight to show what those things mean in practicalterms for peoplersquos day-to-day roles is one of the ways that we help drivebusiness performance ndash by showing people what they need to do to take thestrategy forward
In turn by knowing and working with our audiences hopefully wersquore thenalso able to make sure their views and suggestions can help shape the strategyand how itrsquos put into practice
MEASURING EFFECTIVENESSWe see ourselves as less effective towards the back end of the planningprocess in measuring the effectiveness of internal communication which tiesin with the feeling from previous questions that in fact wersquore not doing muchmeasurement or demonstrating our return on investment
Research and measurement is an area where there is plenty of expertisearound to call on There are measurement conferences research reports andpublications to understand what other organizations are doing and practicaltraining that will give you the opportunity to work in a smaller group askquestions and practice techniques For help with specific techniques try yourinternal marketing team Marketers are generally great with data and well-versed in running focus groups and putting together surveys If you have anexternal provider to support your employee engagement research try them too
Source The Pulse Essential data on budgets salaries and trends 2006-07wwwmelcrumcom
him rather than how I could benefit the charity Ihad to change my approach fast
This could have cost me my best ambassadorfrom day one So my advice is make sure yoursquoreabsolutely clear about whatrsquos expected from you
Of course the insights I gained in my first fewmonths have been valuable and since then myresults have done the talking Fortunately theCEO soon became an internal communicationsconvert and advocate
Darren CrozierCommunications ManagerHBOS plcUK
Make things happenDelivery is key to career development ndash if you sayyoursquore going to do something make sure you doit Put in the effort get the results you want andbe known as someone who can make things happenIf yoursquore seen to ldquoget things donerdquo no matter howsmall the job is people are more likely to get youinvolved in activities and ask your opinion
Gaining credibility and respect from seniorcolleagues is important but everyone in yourorganization will form an opinion of you from thepeople in the canteen right through to the CEOSo try and make sure that their opinion of you is agood one
Itrsquos not just the people within your immediatesphere of influence who can have an impact onyour career so extend your network go oncourses and get involved in professionalorganizations Many of my close workingrelationships career opportunities and indeedpersonal friendships have come from meetingpeople at such events and taking the time to keepin touch You never know how things will develop
Itrsquos also vital to earn respect be trustworthy andhave good manners To recall what an ex-bossonce said ldquoBe careful how you treat people onthe way up as you never know when you maycome across them againrdquo
One of the biggest challenges Irsquove found inrecent times is recognizing my own success andselling myself Sometimes you need to take a stepback to realize just what yoursquove achieved Evenbetter keep a log or portfolio of your successesand donrsquot be shy to speak about them becauseothers wonrsquot be shy to speak about theirs
Finally try and have some fun along the wayWe all have to work for a living so learn to makethe most of it scm
1 For more about Melcrumrsquos Internal Communication Black Belttraining program go to wwwmelcrumcom
32 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pitney Bowes has followed an aggressive strategyof growth through acquisition completing 60+acquisitions since 2001 Expansion has broadenedits product mix to include an extensive range ofsolutions from office equipment to globalpositioning software
But the companyrsquos many different specialismsand huge outsourcing operations meant that themajority of its 34000 employees werenrsquot aware ofthe full range of its service offering and thepotential for different divisions to work together
As Rob Hallam vice president EmployeeCommunication explains there was a strongbusiness case for adopting a ldquoone companyrdquoapproach ldquoBecause the businesses tended to besomewhat siloed even senior managers werefocused on their divisions
ldquoAlso because we were acquiring companiesand evolving so rapidly managers werenrsquot awareof a lot of the businesses and how they all workedtogether in the mailstreamrdquo says Hallam ldquoWewere missing out on potential cross-sellingopportunitiesrdquo
Communicating a new visionFour years ago Pitney Bowes created a OneCompany Vision statement ldquoOur aim was toensure support and cooperation across thebusiness so we could provide a comprehensive setof customer solutions ndash not just a list of productsand services by business unitrdquo says Hallam Theinternal communication challenge was to drawtogether 34000 employees and build a unifiedcorporate culture The communication strategyfocused on three key elements
1 PeopleThis focused on involving the leadershipstrengthening a two-way dialogue betweenmanagement and employees communicating theculture through leadership messaging enterprise-wide events and roadshows and buildingengagement so that everyone was workingtogether towards a One Company approach
2 ProcessesThis meant integrating the One Companyapproach into the organizationrsquos operations andinfrastructure by shifting management roles andadjusting incentives and reward structuresthroughout the company
The first step was to consolidate the companyrsquosoperating activities by appointing Murray DMartin as president and chief operating officer inSeptember 2004 Martinrsquos mantra is ldquoThink AsOne Act as One Operate As One to deliverwhat no other company canrdquo
ldquoThe COO position had previously been heldby the chairman so elevating someone to that
Communicating a OneCompany culture atPitney Bowes
Following rapid growth in the form of more than 60acquisitions over six years silo-working haddeveloped at Pitney Bowes and leaders were failing
to take advantage of profitable cross-selling opportunitiesHere Rob Hallam describes the communication elementsof a ldquoOne Companyrdquo culture-change program which hasturned the situation around simultaneously improvingcustomer service and boosting profits
Persuading disparate businessunits to work together
AN INTERVIEW WITH ROB HALLAM
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Pitney Bowes is an 87-year-old company best known forthe manufacturing operationand oversight of postagemeters It has over two millioncustomers more than 3500active patents and annualrevenue of close to $6 billion
33scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
role was a big changerdquo explains Hallam ldquoAll thebusiness units now report to a single individual atoperating level It represented a huge positivemove to start the company operationalizing OneCompany behaviorrdquo
The internal communication function wasrestructured to ensure that consistent messagingreached the entire employee population Regularmeasurement was a key part of the changeinitiative This served to define the contributionof communicating a One Company approachwhere it was adding value to Pitney Bowes and itsclients and customers and where there was stillwork to do
3 TechnologyIt was important to find the best ways to cascademessages throughout the company and keeppeople informed about what was going onwithout bombarding them with irrelevantcommunication Hallam and his team deploy avariety of channels and media including internalprint and online publications voicemail and e-mail Pitney Bowes is also in the process ofintegrating its different voicemail systems and e-mail platforms into one global system
Involving senior leadership from the outsetThe One Company strategy was an overridingpolicy that started at the top of the organizationldquoThere was a big launch at the strategic leadersrsquomeeting which is held every Januaryrdquo saysHallam ldquoThe messaging was then driven throughthe organization via a companywide globalcommunication strategyrdquo
From the outset the policy was championed bythe CEO Michael Critelli who believes thatculture is central to the Pitney Bowes brand andsaid recently ldquoMy first measure of success iswhether we are behaving as one companyrdquo Thiscommitment helped to ensure that the culturalchange was reinforced by parallel changes to thecorporate infrastructure
Building a two-way dialogueThe next step was to get the employee populationinvolved and build enterprisewide enthusiasm forthe culture change Pitney Bowes has alwaysrecognized the value of a two-way dialoguebetween management and employees and hasheld annual jobholders meetings which aresimilar to shareholdersrsquo meetings for 61 years In2005 Hallam reinvented it as an initiative calledOne Forum ndash a series of roadshows focusing oncommunicating the One Company culturethroughout the organization
Launching the One ForumIn 2005 Hallam and his team created an original
and memorable One Forum launch for the 90percent of Pitney Bowes employees based in theUS Around a quarter of US employees saw thisin person the others received a link to a websitewith streaming highlights
ldquoWe put together a two-hour roadshow eventwhich helped people to understand our OneCompany approach and made them aware of allthe businesses we were inrdquo says Hallam ldquoThethinking was that high change requires high touchFace-to-face can have far greater impact on theindividuals touched From there itrsquos a matter ofripple effect such as seeing improved One Forumbrand awareness among employees who didnrsquotactually attend one of the eventsrdquo
ldquoWe wanted the roadshow to be entertainingand energizing so we used gameshow techniquescustom-written songs and comedy specificallytailored to Pitney Bowes employees It was a funevent but it also included a keynote speech fromthe CEO and a lot of question-and-answersessions with employees It was entertainmentwith a purpose and it was a great success with employeesrdquo
The post-event employee evaluations provedthe success of this approach ldquoIn some cities anincredible 90 percent of employees gave the eventa top-box rating This shows that there was ahunger for both the knowledge and theapproachrdquo adds Hallam
Taking the show on the roadThe One Forum roadshow has become an annualevent ldquoIn a five-month period during 2005 therewere 17 One Forum events in 12 US citiesreaching about 6000 peoplerdquo says Hallam ldquoAftersome testing in March and April the first bigroadshows started in early May and continued forsix months with the final one in early Decemberin Seattle 3
Rob Hallam is vice presidentEmployee Communication atPitney Bowes (PB) in StamfordConnecticut where hersquos beenresponsible for internalcommunication strategy andimplementation since 2004Hallam has led a team ofprofessionals in reshapingcommunication at PB resultedin the communication teamearning the top ranking in HRdepartment satisfaction fromall PBrsquos US managers in 2005and 2006
KEY POINTSbull Internal communication has played an important role in embedding a
One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
bull The communication strategy focused on three key elements peopleprocess and technology
bull The campaign has been championed by the CEO from the outset andhas won senior leadership support over time
bull An entertaining roadshow helped win employee commitment
bull Cross-selling ratios have jumped substantially since the culture-changeeffort began
34 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ldquoIn 2006 we compressed the programsubstantially and drove down costs while stilltouching 6000 employees Together with ourcorporate marketing group we also introduced anextremely successful lsquoelevator speechrsquo that helpsemployees answer the much-feared questionlsquoWhat does Pitney Bowes dorsquordquo
Local variationsAlthough the entertainment component in theroadshows contributed to their success it wasspecific to the US so Hallam gave business unitsand internal communicators in other regions theresponsibility for communicating the OneCompany approach to local employees ldquoInCanada and the UK they conducted town-hallmeetings and in Latin America and other parts ofthe world they produced their own variations onthe One Forum theme We made sure that theyhad the information they needed but we limitedthe entertainment to English-speaking regionsrdquo
A commitment to employee engagementThe appointment of the new COO and the launchof the One Forum roadshows coincided with thefirst employee engagement survey in late 2004ldquoWe see engagement as very much tied to ourability to execute a One Company strategy andchange our culturerdquo says Hallam He sets outfour ways in which employee engagement isinstilled at all levels in the organization
1 Visible leadership commitment to engagementThe CEO underlines his commitment by sendingregular messages to employees via a variety ofmedia including voicemail and print and onlinepublications He also uses engagement scores todetermine a unitrsquos overall performance rating andbonus pool ldquoWhen one senior execrsquos bonus poolwas reduced due to poor engagement scores that
was a message requiring no communication planrdquosays Hallam ldquoWord spread quicklyrdquo
2 Celebrating top performers Pitney Bowes celebrates its top engagementperformers by running cover stories in its globalprint and online publication PB Today ldquoThisprogram was called lsquoThe Faces of Pitney Bowesrsquordquosays Hallam ldquoWe did 10 of these last year so theyran twice in five editions Wersquove also producedlarge mural-sized photos of those managers andtheir teamsrdquo he says ldquoWe celebrate success andpublish it everywhere Our CEO loves it and wersquoreactually selling part of our contemporary artcollection which decorates the building to makeroom for an expansion of additional OneCompany and Engagement photography all ofwhich will focus on our employeesrdquo
3 Incentivizing managers via the reward systemEmployee engagement is recognized andreinforced in the companyrsquos formal processesincluding its reward system ldquoWe use a tool calledthe Strategic Architecture which is our balancedscorecardrdquo explains Hallam ldquoItrsquos a Six-Sigma toolwhich measures employee shareholder andcustomer value Managersrsquo engagement scoresalso factor into their annual reviews soengagement has a direct impact on remunerationrdquo
4 Rewarding engagementA further program called Rapid Rewards awardscash bonuses to managers and employees foroutstanding behavior including that related toemployee engagement
Aligning the communication strategyHallam and his team are responsible fordelivering the overall employee communicationstrategy ldquoWe had to dramatically improve ourstrategic approach in order to make OneCompany a realityrdquo he says
In addition to organizing campaigns such as theOne Forum roadshows to publicize the culturechange across the enterprise Hallam hasintroduced initiatives aimed at improving thereach and delivery of internal communication andmaking sure messages get to their intendedaudiences He has also aligned the structure ofthe internal communication function with thecompanyrsquos unified culture
ldquoThere were a lot of different communicationgroups so we brought together all thecommunication leaders and formed a singleInternal Communications Councilrdquo explainsHallam ldquoThis means that the communicationfunctions in the different business units areworking together to help drive change andimprove coordinationrdquo
Communicating a One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
ldquoWHEN A SENIOR EXECrsquoS BONUS WAS REDUCEDDUE TO POOR ENGAGEMENT SCORES THAT WASA MESSAGE REQUIRING NO COMMUNICATIONPLAN WORD SPREAD QUICKLYrdquo
7
FURTHER RESOURCES3 THE IMPACT OF CULTURE AND CLIMATE ON CHANGE PROGRAMS
An article published in SCM Volume 10 Issue 6 OctoberNovember 2006
3 DRIVING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE CORPORATE CULTUREMelcrumrsquos report on communication tools techniques and best practicefrom leading organizationswwwmelcrumcom
35scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Developing a global approachHallam is also responsible for a globalcommunication project called Universal Reachwhich is sponsored by the chairman and designedto support and maintain a unified corporateculture ldquoOur goal is to provide 90 percentmessage accessibility within our key customer-facing audiencesrdquo he explains ldquoThe biggestchallenge is integrating our online communicationinfrastructure which has nine different voicemailsystems operating across the world and multiplee-mail and web platforms Wersquore pulling all thattogether to provide better reachrdquo
Since 911 the CEO and other top executiveshave broadcast weekly audio messages calledPower Talks Hallamrsquos team has worked with theleadership to ensure that they incorporate OneCompany messages and as he explains they reachmost of the employee population ldquoAbout 20000of our employees have voicemail Those whodonrsquot receive the Power Talk message either inprint or online In some divisions managers playthe Power Talk messages in staff meetingsrdquo
Engaging leadership reinforces the cultureBuilding on the CEOrsquos commitment to a OneCompany approach Hallam and his team haveorganized leadership events ndash most recently at thestrategic leadersrsquo meeting in December 2006 ndashshowing Pitney Bowes as one company in actionThis campaign has helped to engage the top 150managers in the culture change
ldquoOur post-event evaluations show a strongmove numerically in senior leadershiprsquos belief thatwersquore operating as one companyrdquo says Hallam(see Figure One above) ldquoAs theyrsquore our toughestjudges wersquore pleased by the significant differencein pre- and post-event measurementrdquo There wasalso an improvement in leadersrsquo understanding ofthe companyrsquos new mailstream category
Sustaining the new cultureAccording to Hallam rippling out the OneCompany messaging requires a consistent andcoordinated approach Communication leaders inthe various divisions are now working to weaveOne Company messages into the business-unitmeetings ldquoA lot of the messaging that welaunched at the strategic leadersrsquo meeting arebeing reiterated at the business unit level Thatrsquosbeen facilitated through the InternalCommunications Councilrdquo he says
ldquoKey metrics for the culture change programfocus on cross-selling ratios which have jumpedsubstantially since the culture change effortbeganrdquo says Hallam ldquoIn 2002 we also institutedthe ldquoPB1 Awardsrdquo which is a chairmanrecognition award that goes to teams who bestembody cross-functional behavior in working on
projects which improve our clientsrsquo profitabilityour profitability or bothrdquo
ldquoHowever wersquore only really a year into thisMuch of the evidence is anecdotal but what haschanged is that our managers have broadenedtheir vision and are thinking as solutions-providers rather than product-sellers As suchtheyrsquore involving other business units out of theirdesire to eliminate customer pain points ndashregardless of which part of Pitney Bowes gets the salerdquo
Adding value to customersUltimately managers and employees who arewell-informed about the companyrsquos products andservices are in a good position to take advantageof cross-selling opportunities Realizing thispotential enables Pitney Bowes to make extrasales to existing customers thereby increasing itsprofit margins and allowing customers to benefitfrom a mix of products and services
Shifting to a unified culture directly benefitsboth Pitney Bowes and its customers ldquoByfocusing on the whole cadre of products andservices we can help our customers improve theirbusinessesrdquo says Hallam ldquoThatrsquos where OneCompany is critical It enables our clients tobenefit from all our servicesrdquo scm
Figure One Measuring the impact of the strategic leadersrsquo meeting
CONTACT DETAILS
Rob HallamPitney Bowesrobhallampbcom
I BELIEVE THAT OUR SENIOR LEADERS (MEANING THE TOP 15 EXECS) AREWORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO DELIVER INTEGRATED HIGH-VALUESOLUTIONS TO OUR CUSTOMERS
Pre SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 73
Post SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 92
Gain in two months time 19
ldquoMANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WELL-INFORMED ABOUT THE COMPANYrsquoS PRODUCTSAND SERVICES ARE IN A GOOD POSITION TOTAKE ADVANTAGE OF CROSS-SELLINGrdquo
2007
36 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
MELCRUM TRAINING amp EVENTS
CALENDAR 2007UKEUROPESOCIAL MEDIA FORUM FORINTERNAL COMMUNICATORS UK
3 21-22 March 2007 Hilton Canary WharfLondon UKThis forum is designed for practitioners who wantto make social media part of their internalcommunication strategy Over two dayscompanies such as IBM Microsoft and BT willshare case studies demonstrating their use ofsocial-media tools Technology experts will also beon hand to provide training and show you how touse these tools
THE 3RD ANNUAL EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT CONFERENCE UK
3 22-24 May 2007 Millennium GloucesterLondon UK22 May ndash Practical workshops23-24 May ndash Two-day conferenceThis event will focus on transforming yourstrategies into action Listen to case studies fromcompanies that have achieved real andmeasurable results from their engagement effortsLearn how they did it what they achieved and howthe results were measured
THE 6TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT UK
3 16-18 October 2007 London UK After the huge success of the 2006 UK StrategicCommunication Management Summit next yearrsquosevent will once again provide you withpresentations from key figures in the industry anda chance to network with your peers Mark yourdiaries now ndash more details to follow
THE 3RD ANNUAL INTERNALCOMMUNICATION MEASUREMENTCONFERENCE UK
3 27-29 November 2007 London UKDetails available soon ndash mark your diary now
NORTH AMERICATHE 3RD ANNUAL CONFERENCEON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENTBUILDING AND SUSTAINING ACULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT
3 28 February ndash 1 March 2007 Crowne PlazaAtlanta-Buckhead Atlanta USLearn how to foster an environment whereemployees feel valued and respected Hear fromcompanies including Dow Corning CorporationAmerican Express Delta Hotels and Merck
THE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT US
3 26-28 March 2007 Crowne Plaza UnionSquare San Francisco26 March ndash Pre-conference workshops27-28 March ndash Two-day summitAttend this conference and discover how toimprove employee alignment with all segments ofyour internal audience ndash from your front-lineemployees to your executive officers bothnationally and worldwide
AUSTRALIATHE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION ENGAGEMENTSUMMIT SYDNEY
3 31 July ndash 2 August 2007 Sydney Australia Details available soon ndash mark your diary now
WEBINARSDEVELOPING PROFESSIONALCOMPETENCE
3 Thursday 22 February 2007 with LiamFitzPatrick and Sue Dewhurst
HELPING YOUR ORGANIZATIONTHRIVE DURING TURBULENTTIMES
3 Thursday 29 March 2007 with Carol KinseyGoman
TRAININGTHE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT PROGRAM
3 24-25 April and 1-2 May 2007 HenleyManagement College UK3 11-12 and 27-28 September 2007 Cranfield
School of Management UK
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT MASTERCLASSEFFECTIVE MEASUREMENT
3 14-15 March 2007 Hendon Hall Hendon UKAn essential two-day intensive training courses forinternal communicators on effective measurementRegister early as places are strictly limited to 20people per Masterclass
CSR DELIVERY ENGAGEMENT amp LEADERSHIP
3 19-20 April 2007 Central LondonOsney MediaWith an excellent speaker line-up from high-profile companies including Procter amp Gamble The BodyShop ExxonMobil Microsoft Belgium Vodafone UK Dell Ericsson and Alliance Boots this case studybased event will answer questions including how do Ibull Build a CSR-oriented leadershipbull Get people on boardbull Integrate CSR with the global strategy of the companybull Deliver CSR throughout the company to make it really happen
For more information visit wwwcsrleadershipcom or e-mail mariame_lindellosneymediacouk (Reference code 910MLC3)
38 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
DESIGN
YELLOW
The future success of all organisations will be builton trust understanding passion empowermentintegrity and relationships
The future is cool exciting sparkling organisationsbursting with energy life and action
The future of brand is the internal brand first andforemost
The future is colleague as customer
Turning communications upside down
No just inside-out
Be part of the future say hello to Yellow
We help large organisations bring their communicationsstrategies to life through the imaginative use of liveevents multimedia web and design ndash distributed acrossall media platforms including DVD TV mobile devicesintranet and extranet
Ultimately developing internal brands and ongoingcommunications that have a measurable impact onpeople-performance advocacy and the bottom line
Contact Paul MiddletonTel +44 (0)161 228 6700E-mail paulmiddletonyellowcomcomWebsite wwwyellowcomcom
NEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
DESIGN
BLUE GOOSE
blue goose specialize in visual communications We make communications work faster and better We will link what wedo back to your objectives but we donrsquot talk (or charge for) ldquostrategyrdquo when you simply want tactical implementation Weuse design and creativity tobull differentiate products and services bull develop and manage corporate and brand identity bull align external communications with agreed values bull internalize corporate and brand identitybull align internal communications with agreed values bull support organizational change and bull help organizations better understand and define who they are
We work for clients as diverse as PricewaterhouseCoopers Ford Europe Centrica plc Greene King City of London Policeand Le Meacuteridien
blue goose is for any organization more interested in designing their future than watching it happen
Contact Chris BarringtonE-mail thinkingbluegoosecoukTel +44 (0)20 8869 8500Web site wwwbluegoosecouk
CONSULTANCY
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION ampSURVEYS PTY LTD
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd is aboutique consultancy based in Sydney Australia Itspecializes in employee communication strategiessystems research and employee surveys of all kindsPrincipal Rodney Gray has been involved inorganizational consulting for over 20 years following a15-year career as a corporate human resourcesexecutive Services includebull Employee communication audits and surveys by
questionnaires focus groups and interviewsbull Employee communication systems strategies and
processesbull Employee communication training workshops and
talksbull Employee culture climate and opinion surveysbull Qualitative organizational diagnosis (focus groups
and interviews)bull Internal service quality research (qualitative and
quantitative)
Contact Rodney GrayTel +61 (0)2 9909 2900 Fax +61 (0)2 9909 2911E-mail rodneyrodneygraycomauWeb site wwwemployee-communicationcomau
CONSULTANCY
HEDRON
Internal and change communication that helps teamsand individuals to develop strategies relationshipsprocesses and skills to engage stakeholders supporthigh performance and deliver change
ldquoSharp strategic thinking quality execution effectiveinterpersonallyhelliprdquo ldquoCreativity drive resourcefulnessresults great funhelliprdquo say clients
All sectors ndash ABN AMRO AXA BT Cadbury SchweppesDepartment for Constitutional Affairs HealthcareCommission Group 4 Securicor SABMiller SiemensSouthern Rail Unilever Wincanton
Our clients are happy to tell you what itrsquos like workingwith us
Contact Helena MemoryTel + 44 (0) 20 7493 0735Fax + 44 (0) 20 7493 0743E-mail helena-mhedroncomWeb site wwwhedroncom
CONSULTANCY
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
39scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
CONSULTANCY
SYNOPSIS
Founded by change and communication authority Bill Quirke in 1992 Synopsis is one of Europersquos leading internalcommunication consultancies Our clients include such companies as ABN Amro BBC BP British Airways DiageoEricsson HP Lloyds TSB Roche Shell and Vodafone
We help clients use internal communication to engage their employees in delivering business strategy and get most valuefrom their internal communication
We can help youbull Develop communication strategies that support your business strategybull Coach leadersbull Develop line managersrsquo communication skillsbull Plan and coordinate your communication with colleagues onlinebull Check the health of your communication channels and improve return on investmentbull Build and develop the communication functionbull Measure and track employee engagement attitudes and opinions
To take a tour of our online planning tool go to wwwsynopsisonlinecomproductplanningtoolasp
Contact Jane LebeauE-mail janelebeausynopsisonlinecomTel +44 (0) 20 7490 2900Web site wwwsynopsisonlinecom
CONSULTANCY
HARKNESS KENNETT
We specialize in internal communication To us thatmeansbull motivating people through inspiring leadershipbull guiding people through organizational changebull engaging people in delivering the brand
Working in partnership with our clients is central to ourethos enabling us to help deliver practical solutionssupported by solid strategic thinking All of ourconsultants have held senior positions ldquoclient siderdquo sowe know what itrsquos like to be in your shoes The vastmajority of our work comes from recommendations fromexisting clients ndash 82 percent of our clients haverequested repeat work in the last two years
Our clients include Abbey Atkins BDO Stoy HaywardThe Environment Agency Marks amp Spencer NHS Blood ampTransplant Morgan Stanley Europe Nestleacute PoliceInformation Technology Organisation Royal ampSunAlliance South West Trains and Vodafone
Our vision is simple ndash we want to be the first callyou make
Contact James HarknessTel +44 (0)1483 222730E-mail jamesharknessharknesskennettcomWeb site wwwharknesskennettcom
CONSULTANCY
TRIDENT COMMUNICATIONS
Trident Communications is uniquely positioned to definedevelop and deliver award-winning solutions that aligncommunication with business goals
We advise and partner with organizations of all sizes tocreate high-value practical applications Our talentedproject teams provide innovative research designeditorial and imagery for print and online
We connect ideas and deliver results
Contact Peter Agertoft Tel +44 (0)207 536 8900E-mail peteragertoft
tridentcommunicationsnetWeb site wwwtridentcommunicationsnet
CONSULTANCY
FLEISHMAN-HILLARD
Fleishman-Hillardrsquos dedicated internal and changecommunication practice helps businesses focus onperforming ndash not just informing
We help organisations plan and implement programmeswith the right mix of information dialogue and trainingso that employees are engaged aligned and motivatedto achieve business objectives
Because effective internal communication is vital tobottom-line performance we partner with our clients tocreate a daily dialogue ndash not a monologue ndash withemployees
Contact Nick AndrewsTel +32 (0)2 230 05 45 E-mail nickandrewsfleishmancomWeb site wwwfleishmaneuropecom
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE A listing in our Directory of Services will giveyou a chance to reach communicationprofessionals at some of the worldrsquos largestand most admired companies and to tap intodecision-making practitioners
ContactVincent SorelTel +44 (0)208 600 4670E-mail vincentsorelmelcrumcom
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
INCLUDE YOUR COMPANY BY CONTACTING US ON +44(0)20 8600 4670 OR AT INFOMELCRUMCOM
CONSULTANCY
HILL amp KNOWLTON
Better business results the bottom line
How do I manage more change Motivate managers Getthe right information to the right people Show the bestreturn on communication investment
Sound familiar Hill amp Knowltonrsquos change and internalcommunication consultants work with companies aroundthe world to find the right answers for their situation
We offer strategy insight and creativity drawing on ourconsultancy expertise and in-house experience Plus wedeliver practical hands-on help
We know that effective employee communication has adirect impact on the bottom line Working together wecan make it happen for you
Contact EMEA DavidFerrabeehillandknowltoncom
+44 (0) 7413 3176USA BarbaraEdlerhillandknowltoncom
+1 415 281-7160Canada KristaThompsonhillandknowltoncom
+1 613 786-9961
RECRUITMENT
VMA GROUP
VMA Group is one of the UKrsquos leading executive searchand selection consultancies specializing in internal andcorporate communication recruitment
For over 25 years VMA Group has provided the highestlevel of service to some of the most demanding globalorganizations developing a strong track record for thequality and professionalism of our search and selection work
We have in-depth specialist knowledge of the internalcommunication market and can provide high-qualitypermanent and interim candidates with expertise acrossinternal communication change management and widercorporate communication We understand the needs ofour clients intrinsically and strive to develop long-termrelationships with clients and candidates alike
Please call to discuss how we can help you find theideal candidate or if you wish to make a career move
Contact David BroomeTel +44 (0)20 7436 4243E-mail dbroomevmagroupcoukWeb site wwwvmagroupcouk
40 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONALCOMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS E-mail gaitensunityncsueduWeb site wwwconsultingsuccessorgTel 919 469 3895
CIB ndash BRITISH ASSOCIATION OFCOMMUNICATORS IN BUSINESSE-mail enquiriescibukcomWeb site wwwcibukcomTel +44 (0)870 121 7606
CCM ndash COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATIONMANAGEMENT E-mail membership
ccmconnectioncomWeb site wwwccmconnectioncomTel 866 463 4226
CPRS ndash THE CANADIAN PUBLICRELATIONS SOCIETYE-mail admincprscaWeb site wwwcprscaTel 416 239 7034
IABC ndash THE INTERNATIONALASSOCIATION OF BUSINESSCOMMUNICATORS E-mail service_centreiabccomWeb site wwwiabccomTel 415 544 4700
ICA ndash THE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONALLIANCE E-mail amandafoistericaukorgWeb site wwwiprorgukicaTel +44 (0)1628 642 044
CIPR ndash THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OFPUBLIC RELATIONS UKE-mail infoiprorgukWeb site wwwiprorgukTel +44 (0)20 7253 5151
IPRA ndash THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICRELATIONS ASSOCIATIONE-mail ipraseccompuservecomWeb site wwwipraorgTel +44 (0) 1372 461 188
PRSA ndash PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OFAMERICAE-mail resourcesprsaorgWeb site wwwprsaorgTel 212 460 1459
DIRECTORY OF SERVICESNEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
CONSULTANCY
29scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Mark DarbyHead of Internal CommunicationsVisaUK
Be smart sharp and stubbornThe biggest lesson Irsquove learned and keep havingto remind myself is that I need to be smart sharpand stubborn to get ahead This is what thosewords mean to me in a work context
Smart I need to understand what Visa is doingand what people think about the business Thismeans constantly spending time in differentdepartments and learning from them I know whoour customers are what our challenges are andwhat our current financial performance is I havecontacts in most departments who have a fingeron the pulse which means I can have a relevantconversation with a senior person from any department
Sharp Internal communication is rarely near thetop of the agenda for senior people and my timewith them is usually short I always try to talkabout the impact on business performance assoon as possible If I circulate a document it willbe summarized to a single page at most and Idonrsquot use PowerPoint I ask a lot of ldquoonerdquo questionssuch as ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing you want employeesto do differentlyrdquo or ldquoWhatrsquos the one thing youwant me to change over the next six monthsrdquo
Stubborn I know what I want internal communica-tion to achieve at Visa and it has the support ofthe senior team Irsquove built up knowledge frombooks and articles I use my education from theBlack Belt training course1 and I speak to formercolleagues With this knowledge Irsquove becomestubborn and good at saying no because I have theinformation to back up my arguments Irsquove stoppedmy team from picking up extra projects that wonrsquotdeliver much value We focus only on projects thatadd the most value to the business and we deliveron these really well Successful delivery is thebiggest influence on any senior person
Monika StaffordHead of Internal CommunicationLloyds TSBUK
