"Solutionary" : Becoming Visionary Organisers

Business practices and organisational structures can only be successful in today’s ever uncertain economic environment laced with roller coaster macro economic trends (just look at what energy prices are doing to underlying financial instruments) if they take into account and meet high customer expectations, heightened awareness of state of play of the market, instantaneous information and the demand that companies be transparent in the way they operate with all stakeholders.

When it comes to being effective communicators, it means we have to continuously double think how we work to stay relevant in creating value for our organisation both externally and internally. It means stopping to do what we have always done when it ceases to have an impact or in some cases creates the opposite of the required effect. Take corporate slogans for internal campaigns to change culture for example. 20 years ago when working for a large organisation was almost cult like people would rally around motivational ideas almost magically. But these types of practices today are met with more cynicism and actually go counter current to creating change since from shop floors up what is demanded is authentic, clear and relevant information so that everyone can make a difference in their own way.

What employees are hungry for goes much further than the notions of empowerment that many corporations scream from the roof tops during digital rallies.

Today, and this is especially true for organisation communications, if we want to affect culture change we need to be solutionaries. And our first role as such is to teach everyone else in the organisation to be ones too.

As a solutionary we build far beyond simple empowerment to do our job but to create solutions to affect change. its about being a visionary organiser, proposing things that people really want to do but don’t know that they can…. and then with the tools in hand providing them the freedom to do so.

The crisis many companies are in to go fast to adapt today’s business expectations is really an opportunity. We can change the way it is, there is an opportunity to create real value and that is what as communicators in today’s business environment we should be focused on doing today and and everyday.