Informasjon og Samfunnskontakt

1. Informasjon og Samfunnskontakt Employee/Internal Relations Community Relations Government Relations Peggy Simcic Brønn

2. Internal Communications “Employee morale is affected by how much we know about the company’s plans.” 98 percent of employees agree. Peggy Simcic Brønn

3. Four Eras of Employee Communication • Era of entertaining employees - 1940s • Era of informing employees - 1950s • Era of persuasion - 1960s • Era of 2-way symmetric communication - 1990s Peggy Simcic Brønn

4. Trends of Internal Communications • Few companies develop a strategy for announcing change • Failure in over 80 percent of cases involving announced change • Biggest symptom of failure - lots of inaccurate, negative rumors • Second symptom - learning about change from press Peggy Simcic Brønn

5. Trends of Internal Communications • Employees are insulted when a less ‘rich’ channel is used • Management does not adapt message to different groups • Employees react negatively to use of buzzwords • Great differences between literal meaning, intention and effect of overly positive messages Peggy Simcic Brønn

6. Time Spent by PR Department on: Media 10% Employees 35% Government 25% 30% Investors Peggy Simcic Brønn

7. Companies not doing Enough • Employees don’t believe what management says. • Are not sufficiently informed. • Change not communicated well. • Management does a bad job of explaining reasons behind decisions. • Communication is not timely. Peggy Simcic Brønn

8. Major Barriers • Employees do not ‘buy in’ to change • No senior management champion • Lack of adequate skills or experience to implement • Turf battles • Lack of congruent reward system • Inability or unwillingness Peggy Simcic Brønn

9. Employees Want Top Management to: • Inform them ahead of time • Care about how they really feel • Give their supervisors enough authority to get job done • Make a strong commitment to serve the customer Peggy Simcic Brønn

10. Employees Want Top Management to: • Have the ability to solve major organization problems • Run a socially responsible organization • Provide new products and services to meet competition • Place more emphasis on quality than quantity Peggy Simcic Brønn

11. Communications Strategy Nature of Change Organizational Dynamics Channel Message Strategy Time L. R. Smeltzer, An Analysis for Announcing Organization-Wide Change, Group & Organizational Studies, Vol. 16, No. 1 March 1991. Peggy Simcic Brønn

12. Organizational Dynamics • Employee Differences • Organizational Culture • Organizational Climate Peggy Simcic Brønn

13. Communications Strategy • Message • Style • Coverage • Source • Channel • Time Peggy Simcic Brønn

14. Media Capacity & Communication Characteristics Media Richness Capacity Media Characteristics Medium Feedback Cues/Channels Intimacy Language High Face-to-face Telephone Written, addressed (letter, memo) Written, unaddressed Immediate Multiple Personal Natural visual, audio Fast Audio Personal Natural Slow Limited Personal Natural/ visual Numeric Very slow Limited Impersonal Natural/ visual Numeric Low From R. Daft and G. Huber, How Organizations Learn: A communications framework, Research in the Sociology of Organizations, Vol.. 5, 1987.

15. Focus • What is size and nature of work force? • What does the work force think of organization? • How satisfied are employees? • What employee communications exist? • How effective are communications tools? • Are there special employee relationship programs? Peggy Simcic Brønn

16. Internal Audiences • Management • Upper level, mid level, lower level administrators • Nonmanagement (staff) • Specialists, clerical, secretarial • Uniformed personnel • Equipment operators, drivers, security • Union representatives • Other nonmanagement personnel Peggy Simcic Brønn

17. Communication Objectives • Increase employees’ knowledge • Enhance favorable attitudes toward employer • Get more adoption by employees of behavior desired by management • Make employees spokespersons for organization in community • Receive more employee feedback Peggy Simcic Brønn

18. How • Recognize employee accomplishments and contributions • Prepare and distribute employee communications • Schedule interpersonal communication Peggy Simcic Brønn

19. Theme and Messages • Depends on reason for conducting campaign • Action or special events • training seminars • special programs on safety or new technology • open house for employees and families • parties, receptions, and other social affairs • other employee special events related to organization Peggy Simcic Brønn

20. Bulletin boards Displays and exhibits Telephone hotlines or news lines Inserts in paychecks Internal television Speakers bureaus - employees to community groups Films Video cassettes Meetings Teleconferences Audio-visual presentations Booklets, pamphlets, brochures Media Peggy Simcic Brønn

