Productivity tool or a procrastinator’s best friend?

By Tanya Batra, Melcrum

In February last year, Thierry Breton, CEO and chairman of Atos Origin, an international IT services company employing staff across 42 countries, announced his mission to ban internal email, with the intention of becoming a "zero email" company by 2014.

Unsurprisingly his declaration caused a media stir and also received some backlash, but Breton defended his decision, saying:

"I didn’t do this for external reasons…I did it to enhance the quality of working conditions for Atos’ 80,000 employees…my first intention was to deal with this data deluge and to work with the tools the young generation are using. We are addressing a real issue of our time…we are no longer using email the way it was intended to be used"

  
His decision was also made in light of the revelation that employees were receiving over 100 emails a day, of which only 15% were useful, and also upon consideration of the fact that for the 10,000 new employees hired every year, internal email tools such as Outlook were completely unfamiliar, with Breton stating, "We have to adapt ourselves to this new generation that will become our business colleagues tomorrow."

As radical as the idea may sound...
...it perhaps isn’t when you fully consider that it’s a positive step towards what we’re all trying to achieve -  i.e. transforming the internal comms model and becoming a social business. And whether you realise it or not, most of us have already taken these steps in our implementation of digital tools.
What we haven’t done however, is fully allowed the potential of these tools to take hold and deliver the collaboration-driven business benefits they’re capable of.

So while we have the tools in place which hold the potential to increase efficiencies, reduce reliance on email and ultimately drive productivity – our failure to educate employees as to how it can be used,  failure to generate the required culture shift that encourages more "fluid" communication and a failure to engage leaders to lead by example and influence – are all pivotal reasons why "business-benefitting collaboration" is simply not happening.

 

IBM – where it all began?
While Breton’s decision was the most highly publicised, IBM’s BlueIQ team* - namely one member of the core team, Luis Suarez, knowledge manager, community builder & social software evangelist - could be considered as leading the charge, having decided back in 2008 to start living in a world without email.

 
"As a remote employee, I wanted to prove to everyone that I could keep working for the company without using email, relying almost exclusively on social software tools to communicate daily with my team members."

And in January 2011, just three years on, Suarez reported an impressive 95% reduction in inbox traffic.

Why live without email?

"Around two and a half years ago in my role of software evangelism, one of the main hurdles we were hearing from people is … they perceive this software as another set of tools on top of what they were already using…they had this feeling that, you’re asking me to spend more time online with Twitter, Facebook and whatever the internal social software applications were."

As well as wanting to demonstrate to coworkers just how dependent they were on email (despite its loss of productivity as a channel), Suarez’ decision was also triggered in 2008 when IBM’s Blue IQ team were faced with the challenge of educating an overwhelmed and reluctant salesforce to use the social tools that were available to them to provide "answers" rather than "problems" (with the potential to benefit them in completing daily tasks and increase efficiencies). The initiative was a success and transformed IBM’s salesforce into fellow social software evangelists. Not only that, the Blue IQ team continues to expand with the ultimate aim of enterprise-wide social collaboration inside and outside of IBM that drives real business results.

Enabling crucial conversations
Suarez will be sharing his story at our first-ever Digital Communication Summit in London on 27-28 March, 2012, where we’ll be addressing the role of technology in enabling crucial conversations to build an engaged and collaborative workforce, and the fundamental role communicators play in leading the transformation across culture and leadership to create a truly social business that reaps the benefits of outcome-driven collaboration.  

Joining him will be thought leaders such as Paul Miller, CEO and founder of the Intranet Benchmarking Forum and Digital Workplace Forum and Laurie Hibbs, HR director at LexisNexis UK as well as business leaders from companies including BT Conferencing, Nokia, Bupa and the adidas Group who will be sharing their powerful case studies. 

Check out the full event programme online: http://bit.ly/yipJEj

*IBM’S BlueIQ Ambassador Programme - A worldwide community of social software evangelists with a mission to energize and enable every IBM employee to use social software, both internally and externally. The BlueIQ ambassadors support the BlueIQ program’s mission to transform IBM into a showcase for the business benefits of social software adoption.

