This document provides information about a strategic communication management publication including its editorial board members and how to contact the editors. The publication focuses on best practices, case studies, and strategies for communicators. It includes articles on creating corporate responsibility at the Department of Justice, growing the brand at Standard Chartered Bank, and reconnecting employees with the internal brand at iPSL.

1. STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION MANAGEMENT
BEST PRACTICES, CASE STUDIES AND STRATEGY FOR COMMUNICATORS
Volume 13, Issue 3 April/May 2009
Creating corporate responsibility at
the Department of Justice
Growing the brand at Standard
Chartered Bank
Reconnecting Building a new culture and brand
at iPSL
employees with How Barclays’ employees keep the
the internal customer promise
Helping employees do more with
brand less at Sony Europe

2. EDITORIAL BOARD
Editorial board members are respected communication practitioners and thought leaders, Editor: Kelly Dyer
and are an integral part of the editorial direction of . scm kelly.dyer@melcrum.com
Assistant Editor: Sona Hathi
sona.hathi@melcrum.com
Elizabeth Armstrong Stuart Z. Goldstein Head of Content: Mandy Thatcher
Head of Marketing and Communications Managing Director mandy.thatcher@melcrum.com
Standard Chartered Bank Corporate Communications Marketing Executive: Coralie Thomson
coralie.thomson@melcrum.com
Singapore The Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation,
Subscriptions Manager: Tracy Greves
USA tracy.greves@melcrum.com
Ayelet L. Baron Ruth Weber Kelley Art Direction: Wesley Corbett
Director, Emerging Markets Head of Group Internal Communications
Cisco Systems ING EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES
The Netherlands North America
USA
449 N.Clark Street, Suite #305
Chicago, IL 60654, USA
Rob Hallam Fraser Likely Tel: 312 379 6500
VP, Communication and Social Responsibility President and Managing Partner Tel: 866-MELCRUM (Toll free)
Collective Brands, Inc. Likely Communication Strategies Ltd. Fax: (312) 527 4917
USA Canada Europe
The Glassmills, 322b King Street,
London W6 0AX, UK
John G. Clemons Bill Quirke Tel: +44 (0)20 8600 4670
VP, Communications Managing Director Fax: +44 (0)20 8741 9975
Raytheon Technical Services Co. Synopsis Communication Consulting
USA UK MARKETING, SUBSCRIPTIONS AND
ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES:
Chris Gay North America
Roger D'Aprix Tel: 312 379 6500
VP and Advisor Partner
Tel: 866-MELCRUM (Toll free)
ROI Communication, Inc. Bridge Consulting Fax: (312) 527 4917
USA USA Europe
Tel: +44 (0)20 8600 4670
Per Zetterquist Fax: +44 (0)20 8741 9975
Linda Dulye
Consultant Asia/Pacific
President
Tel/Fax: +61 (0)2 9475 0640
L.M. Dulye & Co. Occurro
USA Sweden
BILLING AND SUBSCRIPTION
ENQUIRIES:
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Child Support Agency
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enquiries within 48 hours. Because we have
subscribers in over 80 countries, email is our
How to contact our editors preferred way of keeping in touch. You can also
If you have comments, criticisms, suggestions for articles, or articles to submit, our editors contact us through our website
would like to hear from you. We’ll be glad to send you our guidelines for authors which give www.melcrum.com
further information on the editorial mission of scm
. If you have an article proposal, send a No part of this publication may be reproduced or
200-word synopsis to: transmitted in any form or by any means, including
Kelly Dyer photocopy and recording, without the prior written
Editor permission of the publishers. Such written
permission must also be obtained before any part
kelly.dyer@melcrum.com
of this publication is stored in a retrieval system of
any nature. Articles published in Strategic
Communication Management are the opinions of
the authors. The views expressed do not necessarily
reflect the views and opinions of the publishers.
scm is published six times a year.
ISSN 1363-9064
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About the publisher carefully managed, sustainable forest reserves.
Melcrum is a research and information company with offices in London, Chicago and Sydney. Through
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communication, knowledge management and human resource management. Published by Melcrum Publishing Limited
© Melcrum Publishing Limited 2009

3. FROM THE EDITOR
Helping to build the internal
brand
contents
Volume 13, Issue 3 April/May 2009
Dear Reader,
After waves of cutbacks, redundancies and FEATURES
general economic gloom, many companies are
going back to basics. By this, I mean they’re 16 Creating corporate responsibility at the
returning to their core values to collectively Department of Justice
focus employees on what their organization is By Justin Gehde
all about and where it’s headed.
In the past, many companies have relied on attracting and
retaining employees through their external brand strength. 20 Growing the brand at Standard Chartered
Now they realize this is no longer good enough. Recruiting Bank
and getting the best from the most talented employees
By Elizabeth Armstrong
means organizations need to ensure employees experience
the same values that are offered to the customer. Not only
will word spread that the organization really values it’s
24 Building a new culture and brand at iPSL
employees, making it a more attractive place to work, but By Helen Love
employees are more likely to offer great customer service as
true brand ambassadors. 28 How Barclays’ employees keep the
In last issue’s editorial, I said that the current recession
won’t last for ever and companies need to ready themselves customer promise
to be in a strong position to take full advantage of the wave By Sara Moorehead and Steven McGrory
of business opportunity when it comes their way. To do this
they need a strong internal brand and clear values to attract
32 Helping employees do more with less at
and keep the best employees possible.
Sony Europe
In this issue By Jane Sparrow
As Kath Parrington, brand experience leader at telephone
banking company First Direct, says in her profile interview
on page 6, building an internal brand doesn’t require SECTIONS
starting from scratch as the external brand builders within
the organization will have already done much of the work. In Touch Leadership
“There’s no need to reinvent the wheel,” reiterates Helen Communication
2 Useful resources for internal
Love as she explains her work at iPSL on integrating
communicators 12 Helping leaders achieve strategic
employees with a new brand (page 24).
alignment
We also hear Sara Moorehead and Steven McGrory at The Communicators’
13 Guiding the communication efforts
Barclays Bank describe how they build external relationships Network of a reluctant CEO
with their customers through engaging employees in the
4 The latest hot debates and advice
bank’s brand promise. Professional
I hope you find some ideas in this issue that will go People Development
toward making a difference in your organization. As ever, 6 PROFILE: Kath Parrington 14 How to regain your motivation for
please do get in touch with any comments and suggestions 7 THOUGHT LEADER: Jason Buck work
that we can consider to make the next issue of SCM even and Fraser Likely 15 Insight into what comms leaders
more relevant to what you’re trying to achieve.
Technology want right now
8 Creating a new intranet at West Calendar
Kelly Dyer Berkshire Council 36 Upcoming events
Editor 9 Technology update
Email: kelly.dyer@melcrum.com Directory of
Research & Services
Measurement
38 A list of useful service providers
If you have any comments about any of the articles published in this issue, 10 Three stages to measuring change
or if you have an idea for a future article, please contact: communication
kelly.dyer@melcrum.com
11 Employees trusted role in building
reputation
scm Volume 13, Issue 3 April/May 2009

4. A ROUND-UP OF USEFUL RESOURCES FOR INTERNAL COMMUNICATORS
intouch
EVENTS & RESEARCH
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION IS EMPLOYEES UNCONVINCED ON
CRITICAL IN BOOSTING “GOOD COMMUNICATION COMPANY’S CSR PERFORMANCE
EMPLOYEE CONFIDENCE
HELPS EMPLOYEES TO Around 50 percent of companies
Only 40 percent of full-time employees feel ALIGN THEMSELVES TO disappoint employees in the area of
their company has a clear plan to corporate social responsibility (CSR),
withstand the recession, says a new study THE COMPANY’S FUTURE, according to a new study led by
by Threshold Communications, specialists coaching, consulting and training
in communication and behavior change. EVEN IF THE ECONOMIC company Krauthammer and Universities
This finding underlines the importance of of Amsterdam and the Erasmus
engaging the workforce during the current
OUTLOOK IS UNCERTAIN.” University of Rotterdam. The study
economic downturn. examines what employees expect from
through company plans with them. their company’s CSR initiatives and how
Honest communication is critical Where respondents strongly agree their well those expectations are met.
By contrast, honest communication has a line-manager communicates in this “Organizations should practice the
definite effect on employee morale. Of way, 74 percent feel high job belief that the economy and the ecology
those feeling strongly that their company enthusiasm and 86 percent have long- are one thing,” say respondents to the
has a clear plan to withstand the term commitment. survey. But, only 26 percent of
recession, 82 percent have high • Of those strongly disagreeing with this companies seem to agree.
enthusiasm for their job and 86 percent statement, a mere 16 percent are Around 50 percent of respondents
feel committed to their company’s long enthusiastic and only 26 percent are claim that their organizations are
term success. committed for the long-term. operational or even exemplary when it
Of those not committed to company comes to CSR practices. The other half
success, only 12 percent say their Listen and respond display a reactive or inactive CSR policy.
company has shared its plans to withstand “This research demonstrated how crucial it An alternative explanation for this latter
the recession with them. is for companies to listen and respond,” group of companies is that they’re simply
James Brooke, director, Threshold, says, says Brooke. He recognizes most failing to communicate with their
“The holy-grail for most organizations is to organizations are under pressure, but employees about what they’re doing
enable employees to feel a great deal of believes they can transform employee around CSR.
enthusiasm for their jobs. The results of our performance by improving their
research suggest that not only does good managers’ communication techniques. If CSR vital in economic crisis
communication engender enthusiasm, it employees feel listened to, the survey “CSR is needed, especially in an
also helps employees to align themselves shows greater commitment to the economic crisis”, adds Professor Rob van
positively to their company's future, even if company, and a much higher level of Tulder from Erasmus University of
the economic outlook is uncertain.” enthusiasm for the job. Rotterdam. “The global economic crisis
He says the research indicates three puts the topic of CSR in the spotlight in
Manager-employee relationships important actions, above all else, for line- an almost perverse manner. On one
Threshold’s survey also demonstrates the manager focus: hand, everybody acknowledges that the
importance of communication between • Genuine listening causes of the economic crisis lie with a
managers and employees. • Encouraging ideas clear lack of CSR. On the other hand it’s
• 53 percent who strongly agree their • Responding to questions fully and fiercely disputed whether the solution to
company has a clear plan are also honestly. the crisis entails stepped-up CSR efforts.
confident their line manager would In the end, the systemic nature of the
answer questions fully and honestly. “These factors correlate remarkably crisis demands longer-term approaches
• Of those saying their company has strongly with commitment, enthusiasm involving all relevant actors”, he says. SH
no clear plan, only 17 percent are and motivation. Now is the time to work
confident in their manager’s answers together,” Brooke concludes. Di Smith
and 48 percent have no confidence The full study can be downloaded at:
at all. The full article can be found at www.krauthammer.com
• Only 29 percent of the respondents feel www.internalcommshub.com/open/news/threshhol
their line manager takes time to talk dresearch.shtml
2 scm Volume 13, Issue 3 April/May 2009

