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

The Times They Are A-Changin’

by Roz Topolski

“The only constant is change” has never been truer for Communicators, at least according to Melcrum’s recent survey.

In fact, 32% of Communicators said they spend most of their time on change communication, according to our Key Benchmarking Data for Communicators 2011 survey for organizations with 1,000 or more employees.

Rather than focusing on proactive strategies that will help their organizations thrive, these communicators are spending more time just keeping up with all the change in their organizations.

I’d like to invite those Communicators – and others who find themselves dedicating most of their resources to change communication – to attend the SCM Summit in Washington D.C They’ll discover tactics to help them navigate the complex change communication channels, such as how to:

• Become a trust communication advisor and ask powerful questions from Melcrum’s Black Belt Trainers.
• Turn front-line managers into authentic communicators, while building trust and driving adoption, from Susan Dorflinger of GE Real Estate.
• Align and engage a globally dispersed and demographically diverse workforce with corporate change from Sona Hathi of Melcrum.
• Lay the groundwork for a positive future from Leslie Cifelli of National Grid.

Join us for a unique opportunity to join communication leaders from across the US for fresh insight, thought leadership, guidance, and best practices in internal communication.

To view the full program for this year’s SCM Summit, taking place on October 4-6, visit the website and download the brochure.

Happy 40th IABC! 40 things I learned at World Congress 2010

By James Bennett, Head of Content, Melcrum

1. The breakdown of trust in leaders is at its lowest ever point and will deteriorate further. But now’s the time to swap dancing partners. Research has shown that middle and line managers are the most trusted people within organizations and it up to us to get on their side and work with them as effectively as possible to leverage that trust.
2. Social media was discussed in almost every conversation and session I had and attended. But talking simply isn’t enough. The feeling from the profession is that communicators are using the tools, but they don’t seem to be using them to reach a constructive end goal and with the overall company strategy in mind.
3. Employee volunteering works. Fact. It improves communication, morale and motivation, personal fulfillment and those companies that actively engage in volunteering are more profitable, experience reduced absenteeism and are winning the war for talent. Two-thirds of Gen Y employees at Deloitte, for example, said they would rather work for a company that encourages volunteering.
4. In the post-recession age we live and work in, always plan for the unthinkable.
5. Communication is a company’s most powerful ally in a crisis… just ask BP.
6. Empower your employees by allowing them to become product ambassadors. Let them get their hands dirty.
7. Accept the risks of allowing employees to express themselves freely and instead focus on the end goal and the rewards.
8. Have courage part one – don’t be afraid to get fired.
9. Have courage part two – don’t be afraid to tell the CEO he’s a terrible presenter and he “lip smacks” when on video.
10. Leaders are like tofu: clearly part of the meal, perhaps even the main source of nutrition, but the spice is provided by everyone around them.
11. Make it a habit – make engagement part of employees' everyday routines for it to pay dividends.
12. Follow the example of the Me to We philosophy and movement and create a culture of empathy, community, meaning and legacy.
13. Memorise and use this quote: “We can do no great things; only small things with great love.”
    Mother Theresa
14. Content in context is king and data is his queen.
15. Successful leaders should always lead with their ace and play the communication card.
16. Every leader has his blind spot – and it’s up to you to spot them.
17. All communicators are sales people.
18. Information is useless – your audience wants knowledge.
19. Get stuck in traffic – find opportunities to do nothing and when you do, do nothing but think.
20. Read your writing aloud – strive to thrill yourself with what you write.
21. Writing is like a window – it should allow your readers to see what would otherwise be invisible.
22. Make your writing transparent – help your readers see your ideas, not your words.
23. Outsource the gaps in your skill set.
24. Communication can release the best potent asset, the human asset.
25. Communication is the path to survival, recovery and growth and a company’s constant companion.
26. Communication is a leader’s lifeline to results.
27. Communicate the future – write a fake news article showing your employees what the future looks like and how you can all work together to achieve greatness.
28. Only 19% of global employees are looking to leave their current roles, but the engagement gap is widening – Towers Watson 2010 Workforce Study.
29. Employees don’t know where to turn in 2010. In a global study when Towers Watson asked people whether they would like a job for life with one company, follow their opportunities as they come along or only work for two or three employers during their careers, the data was split exactly three ways.
30. Employees are reliant on their managers and leaders but not confident in what they are doing for them.
31. Embrace uncertainty.
32. The recession has ended the “deal” between employer and employee.
33. The “new deal” is about knowing and enabling your workforce, customising their experience and planning for the future.
34. The “new deal” will take courage, innovation and discipline – leaders will play a vital role.
35. The Art of Innovation – Polarize people over issues they care about.
36. Never stop learning and continuously seek knowledge.
37. Act like an agency – make your "clients", a.k.a your employees, the stars.
38. Always seek to add value.
39. As a conference organizer always provide a reliable Wi-Fi connection… although IABC never fear, even Steve Jobs had issues at the launch of the iPhone 4.
40. Canadians say “eh”. Rather a lot.