Be creative and focus on a killer issueUsing creative solutions to bring to life importantndash but often dull ndash programs can create a shinethat stretches beyond project boundaries For
example I worked on the implementation of SAPndash a business-critical systems program ndash requiringbehavior change from swathes of key yetuninterested people Successful implementationwas a big risk to get right but it was as dull asdishwater to communicate
Luckily there was a ldquoEurekardquo moment Byaligning the SAP story with the metaphor ofFormula-1 racing we could tell the tale of how itwould fulfill our need to create winningperformances for both the individual driver aswell as the back-up team in order to perform wellon the road ahead This storyline was a perfectmatch for the programrsquos objectives
Launch speakers from Formula 1 great designwork not to mention fantastic collateral allresulted in a no-hitch implementation that reallyresonated with people The global companypicked it up as the approach for worldwide rollout So faced with tedium it can actually pay tostare out of the window for creative inspiration
My other piece of advice is Focus on a killerissue If you really want to get ahead (and do besure you really do as being at the center ofchange is often akin to being in the eye of ahurricane ndash itrsquos no place for the feint-hearted)learn what keeps your business leaders up atnight Use your stakeholder-management skills toget to the people you need to help you deliversolutions then execute execute execute
Focus on value-adding work only because ifyou end up working on your companyrsquos cul-de-sacprojects yoursquoll never shine brightly enough forthe leaders in your company to notice you 3
COMPETENCY
Planning internal communication 76
Linking corporate messages to corporate vision 73
CEO communication 63
Change communication 60
Communicating to diverse audiences 60
Using the intranet as a communication tool 54
Defending your department in internal political battles 43
Line manager communication 42
Professional development of internal communication staff 33
Helping employees cope with information overload 32
Securing the appropriate level of budget for internal communication 30
Measuring the effectiveness of internal communication 28
Figure One Table from The Pulse report showing the percentage of communicators who ratethemselves as effective or very effective at listed competencies
30 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
WHATrsquoS CHANGED IN THE LAST 25 YEARS
David MoorcroftSenior Vice PresidentCorporate CommunicationsRBC Financial Group Canada
Irsquom constantly amazed at the changes that have taken place in our professionover the last 25 years and the degree of talent and knowledge required bycommunicators today to do their jobs well
Back in 1979 when I started in corporate PR the major skill sets werewriting editing and great media contacts Today good editorial skills are justtable stakes and the ability to understand business adapt technology thinkstrategically plan consummately and influence stakeholders are what landsenior communicators a seat at the management table
This change has been driven by the globalization of business the advent ofnew 247 media including the Internet the growing sophistication ofcustomers and employees increased demands for corporate transparency andmore rigorous requirements for high standards of public disclosure andfinancial reporting
MORE SKILLS THAN EVER BEFOREAs a result todayrsquos business communicator has to be more capable andknowledgeable and have more skills than ever before They must befinancially literate and technologically savvy They must understand the impactof evolving accounting and disclosure rules They must deal with legal HRpolitical and business issues And they must be prepared to deal with amultitude of potential crises that can arise at any moment in any language inany part of the world
Perhaps most challenging senior management today expects clear bottom-line returns for their investments in communication Itrsquos no longer enough toinform audiences and measure communication outputs CEOs expectcommunication to engage audiences and produce outcomes ndash something thatrequires strategic thinking planning and foresight
A friend of mine who left a senior corporate PR job to become COO of amajor public utility recently summed up the role of todayrsquos communicator thisway ldquoItrsquos one of the most important and critical roles in organizations todayand yet itrsquos often one of the least recognized and appreciatedrdquo
That sentiment may be a reality in some organizations today but with moreand more CEOs beginning to realize the bottom-line value of communication itwonrsquot be 25 years from now
Christina FeeSenior Vice President InternalCommunicationsDeutsche Post AGGermany
Seek out the important projectsI canrsquot pretend to have employed a specificapproach to my ldquopersonal PRrdquo at all But in theorganizations Irsquove worked for Irsquove had theopportunity to work on a number of excitinghigh-profile projects that have connected me withsenior stakeholders and influential people atdifferent levels
7
Irsquove learned a great deal from the project teamsIrsquove worked with and also due to the significanceand scope of the projects been able todemonstrate my worth approach and skills Irsquovehad to be passionate stand up for what I believein and think outside the box constantly
My roles within DHLDeutsche Post haveallowed me the freedom and flexibility to developand deliver new ideas but Irsquove also had to practiceand embody excellent internal communicationskills myself Having developed credibility and trustwith those that matter based on my track record Iwas allowed to go ahead with other projects
I donrsquot actively pursue the ldquoright relationshipsrdquobut rather let my work and my interactions withpeople speak for themselves This has helped medevelop mentors and supporters naturally Mylearning and development has also been expandedby the opportunity to work abroad and learn moreabout intercultural communication and interaction
Marc SilversideHead of Internal CommunicationsMacmillan Cancer SupportUK
Understand whatrsquos expected of youA newly established role heightens the need formaking a good impression so that people trustyou and feel they can come to you for advice
When I joined Macmillan I very nearly got thiswrong Perhaps this is an example that otherrsquos canlearn from
When my new CEO at Macmillan CancerSupport asked for a meeting ldquoafter a few weeks tosettle inrdquo I was confident that my wide-ranginginduction would help me understand the businessand provide the basis for what Irsquod present tosenior management
Forty structured face-to-face managerinterviews allowed me to understand needs andkey issues and I started to build personal rapportMy profile was raised and at the same timeinternal communication gained good visibility
Externally I networked with contacts in similarroles in other charities and soon found thebeginnings of a voluntary-sector network This hassince grown to over 25 members
By the time my CEO slot arrived I was armedwith input from across the charity and the resultsof an audit I felt well prepared to present myvision and solutions So I was surprised to be metwith significant resistance
I later discovered that my CEO intelligence wasincorrect What he wanted was to be askedspecifically about his own views on what internalcommunication should do and what I could do for
How to get ahead in internal communication
31scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
HOW DO YOUR SKILLS MEASURE UPFor Melcrumrsquos study into budgets salaries and trends in internalcommunication in 200607 we asked survey respondents to rate their owneffectiveness at a range of key communication competencies from planning tomeasurement The results may surprise you
For example 76 percent of respondents rate themselves as effective or veryeffective at planning internal communication but only 28 percent ratethemselves as equally effective at measuring its effectiveness (see Figure Onepage 29)
In her commentary on the results development expert Sue Dewhurst hadthe following to say
OUR STRENGTHSIt seems where we see our strengths as internal communicators is towards theldquofront endrdquo of the communication planning process For example being able tolink a plan to the business strategy knowing our audiences and being able tojoin up the dots and show people how messages link to the business vision
These are powerful strengths We are one of the few functions that tends tohave an overarching view of our entire company and is able to view thecompany and its strategy from a number of different perspectives Being ableto understand the vision and strategy view it from an audience perspectiveand then create line of sight to show what those things mean in practicalterms for peoplersquos day-to-day roles is one of the ways that we help drivebusiness performance ndash by showing people what they need to do to take thestrategy forward
In turn by knowing and working with our audiences hopefully wersquore thenalso able to make sure their views and suggestions can help shape the strategyand how itrsquos put into practice
MEASURING EFFECTIVENESSWe see ourselves as less effective towards the back end of the planningprocess in measuring the effectiveness of internal communication which tiesin with the feeling from previous questions that in fact wersquore not doing muchmeasurement or demonstrating our return on investment
Research and measurement is an area where there is plenty of expertisearound to call on There are measurement conferences research reports andpublications to understand what other organizations are doing and practicaltraining that will give you the opportunity to work in a smaller group askquestions and practice techniques For help with specific techniques try yourinternal marketing team Marketers are generally great with data and well-versed in running focus groups and putting together surveys If you have anexternal provider to support your employee engagement research try them too
Source The Pulse Essential data on budgets salaries and trends 2006-07wwwmelcrumcom
him rather than how I could benefit the charity Ihad to change my approach fast
This could have cost me my best ambassadorfrom day one So my advice is make sure yoursquoreabsolutely clear about whatrsquos expected from you
Of course the insights I gained in my first fewmonths have been valuable and since then myresults have done the talking Fortunately theCEO soon became an internal communicationsconvert and advocate
Darren CrozierCommunications ManagerHBOS plcUK
Make things happenDelivery is key to career development ndash if you sayyoursquore going to do something make sure you doit Put in the effort get the results you want andbe known as someone who can make things happenIf yoursquore seen to ldquoget things donerdquo no matter howsmall the job is people are more likely to get youinvolved in activities and ask your opinion
Gaining credibility and respect from seniorcolleagues is important but everyone in yourorganization will form an opinion of you from thepeople in the canteen right through to the CEOSo try and make sure that their opinion of you is agood one
Itrsquos not just the people within your immediatesphere of influence who can have an impact onyour career so extend your network go oncourses and get involved in professionalorganizations Many of my close workingrelationships career opportunities and indeedpersonal friendships have come from meetingpeople at such events and taking the time to keepin touch You never know how things will develop
Itrsquos also vital to earn respect be trustworthy andhave good manners To recall what an ex-bossonce said ldquoBe careful how you treat people onthe way up as you never know when you maycome across them againrdquo
One of the biggest challenges Irsquove found inrecent times is recognizing my own success andselling myself Sometimes you need to take a stepback to realize just what yoursquove achieved Evenbetter keep a log or portfolio of your successesand donrsquot be shy to speak about them becauseothers wonrsquot be shy to speak about theirs
Finally try and have some fun along the wayWe all have to work for a living so learn to makethe most of it scm
1 For more about Melcrumrsquos Internal Communication Black Belttraining program go to wwwmelcrumcom
32 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pitney Bowes has followed an aggressive strategyof growth through acquisition completing 60+acquisitions since 2001 Expansion has broadenedits product mix to include an extensive range ofsolutions from office equipment to globalpositioning software
But the companyrsquos many different specialismsand huge outsourcing operations meant that themajority of its 34000 employees werenrsquot aware ofthe full range of its service offering and thepotential for different divisions to work together
As Rob Hallam vice president EmployeeCommunication explains there was a strongbusiness case for adopting a ldquoone companyrdquoapproach ldquoBecause the businesses tended to besomewhat siloed even senior managers werefocused on their divisions
ldquoAlso because we were acquiring companiesand evolving so rapidly managers werenrsquot awareof a lot of the businesses and how they all workedtogether in the mailstreamrdquo says Hallam ldquoWewere missing out on potential cross-sellingopportunitiesrdquo
Communicating a new visionFour years ago Pitney Bowes created a OneCompany Vision statement ldquoOur aim was toensure support and cooperation across thebusiness so we could provide a comprehensive setof customer solutions ndash not just a list of productsand services by business unitrdquo says Hallam Theinternal communication challenge was to drawtogether 34000 employees and build a unifiedcorporate culture The communication strategyfocused on three key elements
1 PeopleThis focused on involving the leadershipstrengthening a two-way dialogue betweenmanagement and employees communicating theculture through leadership messaging enterprise-wide events and roadshows and buildingengagement so that everyone was workingtogether towards a One Company approach
2 ProcessesThis meant integrating the One Companyapproach into the organizationrsquos operations andinfrastructure by shifting management roles andadjusting incentives and reward structuresthroughout the company
The first step was to consolidate the companyrsquosoperating activities by appointing Murray DMartin as president and chief operating officer inSeptember 2004 Martinrsquos mantra is ldquoThink AsOne Act as One Operate As One to deliverwhat no other company canrdquo
ldquoThe COO position had previously been heldby the chairman so elevating someone to that
Communicating a OneCompany culture atPitney Bowes
Following rapid growth in the form of more than 60acquisitions over six years silo-working haddeveloped at Pitney Bowes and leaders were failing
to take advantage of profitable cross-selling opportunitiesHere Rob Hallam describes the communication elementsof a ldquoOne Companyrdquo culture-change program which hasturned the situation around simultaneously improvingcustomer service and boosting profits
Persuading disparate businessunits to work together
AN INTERVIEW WITH ROB HALLAM
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Pitney Bowes is an 87-year-old company best known forthe manufacturing operationand oversight of postagemeters It has over two millioncustomers more than 3500active patents and annualrevenue of close to $6 billion
33scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
role was a big changerdquo explains Hallam ldquoAll thebusiness units now report to a single individual atoperating level It represented a huge positivemove to start the company operationalizing OneCompany behaviorrdquo
The internal communication function wasrestructured to ensure that consistent messagingreached the entire employee population Regularmeasurement was a key part of the changeinitiative This served to define the contributionof communicating a One Company approachwhere it was adding value to Pitney Bowes and itsclients and customers and where there was stillwork to do
3 TechnologyIt was important to find the best ways to cascademessages throughout the company and keeppeople informed about what was going onwithout bombarding them with irrelevantcommunication Hallam and his team deploy avariety of channels and media including internalprint and online publications voicemail and e-mail Pitney Bowes is also in the process ofintegrating its different voicemail systems and e-mail platforms into one global system
Involving senior leadership from the outsetThe One Company strategy was an overridingpolicy that started at the top of the organizationldquoThere was a big launch at the strategic leadersrsquomeeting which is held every Januaryrdquo saysHallam ldquoThe messaging was then driven throughthe organization via a companywide globalcommunication strategyrdquo
From the outset the policy was championed bythe CEO Michael Critelli who believes thatculture is central to the Pitney Bowes brand andsaid recently ldquoMy first measure of success iswhether we are behaving as one companyrdquo Thiscommitment helped to ensure that the culturalchange was reinforced by parallel changes to thecorporate infrastructure
Building a two-way dialogueThe next step was to get the employee populationinvolved and build enterprisewide enthusiasm forthe culture change Pitney Bowes has alwaysrecognized the value of a two-way dialoguebetween management and employees and hasheld annual jobholders meetings which aresimilar to shareholdersrsquo meetings for 61 years In2005 Hallam reinvented it as an initiative calledOne Forum ndash a series of roadshows focusing oncommunicating the One Company culturethroughout the organization
Launching the One ForumIn 2005 Hallam and his team created an original
and memorable One Forum launch for the 90percent of Pitney Bowes employees based in theUS Around a quarter of US employees saw thisin person the others received a link to a websitewith streaming highlights
ldquoWe put together a two-hour roadshow eventwhich helped people to understand our OneCompany approach and made them aware of allthe businesses we were inrdquo says Hallam ldquoThethinking was that high change requires high touchFace-to-face can have far greater impact on theindividuals touched From there itrsquos a matter ofripple effect such as seeing improved One Forumbrand awareness among employees who didnrsquotactually attend one of the eventsrdquo
ldquoWe wanted the roadshow to be entertainingand energizing so we used gameshow techniquescustom-written songs and comedy specificallytailored to Pitney Bowes employees It was a funevent but it also included a keynote speech fromthe CEO and a lot of question-and-answersessions with employees It was entertainmentwith a purpose and it was a great success with employeesrdquo
The post-event employee evaluations provedthe success of this approach ldquoIn some cities anincredible 90 percent of employees gave the eventa top-box rating This shows that there was ahunger for both the knowledge and theapproachrdquo adds Hallam
Taking the show on the roadThe One Forum roadshow has become an annualevent ldquoIn a five-month period during 2005 therewere 17 One Forum events in 12 US citiesreaching about 6000 peoplerdquo says Hallam ldquoAftersome testing in March and April the first bigroadshows started in early May and continued forsix months with the final one in early Decemberin Seattle 3
Rob Hallam is vice presidentEmployee Communication atPitney Bowes (PB) in StamfordConnecticut where hersquos beenresponsible for internalcommunication strategy andimplementation since 2004Hallam has led a team ofprofessionals in reshapingcommunication at PB resultedin the communication teamearning the top ranking in HRdepartment satisfaction fromall PBrsquos US managers in 2005and 2006
KEY POINTSbull Internal communication has played an important role in embedding a
One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
bull The communication strategy focused on three key elements peopleprocess and technology
bull The campaign has been championed by the CEO from the outset andhas won senior leadership support over time
bull An entertaining roadshow helped win employee commitment
bull Cross-selling ratios have jumped substantially since the culture-changeeffort began
34 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ldquoIn 2006 we compressed the programsubstantially and drove down costs while stilltouching 6000 employees Together with ourcorporate marketing group we also introduced anextremely successful lsquoelevator speechrsquo that helpsemployees answer the much-feared questionlsquoWhat does Pitney Bowes dorsquordquo
Local variationsAlthough the entertainment component in theroadshows contributed to their success it wasspecific to the US so Hallam gave business unitsand internal communicators in other regions theresponsibility for communicating the OneCompany approach to local employees ldquoInCanada and the UK they conducted town-hallmeetings and in Latin America and other parts ofthe world they produced their own variations onthe One Forum theme We made sure that theyhad the information they needed but we limitedthe entertainment to English-speaking regionsrdquo
A commitment to employee engagementThe appointment of the new COO and the launchof the One Forum roadshows coincided with thefirst employee engagement survey in late 2004ldquoWe see engagement as very much tied to ourability to execute a One Company strategy andchange our culturerdquo says Hallam He sets outfour ways in which employee engagement isinstilled at all levels in the organization
1 Visible leadership commitment to engagementThe CEO underlines his commitment by sendingregular messages to employees via a variety ofmedia including voicemail and print and onlinepublications He also uses engagement scores todetermine a unitrsquos overall performance rating andbonus pool ldquoWhen one senior execrsquos bonus poolwas reduced due to poor engagement scores that
was a message requiring no communication planrdquosays Hallam ldquoWord spread quicklyrdquo
2 Celebrating top performers Pitney Bowes celebrates its top engagementperformers by running cover stories in its globalprint and online publication PB Today ldquoThisprogram was called lsquoThe Faces of Pitney Bowesrsquordquosays Hallam ldquoWe did 10 of these last year so theyran twice in five editions Wersquove also producedlarge mural-sized photos of those managers andtheir teamsrdquo he says ldquoWe celebrate success andpublish it everywhere Our CEO loves it and wersquoreactually selling part of our contemporary artcollection which decorates the building to makeroom for an expansion of additional OneCompany and Engagement photography all ofwhich will focus on our employeesrdquo
3 Incentivizing managers via the reward systemEmployee engagement is recognized andreinforced in the companyrsquos formal processesincluding its reward system ldquoWe use a tool calledthe Strategic Architecture which is our balancedscorecardrdquo explains Hallam ldquoItrsquos a Six-Sigma toolwhich measures employee shareholder andcustomer value Managersrsquo engagement scoresalso factor into their annual reviews soengagement has a direct impact on remunerationrdquo
4 Rewarding engagementA further program called Rapid Rewards awardscash bonuses to managers and employees foroutstanding behavior including that related toemployee engagement
Aligning the communication strategyHallam and his team are responsible fordelivering the overall employee communicationstrategy ldquoWe had to dramatically improve ourstrategic approach in order to make OneCompany a realityrdquo he says
In addition to organizing campaigns such as theOne Forum roadshows to publicize the culturechange across the enterprise Hallam hasintroduced initiatives aimed at improving thereach and delivery of internal communication andmaking sure messages get to their intendedaudiences He has also aligned the structure ofthe internal communication function with thecompanyrsquos unified culture
ldquoThere were a lot of different communicationgroups so we brought together all thecommunication leaders and formed a singleInternal Communications Councilrdquo explainsHallam ldquoThis means that the communicationfunctions in the different business units areworking together to help drive change andimprove coordinationrdquo
Communicating a One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
ldquoWHEN A SENIOR EXECrsquoS BONUS WAS REDUCEDDUE TO POOR ENGAGEMENT SCORES THAT WASA MESSAGE REQUIRING NO COMMUNICATIONPLAN WORD SPREAD QUICKLYrdquo
7
FURTHER RESOURCES3 THE IMPACT OF CULTURE AND CLIMATE ON CHANGE PROGRAMS
An article published in SCM Volume 10 Issue 6 OctoberNovember 2006
3 DRIVING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE CORPORATE CULTUREMelcrumrsquos report on communication tools techniques and best practicefrom leading organizationswwwmelcrumcom
35scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Developing a global approachHallam is also responsible for a globalcommunication project called Universal Reachwhich is sponsored by the chairman and designedto support and maintain a unified corporateculture ldquoOur goal is to provide 90 percentmessage accessibility within our key customer-facing audiencesrdquo he explains ldquoThe biggestchallenge is integrating our online communicationinfrastructure which has nine different voicemailsystems operating across the world and multiplee-mail and web platforms Wersquore pulling all thattogether to provide better reachrdquo
Since 911 the CEO and other top executiveshave broadcast weekly audio messages calledPower Talks Hallamrsquos team has worked with theleadership to ensure that they incorporate OneCompany messages and as he explains they reachmost of the employee population ldquoAbout 20000of our employees have voicemail Those whodonrsquot receive the Power Talk message either inprint or online In some divisions managers playthe Power Talk messages in staff meetingsrdquo
Engaging leadership reinforces the cultureBuilding on the CEOrsquos commitment to a OneCompany approach Hallam and his team haveorganized leadership events ndash most recently at thestrategic leadersrsquo meeting in December 2006 ndashshowing Pitney Bowes as one company in actionThis campaign has helped to engage the top 150managers in the culture change
ldquoOur post-event evaluations show a strongmove numerically in senior leadershiprsquos belief thatwersquore operating as one companyrdquo says Hallam(see Figure One above) ldquoAs theyrsquore our toughestjudges wersquore pleased by the significant differencein pre- and post-event measurementrdquo There wasalso an improvement in leadersrsquo understanding ofthe companyrsquos new mailstream category
Sustaining the new cultureAccording to Hallam rippling out the OneCompany messaging requires a consistent andcoordinated approach Communication leaders inthe various divisions are now working to weaveOne Company messages into the business-unitmeetings ldquoA lot of the messaging that welaunched at the strategic leadersrsquo meeting arebeing reiterated at the business unit level Thatrsquosbeen facilitated through the InternalCommunications Councilrdquo he says
ldquoKey metrics for the culture change programfocus on cross-selling ratios which have jumpedsubstantially since the culture change effortbeganrdquo says Hallam ldquoIn 2002 we also institutedthe ldquoPB1 Awardsrdquo which is a chairmanrecognition award that goes to teams who bestembody cross-functional behavior in working on
projects which improve our clientsrsquo profitabilityour profitability or bothrdquo
ldquoHowever wersquore only really a year into thisMuch of the evidence is anecdotal but what haschanged is that our managers have broadenedtheir vision and are thinking as solutions-providers rather than product-sellers As suchtheyrsquore involving other business units out of theirdesire to eliminate customer pain points ndashregardless of which part of Pitney Bowes gets the salerdquo
Adding value to customersUltimately managers and employees who arewell-informed about the companyrsquos products andservices are in a good position to take advantageof cross-selling opportunities Realizing thispotential enables Pitney Bowes to make extrasales to existing customers thereby increasing itsprofit margins and allowing customers to benefitfrom a mix of products and services
Shifting to a unified culture directly benefitsboth Pitney Bowes and its customers ldquoByfocusing on the whole cadre of products andservices we can help our customers improve theirbusinessesrdquo says Hallam ldquoThatrsquos where OneCompany is critical It enables our clients tobenefit from all our servicesrdquo scm
Figure One Measuring the impact of the strategic leadersrsquo meeting
CONTACT DETAILS
Rob HallamPitney Bowesrobhallampbcom
I BELIEVE THAT OUR SENIOR LEADERS (MEANING THE TOP 15 EXECS) AREWORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO DELIVER INTEGRATED HIGH-VALUESOLUTIONS TO OUR CUSTOMERS
Pre SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 73
Post SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 92
Gain in two months time 19
ldquoMANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WELL-INFORMED ABOUT THE COMPANYrsquoS PRODUCTSAND SERVICES ARE IN A GOOD POSITION TOTAKE ADVANTAGE OF CROSS-SELLINGrdquo
2007
36 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
MELCRUM TRAINING amp EVENTS
CALENDAR 2007UKEUROPESOCIAL MEDIA FORUM FORINTERNAL COMMUNICATORS UK
3 21-22 March 2007 Hilton Canary WharfLondon UKThis forum is designed for practitioners who wantto make social media part of their internalcommunication strategy Over two dayscompanies such as IBM Microsoft and BT willshare case studies demonstrating their use ofsocial-media tools Technology experts will also beon hand to provide training and show you how touse these tools
THE 3RD ANNUAL EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT CONFERENCE UK
3 22-24 May 2007 Millennium GloucesterLondon UK22 May ndash Practical workshops23-24 May ndash Two-day conferenceThis event will focus on transforming yourstrategies into action Listen to case studies fromcompanies that have achieved real andmeasurable results from their engagement effortsLearn how they did it what they achieved and howthe results were measured
THE 6TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT UK
3 16-18 October 2007 London UK After the huge success of the 2006 UK StrategicCommunication Management Summit next yearrsquosevent will once again provide you withpresentations from key figures in the industry anda chance to network with your peers Mark yourdiaries now ndash more details to follow
THE 3RD ANNUAL INTERNALCOMMUNICATION MEASUREMENTCONFERENCE UK
3 27-29 November 2007 London UKDetails available soon ndash mark your diary now
NORTH AMERICATHE 3RD ANNUAL CONFERENCEON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENTBUILDING AND SUSTAINING ACULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT
3 28 February ndash 1 March 2007 Crowne PlazaAtlanta-Buckhead Atlanta USLearn how to foster an environment whereemployees feel valued and respected Hear fromcompanies including Dow Corning CorporationAmerican Express Delta Hotels and Merck
THE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT US
3 26-28 March 2007 Crowne Plaza UnionSquare San Francisco26 March ndash Pre-conference workshops27-28 March ndash Two-day summitAttend this conference and discover how toimprove employee alignment with all segments ofyour internal audience ndash from your front-lineemployees to your executive officers bothnationally and worldwide
AUSTRALIATHE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION ENGAGEMENTSUMMIT SYDNEY
3 31 July ndash 2 August 2007 Sydney Australia Details available soon ndash mark your diary now
WEBINARSDEVELOPING PROFESSIONALCOMPETENCE
3 Thursday 22 February 2007 with LiamFitzPatrick and Sue Dewhurst
HELPING YOUR ORGANIZATIONTHRIVE DURING TURBULENTTIMES
3 Thursday 29 March 2007 with Carol KinseyGoman
TRAININGTHE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT PROGRAM
3 24-25 April and 1-2 May 2007 HenleyManagement College UK3 11-12 and 27-28 September 2007 Cranfield
School of Management UK
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT MASTERCLASSEFFECTIVE MEASUREMENT
3 14-15 March 2007 Hendon Hall Hendon UKAn essential two-day intensive training courses forinternal communicators on effective measurementRegister early as places are strictly limited to 20people per Masterclass
CSR DELIVERY ENGAGEMENT amp LEADERSHIP
3 19-20 April 2007 Central LondonOsney MediaWith an excellent speaker line-up from high-profile companies including Procter amp Gamble The BodyShop ExxonMobil Microsoft Belgium Vodafone UK Dell Ericsson and Alliance Boots this case studybased event will answer questions including how do Ibull Build a CSR-oriented leadershipbull Get people on boardbull Integrate CSR with the global strategy of the companybull Deliver CSR throughout the company to make it really happen
For more information visit wwwcsrleadershipcom or e-mail mariame_lindellosneymediacouk (Reference code 910MLC3)
38 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
DESIGN
YELLOW
The future success of all organisations will be builton trust understanding passion empowermentintegrity and relationships
The future is cool exciting sparkling organisationsbursting with energy life and action
The future of brand is the internal brand first andforemost
The future is colleague as customer
Turning communications upside down
No just inside-out
Be part of the future say hello to Yellow
We help large organisations bring their communicationsstrategies to life through the imaginative use of liveevents multimedia web and design ndash distributed acrossall media platforms including DVD TV mobile devicesintranet and extranet
Ultimately developing internal brands and ongoingcommunications that have a measurable impact onpeople-performance advocacy and the bottom line
Contact Paul MiddletonTel +44 (0)161 228 6700E-mail paulmiddletonyellowcomcomWebsite wwwyellowcomcom
NEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
DESIGN
BLUE GOOSE
blue goose specialize in visual communications We make communications work faster and better We will link what wedo back to your objectives but we donrsquot talk (or charge for) ldquostrategyrdquo when you simply want tactical implementation Weuse design and creativity tobull differentiate products and services bull develop and manage corporate and brand identity bull align external communications with agreed values bull internalize corporate and brand identitybull align internal communications with agreed values bull support organizational change and bull help organizations better understand and define who they are
We work for clients as diverse as PricewaterhouseCoopers Ford Europe Centrica plc Greene King City of London Policeand Le Meacuteridien
blue goose is for any organization more interested in designing their future than watching it happen
Contact Chris BarringtonE-mail thinkingbluegoosecoukTel +44 (0)20 8869 8500Web site wwwbluegoosecouk
CONSULTANCY
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION ampSURVEYS PTY LTD
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd is aboutique consultancy based in Sydney Australia Itspecializes in employee communication strategiessystems research and employee surveys of all kindsPrincipal Rodney Gray has been involved inorganizational consulting for over 20 years following a15-year career as a corporate human resourcesexecutive Services includebull Employee communication audits and surveys by
questionnaires focus groups and interviewsbull Employee communication systems strategies and
processesbull Employee communication training workshops and
talksbull Employee culture climate and opinion surveysbull Qualitative organizational diagnosis (focus groups
and interviews)bull Internal service quality research (qualitative and
quantitative)
Contact Rodney GrayTel +61 (0)2 9909 2900 Fax +61 (0)2 9909 2911E-mail rodneyrodneygraycomauWeb site wwwemployee-communicationcomau
CONSULTANCY
HEDRON
Internal and change communication that helps teamsand individuals to develop strategies relationshipsprocesses and skills to engage stakeholders supporthigh performance and deliver change
ldquoSharp strategic thinking quality execution effectiveinterpersonallyhelliprdquo ldquoCreativity drive resourcefulnessresults great funhelliprdquo say clients
All sectors ndash ABN AMRO AXA BT Cadbury SchweppesDepartment for Constitutional Affairs HealthcareCommission Group 4 Securicor SABMiller SiemensSouthern Rail Unilever Wincanton
Our clients are happy to tell you what itrsquos like workingwith us
Contact Helena MemoryTel + 44 (0) 20 7493 0735Fax + 44 (0) 20 7493 0743E-mail helena-mhedroncomWeb site wwwhedroncom
CONSULTANCY
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
39scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
CONSULTANCY
SYNOPSIS