5. BOOKS EVENTS RESEARCH REPORTS BLOGS SURVEYS URLS
BOOKS
OUTLIERS: THE STORY OF lot of useful information of value to HR
SUCCESS people (e.g. about making judgements of “IT’S A GREAT READ FOR
people), but it’s not essentially about
3 By Malcolm Gladwell, Allen Lane communication. THOSE FACED WITH
(Penguin), 2008, US$16. Outliers: The Story of Success (sold as
Outliers: Why Some People Succeed
MAKING DECISIONS
By now most SCM readers and Some Don’t in some markets) is ABOUT PEOPLE”
will understand The Law of Gladwell’s latest social research effort. In
the Few and know that to this he thoroughly examines the reasons
communicate change you for the success of some famous people fascinating. It’s not directly about
need only to identify and (e.g. Bill Gates, Robert Oppenheimer and communication and, yes, I know that
connect with Connectors, The Beatles) and others who achieved research conducted in this way is not
Mavens and Salesmen, great success although not so well that rigorous (although he does quote
those few who can tip known. He also explores why some some studies which are). But it’s a great
ideas into popularity (often clever and talented geniuses did not and convincing read, especially for HR
unexpectedly). You’ll appreciate that achieve success. He examines some professionals faced with making
contagious behavior of little changes can ethnic traits and the importance of decisions about people (e.g. how to
have big effects that tip into a dramatic putting in hard work (10,000 hours to develop high-fliers). Outliers is strongly
movement (the “tipping point”). become expert), and discovers that being recommended.
Yes, Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping born at the right time in history helps. Incidentally, I realize that some
Point (Abacus, 2000) has been around a There are ten chapters over 300 pages readers, like me, will have sat at
while now. It’s essential reading for in two parts – “Opportunity” (about Gladwell’s feet and heard him explain his
communicators as it explains how “ideas having the chance to succeed at the right research and conclusions. If you get the
and products and messages and time, and putting in the hours) and chance to hear this very talented young
behaviors spread just like viruses do” “Legacy” (about the impact of societal genius I’d suggest you jump at it.
(page 7). traditions you are subjected to). As with
Gladwell’s second popular book Blink the other Gladwell books there is an Rodney Gray
(Penguin, 2005) is a fun read about excellent index and lots of additional Employee Communication & Surveys
“those moments when we ‘know’ notes. Rodney@rodneygray.com.au
something without knowing why”. It’s a long while since I read a book so
Experts can develop a “gut-feel” that hard to put down. It’s absolutely
goes beyond rational analysis. There’s a
BLOGS & URLS
BLOG: EDELMAN CHANGE AND Discussing the memoir of Ted Sorensen, BLOG: ASK MISS MANAGEMENT
EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT the trusted advisor to US President J.F.
Kennedy, Grates says this was a perfect 3http://askmissmanagement.typepad.co
3 http://edelmanchange.blogspot.com/ example of great communication. m/
Sorensen was trusted to attend the This “agony aunt
Gary Grates, majority of the President’s meetings, for the office”
president and which meant he had not only a very style blog allows
managing director thorough understanding of the topics readers to post
of this branch of being discussed, but an appreciation for their questions on
Edelman, was a how Kennedy functioned as a leader. all matters to do
huge success Grates complains that communicators with managers,
when he gave the today don’t have the same closeness or employees, colleagues and other work-
keynote presentation at Melcrum’s connection with their senior leaders and related issues. “Miss Management” as
Change Communication conference as a result find it hard to get a complete the blog’s author refers to herself doesn’t
earlier this year. Fans of Grates (and picture of what’s happening inside their seem to be overloaded with requests for
there were many at the conference) can organization. her advice yet but there’s some
become more acquainted with his Blog topics from authors aside from interesting advice to help those living in
musings on employee engagement Grates include words that should be fear of public speaking, as well as tips
through this blog. His presentation at the avoided by communicators and best for holding on to your job despite the
conference looked at the deteriorating practice advice for shaping a productive current wave of redundancies.
levels of trust that exist in organizations mindset for employees during a
today and one of his blog postings looks downturn.
at trust from another perspective.
scm Volume 13, Issue 3 April/May 2009 3

6. A ROUND-UP OF THE LATEST HOT DEBATES AND SHARED ADVICE
the communicators’ We’ve been throwing round some ideas
to support managers in sharing this
year’s plan. One of these ideas was a
NETWORK
“flowchart”. This can be used by
managers to start a dialogue with their
teams about how the targets and goals
agreed with each individual at their
annual appraisal feeds into their team
It was unsurprising to see a discussion on the network this month around how plans, their service delivery plans, the
companies can celebrate Christmas with little or no budget. As resourceful and corporate plan and the overarching
innovative as ever, members were at the ready with several low-cost ways for community strategy (and vice versa).
managers to get festive and show gratitude to employees for their hard work We’ll provide managers with a couple of
over a particularly challenging year. Also shared was advice on how to calculate populated examples so they can see how it
QA the true cost of internal communication. might work in practice and they’ll then be
tasked with having a discussion with their
teams (either in a huddle or in one-to-one
Q I’ve been asked to put together a presentation on our strategic plan as well
as a one-page summary document. Has anyone got a model for how
they’ve achieved this in the past?
meetings) to create individual ones.
We recognized that this is no easy task
for some people, especially those who
operate in support roles (finance,
procurement, legal, etc.) because there’s
no obvious link to our corporate
Helen Coley-Smith 6. Make sure materials are visually priorities, which are very front-line and
ColeySmith Consulting interesting – lots of pictures as well community focused. Hence the need to
It depends to an extent as words. Evidence suggests give managers as much support as
what stage you’re at with employees like pictures when possible with a discussion guide and
communicating your learning about strategy. supporting materials.
strategy – whether it’s about raising 7. Try to encourage a meaningful Initially it is a print and online campaign
awareness of it, creating a line of sight conversation among teams – don't using real staff to explain how what they do
between it and people’s roles, changing just send out slides to a manager and every day contributes to us achieving our
behaviors and so on. These best practice leave him/her to it, unless they’re corporate priorities. The point being to
tips are based on research inside 20 highly competent. Send them focus on people rather than policies and
global organizations communicating support materials such as a processes.
strategy to employees: manager’s guide including context, The second phase, a discussion guide is
1. Use simple language which tips on running an effective meeting, a new concept for us. I’m worried that
resonates. Strip out or clearly explain discussion points, feedback forms ours is in danger of becoming too large
any jargon/technical terms. E.g. and so on. and unwieldy. The aim is to get people
“leverage” might become “make the 8. Make communicating strategy a thinking differently and recognizing their
most of”. continual process rather than a contribution. I don’t want the discussions
2. Allow local businesses/departments one-off event. to get bogged down in detail or for a
to tailor the communication – you 9. Link the strategic plan to other key manager to think it’s too much hard work.
can be “global” at first, but the activities going on in the business, Also, this time around we want staff to
further you progress with for example, values, change be much more involved in developing the
communicating strategy the more programs, so that everything joins up service plans for the future. Currently,
you’re likely to need to allow and makes sense as a cohesive whole. they’re very management-led and often
flexibility locally in communicating it. don’t reflect the priorities staff may feel are
3. Try to make it interesting and Alexa Overington more important. Also, as we know, if staff
compelling – use examples and stories Surrey County Council have the opportunity to contribute to and
to make it more real for people. We’re currently looking at agree what they will be delivering in the
4. Involve leaders in the how we can communicate future they’re much more likely to own it.
communication of strategy. Lack of our new corporate plan to
leadership support to share it is a our staff. In the past it’s been left up to
common cause of failure – take
account of any literacy issues. The
written word may not be appropriate
for each and every employee
managers to take the responsibility for
sharing the plan/strategy with their
teams, which as you can imagine, has not
been very successful or consistent. The
Q How can we ensure
engagement, debate and
challenging questions at an
grouping. I’ve seen companies use plan is written by policy managers so is open panel discussion where
video and radio, for example, quite generally very text heavy with our top 100 senior managers
successfully where literacy is an issue. complicated diagrams and tables all with can ask senior leaders about
5. Make sure that managers have the limited explanation, so we’ve been tasked the vision for next year?
ability to communicate strategy. with making it more “real” to staff.
4 scm Volume 13, Issue 3 April/May 2009

7. commsnetwork-on@melcrum.com
Emma Ridgeon demographic, such as a division,
LATEST ON THE
Independent consultant geography or population group. Are
Arrange attendees on
round tables and get them
there more detailed clusters with certain
attitudinal or behavioral characteristics?
MELCRUM BLOG
to discuss their top one or Why "web 2.0 needs leadership 2.0"
two questions for the panel, then Sona Hathi posted video interviews from
nominate a spokesperson to stand up
and ask it. This is less daunting if you’re
asking on behalf of a whole team, plus it
gets discussion going.
Q Does anyone have any
tips/templates for
communicating a change in
Melcrum’s member event in March, where Dr.
Bonnie Cheuk, Global Head of Knowledge and
Information and Samantha Bouzan, Global
Communications Manager from ERM, delivered
Line up a few people to throw in some our bonus structure from one a presentation on their award winning intranet
easy/funny/controversial questions early where all employees get the site. Members heard how the team have used
on. This helps give “permission” for same amount, to one that’s SharePoint as a collaboration and knowledge
others and breaks the ice. now dependant on employees’ sharing tool and how they gauged what
Have a stack of empty post-its or employees wanted on the site. Also posted is
own performance?
event-branded postcards lying around an interview with Stephen Cox,
throughout the two days on which people Communications Director at the Council for
can write their question on and drop in a Mary Kuhn World Mission. Members of the organization are
box or stick on a wall before the session. AAA Northern California, based around the world, many work in remote
Make sure you have a few prepared Nevada & Utah locations and have little access to technology.
questions (invite attendees to email in Changes in how people are In the interview, Stephen explains just how
advance when you send out the invites) paid and rewarded do tend diverse his audience is and what channels work
and plan to field at least one each to to get attention! I suggest, however, that best for communicating with them.
your five directors so they all get to moving the bonus to a pay-for-
speak. If you have a bit of budget, you performance structure will make one Hotel Chocolat’s strong loyalty focus
could make it more lively/fun with some group happy – your top performers. It extends internally too
props or staging. We recently used the can be quite demoralizing for this group Coralie Thomson, senior marketing executive at
“Question Time” theme tune as an to see no difference in rewards based on Melcrum attended an event where Angus
opener which got people laughing. individual effort and results. Thiriwell, founder of Hotel Chocolat spoke about
Finally, fight as hard as you can not to I’d suggest focusing on the opportunity how he manages to keep his brand alive for
get the session squeezed or chopped. Live and the business reasons for the change employees. Coralie recalls that Angus explained
events often overrun and it’s always the – answering the question, what does a how Hotel Chocolat uses a brand wheel so that
Q&As or the “open discussion” sessions stronger link between pay and employees have a clear image of what the brand
that tend to suffer because they’re seen as performance provide to the employee, stands for – the outer circle is filled with images
soft agenda items. the organization and the customer? of light-hearted things to do with chocolate, while
Make your case in a simple and the inner core communicates the more serious
Sandra Park straightforward manner – before side of the brand – for example, its attention to
Heineken communicating be aware of some of the quality, its strong ethical beliefs. Employees are
We use a very simple factors that might contribute to encouraged to focus on the customer experience
approach of asking people resistance. These include distrust of and can even take a “diploma in chocolate”!
to form small “huddles” to management, belief that performance
discuss the issues and then to agree two evaluations are subjective and influenced www.melcrumblog.com
or three questions that the group would by cronyism, poor manager “Thoughts and revelations on internal
like to ask. We usually give the groups 10 communication/performance communication and beyond”
or 15 minutes to do this and then management skills, lack of experience
someone from the group will ask the setting specific, measurable and realistic
questions. This ensures that there are performance goals. If some of these JOIN THE COMMUNICATORS’
plenty of questions, no awkward silences factors turn out to be positive (high trust NETWORK NOW
and as no one individual has to raise for example), that’s a good thing and As a valued SCM subscriber, you’re entitled to
their hand, the questions are always very should also be considered. join The Communicators’ Network, an online
relevant and direct. A good solid assessment of the discussion forum for communication practitioners
Finally, with such a large population, attitudes, beliefs and potential risks that worldwide. It’s a lively community that helps
you need to define a segmentation exist in your organization can help you you find answers to your communication
strategy. Start simple with some determine the best strategy for this roll out. questions fast. The discussion is monitored so
corporate-level segmentations. For you’ll receive no unsolicited email, and we will
example, do we have three or four main seek your permission first if we would like to
types within our employees overall, with print any of your ideas in SCM.
different demographic, attitudinal and
behavioral characteristics? Then begin to Email commsnetwork-on@melcrum.com to
think about more complex segments. For join and gain instant access to a global
example, within a particular network of your peers.
scm Volume 13, Issue 3 April/May 2009 5