21. Prescriptions for Managers • Face-to-face: non-routine and difficult communications • Memos: routine, simple communications • Discussion & Meetings: make presence felt • Rich media: implementing strategy • Multiple media: critical issues and need to get message heard • Evaluate appropriate technology Peggy Simcic Brønn

22. Effective Internal Communications • Two-way communication • Audience participation Peggy Simcic Brønn

23. Evaluation • Communication, Retention, Acceptance of Messages • Coorientational Evaluations • Human Relations Audits • Communication Satisfaction • International Communications Association Audit - extensive use of network analysis and interviews Peggy Simcic Brønn

24. Evaluation • Network analysis - tracing employee communications through the organization • Duty study - employees recording daily communications • Observational studies - observers recording employees communications • Cross-sectional interviews - asking employees about communications activities • ‘Small World’ technique • Diffusion method Peggy Simcic Brønn

25. Hints • Fully understand situation • Involve communications experts at beginning • Coach people to understand change • Know and study company culture Peggy Simcic Brønn

26. Hints • Make sure there is a feedback system • Be consistent in what you say and do • Do not micromanage - let people be comfortable • Don’t be afraid to make changes Peggy Simcic Brønn

27. Community Relations • Home of office and operations • Supplier of work force • Provides setting, services, etc. Peggy Simcic Brønn

28. Community relations programs are specialized public relations programs to facilitate communication between an organization and publics in its geographic locality. Grunig and Hunt Peggy Simcic Brønn

29. Community Activities • Expressive -- activities to promote themselves & to show good will to community • Instrumental -- activities to improve the community or change it to make it easier to work there Peggy Simcic Brønn

30. Check List • What is level of credibility? • Have there been complaints? • What are present and past community relations practices? • What are major strengths & weaknesses? • What opportunities exist? Peggy Simcic Brønn

31. Community Publics • Community media - diffused linkage • Local employees & customers - functional linkage • Community leaders - enabling linkage • Community organizations - normative linkage • Activists publics -- diffused linkage Peggy Simcic Brønn

32. Makeup of Community Opinion • Miniature of national government • Power structure • Opinion leaders • Networking • Prime movers • Independents • Dissidents Peggy Simcic Brønn

33. Pyramid of Power Major employers, land owners, top officials, wealthy ‘first’ families 1. Corporate, commercial executives, lawyers, etc. 2. Local officials, editors, lesser city officials, association executives 3. Business, teachers, factory managers, workers 4. Peggy Simcic Brønn

34. Effective Communication • Targeting of opinion leaders or community leaders • Two-way symmetric relations • Communication objective • Cultivation of organizations, their leaders and membership • Reach out with sponsorship of activities Peggy Simcic Brønn

35. Evaluation • Number of government officials reporting contact with organization. • Number of members of local publics reporting contact. • Number of community leaders discussing controversial or policy issues. • Number of managers reporting they have made changes as result of information from community about service or problems. • Number of negative behaviors reported by community leaders. Peggy Simcic Brønn

36. Government Relations (often called Public Affairs) • Government at all levels • Political action • Community involvement/corporate responsibility • Issues management • International • Strategic planning Peggy Simcic Brønn

37. Government Publics • Highest level in country - Storting • Next level - fylke • Decreasing level - kommune, city, etc. Peggy Simcic Brønn

38. Check List • What is the makeup of the organization? • What are past and present relations with government? • What are strengths and weaknesses? • How vulnerable is organization to legislation? • Which of our activities could result in government involvement? Peggy Simcic Brønn

39. PR’s Function To establish long-term, two-way and open relations between organization and politicians and officials. Peggy Simcic Brønn

40. Success Factors • Subject knowledge • Multi-dimensional activities • Flexibility • Ability to focus Peggy Simcic Brønn

41. Possible Objectives • Increase knowledge of organization among politicians • Create or enhance favorable attitudes toward organization • Influence favorable vote on a bill Peggy Simcic Brønn

42. Fact finding Coalition building Direct lobbying Grass-roots lobbying Political support activities Political action committees (PACs) Political education activities Communications on political issues Possible Activities Peggy Simcic Brønn

43. Effective Communications Law Makers Regulation Makers Private Sector Peggy Simcic Brønn