INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS IN TIMES OF CONSTANT CHANGE

The biggest challenge for any internal communications team is dealing with the many fluctuations within the larger organization, such as corrections in strategy, adjustments in tactics, changes in management, modifications in the markets, and so forth. That said, this challenge is just a constant and predictable one. Trying to hit a moving target is part of the internal communications job! And, of course, the larger the organization, the more complex that challenge becomes.

One additional level of difficulty comes with measuring the impact. The external and marketing communications professionals more often work with clear KPIs and tangible targets, such as the need to launch a new product at a certain time and assess the impact of that launch. Meanwhile, the people in internal communications need to gather, analyze, and balance the needs and desires of a much larger and more diverse group of stakeholders on a daily basis. We all know how difficult it is to please everyone, especially in situations generating high levels of stress.

Measuring the impact is maybe harder and balancing the stakeholders more complicated, but the internal communications team has the opportunity to support change and business transformation within the company at a far more profound level. For example, creating the conditions that make people talk to each other and exchange honest opinions is the most successful and rewarding achievement for any internal communications team, but is difficult to put a KPI measuring that.

In a world where permanent transformation is everything, being able to support that kind of process from within the corporation can be highly rewarding for the internal communications practitioner as his/her contribution can really make the difference between achieving overall success and suffering failure.

Internal communications is in a privileged position to connect all the dots, help various functions and departments bridge the sense of loss created by any change, and see the logic, necessity, and an advantage for those affected by something new.

Internal vs. external communication – no company can ignore this!

There is no longer a clear separation between internal and external communications in terms of content. Think about it. Most of us share what happens in our personal and professional lives on social media everyday, messages circulate through the social channels and mix with traditional and digital mass media. Employees consume that mixture, which contributes significantly to how they feel about their work. This doesn’t replace the power of face-to-face communication, but it is growing in relevance and influences those discussions.

No company can ignore this! It is utterly imperative that the company’s internal communication content complements and perfectly aligns with what the company is publishing externally.

The kind of mindset that helps

The most important factor in our success is the good connection that our internal communications practitioners maintain with the company leaders. The more involved the internal communications expert is with the business process, the better he/she can identify the messages that need to be communicated, and find opportunities for more effectively doing so.

Business leaders need to think of their communications people as partners, even as sparring partners! That is, not to simply think of them as the people you contact at the last minute to produce an internal memo, but as the people who can help you from the start to develop your idea for easy understanding and widespread acceptance.

Leaders who ignore the importance of internal communications are often shocked when they realize that no one else in the organization seems to understand that marvelous, game-changing, multi-layered transformation plan they worked on for weeks in the isolated privacy of their office. 

Provocative strength

Internal communication as a support function has a provocative strength. It has the ability –the duty even– to generate and attract attention, aiming at exciting employees. It is a powerful partner as it can dramatically increase the visibility of projects and people through the internal networks and channels. This is particularly so when there is a robustly integrated global communications network that can be fully exploited.