Sources:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16055310

http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2012/01/luis-suarez/

http://mashable.com/2010/09/03/world-without-email/

http://www.elsua.net/2012/01/13/blueiq-at-ibm-finally-goes-external/

https://www-304.ibm.com/wikis/home/wiki/BlueIQ?lang=en_US

http://www-01.ibm.com/software/lotus/offer/adoptioncouncil/

 

Seven tips to keep your employee magazine fresh and relevant

by Luke Dodd, Features Editor, Melcrum

Hi everyone,

In the February edition of SCM, we took a look at how to ensure your employee magazine remained an effective channel for sharing strategy throughout your organization – especially when surrounded by newer social technologies.

Integration emerged as a key solution, for example; consider cross-referencing between the magazine and your intranet/internal social network. Communicating your company's strategy and important messages this way can maximize engagement for employees.

Alongside integration, there are other factors to consider when looking at how to keep your magazine fresh and relevant. Here are our top tips:

1. Hold regular focus groups at all stages of magazine production
Use employee focus groups to decide initially that a magazine is right for your organization, to ensure that content is continually hitting the mark and for any other big decision you need input on. They are, after all, the people who will be reading it.

2. Keep the human element alive
Employees want to read about their counterparts across the organization, not solely about executive level activity or new processes.

3. Include employee case studies
People like to read content they can relate to and hear stories about what people are doing across the world.

4. Don't include corporate blah blah
Try and make it feel as far away from corporate as you possibly can. If content doesn't fit this ideology, don't include it.

5. Align content with strategy and business need
Although, in doing so, make sure the content doesn't become stagnant. Be creative in the ways you tie content back to business objectives.

6. Reference the external market
If there are key changes happening in your organization's sector, make sure to mention it in your magazine. Employees want to be kept informed by the company they work for.

7. Develop a good internal network and keep close to leadership
Find out what other people in the company are doing. If possible include leadership comments on future plans.

 

For further information on employee magazines, visit the links below:

How to use staff magazines to connect with your employees

Ten reasons to keep printing your in-house magazine

British Airways gets "Up To Speed" with a new employee magazine

 

Until next time,

Luke

What do the findings of the 2012 Edelman Trust Barometer mean for internal comms?

by Luke Dodd, Features Editor, Melcrum

Arriving at Edelman's head offices on Victoria Street, central London this Tuesday morning at 8am, I was greeted by a waiter offering me a freshly brewed coffee and a bacon roll – not a bad start to the day, I'm sure you'll agree.

I had been invited to the launch of the 2012 Edelman Trust Barometer, an annual global study that questioned 30,000 people in 25 different countries, the results of which reveal the state of trust in business and institutions.

Before the launch itself took place, I met up with Nick Howard, director of employee engagement at Edelman and quickly asked him a bit more about the Trust Barometer and the importance of trust in the current business climate:

Following the morning's refreshments and networking, we took our seats ready for the unveiling of the results. These were delivered jointly by Richard Edelman, president and CEO, Edelman and Ed Williams, Edelman's UK chief executive. There was also a stellar panel on hand to discuss the findings including Anne McElvoy, The Economist; Camila Batmanghelidijh, Kids Company; Caroline Daniel, FT Weekend; Amanda Platell, Daily Mail and the Rt Hon Tessa Jowell.

Globally, blame for the financial and political chaos of 2011 landed at the doorstep of government, as trust in that institution fell nine points to 43 percent. In seventeen of the 25 countries surveyed, government is now trusted by less than half to do what is right. In twelve, it trails business, media and non-governmental organizations as the least trusted institution.

"Business is now better placed than government to lead the way out of the trust crisis," said Edelman. "But the balance must change so that business is seen both as a force for good and an engine for profit."

Although globally business experienced fewer and generally less severe declines in trust, it has its own hurdles to clear. Overall, trust in business fell from 56 percent to 53 percent, with countries like France and Germany, in the heart of the Eurozone economic crisis, experiencing double-digit decreases.