Founded by change and communication authority Bill Quirke in 1992 Synopsis is one of Europersquos leading internalcommunication consultancies Our clients include such companies as ABN Amro BBC BP British Airways DiageoEricsson HP Lloyds TSB Roche Shell and Vodafone
We help clients use internal communication to engage their employees in delivering business strategy and get most valuefrom their internal communication
We can help youbull Develop communication strategies that support your business strategybull Coach leadersbull Develop line managersrsquo communication skillsbull Plan and coordinate your communication with colleagues onlinebull Check the health of your communication channels and improve return on investmentbull Build and develop the communication functionbull Measure and track employee engagement attitudes and opinions
To take a tour of our online planning tool go to wwwsynopsisonlinecomproductplanningtoolasp
Contact Jane LebeauE-mail janelebeausynopsisonlinecomTel +44 (0) 20 7490 2900Web site wwwsynopsisonlinecom
CONSULTANCY
HARKNESS KENNETT
We specialize in internal communication To us thatmeansbull motivating people through inspiring leadershipbull guiding people through organizational changebull engaging people in delivering the brand
Working in partnership with our clients is central to ourethos enabling us to help deliver practical solutionssupported by solid strategic thinking All of ourconsultants have held senior positions ldquoclient siderdquo sowe know what itrsquos like to be in your shoes The vastmajority of our work comes from recommendations fromexisting clients ndash 82 percent of our clients haverequested repeat work in the last two years
Our clients include Abbey Atkins BDO Stoy HaywardThe Environment Agency Marks amp Spencer NHS Blood ampTransplant Morgan Stanley Europe Nestleacute PoliceInformation Technology Organisation Royal ampSunAlliance South West Trains and Vodafone
Our vision is simple ndash we want to be the first callyou make
Contact James HarknessTel +44 (0)1483 222730E-mail jamesharknessharknesskennettcomWeb site wwwharknesskennettcom
CONSULTANCY
TRIDENT COMMUNICATIONS
Trident Communications is uniquely positioned to definedevelop and deliver award-winning solutions that aligncommunication with business goals
We advise and partner with organizations of all sizes tocreate high-value practical applications Our talentedproject teams provide innovative research designeditorial and imagery for print and online
We connect ideas and deliver results
Contact Peter Agertoft Tel +44 (0)207 536 8900E-mail peteragertoft
tridentcommunicationsnetWeb site wwwtridentcommunicationsnet
CONSULTANCY
FLEISHMAN-HILLARD
Fleishman-Hillardrsquos dedicated internal and changecommunication practice helps businesses focus onperforming ndash not just informing
We help organisations plan and implement programmeswith the right mix of information dialogue and trainingso that employees are engaged aligned and motivatedto achieve business objectives
Because effective internal communication is vital tobottom-line performance we partner with our clients tocreate a daily dialogue ndash not a monologue ndash withemployees
Contact Nick AndrewsTel +32 (0)2 230 05 45 E-mail nickandrewsfleishmancomWeb site wwwfleishmaneuropecom
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE A listing in our Directory of Services will giveyou a chance to reach communicationprofessionals at some of the worldrsquos largestand most admired companies and to tap intodecision-making practitioners
ContactVincent SorelTel +44 (0)208 600 4670E-mail vincentsorelmelcrumcom
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
INCLUDE YOUR COMPANY BY CONTACTING US ON +44(0)20 8600 4670 OR AT INFOMELCRUMCOM
CONSULTANCY
HILL amp KNOWLTON
Better business results the bottom line
How do I manage more change Motivate managers Getthe right information to the right people Show the bestreturn on communication investment
Sound familiar Hill amp Knowltonrsquos change and internalcommunication consultants work with companies aroundthe world to find the right answers for their situation
We offer strategy insight and creativity drawing on ourconsultancy expertise and in-house experience Plus wedeliver practical hands-on help
We know that effective employee communication has adirect impact on the bottom line Working together wecan make it happen for you
Contact EMEA DavidFerrabeehillandknowltoncom
+44 (0) 7413 3176USA BarbaraEdlerhillandknowltoncom
+1 415 281-7160Canada KristaThompsonhillandknowltoncom
+1 613 786-9961
RECRUITMENT
VMA GROUP
VMA Group is one of the UKrsquos leading executive searchand selection consultancies specializing in internal andcorporate communication recruitment
For over 25 years VMA Group has provided the highestlevel of service to some of the most demanding globalorganizations developing a strong track record for thequality and professionalism of our search and selection work
We have in-depth specialist knowledge of the internalcommunication market and can provide high-qualitypermanent and interim candidates with expertise acrossinternal communication change management and widercorporate communication We understand the needs ofour clients intrinsically and strive to develop long-termrelationships with clients and candidates alike
Please call to discuss how we can help you find theideal candidate or if you wish to make a career move
Contact David BroomeTel +44 (0)20 7436 4243E-mail dbroomevmagroupcoukWeb site wwwvmagroupcouk
40 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONALCOMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS E-mail gaitensunityncsueduWeb site wwwconsultingsuccessorgTel 919 469 3895
CIB ndash BRITISH ASSOCIATION OFCOMMUNICATORS IN BUSINESSE-mail enquiriescibukcomWeb site wwwcibukcomTel +44 (0)870 121 7606
CCM ndash COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATIONMANAGEMENT E-mail membership
ccmconnectioncomWeb site wwwccmconnectioncomTel 866 463 4226
CPRS ndash THE CANADIAN PUBLICRELATIONS SOCIETYE-mail admincprscaWeb site wwwcprscaTel 416 239 7034
IABC ndash THE INTERNATIONALASSOCIATION OF BUSINESSCOMMUNICATORS E-mail service_centreiabccomWeb site wwwiabccomTel 415 544 4700
ICA ndash THE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONALLIANCE E-mail amandafoistericaukorgWeb site wwwiprorgukicaTel +44 (0)1628 642 044
CIPR ndash THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OFPUBLIC RELATIONS UKE-mail infoiprorgukWeb site wwwiprorgukTel +44 (0)20 7253 5151
IPRA ndash THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICRELATIONS ASSOCIATIONE-mail ipraseccompuservecomWeb site wwwipraorgTel +44 (0) 1372 461 188
PRSA ndash PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OFAMERICAE-mail resourcesprsaorgWeb site wwwprsaorgTel 212 460 1459
DIRECTORY OF SERVICESNEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
CONSULTANCY
30 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
WHATrsquoS CHANGED IN THE LAST 25 YEARS
David MoorcroftSenior Vice PresidentCorporate CommunicationsRBC Financial Group Canada
Irsquom constantly amazed at the changes that have taken place in our professionover the last 25 years and the degree of talent and knowledge required bycommunicators today to do their jobs well
Back in 1979 when I started in corporate PR the major skill sets werewriting editing and great media contacts Today good editorial skills are justtable stakes and the ability to understand business adapt technology thinkstrategically plan consummately and influence stakeholders are what landsenior communicators a seat at the management table
This change has been driven by the globalization of business the advent ofnew 247 media including the Internet the growing sophistication ofcustomers and employees increased demands for corporate transparency andmore rigorous requirements for high standards of public disclosure andfinancial reporting
MORE SKILLS THAN EVER BEFOREAs a result todayrsquos business communicator has to be more capable andknowledgeable and have more skills than ever before They must befinancially literate and technologically savvy They must understand the impactof evolving accounting and disclosure rules They must deal with legal HRpolitical and business issues And they must be prepared to deal with amultitude of potential crises that can arise at any moment in any language inany part of the world
Perhaps most challenging senior management today expects clear bottom-line returns for their investments in communication Itrsquos no longer enough toinform audiences and measure communication outputs CEOs expectcommunication to engage audiences and produce outcomes ndash something thatrequires strategic thinking planning and foresight
A friend of mine who left a senior corporate PR job to become COO of amajor public utility recently summed up the role of todayrsquos communicator thisway ldquoItrsquos one of the most important and critical roles in organizations todayand yet itrsquos often one of the least recognized and appreciatedrdquo
That sentiment may be a reality in some organizations today but with moreand more CEOs beginning to realize the bottom-line value of communication itwonrsquot be 25 years from now
Christina FeeSenior Vice President InternalCommunicationsDeutsche Post AGGermany
Seek out the important projectsI canrsquot pretend to have employed a specificapproach to my ldquopersonal PRrdquo at all But in theorganizations Irsquove worked for Irsquove had theopportunity to work on a number of excitinghigh-profile projects that have connected me withsenior stakeholders and influential people atdifferent levels
7
Irsquove learned a great deal from the project teamsIrsquove worked with and also due to the significanceand scope of the projects been able todemonstrate my worth approach and skills Irsquovehad to be passionate stand up for what I believein and think outside the box constantly
My roles within DHLDeutsche Post haveallowed me the freedom and flexibility to developand deliver new ideas but Irsquove also had to practiceand embody excellent internal communicationskills myself Having developed credibility and trustwith those that matter based on my track record Iwas allowed to go ahead with other projects
I donrsquot actively pursue the ldquoright relationshipsrdquobut rather let my work and my interactions withpeople speak for themselves This has helped medevelop mentors and supporters naturally Mylearning and development has also been expandedby the opportunity to work abroad and learn moreabout intercultural communication and interaction
Marc SilversideHead of Internal CommunicationsMacmillan Cancer SupportUK
Understand whatrsquos expected of youA newly established role heightens the need formaking a good impression so that people trustyou and feel they can come to you for advice
When I joined Macmillan I very nearly got thiswrong Perhaps this is an example that otherrsquos canlearn from
When my new CEO at Macmillan CancerSupport asked for a meeting ldquoafter a few weeks tosettle inrdquo I was confident that my wide-ranginginduction would help me understand the businessand provide the basis for what Irsquod present tosenior management
Forty structured face-to-face managerinterviews allowed me to understand needs andkey issues and I started to build personal rapportMy profile was raised and at the same timeinternal communication gained good visibility
Externally I networked with contacts in similarroles in other charities and soon found thebeginnings of a voluntary-sector network This hassince grown to over 25 members
By the time my CEO slot arrived I was armedwith input from across the charity and the resultsof an audit I felt well prepared to present myvision and solutions So I was surprised to be metwith significant resistance
I later discovered that my CEO intelligence wasincorrect What he wanted was to be askedspecifically about his own views on what internalcommunication should do and what I could do for
How to get ahead in internal communication
31scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
HOW DO YOUR SKILLS MEASURE UPFor Melcrumrsquos study into budgets salaries and trends in internalcommunication in 200607 we asked survey respondents to rate their owneffectiveness at a range of key communication competencies from planning tomeasurement The results may surprise you
For example 76 percent of respondents rate themselves as effective or veryeffective at planning internal communication but only 28 percent ratethemselves as equally effective at measuring its effectiveness (see Figure Onepage 29)
In her commentary on the results development expert Sue Dewhurst hadthe following to say
OUR STRENGTHSIt seems where we see our strengths as internal communicators is towards theldquofront endrdquo of the communication planning process For example being able tolink a plan to the business strategy knowing our audiences and being able tojoin up the dots and show people how messages link to the business vision
These are powerful strengths We are one of the few functions that tends tohave an overarching view of our entire company and is able to view thecompany and its strategy from a number of different perspectives Being ableto understand the vision and strategy view it from an audience perspectiveand then create line of sight to show what those things mean in practicalterms for peoplersquos day-to-day roles is one of the ways that we help drivebusiness performance ndash by showing people what they need to do to take thestrategy forward
In turn by knowing and working with our audiences hopefully wersquore thenalso able to make sure their views and suggestions can help shape the strategyand how itrsquos put into practice
MEASURING EFFECTIVENESSWe see ourselves as less effective towards the back end of the planningprocess in measuring the effectiveness of internal communication which tiesin with the feeling from previous questions that in fact wersquore not doing muchmeasurement or demonstrating our return on investment
Research and measurement is an area where there is plenty of expertisearound to call on There are measurement conferences research reports andpublications to understand what other organizations are doing and practicaltraining that will give you the opportunity to work in a smaller group askquestions and practice techniques For help with specific techniques try yourinternal marketing team Marketers are generally great with data and well-versed in running focus groups and putting together surveys If you have anexternal provider to support your employee engagement research try them too
Source The Pulse Essential data on budgets salaries and trends 2006-07wwwmelcrumcom
him rather than how I could benefit the charity Ihad to change my approach fast
This could have cost me my best ambassadorfrom day one So my advice is make sure yoursquoreabsolutely clear about whatrsquos expected from you
Of course the insights I gained in my first fewmonths have been valuable and since then myresults have done the talking Fortunately theCEO soon became an internal communicationsconvert and advocate
Darren CrozierCommunications ManagerHBOS plcUK
Make things happenDelivery is key to career development ndash if you sayyoursquore going to do something make sure you doit Put in the effort get the results you want andbe known as someone who can make things happenIf yoursquore seen to ldquoget things donerdquo no matter howsmall the job is people are more likely to get youinvolved in activities and ask your opinion
Gaining credibility and respect from seniorcolleagues is important but everyone in yourorganization will form an opinion of you from thepeople in the canteen right through to the CEOSo try and make sure that their opinion of you is agood one
Itrsquos not just the people within your immediatesphere of influence who can have an impact onyour career so extend your network go oncourses and get involved in professionalorganizations Many of my close workingrelationships career opportunities and indeedpersonal friendships have come from meetingpeople at such events and taking the time to keepin touch You never know how things will develop
Itrsquos also vital to earn respect be trustworthy andhave good manners To recall what an ex-bossonce said ldquoBe careful how you treat people onthe way up as you never know when you maycome across them againrdquo
One of the biggest challenges Irsquove found inrecent times is recognizing my own success andselling myself Sometimes you need to take a stepback to realize just what yoursquove achieved Evenbetter keep a log or portfolio of your successesand donrsquot be shy to speak about them becauseothers wonrsquot be shy to speak about theirs
Finally try and have some fun along the wayWe all have to work for a living so learn to makethe most of it scm
1 For more about Melcrumrsquos Internal Communication Black Belttraining program go to wwwmelcrumcom
32 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pitney Bowes has followed an aggressive strategyof growth through acquisition completing 60+acquisitions since 2001 Expansion has broadenedits product mix to include an extensive range ofsolutions from office equipment to globalpositioning software
But the companyrsquos many different specialismsand huge outsourcing operations meant that themajority of its 34000 employees werenrsquot aware ofthe full range of its service offering and thepotential for different divisions to work together
As Rob Hallam vice president EmployeeCommunication explains there was a strongbusiness case for adopting a ldquoone companyrdquoapproach ldquoBecause the businesses tended to besomewhat siloed even senior managers werefocused on their divisions
ldquoAlso because we were acquiring companiesand evolving so rapidly managers werenrsquot awareof a lot of the businesses and how they all workedtogether in the mailstreamrdquo says Hallam ldquoWewere missing out on potential cross-sellingopportunitiesrdquo
Communicating a new visionFour years ago Pitney Bowes created a OneCompany Vision statement ldquoOur aim was toensure support and cooperation across thebusiness so we could provide a comprehensive setof customer solutions ndash not just a list of productsand services by business unitrdquo says Hallam Theinternal communication challenge was to drawtogether 34000 employees and build a unifiedcorporate culture The communication strategyfocused on three key elements
1 PeopleThis focused on involving the leadershipstrengthening a two-way dialogue betweenmanagement and employees communicating theculture through leadership messaging enterprise-wide events and roadshows and buildingengagement so that everyone was workingtogether towards a One Company approach
2 ProcessesThis meant integrating the One Companyapproach into the organizationrsquos operations andinfrastructure by shifting management roles andadjusting incentives and reward structuresthroughout the company
The first step was to consolidate the companyrsquosoperating activities by appointing Murray DMartin as president and chief operating officer inSeptember 2004 Martinrsquos mantra is ldquoThink AsOne Act as One Operate As One to deliverwhat no other company canrdquo
ldquoThe COO position had previously been heldby the chairman so elevating someone to that
Communicating a OneCompany culture atPitney Bowes
Following rapid growth in the form of more than 60acquisitions over six years silo-working haddeveloped at Pitney Bowes and leaders were failing
to take advantage of profitable cross-selling opportunitiesHere Rob Hallam describes the communication elementsof a ldquoOne Companyrdquo culture-change program which hasturned the situation around simultaneously improvingcustomer service and boosting profits
Persuading disparate businessunits to work together
AN INTERVIEW WITH ROB HALLAM
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Pitney Bowes is an 87-year-old company best known forthe manufacturing operationand oversight of postagemeters It has over two millioncustomers more than 3500active patents and annualrevenue of close to $6 billion
33scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
role was a big changerdquo explains Hallam ldquoAll thebusiness units now report to a single individual atoperating level It represented a huge positivemove to start the company operationalizing OneCompany behaviorrdquo
The internal communication function wasrestructured to ensure that consistent messagingreached the entire employee population Regularmeasurement was a key part of the changeinitiative This served to define the contributionof communicating a One Company approachwhere it was adding value to Pitney Bowes and itsclients and customers and where there was stillwork to do
3 TechnologyIt was important to find the best ways to cascademessages throughout the company and keeppeople informed about what was going onwithout bombarding them with irrelevantcommunication Hallam and his team deploy avariety of channels and media including internalprint and online publications voicemail and e-mail Pitney Bowes is also in the process ofintegrating its different voicemail systems and e-mail platforms into one global system
Involving senior leadership from the outsetThe One Company strategy was an overridingpolicy that started at the top of the organizationldquoThere was a big launch at the strategic leadersrsquomeeting which is held every Januaryrdquo saysHallam ldquoThe messaging was then driven throughthe organization via a companywide globalcommunication strategyrdquo
From the outset the policy was championed bythe CEO Michael Critelli who believes thatculture is central to the Pitney Bowes brand andsaid recently ldquoMy first measure of success iswhether we are behaving as one companyrdquo Thiscommitment helped to ensure that the culturalchange was reinforced by parallel changes to thecorporate infrastructure
Building a two-way dialogueThe next step was to get the employee populationinvolved and build enterprisewide enthusiasm forthe culture change Pitney Bowes has alwaysrecognized the value of a two-way dialoguebetween management and employees and hasheld annual jobholders meetings which aresimilar to shareholdersrsquo meetings for 61 years In2005 Hallam reinvented it as an initiative calledOne Forum ndash a series of roadshows focusing oncommunicating the One Company culturethroughout the organization
Launching the One ForumIn 2005 Hallam and his team created an original
and memorable One Forum launch for the 90percent of Pitney Bowes employees based in theUS Around a quarter of US employees saw thisin person the others received a link to a websitewith streaming highlights
ldquoWe put together a two-hour roadshow eventwhich helped people to understand our OneCompany approach and made them aware of allthe businesses we were inrdquo says Hallam ldquoThethinking was that high change requires high touchFace-to-face can have far greater impact on theindividuals touched From there itrsquos a matter ofripple effect such as seeing improved One Forumbrand awareness among employees who didnrsquotactually attend one of the eventsrdquo
ldquoWe wanted the roadshow to be entertainingand energizing so we used gameshow techniquescustom-written songs and comedy specificallytailored to Pitney Bowes employees It was a funevent but it also included a keynote speech fromthe CEO and a lot of question-and-answersessions with employees It was entertainmentwith a purpose and it was a great success with employeesrdquo
The post-event employee evaluations provedthe success of this approach ldquoIn some cities anincredible 90 percent of employees gave the eventa top-box rating This shows that there was ahunger for both the knowledge and theapproachrdquo adds Hallam
Taking the show on the roadThe One Forum roadshow has become an annualevent ldquoIn a five-month period during 2005 therewere 17 One Forum events in 12 US citiesreaching about 6000 peoplerdquo says Hallam ldquoAftersome testing in March and April the first bigroadshows started in early May and continued forsix months with the final one in early Decemberin Seattle 3
Rob Hallam is vice presidentEmployee Communication atPitney Bowes (PB) in StamfordConnecticut where hersquos beenresponsible for internalcommunication strategy andimplementation since 2004Hallam has led a team ofprofessionals in reshapingcommunication at PB resultedin the communication teamearning the top ranking in HRdepartment satisfaction fromall PBrsquos US managers in 2005and 2006
KEY POINTSbull Internal communication has played an important role in embedding a
One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
bull The communication strategy focused on three key elements peopleprocess and technology
bull The campaign has been championed by the CEO from the outset andhas won senior leadership support over time
bull An entertaining roadshow helped win employee commitment
bull Cross-selling ratios have jumped substantially since the culture-changeeffort began
34 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ldquoIn 2006 we compressed the programsubstantially and drove down costs while stilltouching 6000 employees Together with ourcorporate marketing group we also introduced anextremely successful lsquoelevator speechrsquo that helpsemployees answer the much-feared questionlsquoWhat does Pitney Bowes dorsquordquo
Local variationsAlthough the entertainment component in theroadshows contributed to their success it wasspecific to the US so Hallam gave business unitsand internal communicators in other regions theresponsibility for communicating the OneCompany approach to local employees ldquoInCanada and the UK they conducted town-hallmeetings and in Latin America and other parts ofthe world they produced their own variations onthe One Forum theme We made sure that theyhad the information they needed but we limitedthe entertainment to English-speaking regionsrdquo
A commitment to employee engagementThe appointment of the new COO and the launchof the One Forum roadshows coincided with thefirst employee engagement survey in late 2004ldquoWe see engagement as very much tied to ourability to execute a One Company strategy andchange our culturerdquo says Hallam He sets outfour ways in which employee engagement isinstilled at all levels in the organization
1 Visible leadership commitment to engagementThe CEO underlines his commitment by sendingregular messages to employees via a variety ofmedia including voicemail and print and onlinepublications He also uses engagement scores todetermine a unitrsquos overall performance rating andbonus pool ldquoWhen one senior execrsquos bonus poolwas reduced due to poor engagement scores that
was a message requiring no communication planrdquosays Hallam ldquoWord spread quicklyrdquo
2 Celebrating top performers Pitney Bowes celebrates its top engagementperformers by running cover stories in its globalprint and online publication PB Today ldquoThisprogram was called lsquoThe Faces of Pitney Bowesrsquordquosays Hallam ldquoWe did 10 of these last year so theyran twice in five editions Wersquove also producedlarge mural-sized photos of those managers andtheir teamsrdquo he says ldquoWe celebrate success andpublish it everywhere Our CEO loves it and wersquoreactually selling part of our contemporary artcollection which decorates the building to makeroom for an expansion of additional OneCompany and Engagement photography all ofwhich will focus on our employeesrdquo
3 Incentivizing managers via the reward systemEmployee engagement is recognized andreinforced in the companyrsquos formal processesincluding its reward system ldquoWe use a tool calledthe Strategic Architecture which is our balancedscorecardrdquo explains Hallam ldquoItrsquos a Six-Sigma toolwhich measures employee shareholder andcustomer value Managersrsquo engagement scoresalso factor into their annual reviews soengagement has a direct impact on remunerationrdquo
4 Rewarding engagementA further program called Rapid Rewards awardscash bonuses to managers and employees foroutstanding behavior including that related toemployee engagement
Aligning the communication strategyHallam and his team are responsible fordelivering the overall employee communicationstrategy ldquoWe had to dramatically improve ourstrategic approach in order to make OneCompany a realityrdquo he says
In addition to organizing campaigns such as theOne Forum roadshows to publicize the culturechange across the enterprise Hallam hasintroduced initiatives aimed at improving thereach and delivery of internal communication andmaking sure messages get to their intendedaudiences He has also aligned the structure ofthe internal communication function with thecompanyrsquos unified culture
ldquoThere were a lot of different communicationgroups so we brought together all thecommunication leaders and formed a singleInternal Communications Councilrdquo explainsHallam ldquoThis means that the communicationfunctions in the different business units areworking together to help drive change andimprove coordinationrdquo
Communicating a One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
ldquoWHEN A SENIOR EXECrsquoS BONUS WAS REDUCEDDUE TO POOR ENGAGEMENT SCORES THAT WASA MESSAGE REQUIRING NO COMMUNICATIONPLAN WORD SPREAD QUICKLYrdquo
7
FURTHER RESOURCES3 THE IMPACT OF CULTURE AND CLIMATE ON CHANGE PROGRAMS
An article published in SCM Volume 10 Issue 6 OctoberNovember 2006
3 DRIVING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE CORPORATE CULTUREMelcrumrsquos report on communication tools techniques and best practicefrom leading organizationswwwmelcrumcom
35scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Developing a global approachHallam is also responsible for a globalcommunication project called Universal Reachwhich is sponsored by the chairman and designedto support and maintain a unified corporateculture ldquoOur goal is to provide 90 percentmessage accessibility within our key customer-facing audiencesrdquo he explains ldquoThe biggestchallenge is integrating our online communicationinfrastructure which has nine different voicemailsystems operating across the world and multiplee-mail and web platforms Wersquore pulling all thattogether to provide better reachrdquo
Since 911 the CEO and other top executiveshave broadcast weekly audio messages calledPower Talks Hallamrsquos team has worked with theleadership to ensure that they incorporate OneCompany messages and as he explains they reachmost of the employee population ldquoAbout 20000of our employees have voicemail Those whodonrsquot receive the Power Talk message either inprint or online In some divisions managers playthe Power Talk messages in staff meetingsrdquo
Engaging leadership reinforces the cultureBuilding on the CEOrsquos commitment to a OneCompany approach Hallam and his team haveorganized leadership events ndash most recently at thestrategic leadersrsquo meeting in December 2006 ndashshowing Pitney Bowes as one company in actionThis campaign has helped to engage the top 150managers in the culture change
ldquoOur post-event evaluations show a strongmove numerically in senior leadershiprsquos belief thatwersquore operating as one companyrdquo says Hallam(see Figure One above) ldquoAs theyrsquore our toughestjudges wersquore pleased by the significant differencein pre- and post-event measurementrdquo There wasalso an improvement in leadersrsquo understanding ofthe companyrsquos new mailstream category
Sustaining the new cultureAccording to Hallam rippling out the OneCompany messaging requires a consistent andcoordinated approach Communication leaders inthe various divisions are now working to weaveOne Company messages into the business-unitmeetings ldquoA lot of the messaging that welaunched at the strategic leadersrsquo meeting arebeing reiterated at the business unit level Thatrsquosbeen facilitated through the InternalCommunications Councilrdquo he says
ldquoKey metrics for the culture change programfocus on cross-selling ratios which have jumpedsubstantially since the culture change effortbeganrdquo says Hallam ldquoIn 2002 we also institutedthe ldquoPB1 Awardsrdquo which is a chairmanrecognition award that goes to teams who bestembody cross-functional behavior in working on
projects which improve our clientsrsquo profitabilityour profitability or bothrdquo
ldquoHowever wersquore only really a year into thisMuch of the evidence is anecdotal but what haschanged is that our managers have broadenedtheir vision and are thinking as solutions-providers rather than product-sellers As suchtheyrsquore involving other business units out of theirdesire to eliminate customer pain points ndashregardless of which part of Pitney Bowes gets the salerdquo
Adding value to customersUltimately managers and employees who arewell-informed about the companyrsquos products andservices are in a good position to take advantageof cross-selling opportunities Realizing thispotential enables Pitney Bowes to make extrasales to existing customers thereby increasing itsprofit margins and allowing customers to benefitfrom a mix of products and services
Shifting to a unified culture directly benefitsboth Pitney Bowes and its customers ldquoByfocusing on the whole cadre of products andservices we can help our customers improve theirbusinessesrdquo says Hallam ldquoThatrsquos where OneCompany is critical It enables our clients tobenefit from all our servicesrdquo scm
Figure One Measuring the impact of the strategic leadersrsquo meeting
CONTACT DETAILS
Rob HallamPitney Bowesrobhallampbcom
I BELIEVE THAT OUR SENIOR LEADERS (MEANING THE TOP 15 EXECS) AREWORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO DELIVER INTEGRATED HIGH-VALUESOLUTIONS TO OUR CUSTOMERS
Pre SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 73
Post SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 92
Gain in two months time 19
ldquoMANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WELL-INFORMED ABOUT THE COMPANYrsquoS PRODUCTSAND SERVICES ARE IN A GOOD POSITION TOTAKE ADVANTAGE OF CROSS-SELLINGrdquo
2007
36 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
MELCRUM TRAINING amp EVENTS
CALENDAR 2007UKEUROPESOCIAL MEDIA FORUM FORINTERNAL COMMUNICATORS UK
3 21-22 March 2007 Hilton Canary WharfLondon UKThis forum is designed for practitioners who wantto make social media part of their internalcommunication strategy Over two dayscompanies such as IBM Microsoft and BT willshare case studies demonstrating their use ofsocial-media tools Technology experts will also beon hand to provide training and show you how touse these tools
THE 3RD ANNUAL EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT CONFERENCE UK
3 22-24 May 2007 Millennium GloucesterLondon UK22 May ndash Practical workshops23-24 May ndash Two-day conferenceThis event will focus on transforming yourstrategies into action Listen to case studies fromcompanies that have achieved real andmeasurable results from their engagement effortsLearn how they did it what they achieved and howthe results were measured
THE 6TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT UK
3 16-18 October 2007 London UK After the huge success of the 2006 UK StrategicCommunication Management Summit next yearrsquosevent will once again provide you withpresentations from key figures in the industry anda chance to network with your peers Mark yourdiaries now ndash more details to follow
THE 3RD ANNUAL INTERNALCOMMUNICATION MEASUREMENTCONFERENCE UK
3 27-29 November 2007 London UKDetails available soon ndash mark your diary now
NORTH AMERICATHE 3RD ANNUAL CONFERENCEON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENTBUILDING AND SUSTAINING ACULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT
3 28 February ndash 1 March 2007 Crowne PlazaAtlanta-Buckhead Atlanta USLearn how to foster an environment whereemployees feel valued and respected Hear fromcompanies including Dow Corning CorporationAmerican Express Delta Hotels and Merck
THE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT US
3 26-28 March 2007 Crowne Plaza UnionSquare San Francisco26 March ndash Pre-conference workshops27-28 March ndash Two-day summitAttend this conference and discover how toimprove employee alignment with all segments ofyour internal audience ndash from your front-lineemployees to your executive officers bothnationally and worldwide
AUSTRALIATHE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION ENGAGEMENTSUMMIT SYDNEY
3 31 July ndash 2 August 2007 Sydney Australia Details available soon ndash mark your diary now
WEBINARSDEVELOPING PROFESSIONALCOMPETENCE
3 Thursday 22 February 2007 with LiamFitzPatrick and Sue Dewhurst
HELPING YOUR ORGANIZATIONTHRIVE DURING TURBULENTTIMES
3 Thursday 29 March 2007 with Carol KinseyGoman
TRAININGTHE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT PROGRAM
3 24-25 April and 1-2 May 2007 HenleyManagement College UK3 11-12 and 27-28 September 2007 Cranfield
School of Management UK
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT MASTERCLASSEFFECTIVE MEASUREMENT
3 14-15 March 2007 Hendon Hall Hendon UKAn essential two-day intensive training courses forinternal communicators on effective measurementRegister early as places are strictly limited to 20people per Masterclass