8. scm
PEOPLE
are too complex for our people to
understand.
The alternative perspective on this,
however, is that your customer
Building, maintaining demographic and people demographic
may well be different. For example,
and aligning the people who build Rolls-Royces don’t
necessarily drive them. This doesn’t
internal brand mean you can’t understand the brand in
the same way as your customer, it’ll just
be approached from a different angle.
Again, this is harder when you have
PROFILE : KATH PARRINGTON multiple brands.
BRINGING THE BRAND TO LIFE How do you engage your people with
the brand?
Each year begins with an annual strategy
AT FIRST DIRECT presentation that’s led by our leadership
team (delivered face to face in a large hall
Having worked in a variety of areas for UK-based telephone banking company, First onsite) and everyone in the business
Direct, Kath Parrington has seen first-hand the positive impact on an organization when participates. It tells us in an adult way
employees truly live the brand. Now brand experience leader, she explains here why it’s what’s going on in the external world, how
so important to understand the customer and offers advice for achieving robust internal we performed the previous year and what
and external brand alignment. our challenges are. All the messages are
reinforced, including: what the brand’s
Why a brand experience team? department. Some companies have an about, what our vision is, what the brand
Some time ago we reviewed the internal internal communication team, but we have values are, what the customer experience
communication function and realized that a brand experience team. We also have a is, and this sets the tone for the rest of the
the team has a wider role in the business social function that organizes external and year.
than is encompassed by the traditional internal events and they make up part of We’ve formed a partnership with the
remit of internal communication. As part the brand experience team. Our external children’s charity Childline because it
of the analysis we realized that what we do brand values are the same as our internal involves children reaching out for help
is fundamentally rooted in the brand. The cultural values: “pride” and “passion” to over the phone, which has a strong
company is frequently being commended name two. emotional connection to our brand. We’ve
for its high standards of customer service done this because it engages our people
and that’s because our people deliver on What’s your advice for achieving and also because it’s the right thing to do.
the brand promise. external and internal brand alignment?
There are 10 of us in the brand You have to start by understanding the What are your current challenges?
experience team serving over 3,400 people. brand so I’d suggest developing a very As with many others, it’s working within
We’re based across two sites in the UK. close relationship with the marketing team, the confines created by the external
At First Direct, customers are relating to if that doesn’t already exist. It will help you market situation and the need to focus
a voice at the end of a phone but we’re appreciate how the customer engages with on cost. This is informing everything we
very good at building empathy and a sense the brand. Do your organizational values do. The difficulty is in recognizing what
of customer importance. It’s important for reflect your brand values? If not, why not? needs to be invested in and supported,
the brand experience team to understand Admittedly, if you’re an organization and eliminating the costs where you’re
how a customer relates intellectually and working across multiple brands, for not adding value. Our values are “fun”
emotionally with our brand. If our example, this is harder to achieve. and “engagement” and the obvious
employees can experience the same belief action is to stop having fun, but that’s
in the brand, they can deliver that to the What can go wrong when companies try not the answer. If you only understand
customers as real advocates. to build their internal brand? the rationale side of the brand, and not
The brand experience team use People sometimes think they have to build the emotional side, you’ll only ever make
traditional communication methods, which a separate internal brand identity. Why do cost decisions and not those connected
are fully informed by and aligned with both this? The marketing team has done the to investing in the future.
rational and emotional considerations. But work for you. If we start from scratch, we
some communications also include risk sending out conflicting messages that
activities that have been designed purely to
engage people emotionally. This creates a
sense of freedom and it reinforces our Kath Parrington is brand experience leader at First Direct bank, UK. She’s held a
cultural values. wide range of operational and support roles within the organization including people
Where does the function sit? leadership, change management and communication.
The team forms part of the marketing
6 scm Volume 13, Issue 3 April/May 2009