Catch Melcrum at IABC World Congress June 5th to 9th

By James Bennett, Head of Content, Melcrum

Following two brutal recession-packed years crammed full of pessimistic chatter along the lines of distrust in brands and leaders, slashed budgets and axed headcounts and rock bottom engagement scores, conferences and events are attempting to re-focus on a leaner but potentially more exciting future. And the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) is no different.

This year’s World Congress in Toronto, on between June 5th and 9th, returns to normal proceedings and can once again focus on promoting fresh ideas, showcase award winning case studies and best practices in communication.

Recession or not however, the Melcrum team and I will be there in force to cover the sessions, idea jams, unconferences (this always sends a shiver down my spine) and the inevitable news and gossip that will take place in the five days this gigantic gathering of more than 1,400 communicators will generate.

Myself and the team will be staying at the conference venue, the Sheraton Centre Toronto so please feel free to email me and get in touch to arrange a meeting.

I just hope I don’t bump into too many of you at the yoga sessions in the morning. You wouldn’t want to see me in Lycra. I just wonder how many communicators can communicate that early in the morning? I guess I’ll have to get up at the crack of dawn to find out.

Key communicators including Russell Grossman, Les Potter, Guy Kawasaki, Angela Sinickas, Adrian Cropley and Melissa Dark will all (don’t worry I intend to grab five minutes with as many delegates and speakers as I can) be speaking to Melcrum during the event.

So, loyal Melcrum blog readers, continue to follow us as you always have done, while those that haven’t graced these sacred pages please make sure to tune in at the beginning of next month for some exclusive insight into one of the biggest events in the communication calendar.

P.S: Message to fellow delegates: If I forget my Lycra all-in-one bodysuit or my yoga mat please bring a spare.

Sometimes the best way to get started is to stop....

With rising expectations for corporate intranet functionality comes a rising tide of anxiety about losing ownership and control. Not all, but many of us fear that emerging social technologies will wipe away the policies and systems that we’ve worked so hard to establish and maintain in our organizations.

The good news is that if we’re worried, then it means we care. The bad news is that anxiety can lead to fuzzy decision-making. The business needs come second, and our fears take the driving seat.

So what should you do?

Take time to think it through, says Nielson Norman Group’s Amy Schade, featured in our latest issue of Strategic Communication Management. She talked to our team about the Group’s latest report – the widely respected Intranet Design Annual – and gave insight into what makes a standout intranet.

She said the winners carefully considered how to integrate social technologies into existing intranets – they didn’t just grab for the latest tool or widget. Even better, they introduced features for solid business reasons, not in reaction to hype or fear or pressure.

It seems simple, but great thinking is a lot tougher than it looks. It takes collaboration and dialogue. Knowing what all the options are and being able to take a step back to consider all of them. It takes conviction and strength, and perhaps most importantly, insight into what your business needs.

Attend Melcrum’s new masterclass - Intranets with Impact - and you’ll get insights into all of these core skills and competencies. You'll leave with an appreciation of your intranet as a business tool rather than "just another channel" and an actionable plan that will really make a difference to your organization.

Intranets with Impact

May 18th–19th 2010,

Orlando, Florida

www.melcrum.com/intranetswithimpact

Amidst ambiguity one thing is certain: Your workforce is not satisfied

 

Was it just a week ago we were cheering the year-end highs of the Dow Jones and the healthy drop in the unemployment claims?

The headlines today have a gloomier cast.

US growth prospects are bleak for the next decade, says Reuters, reporting from the annual American Economic Association meeting this Sunday.

House sales – which were making a comeback – are likely to fall again, says the National Association of Realtors.

One thing is for sure: there’s no shortage of opinions about when, how and if the economy will make a turnaround.

“If the Great Recession has indeed relaxed its grip on American life, it has been replaced by something that might be called the Great Ambiguity,” where lack of consensus and uncertainty reign supreme, says Peter Goodman of the New York Times.