CSR DELIVERY ENGAGEMENT amp LEADERSHIP
3 19-20 April 2007 Central LondonOsney MediaWith an excellent speaker line-up from high-profile companies including Procter amp Gamble The BodyShop ExxonMobil Microsoft Belgium Vodafone UK Dell Ericsson and Alliance Boots this case studybased event will answer questions including how do Ibull Build a CSR-oriented leadershipbull Get people on boardbull Integrate CSR with the global strategy of the companybull Deliver CSR throughout the company to make it really happen
For more information visit wwwcsrleadershipcom or e-mail mariame_lindellosneymediacouk (Reference code 910MLC3)
38 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
DESIGN
YELLOW
The future success of all organisations will be builton trust understanding passion empowermentintegrity and relationships
The future is cool exciting sparkling organisationsbursting with energy life and action
The future of brand is the internal brand first andforemost
The future is colleague as customer
Turning communications upside down
No just inside-out
Be part of the future say hello to Yellow
We help large organisations bring their communicationsstrategies to life through the imaginative use of liveevents multimedia web and design ndash distributed acrossall media platforms including DVD TV mobile devicesintranet and extranet
Ultimately developing internal brands and ongoingcommunications that have a measurable impact onpeople-performance advocacy and the bottom line
Contact Paul MiddletonTel +44 (0)161 228 6700E-mail paulmiddletonyellowcomcomWebsite wwwyellowcomcom
NEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
DESIGN
BLUE GOOSE
blue goose specialize in visual communications We make communications work faster and better We will link what wedo back to your objectives but we donrsquot talk (or charge for) ldquostrategyrdquo when you simply want tactical implementation Weuse design and creativity tobull differentiate products and services bull develop and manage corporate and brand identity bull align external communications with agreed values bull internalize corporate and brand identitybull align internal communications with agreed values bull support organizational change and bull help organizations better understand and define who they are
We work for clients as diverse as PricewaterhouseCoopers Ford Europe Centrica plc Greene King City of London Policeand Le Meacuteridien
blue goose is for any organization more interested in designing their future than watching it happen
Contact Chris BarringtonE-mail thinkingbluegoosecoukTel +44 (0)20 8869 8500Web site wwwbluegoosecouk
CONSULTANCY
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION ampSURVEYS PTY LTD
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd is aboutique consultancy based in Sydney Australia Itspecializes in employee communication strategiessystems research and employee surveys of all kindsPrincipal Rodney Gray has been involved inorganizational consulting for over 20 years following a15-year career as a corporate human resourcesexecutive Services includebull Employee communication audits and surveys by
questionnaires focus groups and interviewsbull Employee communication systems strategies and
processesbull Employee communication training workshops and
talksbull Employee culture climate and opinion surveysbull Qualitative organizational diagnosis (focus groups
and interviews)bull Internal service quality research (qualitative and
quantitative)
Contact Rodney GrayTel +61 (0)2 9909 2900 Fax +61 (0)2 9909 2911E-mail rodneyrodneygraycomauWeb site wwwemployee-communicationcomau
CONSULTANCY
HEDRON
Internal and change communication that helps teamsand individuals to develop strategies relationshipsprocesses and skills to engage stakeholders supporthigh performance and deliver change
ldquoSharp strategic thinking quality execution effectiveinterpersonallyhelliprdquo ldquoCreativity drive resourcefulnessresults great funhelliprdquo say clients
All sectors ndash ABN AMRO AXA BT Cadbury SchweppesDepartment for Constitutional Affairs HealthcareCommission Group 4 Securicor SABMiller SiemensSouthern Rail Unilever Wincanton
Our clients are happy to tell you what itrsquos like workingwith us
Contact Helena MemoryTel + 44 (0) 20 7493 0735Fax + 44 (0) 20 7493 0743E-mail helena-mhedroncomWeb site wwwhedroncom
CONSULTANCY
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
39scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
CONSULTANCY
SYNOPSIS
Founded by change and communication authority Bill Quirke in 1992 Synopsis is one of Europersquos leading internalcommunication consultancies Our clients include such companies as ABN Amro BBC BP British Airways DiageoEricsson HP Lloyds TSB Roche Shell and Vodafone
We help clients use internal communication to engage their employees in delivering business strategy and get most valuefrom their internal communication
We can help youbull Develop communication strategies that support your business strategybull Coach leadersbull Develop line managersrsquo communication skillsbull Plan and coordinate your communication with colleagues onlinebull Check the health of your communication channels and improve return on investmentbull Build and develop the communication functionbull Measure and track employee engagement attitudes and opinions
To take a tour of our online planning tool go to wwwsynopsisonlinecomproductplanningtoolasp
Contact Jane LebeauE-mail janelebeausynopsisonlinecomTel +44 (0) 20 7490 2900Web site wwwsynopsisonlinecom
CONSULTANCY
HARKNESS KENNETT
We specialize in internal communication To us thatmeansbull motivating people through inspiring leadershipbull guiding people through organizational changebull engaging people in delivering the brand
Working in partnership with our clients is central to ourethos enabling us to help deliver practical solutionssupported by solid strategic thinking All of ourconsultants have held senior positions ldquoclient siderdquo sowe know what itrsquos like to be in your shoes The vastmajority of our work comes from recommendations fromexisting clients ndash 82 percent of our clients haverequested repeat work in the last two years
Our clients include Abbey Atkins BDO Stoy HaywardThe Environment Agency Marks amp Spencer NHS Blood ampTransplant Morgan Stanley Europe Nestleacute PoliceInformation Technology Organisation Royal ampSunAlliance South West Trains and Vodafone
Our vision is simple ndash we want to be the first callyou make
Contact James HarknessTel +44 (0)1483 222730E-mail jamesharknessharknesskennettcomWeb site wwwharknesskennettcom
CONSULTANCY
TRIDENT COMMUNICATIONS
Trident Communications is uniquely positioned to definedevelop and deliver award-winning solutions that aligncommunication with business goals
We advise and partner with organizations of all sizes tocreate high-value practical applications Our talentedproject teams provide innovative research designeditorial and imagery for print and online
We connect ideas and deliver results
Contact Peter Agertoft Tel +44 (0)207 536 8900E-mail peteragertoft
tridentcommunicationsnetWeb site wwwtridentcommunicationsnet
CONSULTANCY
FLEISHMAN-HILLARD
Fleishman-Hillardrsquos dedicated internal and changecommunication practice helps businesses focus onperforming ndash not just informing
We help organisations plan and implement programmeswith the right mix of information dialogue and trainingso that employees are engaged aligned and motivatedto achieve business objectives
Because effective internal communication is vital tobottom-line performance we partner with our clients tocreate a daily dialogue ndash not a monologue ndash withemployees
Contact Nick AndrewsTel +32 (0)2 230 05 45 E-mail nickandrewsfleishmancomWeb site wwwfleishmaneuropecom
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE A listing in our Directory of Services will giveyou a chance to reach communicationprofessionals at some of the worldrsquos largestand most admired companies and to tap intodecision-making practitioners
ContactVincent SorelTel +44 (0)208 600 4670E-mail vincentsorelmelcrumcom
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
INCLUDE YOUR COMPANY BY CONTACTING US ON +44(0)20 8600 4670 OR AT INFOMELCRUMCOM
CONSULTANCY
HILL amp KNOWLTON
Better business results the bottom line
How do I manage more change Motivate managers Getthe right information to the right people Show the bestreturn on communication investment
Sound familiar Hill amp Knowltonrsquos change and internalcommunication consultants work with companies aroundthe world to find the right answers for their situation
We offer strategy insight and creativity drawing on ourconsultancy expertise and in-house experience Plus wedeliver practical hands-on help
We know that effective employee communication has adirect impact on the bottom line Working together wecan make it happen for you
Contact EMEA DavidFerrabeehillandknowltoncom
+44 (0) 7413 3176USA BarbaraEdlerhillandknowltoncom
+1 415 281-7160Canada KristaThompsonhillandknowltoncom
+1 613 786-9961
RECRUITMENT
VMA GROUP
VMA Group is one of the UKrsquos leading executive searchand selection consultancies specializing in internal andcorporate communication recruitment
For over 25 years VMA Group has provided the highestlevel of service to some of the most demanding globalorganizations developing a strong track record for thequality and professionalism of our search and selection work
We have in-depth specialist knowledge of the internalcommunication market and can provide high-qualitypermanent and interim candidates with expertise acrossinternal communication change management and widercorporate communication We understand the needs ofour clients intrinsically and strive to develop long-termrelationships with clients and candidates alike
Please call to discuss how we can help you find theideal candidate or if you wish to make a career move
Contact David BroomeTel +44 (0)20 7436 4243E-mail dbroomevmagroupcoukWeb site wwwvmagroupcouk
40 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONALCOMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS E-mail gaitensunityncsueduWeb site wwwconsultingsuccessorgTel 919 469 3895
CIB ndash BRITISH ASSOCIATION OFCOMMUNICATORS IN BUSINESSE-mail enquiriescibukcomWeb site wwwcibukcomTel +44 (0)870 121 7606
CCM ndash COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATIONMANAGEMENT E-mail membership
ccmconnectioncomWeb site wwwccmconnectioncomTel 866 463 4226
CPRS ndash THE CANADIAN PUBLICRELATIONS SOCIETYE-mail admincprscaWeb site wwwcprscaTel 416 239 7034
IABC ndash THE INTERNATIONALASSOCIATION OF BUSINESSCOMMUNICATORS E-mail service_centreiabccomWeb site wwwiabccomTel 415 544 4700
ICA ndash THE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONALLIANCE E-mail amandafoistericaukorgWeb site wwwiprorgukicaTel +44 (0)1628 642 044
CIPR ndash THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OFPUBLIC RELATIONS UKE-mail infoiprorgukWeb site wwwiprorgukTel +44 (0)20 7253 5151
IPRA ndash THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICRELATIONS ASSOCIATIONE-mail ipraseccompuservecomWeb site wwwipraorgTel +44 (0) 1372 461 188
PRSA ndash PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OFAMERICAE-mail resourcesprsaorgWeb site wwwprsaorgTel 212 460 1459
DIRECTORY OF SERVICESNEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
CONSULTANCY
31scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
HOW DO YOUR SKILLS MEASURE UPFor Melcrumrsquos study into budgets salaries and trends in internalcommunication in 200607 we asked survey respondents to rate their owneffectiveness at a range of key communication competencies from planning tomeasurement The results may surprise you
For example 76 percent of respondents rate themselves as effective or veryeffective at planning internal communication but only 28 percent ratethemselves as equally effective at measuring its effectiveness (see Figure Onepage 29)
In her commentary on the results development expert Sue Dewhurst hadthe following to say
OUR STRENGTHSIt seems where we see our strengths as internal communicators is towards theldquofront endrdquo of the communication planning process For example being able tolink a plan to the business strategy knowing our audiences and being able tojoin up the dots and show people how messages link to the business vision
These are powerful strengths We are one of the few functions that tends tohave an overarching view of our entire company and is able to view thecompany and its strategy from a number of different perspectives Being ableto understand the vision and strategy view it from an audience perspectiveand then create line of sight to show what those things mean in practicalterms for peoplersquos day-to-day roles is one of the ways that we help drivebusiness performance ndash by showing people what they need to do to take thestrategy forward
In turn by knowing and working with our audiences hopefully wersquore thenalso able to make sure their views and suggestions can help shape the strategyand how itrsquos put into practice
MEASURING EFFECTIVENESSWe see ourselves as less effective towards the back end of the planningprocess in measuring the effectiveness of internal communication which tiesin with the feeling from previous questions that in fact wersquore not doing muchmeasurement or demonstrating our return on investment
Research and measurement is an area where there is plenty of expertisearound to call on There are measurement conferences research reports andpublications to understand what other organizations are doing and practicaltraining that will give you the opportunity to work in a smaller group askquestions and practice techniques For help with specific techniques try yourinternal marketing team Marketers are generally great with data and well-versed in running focus groups and putting together surveys If you have anexternal provider to support your employee engagement research try them too
Source The Pulse Essential data on budgets salaries and trends 2006-07wwwmelcrumcom
him rather than how I could benefit the charity Ihad to change my approach fast
This could have cost me my best ambassadorfrom day one So my advice is make sure yoursquoreabsolutely clear about whatrsquos expected from you
Of course the insights I gained in my first fewmonths have been valuable and since then myresults have done the talking Fortunately theCEO soon became an internal communicationsconvert and advocate
Darren CrozierCommunications ManagerHBOS plcUK
Make things happenDelivery is key to career development ndash if you sayyoursquore going to do something make sure you doit Put in the effort get the results you want andbe known as someone who can make things happenIf yoursquore seen to ldquoget things donerdquo no matter howsmall the job is people are more likely to get youinvolved in activities and ask your opinion
Gaining credibility and respect from seniorcolleagues is important but everyone in yourorganization will form an opinion of you from thepeople in the canteen right through to the CEOSo try and make sure that their opinion of you is agood one
Itrsquos not just the people within your immediatesphere of influence who can have an impact onyour career so extend your network go oncourses and get involved in professionalorganizations Many of my close workingrelationships career opportunities and indeedpersonal friendships have come from meetingpeople at such events and taking the time to keepin touch You never know how things will develop
Itrsquos also vital to earn respect be trustworthy andhave good manners To recall what an ex-bossonce said ldquoBe careful how you treat people onthe way up as you never know when you maycome across them againrdquo
One of the biggest challenges Irsquove found inrecent times is recognizing my own success andselling myself Sometimes you need to take a stepback to realize just what yoursquove achieved Evenbetter keep a log or portfolio of your successesand donrsquot be shy to speak about them becauseothers wonrsquot be shy to speak about theirs
Finally try and have some fun along the wayWe all have to work for a living so learn to makethe most of it scm
1 For more about Melcrumrsquos Internal Communication Black Belttraining program go to wwwmelcrumcom
32 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pitney Bowes has followed an aggressive strategyof growth through acquisition completing 60+acquisitions since 2001 Expansion has broadenedits product mix to include an extensive range ofsolutions from office equipment to globalpositioning software
But the companyrsquos many different specialismsand huge outsourcing operations meant that themajority of its 34000 employees werenrsquot aware ofthe full range of its service offering and thepotential for different divisions to work together
As Rob Hallam vice president EmployeeCommunication explains there was a strongbusiness case for adopting a ldquoone companyrdquoapproach ldquoBecause the businesses tended to besomewhat siloed even senior managers werefocused on their divisions
ldquoAlso because we were acquiring companiesand evolving so rapidly managers werenrsquot awareof a lot of the businesses and how they all workedtogether in the mailstreamrdquo says Hallam ldquoWewere missing out on potential cross-sellingopportunitiesrdquo
Communicating a new visionFour years ago Pitney Bowes created a OneCompany Vision statement ldquoOur aim was toensure support and cooperation across thebusiness so we could provide a comprehensive setof customer solutions ndash not just a list of productsand services by business unitrdquo says Hallam Theinternal communication challenge was to drawtogether 34000 employees and build a unifiedcorporate culture The communication strategyfocused on three key elements
1 PeopleThis focused on involving the leadershipstrengthening a two-way dialogue betweenmanagement and employees communicating theculture through leadership messaging enterprise-wide events and roadshows and buildingengagement so that everyone was workingtogether towards a One Company approach
2 ProcessesThis meant integrating the One Companyapproach into the organizationrsquos operations andinfrastructure by shifting management roles andadjusting incentives and reward structuresthroughout the company
The first step was to consolidate the companyrsquosoperating activities by appointing Murray DMartin as president and chief operating officer inSeptember 2004 Martinrsquos mantra is ldquoThink AsOne Act as One Operate As One to deliverwhat no other company canrdquo
ldquoThe COO position had previously been heldby the chairman so elevating someone to that
Communicating a OneCompany culture atPitney Bowes
Following rapid growth in the form of more than 60acquisitions over six years silo-working haddeveloped at Pitney Bowes and leaders were failing
to take advantage of profitable cross-selling opportunitiesHere Rob Hallam describes the communication elementsof a ldquoOne Companyrdquo culture-change program which hasturned the situation around simultaneously improvingcustomer service and boosting profits
Persuading disparate businessunits to work together
AN INTERVIEW WITH ROB HALLAM
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Pitney Bowes is an 87-year-old company best known forthe manufacturing operationand oversight of postagemeters It has over two millioncustomers more than 3500active patents and annualrevenue of close to $6 billion
33scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
role was a big changerdquo explains Hallam ldquoAll thebusiness units now report to a single individual atoperating level It represented a huge positivemove to start the company operationalizing OneCompany behaviorrdquo
The internal communication function wasrestructured to ensure that consistent messagingreached the entire employee population Regularmeasurement was a key part of the changeinitiative This served to define the contributionof communicating a One Company approachwhere it was adding value to Pitney Bowes and itsclients and customers and where there was stillwork to do
3 TechnologyIt was important to find the best ways to cascademessages throughout the company and keeppeople informed about what was going onwithout bombarding them with irrelevantcommunication Hallam and his team deploy avariety of channels and media including internalprint and online publications voicemail and e-mail Pitney Bowes is also in the process ofintegrating its different voicemail systems and e-mail platforms into one global system
Involving senior leadership from the outsetThe One Company strategy was an overridingpolicy that started at the top of the organizationldquoThere was a big launch at the strategic leadersrsquomeeting which is held every Januaryrdquo saysHallam ldquoThe messaging was then driven throughthe organization via a companywide globalcommunication strategyrdquo
From the outset the policy was championed bythe CEO Michael Critelli who believes thatculture is central to the Pitney Bowes brand andsaid recently ldquoMy first measure of success iswhether we are behaving as one companyrdquo Thiscommitment helped to ensure that the culturalchange was reinforced by parallel changes to thecorporate infrastructure
Building a two-way dialogueThe next step was to get the employee populationinvolved and build enterprisewide enthusiasm forthe culture change Pitney Bowes has alwaysrecognized the value of a two-way dialoguebetween management and employees and hasheld annual jobholders meetings which aresimilar to shareholdersrsquo meetings for 61 years In2005 Hallam reinvented it as an initiative calledOne Forum ndash a series of roadshows focusing oncommunicating the One Company culturethroughout the organization
Launching the One ForumIn 2005 Hallam and his team created an original
and memorable One Forum launch for the 90percent of Pitney Bowes employees based in theUS Around a quarter of US employees saw thisin person the others received a link to a websitewith streaming highlights
ldquoWe put together a two-hour roadshow eventwhich helped people to understand our OneCompany approach and made them aware of allthe businesses we were inrdquo says Hallam ldquoThethinking was that high change requires high touchFace-to-face can have far greater impact on theindividuals touched From there itrsquos a matter ofripple effect such as seeing improved One Forumbrand awareness among employees who didnrsquotactually attend one of the eventsrdquo
ldquoWe wanted the roadshow to be entertainingand energizing so we used gameshow techniquescustom-written songs and comedy specificallytailored to Pitney Bowes employees It was a funevent but it also included a keynote speech fromthe CEO and a lot of question-and-answersessions with employees It was entertainmentwith a purpose and it was a great success with employeesrdquo
The post-event employee evaluations provedthe success of this approach ldquoIn some cities anincredible 90 percent of employees gave the eventa top-box rating This shows that there was ahunger for both the knowledge and theapproachrdquo adds Hallam
Taking the show on the roadThe One Forum roadshow has become an annualevent ldquoIn a five-month period during 2005 therewere 17 One Forum events in 12 US citiesreaching about 6000 peoplerdquo says Hallam ldquoAftersome testing in March and April the first bigroadshows started in early May and continued forsix months with the final one in early Decemberin Seattle 3
Rob Hallam is vice presidentEmployee Communication atPitney Bowes (PB) in StamfordConnecticut where hersquos beenresponsible for internalcommunication strategy andimplementation since 2004Hallam has led a team ofprofessionals in reshapingcommunication at PB resultedin the communication teamearning the top ranking in HRdepartment satisfaction fromall PBrsquos US managers in 2005and 2006
KEY POINTSbull Internal communication has played an important role in embedding a
One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
bull The communication strategy focused on three key elements peopleprocess and technology
bull The campaign has been championed by the CEO from the outset andhas won senior leadership support over time
bull An entertaining roadshow helped win employee commitment
bull Cross-selling ratios have jumped substantially since the culture-changeeffort began
34 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ldquoIn 2006 we compressed the programsubstantially and drove down costs while stilltouching 6000 employees Together with ourcorporate marketing group we also introduced anextremely successful lsquoelevator speechrsquo that helpsemployees answer the much-feared questionlsquoWhat does Pitney Bowes dorsquordquo
Local variationsAlthough the entertainment component in theroadshows contributed to their success it wasspecific to the US so Hallam gave business unitsand internal communicators in other regions theresponsibility for communicating the OneCompany approach to local employees ldquoInCanada and the UK they conducted town-hallmeetings and in Latin America and other parts ofthe world they produced their own variations onthe One Forum theme We made sure that theyhad the information they needed but we limitedthe entertainment to English-speaking regionsrdquo
A commitment to employee engagementThe appointment of the new COO and the launchof the One Forum roadshows coincided with thefirst employee engagement survey in late 2004ldquoWe see engagement as very much tied to ourability to execute a One Company strategy andchange our culturerdquo says Hallam He sets outfour ways in which employee engagement isinstilled at all levels in the organization
1 Visible leadership commitment to engagementThe CEO underlines his commitment by sendingregular messages to employees via a variety ofmedia including voicemail and print and onlinepublications He also uses engagement scores todetermine a unitrsquos overall performance rating andbonus pool ldquoWhen one senior execrsquos bonus poolwas reduced due to poor engagement scores that
was a message requiring no communication planrdquosays Hallam ldquoWord spread quicklyrdquo
2 Celebrating top performers Pitney Bowes celebrates its top engagementperformers by running cover stories in its globalprint and online publication PB Today ldquoThisprogram was called lsquoThe Faces of Pitney Bowesrsquordquosays Hallam ldquoWe did 10 of these last year so theyran twice in five editions Wersquove also producedlarge mural-sized photos of those managers andtheir teamsrdquo he says ldquoWe celebrate success andpublish it everywhere Our CEO loves it and wersquoreactually selling part of our contemporary artcollection which decorates the building to makeroom for an expansion of additional OneCompany and Engagement photography all ofwhich will focus on our employeesrdquo
3 Incentivizing managers via the reward systemEmployee engagement is recognized andreinforced in the companyrsquos formal processesincluding its reward system ldquoWe use a tool calledthe Strategic Architecture which is our balancedscorecardrdquo explains Hallam ldquoItrsquos a Six-Sigma toolwhich measures employee shareholder andcustomer value Managersrsquo engagement scoresalso factor into their annual reviews soengagement has a direct impact on remunerationrdquo
4 Rewarding engagementA further program called Rapid Rewards awardscash bonuses to managers and employees foroutstanding behavior including that related toemployee engagement
Aligning the communication strategyHallam and his team are responsible fordelivering the overall employee communicationstrategy ldquoWe had to dramatically improve ourstrategic approach in order to make OneCompany a realityrdquo he says
In addition to organizing campaigns such as theOne Forum roadshows to publicize the culturechange across the enterprise Hallam hasintroduced initiatives aimed at improving thereach and delivery of internal communication andmaking sure messages get to their intendedaudiences He has also aligned the structure ofthe internal communication function with thecompanyrsquos unified culture
ldquoThere were a lot of different communicationgroups so we brought together all thecommunication leaders and formed a singleInternal Communications Councilrdquo explainsHallam ldquoThis means that the communicationfunctions in the different business units areworking together to help drive change andimprove coordinationrdquo
Communicating a One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
ldquoWHEN A SENIOR EXECrsquoS BONUS WAS REDUCEDDUE TO POOR ENGAGEMENT SCORES THAT WASA MESSAGE REQUIRING NO COMMUNICATIONPLAN WORD SPREAD QUICKLYrdquo
7
FURTHER RESOURCES3 THE IMPACT OF CULTURE AND CLIMATE ON CHANGE PROGRAMS
An article published in SCM Volume 10 Issue 6 OctoberNovember 2006
3 DRIVING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE CORPORATE CULTUREMelcrumrsquos report on communication tools techniques and best practicefrom leading organizationswwwmelcrumcom
35scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Developing a global approachHallam is also responsible for a globalcommunication project called Universal Reachwhich is sponsored by the chairman and designedto support and maintain a unified corporateculture ldquoOur goal is to provide 90 percentmessage accessibility within our key customer-facing audiencesrdquo he explains ldquoThe biggestchallenge is integrating our online communicationinfrastructure which has nine different voicemailsystems operating across the world and multiplee-mail and web platforms Wersquore pulling all thattogether to provide better reachrdquo
Since 911 the CEO and other top executiveshave broadcast weekly audio messages calledPower Talks Hallamrsquos team has worked with theleadership to ensure that they incorporate OneCompany messages and as he explains they reachmost of the employee population ldquoAbout 20000of our employees have voicemail Those whodonrsquot receive the Power Talk message either inprint or online In some divisions managers playthe Power Talk messages in staff meetingsrdquo
Engaging leadership reinforces the cultureBuilding on the CEOrsquos commitment to a OneCompany approach Hallam and his team haveorganized leadership events ndash most recently at thestrategic leadersrsquo meeting in December 2006 ndashshowing Pitney Bowes as one company in actionThis campaign has helped to engage the top 150managers in the culture change
ldquoOur post-event evaluations show a strongmove numerically in senior leadershiprsquos belief thatwersquore operating as one companyrdquo says Hallam(see Figure One above) ldquoAs theyrsquore our toughestjudges wersquore pleased by the significant differencein pre- and post-event measurementrdquo There wasalso an improvement in leadersrsquo understanding ofthe companyrsquos new mailstream category
Sustaining the new cultureAccording to Hallam rippling out the OneCompany messaging requires a consistent andcoordinated approach Communication leaders inthe various divisions are now working to weaveOne Company messages into the business-unitmeetings ldquoA lot of the messaging that welaunched at the strategic leadersrsquo meeting arebeing reiterated at the business unit level Thatrsquosbeen facilitated through the InternalCommunications Councilrdquo he says
ldquoKey metrics for the culture change programfocus on cross-selling ratios which have jumpedsubstantially since the culture change effortbeganrdquo says Hallam ldquoIn 2002 we also institutedthe ldquoPB1 Awardsrdquo which is a chairmanrecognition award that goes to teams who bestembody cross-functional behavior in working on
projects which improve our clientsrsquo profitabilityour profitability or bothrdquo
ldquoHowever wersquore only really a year into thisMuch of the evidence is anecdotal but what haschanged is that our managers have broadenedtheir vision and are thinking as solutions-providers rather than product-sellers As suchtheyrsquore involving other business units out of theirdesire to eliminate customer pain points ndashregardless of which part of Pitney Bowes gets the salerdquo
Adding value to customersUltimately managers and employees who arewell-informed about the companyrsquos products andservices are in a good position to take advantageof cross-selling opportunities Realizing thispotential enables Pitney Bowes to make extrasales to existing customers thereby increasing itsprofit margins and allowing customers to benefitfrom a mix of products and services
Shifting to a unified culture directly benefitsboth Pitney Bowes and its customers ldquoByfocusing on the whole cadre of products andservices we can help our customers improve theirbusinessesrdquo says Hallam ldquoThatrsquos where OneCompany is critical It enables our clients tobenefit from all our servicesrdquo scm
Figure One Measuring the impact of the strategic leadersrsquo meeting
CONTACT DETAILS
Rob HallamPitney Bowesrobhallampbcom
I BELIEVE THAT OUR SENIOR LEADERS (MEANING THE TOP 15 EXECS) AREWORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO DELIVER INTEGRATED HIGH-VALUESOLUTIONS TO OUR CUSTOMERS
Pre SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 73
Post SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 92
Gain in two months time 19
ldquoMANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WELL-INFORMED ABOUT THE COMPANYrsquoS PRODUCTSAND SERVICES ARE IN A GOOD POSITION TOTAKE ADVANTAGE OF CROSS-SELLINGrdquo
2007
36 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
MELCRUM TRAINING amp EVENTS
CALENDAR 2007UKEUROPESOCIAL MEDIA FORUM FORINTERNAL COMMUNICATORS UK
3 21-22 March 2007 Hilton Canary WharfLondon UKThis forum is designed for practitioners who wantto make social media part of their internalcommunication strategy Over two dayscompanies such as IBM Microsoft and BT willshare case studies demonstrating their use ofsocial-media tools Technology experts will also beon hand to provide training and show you how touse these tools
THE 3RD ANNUAL EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT CONFERENCE UK
3 22-24 May 2007 Millennium GloucesterLondon UK22 May ndash Practical workshops23-24 May ndash Two-day conferenceThis event will focus on transforming yourstrategies into action Listen to case studies fromcompanies that have achieved real andmeasurable results from their engagement effortsLearn how they did it what they achieved and howthe results were measured
THE 6TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT UK
3 16-18 October 2007 London UK After the huge success of the 2006 UK StrategicCommunication Management Summit next yearrsquosevent will once again provide you withpresentations from key figures in the industry anda chance to network with your peers Mark yourdiaries now ndash more details to follow
THE 3RD ANNUAL INTERNALCOMMUNICATION MEASUREMENTCONFERENCE UK
3 27-29 November 2007 London UKDetails available soon ndash mark your diary now
NORTH AMERICATHE 3RD ANNUAL CONFERENCEON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENTBUILDING AND SUSTAINING ACULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT
3 28 February ndash 1 March 2007 Crowne PlazaAtlanta-Buckhead Atlanta USLearn how to foster an environment whereemployees feel valued and respected Hear fromcompanies including Dow Corning CorporationAmerican Express Delta Hotels and Merck
THE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT US
3 26-28 March 2007 Crowne Plaza UnionSquare San Francisco26 March ndash Pre-conference workshops27-28 March ndash Two-day summitAttend this conference and discover how toimprove employee alignment with all segments ofyour internal audience ndash from your front-lineemployees to your executive officers bothnationally and worldwide
AUSTRALIATHE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION ENGAGEMENTSUMMIT SYDNEY
3 31 July ndash 2 August 2007 Sydney Australia Details available soon ndash mark your diary now
WEBINARSDEVELOPING PROFESSIONALCOMPETENCE
3 Thursday 22 February 2007 with LiamFitzPatrick and Sue Dewhurst
HELPING YOUR ORGANIZATIONTHRIVE DURING TURBULENTTIMES
3 Thursday 29 March 2007 with Carol KinseyGoman
TRAININGTHE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT PROGRAM
3 24-25 April and 1-2 May 2007 HenleyManagement College UK3 11-12 and 27-28 September 2007 Cranfield
School of Management UK
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT MASTERCLASSEFFECTIVE MEASUREMENT
3 14-15 March 2007 Hendon Hall Hendon UKAn essential two-day intensive training courses forinternal communicators on effective measurementRegister early as places are strictly limited to 20people per Masterclass
CSR DELIVERY ENGAGEMENT amp LEADERSHIP
3 19-20 April 2007 Central LondonOsney MediaWith an excellent speaker line-up from high-profile companies including Procter amp Gamble The BodyShop ExxonMobil Microsoft Belgium Vodafone UK Dell Ericsson and Alliance Boots this case studybased event will answer questions including how do Ibull Build a CSR-oriented leadershipbull Get people on boardbull Integrate CSR with the global strategy of the companybull Deliver CSR throughout the company to make it really happen
For more information visit wwwcsrleadershipcom or e-mail mariame_lindellosneymediacouk (Reference code 910MLC3)
38 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
