Sharpen the focus of your communications

A slick designer apartment

If you look critically at your own organisation, you may be shocked to discover that your internal communications are organised like a student dorm, with books and newspapers scattered across the desk, empty pizza boxes in the corner and clothes tossed casually on the floor. Although we may be exaggerating, we have, over the years, encountered our fair share of ambitious communications managers who try to achieve results amid organisational disorder. In these organisations, departments and group divisions each liaise privately with stakeholders on a variety of issues, and the internal and external communications strategies are determined by professionals who only ever run into each other in the company restaurant. Even though the Board has urged them repeatedly to address the key issues jointly, they simply cannot seem to integrate all these various efforts.

What the management needs to do is to recognise communications as a strategic discipline, one that is closely linked to HRM and the organisational structure, rather than being a separate unit that creates the tools and resources. The internal organisation in a Communications department consists of teams representing various departments, with each department focussing on a different issue. Each of these teams includes subject experts or project managers, who work closely with press officers, public affairs, internal communications and branding consultants, as well as with business strategists and HRM experts. The role of the communications experts is to create a bridge between all these separate islands.

Truly integrated communications require a slick designer apartment rather than a tattered student dorm. It may not be as warm and inviting, but it’s a lot more effective.

What can Berenschot do for you?

Berenschot can help you design the internal organisation of your communications and show you how to work in issue teams.