Meanwhile, CEO credibility declined from 50 percent to 38 percent, its biggest drop in nine years. In South Korea and Japan, it dropped by 34 and 43 percent, respectively:

In Japan, the site of last March’s earthquake and subsequent nuclear disaster, trust fell severely in three of the four institutions including government (down 26 percent), media (12 percent) and NGOs (21 percent).

Areas for internal communication to address

It was reported during proceedings that the most trusted resource within an organization is the average employee (60 percent). This undoubtedly underlines the importance of peer-to-peer communication as well as employee "champions".

We also heard how the average person needs to hear a story three to five times from different sources before they believe it. An indication that using a variety of channels to deliver a comms message across your company is a smart move!

Trust in social media and the internet has increased. Maybe consider this fact when looking at company transparency – employees can discover news about your organization from external web-based sources, and will believe it.

It was discussed that working in a low-trust environment may be something we need to permanently adjust to. Look at your organization – in a distrustful society, how can you create a comms strategy that recognizes and adjusts to this state?

To view the various tweets from the day, type in #edeltrust2012 on Twitter.

 

Until next time,

Luke

 

PS. For further information on issues of trust in internal communication, click the links below:

How to help leaders rebuild credibility and trust

OPINION: Communicating and rebuilding trust in the finance industry

Promoting trust and change to a hard-to-reach, unionized workforce

 

What language are you speaking?

By Tanya Batra, Melcrum

Consider the following questions:  

How well do you know your internal audience?
How long have they been employed at the organisation?
Who do they trust?
What are their frustrations and concerns?
Do they use social media outside work?
What’s their motivation for coming to work?

   
If you don’t know the answers, it’s unlikely that you’re speaking the same language as your audience.

Far too often, and for many and varied reasons, the importance of really knowing our audience is overlooked, and a one-size-fits-all approach is wheeled out yet again.

And while the increase in comms channels now available to us can create the illusion that we’re successfully reaching out to and communicating with all of our employees, the reality is that it’s just more likely that our messages will be lost in the fierce competition to gain an audience’s attention.

The simple fact is that our communications should be tailored, targeted and relevant in order to resonate with our audience. And yes, while it does require an investment to establish an understanding of the different segments and preferences within your audience, the alternative has a far greater cost.

  
Psychoanalysis(!)
One possible approach to segmentation is to focus on attitude and motivation, and leverage them to create an understanding of what drives employees in your organisation, how they feel about the company and in turn, how best to communicate with them to achieve your desired outcome(s).

Brainwaves Consultancy takes just such a psychological approach through Personal Construct Psychology, working on two key assumptions: 1) that we are a product of our experiences, and 2) that our perception of the world is revealed in what we say. 

The research methodology involves asking employees a series of questions around a specific topic. Based on their responses, employees are categorised into segments, each of which has a distinct preferred method of communication that can then be utilised.

  
Sound interesting?
In our Mastering Audience Segmentation report, we published a case study with Sainsbury’s and Royal & Sun Alliance around the use of this methodology. If you’d like to read more you can download a copy of the full case study here: http://bit.ly/wko0RX

The concept of audience segmentation is also covered in The Internal Communication Black Belt 1 Programme.  

Under the guidance of our expert trainers, attendees discuss a range of influential theories of segmentation, learn how to effectively build an audience profile and identify the most appropriate method of segmentation for their organisation.

Black Belt 1 covers a host of other core IC areas too - visit the website to view the full course overview and learn more about the programme.

A resolution we can help you keep

By Tanya Batra, Melcrum

Refreshing our skills, acquiring new ones and keeping up to-date with best practice are all items that commonly feature on our professional agendas. However another common pattern is the fact that they rarely make it to the "completed" pile as you find yourself distracted by more "urgent" matters that demand your immediate attention.  

But before you let your professional development slip to the bottom of the pile, here’s a solid reason why it really should be your priority…

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) yesterday revealed that UK unemployment is set to keep rising in 2012, hitting 8.8 percent (2.85 million) by the end of the year and making it the highest number of people unemployed since 1994 and the highest unemployment rate since 1995. What’s more, this trend is predicted to continue into 2013 with unemployment forecast to rise even further, to a peak of 2.9 million in the first half of 2013.*

In response, organisations will continue to focus on streamlining, while simultaneously striving for productivity and innovation. It’s the talent of their people that’s key to achieving these goals and ensuring competitor differentiation.

