Åberg’s Kite: Communications Strategy Planning

1. Åberg’s Kite Åberg’s Kite: Communications Strategy Planning Professor Leif Åberg University of Helsinki, Department of Communication

2. Humane Visions Åberg’s Kite • to build a solid vision, the organizations have to combine managerial processes and processes that emerge from human activities

3. The art of kite flying: the kite will fly, Åberg’s Kite • if the weather is windy, and • if one, running against the wind, manages to bring about the essential initial driving force

4. Åberg’s Kite Once the kite is up, it is essential to maintain active balance between managerial processes and processes that emerge from human behavior

5. Åberg’s Kite This active balancing is achieved through communication

6. VISION Åberg’s Kite LEGITI- MACY BUSINESS IDEA, MISSION CORPORATE CULTURE STRATEGY GROUP AND TEAM GOALS GROUP DYNAMICS INDIVIDUAL DYNAMICS TASKS

7. VISION Åberg’s Kite LEGITI- MACY BUSINESS IDEA, MISSION COMMUNICATION CORPORATE CULTURE STRATEGY GROUP AND TEAM GOALS GROUP DYNAMICS INDIVIDUAL DYNAMICS TASKS

8. MANI-FESTAT-ION OFVISION COM-MUNI-CAT-INGCHAN-GE SCAN-NING VISION Åberg’s Kite LEGITI- MACY BUSINESS IDEA, MISSION COMMUNICATION CORPORATE CULTURE STRATEGY GROUP AND TEAM GOALS GROUP DYNAMICS INDIVIDUAL DYNAMICS TASKS

9. A) Tools for the Manifestation of the Vision • core story links the past with the future and positions the current standing • strategic keywords: using, e.g., a 3x3x3-diagram • strategic core messages: elaboration of the strategic keywords • slogan: one core message, used for identification of the company • emblem: e.g., logo+name, or an auditive emblem

10. MISSION Core Story VISION EXTERNAL LEGITIMACY INTERNAL LEGITIMACY GOOD HERITAGE

11. B) Scanning • the recognition of the first weak signals of essential external and internal changes as early as possible, in order to make corrective actions possible • environmental and internal scanning

12. 1 Recognition of possible sourcesof essentialweak signals 6 Control of consequences Scanning 5 Actiontaking 2 External andinternalmonitoring 4 Recommendations for actions 3 Interpretation © Leif Åberg 1997

13. © Leif Åberg 1997

14. © Leif Åberg 1997

15. Trends © Leif Åberg 1997

16. Trends Randomfluctuation © Leif Åberg 1997

17. Trends Randomfluctuation Environ-mentalresponsesto ouractions © Leif Åberg 1997

18. C) Communication of Change • core story affects the perceptions of the legitimacy of own actions, and brings about positive expectations about the future • take communication of change seriously: it is an ongoing process, calls for extensive and sophisticated communications efforts, and is a joint process of managers and communications professionals

19. Deal and Kennedy: How to Bring About Change • appoint a hero to manage the change process • make explicit the threat or opportunity that has to be met • introduce change rituals • train the people into new values and new ways of working • call in shamanes, people with visions, to testify for the desirability of the actions taken • use waypoints and benchmarking • emphasize safe actions whenever possible

20. Building a kite: list of parts Åberg’s Kite