Reading the tea leaves of the market aside, there is one headline that cannot be ignored and speaks loud and clear:

“US Job Satisfaction at Lowest Level in Two Decades”

This came from The Conference Board, which released its annual report on job satisfaction levels today:

• in 1987 job satisfaction was 61% and it has steadily declined since then; today it’s at 45%
• 22% of respondents did not expect to be in their current job in a year
• all age groups and income brackets showed levels of dissatisfaction

Perhaps most surprising is that these falling dissatisfaction scores do not appear to be tied to market cycles – through good times and bad, workers have grown increasingly unhappy, says the Conference Board.

This means companies cannot assume an economic upswing will result in more engaged, more satisfied workers. Re-engaging and reinvigorating your workforce is not optional – and it needs investment today.

We’re here to help. Next month is our annual Employee Engagement Conference, February 23-25, 2010, and we have best-in-class companies detailing how they’ve made engagement a priority and reaped the rewards. Here's a look:

• NetApp, IKEA, Exterran and others show how social media can make an impact on engagement.  
• ConAgra Foods outlines the bottom line impact of the company’s engagement efforts.
• Juniper Networks uncovers the power of storytelling to drive meaningful connections between employees and bring about engagement.

These companies and others like them are not waiting for a new economic outlook to invest in their people – they are taking action. What are you waiting for? Find out more here.

10 great reasons to attend this year’s SCM Summit London

By James Bennett, Managing Online Editor, Melcrum

If you haven't already, make sure you sign up the Melcrum's SCM Summit in London 13th to 15th October 2009! It's only 27 days away!!!

  Here are 10 great reasons why you should!

1. The economic recovery - looking to the future: find out why successful internal communicators are the key to leading us to economic recovery, how they can rebuild trust in leaders, re-engage employees and increase performance, and plan for 2010 by refreshing your ideas and knowledge and finding out what’s working for others.
2. Take the lead - find out how your peers are becoming trusted advisors to the leadership team, and coaching managers to be better communicators.
3. The best networking - rub shoulders with the best and brightest in the industry, the largest gathering of senior communicators in Europe this year.
4. Latest research - hear the latest trends and Melcrum research into internal communication best practice in rebuilding trust, change communication, social media and employee engagement.
5. International perspective - meet delegates from all over Europe, the US, Africa and Middle East and gain an international perspective.
6. Case studies: hear first-hand accounts from senior communicators at HSBC, ING, KBC Group, Network Rail, Westminster City Council, Asda, Volvo and Vodafone amongst others.
7. FIRST UK PRESENTATION!!! A CEO’s unique view of comms - don’t miss this year’s special guest Stephen Martin, star of Channel Four’s ‘Undercover Boss’ series and CEO of construction company Clugston Group as he recounts the lessons he took back to the boardroom after working on the frontline.
8. Ideas you can put into practice - you’ll come away with dozens of proven techniques and ideas you can use back at the office.
9. Get involved - the SCM Summit is more than a conference, it’s a chance for you to gain feedback, discuss your challenges and hear what’s working via roundtable sessions, panel discussions, and interactive workshops.
10. Communicators trust Melcrum to deliver - now in its 8th year, the SCM Summit is the one event you tell us you can’t afford to miss, even when your budgets have been cut.

We have three summits, one in Australia, that is in its first day today, one in the US in Chicago and of course London.

Follow us at all three summits on Twitter via the following hashtags:

Australia: #scmau
United States: #scmus
United Kingdom: #scmuk

Employee engagement 2.0 has arrived courtesy of Google

By James Bennett, Managing Online Editor, Melcrum

If you thought Google employees were the most engaged in today’s cutthroat and recession-riddled corporate world, think again. Despite receiving more than 700,000 applications a year to work for the planet’s most forward thinking Web 2.0 outfit, the company has seen hiring slow, been forced to cut back on some of its infamous perks such as afternoon tea and its annual ski trip and has even seen some of its most talented Googlers jump ship to competitors such as Twitter and Facebook.

So what has it gone and done? Well being the most advanced and innovative algorithmic genius in its class it’s gone and done what it’s best at doing - created an algorithm - but this time has taken employee engagement 2.0 to an entirely new and never-before-seen level. It has produced an algorithm so advanced and so ingrained in the employment and engagement process that it can supposedly crunch employee data such as appraisals, salaries and promotion history and decipher who among its staff is the most unhappy and who among the 20,000 engineers, developers and nerds it employs is the most willing to leave. Not only does it know every move we as web users make online, it can now pry into the work-life habits of its own and work out who should stay and who should go. It’s hard to fathom but Google’s boffins know the answers before their staff do.

