This document defines internal communication as communication within an organization aimed at employees. It discusses the importance of internal communication for disseminating information, building organizational reputation, and encouraging feedback. The document also evaluates different corporate strategies used for internal communication, such as defining a psychological contract and corporate culture between employers and employees. It emphasizes the importance of strategic internal communication that considers organizational, political, economic, social, and technological factors.

1. INTERNAL
COMMUNICATION
LECTURE 4

2. Learning outcome
By the end of this chapter, you should be able to:
 Define internal communication and recognise it in
practice
 Evaluate internal communication from the
employee’s perspective
 Describe and evaluate corporate strategies and
methods for communicating with employees

3. Definition
 Internal communication is also known as
employee communication.
 It is defined as ‘the planned use of
communication actions to systematically
influence the knowledge, attitudes and
behaviours of current employees’. (Stauss
and Hoffman, 2000)

4. Who are our internal publics?
- the group of people as having a stake in an
organisation
Employees
Part-timers
Casual
workers
Volunteers
Contractors

5. Pat Jackson’s Total Relationship
Management Model
Investor Relations or Fundraising
Public Affairs
Customer Relations
Social Responsibility
Community Relations
Employee
Relations

6. Why is internal communication
important?
 Easy to communicate during difficult
situations (crisis, conflicts, reputation
building)
 Facilitate dissemination of information in
building the organisation reputation
 To ensure everyone in the organisation
understands the mission and vision
 To encourage a two-way communication
(feedback, suggestions)

7. Continue…
 The relationship with external stakeholders would
best served if internal stakeholders were
attended to.
 In order to reflect the importance of employees in
organisations, the term “employers of choice”
was created – attract the best talent and gain
competitive advantages in the industry.
 Family benefits
 Values employees’ education/ training
 Has diversity programmes

8. Its purpose…..
The strategic purpose of internal
communication involves:
 2-way communication between the employer
and employees
 Trusting relationship

9. Skills to strategy…
 The roots of internal communication are:
 communication skills (writing, speaking)
 Tools used: noticeboard, newsletters, blogs,
websites, factsheets, facebook, face-to-face
meeting, walk-about, corporate video, etc.
 Involves the combination of interpersonal
and new media channels

10. Strategic internal communication
Factors leading to the trend towards strategic
internal communication:
 Political
 Economic
 Social (and cultural)
 Technological

11. Factors leading to strategic internal
communication
Political /legal
Economic
Social/culture
Technological
Organisation
Re-brandingRe-branding

12. What is employee engagement?
 This is when employees ‘go the extra mile’
 How do you get to this?
 When employees believe in the orgnisational
values
 Employees given the opportunity to
‘experience’ company products
 Create company ‘ambassadors’

13. What do internal communication
practitioners need to know?
Communication
 ‘Articulating’ or ‘verbalising’ a message
 Listening
 Reflection
 Inquiry
 advocacy

14. Continue…
Internal communicators need to understand:
 Organisational structure
 Organisational culture
 Organisational history
 Communication networks
 Business goals and priorities
 External industry environment
 External stakeholders
 Previous communication activities

15. Corporate strategies
In order to create a good internal relationship
with all employees, organisations create:
 ‘Psychological contract’- due to low level of
trust/ commitment/ loyalty
- employee and employer commitments
 Corporate culture – values or practices that
account for an organisation’s success
Example 1: Disney’s values
 Innovation: we follow a strong tradition of
innovations

16. Continue….
Examples 2: Tesco’s values
The way we work:- The way we work is how we
deliver. Every Little Helps to make Tesco a
better place to shop and work in. We use
simple processes so that shopping is Better for
customers, Simpler for staff and Cheaper for
Tesco

17. Continue….
 Organisational Culture – a set of beliefs held my
members of an organisation
Example: Freedom of speech, dress code
 Leadership and strategic change
 A good leader provides a clear direction to
employees
 ‘Charismatic’ leaders – emotionally connect with
their audiences
 The communication approach is important to the
credibility and effectiveness of internal
communication

18. Conclusion
In this chapter, we have:
 examined the key issues in building internal
relationships in an organisation
 outlined the changing nature of work, in particular
the importance of achieving the sense of unity
within the organisation
 emphasised the importance of corporate
strategies in order to create good practices in
organisations