5 questions to Anne Gregory, Professor Emeritus of Corporate Communications, Huddersfield University in UK, about my Internal Communication Report 2024.
Q: One of the main findings in my report is that there is much more to be done when it comes to supporting and developing managers communication. What is your reflection to this?
“The fundamental problem here is a misunderstanding about what communication is about. Managers see it as something they need to do as an adjunct or an addition to their job. But it IS their job.” says Anne Gregory. “Unless they are able to communicate a vision, provide information, check on progress, they can’t manage effectively. “
Q: Why is it that managers are missing this part of their mental model?
“It goes to the sort of training programs that managers are put through. They learn how to do finance; they learn how to do strategy and this that and the other. They learn the fundamentals of their specialist work. What is missing is – HOW do you do this. Well, you do it through communication. It’s bizarre that this isn’t regarded as essential training. Just because managers can speak and write, doesn’t make them able to make that vital connection with people“, continues Anne Gregory.
Q: Many of the Head of Communications that I interviewed were concerned that their top managers did not understand the importance of communication. What are your thoughts about that?
“I have a phrase, “Don’t ask the CEO why they don’t understand you. But ask the CEO what their agenda is. And attach to their agenda items.”
So how you measure communication effectiveness internally is whether people know and support organizational objectives. By involving people in conversations about those objectives and how you reach them objectives, you make internal communications meaningful. Otherwise, it’s just about channels, platforms and noise.
Then you have to look for advocates who say “This is the difference that good communication has made to my personal or departmental performance”, says Anne Gregory.
Q: One of my main findings was that many communication teams do not have a specific purpose and overall objectives for internal communication. Why is that and how can we change that?
“We have processes ways of working for ‘doing’, but as a profession we are not so good at strategic positioning. Then the ‘doing’ becomes how we are defined. It’s also our comfort blanket, and that’s one reason why we are busy, busy, busy. We do stuff.
The solution goes back to setting the hard measures on how internal communication contributes to the business, why it is good for the organization and linking that back to organizational strategy and organizational objectives.”, says Anne Gregory.
Q: My report shows that the importance of and the interest in Internal Communications is increasing in Sweden. Reading my report, would you say that situation is similar in UK?
“Yes, and there are two key issues that drives the increasing importance of Internal Communications. One is about the ambassadorial power of employees. In a world of miscommunication and disinformation you want to know that the employees will tell the real organizational story, even in their personal channels. That brings its own challenges about them being valued, involved and well informed.
The second driver is the battle for talent. Focusing on recruiting and retaining the best is the way to best performance, whether you are in the private, NGO or public sectors,” says Anne Gregory.
