Internal consulting as a part of the role of communication professionals within organizations has been discussed by a number of researchers. But what does “consulting” in this context mean? Who are clients, what is the content? Which objectives, forms, and specifications are relevant?
A recent research project conducted in Germany addresses these questions. We have developed a theoretical framework based on research in business consulting and existing public relations role models, and verified this in in.-depth interviews with corporate communication executives in major European corporations. The full paper has received an IPR Top-3-Paper award at the IPRRC 2012 conference in Miami and is available here (PDF).
Communication with stakeholders takes place at nearly every spot in today’s organization. The traditional strategies of allocating and limiting access and interactions for specific stakeholders to dedicated units like marketing and sales, public relations, or customer services are no longer viable in networked societies. Therefore communicative organizations can be described by the following elements: a) awareness of the communicator role of every employee, b) consistent outbound communication, c) inbound activities with a holistic view as well as integration and interpretation of information from neighboring areas.
This requires a re-conceptualization of the role set for communication managers within organizations. Based on their professional knowledge and expertise, they have to consult members of the organization on communication issues as well as enable the whole organization to communicate adequately.
The idea of communication professionals as consultants and enablers of communication has been introduced by a number of researchers. Nevertheless, these role descriptions almost never explain the specific dimensions and practices of internal communication consulting and its various objectives, forms and specifications in detail.
To close that gap we developed a theoretical framework based on research in business consulting and on existing public relations role models to identify the variety of objectives and forms of communication consulting within organizations. Research of management consulting generally distinguishes between the forms of expert consulting (as advice based on professional expert knowledge and experience) and process consulting (as enablement of clients to solve problems independently by providing underlying structures and by facilitating the client’s reflections).
Thus, we developed a comprehensive framework for internal communication consulting, which comprises four different specifications of the internal consultancy function role. Public relations professionals need to:
a) advise others how to communicate in specific situations by recommending communication activities and proceedings
b) enable others to master communicative challenges by providing and supporting corresponding competencies, structures and processes
c) integrate communicative insights into task-related decision-making
d) build and encourage the awareness for the communicative dimension of any management or other task-related decision within.
This study lays the groundwork for quantitative research identifying the utilization of the four specifications of internal communication consulting. The results might serve as indicators of the institutionalization of the internal consultant role. But also thinking of public relations education, the framework of internal communication consulting opens new dimensions for students and might also encourage them to prepare for these requirements.
The idea of the communicative organization will remain a pipe dream until communication professionals develop differentiated role models and day-to-day routines that make the enabling function and task-related communication consulting come true. The self-perception of communication professionals as experts who are able to give valuable advice and enable others is crucial for building a strong identity as communication experts. The consultant role is not meant to relieve other core roles, but it shows how communication professionals can accept the broad challenge of leading within communicative organizations in a very practical sense.
Dr. Ansgar Zerfass is a professor for communication management at the University of Leipzig, Germany, as well as executive director of the European Public Relations Education and Research Association, Brussels, and editor of the “International Journal of Strategic Communication”, Routledge Publishers.
Neele Franke, M.A. is a consultant at IBM Strategy & Transformation Management Consulting in Frankfurt, Germany, focusing on organizational change management and communication consulting.