DESIGN
YELLOW
The future success of all organisations will be builton trust understanding passion empowermentintegrity and relationships
The future is cool exciting sparkling organisationsbursting with energy life and action
The future of brand is the internal brand first andforemost
The future is colleague as customer
Turning communications upside down
No just inside-out
Be part of the future say hello to Yellow
We help large organisations bring their communicationsstrategies to life through the imaginative use of liveevents multimedia web and design ndash distributed acrossall media platforms including DVD TV mobile devicesintranet and extranet
Ultimately developing internal brands and ongoingcommunications that have a measurable impact onpeople-performance advocacy and the bottom line
Contact Paul MiddletonTel +44 (0)161 228 6700E-mail paulmiddletonyellowcomcomWebsite wwwyellowcomcom
NEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
DESIGN
BLUE GOOSE
blue goose specialize in visual communications We make communications work faster and better We will link what wedo back to your objectives but we donrsquot talk (or charge for) ldquostrategyrdquo when you simply want tactical implementation Weuse design and creativity tobull differentiate products and services bull develop and manage corporate and brand identity bull align external communications with agreed values bull internalize corporate and brand identitybull align internal communications with agreed values bull support organizational change and bull help organizations better understand and define who they are
We work for clients as diverse as PricewaterhouseCoopers Ford Europe Centrica plc Greene King City of London Policeand Le Meacuteridien
blue goose is for any organization more interested in designing their future than watching it happen
Contact Chris BarringtonE-mail thinkingbluegoosecoukTel +44 (0)20 8869 8500Web site wwwbluegoosecouk
CONSULTANCY
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION ampSURVEYS PTY LTD
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd is aboutique consultancy based in Sydney Australia Itspecializes in employee communication strategiessystems research and employee surveys of all kindsPrincipal Rodney Gray has been involved inorganizational consulting for over 20 years following a15-year career as a corporate human resourcesexecutive Services includebull Employee communication audits and surveys by
questionnaires focus groups and interviewsbull Employee communication systems strategies and
processesbull Employee communication training workshops and
talksbull Employee culture climate and opinion surveysbull Qualitative organizational diagnosis (focus groups
and interviews)bull Internal service quality research (qualitative and
quantitative)
Contact Rodney GrayTel +61 (0)2 9909 2900 Fax +61 (0)2 9909 2911E-mail rodneyrodneygraycomauWeb site wwwemployee-communicationcomau
CONSULTANCY
HEDRON
Internal and change communication that helps teamsand individuals to develop strategies relationshipsprocesses and skills to engage stakeholders supporthigh performance and deliver change
ldquoSharp strategic thinking quality execution effectiveinterpersonallyhelliprdquo ldquoCreativity drive resourcefulnessresults great funhelliprdquo say clients
All sectors ndash ABN AMRO AXA BT Cadbury SchweppesDepartment for Constitutional Affairs HealthcareCommission Group 4 Securicor SABMiller SiemensSouthern Rail Unilever Wincanton
Our clients are happy to tell you what itrsquos like workingwith us
Contact Helena MemoryTel + 44 (0) 20 7493 0735Fax + 44 (0) 20 7493 0743E-mail helena-mhedroncomWeb site wwwhedroncom
CONSULTANCY
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
39scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
CONSULTANCY
SYNOPSIS
Founded by change and communication authority Bill Quirke in 1992 Synopsis is one of Europersquos leading internalcommunication consultancies Our clients include such companies as ABN Amro BBC BP British Airways DiageoEricsson HP Lloyds TSB Roche Shell and Vodafone
We help clients use internal communication to engage their employees in delivering business strategy and get most valuefrom their internal communication
We can help youbull Develop communication strategies that support your business strategybull Coach leadersbull Develop line managersrsquo communication skillsbull Plan and coordinate your communication with colleagues onlinebull Check the health of your communication channels and improve return on investmentbull Build and develop the communication functionbull Measure and track employee engagement attitudes and opinions
To take a tour of our online planning tool go to wwwsynopsisonlinecomproductplanningtoolasp
Contact Jane LebeauE-mail janelebeausynopsisonlinecomTel +44 (0) 20 7490 2900Web site wwwsynopsisonlinecom
CONSULTANCY
HARKNESS KENNETT
We specialize in internal communication To us thatmeansbull motivating people through inspiring leadershipbull guiding people through organizational changebull engaging people in delivering the brand
Working in partnership with our clients is central to ourethos enabling us to help deliver practical solutionssupported by solid strategic thinking All of ourconsultants have held senior positions ldquoclient siderdquo sowe know what itrsquos like to be in your shoes The vastmajority of our work comes from recommendations fromexisting clients ndash 82 percent of our clients haverequested repeat work in the last two years
Our clients include Abbey Atkins BDO Stoy HaywardThe Environment Agency Marks amp Spencer NHS Blood ampTransplant Morgan Stanley Europe Nestleacute PoliceInformation Technology Organisation Royal ampSunAlliance South West Trains and Vodafone
Our vision is simple ndash we want to be the first callyou make
Contact James HarknessTel +44 (0)1483 222730E-mail jamesharknessharknesskennettcomWeb site wwwharknesskennettcom
CONSULTANCY
TRIDENT COMMUNICATIONS
Trident Communications is uniquely positioned to definedevelop and deliver award-winning solutions that aligncommunication with business goals
We advise and partner with organizations of all sizes tocreate high-value practical applications Our talentedproject teams provide innovative research designeditorial and imagery for print and online
We connect ideas and deliver results
Contact Peter Agertoft Tel +44 (0)207 536 8900E-mail peteragertoft
tridentcommunicationsnetWeb site wwwtridentcommunicationsnet
CONSULTANCY
FLEISHMAN-HILLARD
Fleishman-Hillardrsquos dedicated internal and changecommunication practice helps businesses focus onperforming ndash not just informing
We help organisations plan and implement programmeswith the right mix of information dialogue and trainingso that employees are engaged aligned and motivatedto achieve business objectives
Because effective internal communication is vital tobottom-line performance we partner with our clients tocreate a daily dialogue ndash not a monologue ndash withemployees
Contact Nick AndrewsTel +32 (0)2 230 05 45 E-mail nickandrewsfleishmancomWeb site wwwfleishmaneuropecom
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE A listing in our Directory of Services will giveyou a chance to reach communicationprofessionals at some of the worldrsquos largestand most admired companies and to tap intodecision-making practitioners
ContactVincent SorelTel +44 (0)208 600 4670E-mail vincentsorelmelcrumcom
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
INCLUDE YOUR COMPANY BY CONTACTING US ON +44(0)20 8600 4670 OR AT INFOMELCRUMCOM
CONSULTANCY
HILL amp KNOWLTON
Better business results the bottom line
How do I manage more change Motivate managers Getthe right information to the right people Show the bestreturn on communication investment
Sound familiar Hill amp Knowltonrsquos change and internalcommunication consultants work with companies aroundthe world to find the right answers for their situation
We offer strategy insight and creativity drawing on ourconsultancy expertise and in-house experience Plus wedeliver practical hands-on help
We know that effective employee communication has adirect impact on the bottom line Working together wecan make it happen for you
Contact EMEA DavidFerrabeehillandknowltoncom
+44 (0) 7413 3176USA BarbaraEdlerhillandknowltoncom
+1 415 281-7160Canada KristaThompsonhillandknowltoncom
+1 613 786-9961
RECRUITMENT
VMA GROUP
VMA Group is one of the UKrsquos leading executive searchand selection consultancies specializing in internal andcorporate communication recruitment
For over 25 years VMA Group has provided the highestlevel of service to some of the most demanding globalorganizations developing a strong track record for thequality and professionalism of our search and selection work
We have in-depth specialist knowledge of the internalcommunication market and can provide high-qualitypermanent and interim candidates with expertise acrossinternal communication change management and widercorporate communication We understand the needs ofour clients intrinsically and strive to develop long-termrelationships with clients and candidates alike
Please call to discuss how we can help you find theideal candidate or if you wish to make a career move
Contact David BroomeTel +44 (0)20 7436 4243E-mail dbroomevmagroupcoukWeb site wwwvmagroupcouk
40 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONALCOMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS E-mail gaitensunityncsueduWeb site wwwconsultingsuccessorgTel 919 469 3895
CIB ndash BRITISH ASSOCIATION OFCOMMUNICATORS IN BUSINESSE-mail enquiriescibukcomWeb site wwwcibukcomTel +44 (0)870 121 7606
CCM ndash COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATIONMANAGEMENT E-mail membership
ccmconnectioncomWeb site wwwccmconnectioncomTel 866 463 4226
CPRS ndash THE CANADIAN PUBLICRELATIONS SOCIETYE-mail admincprscaWeb site wwwcprscaTel 416 239 7034
IABC ndash THE INTERNATIONALASSOCIATION OF BUSINESSCOMMUNICATORS E-mail service_centreiabccomWeb site wwwiabccomTel 415 544 4700
ICA ndash THE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONALLIANCE E-mail amandafoistericaukorgWeb site wwwiprorgukicaTel +44 (0)1628 642 044
CIPR ndash THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OFPUBLIC RELATIONS UKE-mail infoiprorgukWeb site wwwiprorgukTel +44 (0)20 7253 5151
IPRA ndash THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICRELATIONS ASSOCIATIONE-mail ipraseccompuservecomWeb site wwwipraorgTel +44 (0) 1372 461 188
PRSA ndash PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OFAMERICAE-mail resourcesprsaorgWeb site wwwprsaorgTel 212 460 1459
DIRECTORY OF SERVICESNEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
CONSULTANCY
32 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Pitney Bowes has followed an aggressive strategyof growth through acquisition completing 60+acquisitions since 2001 Expansion has broadenedits product mix to include an extensive range ofsolutions from office equipment to globalpositioning software
But the companyrsquos many different specialismsand huge outsourcing operations meant that themajority of its 34000 employees werenrsquot aware ofthe full range of its service offering and thepotential for different divisions to work together
As Rob Hallam vice president EmployeeCommunication explains there was a strongbusiness case for adopting a ldquoone companyrdquoapproach ldquoBecause the businesses tended to besomewhat siloed even senior managers werefocused on their divisions
ldquoAlso because we were acquiring companiesand evolving so rapidly managers werenrsquot awareof a lot of the businesses and how they all workedtogether in the mailstreamrdquo says Hallam ldquoWewere missing out on potential cross-sellingopportunitiesrdquo
Communicating a new visionFour years ago Pitney Bowes created a OneCompany Vision statement ldquoOur aim was toensure support and cooperation across thebusiness so we could provide a comprehensive setof customer solutions ndash not just a list of productsand services by business unitrdquo says Hallam Theinternal communication challenge was to drawtogether 34000 employees and build a unifiedcorporate culture The communication strategyfocused on three key elements
1 PeopleThis focused on involving the leadershipstrengthening a two-way dialogue betweenmanagement and employees communicating theculture through leadership messaging enterprise-wide events and roadshows and buildingengagement so that everyone was workingtogether towards a One Company approach
2 ProcessesThis meant integrating the One Companyapproach into the organizationrsquos operations andinfrastructure by shifting management roles andadjusting incentives and reward structuresthroughout the company
The first step was to consolidate the companyrsquosoperating activities by appointing Murray DMartin as president and chief operating officer inSeptember 2004 Martinrsquos mantra is ldquoThink AsOne Act as One Operate As One to deliverwhat no other company canrdquo
ldquoThe COO position had previously been heldby the chairman so elevating someone to that
Communicating a OneCompany culture atPitney Bowes
Following rapid growth in the form of more than 60acquisitions over six years silo-working haddeveloped at Pitney Bowes and leaders were failing
to take advantage of profitable cross-selling opportunitiesHere Rob Hallam describes the communication elementsof a ldquoOne Companyrdquo culture-change program which hasturned the situation around simultaneously improvingcustomer service and boosting profits
Persuading disparate businessunits to work together
AN INTERVIEW WITH ROB HALLAM
scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Pitney Bowes is an 87-year-old company best known forthe manufacturing operationand oversight of postagemeters It has over two millioncustomers more than 3500active patents and annualrevenue of close to $6 billion
33scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
role was a big changerdquo explains Hallam ldquoAll thebusiness units now report to a single individual atoperating level It represented a huge positivemove to start the company operationalizing OneCompany behaviorrdquo
The internal communication function wasrestructured to ensure that consistent messagingreached the entire employee population Regularmeasurement was a key part of the changeinitiative This served to define the contributionof communicating a One Company approachwhere it was adding value to Pitney Bowes and itsclients and customers and where there was stillwork to do
3 TechnologyIt was important to find the best ways to cascademessages throughout the company and keeppeople informed about what was going onwithout bombarding them with irrelevantcommunication Hallam and his team deploy avariety of channels and media including internalprint and online publications voicemail and e-mail Pitney Bowes is also in the process ofintegrating its different voicemail systems and e-mail platforms into one global system
Involving senior leadership from the outsetThe One Company strategy was an overridingpolicy that started at the top of the organizationldquoThere was a big launch at the strategic leadersrsquomeeting which is held every Januaryrdquo saysHallam ldquoThe messaging was then driven throughthe organization via a companywide globalcommunication strategyrdquo
From the outset the policy was championed bythe CEO Michael Critelli who believes thatculture is central to the Pitney Bowes brand andsaid recently ldquoMy first measure of success iswhether we are behaving as one companyrdquo Thiscommitment helped to ensure that the culturalchange was reinforced by parallel changes to thecorporate infrastructure
Building a two-way dialogueThe next step was to get the employee populationinvolved and build enterprisewide enthusiasm forthe culture change Pitney Bowes has alwaysrecognized the value of a two-way dialoguebetween management and employees and hasheld annual jobholders meetings which aresimilar to shareholdersrsquo meetings for 61 years In2005 Hallam reinvented it as an initiative calledOne Forum ndash a series of roadshows focusing oncommunicating the One Company culturethroughout the organization
Launching the One ForumIn 2005 Hallam and his team created an original
and memorable One Forum launch for the 90percent of Pitney Bowes employees based in theUS Around a quarter of US employees saw thisin person the others received a link to a websitewith streaming highlights
ldquoWe put together a two-hour roadshow eventwhich helped people to understand our OneCompany approach and made them aware of allthe businesses we were inrdquo says Hallam ldquoThethinking was that high change requires high touchFace-to-face can have far greater impact on theindividuals touched From there itrsquos a matter ofripple effect such as seeing improved One Forumbrand awareness among employees who didnrsquotactually attend one of the eventsrdquo
ldquoWe wanted the roadshow to be entertainingand energizing so we used gameshow techniquescustom-written songs and comedy specificallytailored to Pitney Bowes employees It was a funevent but it also included a keynote speech fromthe CEO and a lot of question-and-answersessions with employees It was entertainmentwith a purpose and it was a great success with employeesrdquo
The post-event employee evaluations provedthe success of this approach ldquoIn some cities anincredible 90 percent of employees gave the eventa top-box rating This shows that there was ahunger for both the knowledge and theapproachrdquo adds Hallam
Taking the show on the roadThe One Forum roadshow has become an annualevent ldquoIn a five-month period during 2005 therewere 17 One Forum events in 12 US citiesreaching about 6000 peoplerdquo says Hallam ldquoAftersome testing in March and April the first bigroadshows started in early May and continued forsix months with the final one in early Decemberin Seattle 3
Rob Hallam is vice presidentEmployee Communication atPitney Bowes (PB) in StamfordConnecticut where hersquos beenresponsible for internalcommunication strategy andimplementation since 2004Hallam has led a team ofprofessionals in reshapingcommunication at PB resultedin the communication teamearning the top ranking in HRdepartment satisfaction fromall PBrsquos US managers in 2005and 2006
KEY POINTSbull Internal communication has played an important role in embedding a
One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
bull The communication strategy focused on three key elements peopleprocess and technology
bull The campaign has been championed by the CEO from the outset andhas won senior leadership support over time
bull An entertaining roadshow helped win employee commitment
bull Cross-selling ratios have jumped substantially since the culture-changeeffort began
34 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ldquoIn 2006 we compressed the programsubstantially and drove down costs while stilltouching 6000 employees Together with ourcorporate marketing group we also introduced anextremely successful lsquoelevator speechrsquo that helpsemployees answer the much-feared questionlsquoWhat does Pitney Bowes dorsquordquo
Local variationsAlthough the entertainment component in theroadshows contributed to their success it wasspecific to the US so Hallam gave business unitsand internal communicators in other regions theresponsibility for communicating the OneCompany approach to local employees ldquoInCanada and the UK they conducted town-hallmeetings and in Latin America and other parts ofthe world they produced their own variations onthe One Forum theme We made sure that theyhad the information they needed but we limitedthe entertainment to English-speaking regionsrdquo
A commitment to employee engagementThe appointment of the new COO and the launchof the One Forum roadshows coincided with thefirst employee engagement survey in late 2004ldquoWe see engagement as very much tied to ourability to execute a One Company strategy andchange our culturerdquo says Hallam He sets outfour ways in which employee engagement isinstilled at all levels in the organization
1 Visible leadership commitment to engagementThe CEO underlines his commitment by sendingregular messages to employees via a variety ofmedia including voicemail and print and onlinepublications He also uses engagement scores todetermine a unitrsquos overall performance rating andbonus pool ldquoWhen one senior execrsquos bonus poolwas reduced due to poor engagement scores that
was a message requiring no communication planrdquosays Hallam ldquoWord spread quicklyrdquo
2 Celebrating top performers Pitney Bowes celebrates its top engagementperformers by running cover stories in its globalprint and online publication PB Today ldquoThisprogram was called lsquoThe Faces of Pitney Bowesrsquordquosays Hallam ldquoWe did 10 of these last year so theyran twice in five editions Wersquove also producedlarge mural-sized photos of those managers andtheir teamsrdquo he says ldquoWe celebrate success andpublish it everywhere Our CEO loves it and wersquoreactually selling part of our contemporary artcollection which decorates the building to makeroom for an expansion of additional OneCompany and Engagement photography all ofwhich will focus on our employeesrdquo
3 Incentivizing managers via the reward systemEmployee engagement is recognized andreinforced in the companyrsquos formal processesincluding its reward system ldquoWe use a tool calledthe Strategic Architecture which is our balancedscorecardrdquo explains Hallam ldquoItrsquos a Six-Sigma toolwhich measures employee shareholder andcustomer value Managersrsquo engagement scoresalso factor into their annual reviews soengagement has a direct impact on remunerationrdquo
4 Rewarding engagementA further program called Rapid Rewards awardscash bonuses to managers and employees foroutstanding behavior including that related toemployee engagement
Aligning the communication strategyHallam and his team are responsible fordelivering the overall employee communicationstrategy ldquoWe had to dramatically improve ourstrategic approach in order to make OneCompany a realityrdquo he says
In addition to organizing campaigns such as theOne Forum roadshows to publicize the culturechange across the enterprise Hallam hasintroduced initiatives aimed at improving thereach and delivery of internal communication andmaking sure messages get to their intendedaudiences He has also aligned the structure ofthe internal communication function with thecompanyrsquos unified culture
ldquoThere were a lot of different communicationgroups so we brought together all thecommunication leaders and formed a singleInternal Communications Councilrdquo explainsHallam ldquoThis means that the communicationfunctions in the different business units areworking together to help drive change andimprove coordinationrdquo
Communicating a One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
ldquoWHEN A SENIOR EXECrsquoS BONUS WAS REDUCEDDUE TO POOR ENGAGEMENT SCORES THAT WASA MESSAGE REQUIRING NO COMMUNICATIONPLAN WORD SPREAD QUICKLYrdquo
7
FURTHER RESOURCES3 THE IMPACT OF CULTURE AND CLIMATE ON CHANGE PROGRAMS
An article published in SCM Volume 10 Issue 6 OctoberNovember 2006
3 DRIVING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE CORPORATE CULTUREMelcrumrsquos report on communication tools techniques and best practicefrom leading organizationswwwmelcrumcom
35scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Developing a global approachHallam is also responsible for a globalcommunication project called Universal Reachwhich is sponsored by the chairman and designedto support and maintain a unified corporateculture ldquoOur goal is to provide 90 percentmessage accessibility within our key customer-facing audiencesrdquo he explains ldquoThe biggestchallenge is integrating our online communicationinfrastructure which has nine different voicemailsystems operating across the world and multiplee-mail and web platforms Wersquore pulling all thattogether to provide better reachrdquo
Since 911 the CEO and other top executiveshave broadcast weekly audio messages calledPower Talks Hallamrsquos team has worked with theleadership to ensure that they incorporate OneCompany messages and as he explains they reachmost of the employee population ldquoAbout 20000of our employees have voicemail Those whodonrsquot receive the Power Talk message either inprint or online In some divisions managers playthe Power Talk messages in staff meetingsrdquo
Engaging leadership reinforces the cultureBuilding on the CEOrsquos commitment to a OneCompany approach Hallam and his team haveorganized leadership events ndash most recently at thestrategic leadersrsquo meeting in December 2006 ndashshowing Pitney Bowes as one company in actionThis campaign has helped to engage the top 150managers in the culture change
ldquoOur post-event evaluations show a strongmove numerically in senior leadershiprsquos belief thatwersquore operating as one companyrdquo says Hallam(see Figure One above) ldquoAs theyrsquore our toughestjudges wersquore pleased by the significant differencein pre- and post-event measurementrdquo There wasalso an improvement in leadersrsquo understanding ofthe companyrsquos new mailstream category
Sustaining the new cultureAccording to Hallam rippling out the OneCompany messaging requires a consistent andcoordinated approach Communication leaders inthe various divisions are now working to weaveOne Company messages into the business-unitmeetings ldquoA lot of the messaging that welaunched at the strategic leadersrsquo meeting arebeing reiterated at the business unit level Thatrsquosbeen facilitated through the InternalCommunications Councilrdquo he says
ldquoKey metrics for the culture change programfocus on cross-selling ratios which have jumpedsubstantially since the culture change effortbeganrdquo says Hallam ldquoIn 2002 we also institutedthe ldquoPB1 Awardsrdquo which is a chairmanrecognition award that goes to teams who bestembody cross-functional behavior in working on
projects which improve our clientsrsquo profitabilityour profitability or bothrdquo
ldquoHowever wersquore only really a year into thisMuch of the evidence is anecdotal but what haschanged is that our managers have broadenedtheir vision and are thinking as solutions-providers rather than product-sellers As suchtheyrsquore involving other business units out of theirdesire to eliminate customer pain points ndashregardless of which part of Pitney Bowes gets the salerdquo
Adding value to customersUltimately managers and employees who arewell-informed about the companyrsquos products andservices are in a good position to take advantageof cross-selling opportunities Realizing thispotential enables Pitney Bowes to make extrasales to existing customers thereby increasing itsprofit margins and allowing customers to benefitfrom a mix of products and services
Shifting to a unified culture directly benefitsboth Pitney Bowes and its customers ldquoByfocusing on the whole cadre of products andservices we can help our customers improve theirbusinessesrdquo says Hallam ldquoThatrsquos where OneCompany is critical It enables our clients tobenefit from all our servicesrdquo scm
Figure One Measuring the impact of the strategic leadersrsquo meeting
CONTACT DETAILS
Rob HallamPitney Bowesrobhallampbcom
I BELIEVE THAT OUR SENIOR LEADERS (MEANING THE TOP 15 EXECS) AREWORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO DELIVER INTEGRATED HIGH-VALUESOLUTIONS TO OUR CUSTOMERS
Pre SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 73
Post SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 92
Gain in two months time 19
ldquoMANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WELL-INFORMED ABOUT THE COMPANYrsquoS PRODUCTSAND SERVICES ARE IN A GOOD POSITION TOTAKE ADVANTAGE OF CROSS-SELLINGrdquo
2007
36 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
MELCRUM TRAINING amp EVENTS
CALENDAR 2007UKEUROPESOCIAL MEDIA FORUM FORINTERNAL COMMUNICATORS UK
3 21-22 March 2007 Hilton Canary WharfLondon UKThis forum is designed for practitioners who wantto make social media part of their internalcommunication strategy Over two dayscompanies such as IBM Microsoft and BT willshare case studies demonstrating their use ofsocial-media tools Technology experts will also beon hand to provide training and show you how touse these tools
THE 3RD ANNUAL EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT CONFERENCE UK
3 22-24 May 2007 Millennium GloucesterLondon UK22 May ndash Practical workshops23-24 May ndash Two-day conferenceThis event will focus on transforming yourstrategies into action Listen to case studies fromcompanies that have achieved real andmeasurable results from their engagement effortsLearn how they did it what they achieved and howthe results were measured
THE 6TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT UK
3 16-18 October 2007 London UK After the huge success of the 2006 UK StrategicCommunication Management Summit next yearrsquosevent will once again provide you withpresentations from key figures in the industry anda chance to network with your peers Mark yourdiaries now ndash more details to follow
THE 3RD ANNUAL INTERNALCOMMUNICATION MEASUREMENTCONFERENCE UK
3 27-29 November 2007 London UKDetails available soon ndash mark your diary now
NORTH AMERICATHE 3RD ANNUAL CONFERENCEON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENTBUILDING AND SUSTAINING ACULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT
3 28 February ndash 1 March 2007 Crowne PlazaAtlanta-Buckhead Atlanta USLearn how to foster an environment whereemployees feel valued and respected Hear fromcompanies including Dow Corning CorporationAmerican Express Delta Hotels and Merck
THE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT US
3 26-28 March 2007 Crowne Plaza UnionSquare San Francisco26 March ndash Pre-conference workshops27-28 March ndash Two-day summitAttend this conference and discover how toimprove employee alignment with all segments ofyour internal audience ndash from your front-lineemployees to your executive officers bothnationally and worldwide
AUSTRALIATHE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION ENGAGEMENTSUMMIT SYDNEY
3 31 July ndash 2 August 2007 Sydney Australia Details available soon ndash mark your diary now
WEBINARSDEVELOPING PROFESSIONALCOMPETENCE
3 Thursday 22 February 2007 with LiamFitzPatrick and Sue Dewhurst
HELPING YOUR ORGANIZATIONTHRIVE DURING TURBULENTTIMES
3 Thursday 29 March 2007 with Carol KinseyGoman
TRAININGTHE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT PROGRAM
3 24-25 April and 1-2 May 2007 HenleyManagement College UK3 11-12 and 27-28 September 2007 Cranfield
School of Management UK
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT MASTERCLASSEFFECTIVE MEASUREMENT
3 14-15 March 2007 Hendon Hall Hendon UKAn essential two-day intensive training courses forinternal communicators on effective measurementRegister early as places are strictly limited to 20people per Masterclass
CSR DELIVERY ENGAGEMENT amp LEADERSHIP
3 19-20 April 2007 Central LondonOsney MediaWith an excellent speaker line-up from high-profile companies including Procter amp Gamble The BodyShop ExxonMobil Microsoft Belgium Vodafone UK Dell Ericsson and Alliance Boots this case studybased event will answer questions including how do Ibull Build a CSR-oriented leadershipbull Get people on boardbull Integrate CSR with the global strategy of the companybull Deliver CSR throughout the company to make it really happen
For more information visit wwwcsrleadershipcom or e-mail mariame_lindellosneymediacouk (Reference code 910MLC3)
38 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
DESIGN
YELLOW
The future success of all organisations will be builton trust understanding passion empowermentintegrity and relationships
The future is cool exciting sparkling organisationsbursting with energy life and action
The future of brand is the internal brand first andforemost
The future is colleague as customer
Turning communications upside down
No just inside-out
Be part of the future say hello to Yellow
We help large organisations bring their communicationsstrategies to life through the imaginative use of liveevents multimedia web and design ndash distributed acrossall media platforms including DVD TV mobile devicesintranet and extranet
Ultimately developing internal brands and ongoingcommunications that have a measurable impact onpeople-performance advocacy and the bottom line
Contact Paul MiddletonTel +44 (0)161 228 6700E-mail paulmiddletonyellowcomcomWebsite wwwyellowcomcom
NEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
DESIGN
BLUE GOOSE
blue goose specialize in visual communications We make communications work faster and better We will link what wedo back to your objectives but we donrsquot talk (or charge for) ldquostrategyrdquo when you simply want tactical implementation Weuse design and creativity tobull differentiate products and services bull develop and manage corporate and brand identity bull align external communications with agreed values bull internalize corporate and brand identitybull align internal communications with agreed values bull support organizational change and bull help organizations better understand and define who they are
We work for clients as diverse as PricewaterhouseCoopers Ford Europe Centrica plc Greene King City of London Policeand Le Meacuteridien
blue goose is for any organization more interested in designing their future than watching it happen
Contact Chris BarringtonE-mail thinkingbluegoosecoukTel +44 (0)20 8869 8500Web site wwwbluegoosecouk
CONSULTANCY
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION ampSURVEYS PTY LTD
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd is aboutique consultancy based in Sydney Australia Itspecializes in employee communication strategiessystems research and employee surveys of all kindsPrincipal Rodney Gray has been involved inorganizational consulting for over 20 years following a15-year career as a corporate human resourcesexecutive Services includebull Employee communication audits and surveys by
questionnaires focus groups and interviewsbull Employee communication systems strategies and
processesbull Employee communication training workshops and
talksbull Employee culture climate and opinion surveysbull Qualitative organizational diagnosis (focus groups
and interviews)bull Internal service quality research (qualitative and
quantitative)
Contact Rodney GrayTel +61 (0)2 9909 2900 Fax +61 (0)2 9909 2911E-mail rodneyrodneygraycomauWeb site wwwemployee-communicationcomau
CONSULTANCY
HEDRON
Internal and change communication that helps teamsand individuals to develop strategies relationshipsprocesses and skills to engage stakeholders supporthigh performance and deliver change
ldquoSharp strategic thinking quality execution effectiveinterpersonallyhelliprdquo ldquoCreativity drive resourcefulnessresults great funhelliprdquo say clients
All sectors ndash ABN AMRO AXA BT Cadbury SchweppesDepartment for Constitutional Affairs HealthcareCommission Group 4 Securicor SABMiller SiemensSouthern Rail Unilever Wincanton
Our clients are happy to tell you what itrsquos like workingwith us
Contact Helena MemoryTel + 44 (0) 20 7493 0735Fax + 44 (0) 20 7493 0743E-mail helena-mhedroncomWeb site wwwhedroncom
CONSULTANCY
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
39scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
CONSULTANCY
SYNOPSIS
Founded by change and communication authority Bill Quirke in 1992 Synopsis is one of Europersquos leading internalcommunication consultancies Our clients include such companies as ABN Amro BBC BP British Airways DiageoEricsson HP Lloyds TSB Roche Shell and Vodafone
We help clients use internal communication to engage their employees in delivering business strategy and get most valuefrom their internal communication
We can help youbull Develop communication strategies that support your business strategybull Coach leadersbull Develop line managersrsquo communication skillsbull Plan and coordinate your communication with colleagues onlinebull Check the health of your communication channels and improve return on investmentbull Build and develop the communication functionbull Measure and track employee engagement attitudes and opinions
To take a tour of our online planning tool go to wwwsynopsisonlinecomproductplanningtoolasp
Contact Jane LebeauE-mail janelebeausynopsisonlinecomTel +44 (0) 20 7490 2900Web site wwwsynopsisonlinecom
CONSULTANCY
HARKNESS KENNETT
We specialize in internal communication To us thatmeansbull motivating people through inspiring leadershipbull guiding people through organizational changebull engaging people in delivering the brand
Working in partnership with our clients is central to ourethos enabling us to help deliver practical solutionssupported by solid strategic thinking All of ourconsultants have held senior positions ldquoclient siderdquo sowe know what itrsquos like to be in your shoes The vastmajority of our work comes from recommendations fromexisting clients ndash 82 percent of our clients haverequested repeat work in the last two years