Now more than ever before is the time to raise your game, prove your worth and reinforce your value-adding ability to ensure you stand out from the crowd. How? One way is by future-proofing your skill-set.

Whether you need a comprehensive overview of the IC function, want to discover how to maximise the role of video in your IC strategy,  succeed with SharePoint, or advance your writing skills – our extensive portfolio of executive education will keep you at the cutting edge of your function.

Not only that, but our courses also give you the chance to benchmark with like-minded communicators and build up your professional network to ensure you remain up-to-date with industry best-practice. 

However, if time out of the office just isn’t an option for you at the moment, kickstart your new year with this article by Sue Dewhurst on eight resolutions that can help you make a bigger difference in 2012 and beyond.

Happy New Year!

* Source: HR Magazine, Employment figures could drop by 120,000 this year, CIPD's chief economic adviser predicts, David Woods, 3 Jan 2012. Accessed 4 January, 2012.

Merry Christmas from Melcrum!

by Luke Dodd, Features Editor, Melcrum

Hi everyone,

It's that time of year where we're all starting to relax and prepare ourselves for over-indulgence and festivities.

But, before you sign off for the year, take a moment to have a look at our top five most popular articles of 2011 – consider it an early Xmas present from Melcrum:

1. A definitive framework for internal communication

2. Six key rules for engaging your customer facing employees

3. TOP TIPS: A five-step formula for calculating communication ROI

4. Creating an internal communications strategy from scratch - where do you start?

5. The Tube: An intranet that empowers employees

As a parting note, thank you for taking the time to read the Melcrum Blog over 2011 and we hope you continue reading in 2012. Please get in touch if you have any suggestions on what we should cover and any hot topics we have missed.

Merry Christmas!

Luke

Highlights from the Internal Comms Hub

by Luke Dodd, Features Editor, Melcrum

Hi communicators,

You can find a number of new articles on the Internal Comms Hub, looking at topics ranging from internal magazines to volunteerism schemes:

• How to introduce Yammer to your organization
• Internal magazines witnessing a resurgence
• Strengthening the spirit of volunteerism at Deutsche Post DHL
• Designing AMP’s intranet to be a key business tool

If there are topics you think we should be covering, contact me on luke.dodd@melcrum.com.

Until next time,

Luke

The death of a visionary leader - how can communication cope?

by Luke Dodd, Features Editor, Melcrum

Steve Jobs, founder and former-CEO of Apple, died this week at the age of 56 after a long battle with cancer.

When such an influential figurehead and leader dies, what is the correct protocol for the organization to follow? How can we, as communicators, support the needs of a company that has lost its leader?

In the case of Apple, the important first step was to ensure employees were notified in a respectful and straightforward manner.

Tim Cook, who took over from Jobs as CEO in August, sent an email to employees announcing that Jobs had passed away and invited staff to send in their reflections on his influence in the company. Here's what he wrote:

“Team,

I have some very sad news to share with all of you. Steve passed away earlier today.

Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.

We are planning a celebration of Steve's extraordinary life for Apple employees that will take place soon. If you would like to share your thoughts, memories and condolences in the interim, you can simply email rememberingsteve@apple.com.

No words can adequately express our sadness at Steve's death or our gratitude for the opportunity to work with him. We will honor his memory by dedicating ourselves to continuing the work he loved so much.

Tim”

It is evident from this message that Apple wanted to assure employees that the company culture would not change following Jobs' death and that ensuring the company remained at the top of its game would be a fitting tribute to his memory.

What people are saying

However, analysts and tech industry watchers have said his absence will undoubtedly be felt at the company he co-founded.

Michael Yoshikami, founder of YCMNET Advisors, told US television company CNBC: "I don't think it's a stretch to say that many people did buy Apple products because of the faith in the vision that Steve Jobs has put out…. and when that visionary falls away, then the company is judged more harshly. It's just inevitable."