9. scm
PEOPLE
more than just receivers, users,
Is the term spectators and target segments? Is our
role simply one of one-way information,
“audience” one news or message dissemination to a
targeted and passive employee audience?
that’s accurate and Shouldn’t we be thinking of engagement
– employees as activists, participants,
acceptable? interlocutors, champions, influencers,
conversationalists, ambassadors or
partners? That is, as active not passive.
“Audience” is no longer good enough
THOUGHT LEADERS : JASON BUCK & FRASER LIKELY If so, the universal application of the
term audience no longer fits our needs.
UP FOR DEBATE: WHAT OUR What does, then? While the term
stakeholder is used to identify employees
with a particular “stake” in an issue and
LANGUAGE ACTUALLY CONVEYS organizational decision, it doesn’t
indicate how stakeholders will behave in
A recent posting on Melcrum’s Communicators’ Network Listserv about measuring regard to the issue or decision. Within
internal news sparked a fairly heated debate. It centered on whether the term internal communication, we need to
“audience” is suitable for internal communicators to use when referring to their encourage and work with stakeholders to
organizations’ employees or whether it sends inaccurate signals about their role. Here to become engaged and to act.
offer their contrasting views on the subject are Jason Buck and Fraser Likely. To describe groups of employees who
become active, there’s another term:
Jason says: As communicators we’re communication, “audience” is still a vital publics. Publics are sub-sets of
engaged in a multidirectional flow of term that helps us understand, approach stakeholders. As noted PR/C scholar Jim
information, concepts and feedback with and serve the needs of those we’re Grunig has said: “publics arise on their
individuals and groups, some comparable communicating with. own.” A public is a “group of people who
in size to small cities. While we can We mustn’t be so concerned with face a similar problem, recognize the
conceptualize our participants and renaming the world to forget how it problem and organize themselves to do
respondents, in day-to-day work with our works. The word “audience”, like something about it.” Certainly social
colleagues and clients, we often need to “communicator”, is just another noun media (wikis; sharepoint; facebook;
give those individuals and groups a name but it gives us a focal point from which blogs; and so on.) have encouraged the
so they can be referred to. For this purpose we can inform our thinking and – for our re-conceptualization of employees, from
I choose “audience”. colleagues, clients and friends – a name passive audience to stakeholder to active
This isn’t to say “audience” is a generic by which to understand our methods. It’s public.
term for an assembled mass receiving our not a confusing or ambiguous neologism Yes, the term audience is acceptable
loudhailer broadcasts, but those we that reinforces the “them and us” for the mass communication of news or
interact with. To determine the most paradigm, but is universally understood messages to employees. For the other 90
appropriate method of communicating, we and useful. So why not use it? percent of what we should be doing each
might also need to divide up our audience day, the terms stakeholders and publics
into segments to better serve our and their Fraser says: Audience is an acceptable are better at describing the groupings of
needs: personas, demographics, term. But, in 2009, is it the only or the best active employees and our communication
geographics, work streams or how ever is term to describe how we group employees? with them. The utilization of all three
best. After all, who are “participants”, Audience can mean: a receiver of a terms – audience, stakeholder and
“stakeholders” or “thought leaders” but message from a sender; the user of a publics – reveals a more up-to-date and
identified parts of the overall audience and media channel; a spectator in attendance well-rounded approach to internal
so audiences themselves? From here we at a performance; and a target segment communication than does the sole and
can make informed decisions whether to of a population. universal use of the term audience.
engage through a town hall meeting, We conceive the audience we want. We
broadcast with a static intranet site, group employees into audiences:
encourage participation between a team employees do not group themselves. An
and its leader or nurture collaboration audience, therefore, is an artificial
through organic or digital channels. construct and is passive by definition.
Shouldn’t we think about employees as
“Audience” helps to serve needs
While the communication industry is Jason Buck (pictured far left) is a UK-based freelance web, digital and
progressing and most practitioners communications professional based in the UK.
(thankfully) understand the inescapable Fraser Likely is president of communication management firm Likely
necessity of working beyond newsletter Communication Strategies in Canada.
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10. scm
TECHNOLOGY
with the council’s HR system. Each team
Making the intranet also has its own noticeboard, which all
members can amend and use as they see
accessible and fit. Based on data taken directly from the
HR system, the intranet provides full
appealing to a varied details of all staff through its “People
Finder” search and offers the ability to
employee base change details and inform the HR
department, online. Polls are used to gain
views on a range of topics from internal
policies to the choice of sandwiches
preferred at meetings.
PHIL RUMENS
Ensuring consistency
CREATING A NEW INTRANET AT To minimize disruption, employees were
offered the same content they’d had on the
previous intranet system as a default. The
WEST BERKSHIRE COUNCIL biggest change is the ability for staff to
tailor and manage the content they see. We
When the Chief Executive at local authority West Berkshire Council in the UK decided felt it was important that users didn’t feel
that the intranet needed a revamp, Phil Rumens took on the challenge. Here, he explains they were losing anything when we
how the web development team created an interactive homepage, incorporating Web switched over to MyIntranet. Though we
2.0 technology, to connect employees and encourage cross-functional interaction. encourage our staff to use the
functionality, we don’t force them. If they
wish, they can have exactly the same
West Berkshire Council provides services cross-organization teambuilding and co- content types as on the old intranet. It
over an area of 272 square miles to around operation in areas of the authority that enables us to add new functionality when
145,000 people. It employs around 4,000 would otherwise not naturally interact. For we want and with each roll-out of a
staff who provide a variety of different example, the launch of “Your Space”, an “widget” we post a news item detailing the
services, from educators to electricians, area specific to each team within the functionality. We’ve also established an
and planning officers to social workers. council, means that staff can communicate intranet review group to give feedback and
The website and intranet are hosted in- with each other via this electronic to advise on future changes.
house and content is managed using GOSS noticeboard that allows every person from Since MyIntranet was introduced, the
iCM (intelligent Content Management) each individual team to edit information. number of users remains consistent and
from GOSS Interactive. The intranet has The second stage of “Your Space” has around 25 percent have chosen to
recently been revamped by our web given every user the ability to see each customize their homepage, choosing
development team. other’s space, meaning one team can see different colour schemes, layouts, and
We were one of the first local authorities the noticeboard of another, but not edit it. widgets. As more widgets and options are
in the UK to launch a Web 2.0 style “drag In addition, council-wide forums such as added, the number of people customizing
and drop” intranet home page. The new Items For Sale/Wanted items, Professional their MyIntranet homepage is increasing,
intranet, known as “MyIntranet”, is used Services and Social Events mean staff who although the default options will always be
regularly by 2,500 staff. don’t have face-to-face contact with each the most desired layout for some users.
other are in contact via the intranet.
Developing an interactive homepage Looking to the future
West Berkshire Council’s website had been Maximizing the use of Web 2.0 We’ve had a great reaction from our user
developed considerably since the launch of Users have the ability to customize the group, which comprises information
its current incarnation in February 2006, to look of the intranet to seven choices of managers from throughout the
the detriment of the intranet, which had color scheme, including one designed for organization. They’re continuing to
received very little attention. Our Chief those with visual impairment. provide constructive suggestions for
Executive identified that internal Information regarding council news, development, which is important to keep
communication via the intranet needed to service delivery and specific service data MyIntranet in touch with the needs of all
be improved. are published to users via the intranet. users and avoid us creating additions that
The new content-rich intranet employs Content can be published securely, right may be technically great but of little use
many features associated with Web 2.0, down to team level via information to our staff.
making use of content from many different managers throughout the organization,
sources. Not only are users able to thanks to the integration of GOSS iCM
customize the look and feel of the intranet,
they can now add, minimize and maximize, Phil Rumens is web development manager at West Berkshire Council in the UK. He has
remove, and re-order content widgets in been employed in both the private and public sectors for companies including Vodafone,
any combination they wish. In addition, Amey and UK local authorities Newbury District and West Berkshire Council.
social network-style elements encourage
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11. scm
TECHNOLOGY
TECHNOLOGY UPDATE
INCREASING ONLINE Although organizations typically provided MCDONALD’S SERVES
DONATIONS TO these answers somewhere within the
site, users often had problems finding
UP MORE BLOGS FOR
CHARITIES this crucial information. EMPLOYEES
User research by usability experts Nielsen What’s restricting the flow of donations? Over the next two weeks, McDonald’s will
Norman Group (NN/g) finds significant NN/g identified what exactly turns people expand the number of bloggers on its
deficiencies in non-profit organizations’ off donating. internal website for North American staff,
website content, which often fails to • 47 percent were usability problems Station M, from three to 15. A few of the
provide the information people need to relating to page and site design, new bloggers may simply write once, it
make donation decisions. including unintuitive information said, adding that the objective was to drive
Non-profits would collect much more architecture, cluttered pages, and diversity on a site dedicated to staff working
from their websites if they clearly stated confusing workflow. across the US and Canada, in English,
what they’re about and how they use • On 17 percent of the sites, users Spanish, and French.
donations. New usability studies by NN/g couldn’t find where to make a
revealed considerable frustration as donation. Example of collaboration in comms
potential donors visited sites and tried to This is a good example of how corporate
discern various organizations’ missions “You’d imagine that donation-dependent and internal comms teams can work side
and goals – which are key factors in their sites would at least get that one design by side. The corporate team selects the
decisions about whether to give money. element right, but banner-blindness or over- blog post topics, such as product launches
An earlier survey by Target Analytics formatting caused people to overlook some and brand initiatives, while bloggers help
found that non-profits got about 10 donation buttons.” explains Nielsen. “To drive content focused on the daily issues
percent of their donations online. Given the improve fundraising, speak plainly and arising at the restaurants.
high growth rate for internet donations, answer donors’ main questions, and In the year since the site launched,
NN/g estimates that if non-profit money will flow your way,” he advises. registration has more than doubled to
organizations improve their websites online approximately 25,000, with crew
donations will constitute the majority of To download the full report visit: members. One posted question, with about
donations by 2020. www.nngroup.com/reports/donations/ 40 comments, concerned what kind of
“Well-designed non-profit websites are gloves to wear in the drive-through to keep
particularly suited for attracting new warm in the winter while handling money.
donors and efficiently supporting small- So it’s definitely worth taking a look and
scale impulse giving. Websites are less seeing how this can, and perhaps should,
effective at sustaining long-term donor “TO IMPROVE apply to many other businesses across the
relationships. For encouraging customer world. Keeping your employees happy and
(or donor) loyalty, email newsletters
FUNDRAISING, SPEAK warm both mentally and physically is an
remain the internet tool of choice,” says PLAINLY AND ANSWER obvious way to maintain morale during
Jakob Nielsen in the latest newsletter. arguably the most complex and frightening
DONORS’ MAIN period in corporate history for 80 years.
In-depth research into what users want James Bennett
To discover how to design non-profit QUESTIONS, AND MONEY
websites to encourage donations, the WILL FLOW YOUR WAY.” To read the full blog visit:
company tested 23 non-profit www.melcrumblog.com
organization websites. They asked
participants what information they want
to see on non-profit websites before they
decide whether to donate. The most
common answers were:
• The organization’s mission, goals,
objectives, and work.
• How it uses donations and
contributions.
Only 43 percent of the sites they studied
answered the first question on their
homepage. Only 4 percent answered the
second question on the homepage.
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12. scm
RESEARCH & MEASUREMENT
Step Two: Use the desired outcomes
A measurement and the gaps you’ve identified to help
plan the measurement approach against
approach that your approach in communication.
We plot this against the stages of the
considers employee change curve, because your
communication efforts will change as your
reactions to change employee needs change (see Figure Two,
below). You need to adjust your approach
as the change progresses, so at first, you
may not be able to fill in all the segments
of the matrix. You may need to fill in the
ADRIAN CROPLEY AND MELISSA DARK first two to three columns and then revisit
the plan as you move forward.
THREE STAGES TO MEASURING A more focused technique
CHANGE COMMUNICATION The advantage of using the matrix is that
your communication techniques and your
measurement tools are all captured
In this extract from Melcrum’s report Essential toolkits for communicating change together in one place for easy reference
Adrian Cropley and Melissa Dark offer a three-stage matrix for measuring change and easy reporting to management or
communication. Because Cropley and Dark believe that all change communication your change team.
should be created with the change curve in mind, the matrix takes into account that Your matrix will include more detail
change provokes different levels of employee response. on the communication approach, and
your approach will depend on your
The change communication Take a baseline measure to gauge the organization, the type of change you’re
measurement matrix is a great way of current state. There are many ways you running, and the outcomes you’re trying
defining the types of measures we need can do this, and your choice of to achieve. Using the matrix allows you
throughout the various stages of change, measurement tool will largely depend on to focus your measurement strategy on
as described by the change curve. It the type of change you’re communicating. the most critical elements of the change.
looks at the stages of change in Understanding the current state, as well
conjunction with the three key areas of as where you want to get to, will enable 1. For more information on the report Essential toolkits for
change communication objectives: you to prepare a gap analysis which will communicating change, visit www.melcrum.com
1. Think: What knowledge does the be invaluable to you in determining how
audience have about the change? to plan your communication approach.
What knowledge do they need?
2. Feel: What are their attitudes
towards the change? How do we Figure One: Change communication gap analysis
want them to feel?
3. Do: How does our audience
currently behave? What new
behaviors are we trying to introduce?
The matrix allows us to understand the
effect our communication is having, and
gives us insight to where our audience is Figure Two: The change communication measurement matrix
on the change curve. It then helps us to
focus our communication approach, (see
Figure One, right).
The change measurement planning tool
Step One: Ensure you define your desired
outcomes first. It’s critical that you have
identified your end-state – what it is that
you’re trying to achieve. Hopefully, there
will be clearly stated business goals and
outcomes associated with your change.
You then need to break this down into Adrian Cropley is CEO of Cropley Communications. Melissa Dark is CEO
our objectives model – as a result of this of Melissa Dark Associates, a consultancy specialising in employee
change, what do we want people to think, communication. Together they run Melcrum’s Black Belt Internal
feel and do? Communication Training Program in Sydney and Melbourne.
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13. scm
RESEARCH & MEASUREMENT
they don’t hear it first from an official
Where do employees channel, they complain that the
organization never keeps them informed.
want to get their
Official channels do matter
information from? The Edelman study confirms this because
their results showed that 91 percent of
opinion leaders said that communicating
the state of a company’s business
frequently and honestly is an important
factor in the company’s overall reputation.
I think this validates the importance of
ANGELA SINICKAS official corporate communications for
maintaining reputation, even if those
EMPLOYEES’ TRUSTED ROLE IN communications aren’t seen as credible by
more than 26 percent.
BUILDING REPUTATION Implications for social media
Unfortunately, some corporate
communicators have quoted these survey
Trust and credibility shouldn’t be the only factors determining which sources of results to their leadership team to suggest
information we use, says Angela Sinickas. Just because we believe what someone that less information be provided to
tells us doesn’t mean we want them to do the telling. employees from traditional “less credible”
corporate sources, such as newsletters and
Town Halls, and more come directly from a
Earlier this year the Edelman PR agency shareholders who trust them. network of well-briefed employee peers,
released its 10th annual Trust Barometer But do these study results suggest that through channels like social media and
Study. This found that 91 percent of our employees, too, would prefer to learn informal discussions.
opinion leaders1 aged 25-64 in 20 countries company information from their own There are many different facets to trust.
said that being able to trust a company trusted peers? For example, employees might trust a
affects the company’s overall reputation. union or works council as a source of
This was the third highest factor, right Peers are not preferred information about proposed changes to
behind the quality of the company’s Just because a source has credible working conditions, but might very well not
products/services and how it treats its information doesn’t mean employees want trust them as a reliable source of
employees. to get new information from that source. information on their company’s strategy.
The study has interesting – yet When we ask employees for their top While social media can certainly play a
potentially misleading – implications for two current and top two preferred powerful role in shaping employees’
employee communication. When 35- to 64- information sources on a variety of specific attitudes about company issues, they
year-olds were asked how credible various topics, peers or colleagues are never shouldn’t generally be the mechanism to
sources of information were about a selected as a preferred communication broadcast new information to employees.
company, the following percentages said source by more than 2-3 percent of Typically, peers’ biggest impact is going
our audiences were extremely credible or respondents on any topic. The usual to be with attitudes rather than details,
very credible: preference level is 0 percent. shaping their colleagues’ behavior as
• 40 percent said conversations with This is even true at companies where brand champions or grapevine-deniers.
friends and peers. rumors are a significant current source of That’s where they can be very effective.
• 40 percent said conversations with information for up to 25 percent of If we remember that influencing
company employees. employees on topics like organizational attitudes is a very different goal from
changes, news, compensation/benefits, broadcasting knowledge, finding a role
Only two sources were more credible: career development, competitive issues for employees in our processes can be a
stock/industry analyst reports (47 percent) and branding. This doesn’t mean very valuable part of our communication
and articles in business magazines (44 employees don’t like their colleagues or strategy.
percent). Others were lower, like CEO don’t trust them. It just means they don’t
speeches (27 percent), corporate want them to be among their first sources 1. Opinion leaders were defined as college educated, with income
communications (26 percent) and business of information on a topic. While they may in the top quartile for the their age and country, who read/watch
blogs (19 percent). trust what they hear from a colleague, if business news media and follow public policy issues in the news
Clearly, we need to make sure our at least several times a week.
employees are well informed and positive
representatives of our companies’ Angela Sinickas, ABC, IABC Fellow, is president of Sinickas Communications, Inc., an
viewpoints so they can provide reliable international communication consultancy specializing in helping corporations
information to the customers and achieve business results through targeted diagnostics and practical solutions. For
more information visit: www.sinicom.com
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14. scm
LEADERSHIP COMMUNICATION
1. Target specific communications
Creating guidelines for Help leaders understand the importance
of acting and communicating credibly and
standardized with empathy using tailored messages to
specific target groups.
leadership
2. Role model in corporate culture
communication Provide clear information on how leaders
are expected to communicate, how
transparent they should be and what kind
of company culture should be transmitted.
BARBARA MASSURY 3. Messaging
Support them with a set of key messages
HELPING LEADERS ACHIEVE about the company and of key topics that
need to be transferred to employees.
STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT 4. Visibility and consistency
Provide clear guidance on suitable
How can communicators support senior leaders in encouraging a workforce to move in channels and how a leader should transmit
one direction towards one common goal? Here, Barbara Massury identifies four key messages consistently using these channels.
areas that need to be focused on if the dream of strategic alignment has any hope of Recommend which communication tools
becoming reality. should be used and define how often a
leader should appear in internal media
using exisiting platforms.
“Let’s get one thing clear: I’m a doer, not a communicators. Together, communicators The goal is to ensure consistency at all
talker.” This is how a newly appointed and HR colleagues need to put in place levels and support leaders in their efforts
business unit leader once opened a processes and structures that allow all to communicate – in a consolidated way.
meeting with me as his communication leaders to send the same messages
expert. Sound familiar? It may not often be regarding the overall goal and direction of Support communication colleagues
said quite this bluntly, but communicators the company. It’s not just leaders who need support. In
frequently face this attitude. There needs to be a common international corporations a fruitful
Top managers tend to focus on facts understanding of what’s expected from interaction between communicators at all
and figures. From their perspective, managers in their communication levels will foster a healthy alignment
employees get paid and they should approach and each leader should be made process. Local, regional and/or functional
deliver what’s required to achieve their accountable for delivering this. communicators will appreciate advice in
respective goals. Internal communicators helping their leaders communicate in the
should help employees to understand How to standardize processes most efficient way. Offering a support
what needs to be done in order to be In difficult times – with decreasing budgets package on leadership communication
successful and also help line managers and increasing workloads – most specially tailored to the needs of
understand their role. So, management organizations tend to go into survival mode communicators, including key questions
and communicators have an overaching and focus on crisis management. At times and process suggestions, will facilitate a
goal in common: strategic alignment. like this, alignment is more vital than ever consistent approach to communication.
Of course it’s far more complex in and this calls for standardization. Defining expectations through clear
practice. Besides getting buy-in from Standardized leadership communication guiding principles is key for strategic
management to understand the crucial processes help ensure that leaders deliver alignment.
role internal communication plays in on communication tasks. If the internal
achieving strategic alignment, there’s communication team can put in place a Are great leaders great communicators?
also the question of roles. Who does clear set of guiding principles, overarching Leaders should be “doers who talk”. It’s
what in this process and who’s messages and tools (working in essential they reach out to employees,
responsible for making sure we all move conjunction with HR and other relevant listen and hear what’s being said. We as
towards one well-understood direction? functions to create this) they can help communicators are there to consult, to
provide clear and distinct guidance of support, trigger and enable this process to
Working with other functions what’s expected from a leader. These help managers get a clear understanding
Internal communication is a discipline guidelines should address four key areas: of what needs to be done to achieve
and not the task of a single function. alignment behind their strategy.
Working towards strategic alignment
must be a cultural mindset within the Barbara Massury is founder and president of MASSURY Customized Communications,
company, driven by a consolidated and consulting top leaders on positioning, communicating restructuring and change. She
well-orchestrated approach from various also owns REACH, a unique, stakeholder-focused communications approach to drive
functions and enabled by internal strategic alignment. Contact massury@massury-cc.com for more information.
12 scm Volume 13, Issue 3 April/May 2009

