Download Creating a Strategic Internal Communications Program

Establishing Leadership Through
Strategic Internal Communication
Lectures Based on
Leadership Communication
By Deborah J. Barrett, Ph.D.
McGraw-Hill/Irwin
Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Leadership Communication by Deborah J. Barrett
Discussion Topics
 Establishing the strategic role of
employee communication
 Using visions and missions to
strengthen internal communication
 Designing an effective change
communication program
Chapter 9 - 2
Leadership Communication by Deborah J. Barrett
The Objectives of Effective
Employee Communication
 Educate employees in the company vision
and strategic goals
 Motivate support for company’s strategy
 Encourage higher performance and
discretionary effort
 Limit misunderstandings that may damage
productivity
 Align employees behind company’s
strategic objectives and position them to
help achieve them
Chapter 9 - 3
Leadership Communication by Deborah J. Barrett
Chapter 9 - 4
Strategic Employee
Communication Model
Supportive
Management
Targeted
Messages
On-going
Assessment
Effective Media/
Forums
Well-positioned
Staff
Leadership Communication by Deborah J. Barrett
Chapter 9 - 5
Best Practice Definition of
Model Components
Component
Best Practice Definition
Strategic
objectives
 Communications used to reinforce strategic
objectives and to ensure employees
understand new direction
Supportive
management
 Top-level management involved in and
actively assuming responsibility for
communications
Targeted
messages
 Targeted, consistent, frequently repeated
messages designed to clarify company vision,
strategy, and direction
Effective
media/Forums
 More emphasis placed on informal, face-toface communications than on formal vehicles
Leadership Communication by Deborah J. Barrett
Chapter 9 - 6
Best Practice Definition of
Model Components (continued)
Component
Best Practice Definition
Wellpositioned
staff
 Employees positioned strategically and
deployed as change agents
On-going
assessment
 Change communication success measured
frequently against clearly defined goals;
communication effectiveness included in
individual performance appraisals
Integrated
processes
 Change communications integrated into
business processes with communication
milestones included in business plan
Leadership Communication by Deborah J. Barrett
Discussion Topics
 Establishing the strategic role of
employee communication
 Using visions and missions to
strengthen internal communication
 Designing an effective change
communication program
Chapter 9 - 7
Leadership Communication by Deborah J. Barrett
Establishing and Using
Missions and Visions
 What are missions and visions?
 Why should you use them?
 When are they most effective?
 How do you build one?
Chapter 9 - 8
Leadership Communication by Deborah J. Barrett
What is a Mission Statement?
 The mission is why a company exists.
 An effective mission does the following:
 Defines a company’s basic business
 Ensures employees are pointed in the
same direction
 Establishes a single, noble purpose and
an enduring reality
Chapter 9 - 9
Leadership Communication by Deborah J. Barrett
Chapter 9 - 10
Examples of Missions
Ford: “We are a global family with a proud heritage,
passionately committed to providing personal mobility for
people around the world. We anticipate consumer needs
and deliver outstanding products and services that
improve people’s lives.”
Sun Microsystems: “Solve complex network
computing problems for governments, enterprises, and
service providers.”
Jones Graduate School of Management: “The
Jones School is dedicated to quality education, personal
attention, outstanding research, and integration with the
greater community.”
Leadership Communication by Deborah J. Barrett
Chapter 9 - 11
What is a Vision?
 The vision is what the company wants to become.
 An effective vision does the following:

