Download Communication Challenges

Introduction to
Corporate
Communications
Peggy Simcic Brønn
Assistant Professor
Handelshøyskolen BI
The roles of communications
Informing
Advocating
Dialoguing
Types of communication
One-way
Two-way
(Symmetrical/Asymmetrical)
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Four Purposes of
Communication
Sharing the
Compelling
Vision
Integrating
the Effort
Making
Intelligent
Decisions
Sustaining a
Healthy
Community
Francis, D., Unblocking Organizational
Communication, Gower, 1987.
Stakeholders
”...a group or individual who can have an effect on or
be affected by the organization.” - Freeman (1984)
Stockholders
Government
Regulators
Boards of Directors
Community leaders
Organization’s
external
linkages
Enabling
Normative
linkages
Associations
Political groups
Professional societies
Organization
Diffused
Environmentalists
Media
Community residents
Voters
Minorities
Women
Other publics
Suppliers
Unions
Employees
Input
Functional
linkages
Output
Consumers
Industrial purchasers
Service users
Corporate identity and reputation
Corporate
Identity
Names,
Self-Representations
Customer
Image
Community
Image
Investor
Image
Employee
Image
Corporate Reputation
Fombrun, C. J., Reputation, Harvard Business School Press
Reputational risk
management cycle
Opportunity
Platform
Corporate
Citizenship
Reputational
Capital
Corporate
Performance
Safety
Net
Fombrun, C. J. et al., “Opportunity Platforms and Safety Nets: Corporate Citizenship
and Reputational Risk,” Business and Society Review, 105:1, 85-106.
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What stakeholders want…
Visibility
 information
Virtue
 good organizational behavior
Verifiability
 access to information
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Mess management:
Multiple perspectives
Yields
choices of...
Influenced by individuals’
mental models
A real-world
situation of
concern
Actions to
improve the
situation
Descriptions
of perceived
relevant
activity
Comparison of
descriptions with the
perceived reality
The co-orientation model
Issue
Organization’s
definition
and evaluation of
an issue
UNDERSTANDING
AGREEMENT
CONGRUENCY
Organization’s
perception of
Stakeholder A’s
views
Stakeholder A’s
definition
and evaluation of
an issue
CONGRUENCY
ACCURACY
McLeod, J. M. and Chaffee, S. H., Interpersonal Approaches to Communications
Research, American Behavioral Scientist (1973)
Stakeholder A’s
perception of
organization’s views
Co-orientation states
True consensus
The parties know they share an agreement on their evaluation
of an issue.
Dissensus
The parties hold conflicting views and are aware of their
differences.
False consensus
The organization believes that the stakeholder agrees with
them on a particular issue, or
The stakeholder group mistakenly believes that the
organization holds the same view that they do.
False conflict
The parties believe that they disagree on an issue when in fact
they agree.
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Mental models
The ladder of inference
Applying the Ladder of Inference
The ladder provides a means to ask
questions...
 What is the observable data behind that
statement?

Does everyone agree on what the data is?

Can you run through your reasoning?

How did we get from that data to these
abstract
assumptions?

When you said “[your inference],” did you
mean ”[my interpretation of it]”?
Essential skills for working with mental models
 Reflection
Becoming more aware of your own thinking and reasoning.
 Inquiry
Inquiring into others’ thinking and reasoning.
 Advocacy
Making your own thinking and reasoning more visible to
others.
 Reveal where you are least clear in your thinking, invite
improvement.
 Listen, stay open, encourage others to provide different
views.
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Dialogue as the basis for
communications
Models of communication
Shannon and Weaver (1949) – focus on the medium
Cognition-based models – focus on the message
Dialogue
“...a sustained collective inquiry into everyday
experience and what we take for granted.”
Senge, et.al. (1994). The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook
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Gaps Model of Behavior
Expected Behavior
Stakeholders
Perceived
Behavior
Behavior Delivery
GAP 1
Company
GAP 3
GAP 4
Stakeholder-driven designs
and standards
GAP 2
Company perceptions of stakeholder
expectations
External
Communications
to Stakeholders
Key Factors Leading to Stakeholder Gap
Stakeholder
Gap
Stakeholder
Expectations
• Gap 1: Not knowing what stakeholders expect
• Gap 2: Not selecting the right behavior
• Gap 3: Not delivering to behavior standards
• Gap 4: Not matching performance to promise
Stakeholder
Perceptions
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Strategy
Identity
Image
Common Starting Points
Management
Communication
Organizational
Communication
van Riel, C., Principles of Corporate Communications
Marketing
Communication
Management Communication
Role of managers within organizations:
Developing a shared vision
Establishing and maintaining trust in
leadership
Initiating and managing change process
Empowering and motivating employees
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Marketing Communication
Those activities supporting sales of
particular goods and services
Advertising
Sponsorship
Direct Marketing
Personal Sales
Product PR
Others
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Organizational Communication
Public Relations
Public Affairs
Environmental Communications
Investor Relations
Internal Communication
Corporate Advertising
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