Lecture 4 Flashcards
Role of Comms in Orgs:
Comms = management function to meet organizational goals/tasks, success determined by effectiveness of communication
Goal of internal comms:
communicate right things right way - reduce/eliminate misunderstanding by using right message/audience/channel
Trend towards strategic internal communications:
connects employees to org
demonstrates employee value
provides feedback channel
provides org info to correct public perception
Effective comms & benefits:
employees understand and support org direction
ensures employees have common understanding
two-way dialogue
reduce uncertainty/dissatisfaction/gossip
increase ind knowledge
Employees:
most important audience/face of org – need to know org goals and messages to execute business plan.
Employee comms aims:
employees represent company to external audiences in alignment w leader’s vision, produce quality work which satisfies customer needs, employee retention - don’t quit to go work somewhere better.
Need for strat comms:
- Decreased employee loyalty (people spend less time in one org, connection to the work rather than the company
- Information and knowledge drive business (information age, shift away from manufacturing)
- Command and control stops working (control and flow of information, demand for info)
- trust is at lowest point (distrust of corps/govt, employees concerns come before org)
Three spheres of communication excellence:
knowledge core, surrounded by shared expectations, surrounded by participative culture – Dozier/Grunig/Grunig
Employee comms is about business:
strategic comms, move away from corp propaganda to create understanding of org as a whole, honest/accurate/timely information
Communicator Knowledge:
of PR and company/industry - technical AND broad PR skills base - strategic comms, research, analysis, planning, media (traditional/social), two-way comms
Shared Expectations:
knowledge to be able to play manager role, contribute to strategic decision making, execute effective two-way communication, forge partnerships with dominant coalition=group with power to set direction, play boundary spanner role (b/w management/publics, convey public’s perception/beliefs and impact), allows dominant coalition to make informed decisions, gain credibility/support for comms
Participative Culture:
employees feel they are communicated to appropriately/often, feel like part of larger corp (equality, two-way comms, participative decision-making)
Internal Audiences & what to consider
board of directors, leadership team, senior management, department heads, unit managers, front-line employees
*consider role w/i org, responsibilities and duties, what info do they need, what do they want
Valuing diversity:
understand/appreciate contributions that differences in people make - need to be sensitive to preconceived notions, try and understand different needs of diverse groups
Motivation:
intrapersonal experiences that influence behavior - we see behavior not motivation
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs:
ascending order - physiological then safety/security, then love/social belonging, then esteem/prestige, then self-actualization
B.F Skinner Rewards Theory:
human behaviour can be influenced/motivated by rewards - desired behaviour will continue if behavior is recognized - communication linked to specific behavior
Motivation-hygiene theory:
human behavior based on internal/external factors. satisfaction/dissatisfaction are not polar opposites - what produces dissatisfaction when corrected will not necessarily produce motivation
Motivation factors: achievement (sense of accomplishment), work content (creating something of value), responsibility (trusted to take responsibility
Hygiene factors: conditions or practices conducive to maintaining health - ie salary (getting paid), supervision (liking supervisor), status (prestige)
Communication flow:
how orgs respond to info
Input: comms coming into org - stakeholder input, customer feedback, product reviews, online comments, media
Throughput: changing/transforming input info for internal org use - ID what needs to be done, share feedback w employees - success depends on IF info is shared
Output: messages to external environment from w/i org - what employees saying about the org
Comms networks:
how emps communicate may influence decision-making of org - networks are formal/informal patterns that link individuals w/I org
Liaisons - connect supervisor to groups
gatekeepers - 1 way comms
bridge - connecting laterally
isolates
Pyramid of comms quality:
communication hierarchy = logistics, attention, relevance, influence, action
logistics level: where communicator has control - distribution of material (newsletters etc)
attention level: message sent - catching audience attention - need to know audience to get message through
Relevance level: WIIFM - is message useful to audience
influence level: three degrees - what they think, commitment (how much energy will they use), action - need trust/involvement/role knowledge/job satisfaction
action level: end result
Employee-stakeholder-profit chain:
communication based on trust/connection to marketplace - communication that reports on outcomes
High performing orgs:
72% had good understanding of org overall goals, 51% understood how work contributed to goals, 55% understood means used to evaluate them
Engagement & benefits
how committed workforce is to org - extent to which an ind feels connected to/involved in their job/org
lower turnover, less absenteeism, larger talent pools, productivity, customer satisfaction, revenue growth, sustainability in the face of challenges
*2011 study Hewitt/associates – emps at orgs w high engagement = better health, lower stress/overload, greater financial security - highly engaged emps speak more positively of employer, want to remain w org, willing to do all they can to achieve corp success
Best employers survey:
quality of work environment, positive climate, knowledge of org direction/goals, satisfaction w supervision, fair performance appraisal, meaningful recognition of work, input valued/sought out, opportunities for growth, work/life balance
Engagement Process:
hiring = focus on skills/abilities/attitudes/team players - aim for retention/orientation/training
incentives = input, feedback, recognition
benefits = group/heath/wellness benefits, EDO program (compressed work week)
communication
communication = awareness, understanding, acceptance, commitment
Engagement drivers & measurement :
divers: leadership, belief in org direction, + culture, training opportunities, upward mobility, formal comm channels, compensation/benefits, involvement in decision-making, formal recognition
measurement: surveys, turnover rate, job posting responses, public perception, annual studies
