Internal Communication
Internal Communication:
For years, mangers focused on the basis of corporation communication on “customers care”.
Today, managers realized that their employees are more important than any other constituencies. Now, they focus more an more on this group, because they are important for an organization’s success than ever before. So the question is how the managers can create a useful relationship with their employees by internal communication. This question will be answered in this blog entry.
Internal Communication and the Changing Environment:
As discussed in the first blog, the business environment has changed over the last decade continuously. Today’s employees want to know more about the company where they are working tan ever before. They are more interesting and knowledgeable than some years ago and they have higher expectations in the company.
Furthermore, employee’s workforce changed; longer working days, more performance, and even grater workloads are part of their day-to-day work.
Because of that, managers have to improve their internal communication process.
Organizing the Internal Communication Effort:
Mangers who want to restructure their communication process have to follow some important steps. The first is to create a communication audit. This can help to determine what employees attitude are about the firm. Furthermore, internal communications should reinforce employees’ beliefs that they are important assets to the firm.
Another important aspect of an effective internal communication is that internal communication should work closely with external communicators. But employees should always be informed about important issues. After that the general public and other constituencies can be informed. Furthermore, large multinational corporations have representatives in every division, but in some cases organizations have to look for outside help.
Implementing an Effective Internal Communication Program:
The next step for an organization would be to implement an effective communication program within the corporation. The first thing is that companies should communicate up and down. The best way to communicate with employees is through informal discussions between employees and their supervisors. They have to feel secure in all situation, especially when they have questions or offer advice.
Another important step is that the organization creates enough time for face-to-face meetings. These meetings should take place frequently. The managers can get useful results and feedback of the employee’s opinion.
Furthermore, another way to stay in contact with the employees is to communicate online. Since the 1990´s a new communication channel was developed in firms to communicate inside the organization. The Internet has to be used thoughtfully because it can detract the employees from the management’s messages. Another common form of communication sharing is to create employee-oriented publications. This is another key tool to improve internal communication within the firm. Ideally, the publication should connect employees with goings-on beyond their local surroundings. Due to the employees´ preference to visual media, a company should communicate visually to them via webcasts or multimedia presentations. Many companies have developed a medium like this to communicate with their employees. One key point companies often forget is to focus on internal branding. Internal is especially critical when an organization is undergoing changes such as merger or a change in leadership. Internal branding builds up the morale and engages employees with their jobs. In the internal communication of a company there are not only formal channels. The company should be aware of the informal channels as well, like private conversations between two or more employees. For example it is essential to consider the company Grapevine.
Management’s Role in Internal Communications:
A company’s top management is very important for internal communications within an organization. Top mangers are a company’s visionaries and its culture carriers. The top management should work closely with internal communication professionals to make sure that their messages receive by the relevant audience.
Examples:
I think that an effective internal communication system with any organization is very important. Most of the large companies have a system or a communication program like this. I know a firm in Germany, which is specialized in programs and systems like this. The name is Telecom. They install the system in every company to ensure perfectly internal communication.
I saw an internal communication program in the bank where I did my internship. They had intranet for the employees. This communication channel ensured that every employee get every time excess to important information. This channel also ensured that the employees could communicate with each other.
The top management also invited every single employee once in a month to a personal face-to-face meeting. The employee had the chance to shed complaints or helpful suggestions. I think that this channel is very important within an organization. Without any internal communication channel would it be almost impossible for a firm to succeed.
Links:
http://www.managementhelp.org/mrktng/org_cmm.htm
http://performance-appraisals.org/Bacalsappraisalarticles/articles/comstrat.htm
http://www.bdc.ca/en/my_project/Projects/articles/hr_internal_communications.htm?cookie%5Ftest=1
http://ry.com/internal_communication/
http://www.strategicconnections.com/
http://www.hrmguide.co.uk/communication/internal-communication.htm