Our clients include Abbey Atkins BDO Stoy HaywardThe Environment Agency Marks amp Spencer NHS Blood ampTransplant Morgan Stanley Europe Nestleacute PoliceInformation Technology Organisation Royal ampSunAlliance South West Trains and Vodafone
Our vision is simple ndash we want to be the first callyou make
Contact James HarknessTel +44 (0)1483 222730E-mail jamesharknessharknesskennettcomWeb site wwwharknesskennettcom
CONSULTANCY
TRIDENT COMMUNICATIONS
Trident Communications is uniquely positioned to definedevelop and deliver award-winning solutions that aligncommunication with business goals
We advise and partner with organizations of all sizes tocreate high-value practical applications Our talentedproject teams provide innovative research designeditorial and imagery for print and online
We connect ideas and deliver results
Contact Peter Agertoft Tel +44 (0)207 536 8900E-mail peteragertoft
tridentcommunicationsnetWeb site wwwtridentcommunicationsnet
CONSULTANCY
FLEISHMAN-HILLARD
Fleishman-Hillardrsquos dedicated internal and changecommunication practice helps businesses focus onperforming ndash not just informing
We help organisations plan and implement programmeswith the right mix of information dialogue and trainingso that employees are engaged aligned and motivatedto achieve business objectives
Because effective internal communication is vital tobottom-line performance we partner with our clients tocreate a daily dialogue ndash not a monologue ndash withemployees
Contact Nick AndrewsTel +32 (0)2 230 05 45 E-mail nickandrewsfleishmancomWeb site wwwfleishmaneuropecom
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE A listing in our Directory of Services will giveyou a chance to reach communicationprofessionals at some of the worldrsquos largestand most admired companies and to tap intodecision-making practitioners
ContactVincent SorelTel +44 (0)208 600 4670E-mail vincentsorelmelcrumcom
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
INCLUDE YOUR COMPANY BY CONTACTING US ON +44(0)20 8600 4670 OR AT INFOMELCRUMCOM
CONSULTANCY
HILL amp KNOWLTON
Better business results the bottom line
How do I manage more change Motivate managers Getthe right information to the right people Show the bestreturn on communication investment
Sound familiar Hill amp Knowltonrsquos change and internalcommunication consultants work with companies aroundthe world to find the right answers for their situation
We offer strategy insight and creativity drawing on ourconsultancy expertise and in-house experience Plus wedeliver practical hands-on help
We know that effective employee communication has adirect impact on the bottom line Working together wecan make it happen for you
Contact EMEA DavidFerrabeehillandknowltoncom
+44 (0) 7413 3176USA BarbaraEdlerhillandknowltoncom
+1 415 281-7160Canada KristaThompsonhillandknowltoncom
+1 613 786-9961
RECRUITMENT
VMA GROUP
VMA Group is one of the UKrsquos leading executive searchand selection consultancies specializing in internal andcorporate communication recruitment
For over 25 years VMA Group has provided the highestlevel of service to some of the most demanding globalorganizations developing a strong track record for thequality and professionalism of our search and selection work
We have in-depth specialist knowledge of the internalcommunication market and can provide high-qualitypermanent and interim candidates with expertise acrossinternal communication change management and widercorporate communication We understand the needs ofour clients intrinsically and strive to develop long-termrelationships with clients and candidates alike
Please call to discuss how we can help you find theideal candidate or if you wish to make a career move
Contact David BroomeTel +44 (0)20 7436 4243E-mail dbroomevmagroupcoukWeb site wwwvmagroupcouk
40 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONALCOMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS E-mail gaitensunityncsueduWeb site wwwconsultingsuccessorgTel 919 469 3895
CIB ndash BRITISH ASSOCIATION OFCOMMUNICATORS IN BUSINESSE-mail enquiriescibukcomWeb site wwwcibukcomTel +44 (0)870 121 7606
CCM ndash COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATIONMANAGEMENT E-mail membership
ccmconnectioncomWeb site wwwccmconnectioncomTel 866 463 4226
CPRS ndash THE CANADIAN PUBLICRELATIONS SOCIETYE-mail admincprscaWeb site wwwcprscaTel 416 239 7034
IABC ndash THE INTERNATIONALASSOCIATION OF BUSINESSCOMMUNICATORS E-mail service_centreiabccomWeb site wwwiabccomTel 415 544 4700
ICA ndash THE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONALLIANCE E-mail amandafoistericaukorgWeb site wwwiprorgukicaTel +44 (0)1628 642 044
CIPR ndash THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OFPUBLIC RELATIONS UKE-mail infoiprorgukWeb site wwwiprorgukTel +44 (0)20 7253 5151
IPRA ndash THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICRELATIONS ASSOCIATIONE-mail ipraseccompuservecomWeb site wwwipraorgTel +44 (0) 1372 461 188
PRSA ndash PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OFAMERICAE-mail resourcesprsaorgWeb site wwwprsaorgTel 212 460 1459
DIRECTORY OF SERVICESNEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
CONSULTANCY
33scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
role was a big changerdquo explains Hallam ldquoAll thebusiness units now report to a single individual atoperating level It represented a huge positivemove to start the company operationalizing OneCompany behaviorrdquo
The internal communication function wasrestructured to ensure that consistent messagingreached the entire employee population Regularmeasurement was a key part of the changeinitiative This served to define the contributionof communicating a One Company approachwhere it was adding value to Pitney Bowes and itsclients and customers and where there was stillwork to do
3 TechnologyIt was important to find the best ways to cascademessages throughout the company and keeppeople informed about what was going onwithout bombarding them with irrelevantcommunication Hallam and his team deploy avariety of channels and media including internalprint and online publications voicemail and e-mail Pitney Bowes is also in the process ofintegrating its different voicemail systems and e-mail platforms into one global system
Involving senior leadership from the outsetThe One Company strategy was an overridingpolicy that started at the top of the organizationldquoThere was a big launch at the strategic leadersrsquomeeting which is held every Januaryrdquo saysHallam ldquoThe messaging was then driven throughthe organization via a companywide globalcommunication strategyrdquo
From the outset the policy was championed bythe CEO Michael Critelli who believes thatculture is central to the Pitney Bowes brand andsaid recently ldquoMy first measure of success iswhether we are behaving as one companyrdquo Thiscommitment helped to ensure that the culturalchange was reinforced by parallel changes to thecorporate infrastructure
Building a two-way dialogueThe next step was to get the employee populationinvolved and build enterprisewide enthusiasm forthe culture change Pitney Bowes has alwaysrecognized the value of a two-way dialoguebetween management and employees and hasheld annual jobholders meetings which aresimilar to shareholdersrsquo meetings for 61 years In2005 Hallam reinvented it as an initiative calledOne Forum ndash a series of roadshows focusing oncommunicating the One Company culturethroughout the organization
Launching the One ForumIn 2005 Hallam and his team created an original
and memorable One Forum launch for the 90percent of Pitney Bowes employees based in theUS Around a quarter of US employees saw thisin person the others received a link to a websitewith streaming highlights
ldquoWe put together a two-hour roadshow eventwhich helped people to understand our OneCompany approach and made them aware of allthe businesses we were inrdquo says Hallam ldquoThethinking was that high change requires high touchFace-to-face can have far greater impact on theindividuals touched From there itrsquos a matter ofripple effect such as seeing improved One Forumbrand awareness among employees who didnrsquotactually attend one of the eventsrdquo
ldquoWe wanted the roadshow to be entertainingand energizing so we used gameshow techniquescustom-written songs and comedy specificallytailored to Pitney Bowes employees It was a funevent but it also included a keynote speech fromthe CEO and a lot of question-and-answersessions with employees It was entertainmentwith a purpose and it was a great success with employeesrdquo
The post-event employee evaluations provedthe success of this approach ldquoIn some cities anincredible 90 percent of employees gave the eventa top-box rating This shows that there was ahunger for both the knowledge and theapproachrdquo adds Hallam
Taking the show on the roadThe One Forum roadshow has become an annualevent ldquoIn a five-month period during 2005 therewere 17 One Forum events in 12 US citiesreaching about 6000 peoplerdquo says Hallam ldquoAftersome testing in March and April the first bigroadshows started in early May and continued forsix months with the final one in early Decemberin Seattle 3
Rob Hallam is vice presidentEmployee Communication atPitney Bowes (PB) in StamfordConnecticut where hersquos beenresponsible for internalcommunication strategy andimplementation since 2004Hallam has led a team ofprofessionals in reshapingcommunication at PB resultedin the communication teamearning the top ranking in HRdepartment satisfaction fromall PBrsquos US managers in 2005and 2006
KEY POINTSbull Internal communication has played an important role in embedding a
One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
bull The communication strategy focused on three key elements peopleprocess and technology
bull The campaign has been championed by the CEO from the outset andhas won senior leadership support over time
bull An entertaining roadshow helped win employee commitment
bull Cross-selling ratios have jumped substantially since the culture-changeeffort began
34 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ldquoIn 2006 we compressed the programsubstantially and drove down costs while stilltouching 6000 employees Together with ourcorporate marketing group we also introduced anextremely successful lsquoelevator speechrsquo that helpsemployees answer the much-feared questionlsquoWhat does Pitney Bowes dorsquordquo
Local variationsAlthough the entertainment component in theroadshows contributed to their success it wasspecific to the US so Hallam gave business unitsand internal communicators in other regions theresponsibility for communicating the OneCompany approach to local employees ldquoInCanada and the UK they conducted town-hallmeetings and in Latin America and other parts ofthe world they produced their own variations onthe One Forum theme We made sure that theyhad the information they needed but we limitedthe entertainment to English-speaking regionsrdquo
A commitment to employee engagementThe appointment of the new COO and the launchof the One Forum roadshows coincided with thefirst employee engagement survey in late 2004ldquoWe see engagement as very much tied to ourability to execute a One Company strategy andchange our culturerdquo says Hallam He sets outfour ways in which employee engagement isinstilled at all levels in the organization
1 Visible leadership commitment to engagementThe CEO underlines his commitment by sendingregular messages to employees via a variety ofmedia including voicemail and print and onlinepublications He also uses engagement scores todetermine a unitrsquos overall performance rating andbonus pool ldquoWhen one senior execrsquos bonus poolwas reduced due to poor engagement scores that
was a message requiring no communication planrdquosays Hallam ldquoWord spread quicklyrdquo
2 Celebrating top performers Pitney Bowes celebrates its top engagementperformers by running cover stories in its globalprint and online publication PB Today ldquoThisprogram was called lsquoThe Faces of Pitney Bowesrsquordquosays Hallam ldquoWe did 10 of these last year so theyran twice in five editions Wersquove also producedlarge mural-sized photos of those managers andtheir teamsrdquo he says ldquoWe celebrate success andpublish it everywhere Our CEO loves it and wersquoreactually selling part of our contemporary artcollection which decorates the building to makeroom for an expansion of additional OneCompany and Engagement photography all ofwhich will focus on our employeesrdquo
3 Incentivizing managers via the reward systemEmployee engagement is recognized andreinforced in the companyrsquos formal processesincluding its reward system ldquoWe use a tool calledthe Strategic Architecture which is our balancedscorecardrdquo explains Hallam ldquoItrsquos a Six-Sigma toolwhich measures employee shareholder andcustomer value Managersrsquo engagement scoresalso factor into their annual reviews soengagement has a direct impact on remunerationrdquo
4 Rewarding engagementA further program called Rapid Rewards awardscash bonuses to managers and employees foroutstanding behavior including that related toemployee engagement
Aligning the communication strategyHallam and his team are responsible fordelivering the overall employee communicationstrategy ldquoWe had to dramatically improve ourstrategic approach in order to make OneCompany a realityrdquo he says
In addition to organizing campaigns such as theOne Forum roadshows to publicize the culturechange across the enterprise Hallam hasintroduced initiatives aimed at improving thereach and delivery of internal communication andmaking sure messages get to their intendedaudiences He has also aligned the structure ofthe internal communication function with thecompanyrsquos unified culture
ldquoThere were a lot of different communicationgroups so we brought together all thecommunication leaders and formed a singleInternal Communications Councilrdquo explainsHallam ldquoThis means that the communicationfunctions in the different business units areworking together to help drive change andimprove coordinationrdquo
Communicating a One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
ldquoWHEN A SENIOR EXECrsquoS BONUS WAS REDUCEDDUE TO POOR ENGAGEMENT SCORES THAT WASA MESSAGE REQUIRING NO COMMUNICATIONPLAN WORD SPREAD QUICKLYrdquo
7
FURTHER RESOURCES3 THE IMPACT OF CULTURE AND CLIMATE ON CHANGE PROGRAMS
An article published in SCM Volume 10 Issue 6 OctoberNovember 2006
3 DRIVING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE CORPORATE CULTUREMelcrumrsquos report on communication tools techniques and best practicefrom leading organizationswwwmelcrumcom
35scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Developing a global approachHallam is also responsible for a globalcommunication project called Universal Reachwhich is sponsored by the chairman and designedto support and maintain a unified corporateculture ldquoOur goal is to provide 90 percentmessage accessibility within our key customer-facing audiencesrdquo he explains ldquoThe biggestchallenge is integrating our online communicationinfrastructure which has nine different voicemailsystems operating across the world and multiplee-mail and web platforms Wersquore pulling all thattogether to provide better reachrdquo
Since 911 the CEO and other top executiveshave broadcast weekly audio messages calledPower Talks Hallamrsquos team has worked with theleadership to ensure that they incorporate OneCompany messages and as he explains they reachmost of the employee population ldquoAbout 20000of our employees have voicemail Those whodonrsquot receive the Power Talk message either inprint or online In some divisions managers playthe Power Talk messages in staff meetingsrdquo
Engaging leadership reinforces the cultureBuilding on the CEOrsquos commitment to a OneCompany approach Hallam and his team haveorganized leadership events ndash most recently at thestrategic leadersrsquo meeting in December 2006 ndashshowing Pitney Bowes as one company in actionThis campaign has helped to engage the top 150managers in the culture change
ldquoOur post-event evaluations show a strongmove numerically in senior leadershiprsquos belief thatwersquore operating as one companyrdquo says Hallam(see Figure One above) ldquoAs theyrsquore our toughestjudges wersquore pleased by the significant differencein pre- and post-event measurementrdquo There wasalso an improvement in leadersrsquo understanding ofthe companyrsquos new mailstream category
Sustaining the new cultureAccording to Hallam rippling out the OneCompany messaging requires a consistent andcoordinated approach Communication leaders inthe various divisions are now working to weaveOne Company messages into the business-unitmeetings ldquoA lot of the messaging that welaunched at the strategic leadersrsquo meeting arebeing reiterated at the business unit level Thatrsquosbeen facilitated through the InternalCommunications Councilrdquo he says
ldquoKey metrics for the culture change programfocus on cross-selling ratios which have jumpedsubstantially since the culture change effortbeganrdquo says Hallam ldquoIn 2002 we also institutedthe ldquoPB1 Awardsrdquo which is a chairmanrecognition award that goes to teams who bestembody cross-functional behavior in working on
projects which improve our clientsrsquo profitabilityour profitability or bothrdquo
ldquoHowever wersquore only really a year into thisMuch of the evidence is anecdotal but what haschanged is that our managers have broadenedtheir vision and are thinking as solutions-providers rather than product-sellers As suchtheyrsquore involving other business units out of theirdesire to eliminate customer pain points ndashregardless of which part of Pitney Bowes gets the salerdquo
Adding value to customersUltimately managers and employees who arewell-informed about the companyrsquos products andservices are in a good position to take advantageof cross-selling opportunities Realizing thispotential enables Pitney Bowes to make extrasales to existing customers thereby increasing itsprofit margins and allowing customers to benefitfrom a mix of products and services
Shifting to a unified culture directly benefitsboth Pitney Bowes and its customers ldquoByfocusing on the whole cadre of products andservices we can help our customers improve theirbusinessesrdquo says Hallam ldquoThatrsquos where OneCompany is critical It enables our clients tobenefit from all our servicesrdquo scm
Figure One Measuring the impact of the strategic leadersrsquo meeting
CONTACT DETAILS
Rob HallamPitney Bowesrobhallampbcom
I BELIEVE THAT OUR SENIOR LEADERS (MEANING THE TOP 15 EXECS) AREWORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO DELIVER INTEGRATED HIGH-VALUESOLUTIONS TO OUR CUSTOMERS
Pre SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 73
Post SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 92
Gain in two months time 19
ldquoMANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WELL-INFORMED ABOUT THE COMPANYrsquoS PRODUCTSAND SERVICES ARE IN A GOOD POSITION TOTAKE ADVANTAGE OF CROSS-SELLINGrdquo
2007
36 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
MELCRUM TRAINING amp EVENTS
CALENDAR 2007UKEUROPESOCIAL MEDIA FORUM FORINTERNAL COMMUNICATORS UK
3 21-22 March 2007 Hilton Canary WharfLondon UKThis forum is designed for practitioners who wantto make social media part of their internalcommunication strategy Over two dayscompanies such as IBM Microsoft and BT willshare case studies demonstrating their use ofsocial-media tools Technology experts will also beon hand to provide training and show you how touse these tools
THE 3RD ANNUAL EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT CONFERENCE UK
3 22-24 May 2007 Millennium GloucesterLondon UK22 May ndash Practical workshops23-24 May ndash Two-day conferenceThis event will focus on transforming yourstrategies into action Listen to case studies fromcompanies that have achieved real andmeasurable results from their engagement effortsLearn how they did it what they achieved and howthe results were measured
THE 6TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT UK
3 16-18 October 2007 London UK After the huge success of the 2006 UK StrategicCommunication Management Summit next yearrsquosevent will once again provide you withpresentations from key figures in the industry anda chance to network with your peers Mark yourdiaries now ndash more details to follow
THE 3RD ANNUAL INTERNALCOMMUNICATION MEASUREMENTCONFERENCE UK
3 27-29 November 2007 London UKDetails available soon ndash mark your diary now
NORTH AMERICATHE 3RD ANNUAL CONFERENCEON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENTBUILDING AND SUSTAINING ACULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT
3 28 February ndash 1 March 2007 Crowne PlazaAtlanta-Buckhead Atlanta USLearn how to foster an environment whereemployees feel valued and respected Hear fromcompanies including Dow Corning CorporationAmerican Express Delta Hotels and Merck
THE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT US
3 26-28 March 2007 Crowne Plaza UnionSquare San Francisco26 March ndash Pre-conference workshops27-28 March ndash Two-day summitAttend this conference and discover how toimprove employee alignment with all segments ofyour internal audience ndash from your front-lineemployees to your executive officers bothnationally and worldwide
AUSTRALIATHE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION ENGAGEMENTSUMMIT SYDNEY
3 31 July ndash 2 August 2007 Sydney Australia Details available soon ndash mark your diary now
WEBINARSDEVELOPING PROFESSIONALCOMPETENCE
3 Thursday 22 February 2007 with LiamFitzPatrick and Sue Dewhurst
HELPING YOUR ORGANIZATIONTHRIVE DURING TURBULENTTIMES
3 Thursday 29 March 2007 with Carol KinseyGoman
TRAININGTHE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT PROGRAM
3 24-25 April and 1-2 May 2007 HenleyManagement College UK3 11-12 and 27-28 September 2007 Cranfield
School of Management UK
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT MASTERCLASSEFFECTIVE MEASUREMENT
3 14-15 March 2007 Hendon Hall Hendon UKAn essential two-day intensive training courses forinternal communicators on effective measurementRegister early as places are strictly limited to 20people per Masterclass
CSR DELIVERY ENGAGEMENT amp LEADERSHIP
3 19-20 April 2007 Central LondonOsney MediaWith an excellent speaker line-up from high-profile companies including Procter amp Gamble The BodyShop ExxonMobil Microsoft Belgium Vodafone UK Dell Ericsson and Alliance Boots this case studybased event will answer questions including how do Ibull Build a CSR-oriented leadershipbull Get people on boardbull Integrate CSR with the global strategy of the companybull Deliver CSR throughout the company to make it really happen
For more information visit wwwcsrleadershipcom or e-mail mariame_lindellosneymediacouk (Reference code 910MLC3)
38 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
DESIGN
YELLOW
The future success of all organisations will be builton trust understanding passion empowermentintegrity and relationships
The future is cool exciting sparkling organisationsbursting with energy life and action
The future of brand is the internal brand first andforemost
The future is colleague as customer
Turning communications upside down
No just inside-out
Be part of the future say hello to Yellow
We help large organisations bring their communicationsstrategies to life through the imaginative use of liveevents multimedia web and design ndash distributed acrossall media platforms including DVD TV mobile devicesintranet and extranet
Ultimately developing internal brands and ongoingcommunications that have a measurable impact onpeople-performance advocacy and the bottom line
Contact Paul MiddletonTel +44 (0)161 228 6700E-mail paulmiddletonyellowcomcomWebsite wwwyellowcomcom
NEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
DESIGN
BLUE GOOSE
blue goose specialize in visual communications We make communications work faster and better We will link what wedo back to your objectives but we donrsquot talk (or charge for) ldquostrategyrdquo when you simply want tactical implementation Weuse design and creativity tobull differentiate products and services bull develop and manage corporate and brand identity bull align external communications with agreed values bull internalize corporate and brand identitybull align internal communications with agreed values bull support organizational change and bull help organizations better understand and define who they are
We work for clients as diverse as PricewaterhouseCoopers Ford Europe Centrica plc Greene King City of London Policeand Le Meacuteridien
blue goose is for any organization more interested in designing their future than watching it happen
Contact Chris BarringtonE-mail thinkingbluegoosecoukTel +44 (0)20 8869 8500Web site wwwbluegoosecouk
CONSULTANCY
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION ampSURVEYS PTY LTD
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd is aboutique consultancy based in Sydney Australia Itspecializes in employee communication strategiessystems research and employee surveys of all kindsPrincipal Rodney Gray has been involved inorganizational consulting for over 20 years following a15-year career as a corporate human resourcesexecutive Services includebull Employee communication audits and surveys by
questionnaires focus groups and interviewsbull Employee communication systems strategies and
processesbull Employee communication training workshops and
talksbull Employee culture climate and opinion surveysbull Qualitative organizational diagnosis (focus groups
and interviews)bull Internal service quality research (qualitative and
quantitative)
Contact Rodney GrayTel +61 (0)2 9909 2900 Fax +61 (0)2 9909 2911E-mail rodneyrodneygraycomauWeb site wwwemployee-communicationcomau
CONSULTANCY
HEDRON
Internal and change communication that helps teamsand individuals to develop strategies relationshipsprocesses and skills to engage stakeholders supporthigh performance and deliver change
ldquoSharp strategic thinking quality execution effectiveinterpersonallyhelliprdquo ldquoCreativity drive resourcefulnessresults great funhelliprdquo say clients
All sectors ndash ABN AMRO AXA BT Cadbury SchweppesDepartment for Constitutional Affairs HealthcareCommission Group 4 Securicor SABMiller SiemensSouthern Rail Unilever Wincanton
Our clients are happy to tell you what itrsquos like workingwith us
Contact Helena MemoryTel + 44 (0) 20 7493 0735Fax + 44 (0) 20 7493 0743E-mail helena-mhedroncomWeb site wwwhedroncom
CONSULTANCY
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
39scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
CONSULTANCY
SYNOPSIS
Founded by change and communication authority Bill Quirke in 1992 Synopsis is one of Europersquos leading internalcommunication consultancies Our clients include such companies as ABN Amro BBC BP British Airways DiageoEricsson HP Lloyds TSB Roche Shell and Vodafone
We help clients use internal communication to engage their employees in delivering business strategy and get most valuefrom their internal communication
We can help youbull Develop communication strategies that support your business strategybull Coach leadersbull Develop line managersrsquo communication skillsbull Plan and coordinate your communication with colleagues onlinebull Check the health of your communication channels and improve return on investmentbull Build and develop the communication functionbull Measure and track employee engagement attitudes and opinions
To take a tour of our online planning tool go to wwwsynopsisonlinecomproductplanningtoolasp
Contact Jane LebeauE-mail janelebeausynopsisonlinecomTel +44 (0) 20 7490 2900Web site wwwsynopsisonlinecom
CONSULTANCY
HARKNESS KENNETT
We specialize in internal communication To us thatmeansbull motivating people through inspiring leadershipbull guiding people through organizational changebull engaging people in delivering the brand
Working in partnership with our clients is central to ourethos enabling us to help deliver practical solutionssupported by solid strategic thinking All of ourconsultants have held senior positions ldquoclient siderdquo sowe know what itrsquos like to be in your shoes The vastmajority of our work comes from recommendations fromexisting clients ndash 82 percent of our clients haverequested repeat work in the last two years
Our clients include Abbey Atkins BDO Stoy HaywardThe Environment Agency Marks amp Spencer NHS Blood ampTransplant Morgan Stanley Europe Nestleacute PoliceInformation Technology Organisation Royal ampSunAlliance South West Trains and Vodafone
Our vision is simple ndash we want to be the first callyou make
Contact James HarknessTel +44 (0)1483 222730E-mail jamesharknessharknesskennettcomWeb site wwwharknesskennettcom
CONSULTANCY
TRIDENT COMMUNICATIONS
Trident Communications is uniquely positioned to definedevelop and deliver award-winning solutions that aligncommunication with business goals
We advise and partner with organizations of all sizes tocreate high-value practical applications Our talentedproject teams provide innovative research designeditorial and imagery for print and online
We connect ideas and deliver results
Contact Peter Agertoft Tel +44 (0)207 536 8900E-mail peteragertoft
tridentcommunicationsnetWeb site wwwtridentcommunicationsnet
CONSULTANCY
FLEISHMAN-HILLARD
Fleishman-Hillardrsquos dedicated internal and changecommunication practice helps businesses focus onperforming ndash not just informing
We help organisations plan and implement programmeswith the right mix of information dialogue and trainingso that employees are engaged aligned and motivatedto achieve business objectives
Because effective internal communication is vital tobottom-line performance we partner with our clients tocreate a daily dialogue ndash not a monologue ndash withemployees
Contact Nick AndrewsTel +32 (0)2 230 05 45 E-mail nickandrewsfleishmancomWeb site wwwfleishmaneuropecom
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE A listing in our Directory of Services will giveyou a chance to reach communicationprofessionals at some of the worldrsquos largestand most admired companies and to tap intodecision-making practitioners
ContactVincent SorelTel +44 (0)208 600 4670E-mail vincentsorelmelcrumcom
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
INCLUDE YOUR COMPANY BY CONTACTING US ON +44(0)20 8600 4670 OR AT INFOMELCRUMCOM
CONSULTANCY
HILL amp KNOWLTON
Better business results the bottom line
How do I manage more change Motivate managers Getthe right information to the right people Show the bestreturn on communication investment
Sound familiar Hill amp Knowltonrsquos change and internalcommunication consultants work with companies aroundthe world to find the right answers for their situation
We offer strategy insight and creativity drawing on ourconsultancy expertise and in-house experience Plus wedeliver practical hands-on help
We know that effective employee communication has adirect impact on the bottom line Working together wecan make it happen for you
Contact EMEA DavidFerrabeehillandknowltoncom
+44 (0) 7413 3176USA BarbaraEdlerhillandknowltoncom
+1 415 281-7160Canada KristaThompsonhillandknowltoncom
+1 613 786-9961
RECRUITMENT
VMA GROUP
VMA Group is one of the UKrsquos leading executive searchand selection consultancies specializing in internal andcorporate communication recruitment
For over 25 years VMA Group has provided the highestlevel of service to some of the most demanding globalorganizations developing a strong track record for thequality and professionalism of our search and selection work
We have in-depth specialist knowledge of the internalcommunication market and can provide high-qualitypermanent and interim candidates with expertise acrossinternal communication change management and widercorporate communication We understand the needs ofour clients intrinsically and strive to develop long-termrelationships with clients and candidates alike
Please call to discuss how we can help you find theideal candidate or if you wish to make a career move
Contact David BroomeTel +44 (0)20 7436 4243E-mail dbroomevmagroupcoukWeb site wwwvmagroupcouk
40 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONALCOMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS E-mail gaitensunityncsueduWeb site wwwconsultingsuccessorgTel 919 469 3895
CIB ndash BRITISH ASSOCIATION OFCOMMUNICATORS IN BUSINESSE-mail enquiriescibukcomWeb site wwwcibukcomTel +44 (0)870 121 7606
CCM ndash COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATIONMANAGEMENT E-mail membership
ccmconnectioncomWeb site wwwccmconnectioncomTel 866 463 4226
CPRS ndash THE CANADIAN PUBLICRELATIONS SOCIETYE-mail admincprscaWeb site wwwcprscaTel 416 239 7034
IABC ndash THE INTERNATIONALASSOCIATION OF BUSINESSCOMMUNICATORS E-mail service_centreiabccomWeb site wwwiabccomTel 415 544 4700
ICA ndash THE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONALLIANCE E-mail amandafoistericaukorgWeb site wwwiprorgukicaTel +44 (0)1628 642 044
CIPR ndash THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OFPUBLIC RELATIONS UKE-mail infoiprorgukWeb site wwwiprorgukTel +44 (0)20 7253 5151
IPRA ndash THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICRELATIONS ASSOCIATIONE-mail ipraseccompuservecomWeb site wwwipraorgTel +44 (0) 1372 461 188
PRSA ndash PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OFAMERICAE-mail resourcesprsaorgWeb site wwwprsaorgTel 212 460 1459
DIRECTORY OF SERVICESNEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
CONSULTANCY
34 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ldquoIn 2006 we compressed the programsubstantially and drove down costs while stilltouching 6000 employees Together with ourcorporate marketing group we also introduced anextremely successful lsquoelevator speechrsquo that helpsemployees answer the much-feared questionlsquoWhat does Pitney Bowes dorsquordquo
Local variationsAlthough the entertainment component in theroadshows contributed to their success it wasspecific to the US so Hallam gave business unitsand internal communicators in other regions theresponsibility for communicating the OneCompany approach to local employees ldquoInCanada and the UK they conducted town-hallmeetings and in Latin America and other parts ofthe world they produced their own variations onthe One Forum theme We made sure that theyhad the information they needed but we limitedthe entertainment to English-speaking regionsrdquo
A commitment to employee engagementThe appointment of the new COO and the launchof the One Forum roadshows coincided with thefirst employee engagement survey in late 2004ldquoWe see engagement as very much tied to ourability to execute a One Company strategy andchange our culturerdquo says Hallam He sets outfour ways in which employee engagement isinstilled at all levels in the organization
1 Visible leadership commitment to engagementThe CEO underlines his commitment by sendingregular messages to employees via a variety ofmedia including voicemail and print and onlinepublications He also uses engagement scores todetermine a unitrsquos overall performance rating andbonus pool ldquoWhen one senior execrsquos bonus poolwas reduced due to poor engagement scores that
was a message requiring no communication planrdquosays Hallam ldquoWord spread quicklyrdquo
2 Celebrating top performers Pitney Bowes celebrates its top engagementperformers by running cover stories in its globalprint and online publication PB Today ldquoThisprogram was called lsquoThe Faces of Pitney Bowesrsquordquosays Hallam ldquoWe did 10 of these last year so theyran twice in five editions Wersquove also producedlarge mural-sized photos of those managers andtheir teamsrdquo he says ldquoWe celebrate success andpublish it everywhere Our CEO loves it and wersquoreactually selling part of our contemporary artcollection which decorates the building to makeroom for an expansion of additional OneCompany and Engagement photography all ofwhich will focus on our employeesrdquo
3 Incentivizing managers via the reward systemEmployee engagement is recognized andreinforced in the companyrsquos formal processesincluding its reward system ldquoWe use a tool calledthe Strategic Architecture which is our balancedscorecardrdquo explains Hallam ldquoItrsquos a Six-Sigma toolwhich measures employee shareholder andcustomer value Managersrsquo engagement scoresalso factor into their annual reviews soengagement has a direct impact on remunerationrdquo
4 Rewarding engagementA further program called Rapid Rewards awardscash bonuses to managers and employees foroutstanding behavior including that related toemployee engagement
Aligning the communication strategyHallam and his team are responsible fordelivering the overall employee communicationstrategy ldquoWe had to dramatically improve ourstrategic approach in order to make OneCompany a realityrdquo he says
In addition to organizing campaigns such as theOne Forum roadshows to publicize the culturechange across the enterprise Hallam hasintroduced initiatives aimed at improving thereach and delivery of internal communication andmaking sure messages get to their intendedaudiences He has also aligned the structure ofthe internal communication function with thecompanyrsquos unified culture