Reflects the company leaders’ willingness to
project into the future

Expresses aspirations

Describes an inspiring new reality, achievable
in a reasonable timeframe

Guides internal actions

Usually starts with the words “to become” or
“to create”
Leadership Communication by Deborah J. Barrett
Chapter 9 - 12
Examples of Visions
Ford: “Our vision is to become the world’s leading
Consumer Company for automotive products and services.”
Sun Microsystems: “Everyone and everything
connected to the network.”
Jones Graduate School of Management: “To be a
premier business school with international recognition and
stature of the highest order. It will prepare future business
leaders to make substantial contributions to the well-being
of society.”
Leadership Communication by Deborah J. Barrett
Chapter 9 - 13
Why Use Mission and Vision Statements?
 Establish a firm foundation of goals,
standards, and objectives to guide corporate
planners and managers
 Satisfy both company’s need for efficiency
and employees’ need for group identity
 Inspire individual action, determine behavior,
and fuel motivation
 Provide direction to keep everyone moving in
the same direction
Leadership Communication by Deborah J. Barrett
Chapter 9 - 14
Approaches to Building an
Effective Mission and Vision
Build the mission and vision from the inside out,
using one of the following approaches:
 CEO/leader developed
 Leader-senior team visioning
 Bottom-up visioning
Leadership Communication by Deborah J. Barrett
Steps in Building an Effective
Mission and Vision
1. Create the initial draft
 Of the mission by
 Defining what you do
 Identifying the core products or services
 Determining your value proposition
 Of the vision by
 Deciding what the company wants or
can become
 Establishing the critical success factors
in the marketplace
 Identifying strengths and weaknesses
 Clarifying the company’s opportunities
and threats
Chapter 9 - 15
Leadership Communication by Deborah J. Barrett
Steps in Building an Effective
Mission and Vision (continued)
2. Clarify the meaning
3. Tell the world in 25 words or less what you
are and want to become
4. Develop the strategic objectives to make the
vision specific and actionable
5. Create a “final” version and hold meetings
with employees to test it
Chapter 9 - 16
Leadership Communication by Deborah J. Barrett
Chapter 9 - 17
Relationship of Mission and
Vision to Strategic Objectives
The Future
Mission
Vision
How we get to
the vision
Strategic Objectives
Leadership Communication by Deborah J. Barrett
What are Strategic Objectives?
 Strategic objectives help to make a vision
more meaningful and actionable
 They should be
 Specific actions designed to help
accomplish the vision and bring
sustainable competitive advantage
 Longer-term measurable targets, usually
divided into two categories:
 Quantitative goals
 Qualitative goals
Chapter 9 - 18
Leadership Communication by Deborah J. Barrett
Chapter 9 - 19
Example Vision with
Strategic Objectives
Vision
To be the market leader in providing high performing, costeffective products and services that enable system-wide
success for all of our customers by
 Creating seamless integration of system critical
components
 Providing products at a superior value at prices at or
below all major competitors
 Supplying management of all products and support
for all systems
 Establishing partnerships to ensure customers have
integrated, highly reliable system-wide solutions
Strategic
Objectives
Leadership Communication by Deborah J. Barrett
Discussion Topics
 Establishing the strategic role of
employee communication
 Using visions and missions to
strengthen internal communication
 Designing an effective change
communication program
Chapter 9 - 20
Leadership Communication by Deborah J. Barrett
Chapter 9 - 21
Levels of Change
Communication Effort
Level 3: Major
Level 2: Strategic
Level 1: Basic
Targeted,
strategic
messages,
mostly onedirectional,
with periodic
assessment
Strategic
messages, using
all vehicles but
relying primarily
on interactive
meetings with
periodic program
and performance
assessment
All of strategic
program plus
employee workshops to redefine
work habits and
change employee
behavior at all
levels with frequent
program and
performance
feedback and
assessment
Leadership Communication by Deborah J. Barrett
Chapter 9 - 22
Essential Change Communication Steps
Form a cross-functional, multilevel communication team
Assess current employee communication
practices against best practices
Target gaps in communication for
immediate improvement
Leadership Communication by Deborah J. Barrett
Essential Change Communication
Steps (continued)
Develop a vision and strategic
objectives if needed
Conduct cascading vision, strategy,
job redefinition workshops
Monitor the results and make
adjustments if find communication
breakdowns
Chapter 9 - 23
Leadership Communication by Deborah J. Barrett
Chapter 9 - 24
Discussion Summary
 Effective internal communication holds an
organization together and allows it to function
effectively and efficiently.
 The strategy for internal communication consists
of the same basic components of any effective
communication strategy.
 Effective internal communication requires leaders
to ensure all important messages, such as
missions, visions, and strategic objectives, are
understood by all employees.
 To succeed, any major change program must be
supported by change communication.