According to brand specialist Mike Amour, CEO of Project: WorldWide Asia Pacific: "If the Apple culture, vision and product remain consistent, then Jobs' extraordinary legacy will live on and the company will climb to even greater heights of creativity and innovation."

Gene Munster, senior research analyst at Piper Jaffray's, who has been covering Apple for years, told CNBC that while Jobs’ death does not change his view of the company, one thing is clear: Jobs was very important to the culture at Apple.

In this kind of situation, it is important for internal communication to ensure that the business is kept moving forward, but to also acknowledge the influence of the past. Apple's plans for an up-coming employee celebration of Jobs' life should lift morale, which will be essential with the company growing and moving forward into different areas – such as television.

On a parting note, we can see that Steve Jobs' premature death has been unique in the effect it's had on the public and the way it's shown leadership can transform a company into a cultural phenomenon.

Recent articles on the Internal Comms Hub that focus on leadership include:

Driving communication his way at Volvo, a look at the career of Charlie Nordblom, vice president, strategic internal communications at Volvo Group, Sweden;

What do we look for in a leader?, an article on how to adapt to a leader's communication style and turning it to your advantage;

How to help leaders avoid communication sins, looking at how to help our leaders avoid common pitfalls when it comes to communicating to employees.

Until next time,

Luke

What's the future for internal communication? Key themes from Melcrum's transatlantic briefings

by Kelly Parsons, VP Research and Content, and
Luke Dodd, Features Editor, Melcrum           

Senior level internal communicators from around the world attended Melcrum’s research briefings that were held concurrently in London, UK and Washington DC, USA this week.

The briefings were held to share Melcrum's findings from its latest research study, produced for members of the Strategic Communication Research Forum (SCRF) – The Future for Internal Communication – as well as to promote lively debate and discussions on best practise. 

 

  London, UK

 

Simon Garcia, head of global communications, Gazprom opened the breakfast briefing, which was held at the company’s offices in central London. In attendance were senior representatives from companies including Bank of America, SABMiller, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Deutsche Bank and Tesco.

Rebecca Richmond, director of research and content, Melcrum presided over events and showcased highlights from The Future for Internal Communication study.

All core messages of the report were covered, which included issues surrounding the post-recessional environment, the drive for productivity, the diversifying workforce and re-engineering corporate structure and management.

Good quality debate took place throughout the day with several hot topics raised.

A discussion on EVP led to the point that Generation Y may not be thinking longer term, in terms of career progression and professional development. However, it was suggested that they were, in fact, looking for a company to care about their lives and think about them as an individual, not just as an employee.

It was also argued that EVP is a two-way street: and that employee value proposition should be re-termed as employment value proposition. The interaction should work both ways and be about what the employee can do for the company, as well as what the company can do for the employee.

The pros and cons of segmentation were debated and some attendees believed there was room for a stronger focus on this area at their company. The notion of partnering more with marketing in the process of segmentation also interested the group. Line managers were also discussed, and their importance highlighted when the idea was posed that they were a “human channel” and imperative to delivering internal communication strategies.

Also, attendees raised the point that annual employee surveys were viewed as non-essential in their company, as there was simply not enough turn-around time to act upon the different points raised. Another controversial opinion shared was that internal communication was viewed as governance and monitoring when talking about social media, as opposed to a supporting function.

 

  Washington DC, USA

 

Meanwhile in the US, members of Melcrum's SCRF, from companies including Citigroup, ExxonMobil and Neustar, convened for a day of learning and shared insights at Melcrum's US office in Washington DC.

Using the frame of The Future for Internal Communication study, the group discussed the key challenges communicators must overcome as they respond to a changing external environment and increasing demands from internal partners.

They touched upon the inadequacy of existing knowledge management systems in most organizations. One member mentioned her success in utilizing an alumni portal and "ask the expert" platform to connect employees to the right information at the right time.

Another major theme of the day was the difficulty members experienced "getting out in front" of technology. Attendees shared strategies for partnering more effectively through "intentional interactions" with IT to drive adoption and usage of high-potential, but under-performing, tech platforms.  