Currently in a test phase, the system, if proved effective – and it would have to be faultless considering the information it gathers and the consequences it could have on people’s lives – could forever change the way businesses and their internal communications departments around the world vet and engage or even dismiss their employees.

The web giant has so far, however, discovered one key trend. Those of its employees that feel underused are more likely than others to leave. But the further it looks into the problem and examines employee reviews and pay histories the more I can imagine it will uncover more detail about how its workers think, behave, and react to certain emotions and situations. The key element will be to determine whether or not this research is effective in engaging more staff, unearthing those that are unhappiest and crucially, considering the economic times we are living in, what result this has on the bottom line. Could this be the ultimate tool, the Holy Grail, that we’ve all been looking for, to finally and accurately measure how we can effectively engage our employees and return a healthy profit in order to keep share and stakeholders happy? The possibilities, as with anything this company seems to do, are endless.

Google’s engagement algorithm – why now?

• Crunches data from employee reviews, promotion and pay histories in a mathematical formula to identify which of its 20,000 employees are most likely to leave.
• Google officials are reluctant to share details of the formula that is still being tested.
• Google says the algorithm has already identified employees who felt underused, a key complaint among those who contemplate leaving.
• Current and former Googlers said the company is losing talent because some employees feel they can’t make the same impact as the company matures.
• Google's algorithm has been described by one HR commentator as “helping the company get inside people's heads even before they know they might leave”.
• In recent weeks several top executives has left the company including advertising sales boss Tim Armstrong and display-advertising chief David Rosenblatt, Doug Bowman, engineering director Steve Horowitz and search-quality chief Santosh Jayaram, both of which have switched sides to Facebook and Twitter.

Send employees snail mail to make an impact

By Annie Waite, Editor of the Internal Comms Hub (North America), Melcrum

Sending employees "snail mail" is one of the suggestions Chris Gay of Bridge Consulting made for how to make an impact with your communications to different employee groups, during her workshop yesterday at Melcrum's Strategic Communication Management Summit in Chicago.

In this technology communication saturated era, to receive a handwritten letter is like the equivalent of an 18th century farmer discovering a dodo egg in his chicken coop.

Last night's keynote speaker, Dr. Bob Nelson of Nelson Motivation Inc. also suggested ways to make meaningful connections with employees. He gave us an enviable set of ideas for how to appropriately reward and recognise employees - I thought I'd share a few of them here, but you can find more of Bob's examples (and leave your own suggestions) on a detailed account of day 1 of the Summit - check the Hub for more.

• Busch Gardens uses recognition tokens. When managers see any employees demonstrating their core values – safety, teamwork or customer service – they give them a token. The employee can turn it into payroll if they wish, but many choose to retain the token as a reminder of how they've been rewarded for good work.
• Disney has "WOW! cards" for employees to award to each other if they notice exceptional behavior. It's a very simple program and other companies have adapted the idea for people to accumulate points.
• Apple puts its core values as words on t-shirts. Employees that personify a value (for example, integrity) are then given a t-shirt as a reward. Many employees strive to get all the t-shirts in the set.
• KFC has a list of employees who play a musical instrument. If someone has done well in the company or reflected their core values, they are serenaded by the crew of instrument players. The idea has been so successful that a second band of musically minded employees – a string quartet – has been created to serenade people.
• Fel-Pro runs an annual suggestion lottery, whereby good ideas are rewarded with random fun, redeemable coupons.
• Grumman Corp. issues on-the-spot gift coupons.

Bob also suggested an idea for managers to use to make a positive impact on their employees' morale – "Interrupt a meeting with good news! You can pack a lot of punch with a little thanks.”

“Good praise has an emotional charge that leaves a mark," he says " and it has a residual effect that stays with the person for a long time”.

What do you reckon - would the idea take off with your employees, or would they roll their eyes at such behaviour and think it was just another shortlived employee engagement exercise handed down from HR?

Melcrum Podcast 12 June 2008: Shownotes

By Sona Hathi, Assistant Editor, Melcrum

On this intranets focused edition of the Melcrum Podcast, you'll hear an interview with Kate Needham, a Norman Nielsen Group Top 10 Intranets award winner based in Australia. (Begins 08:35)

And speaking from Melcrum's Intranet Forum at Disneyworld, Florida, Mary Owens, formerly of Motorola, (begins 00:55) Peter Reimann from Pfizer (begins 02:34) and Robert Polkowski at Perkins Eastman Architects (begins 04:57), speak to Annie Waite about the most innovative features on their intranet sites.