15. scm
LEADERSHIP COMMUNICATION
Persuading leaders to stay in touch
How to encourage a The question is how can you reach such
“leaders” and persuade them to address
leader to stay connected this difficult subject? The best answer is to
demonstrate to them the performance
with employees during consequences of silence by collecting the
employee data that reflects those
tough times consequences. Employee focus groups,
pulse surveys, standing company research –
any technique you can think of that will
show the magnitude of the employee
concern and its observable impact on
ROGER D’APRIX engagement and productivity are all useful
tactics.
GUIDING THE COMMUNICATION Use this data to make the business case
for communicating the company’s short
and long-term strategies to cope with
EFFORTS OF A RELUCTANT CEO whatever marketplace forces are causing
upsets in company results. Performance
How can you persuade a leader that to maintain engagement and steer a company issues always get the attention of otherwise
through hard times, employees need to hear from the person at the top? Clear and indifferent leaders, and to the extent that
honest messaging is vital during a recession, but what can communicators do if their you can show a link between silence and
senior leaders are less than willing to cooperate? Here, Roger D’Aprix offers his advice employee performance and productivity
for getting leaders to stay in touch with their workforce. you have their attention. Measuring white
collar productivity is always a complex
There’s no question that the hottest topic study researchers found that the two issue, but anecdotal testimony by
these days is the faltering global economy circumstances that tended to differentiate employees about their level of motivation,
and its impact on the workforce. A not- the companies with higher levels of engagement or morale can be very
surprising finding by research company engagement were setting a clear, persuasive.
Quantum Workplace is that employee compelling direction that empowers Finally, help get isolated senior leaders
engagement in US companies between employees, and open and honest out of their offices and into contact with
2007 and 2008 declined in 66 percent of communication. real employees in town meetings and other
the firms studied. It’s troubling that places where they can observe and listen to
employee engagement is actually declining How to help a reluctant senior leader employee concerns. Again that can be a
at a time when we need it most. Troubling At ROI Communication, we’ve been powerful motivator to action.
but not surprising. facilitating webinars on the subject of And once you manage to get them
Bolstering employee engagement and communicating with employees during a moving is there a message formula that can
protecting the brand promise are crucial at global recession. One revealing question help them deliver the goods? The best one
a time like this. In this uncertain economy we’ve heard many times is: “what do you I know of is essentially the following:
workers are fearful and insecure as massive do with the CEO who refuses to engage • This is how our marketplace is
layoffs are announced in company after bad news and prefers to remain silent behaving.
company. and let his or her actions speak for • Here’s how those changes are
themselves?” affecting our company.
Learning from the past A recent survey by the International • We have a strategy and a plan –
Compounding all this is the fact that, in Association of Business Communicators here’s what we’re doing in the short
general, corporate leaders have a (IABC) and Mercer Human Resource and long-term.
miserable track record in handling staff Consulting revealed that in about one third • Here’s how you can help.
reductions with sensitivity and self- of the companies surveyed the senior • With your help we expect to succeed.
awareness. In fairness, it’s a task that’s leaders were responding “only to specific
never easy but the ability to do so is the issues and inquiries”; and one in five CEOs Strong engagement means strong
essence of real leadership. During World were not visible or actively responding, in leadership
War II’s worst days, Winston Churchill effect remaining silent about the Much is at stake today. Keeping
promised only “blood, sweat and tears” to company’s response to the economic crisis. employees engaged and protecting the
a demoralized British public. More brand promise in difficult times are two
recently, Barack Obama has declined to critical issues intimately tied to effective
sugar coat his messages on the state of the leadership.
economy. It’s what good leaders do as they
rally their constituencies to face the facts Roger D’Aprix is vice president of ROI Communication. He’s had a distinguished
and help deliver the solutions. career in consulting and corporate communication. His latest book, published by
Today’s corporate leaders could learn a Jossey-Bass, is “The Credible Company: Communicating with Today’s Skeptical
lot from these examples. In the Quantum Workforce.” He’s been a member of SCM’s advisory board since its founding.
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16. scm
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
1. What are your personal values
Five questions to Think back to those times (inside or
outside work) when you have felt really
help you rediscover motivated and alive. What do they have
in common? Your values are those
what drives you in themes that keep coming back over and
over again.
the workplace
2. To what extent does your job allow you
to live those values in practice?
What could you do to get more of them
into your working day? They don’t have
SUE DEWHURST to be major changes – often it’s the small
things that make the difference.
HOW TO REGAIN YOUR 3. Why did you choose to work in internal
communication?
MOTIVATION FOR WORK What was it about this world that
attracted you? Is it still there? If so,
As more organizations return to their values to engage their workforce during the remind yourself of it. If not, what can
economic collapse, Sue Dewhurst suggests you dedicate some time to reviewing the you change to get it back?
values that matter to you personally. If you’ve forgotten what fuels the passion for
what you do, answer Sue’s questions to help give your career the boost it needs. 4. How are your own engagement levels?
You help your leaders action plan for
Let me ask you a question: how do you fulfill them. I discovered that the things their teams, so plan some actions for
feel about your job? While the other that make me tick are freedom, connecting yourself. Identify the three areas that
articles in this issue are probably with people, making a difference and most need some attention, and plan an
focusing on helping you to develop pride learning. Once I knew what my values action to take against each of them.
and engagement within your were, I was able to make changes.
organization and getting people to live 5. How about pride?
its values, I want to focus on you. While Focus on what motivates you Do you get to see the value of what you’ve
you’re trying to build pride and I realized I hadn’t fallen out of love with achieved? If not, you’re probably not
engagement in, as well as commitment to internal communication, but I did need measuring enough or investing time in
the values in your company, how are to change some aspects about my getting feedback. So start now. And when
things on your own doorstep? working methods to get my motivation you get a great result, keep the evidence
We’re all professional enough to be able back. I decided to start my own business and put it somewhere you can see it.
to focus and produce results even if we to get the freedom I wanted. I chose to
don’t believe in what we’re doing. But, as specialize in internal communication- Invest in yourself as well as the
we so often tell our internal customers, we related training and coaching, because it company
produce better results if we do. gives me so much day-to-day contact I’m a great believer in practising what
with people and I’m constantly learning. you preach. And what we preach is that
Review your reasons for working As well as this, I can actually see and engagement, pride and living the values
Around five years ago, I found myself at hear the difference I make, which gives leads to more motivated people, better
a career crossroads. Having spent my me such a massive buzz. performance, and ultimately better
whole working life in internal I still have my off days – don’t we all? organizational results. So, as well as
communication, I was feeling stale and But overall, I enjoy what I do, I feel proud being inspired by all the ideas in this
demotivated. I had gone from working of the projects I work on and I go the issue about what you can do to support
for the best leader ever to one who extra mile to deliver the best result I can. your organization, invest some time to
didn’t really “get it” and didn’t feel I was I make choices about the work I work on how you can support yourself.
adding any real value. Based in corporate undertake, based on the kinds of activities After all, to use a famous slogan, “you’re
headquarters, I missed the constant that connect to my values. worth it!”
contact I used to have in previous roles
working with people “at the sharp end”. I Delve a little deeper
wanted to move on from this It might help to ask yourself the
organization but just couldn’t get excited following five questions:
about applying for another internal
communication director role.
It prompted me to spend some time with Sue Dewhurst runs The SD Group and leads Melcrum’s Black Belt training program
a coach thinking through what I wanted in Europe. She’s also the research associate director of Melcrum’s Strategic
from life, what my personal values were, Communication Research Forum.
and what I needed from a role to help me
14 scm Volume 13, Issue 3 April/May 2009

17. scm
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
the skill that would be most beneficial
Become strategic for their communication team members
to develop over the next 12 months.
and tech-savvy to Andy Szpekman, president of AHS
Communications offers an explanation
truly demonstrate for this finding: “Managers possess a big
advantage: they know their teams well.
your value Managers have the insight necessary to
tailor information to their audience’s
needs – something few communicators
are as qualified to do.”
How to assess communication
SONA HATHI effectiveness, strategic planning and
managing change communication
AN INSIGHT INTO WHAT COMMS followed close behind – each being
selected by over 40 percent of leaders as
important areas of development.
LEADERS WANT RIGHT NOW Changes in headcount
Melcrum’s latest global survey, Key Benchmark Data for Communicators 2009, has More than 40 percent of leaders say a
confirmed the communication function is indeed facing significant challenges as a result reduction in the headcount of their
of the global economic crisis. Here, Sona Hathi describes some of the findings from a company’s communication function over
professional development perspective and reveals what communication leaders want the next 12 months is unlikely. Some 37
from their teams to help the function and their organizations survive the recession. percent say it is likely and 22 percent
said they weren’t sure. Looking at the
One of the key questions Melcrum asked ROI of internal communication. This explanations offered, reductions are
in our 2009 Key Benchmark Data for represents a “catch 22” situation for mostly down to budget cuts and
Communicators survey was: “What is communicators. While it’s difficult to get restructuring as an effect of economic
your biggest communication challenge good ROI on a small a budget, it’s also downturn. Many of those who weren’t
right now?” From the 2,200 responses tricky to get leaders to increase the budget sure predicted layoffs based on
around the world, it can be concluded without demonstrating ROI. downsizing that has occurred in other
almost without doubt that the biggest On a more positive note, 44 percent areas of their organizations.
challenge the function is facing right now feel that they get the training they need to Those who plan to take on new
is keeping employees engaged and progress in their careers. Some 60 percent recruits are looking for communicators
motivated during the effects the global feel they get paid fairly for the work they who are skilled in new media and web
economic crisis is having on businesses. do and 51 percent agree that the internal 2.0, and those who possess business
The idea that redundancies, cost cutting communication function is respected by acumen and can provide strategic
and changes in structure are all creating senior leaders within the organization. guidance. With this in mind, Fraser
an atmosphere of low morale and Likely, president of Likely
deteriorating engagement levels within What senior comms leaders think Communication Strategies, suggests that
their organizations is one that The survey asked some specific questions if senior communicators are to be true
respondents mention time and time again. to communication leaders. Out of 400 strategists, they must understand these
It’s also evident that keeping employees leaders, 66 percent feel that their five glaring misconceptions about how to
engaged is a part of the broader company’s internal communicators have think strategically:
challenges of change management and the appropriate skills to deliver the 1. A strategy is the same thing as a plan.
change communication. company strategy, however, a 25 percent 2. Strategic management only involves
Equipping managers with the skills, feel this isn’t the case. Among this latter the development of a strategic plan.
tools and knowledge they need to be group, some of the common reasons 3. Communication plan objectives
better communicators forms the second given are along the lines of: should be linked to the organization’s
most common challenge for • Too many “operational” strategic plan objectives.
communicators. The third most pressing communicators and not enough 4. Managing the communication
issue is having to meet increasing strategic thinkers. function strategically means speaking
requirements with less resources and • Not enough knowledge of how new with one voice and having a common
working within a tight budget. communication channels can be used set of messages derived from the
strategically. organization’s objectives.
Measurement is still an obstacle • Internal transfers from other 5. Strategy follows objectives in our
The survey reveals that communicators functions has diluted the quality of communication planning template.
still find measuring the effectiveness of communicators.
their communication a difficult hurdle to Melcrum will be releasing more information from the Key
overcome. Over half of the respondents Over 50 percent of leaders say that Benchmark Data for Communicators survey 2009 soon. To find
feel they’re unable to demonstrate the coaching managers to communicate was out more, contact sona.hathi@melcrum.com
scm Volume 13, Issue 3 April/May 2009 15

18. scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Creating corporate
responsibility at the
Department of Justice
Changing employee behavior to ensure public
confidence
BY JUSTIN GEHDE
o maintain public confidence in the collection and
T
federal privacy commissioner found public trust in
government departments when handling personal
storage of sensitive files and information, the details to be at a record high.
Department of Justice in Victoria, Australia, Nearly three in four Australians (73 percent)
embarked on a journey to establish a corporate believed government departments could be trusted
with their personal information. However, nearly
responsibility framework, empowering employees to take one in five (19 percent) thought public sector
accountability for their work. Justin Gehde explains the agencies could do much better – presenting an
opportunity for public servants to remain vigilant
internal and external implications of the campaign. when dealing with personal and private information.
Reviewing the department
The Department of Justice is one of the largest To ensure growing community confidence, the
and most complex government departments in the department reviewed its assets and records
Australian state of Victoria. It deals with sensitive management processes to determine if they could
areas including prison operations and consumer be further strengthened. This revealed that while
protection, and relies on its employees to adhere the department had adequate processes in place, it
to a range of policies and procedures. Areas of would be prudent to promote them more strongly
critical importance include privacy, information among employees.
security and records management. The outcome of this review prompted the
With more than 40 business units working on organization to implement a significant program
very diverse areas under eight umbrella portfolios, to ensure that all employees were aware of, and
The Department of Justice, the types of tasks undertaken by employees across adhered to, department policies and procedures.
Victoria, Australia, the department are incredibly varied. It also Despite the potentially dull content, the
encompasses police; courts; presents challenges in the way information is department’s internal communication function
prisons; emergency services; gathered, stored and managed. worked closely with a newly established project
regulation of gaming, racing, team to unleash a colorful, creative and fun
liquor licensing and trade Keeping information confidential approach to corporate compliance.
measurement; and victims’ Ensuring there are adequate processes in place to Underpinning the campaign would be training,
services. Activities also cover protect the integrity of the information is critical tools and resources that would enable employees to
the drafting of legislation and to public sector agencies. meet all their legal obligations in areas such as
the administration of various Over the past decade, government departments in privacy and record keeping, but also remind them of
programs to protect citizens’ Australia have significantly improved the way they their responsibilities under the state’s public sector
rights. It employs more than collect, store and protect information they hold on code of conduct, and the department’s commitment
6,000 people. citizens. A 2007 report by Wallis Consulting for the to reducing its impact on the environment.
16 scm Volume 13, Issue 3 April/May 2009