The group also shared their experiences of outdated competency models; a common theme across the day. In response to this, the need for a revised competency model and associated tools will rise to the top of the Forum's agenda. Look out for this in coming weeks. 

Additionally, capturing and controlling "ambient information" was considered important: members shared ideas for keeping track of what employees are saying, filtering and translating it to decision-makers and, ultimately, using informal communication channels to influence the conversation.

Until next time,

Kelly and Luke

Ten reasons why you can’t afford to miss our 10th anniversary!

By Tanya Batra, Melcrum

The 10th Annual Strategic Communication Management Summit takes place in just two weeks! And for those of you who haven’t booked your place yet - here’s ten reasons why you really can’t afford to miss out...

1. Future foresight - be in the know
We all want to know what’s around the corner. And while predicting the future is a challenging and unenviable task, having that foresight means we can plan ahead and make provisions to not just meet future challenges, but to successfully overcome them. This year our focus is on the future for internal comms, and the Summit is set around four key trends set to shape the business world over the next 3-5 years.
 
2. SCM Summit legends pack
As well as lots of new inspiring ideas, you’ll also receive an SCM Summit Legends Pack, containing a handpicked selection of case studies and opinion pieces from past Summit speakers - available exclusively for delegates.
 
3. SCM Awards
The SCM awards dinner takes place on 12 October, the evening of the first day of the Summit, so after a day of inspiring case studies, relax and enjoy a drink with fellow delegates at the champagne reception before sitting down to a three-course meal and an evening of surprises and entertainment, as we announce the winning entries. 

4. All bases covered
Our programme leaves no stone unturned. It covers up-to-the-minute issues facing communicators across industry, as well as fresh, cutting-edge approaches to recurring challenges: line manager comms, the digital workplace, measurement, employee value proposition (EVP), agile working, communicating with a global workforce, CEO comms, ROI and cost efficiency, culture and behaviour, employee engagement and intranets.

5. Trusted by many
Benefit from over 15 years of Melcrum’s research with Fortune 500 companies to share examples of best practice and emerging trends set to shape our industry. We’re the trusted source of advice for senior level communicators at Global Fortune 100 and FTSE 100 largest organisations, so you can be sure you’ll be in expert hands.  

6. Unrivalled benchmarking and networking opportunities
with fellow IC professionals from across industry facing the same challenges as you, in a practitioner-focused environment. Delegates already registered include those from RBS, Rolls Royce, Nationwide Building Society, Essex County Council, HSBC, GE Capital, Centrica, Adidas, BP, Orange and Shell, and many more. 

7. Expert-led panel discussion on “The Digital Workplace”
with senior reps from Yammer Inc., Microsoft UK and the Intranet Benchmarking Forum (IBF) who will address your questions and key challenges around the digital workplace, it’s evolution and role in IC strategy. 

8. Macleod and Clarke
As IC rises to the top of the national agenda, we’re keeping you at the forefront. David MacLeod and Nita Clarke, two names truly synonymous with the words employee engagement after their hugely influential report to government in 2009, will present a keynote session on day one, providing exclusive first-hand insight to their next steps, the launch of a new government sponsored employee engagement taskforce.

9. Diverse, refreshing and inspiring 30+ speaker line-up
With over 30 speakers, this year features our largest speaker line-up to date. Over just two days, you’ll hear from top-level communicators from a broad range of organisations who’ll provide in-depth insight into the work they’re doing. You’ll hear case studies from senior leaders at Nationwide Building Society, Ericsson, NHS Blood and Transplant, eBay Europe, first direct, Harrods, TUI UK & Ireland, Tata Global Beverages, Chartered Management Institute and many more.

10. And our final reason?
This year marks the tenth anniversary of the UK Strategic Communication Management Summit, and to celebrate, we’ve gone all out to make this event as exciting, inspiring and valuable as possible. It’s more than just a conference, it’s an annual meeting of the best minds and leaders in IC - make sure you don’t miss out. 
 
Full programme and booking information available at:
http://melcrum.com/scmsummit_2011/index.html