ldquoThere were a lot of different communicationgroups so we brought together all thecommunication leaders and formed a singleInternal Communications Councilrdquo explainsHallam ldquoThis means that the communicationfunctions in the different business units areworking together to help drive change andimprove coordinationrdquo
Communicating a One Company culture at Pitney Bowes
ldquoWHEN A SENIOR EXECrsquoS BONUS WAS REDUCEDDUE TO POOR ENGAGEMENT SCORES THAT WASA MESSAGE REQUIRING NO COMMUNICATIONPLAN WORD SPREAD QUICKLYrdquo
7
FURTHER RESOURCES3 THE IMPACT OF CULTURE AND CLIMATE ON CHANGE PROGRAMS
An article published in SCM Volume 10 Issue 6 OctoberNovember 2006
3 DRIVING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE CORPORATE CULTUREMelcrumrsquos report on communication tools techniques and best practicefrom leading organizationswwwmelcrumcom
35scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Developing a global approachHallam is also responsible for a globalcommunication project called Universal Reachwhich is sponsored by the chairman and designedto support and maintain a unified corporateculture ldquoOur goal is to provide 90 percentmessage accessibility within our key customer-facing audiencesrdquo he explains ldquoThe biggestchallenge is integrating our online communicationinfrastructure which has nine different voicemailsystems operating across the world and multiplee-mail and web platforms Wersquore pulling all thattogether to provide better reachrdquo
Since 911 the CEO and other top executiveshave broadcast weekly audio messages calledPower Talks Hallamrsquos team has worked with theleadership to ensure that they incorporate OneCompany messages and as he explains they reachmost of the employee population ldquoAbout 20000of our employees have voicemail Those whodonrsquot receive the Power Talk message either inprint or online In some divisions managers playthe Power Talk messages in staff meetingsrdquo
Engaging leadership reinforces the cultureBuilding on the CEOrsquos commitment to a OneCompany approach Hallam and his team haveorganized leadership events ndash most recently at thestrategic leadersrsquo meeting in December 2006 ndashshowing Pitney Bowes as one company in actionThis campaign has helped to engage the top 150managers in the culture change
ldquoOur post-event evaluations show a strongmove numerically in senior leadershiprsquos belief thatwersquore operating as one companyrdquo says Hallam(see Figure One above) ldquoAs theyrsquore our toughestjudges wersquore pleased by the significant differencein pre- and post-event measurementrdquo There wasalso an improvement in leadersrsquo understanding ofthe companyrsquos new mailstream category
Sustaining the new cultureAccording to Hallam rippling out the OneCompany messaging requires a consistent andcoordinated approach Communication leaders inthe various divisions are now working to weaveOne Company messages into the business-unitmeetings ldquoA lot of the messaging that welaunched at the strategic leadersrsquo meeting arebeing reiterated at the business unit level Thatrsquosbeen facilitated through the InternalCommunications Councilrdquo he says
ldquoKey metrics for the culture change programfocus on cross-selling ratios which have jumpedsubstantially since the culture change effortbeganrdquo says Hallam ldquoIn 2002 we also institutedthe ldquoPB1 Awardsrdquo which is a chairmanrecognition award that goes to teams who bestembody cross-functional behavior in working on
projects which improve our clientsrsquo profitabilityour profitability or bothrdquo
ldquoHowever wersquore only really a year into thisMuch of the evidence is anecdotal but what haschanged is that our managers have broadenedtheir vision and are thinking as solutions-providers rather than product-sellers As suchtheyrsquore involving other business units out of theirdesire to eliminate customer pain points ndashregardless of which part of Pitney Bowes gets the salerdquo
Adding value to customersUltimately managers and employees who arewell-informed about the companyrsquos products andservices are in a good position to take advantageof cross-selling opportunities Realizing thispotential enables Pitney Bowes to make extrasales to existing customers thereby increasing itsprofit margins and allowing customers to benefitfrom a mix of products and services
Shifting to a unified culture directly benefitsboth Pitney Bowes and its customers ldquoByfocusing on the whole cadre of products andservices we can help our customers improve theirbusinessesrdquo says Hallam ldquoThatrsquos where OneCompany is critical It enables our clients tobenefit from all our servicesrdquo scm
Figure One Measuring the impact of the strategic leadersrsquo meeting
CONTACT DETAILS
Rob HallamPitney Bowesrobhallampbcom
I BELIEVE THAT OUR SENIOR LEADERS (MEANING THE TOP 15 EXECS) AREWORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO DELIVER INTEGRATED HIGH-VALUESOLUTIONS TO OUR CUSTOMERS
Pre SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 73
Post SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 92
Gain in two months time 19
ldquoMANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WELL-INFORMED ABOUT THE COMPANYrsquoS PRODUCTSAND SERVICES ARE IN A GOOD POSITION TOTAKE ADVANTAGE OF CROSS-SELLINGrdquo
2007
36 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
MELCRUM TRAINING amp EVENTS
CALENDAR 2007UKEUROPESOCIAL MEDIA FORUM FORINTERNAL COMMUNICATORS UK
3 21-22 March 2007 Hilton Canary WharfLondon UKThis forum is designed for practitioners who wantto make social media part of their internalcommunication strategy Over two dayscompanies such as IBM Microsoft and BT willshare case studies demonstrating their use ofsocial-media tools Technology experts will also beon hand to provide training and show you how touse these tools
THE 3RD ANNUAL EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT CONFERENCE UK
3 22-24 May 2007 Millennium GloucesterLondon UK22 May ndash Practical workshops23-24 May ndash Two-day conferenceThis event will focus on transforming yourstrategies into action Listen to case studies fromcompanies that have achieved real andmeasurable results from their engagement effortsLearn how they did it what they achieved and howthe results were measured
THE 6TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT UK
3 16-18 October 2007 London UK After the huge success of the 2006 UK StrategicCommunication Management Summit next yearrsquosevent will once again provide you withpresentations from key figures in the industry anda chance to network with your peers Mark yourdiaries now ndash more details to follow
THE 3RD ANNUAL INTERNALCOMMUNICATION MEASUREMENTCONFERENCE UK
3 27-29 November 2007 London UKDetails available soon ndash mark your diary now
NORTH AMERICATHE 3RD ANNUAL CONFERENCEON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENTBUILDING AND SUSTAINING ACULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT
3 28 February ndash 1 March 2007 Crowne PlazaAtlanta-Buckhead Atlanta USLearn how to foster an environment whereemployees feel valued and respected Hear fromcompanies including Dow Corning CorporationAmerican Express Delta Hotels and Merck
THE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT US
3 26-28 March 2007 Crowne Plaza UnionSquare San Francisco26 March ndash Pre-conference workshops27-28 March ndash Two-day summitAttend this conference and discover how toimprove employee alignment with all segments ofyour internal audience ndash from your front-lineemployees to your executive officers bothnationally and worldwide
AUSTRALIATHE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION ENGAGEMENTSUMMIT SYDNEY
3 31 July ndash 2 August 2007 Sydney Australia Details available soon ndash mark your diary now
WEBINARSDEVELOPING PROFESSIONALCOMPETENCE
3 Thursday 22 February 2007 with LiamFitzPatrick and Sue Dewhurst
HELPING YOUR ORGANIZATIONTHRIVE DURING TURBULENTTIMES
3 Thursday 29 March 2007 with Carol KinseyGoman
TRAININGTHE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT PROGRAM
3 24-25 April and 1-2 May 2007 HenleyManagement College UK3 11-12 and 27-28 September 2007 Cranfield
School of Management UK
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT MASTERCLASSEFFECTIVE MEASUREMENT
3 14-15 March 2007 Hendon Hall Hendon UKAn essential two-day intensive training courses forinternal communicators on effective measurementRegister early as places are strictly limited to 20people per Masterclass
CSR DELIVERY ENGAGEMENT amp LEADERSHIP
3 19-20 April 2007 Central LondonOsney MediaWith an excellent speaker line-up from high-profile companies including Procter amp Gamble The BodyShop ExxonMobil Microsoft Belgium Vodafone UK Dell Ericsson and Alliance Boots this case studybased event will answer questions including how do Ibull Build a CSR-oriented leadershipbull Get people on boardbull Integrate CSR with the global strategy of the companybull Deliver CSR throughout the company to make it really happen
For more information visit wwwcsrleadershipcom or e-mail mariame_lindellosneymediacouk (Reference code 910MLC3)
38 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
DESIGN
YELLOW
The future success of all organisations will be builton trust understanding passion empowermentintegrity and relationships
The future is cool exciting sparkling organisationsbursting with energy life and action
The future of brand is the internal brand first andforemost
The future is colleague as customer
Turning communications upside down
No just inside-out
Be part of the future say hello to Yellow
We help large organisations bring their communicationsstrategies to life through the imaginative use of liveevents multimedia web and design ndash distributed acrossall media platforms including DVD TV mobile devicesintranet and extranet
Ultimately developing internal brands and ongoingcommunications that have a measurable impact onpeople-performance advocacy and the bottom line
Contact Paul MiddletonTel +44 (0)161 228 6700E-mail paulmiddletonyellowcomcomWebsite wwwyellowcomcom
NEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
DESIGN
BLUE GOOSE
blue goose specialize in visual communications We make communications work faster and better We will link what wedo back to your objectives but we donrsquot talk (or charge for) ldquostrategyrdquo when you simply want tactical implementation Weuse design and creativity tobull differentiate products and services bull develop and manage corporate and brand identity bull align external communications with agreed values bull internalize corporate and brand identitybull align internal communications with agreed values bull support organizational change and bull help organizations better understand and define who they are
We work for clients as diverse as PricewaterhouseCoopers Ford Europe Centrica plc Greene King City of London Policeand Le Meacuteridien
blue goose is for any organization more interested in designing their future than watching it happen
Contact Chris BarringtonE-mail thinkingbluegoosecoukTel +44 (0)20 8869 8500Web site wwwbluegoosecouk
CONSULTANCY
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION ampSURVEYS PTY LTD
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd is aboutique consultancy based in Sydney Australia Itspecializes in employee communication strategiessystems research and employee surveys of all kindsPrincipal Rodney Gray has been involved inorganizational consulting for over 20 years following a15-year career as a corporate human resourcesexecutive Services includebull Employee communication audits and surveys by
questionnaires focus groups and interviewsbull Employee communication systems strategies and
processesbull Employee communication training workshops and
talksbull Employee culture climate and opinion surveysbull Qualitative organizational diagnosis (focus groups
and interviews)bull Internal service quality research (qualitative and
quantitative)
Contact Rodney GrayTel +61 (0)2 9909 2900 Fax +61 (0)2 9909 2911E-mail rodneyrodneygraycomauWeb site wwwemployee-communicationcomau
CONSULTANCY
HEDRON
Internal and change communication that helps teamsand individuals to develop strategies relationshipsprocesses and skills to engage stakeholders supporthigh performance and deliver change
ldquoSharp strategic thinking quality execution effectiveinterpersonallyhelliprdquo ldquoCreativity drive resourcefulnessresults great funhelliprdquo say clients
All sectors ndash ABN AMRO AXA BT Cadbury SchweppesDepartment for Constitutional Affairs HealthcareCommission Group 4 Securicor SABMiller SiemensSouthern Rail Unilever Wincanton
Our clients are happy to tell you what itrsquos like workingwith us
Contact Helena MemoryTel + 44 (0) 20 7493 0735Fax + 44 (0) 20 7493 0743E-mail helena-mhedroncomWeb site wwwhedroncom
CONSULTANCY
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
39scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
CONSULTANCY
SYNOPSIS
Founded by change and communication authority Bill Quirke in 1992 Synopsis is one of Europersquos leading internalcommunication consultancies Our clients include such companies as ABN Amro BBC BP British Airways DiageoEricsson HP Lloyds TSB Roche Shell and Vodafone
We help clients use internal communication to engage their employees in delivering business strategy and get most valuefrom their internal communication
We can help youbull Develop communication strategies that support your business strategybull Coach leadersbull Develop line managersrsquo communication skillsbull Plan and coordinate your communication with colleagues onlinebull Check the health of your communication channels and improve return on investmentbull Build and develop the communication functionbull Measure and track employee engagement attitudes and opinions
To take a tour of our online planning tool go to wwwsynopsisonlinecomproductplanningtoolasp
Contact Jane LebeauE-mail janelebeausynopsisonlinecomTel +44 (0) 20 7490 2900Web site wwwsynopsisonlinecom
CONSULTANCY
HARKNESS KENNETT
We specialize in internal communication To us thatmeansbull motivating people through inspiring leadershipbull guiding people through organizational changebull engaging people in delivering the brand
Working in partnership with our clients is central to ourethos enabling us to help deliver practical solutionssupported by solid strategic thinking All of ourconsultants have held senior positions ldquoclient siderdquo sowe know what itrsquos like to be in your shoes The vastmajority of our work comes from recommendations fromexisting clients ndash 82 percent of our clients haverequested repeat work in the last two years
Our clients include Abbey Atkins BDO Stoy HaywardThe Environment Agency Marks amp Spencer NHS Blood ampTransplant Morgan Stanley Europe Nestleacute PoliceInformation Technology Organisation Royal ampSunAlliance South West Trains and Vodafone
Our vision is simple ndash we want to be the first callyou make
Contact James HarknessTel +44 (0)1483 222730E-mail jamesharknessharknesskennettcomWeb site wwwharknesskennettcom
CONSULTANCY
TRIDENT COMMUNICATIONS
Trident Communications is uniquely positioned to definedevelop and deliver award-winning solutions that aligncommunication with business goals
We advise and partner with organizations of all sizes tocreate high-value practical applications Our talentedproject teams provide innovative research designeditorial and imagery for print and online
We connect ideas and deliver results
Contact Peter Agertoft Tel +44 (0)207 536 8900E-mail peteragertoft
tridentcommunicationsnetWeb site wwwtridentcommunicationsnet
CONSULTANCY
FLEISHMAN-HILLARD
Fleishman-Hillardrsquos dedicated internal and changecommunication practice helps businesses focus onperforming ndash not just informing
We help organisations plan and implement programmeswith the right mix of information dialogue and trainingso that employees are engaged aligned and motivatedto achieve business objectives
Because effective internal communication is vital tobottom-line performance we partner with our clients tocreate a daily dialogue ndash not a monologue ndash withemployees
Contact Nick AndrewsTel +32 (0)2 230 05 45 E-mail nickandrewsfleishmancomWeb site wwwfleishmaneuropecom
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE A listing in our Directory of Services will giveyou a chance to reach communicationprofessionals at some of the worldrsquos largestand most admired companies and to tap intodecision-making practitioners
ContactVincent SorelTel +44 (0)208 600 4670E-mail vincentsorelmelcrumcom
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
INCLUDE YOUR COMPANY BY CONTACTING US ON +44(0)20 8600 4670 OR AT INFOMELCRUMCOM
CONSULTANCY
HILL amp KNOWLTON
Better business results the bottom line
How do I manage more change Motivate managers Getthe right information to the right people Show the bestreturn on communication investment
Sound familiar Hill amp Knowltonrsquos change and internalcommunication consultants work with companies aroundthe world to find the right answers for their situation
We offer strategy insight and creativity drawing on ourconsultancy expertise and in-house experience Plus wedeliver practical hands-on help
We know that effective employee communication has adirect impact on the bottom line Working together wecan make it happen for you
Contact EMEA DavidFerrabeehillandknowltoncom
+44 (0) 7413 3176USA BarbaraEdlerhillandknowltoncom
+1 415 281-7160Canada KristaThompsonhillandknowltoncom
+1 613 786-9961
RECRUITMENT
VMA GROUP
VMA Group is one of the UKrsquos leading executive searchand selection consultancies specializing in internal andcorporate communication recruitment
For over 25 years VMA Group has provided the highestlevel of service to some of the most demanding globalorganizations developing a strong track record for thequality and professionalism of our search and selection work
We have in-depth specialist knowledge of the internalcommunication market and can provide high-qualitypermanent and interim candidates with expertise acrossinternal communication change management and widercorporate communication We understand the needs ofour clients intrinsically and strive to develop long-termrelationships with clients and candidates alike
Please call to discuss how we can help you find theideal candidate or if you wish to make a career move
Contact David BroomeTel +44 (0)20 7436 4243E-mail dbroomevmagroupcoukWeb site wwwvmagroupcouk
40 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONALCOMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS E-mail gaitensunityncsueduWeb site wwwconsultingsuccessorgTel 919 469 3895
CIB ndash BRITISH ASSOCIATION OFCOMMUNICATORS IN BUSINESSE-mail enquiriescibukcomWeb site wwwcibukcomTel +44 (0)870 121 7606
CCM ndash COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATIONMANAGEMENT E-mail membership
ccmconnectioncomWeb site wwwccmconnectioncomTel 866 463 4226
CPRS ndash THE CANADIAN PUBLICRELATIONS SOCIETYE-mail admincprscaWeb site wwwcprscaTel 416 239 7034
IABC ndash THE INTERNATIONALASSOCIATION OF BUSINESSCOMMUNICATORS E-mail service_centreiabccomWeb site wwwiabccomTel 415 544 4700
ICA ndash THE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONALLIANCE E-mail amandafoistericaukorgWeb site wwwiprorgukicaTel +44 (0)1628 642 044
CIPR ndash THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OFPUBLIC RELATIONS UKE-mail infoiprorgukWeb site wwwiprorgukTel +44 (0)20 7253 5151
IPRA ndash THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICRELATIONS ASSOCIATIONE-mail ipraseccompuservecomWeb site wwwipraorgTel +44 (0) 1372 461 188
PRSA ndash PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OFAMERICAE-mail resourcesprsaorgWeb site wwwprsaorgTel 212 460 1459
DIRECTORY OF SERVICESNEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
CONSULTANCY
35scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
Developing a global approachHallam is also responsible for a globalcommunication project called Universal Reachwhich is sponsored by the chairman and designedto support and maintain a unified corporateculture ldquoOur goal is to provide 90 percentmessage accessibility within our key customer-facing audiencesrdquo he explains ldquoThe biggestchallenge is integrating our online communicationinfrastructure which has nine different voicemailsystems operating across the world and multiplee-mail and web platforms Wersquore pulling all thattogether to provide better reachrdquo
Since 911 the CEO and other top executiveshave broadcast weekly audio messages calledPower Talks Hallamrsquos team has worked with theleadership to ensure that they incorporate OneCompany messages and as he explains they reachmost of the employee population ldquoAbout 20000of our employees have voicemail Those whodonrsquot receive the Power Talk message either inprint or online In some divisions managers playthe Power Talk messages in staff meetingsrdquo
Engaging leadership reinforces the cultureBuilding on the CEOrsquos commitment to a OneCompany approach Hallam and his team haveorganized leadership events ndash most recently at thestrategic leadersrsquo meeting in December 2006 ndashshowing Pitney Bowes as one company in actionThis campaign has helped to engage the top 150managers in the culture change
ldquoOur post-event evaluations show a strongmove numerically in senior leadershiprsquos belief thatwersquore operating as one companyrdquo says Hallam(see Figure One above) ldquoAs theyrsquore our toughestjudges wersquore pleased by the significant differencein pre- and post-event measurementrdquo There wasalso an improvement in leadersrsquo understanding ofthe companyrsquos new mailstream category
Sustaining the new cultureAccording to Hallam rippling out the OneCompany messaging requires a consistent andcoordinated approach Communication leaders inthe various divisions are now working to weaveOne Company messages into the business-unitmeetings ldquoA lot of the messaging that welaunched at the strategic leadersrsquo meeting arebeing reiterated at the business unit level Thatrsquosbeen facilitated through the InternalCommunications Councilrdquo he says
ldquoKey metrics for the culture change programfocus on cross-selling ratios which have jumpedsubstantially since the culture change effortbeganrdquo says Hallam ldquoIn 2002 we also institutedthe ldquoPB1 Awardsrdquo which is a chairmanrecognition award that goes to teams who bestembody cross-functional behavior in working on
projects which improve our clientsrsquo profitabilityour profitability or bothrdquo
ldquoHowever wersquore only really a year into thisMuch of the evidence is anecdotal but what haschanged is that our managers have broadenedtheir vision and are thinking as solutions-providers rather than product-sellers As suchtheyrsquore involving other business units out of theirdesire to eliminate customer pain points ndashregardless of which part of Pitney Bowes gets the salerdquo
Adding value to customersUltimately managers and employees who arewell-informed about the companyrsquos products andservices are in a good position to take advantageof cross-selling opportunities Realizing thispotential enables Pitney Bowes to make extrasales to existing customers thereby increasing itsprofit margins and allowing customers to benefitfrom a mix of products and services
Shifting to a unified culture directly benefitsboth Pitney Bowes and its customers ldquoByfocusing on the whole cadre of products andservices we can help our customers improve theirbusinessesrdquo says Hallam ldquoThatrsquos where OneCompany is critical It enables our clients tobenefit from all our servicesrdquo scm
Figure One Measuring the impact of the strategic leadersrsquo meeting
CONTACT DETAILS
Rob HallamPitney Bowesrobhallampbcom
I BELIEVE THAT OUR SENIOR LEADERS (MEANING THE TOP 15 EXECS) AREWORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO DELIVER INTEGRATED HIGH-VALUESOLUTIONS TO OUR CUSTOMERS
Pre SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 73
Post SLC the top 150 managers agreedstrongly agreed 92
Gain in two months time 19
ldquoMANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WELL-INFORMED ABOUT THE COMPANYrsquoS PRODUCTSAND SERVICES ARE IN A GOOD POSITION TOTAKE ADVANTAGE OF CROSS-SELLINGrdquo
2007
36 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
MELCRUM TRAINING amp EVENTS
CALENDAR 2007UKEUROPESOCIAL MEDIA FORUM FORINTERNAL COMMUNICATORS UK
3 21-22 March 2007 Hilton Canary WharfLondon UKThis forum is designed for practitioners who wantto make social media part of their internalcommunication strategy Over two dayscompanies such as IBM Microsoft and BT willshare case studies demonstrating their use ofsocial-media tools Technology experts will also beon hand to provide training and show you how touse these tools
THE 3RD ANNUAL EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT CONFERENCE UK
3 22-24 May 2007 Millennium GloucesterLondon UK22 May ndash Practical workshops23-24 May ndash Two-day conferenceThis event will focus on transforming yourstrategies into action Listen to case studies fromcompanies that have achieved real andmeasurable results from their engagement effortsLearn how they did it what they achieved and howthe results were measured
THE 6TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT UK
3 16-18 October 2007 London UK After the huge success of the 2006 UK StrategicCommunication Management Summit next yearrsquosevent will once again provide you withpresentations from key figures in the industry anda chance to network with your peers Mark yourdiaries now ndash more details to follow
THE 3RD ANNUAL INTERNALCOMMUNICATION MEASUREMENTCONFERENCE UK
3 27-29 November 2007 London UKDetails available soon ndash mark your diary now
NORTH AMERICATHE 3RD ANNUAL CONFERENCEON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENTBUILDING AND SUSTAINING ACULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT
3 28 February ndash 1 March 2007 Crowne PlazaAtlanta-Buckhead Atlanta USLearn how to foster an environment whereemployees feel valued and respected Hear fromcompanies including Dow Corning CorporationAmerican Express Delta Hotels and Merck
THE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT US
3 26-28 March 2007 Crowne Plaza UnionSquare San Francisco26 March ndash Pre-conference workshops27-28 March ndash Two-day summitAttend this conference and discover how toimprove employee alignment with all segments ofyour internal audience ndash from your front-lineemployees to your executive officers bothnationally and worldwide
AUSTRALIATHE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION ENGAGEMENTSUMMIT SYDNEY
3 31 July ndash 2 August 2007 Sydney Australia Details available soon ndash mark your diary now
WEBINARSDEVELOPING PROFESSIONALCOMPETENCE
3 Thursday 22 February 2007 with LiamFitzPatrick and Sue Dewhurst
HELPING YOUR ORGANIZATIONTHRIVE DURING TURBULENTTIMES
3 Thursday 29 March 2007 with Carol KinseyGoman
TRAININGTHE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT PROGRAM
3 24-25 April and 1-2 May 2007 HenleyManagement College UK3 11-12 and 27-28 September 2007 Cranfield
School of Management UK
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT MASTERCLASSEFFECTIVE MEASUREMENT
3 14-15 March 2007 Hendon Hall Hendon UKAn essential two-day intensive training courses forinternal communicators on effective measurementRegister early as places are strictly limited to 20people per Masterclass
CSR DELIVERY ENGAGEMENT amp LEADERSHIP
3 19-20 April 2007 Central LondonOsney MediaWith an excellent speaker line-up from high-profile companies including Procter amp Gamble The BodyShop ExxonMobil Microsoft Belgium Vodafone UK Dell Ericsson and Alliance Boots this case studybased event will answer questions including how do Ibull Build a CSR-oriented leadershipbull Get people on boardbull Integrate CSR with the global strategy of the companybull Deliver CSR throughout the company to make it really happen
For more information visit wwwcsrleadershipcom or e-mail mariame_lindellosneymediacouk (Reference code 910MLC3)
38 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
DESIGN
YELLOW
The future success of all organisations will be builton trust understanding passion empowermentintegrity and relationships
The future is cool exciting sparkling organisationsbursting with energy life and action
The future of brand is the internal brand first andforemost
The future is colleague as customer
Turning communications upside down
No just inside-out
Be part of the future say hello to Yellow
We help large organisations bring their communicationsstrategies to life through the imaginative use of liveevents multimedia web and design ndash distributed acrossall media platforms including DVD TV mobile devicesintranet and extranet
Ultimately developing internal brands and ongoingcommunications that have a measurable impact onpeople-performance advocacy and the bottom line
Contact Paul MiddletonTel +44 (0)161 228 6700E-mail paulmiddletonyellowcomcomWebsite wwwyellowcomcom
NEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
DESIGN
BLUE GOOSE
blue goose specialize in visual communications We make communications work faster and better We will link what wedo back to your objectives but we donrsquot talk (or charge for) ldquostrategyrdquo when you simply want tactical implementation Weuse design and creativity tobull differentiate products and services bull develop and manage corporate and brand identity bull align external communications with agreed values bull internalize corporate and brand identitybull align internal communications with agreed values bull support organizational change and bull help organizations better understand and define who they are
We work for clients as diverse as PricewaterhouseCoopers Ford Europe Centrica plc Greene King City of London Policeand Le Meacuteridien
blue goose is for any organization more interested in designing their future than watching it happen
Contact Chris BarringtonE-mail thinkingbluegoosecoukTel +44 (0)20 8869 8500Web site wwwbluegoosecouk
CONSULTANCY
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION ampSURVEYS PTY LTD
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd is aboutique consultancy based in Sydney Australia Itspecializes in employee communication strategiessystems research and employee surveys of all kindsPrincipal Rodney Gray has been involved inorganizational consulting for over 20 years following a15-year career as a corporate human resourcesexecutive Services includebull Employee communication audits and surveys by
questionnaires focus groups and interviewsbull Employee communication systems strategies and
processesbull Employee communication training workshops and
talksbull Employee culture climate and opinion surveysbull Qualitative organizational diagnosis (focus groups
and interviews)bull Internal service quality research (qualitative and
quantitative)
Contact Rodney GrayTel +61 (0)2 9909 2900 Fax +61 (0)2 9909 2911E-mail rodneyrodneygraycomauWeb site wwwemployee-communicationcomau
CONSULTANCY
HEDRON
Internal and change communication that helps teamsand individuals to develop strategies relationshipsprocesses and skills to engage stakeholders supporthigh performance and deliver change
ldquoSharp strategic thinking quality execution effectiveinterpersonallyhelliprdquo ldquoCreativity drive resourcefulnessresults great funhelliprdquo say clients
All sectors ndash ABN AMRO AXA BT Cadbury SchweppesDepartment for Constitutional Affairs HealthcareCommission Group 4 Securicor SABMiller SiemensSouthern Rail Unilever Wincanton
Our clients are happy to tell you what itrsquos like workingwith us
Contact Helena MemoryTel + 44 (0) 20 7493 0735Fax + 44 (0) 20 7493 0743E-mail helena-mhedroncomWeb site wwwhedroncom
CONSULTANCY
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
39scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
CONSULTANCY
SYNOPSIS
Founded by change and communication authority Bill Quirke in 1992 Synopsis is one of Europersquos leading internalcommunication consultancies Our clients include such companies as ABN Amro BBC BP British Airways DiageoEricsson HP Lloyds TSB Roche Shell and Vodafone
We help clients use internal communication to engage their employees in delivering business strategy and get most valuefrom their internal communication
We can help youbull Develop communication strategies that support your business strategybull Coach leadersbull Develop line managersrsquo communication skillsbull Plan and coordinate your communication with colleagues onlinebull Check the health of your communication channels and improve return on investmentbull Build and develop the communication functionbull Measure and track employee engagement attitudes and opinions
To take a tour of our online planning tool go to wwwsynopsisonlinecomproductplanningtoolasp
Contact Jane LebeauE-mail janelebeausynopsisonlinecomTel +44 (0) 20 7490 2900Web site wwwsynopsisonlinecom
CONSULTANCY
HARKNESS KENNETT
We specialize in internal communication To us thatmeansbull motivating people through inspiring leadershipbull guiding people through organizational changebull engaging people in delivering the brand
Working in partnership with our clients is central to ourethos enabling us to help deliver practical solutionssupported by solid strategic thinking All of ourconsultants have held senior positions ldquoclient siderdquo sowe know what itrsquos like to be in your shoes The vastmajority of our work comes from recommendations fromexisting clients ndash 82 percent of our clients haverequested repeat work in the last two years
Our clients include Abbey Atkins BDO Stoy HaywardThe Environment Agency Marks amp Spencer NHS Blood ampTransplant Morgan Stanley Europe Nestleacute PoliceInformation Technology Organisation Royal ampSunAlliance South West Trains and Vodafone
Our vision is simple ndash we want to be the first callyou make
Contact James HarknessTel +44 (0)1483 222730E-mail jamesharknessharknesskennettcomWeb site wwwharknesskennettcom
CONSULTANCY
TRIDENT COMMUNICATIONS
Trident Communications is uniquely positioned to definedevelop and deliver award-winning solutions that aligncommunication with business goals
We advise and partner with organizations of all sizes tocreate high-value practical applications Our talentedproject teams provide innovative research designeditorial and imagery for print and online
We connect ideas and deliver results
Contact Peter Agertoft Tel +44 (0)207 536 8900E-mail peteragertoft
tridentcommunicationsnetWeb site wwwtridentcommunicationsnet
CONSULTANCY
FLEISHMAN-HILLARD
Fleishman-Hillardrsquos dedicated internal and changecommunication practice helps businesses focus onperforming ndash not just informing
We help organisations plan and implement programmeswith the right mix of information dialogue and trainingso that employees are engaged aligned and motivatedto achieve business objectives
Because effective internal communication is vital tobottom-line performance we partner with our clients tocreate a daily dialogue ndash not a monologue ndash withemployees
Contact Nick AndrewsTel +32 (0)2 230 05 45 E-mail nickandrewsfleishmancomWeb site wwwfleishmaneuropecom
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE A listing in our Directory of Services will giveyou a chance to reach communicationprofessionals at some of the worldrsquos largestand most admired companies and to tap intodecision-making practitioners
ContactVincent SorelTel +44 (0)208 600 4670E-mail vincentsorelmelcrumcom
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
INCLUDE YOUR COMPANY BY CONTACTING US ON +44(0)20 8600 4670 OR AT INFOMELCRUMCOM
CONSULTANCY
HILL amp KNOWLTON
Better business results the bottom line
How do I manage more change Motivate managers Getthe right information to the right people Show the bestreturn on communication investment
Sound familiar Hill amp Knowltonrsquos change and internalcommunication consultants work with companies aroundthe world to find the right answers for their situation
We offer strategy insight and creativity drawing on ourconsultancy expertise and in-house experience Plus wedeliver practical hands-on help
We know that effective employee communication has adirect impact on the bottom line Working together wecan make it happen for you
Contact EMEA DavidFerrabeehillandknowltoncom
+44 (0) 7413 3176USA BarbaraEdlerhillandknowltoncom
+1 415 281-7160Canada KristaThompsonhillandknowltoncom
+1 613 786-9961
RECRUITMENT
VMA GROUP
VMA Group is one of the UKrsquos leading executive searchand selection consultancies specializing in internal andcorporate communication recruitment
For over 25 years VMA Group has provided the highestlevel of service to some of the most demanding globalorganizations developing a strong track record for thequality and professionalism of our search and selection work
We have in-depth specialist knowledge of the internalcommunication market and can provide high-qualitypermanent and interim candidates with expertise acrossinternal communication change management and widercorporate communication We understand the needs ofour clients intrinsically and strive to develop long-termrelationships with clients and candidates alike
