ALIGNING EMPLOYEES WITH CHANGEA Communicator’s Point of View
Bill FaustManaging Partner@ologie@williamfaust
Internal Communications
Every year, organizations spend millions to extend their messages through external media like advertising and public relations.
Strong brands, however, also communicate from the inside out. Because what good is a strategy or brand if your associates don’t know how to deliver on it? Or why they should care?
A strong brand is grounded by a clear purpose and a strategy that translates it to internal and external audiences.
The strategy:
• informs employees about the purpose (mindset)
• engages associates by helping them understand their role (skill set)
• inspires associates by making the purpose tangible and meaningful (motivation)
This approach ensures consistent delivery of the strategy and strengthens employee engagement.
Working from the Inside Out
PURPOSE
INTERNAL AUDIENCE
EXTERNAL AUDIENCE
STRATEGY
A Word about Purpose
To make life easier and more fun
through innovation
To be hospitable
To be a relentless ally for every
investor
To be a place to meet, work, relax,
and enjoy
To enable people to experience the joy
of driving
To give people the freedom to fly
To create happiness for people of all
ages
To save people money so that they
can live better
To fuel the athlete in everyone
To provide choices for nurturing the body, the community,
and the planet
Creating Alignment
Philosophical Alignment
(Mindset)
About the strategy
PurposeVisionValues
Behavioral Alignment
(Skill set)
About their actions
ExperienceBrandStory
Emotional Alignment (Motivation)
About their role
EngagementInspirationIncentive
Above all else, internal communications create alignment across all segmenta of the employee population:
Bottom line: Strong internal alignment is closely linked to business performance. And associates want it.
High associate engagement can improve employee performance by 20%.
A global survey on employee engagement shows that:
• 33% of employees feel satisfied with their level of engagement today
• 92% say they want to improve their performance
• 82% want to better understand their company’s vision
• 87% want to know what role they can play in helping the company realize its vision
Creating Alignment
Employee Value Proposition
Some internal communication programs include a promise to employees. That promise is the Employee Value Proposition (EVP). It defines the commitment between employee and company, and strives to balance the needs of both.
Balance the needs of
company and employees
EVP
Create a great place to work
What’s in it for me?(The reason I work here)
What’s expected of me?(My role in delivering the brand promise
and executing the business strategy)
Deliver the experience externally
But is interpreted as:
• Reorganization
• Streamlining
• Business as usual
Most common question: Is my job safe?
mentality reactions
Change Communication
Tends to focus on:
• Technology investments
• Process changes
• Structure changes
TOP-DOWN BOTTOM-UP
When We Listen To Our Teams We Learn Some Interesting Things:
• Most people want to change
• They crave collaboration
• They are open to new ideas
• They want to be proactive
• But they don’t feel empowered
• But they are siloed
• But aren’t used to being customer-driven
• But are used to being reactive
+ –
We Also See Some Common Subcultures Within Companies:
HAND-RAISERS
FENCE-SITTERS
SKEPTICS
“We can do this. Let me help.”
“I'm going to wait and see.”
“We will never change.”
+
+–
–
The Big Takeaway
Don’t over-emphasize
And don’t under-emphasize
+SKILL SET MINDSET
To create meaningful change, we need BOTH.
Communicating Internally
Through a systematic approach, a strategy can be reinforced at every turn. Over time, it grows stronger, even more authentic, and self-reinforcing as it’s translated to:
1 FUNCTIONAL TOOLS
2 BEHAVIORAL TOOLS
3 INSPIRATIONAL TOOLS
1 FUNCTIONAL TOOLS
PNC brand video(embedded)
1 FUNCTIONAL TOOLS
2 BEHAVIORAL TOOLS
2 BEHAVIORAL TOOLS
3 INSPIRATIONAL TOOLS
3 INSPIRATIONAL TOOLS
univita brand video(embedded)
In Summary, Internal Communicators Need to Consider:
THE BIG 4
1. Top down and bottom up
2. Mindset and skill set
4. People support what they help create
3. Inspire and inform
thank you