Informasjon og Samfunnskontakt

Employee/Internal Relations Community Relations Government Relations Peggy Simcic Brønn 1

Internal Communications

“Employee morale is affected by how much we know about the company’s plans.” 98 percent of employees agree.

Peggy Simcic Brønn 2

Four Eras of Employee Communication

 Era of entertaining employees - 1940s  Era of informing employees - 1950s  Era of persuasion - 1960s  Era of 2-way symmetric communication - 1990s Peggy Simcic Brønn 3

Trends of Internal Communications

 Few companies develop a strategy for announcing change  Failure in over 80 percent of cases involving announced change  Biggest symptom of failure - lots of inaccurate, negative rumors  Second symptom - learning about change from press Peggy Simcic Brønn 4

Trends of Internal Communications

 Employees are insulted when a less ‘rich’ channel is used  Management does not adapt message to different groups  Employees react negatively to use of buzzwords  Great differences between literal meaning, intention and effect of overly positive messages Peggy Simcic Brønn 5

Time Spent by PR Department on: 10% Media Employees 35% Government 25% 30% Investors

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Companies not doing Enough

 Employees don’t believe what management says.

 Are not sufficiently informed.

 Change not communicated well.

 Management does a bad job of explaining reasons behind decisions.

 Communication is not timely.

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Major Barriers

 Employees do not ‘buy in’ to change  No senior management champion  Lack of adequate skills or experience to implement  Turf battles  Lack of congruent reward system  Inability or unwillingness Peggy Simcic Brønn 8

Employees Want Top Management to:

 Inform them ahead of time  Care about how they really feel  Give their supervisors enough authority to get job done  Make a strong commitment to serve the customer Peggy Simcic Brønn 9

Employees Want Top Management to:

 Have the ability to solve major organization problems  Run a socially responsible organization  Provide new products and services to meet competition  Place more emphasis on quality than quantity Peggy Simcic Brønn 10

Communications Strategy

Nature of Change Organizational Dynamics Strategy Time

L. R. Smeltzer, An Analysis for Announcing Organization-Wide Change,

Group & Organizational Studies

, Peggy Simcic Brønn Vol. 16, No. 1 March 1991.

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Organizational Dynamics

 Employee Differences  Organizational Culture  Organizational Climate Peggy Simcic Brønn 12

Communications Strategy

 Message  Style  Coverage  Source  Channel  Time Peggy Simcic Brønn 13

Media Capacity & Communication Characteristics

Medium Face-to-face Media Richness Capacity Media Characteristics Feedback Cues/Channels Intimacy Language High Immediate Multiple Personal Natural visual, audio Telephone Written, addressed (letter, memo) Written, unaddressed Fast Audio Personal Natural Slow Limited Personal Natural/ visual Numeric Low Very slow Limited Impersonal Natural/ visual Numeric From R. Daft and G. Huber, How Organizations Learn: A communications framework,

Research in the Sociology of Organizations

, Vol.. 5, 1987.

Focus

 What is size and nature of work force?

 What does the work force think of organization?

 How satisfied are employees?

 What employee communications exist?

 How effective are communications tools?

 Are there special employee relationship programs?

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Internal Audiences

 Management  Upper level, mid level, lower level administrators  Nonmanagement (staff)  Specialists, clerical, secretarial  Uniformed personnel  Equipment operators, drivers, security  Union representatives  Other nonmanagement personnel Peggy Simcic Brønn 16

Communication Objectives

 Increase employees’ knowledge  Enhance favorable attitudes toward employer  Get more adoption by employees of behavior desired by management  Make employees spokespersons for organization in community  Receive more employee feedback Peggy Simcic Brønn 17

How

 Recognize employee accomplishments and contributions  Prepare and distribute employee communications  Schedule interpersonal communication Peggy Simcic Brønn 18

Theme and Messages

 Depends on reason for conducting campaign  Action or special events  training seminars  special programs on safety or new technology  open house for employees and families  parties, receptions, and other social affairs  other employee special events related to organization Peggy Simcic Brønn 19

Media

 Bulletin boards  Films    Displays and exhibits Telephone hotlines or news lines Inserts in paychecks   Video cassettes  Meetings Teleconferences  Audio-visual presentations  Internal television  Speakers bureaus employees to community groups  Booklets, pamphlets, brochures Peggy Simcic Brønn 20