Please call to discuss how we can help you find theideal candidate or if you wish to make a career move
Contact David BroomeTel +44 (0)20 7436 4243E-mail dbroomevmagroupcoukWeb site wwwvmagroupcouk
40 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONALCOMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS E-mail gaitensunityncsueduWeb site wwwconsultingsuccessorgTel 919 469 3895
CIB ndash BRITISH ASSOCIATION OFCOMMUNICATORS IN BUSINESSE-mail enquiriescibukcomWeb site wwwcibukcomTel +44 (0)870 121 7606
CCM ndash COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATIONMANAGEMENT E-mail membership
ccmconnectioncomWeb site wwwccmconnectioncomTel 866 463 4226
CPRS ndash THE CANADIAN PUBLICRELATIONS SOCIETYE-mail admincprscaWeb site wwwcprscaTel 416 239 7034
IABC ndash THE INTERNATIONALASSOCIATION OF BUSINESSCOMMUNICATORS E-mail service_centreiabccomWeb site wwwiabccomTel 415 544 4700
ICA ndash THE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONALLIANCE E-mail amandafoistericaukorgWeb site wwwiprorgukicaTel +44 (0)1628 642 044
CIPR ndash THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OFPUBLIC RELATIONS UKE-mail infoiprorgukWeb site wwwiprorgukTel +44 (0)20 7253 5151
IPRA ndash THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICRELATIONS ASSOCIATIONE-mail ipraseccompuservecomWeb site wwwipraorgTel +44 (0) 1372 461 188
PRSA ndash PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OFAMERICAE-mail resourcesprsaorgWeb site wwwprsaorgTel 212 460 1459
DIRECTORY OF SERVICESNEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
CONSULTANCY
2007
36 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
MELCRUM TRAINING amp EVENTS
CALENDAR 2007UKEUROPESOCIAL MEDIA FORUM FORINTERNAL COMMUNICATORS UK
3 21-22 March 2007 Hilton Canary WharfLondon UKThis forum is designed for practitioners who wantto make social media part of their internalcommunication strategy Over two dayscompanies such as IBM Microsoft and BT willshare case studies demonstrating their use ofsocial-media tools Technology experts will also beon hand to provide training and show you how touse these tools
THE 3RD ANNUAL EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT CONFERENCE UK
3 22-24 May 2007 Millennium GloucesterLondon UK22 May ndash Practical workshops23-24 May ndash Two-day conferenceThis event will focus on transforming yourstrategies into action Listen to case studies fromcompanies that have achieved real andmeasurable results from their engagement effortsLearn how they did it what they achieved and howthe results were measured
THE 6TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT UK
3 16-18 October 2007 London UK After the huge success of the 2006 UK StrategicCommunication Management Summit next yearrsquosevent will once again provide you withpresentations from key figures in the industry anda chance to network with your peers Mark yourdiaries now ndash more details to follow
THE 3RD ANNUAL INTERNALCOMMUNICATION MEASUREMENTCONFERENCE UK
3 27-29 November 2007 London UKDetails available soon ndash mark your diary now
NORTH AMERICATHE 3RD ANNUAL CONFERENCEON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENTBUILDING AND SUSTAINING ACULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT
3 28 February ndash 1 March 2007 Crowne PlazaAtlanta-Buckhead Atlanta USLearn how to foster an environment whereemployees feel valued and respected Hear fromcompanies including Dow Corning CorporationAmerican Express Delta Hotels and Merck
THE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENTSUMMIT US
3 26-28 March 2007 Crowne Plaza UnionSquare San Francisco26 March ndash Pre-conference workshops27-28 March ndash Two-day summitAttend this conference and discover how toimprove employee alignment with all segments ofyour internal audience ndash from your front-lineemployees to your executive officers bothnationally and worldwide
AUSTRALIATHE 4TH ANNUAL STRATEGICCOMMUNICATION ENGAGEMENTSUMMIT SYDNEY
3 31 July ndash 2 August 2007 Sydney Australia Details available soon ndash mark your diary now
WEBINARSDEVELOPING PROFESSIONALCOMPETENCE
3 Thursday 22 February 2007 with LiamFitzPatrick and Sue Dewhurst
HELPING YOUR ORGANIZATIONTHRIVE DURING TURBULENTTIMES
3 Thursday 29 March 2007 with Carol KinseyGoman
TRAININGTHE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT PROGRAM
3 24-25 April and 1-2 May 2007 HenleyManagement College UK3 11-12 and 27-28 September 2007 Cranfield
School of Management UK
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONBLACK BELT MASTERCLASSEFFECTIVE MEASUREMENT
3 14-15 March 2007 Hendon Hall Hendon UKAn essential two-day intensive training courses forinternal communicators on effective measurementRegister early as places are strictly limited to 20people per Masterclass
CSR DELIVERY ENGAGEMENT amp LEADERSHIP
3 19-20 April 2007 Central LondonOsney MediaWith an excellent speaker line-up from high-profile companies including Procter amp Gamble The BodyShop ExxonMobil Microsoft Belgium Vodafone UK Dell Ericsson and Alliance Boots this case studybased event will answer questions including how do Ibull Build a CSR-oriented leadershipbull Get people on boardbull Integrate CSR with the global strategy of the companybull Deliver CSR throughout the company to make it really happen
For more information visit wwwcsrleadershipcom or e-mail mariame_lindellosneymediacouk (Reference code 910MLC3)
38 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
DESIGN
YELLOW
The future success of all organisations will be builton trust understanding passion empowermentintegrity and relationships
The future is cool exciting sparkling organisationsbursting with energy life and action
The future of brand is the internal brand first andforemost
The future is colleague as customer
Turning communications upside down
No just inside-out
Be part of the future say hello to Yellow
We help large organisations bring their communicationsstrategies to life through the imaginative use of liveevents multimedia web and design ndash distributed acrossall media platforms including DVD TV mobile devicesintranet and extranet
Ultimately developing internal brands and ongoingcommunications that have a measurable impact onpeople-performance advocacy and the bottom line
Contact Paul MiddletonTel +44 (0)161 228 6700E-mail paulmiddletonyellowcomcomWebsite wwwyellowcomcom
NEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
DESIGN
BLUE GOOSE
blue goose specialize in visual communications We make communications work faster and better We will link what wedo back to your objectives but we donrsquot talk (or charge for) ldquostrategyrdquo when you simply want tactical implementation Weuse design and creativity tobull differentiate products and services bull develop and manage corporate and brand identity bull align external communications with agreed values bull internalize corporate and brand identitybull align internal communications with agreed values bull support organizational change and bull help organizations better understand and define who they are
We work for clients as diverse as PricewaterhouseCoopers Ford Europe Centrica plc Greene King City of London Policeand Le Meacuteridien
blue goose is for any organization more interested in designing their future than watching it happen
Contact Chris BarringtonE-mail thinkingbluegoosecoukTel +44 (0)20 8869 8500Web site wwwbluegoosecouk
CONSULTANCY
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION ampSURVEYS PTY LTD
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd is aboutique consultancy based in Sydney Australia Itspecializes in employee communication strategiessystems research and employee surveys of all kindsPrincipal Rodney Gray has been involved inorganizational consulting for over 20 years following a15-year career as a corporate human resourcesexecutive Services includebull Employee communication audits and surveys by
questionnaires focus groups and interviewsbull Employee communication systems strategies and
processesbull Employee communication training workshops and
talksbull Employee culture climate and opinion surveysbull Qualitative organizational diagnosis (focus groups
and interviews)bull Internal service quality research (qualitative and
quantitative)
Contact Rodney GrayTel +61 (0)2 9909 2900 Fax +61 (0)2 9909 2911E-mail rodneyrodneygraycomauWeb site wwwemployee-communicationcomau
CONSULTANCY
HEDRON
Internal and change communication that helps teamsand individuals to develop strategies relationshipsprocesses and skills to engage stakeholders supporthigh performance and deliver change
ldquoSharp strategic thinking quality execution effectiveinterpersonallyhelliprdquo ldquoCreativity drive resourcefulnessresults great funhelliprdquo say clients
All sectors ndash ABN AMRO AXA BT Cadbury SchweppesDepartment for Constitutional Affairs HealthcareCommission Group 4 Securicor SABMiller SiemensSouthern Rail Unilever Wincanton
Our clients are happy to tell you what itrsquos like workingwith us
Contact Helena MemoryTel + 44 (0) 20 7493 0735Fax + 44 (0) 20 7493 0743E-mail helena-mhedroncomWeb site wwwhedroncom
CONSULTANCY
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
39scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
CONSULTANCY
SYNOPSIS
Founded by change and communication authority Bill Quirke in 1992 Synopsis is one of Europersquos leading internalcommunication consultancies Our clients include such companies as ABN Amro BBC BP British Airways DiageoEricsson HP Lloyds TSB Roche Shell and Vodafone
We help clients use internal communication to engage their employees in delivering business strategy and get most valuefrom their internal communication
We can help youbull Develop communication strategies that support your business strategybull Coach leadersbull Develop line managersrsquo communication skillsbull Plan and coordinate your communication with colleagues onlinebull Check the health of your communication channels and improve return on investmentbull Build and develop the communication functionbull Measure and track employee engagement attitudes and opinions
To take a tour of our online planning tool go to wwwsynopsisonlinecomproductplanningtoolasp
Contact Jane LebeauE-mail janelebeausynopsisonlinecomTel +44 (0) 20 7490 2900Web site wwwsynopsisonlinecom
CONSULTANCY
HARKNESS KENNETT
We specialize in internal communication To us thatmeansbull motivating people through inspiring leadershipbull guiding people through organizational changebull engaging people in delivering the brand
Working in partnership with our clients is central to ourethos enabling us to help deliver practical solutionssupported by solid strategic thinking All of ourconsultants have held senior positions ldquoclient siderdquo sowe know what itrsquos like to be in your shoes The vastmajority of our work comes from recommendations fromexisting clients ndash 82 percent of our clients haverequested repeat work in the last two years
Our clients include Abbey Atkins BDO Stoy HaywardThe Environment Agency Marks amp Spencer NHS Blood ampTransplant Morgan Stanley Europe Nestleacute PoliceInformation Technology Organisation Royal ampSunAlliance South West Trains and Vodafone
Our vision is simple ndash we want to be the first callyou make
Contact James HarknessTel +44 (0)1483 222730E-mail jamesharknessharknesskennettcomWeb site wwwharknesskennettcom
CONSULTANCY
TRIDENT COMMUNICATIONS
Trident Communications is uniquely positioned to definedevelop and deliver award-winning solutions that aligncommunication with business goals
We advise and partner with organizations of all sizes tocreate high-value practical applications Our talentedproject teams provide innovative research designeditorial and imagery for print and online
We connect ideas and deliver results
Contact Peter Agertoft Tel +44 (0)207 536 8900E-mail peteragertoft
tridentcommunicationsnetWeb site wwwtridentcommunicationsnet
CONSULTANCY
FLEISHMAN-HILLARD
Fleishman-Hillardrsquos dedicated internal and changecommunication practice helps businesses focus onperforming ndash not just informing
We help organisations plan and implement programmeswith the right mix of information dialogue and trainingso that employees are engaged aligned and motivatedto achieve business objectives
Because effective internal communication is vital tobottom-line performance we partner with our clients tocreate a daily dialogue ndash not a monologue ndash withemployees
Contact Nick AndrewsTel +32 (0)2 230 05 45 E-mail nickandrewsfleishmancomWeb site wwwfleishmaneuropecom
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE A listing in our Directory of Services will giveyou a chance to reach communicationprofessionals at some of the worldrsquos largestand most admired companies and to tap intodecision-making practitioners
ContactVincent SorelTel +44 (0)208 600 4670E-mail vincentsorelmelcrumcom
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
INCLUDE YOUR COMPANY BY CONTACTING US ON +44(0)20 8600 4670 OR AT INFOMELCRUMCOM
CONSULTANCY
HILL amp KNOWLTON
Better business results the bottom line
How do I manage more change Motivate managers Getthe right information to the right people Show the bestreturn on communication investment
Sound familiar Hill amp Knowltonrsquos change and internalcommunication consultants work with companies aroundthe world to find the right answers for their situation
We offer strategy insight and creativity drawing on ourconsultancy expertise and in-house experience Plus wedeliver practical hands-on help
We know that effective employee communication has adirect impact on the bottom line Working together wecan make it happen for you
Contact EMEA DavidFerrabeehillandknowltoncom
+44 (0) 7413 3176USA BarbaraEdlerhillandknowltoncom
+1 415 281-7160Canada KristaThompsonhillandknowltoncom
+1 613 786-9961
RECRUITMENT
VMA GROUP
VMA Group is one of the UKrsquos leading executive searchand selection consultancies specializing in internal andcorporate communication recruitment
For over 25 years VMA Group has provided the highestlevel of service to some of the most demanding globalorganizations developing a strong track record for thequality and professionalism of our search and selection work
We have in-depth specialist knowledge of the internalcommunication market and can provide high-qualitypermanent and interim candidates with expertise acrossinternal communication change management and widercorporate communication We understand the needs ofour clients intrinsically and strive to develop long-termrelationships with clients and candidates alike
Please call to discuss how we can help you find theideal candidate or if you wish to make a career move
Contact David BroomeTel +44 (0)20 7436 4243E-mail dbroomevmagroupcoukWeb site wwwvmagroupcouk
40 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONALCOMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS E-mail gaitensunityncsueduWeb site wwwconsultingsuccessorgTel 919 469 3895
CIB ndash BRITISH ASSOCIATION OFCOMMUNICATORS IN BUSINESSE-mail enquiriescibukcomWeb site wwwcibukcomTel +44 (0)870 121 7606
CCM ndash COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATIONMANAGEMENT E-mail membership
ccmconnectioncomWeb site wwwccmconnectioncomTel 866 463 4226
CPRS ndash THE CANADIAN PUBLICRELATIONS SOCIETYE-mail admincprscaWeb site wwwcprscaTel 416 239 7034
IABC ndash THE INTERNATIONALASSOCIATION OF BUSINESSCOMMUNICATORS E-mail service_centreiabccomWeb site wwwiabccomTel 415 544 4700
ICA ndash THE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONALLIANCE E-mail amandafoistericaukorgWeb site wwwiprorgukicaTel +44 (0)1628 642 044
CIPR ndash THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OFPUBLIC RELATIONS UKE-mail infoiprorgukWeb site wwwiprorgukTel +44 (0)20 7253 5151
IPRA ndash THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICRELATIONS ASSOCIATIONE-mail ipraseccompuservecomWeb site wwwipraorgTel +44 (0) 1372 461 188
PRSA ndash PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OFAMERICAE-mail resourcesprsaorgWeb site wwwprsaorgTel 212 460 1459
DIRECTORY OF SERVICESNEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
CONSULTANCY
38 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
DESIGN
YELLOW
The future success of all organisations will be builton trust understanding passion empowermentintegrity and relationships
The future is cool exciting sparkling organisationsbursting with energy life and action
The future of brand is the internal brand first andforemost
The future is colleague as customer
Turning communications upside down
No just inside-out
Be part of the future say hello to Yellow
We help large organisations bring their communicationsstrategies to life through the imaginative use of liveevents multimedia web and design ndash distributed acrossall media platforms including DVD TV mobile devicesintranet and extranet
Ultimately developing internal brands and ongoingcommunications that have a measurable impact onpeople-performance advocacy and the bottom line
Contact Paul MiddletonTel +44 (0)161 228 6700E-mail paulmiddletonyellowcomcomWebsite wwwyellowcomcom
NEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
DESIGN
BLUE GOOSE
blue goose specialize in visual communications We make communications work faster and better We will link what wedo back to your objectives but we donrsquot talk (or charge for) ldquostrategyrdquo when you simply want tactical implementation Weuse design and creativity tobull differentiate products and services bull develop and manage corporate and brand identity bull align external communications with agreed values bull internalize corporate and brand identitybull align internal communications with agreed values bull support organizational change and bull help organizations better understand and define who they are
We work for clients as diverse as PricewaterhouseCoopers Ford Europe Centrica plc Greene King City of London Policeand Le Meacuteridien
blue goose is for any organization more interested in designing their future than watching it happen
Contact Chris BarringtonE-mail thinkingbluegoosecoukTel +44 (0)20 8869 8500Web site wwwbluegoosecouk
CONSULTANCY
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION ampSURVEYS PTY LTD
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd is aboutique consultancy based in Sydney Australia Itspecializes in employee communication strategiessystems research and employee surveys of all kindsPrincipal Rodney Gray has been involved inorganizational consulting for over 20 years following a15-year career as a corporate human resourcesexecutive Services includebull Employee communication audits and surveys by
questionnaires focus groups and interviewsbull Employee communication systems strategies and
processesbull Employee communication training workshops and
talksbull Employee culture climate and opinion surveysbull Qualitative organizational diagnosis (focus groups
and interviews)bull Internal service quality research (qualitative and
quantitative)
Contact Rodney GrayTel +61 (0)2 9909 2900 Fax +61 (0)2 9909 2911E-mail rodneyrodneygraycomauWeb site wwwemployee-communicationcomau
CONSULTANCY
HEDRON
Internal and change communication that helps teamsand individuals to develop strategies relationshipsprocesses and skills to engage stakeholders supporthigh performance and deliver change
ldquoSharp strategic thinking quality execution effectiveinterpersonallyhelliprdquo ldquoCreativity drive resourcefulnessresults great funhelliprdquo say clients
All sectors ndash ABN AMRO AXA BT Cadbury SchweppesDepartment for Constitutional Affairs HealthcareCommission Group 4 Securicor SABMiller SiemensSouthern Rail Unilever Wincanton
Our clients are happy to tell you what itrsquos like workingwith us
Contact Helena MemoryTel + 44 (0) 20 7493 0735Fax + 44 (0) 20 7493 0743E-mail helena-mhedroncomWeb site wwwhedroncom
CONSULTANCY
Employee Communication amp Surveys Pty Ltd
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
39scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
CONSULTANCY
SYNOPSIS
Founded by change and communication authority Bill Quirke in 1992 Synopsis is one of Europersquos leading internalcommunication consultancies Our clients include such companies as ABN Amro BBC BP British Airways DiageoEricsson HP Lloyds TSB Roche Shell and Vodafone
We help clients use internal communication to engage their employees in delivering business strategy and get most valuefrom their internal communication
We can help youbull Develop communication strategies that support your business strategybull Coach leadersbull Develop line managersrsquo communication skillsbull Plan and coordinate your communication with colleagues onlinebull Check the health of your communication channels and improve return on investmentbull Build and develop the communication functionbull Measure and track employee engagement attitudes and opinions
To take a tour of our online planning tool go to wwwsynopsisonlinecomproductplanningtoolasp
Contact Jane LebeauE-mail janelebeausynopsisonlinecomTel +44 (0) 20 7490 2900Web site wwwsynopsisonlinecom
CONSULTANCY
HARKNESS KENNETT
We specialize in internal communication To us thatmeansbull motivating people through inspiring leadershipbull guiding people through organizational changebull engaging people in delivering the brand
Working in partnership with our clients is central to ourethos enabling us to help deliver practical solutionssupported by solid strategic thinking All of ourconsultants have held senior positions ldquoclient siderdquo sowe know what itrsquos like to be in your shoes The vastmajority of our work comes from recommendations fromexisting clients ndash 82 percent of our clients haverequested repeat work in the last two years
Our clients include Abbey Atkins BDO Stoy HaywardThe Environment Agency Marks amp Spencer NHS Blood ampTransplant Morgan Stanley Europe Nestleacute PoliceInformation Technology Organisation Royal ampSunAlliance South West Trains and Vodafone
Our vision is simple ndash we want to be the first callyou make
Contact James HarknessTel +44 (0)1483 222730E-mail jamesharknessharknesskennettcomWeb site wwwharknesskennettcom
CONSULTANCY
TRIDENT COMMUNICATIONS
Trident Communications is uniquely positioned to definedevelop and deliver award-winning solutions that aligncommunication with business goals
We advise and partner with organizations of all sizes tocreate high-value practical applications Our talentedproject teams provide innovative research designeditorial and imagery for print and online
We connect ideas and deliver results
Contact Peter Agertoft Tel +44 (0)207 536 8900E-mail peteragertoft
tridentcommunicationsnetWeb site wwwtridentcommunicationsnet
CONSULTANCY
FLEISHMAN-HILLARD
Fleishman-Hillardrsquos dedicated internal and changecommunication practice helps businesses focus onperforming ndash not just informing
We help organisations plan and implement programmeswith the right mix of information dialogue and trainingso that employees are engaged aligned and motivatedto achieve business objectives
Because effective internal communication is vital tobottom-line performance we partner with our clients tocreate a daily dialogue ndash not a monologue ndash withemployees
Contact Nick AndrewsTel +32 (0)2 230 05 45 E-mail nickandrewsfleishmancomWeb site wwwfleishmaneuropecom
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE A listing in our Directory of Services will giveyou a chance to reach communicationprofessionals at some of the worldrsquos largestand most admired companies and to tap intodecision-making practitioners
ContactVincent SorelTel +44 (0)208 600 4670E-mail vincentsorelmelcrumcom
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
INCLUDE YOUR COMPANY BY CONTACTING US ON +44(0)20 8600 4670 OR AT INFOMELCRUMCOM
CONSULTANCY
HILL amp KNOWLTON
Better business results the bottom line
How do I manage more change Motivate managers Getthe right information to the right people Show the bestreturn on communication investment
Sound familiar Hill amp Knowltonrsquos change and internalcommunication consultants work with companies aroundthe world to find the right answers for their situation
We offer strategy insight and creativity drawing on ourconsultancy expertise and in-house experience Plus wedeliver practical hands-on help
We know that effective employee communication has adirect impact on the bottom line Working together wecan make it happen for you
Contact EMEA DavidFerrabeehillandknowltoncom
+44 (0) 7413 3176USA BarbaraEdlerhillandknowltoncom
+1 415 281-7160Canada KristaThompsonhillandknowltoncom
+1 613 786-9961
RECRUITMENT
VMA GROUP
VMA Group is one of the UKrsquos leading executive searchand selection consultancies specializing in internal andcorporate communication recruitment
For over 25 years VMA Group has provided the highestlevel of service to some of the most demanding globalorganizations developing a strong track record for thequality and professionalism of our search and selection work
We have in-depth specialist knowledge of the internalcommunication market and can provide high-qualitypermanent and interim candidates with expertise acrossinternal communication change management and widercorporate communication We understand the needs ofour clients intrinsically and strive to develop long-termrelationships with clients and candidates alike
Please call to discuss how we can help you find theideal candidate or if you wish to make a career move
Contact David BroomeTel +44 (0)20 7436 4243E-mail dbroomevmagroupcoukWeb site wwwvmagroupcouk
40 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONALCOMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS E-mail gaitensunityncsueduWeb site wwwconsultingsuccessorgTel 919 469 3895
CIB ndash BRITISH ASSOCIATION OFCOMMUNICATORS IN BUSINESSE-mail enquiriescibukcomWeb site wwwcibukcomTel +44 (0)870 121 7606
CCM ndash COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATIONMANAGEMENT E-mail membership
ccmconnectioncomWeb site wwwccmconnectioncomTel 866 463 4226
CPRS ndash THE CANADIAN PUBLICRELATIONS SOCIETYE-mail admincprscaWeb site wwwcprscaTel 416 239 7034
IABC ndash THE INTERNATIONALASSOCIATION OF BUSINESSCOMMUNICATORS E-mail service_centreiabccomWeb site wwwiabccomTel 415 544 4700
ICA ndash THE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONALLIANCE E-mail amandafoistericaukorgWeb site wwwiprorgukicaTel +44 (0)1628 642 044
CIPR ndash THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OFPUBLIC RELATIONS UKE-mail infoiprorgukWeb site wwwiprorgukTel +44 (0)20 7253 5151
IPRA ndash THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICRELATIONS ASSOCIATIONE-mail ipraseccompuservecomWeb site wwwipraorgTel +44 (0) 1372 461 188
PRSA ndash PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OFAMERICAE-mail resourcesprsaorgWeb site wwwprsaorgTel 212 460 1459
DIRECTORY OF SERVICESNEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
CONSULTANCY
39scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
CONSULTANCY
SYNOPSIS
Founded by change and communication authority Bill Quirke in 1992 Synopsis is one of Europersquos leading internalcommunication consultancies Our clients include such companies as ABN Amro BBC BP British Airways DiageoEricsson HP Lloyds TSB Roche Shell and Vodafone
We help clients use internal communication to engage their employees in delivering business strategy and get most valuefrom their internal communication
We can help youbull Develop communication strategies that support your business strategybull Coach leadersbull Develop line managersrsquo communication skillsbull Plan and coordinate your communication with colleagues onlinebull Check the health of your communication channels and improve return on investmentbull Build and develop the communication functionbull Measure and track employee engagement attitudes and opinions
To take a tour of our online planning tool go to wwwsynopsisonlinecomproductplanningtoolasp
Contact Jane LebeauE-mail janelebeausynopsisonlinecomTel +44 (0) 20 7490 2900Web site wwwsynopsisonlinecom
CONSULTANCY
HARKNESS KENNETT
We specialize in internal communication To us thatmeansbull motivating people through inspiring leadershipbull guiding people through organizational changebull engaging people in delivering the brand
Working in partnership with our clients is central to ourethos enabling us to help deliver practical solutionssupported by solid strategic thinking All of ourconsultants have held senior positions ldquoclient siderdquo sowe know what itrsquos like to be in your shoes The vastmajority of our work comes from recommendations fromexisting clients ndash 82 percent of our clients haverequested repeat work in the last two years
Our clients include Abbey Atkins BDO Stoy HaywardThe Environment Agency Marks amp Spencer NHS Blood ampTransplant Morgan Stanley Europe Nestleacute PoliceInformation Technology Organisation Royal ampSunAlliance South West Trains and Vodafone
Our vision is simple ndash we want to be the first callyou make
Contact James HarknessTel +44 (0)1483 222730E-mail jamesharknessharknesskennettcomWeb site wwwharknesskennettcom
CONSULTANCY
TRIDENT COMMUNICATIONS
Trident Communications is uniquely positioned to definedevelop and deliver award-winning solutions that aligncommunication with business goals
We advise and partner with organizations of all sizes tocreate high-value practical applications Our talentedproject teams provide innovative research designeditorial and imagery for print and online
We connect ideas and deliver results
Contact Peter Agertoft Tel +44 (0)207 536 8900E-mail peteragertoft
tridentcommunicationsnetWeb site wwwtridentcommunicationsnet
CONSULTANCY
FLEISHMAN-HILLARD
Fleishman-Hillardrsquos dedicated internal and changecommunication practice helps businesses focus onperforming ndash not just informing
We help organisations plan and implement programmeswith the right mix of information dialogue and trainingso that employees are engaged aligned and motivatedto achieve business objectives
Because effective internal communication is vital tobottom-line performance we partner with our clients tocreate a daily dialogue ndash not a monologue ndash withemployees
Contact Nick AndrewsTel +32 (0)2 230 05 45 E-mail nickandrewsfleishmancomWeb site wwwfleishmaneuropecom
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE A listing in our Directory of Services will giveyou a chance to reach communicationprofessionals at some of the worldrsquos largestand most admired companies and to tap intodecision-making practitioners
ContactVincent SorelTel +44 (0)208 600 4670E-mail vincentsorelmelcrumcom
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
INCLUDE YOUR COMPANY BY CONTACTING US ON +44(0)20 8600 4670 OR AT INFOMELCRUMCOM
CONSULTANCY
HILL amp KNOWLTON
Better business results the bottom line
How do I manage more change Motivate managers Getthe right information to the right people Show the bestreturn on communication investment
Sound familiar Hill amp Knowltonrsquos change and internalcommunication consultants work with companies aroundthe world to find the right answers for their situation
We offer strategy insight and creativity drawing on ourconsultancy expertise and in-house experience Plus wedeliver practical hands-on help
We know that effective employee communication has adirect impact on the bottom line Working together wecan make it happen for you
Contact EMEA DavidFerrabeehillandknowltoncom
+44 (0) 7413 3176USA BarbaraEdlerhillandknowltoncom
+1 415 281-7160Canada KristaThompsonhillandknowltoncom
+1 613 786-9961
RECRUITMENT
VMA GROUP
VMA Group is one of the UKrsquos leading executive searchand selection consultancies specializing in internal andcorporate communication recruitment
For over 25 years VMA Group has provided the highestlevel of service to some of the most demanding globalorganizations developing a strong track record for thequality and professionalism of our search and selection work
We have in-depth specialist knowledge of the internalcommunication market and can provide high-qualitypermanent and interim candidates with expertise acrossinternal communication change management and widercorporate communication We understand the needs ofour clients intrinsically and strive to develop long-termrelationships with clients and candidates alike
Please call to discuss how we can help you find theideal candidate or if you wish to make a career move
Contact David BroomeTel +44 (0)20 7436 4243E-mail dbroomevmagroupcoukWeb site wwwvmagroupcouk
40 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONALCOMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS E-mail gaitensunityncsueduWeb site wwwconsultingsuccessorgTel 919 469 3895
CIB ndash BRITISH ASSOCIATION OFCOMMUNICATORS IN BUSINESSE-mail enquiriescibukcomWeb site wwwcibukcomTel +44 (0)870 121 7606
CCM ndash COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATIONMANAGEMENT E-mail membership
ccmconnectioncomWeb site wwwccmconnectioncomTel 866 463 4226
CPRS ndash THE CANADIAN PUBLICRELATIONS SOCIETYE-mail admincprscaWeb site wwwcprscaTel 416 239 7034
IABC ndash THE INTERNATIONALASSOCIATION OF BUSINESSCOMMUNICATORS E-mail service_centreiabccomWeb site wwwiabccomTel 415 544 4700
ICA ndash THE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONALLIANCE E-mail amandafoistericaukorgWeb site wwwiprorgukicaTel +44 (0)1628 642 044
CIPR ndash THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OFPUBLIC RELATIONS UKE-mail infoiprorgukWeb site wwwiprorgukTel +44 (0)20 7253 5151
IPRA ndash THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICRELATIONS ASSOCIATIONE-mail ipraseccompuservecomWeb site wwwipraorgTel +44 (0) 1372 461 188
PRSA ndash PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OFAMERICAE-mail resourcesprsaorgWeb site wwwprsaorgTel 212 460 1459
DIRECTORY OF SERVICESNEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
CONSULTANCY
CONSULTANCY
HILL amp KNOWLTON
Better business results the bottom line
How do I manage more change Motivate managers Getthe right information to the right people Show the bestreturn on communication investment
Sound familiar Hill amp Knowltonrsquos change and internalcommunication consultants work with companies aroundthe world to find the right answers for their situation
We offer strategy insight and creativity drawing on ourconsultancy expertise and in-house experience Plus wedeliver practical hands-on help
We know that effective employee communication has adirect impact on the bottom line Working together wecan make it happen for you
Contact EMEA DavidFerrabeehillandknowltoncom
+44 (0) 7413 3176USA BarbaraEdlerhillandknowltoncom
+1 415 281-7160Canada KristaThompsonhillandknowltoncom
+1 613 786-9961
RECRUITMENT
VMA GROUP
VMA Group is one of the UKrsquos leading executive searchand selection consultancies specializing in internal andcorporate communication recruitment
For over 25 years VMA Group has provided the highestlevel of service to some of the most demanding globalorganizations developing a strong track record for thequality and professionalism of our search and selection work
We have in-depth specialist knowledge of the internalcommunication market and can provide high-qualitypermanent and interim candidates with expertise acrossinternal communication change management and widercorporate communication We understand the needs ofour clients intrinsically and strive to develop long-termrelationships with clients and candidates alike
Please call to discuss how we can help you find theideal candidate or if you wish to make a career move
Contact David BroomeTel +44 (0)20 7436 4243E-mail dbroomevmagroupcoukWeb site wwwvmagroupcouk
40 scm Volume 11 Issue 2 FebruaryMarch 2007
ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONALCOMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS E-mail gaitensunityncsueduWeb site wwwconsultingsuccessorgTel 919 469 3895
CIB ndash BRITISH ASSOCIATION OFCOMMUNICATORS IN BUSINESSE-mail enquiriescibukcomWeb site wwwcibukcomTel +44 (0)870 121 7606
CCM ndash COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATIONMANAGEMENT E-mail membership
ccmconnectioncomWeb site wwwccmconnectioncomTel 866 463 4226
CPRS ndash THE CANADIAN PUBLICRELATIONS SOCIETYE-mail admincprscaWeb site wwwcprscaTel 416 239 7034
IABC ndash THE INTERNATIONALASSOCIATION OF BUSINESSCOMMUNICATORS E-mail service_centreiabccomWeb site wwwiabccomTel 415 544 4700
ICA ndash THE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONALLIANCE E-mail amandafoistericaukorgWeb site wwwiprorgukicaTel +44 (0)1628 642 044
CIPR ndash THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OFPUBLIC RELATIONS UKE-mail infoiprorgukWeb site wwwiprorgukTel +44 (0)20 7253 5151
IPRA ndash THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICRELATIONS ASSOCIATIONE-mail ipraseccompuservecomWeb site wwwipraorgTel +44 (0) 1372 461 188
PRSA ndash PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OFAMERICAE-mail resourcesprsaorgWeb site wwwprsaorgTel 212 460 1459
DIRECTORY OF SERVICESNEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS
LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
CONSULTANCY