19. With 6,000 employees spread across a state and flexible enough to enable the various subject
larger than Britain, working in roles as diverse as areas such as privacy, information security and
prison officer, lawyer and administrator, environment to be included under the campaign’s
engagement was always going to be a challenge. umbrella.
Some business units across the department had a This required consultation with business units
strong operational focus with staff in the field across the department about how to incorporate
carrying files and warrants in vehicles, or their campaigns into the artwork. Justin Gehde is a strategic
correctional staff collecting and managing the Our solution was to create a set of icons to adviser within the internal and
personal information of prisoners and offenders. represent the key areas of the campaign, such as an stakeholder communication
Other units with more of a policy or administrative outline of a tree for the environment and a team at the Department of
focus worked on strategy development and document folder for record keeping, to act as Justice in Victoria, Australia.
community consultation in more traditional office signposts for staff. He provides strategic advice
environments. These icons were placed in a colored grid that and support on significant
The department had already undertaken internal enabled color coding for each element of the internal campaigns that affect
campaigns to promote key areas such as privacy, campaign. Having a strong, flexible design all staff. Prior to this, he
corporate values and the environment, and the enabled each element of the campaign to develop worked in Amsterdam and
senior executive team wanted to build on these and its own “identity” and sub-campaign, while still London in various corporate
draw them all under one campaign umbrella. being readily linked to Taking Responsibility. communication roles.
A challenging brief Launching the campaign
A strong theme coming out of discussions with We launched the campaign with a short video
senior leaders was the need to promote and announcement on our intranet from our
reinforce accountability across the department and department’s Secretary (the equivalent of the
to focus on the basics. As a government body, the CEO), outlining her rationale for the Taking
department is accountable to ministers and Responsibility campaign and painting the over-
parliament. For staff this translates to everyone arching picture. We followed this with a series of
meeting their obligations as public servants. video announcements from each of the heads of
After much brainstorming and refining, the the eight portfolio areas, plus other leaders from
internal communication team settled on the title sensitive operational areas such as Corrections
of “Taking Responsibility” for the campaign. It Victoria and Sheriff’s Office.
succinctly captured what we wanted to achieve – These follow-up videos provided tailored
all staff to be accountable for meeting their messages to all areas of the department and enabled
responsibilities. The campaign aimed to raise leaders to speak directly with their teams about
awareness of policies and procedures and the issues relevant to the portfolio. We published these
critical need to follow them to ensure the integrity videos on a newly created intranet site and compiled
of systems and information. them all onto a DVD that was distributed to our
While internal communication would play a regional locations. Launching an internal campaign
central role in the project, the senior executive team by video was a first for the department and really
recognized that a project team would be required to helped to reinforce the significance of the campaign
coordinate the program’s strategy and governance. and its relevance to all areas.
In developing the internal communication
strategy we decided to take a phased approach, Carrying out internal audits
moving from raising awareness in the initial phase The launch was followed with a series of internal
(six-eight weeks), to changing behavior in phase two audits. An audit of every business unit’s
(12 months) and finally maintaining the accepted information security needs was undertaken to
behavior (12 months). We identified several determine whether there was adequate secure 3
corporate “hooks” including:
• compliance acting as a quality control system
leading to a high-performing justice system; KEY POINTS
• translating process and policy into actions for • Although the Australian public had a high level of trust for government
staff and departments looking after confidential information, the Department of
• building business capability to provide a
strong organizational foundation.
Justice in Victoria wanted to review and further strengthen its policies.
• As a result, the “Taking Responsibility” campaign was launched.
Once this was finalized, the first thing we set
about developing was some strong creative for the • This approach encompassed interactive games on the intranet, a new
campaign. We wanted to incorporate some of the corporate screensaver, specialized training and a desk calendar for
design elements developed for previous employees reminding them of their responsibilities.
campaigns. The creative had to be strong, bold
scm Volume 13, Issue 3 April/May 2009 17

20. Creating corporate responsibility at the Department of Justice
Figure One: A black balloon denotes a serious breach of areas were needed or considered too insecure.
confidentiality To enable the same activity to take place outside
the central business district, colored balloon packs
were distributed to regional locations. The results of
the 1,600 desk sweeps were given to the appropriate
business unit heads and department Secretary.
While this activity had an element of fun, it also
effectively highlighted the importance of keeping
information secure. A simple outcome from this
was the development of a laminated desk sign
that said the occupant was away from their desk
so no confidential files should be left unattended.
Launching interactive games for the intranet
Another fun component of the campaign was the
deployment of a memory game on our intranet.
We worked with IT to build an online memory
game involving a screen with 12 squares or blocks.
Behind each square was one of the campaign
icons, with six pairs in total.
Players could click on each square and it would
reveal itself for a few moments. If you correctly
clicked on two matching icons they would stay
revealed, and once all the pairs were matched the
digital timer stopped.
Players with competitive times could leave their
7 storage and filing cabinets in their area. A series names next to their score. We conducted a
of practical electronic toolkits were developed competition to see who could match the six pairs
and published on the intranet. The toolkits of icons in the fastest possible time and the
allowed local work areas to easily assess their winner was announced on the front page of the
information security needs and determine intranet. This generated a healthy level of
whether they needed any support or storage competition across the department and added
solutions. A summary of the assessment was some color and movement to the campaign.
forwarded to the program team. Continuing with the electronic theme, the
A new corporate video was produced which department’s corporate screensaver was refreshed to
reinforced the key messages from the campaign and incorporate the campaign’s artwork and key
highlighted the diversity of work that’s done across messages. An important enhancement from the
the department. We published the video on our previous screensaver was the addition of a text field
intranet and it’s now part of the department’s on each page that would allow content to be drawn
induction program. from our content management system, a little bit
like an RSS feed. This field enables message
Colored balloons updates without having to recreate the screensaver
One of the most successful activities was a colored and adds dynamic content to the pages.
balloon event to highlight whether employees
adhered to our new “clear desk” policy of leaving no Running training days
confidential documents on desks or unsecured. In combination with some of these activities,
For two weeks after business hours, a small team workshops were developed on “record awareness”.
would target a floor of our central office and check The Secretary mandated that all employees in the
desks and filing cabinets. They would then leave central office building had to participate in the
behind a card and helium-filled colored balloon – workshops. Attendance reports were provided to the
green if everything was clear, orange if some work Secretary so she could see which areas had not been
was needed, red if there was a breach and black if represented in the training. This was a strong
there was a serious breach (see Figure One, above). incentive for business unit heads to ensure their
The card had an explanation of the colors and a teams took part.
written comment if there was an issue. The content of the workshops was very practical
Employees would arrive at work to and led by a team of employees who had
unexpectedly find colored balloons dangling volunteered to be trainers. This enabled 84
everywhere. It was quickly apparent who was not workshops sessions to be held with more than
adhering to the clear-desk policy or if storage 1,500 employees, and created a pool of “records
18 scm Volume 13, Issue 3 April/May 2009

21. champions” throughout various business units. their behavior accordingly.
In addition to the record awareness workshops, Asked whether they understood their
employees in key roles such as executive assistants obligations to information security, 98 percent of
and business support officers, who frequently employees responded “well enough for my role”
dealt with briefings, memos and corporate or “very well”. On the question relating to
records, attended “rockstar records training”. The privacy, close to 90 percent felt they understood it
training specifically targeted this key group to well or had a strong enough understanding for
provide practical, relevant tips and advice directly their job. Encouragingly, 90 percent of staff
related to regular record-keeping activities in applied environmental considerations in their
their daily roles, rather than awareness about the everyday work practices.
need to keep records. The training was held A campaign evaluation conducted by the
around the time of a national music award internal communication team found that over a
ceremony, so the content was peppered with 12-month period, 92 percent of staff had become
music references and challenges to make it timely more aware of the importance of respecting
and fun. people’s personal information and other privacy-
related issues, and 93 percent became more aware
Reviewing and refreshing key policies of the need to keep sensitive information and
Part of the campaign included a review of 150 of documents secure at all times.
the department’s key policies. All the policies It’s now common for employees to raise issues
published on the intranet contained a range of around privacy when information gathering is
styles, templates, quality and approaches. Some discussed or to question whether proposed
policies needed an urgent review after several activities are environmentally sound.
years of neglect.
A new online policies template was developed The campaign’s achievements
and business areas worked with a dedicated online Awareness of the campaign grew across the
writer to review, refresh and republish key policies Victorian Government and several departments and
so they were clear, relevant and understandable. agencies became very interested in what we’d
New review benchmarks were established to ensure established. The central body charged with
that policies were regularly updated. improving government service delivery, the
To promote the refreshed policies, we created a Victorian State Services Authority, is currently
new section in the middle of the front page of the considering the program for deployment across the
intranet called Focus On, and each week we’d state government.
highlight a policy or procedure. Intranet content The project and internal communication teams
approvers were updated on the new policy template were presented with the department’s highest
to ensure no old templates were put forward for internal award, and the project manager received
approval and slid back into circulation. the Secretary’s own pinnacle award for his
To maintain staff engagement and keep policies contribution. On a global scale, the campaign
fresh and relevant, new feedback boxes with received the International Privacy Innovation
suggestion pads were placed in all lunch/break areas. Award from the International Association of
The boxes are cleared every week and the forms Privacy Professionals.
sent to the project team. We also published an The campaign earned significant recognition by
online suggestions board that included implemented winning a commendation in 2007 for excellence
improvements from across the department. and innovation in records management in the
A successful tool was a desk calendar for staff Victorian public sector.
that included key messages on each page that The success of the campaign was underpinned
were tied in with relevant events occurring during by balancing practical training and support, with
that month. For example, during Privacy fun and creative activities, alongside formal
Awareness Week we promoted privacy messages monitoring and reporting. Turning the rustiness of
and for World Environment Day in June we had policies and procedures into something relevant
environmental messages. The calendar served as a and fun was challenging, but one that returned
daily reminder to take responsibility. great outcomes for the department and ultimately
the people of Victoria. scm
Evaluating the campaign’s results
Six months after the campaign started the
department conducted its regular employee attitude CONTACT DETAILS
survey, which included questions around the key
areas of the campaign. The results were very Justin Gehde
pleasing and indicated that employees had taken on Department of Justice, Victoria
board the campaign’s messages and had adjusted Justin.Gehde@justice.vic.gov.au
scm Volume 13, Issue 3 April/May 2009 19

22. scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Growing the brand at
Standard Chartered
Bank
Re-evaluating the significance of brands within the
financial sector today
BY ELIZABETH ARMSTRONG
lobally, billions of dollars of brand investment
G
wholesale banking franchise it was when I became
Global Head of Marketing in 2005. Our
have gone up in smoke, causing marketing and transformation has been rapid, exciting, painful
communication professionals to re-think long-held and successful.
opinions about the right way to build a brand. But do
Some background
they really need to, or has the answer been staring them Standard Chartered defines wholesale banking as
in the face all the time? Elizabeth Armstrong offers her the providing of banking services to all corporates
and institutions with an annual turnover of over
experience of internal brand building at Standard US$25m.
Chartered’s Wholesale Banking Division. Prior to 2002, Standard Chartered’s Wholesale
Bank was a collection of largely product-led
Standard Chartered Bank’s Wholesale Banking businesses. We had a fantastic franchise in unique
business thought it was starting its brand journey in markets in Asia, Africa and the Middle East, and
2002, only to discover in 2006 that despite any real for the fact we started our life in these markets
investment in marketing tools, we had a valuable back in 1853 (as Chartered Bank of India,
positioning. Over the next two years a brand Australia & China and The Standard Bank of
communication strategy was activated, focused first British South Africa in 1863) we had been a
on employees, the first overt external salvo being founding partner in the development of trade and
made just as the international banking landscape investment corridors in growth markets, with deep
changed dramatically in September 2006. local knowledge that’s hard to replicate.
Standard Chartered Bank has operated in the Our challenge in 2002 was how to leverage this
world’s most dynamic markets of Asia, Africa and unique network to deliver more value to clients –
the Middle East for over 150 years. Its income with our then existing product range we couldn’t
and profits (derived from consumer and wholesale support their growth aspirations. So we embarked
Standard Chartered is a banking) have more than doubled over the last on a dedicated investment program to build our
leading international bank five years primarily as a result of organic growth product and service expertise, so that we could
focused on Asia, Africa and and supplemented by acquisitions. exploit our knowledge of these markets.
the Middle East, serving The Group has around 1,750 branches and In early 2006, after several years of
corporations, financial outlets located in over 70 countries employing transforming our business, we felt it was time to
institutions and consumers. 75,000 people, nearly half of whom are women. make a more overt message about who we were
Headquartered in London, its We have 115 nationalities, of which 60 are and what value this represented to our clients.
global operations are based in represented among senior management. Anecdotally, it was annoying our senior
Singapore. It employs over It’s certainly not the same bank I joined in management to make client calls and discover
75,000 staff. Hong Kong in 2001, and it’s not even the same they didn’t know we operated in Africa, despite
20 scm Volume 13, Issue 3 April/May 2009

