Those of us who communicate for a living are in the business of influence. We shape the reputations of our organizations, the narratives coming from leaders’ mouths, and — critically — the stories we tell ourselves about who we are. But today, we seek influence in a media and information landscape of unprecedented complexity. One … Continue reading Who has Influence in Organizations?
This blog is provided by the IPR Organizational Communication Research Center. My agency conducts the Integral Employee Activation Index study annually with The Harris Poll to understand employee mindset and behaviors. We just did a pulse check and the results stunned me. Employees’ expectations about the issues their employer takes a stand on changed drastically. … Continue reading Employees Concerns Beyond Job Creation and Well-being
Company leaders don’t have much control over local, national, or world events. Yet these external circumstances, events, and decisions impact employees — individually and collectively. The work environment mirrors the societal and political challenges of the larger world, likely with employees on opposite sides of polarizing issues. In parallel, employees enjoy personalized, data-driven Customer Experience … Continue reading Creating Workplace Cultures Centered on Employee Experience
This blog is provided by the IPR Organizational Communication Research Center. The Trajectory is Everything (for startups) Small changes at the beginning of a journey can make huge differences in the destination. For startups, small, but important choices in the first two years can lead to more intentionally managed workplace cultures that either support growth … Continue reading The Next Generation of Startups
The COVID-19 global pandemic forces us all to accommodate an inordinate amount of change. For many of us, everything from our basic safety to hygiene habits to where we eat has changed in recent days and weeks. Along with all that, many of us have had to make significant changes to how we work. These changes provoke … Continue reading Identity: The Forgotten Challenge of Remote Work
My company, Integral, recently hosted senior Communications, Marketing, and Human Resources leaders at our inaugural Circles event in New York City. Together, we unpacked the ins and outs of designing the kind of employee experiences that deliver business results. With forward thinkers from Amex, Levi Strauss & Co., Altice, Fitch, Columbia University, Memorial Sloan Kettering, … Continue reading Four Shifts That Will Transform Employee Experience in 2020
Along with juggling the daily chaos of our company’s comms channels, our executives’ egos and our teams’ pursuit of the proverbial ‘seat at the table,’ Communications professionals often double as the company storyteller, a key function of our work. However, the way we tell these stories must change — perhaps to the point at which … Continue reading The End of Linear Storytelling: The #Thumbstopping Story of Our Digital Future Or Trading Catharsis for Engagement
This blog is presented by the IPR Organizational Communication Research Center. I know this may come as a surprise to you, but managers are not always hired based on their communications skills. Shocking, I know! But seriously, it’s often expertise in the field/industry that snags a high-performer his or her promotion into management. That’s where … Continue reading The Five F’s: How Communications Can Alter the Future of Line Managers
I recently had the opportunity to interview Bret Gallaway, SVP of Communications and Marketing at Trinity Health, on the relationship between the customer and employee experience. Before joining the healthcare industry, Bret worked at USAA. When he joined Trinity Health back in 2012, it was a $9 billion organization with 55,000 employees. Six years later, … Continue reading Employee Experience is Customer Experience
A Conversation with Vern Oakley, CEO of Tribe Pictures The nature of authenticity and trust is changing. Recently I wondered, is it possible to fake authenticity? And can trust exist between people and organizations without authenticity? It’s an existential question for corporate communications professionals: our work serves to create trust between not only customers and … Continue reading Faking Authenticity: Can You Do It?
The world’s leading firms use architecture to powerfully transmit their identity to customers, employees and users of all kinds. This has been the case for many years. Witness the Cornell Tech campus on Roosevelt Island reinterpreting the relationship between academia and corporate America and driving sustainability practices to a new frontier. Or take a virtual … Continue reading Your Facilities Designer Might Be a Brand Expert (Or Not)
Ok, first, allow me to apologize for the slightly click-baity headline. But I actually do mean it. Let’s all stop measuring internal communications for two reasons. First, internal communications is probably not actually internal and, Second, you’re wasting your time if you’re measuring the communications instead of the desired behavioral changes. I’ve been on a … Continue reading Don’t Measure “Internal Communications”