Prescriptions for Managers

 Face-to-face: non-routine and difficult communications  Memos: routine, simple communications  Discussion & Meetings: make presence felt  Rich media: implementing strategy  Multiple media: critical issues and need to get message heard  Evaluate appropriate technology Peggy Simcic Brønn 21

Effective Internal Communications

 Two-way communication  Audience participation Peggy Simcic Brønn 22

Evaluation

 Communication, Retention, Acceptance of Messages  Coorientational Evaluations  Human Relations Audits  Communication Satisfaction  International Communications Association Audit - extensive use of network analysis and interviews Peggy Simcic Brønn 23

Evaluation

 Network analysis - tracing employee communications through the organization  Duty study - employees recording daily communications  Observational studies - observers recording employees communications  Cross-sectional interviews - asking employees about communications activities  ‘Small World’ technique  Diffusion method Peggy Simcic Brønn 24

Hints

 Fully understand situation  Involve communications experts at beginning  Coach people to understand change  Know and study company culture Peggy Simcic Brønn 25

Hints

 Make sure there is a feedback system  Be consistent in what you say and do  Do not micromanage - let people be comfortable  Don’t be afraid to make changes Peggy Simcic Brønn 26

Community Relations

 Home of office and operations  Supplier of work force  Provides setting, services, etc.

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Community relations programs are specialized public relations programs to facilitate communication between an organization and publics in its geographic locality.

Grunig and Hunt Peggy Simcic Brønn 28

Community Activities

 Expressive -- activities to promote themselves & to show good will to community  Instrumental -- activities to improve the community or change it to make it easier to work there Peggy Simcic Brønn 29

Check List

 What is level of credibility?

 Have there been complaints?

 What are present and past community relations practices?

 What are major strengths & weaknesses?

 What opportunities exist?

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Community Publics

 Community media - diffused linkage  Local employees & customers functional linkage  Community leaders - enabling linkage  Community organizations - normative linkage  Activists publics -- diffused linkage Peggy Simcic Brønn 31

Makeup of Community Opinion

 Miniature of national government  Power structure  Opinion leaders  Networking  Prime movers  Independents  Dissidents Peggy Simcic Brønn 32

Pyramid of Power

4.

3.

2.

1.

Major employers, land owners, top officials, wealthy ‘first’ families Corporate, commercial executives, lawyers, etc.

Local officials, editors, lesser city officials, association executives Business, teachers, factory managers, workers

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Effective Communication

 Targeting of opinion leaders or community leaders  Two-way symmetric relations  Communication objective  Cultivation of organizations, their leaders and membership  Reach out with sponsorship of activities Peggy Simcic Brønn 34

Evaluation

 Number of government officials reporting contact with organization.

 Number of members of local publics reporting contact.

 Number of community leaders discussing controversial or policy issues.

 Number of managers reporting they have made changes as result of information from community about service or problems.

 Number of negative behaviors reported by community leaders.

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Government Relations (often called Public Affairs)

 Government at all levels  Political action  Community involvement/corporate responsibility  Issues management  International  Strategic planning Peggy Simcic Brønn 36

Government Publics

 Highest level in country - Storting  Next level - fylke  Decreasing level - kommune, city, etc.

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Check List

 What is the makeup of the organization?

 What are past and present relations with government?

 What are strengths and weaknesses?

 How vulnerable is organization to legislation?

 Which of our activities could result in government involvement?

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PR’s Function

To establish long-term, two-way and open relations between organization and politicians and officials.

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Success Factors

 Subject knowledge  Multi-dimensional activities  Flexibility  Ability to focus Peggy Simcic Brønn 40

Possible Objectives

 Increase knowledge of organization among politicians  Create or enhance favorable attitudes toward organization  Influence favorable vote on a bill Peggy Simcic Brønn 41

Possible Activities

 Fact finding  Coalition building  Direct lobbying  Grass-roots lobbying  Political support activities  Political action committees (PACs)  Political education activities  Communications on political issues Peggy Simcic Brønn 42

Effective Communications

Law Makers Private Sector

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Regulation Makers

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