23. having been there for over 150 years. master brand, one that would inspire our employees
We’ve never had the luxury of relying on an and better resonate with clients, and would be
expensive advertising strategy, a vast distribution delivered through a number of touch points.
network, or front page headlines in major media We decided the best return on investment was
on a daily basis. Like our approach to banking – to proceed with defining our expression of the
focus on the basics – our brand was built the same master brand, galvanize our employees behind Elizabeth Armstrong is
way – focus on the simple things that make the this, and in time make a more overt, yet managing director, global
most impact. measured, message externally, via advertising. head of marketing, wholesale
banking at Standard
How the brand developed Working with senior leaders Chartered Bank. Since 2005,
We started our brand communication strategy Critical to the success of this exercise was senior Armstrong has led Wholesale
with a landmark piece of proprietary research in management support. Banking’s marketing function,
2006, asking our clients to tell us what perception Fortunately, the key stakeholders were highly which supports brand building
they currently had of our brand, and also, what engaged right from the beginning of the journey, efforts for all products and
attributes they ascribed those banks that held the which started with the Wholesale Banking CEO client segments across 70
core relationship with them. co-authoring the brand strategy paper in 2005. countries. Her earlier
We were very encouraged to learn that in clients’ For several of the team, this was their first employee communication
eyes we were clearly differentiated from our experience with branding in its truest sense; it was strategies at Standard
international and local peers in terms of approach: an intellectually compelling process. Chartered Bank were
they saw us as a committed partner, responsive and Early light bulb moments occurred during recognized with a number of
friendly, which is right at the heart of the Bank’s conversations about sponsorship (especially on international awards,
brand promise to be the right partner. the topic of existing sponsorships and how they including the IABC Business
But we were disappointed to learn that despite may or may not align us to a certain perception Issues Award and a Gold
all the new capabilities and deeper footprint, our about our business) and employee behavior. Quill.
customers had a very low awareness of the new But the penultimate understanding was around
product capabilities, particularly our financial the delivery of client value – what we needed our
markets solutions and expanded coverage in brand to communicate. To make our name
markets like Korea. synomous with a defined value to clients was the
Should we have been surprised? We’d never holy grail.
invested in a communication strategy to tell our Securing the right conversation with a group of
clients to think a certain way about us. Our whole senior executives around brand isn’t easy. In the
positioning had been delivered through the early days we almost derailed the program. We
frontline. were working with a number of grids and graphs,
When we asked our employees the same facts, figures and statistics from the research
questions, we got a very similar reaction. company (see the box-out on page 23), which
We also identified an interesting, but worrisome overwhelmed some of the senior managers during
gap between our clients’ perceptions of our meetings and caused defensiveness. Susan Burrell,
reputation versus our competitors, and our Global Head of Client Research, Wholesale
employees’ perceptions of the same. Our clients Banking painstakingly re-created grids, re-cut
rated our reputation higher, our staff lower; our information and created a number of different
clients rated our competitors’ reputation lower, formats of presenting the same information but to
our staff rated it higher. different stakeholders. In this way we were able
Our employees also marked us down for other to work in people’s comfort zones, bringing them 3
things that our clients rated strongly as being
unique and special, such as our commitment and
culture.
We took away two big messages from our
research:
KEY POINTS
1. We had a unique and trusted relationship with • In 2006, Standard Chartered Bank decided to take a more overt
clients, and this was a strength to grow. approach towards marketing its services.
2. If our own employees didn’t know what we
were capable of delivering, and how to • Research revealed there was a disconnect between opinions held by
articulate this value, our clients would be customers and those of employees.
none the wiser.
• This was tackled by launching a brand communication strategy to
The research gave us a number of options. We could redefine the master brand and ensure full understanding and backing
do nothing, and continue to deliver our brand from employees so they could offer a higher level of service to
through the frontline. Or we could step up and customers.
define a wholesale banking expression of the Bank’s
scm Volume 13, Issue 3 April/May 2009 21

24. Growing the brand at Standard Chartered Bank
to its own devices, and while there were pockets
“IF OUR OWN EMPLOYEES DIDN’T KNOW WHAT of brilliance, a lot of people were working from
information cut and pasted from old
WE WERE CAPABLE OF DELIVERING, OUR presentations, and creating new versions of a
CLIENTS WOULD BE NONE THE WISER.” powerpoint template. And this problem was
exacerbated by local country preferences that saw
the proliferation of animated graphics (think
7 on board and leading them through decisions that flapping flags and cars racing across the slide) and
needed to be made. typeface in every possible color.
Engagement on the brand communication It may sound basic, but the most effective salvo
strategy took two years (and continues), but in our campaign to make a more overt message to
throughout this time, the actual strategy was being clients about our capabilities has been the
executed. There were a number of process and overhaul of our sales tools and client
functional disciplines that were essential to communication.
business as usual, and these were aligned to the Since 2005 we’ve reallocated investment from
organizational changes that were taking place to other marketing activities, and pumped it into the
support Wholesale Banking’s transformation. creation of mandatory powerpoint templates, fact
For example, essential to the bank’s ability to sheet templates and brochure ware.
deepen client relationships, was its client coverage Last year alone we published 88 guidelines to
model. In an investor day presentation in 2006, we cover the range of client communication tools
explained how we were complementing the that were developed in 2008.
extension of our product capability by increasing The collateral plays a dual purpose. It not only
the number of senior bankers with sector delivers accurate information, and up-tiers the
experience. professionalism in which we’re perceived by
Most of these bankers had joined us from other clients, it also enables us to educate frontline
organizations, with very different cultures. As part employees on key messages and benefits of our
of their on-boarding, client pitching and products, services and network – not just the
presentation training played a big role in features. Complementing the production of
inculcating our culture and approach to collateral, the marketing function also coaches
relationship management. individuals and groups in how to prepare and
This training gives the marketing function the present to clients.
ability to mandate messaging and the look and
feel of the materials used. Developing a TV campaign
Prior to 2005, very little investment had been From 2005, a small amount of investment was
made in client communication tools such as pitch made in advertising in trade publications,
books and fact sheets. The primary resource was a predominantly full page “tombstones” that are a
powerpoint template that had been designed and series of tiles identifying high profile deal
implemented for the entire bank to use when the transactions, or award wins.
corporate identity was refreshed in 2002. Twice a year, the day after the full and half year
The Wholesale Banking business had been left results are announced, “tombstone” adverts are
also run in the Financial Times globally, and the
Asian Wall Street Journal. The primary audience is
Figure One: Building the brand from within employees, and it’s also used as a client
engagement exercise.
This targeted approach was adopted to
establish a relationship with the publications,
particularly those in whose award and poll
programs we participate. Recognition via industry
awards is an important proof point for any
organization. For the Standard Chartered
Wholesale Banking brand strategy, award success
helps define and articulate our market leadership
in key products and geographies. Awards and
league table positions feature heavily in
credentials and pitch books.
The awards, league tables and the TV
commercial have increased employees’ levels of
pride and belief in the organization for which they
22 scm Volume 13, Issue 3 April/May 2009

25. work. It’s a way for employees to establish profit growth of 13 percent. As a strong
credibility when introducing the bank and contributor to group performance, Wholesale
demonstrating a track record of expertise in a Banking reported outstanding revenue growth of
chosen solution. With regard to the TV 34 percent and profit growth of 37 percent.
commercial, it’s the first time that our bankers The performance was exceptional given the
have had something in the public domain, after market conditions in which this was delivered. There
years of seeing our competitors’ high-profile are many factors that contribute to financial
advertising. performance, but the main driver is clearly the
Given the gap in client awareness of our continued successful execution of our client-led
product capability and network reach, for the first strategy.
time in 150 years, we decided to develop our first In Wholesale Banking, implementation of the
Wholesale Banking specific television strategy relies on the day-to-day interactions
commercial. between our employees and our clients. Since
The print and television campaign took a two- 2006 this has been scaffolded by a robust brand
prong approach, based on a competitor review. communication strategy that has encompassed a
With deeper advertising pockets, our peers often number of internal and external tactics.
create corporate and generic brand-building print A serendipitous by-product of the financial
and television campaigns to complement segment crisis has been employee pride in our brand and
or product specific projects. In most cases the how it has been delivered. The market is testing
corporate television advert is used to encompass the positioning, strategies and infrastructure of
their wholesale banking proposition. In our case, many organizations. In understanding ourselves
our single corporate television advert at the time better through the research in 2006, we haven’t
featured the story of one of our brand pretended to be something we can’t deliver. We
ambassadors, the blind marathon runner, Henry are open for business, as usual. scm
Wanyoike.
Our television commercial was developed to
demonstrate how the connectivity of our network
grows our clients’ business. From Asia to the BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH
Middle East to Africa, across industries and client
Standard Chartered Wholesale Banking wanted to
segments. The visual device is molten steel, a river
build a distinctive organizational character around
of which we follow along its journey from a
its brand. In order to do this, there was a need to
foundry in India, as it spreads under the earth’s
understand the corporate banking scenarios
crust, and then pushes up through the earth to
across the world.
form a bridge joining two sides of a river in China,
Therefore, Standard Chartered commissioned
a skyscraper in Dubai, and a series of
TNS Singapore to conduct a corporate reputation
telecommunications towers in Africa.
study to help answer the following questions:
While bold and confident in approach, it’s not a
• Who are we?
chest beating exercise for the Bank, more a strong
statement about the growth in our franchise, and • What should we be to reach aspiration?
the role we are playing to help our clients harness
this, by connecting our network to make them There were two phrases to this study. The first
successful. phrase was a qualitative study to address “Who
Launched in 2008, this commercial runs globally are we?”
on business channels such as Bloomberg, as well as Hypotheses based on the qualitative findings
on the in-flight channels of airlines that fly to, from were fed into the second, quantitative stage to
and within our franchise. An important audience help answer the question: “What should we be to
for the commercial is employees, the tone and reach aspiration?”
approach resonating well. Corporate and institutional clients and
employees across major geographies were
Serendipitous by-product of the financial crisis interviewed.
You have a brand regardless. The challenge is
having stakeholders say of you how you wish to be
perceived, understand the benefit and choose you CONTACT DETAILS
over your competitors.
On 3 March, 2009, Standard Chartered Bank Elizabeth Armstrong
reported their 2008 full year performance. The Standard Chartered Bank
Group reported revenue growth of 26 percent and Elizabeth.M.Armstrong@sc.com
scm Volume 13, Issue 3 April/May 2009 23

26. scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Building a new culture
and brand at iPSL
Integrating employees into a new organization
BY HELEN LOVE
move to a new employer.)
nternal branding can be a challenge to get right, but if
I
They also needed to consolidate operations
across the 13 sites, with a view to closing offices
you’re successful it can provide great rewards. These and reducing the original headcount from 4,500 to
can be seen not just in the communication arena, but around 2,500 in only three years.
in the fields of employee engagement, reinforcement of In parallel with the TUPE exercise, there had to
be an ongoing transition of terms and conditions
the external brand, and, as Helen Love explains here, in from legacy employers to new ones based on the
facilitating major change in a merger and acquisition contractual model of Unisys.
In an effort to drive up service levels and improve
scenario. performance, there were simultaneous rollouts of
both performance-based remuneration for all staff
and across-the-board Six Sigma Lean techniques to
Intelligent Processing Solutions Limited (iPSL) was achieve continuous process improvements.
launched in 2000 as a joint venture between the In addition to all this, the communication
financial institutions Unisys, Barclays and Lloyds function was faced with a workforce where 85
TSB, with HSBC joining as a subsequent percent had no internet or email access, 85
shareholder in 2001. The company was set up to percent were shift or part-time workers and there
manage outsourced cheque clearing and processing was a critical need to ensure commitment and
for the majority of the UK’s banks, processing over support from the various unions, of which the
76 percent of the UK’s cheques. majority of the processing staff were members.
This was in effect a merger and acquisition
The challenges scenario, with 4,500 staff brought into the new
From its inception, there were a number of key organization (following the TUPE regulations)
Intelligent Processing objectives for the joint venture and some significant from culturally and politically diverse legacy
Solutions Limited (iPSL) was challenges. A major consideration was to achieve environments. Not only did they have to be
established in 2000 to manage economies of scale by migrating all the different merged into one identity and culture, but they
outsourced cheque clearing and banks’ cheque clearing systems onto a minimum also had to adopt a different mindset as they were
processing for the majority of number of common platforms (major now to be judged on client deliverables and
the UK’s banks. It provides transformation project for technical platforms). personal and team performance.
services for approximately 300 Simultaneously, they had to “TUPE”1 across the
banks and building societies existing cheque-processing staff employed by each of What needed to be achieved
including Barclays, The Co- the member banks into the new organization. (The Working with a cross-functional team and with the
Operative Bank and National TUPE process is a series of regulations that support of the senior management team, the
Australia Bank Group Europe. preserve employees’ terms and conditions when they primary aim was, as soon as possible after the
24 scm Volume 13, Issue 3 April/May 2009

27. takeover, to launch one culture and identity for several years at this point, so we decided to
the new company iPSL – a new internal brand – replicate the different elements of the Vision ON
which would not only tie in with the various legacy program in an iPSL Values Into Action (VIA)
cultures of the banking partners, but would also program.
be aligned with the commercial strategy of the There were four key components in the original
majority shareholder, Unisys. This new brand, Vision ON program: Helen Love has worked in
culture and values program was to be designed • Reward and recognition internal communications for
and rolled out through a period of ongoing major • Location teams the past 15 years in large
technological migration and consolidation, • Suggestions scheme companies such as Unisys,
planned job losses and site closures. Against this • Special projects iPSL, Microsoft UK and Yahoo!
somewhat negative backdrop, there was an Europe. She and her business
overriding need to build engagement in the All were underpinned by a strong brand identity, partner, Geoffrey Morgan, set
workforce, pride in their work and improvements a relentless communication campaign and an up Intuitive Brands to offer
in performance against service-level agreements ongoing and participative commitment from the bespoke and practical support
contracted to the existing clients. Unisys leadership team to provide resource and in all employee engagement
In effect, we were implementing a cultural support for the initiatives. activities. See
transition to a performance-based culture, which Firstly, we secured the commitment and www.intuitivebrands.co.uk for
was unfamiliar to the majority of the staff. support of the iPSL management team and the more information.
Unisys Vision ON team to assist in the
What we did implementation of the new internal branding and
iPSL needed a foundation set of employee values engagement program. As the program was to be
to act as the basis for the new internal brand. rolled out by the head of communications at iPSL,
The first step was to establish what common the support of the local and corporate
ground existed from the legacy employers. A communication teams was also guaranteed. The
series of employee focus groups was launched, senior management team in iPSL were introduced
where employees, union stewards and HR to the concept, shown the proof points from the
representatives from each of the partner successful Unisys rollout and shown how the
organizations shared historical values, behaviors program could be customized to suit the iPSL
and cultural attitudes in an open discussion culture, workforce and business strategy, which
forum. The various inputs were discussed and fed were quite different from those in Unisys. iPSL
back to staff via team meetings, until eventually a already had an existing suggestions scheme, which
list of seven values, common and relevant to the was working well and we didn’t want to undermine
legacy organizations, was agreed. In order to it, so we elected not to replicate that particular
make these values meaningful to the employees, element. Instead, we decided to roll out the rewards
each one was communicated simply and clearly, and recognition, the location teams and the
with specific examples of behaviors, which communication framework as the Values Into
reflected that particular value. These were all set Action program.
out in a values booklet that was delivered to all
employees. Rewards and recognition
Once these values were established and With immediate effect, we began a recognition
articulated, they had to be embedded in the scheme that called for nominations across the entire
workplace, to build internal attitude and behaviors organization of any individuals who had
(forming the company culture), which reflected the demonstrated behaviors that reflected any of the 3
key values. Because the values had been discussed
and agreed with staff and they felt they’d actually
had some input into the definition process, they KEY POINTS
were readily and quickly accepted by the majority of
the workforce and other stakeholders.
• In 2000, Intelligent Processing Solutions Limited was established to
We now had to take those values and build deal with the cheque-clearing process for a large number of banks in
them into a robust internal brand that would give the UK.
iPSL a clear internal and external identity, yet
remain aligned to the commercial strategy. • During 2000-2005, there were a number of challenges that the author
To do this, we decided not to reinvent the was involved with, including bringing together employees from various
wheel, but to base the program on a proven cheque-clearing companies to work for a new organization with new
process that had been used to drive culture technology.
change and internal branding in the parent
company, Unisys. The Unisys “Vision ON” • Building employee engagement levels played a large part in uniting the
initiative had been running very successfully for workforce behind the brand.
scm Volume 13, Issue 3 April/May 2009 25

28. Building a new culture and brand at iPSL
climate. The iPSL business strategy at launch was
“WHEREAS BEFORE, EMPLOYEES HAD OFTEN built primarily on the need for banks to outsource a
key component of their back office processing –
BEEN UNABLE TO SEE PAST THE NEED TO cheque clearing. However, since the joint venture
RECTIFY SMALL PROBLEMS, THEY WERE NOW had been in existence, the revenues from cheque
processing had been dropping significantly and at a
ABLE TO FOCUS ON THE BIGGER PICTURE.” quicker rate than anticipated. This was as a result of
rapid reductions in the use of cheques by both
companies and individuals. In such a challenging
7 seven key values of iPSL. The winning candidates business climate, there was an even greater need to
were then featured on giant posters each quarter, improve morale and motivation among our staff,
which appeared in strategic display areas across all working together to deliver improved results and
locations. Photos and a brief description of the nurture a team spirit across all sites.
reason for their nomination were not only displayed The aim of the location teams was to encourage
on the posters, but were also featured in the and support employee participation and
quarterly employee communication magazine involvement, to increase support for local
(which also mentioned all other candidates who had initiatives – both within iPSL and in the local
been put forward). It was important to display community – and to harness the enthusiasm and
winners in all locations, as some of the offices had drive of our employees. This was just one small
retained a high proportion of TUPE’d staff from the element of the big picture, improving employee
legacy partner who’d owned and operated in that engagement to support the new company brand
site, so poster displays reinforced the new “One internally and externally.
iPSL identity and all included the program’s logo
” Each location team comprised a cross section of
and branding. volunteers who came forward to get involved and
The winners were named at regular leadership help make a difference at their local sites. They
roadshows, where they were presented with could come from any shift, any department and any
certificates from the company CEO and their level within the company, united by the shared
success celebrated openly with their colleagues and desire to help iPSL employees and the local
managers. Instead of offering a financial reward to community by being proactive in any business
the winners, which would have been problematic as specific to their own site. This could include support
we had frequent team nominations, we asked each for local charities, organization of employee sports
winning individual or team to name a charity of and social activities, looking at ways to improve the
their choice. We then made a donation to that working environment or addressing issues of
charity on their behalf, securing additional local and work/life balance within the workplace.
national press coverage for the donation wherever In order to demonstrate trust and empowerment
we could. by the iPSL management, each of these teams was
There were multiple reasons for making the awarded significant funding to cover both charitable
reward a charitable donation. It did, of course, donations and discretionary spend.
reduce personal tax liability, but it also promoted They organized many employee events, such as
an altruistic attitude and a heightened awareness Christmas celebrations and children’s parties,
of social and community responsibility and the provided support and funding for local charities
contribution that employees could make to local and improved the work environment for the
charitable causes. Furthermore, it got staff in each benefit of all employees. They contributed an
office location thinking about their involvement in overall improvement in morale and an increased
the local community and how they could benefit sense of belonging for all staff, with
not only charities, but other local schemes that encouragement and help from the company.
benefit employees and the wider community. This Each location team established its own charter,
would be a critical success factor for the based on the iPSL values and behaviors, but was in
implementation of the next element of the effect self-governing, with little intervention from
program – the location teams. senior managers. This sent out a very powerful
message to employees – we trust you to do the right
Location teams thing.
The next objective was to establish location teams Interestingly, the fact that the location teams
in all of the iPSL offices remaining open also had discretionary spending powers generated
throughout the launch year, with funding for this some additional and unanticipated benefits. When
project already pre-approved from the senior the location teams used their discretionary
management team. funding to address issues in the work
iPSL was operating in a challenging economic environment, such as office décor, provision of
26 scm Volume 13, Issue 3 April/May 2009

29. facilities and improving social amenities, it important quick wins that drove further inclusion
seemed to galvanize the departments whose and engagement.
responsibility those issues should have been. This
fostered a better collaboration between the Conclusion
different silos in the organization, creating better At a recent Melcrum Change Communication
awareness and understanding of the key issues. In conference in London, my presentation made the
addition, by implementing small changes and point that it doesn’t matter how articulate, precise
fixing some of those little “niggling” problems in or impressive your communication messages are;
the work environment, the location teams it doesn’t matter how well aligned they are with
removed some of the barriers to staff the business strategy, the company brand and
engagement. Whereas previously, the workforce values; it doesn’t matter how well you segment
had often been unable to see past the need to and target your intended audiences and the
rectify small problems, they were now able to channels you choose to reach them. None of this
focus on the bigger picture. matters at all, if the people with whom you are
communicating aren’t engaged with your
Communications organization. If they’re not engaged, then they
The whole program rollout was underpinned with won’t want to listen and indeed won’t listen. The
regular and consistent communication, using the program at iPSL built a foundation of
same vocabulary, advising on progress and engagement and positivity.
inviting and sharing feedback. The The communication during the course of the
communication team met regularly with the merger and building of the internal brand were
location teams to provide support and guidance, based on clear and consistent messages, two-way
and we established quarterly communication discussions, honest and open communications
meetings across all sites and with senior from the leadership team and were above all
management team involvement. employee focused. As a result, the initiative
Face-to-face delivery was a critical element of the provided a firm basis for a robust internal values
communication mix, given the lack of email and system and brand, and thereby enabled the
internet access, and the fact that iPSL was running a cultural change to allow iPSL to grow business in
24-hour operation. Regular drop in clinics were held the UK profitably. This program was the medium
on all shifts, where managers made themselves to build and strengthen the company identity
available for interactive and open discussions and from the inside out.
fed back on company performance, transformation Sustained profitable growth needs to focus on
progress and business strategy. being both an employer and a supplier of choice
and building the external brand and reputation
Outcomes and benefits from the internal values and behaviors. However,
Having a consistent communication and values it’s only by creating the right conditions to engage
framework across all sites and legacy groups employees and motivate them to do their best
allowed us to create a central definition for the that the company can achieve sustained success in
internal branding but ensure that delivery had the market with its customers.
genuine local context and delivery. Best of all, such initiatives don’t have to be
This in turn supported the effort to build a unique based on a big budget change management
iPSL identity and brand internally, but to ensure it program. Instead, this type of approach favors
was aligned closely to the majority shareholder little “cultural nudges” – modest initiatives that
values system and culture. Over the 18 months have the potential when added together to cause
following the launch of the initiative, all employees disproportionate positive change in the company
moved seamlessly and painlessly from their legacy and its brand perception. scm
cultures to a new, all inclusive iPSL internal brand,
culture and identity. This was further assisted by the 1. TUPE is the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of
migration of staff between sites, mixing up of legacy Employment) Regulations. These preserve employees’ terms and
groups, common objectives and a desire to deliver conditions when transferred to a new employer.
customer service excellence.
Leveraging proven Unisys initiatives and
processes to begin with drove confidence and
ensured success for the new branding. The location
teams in particular were an integral part of CONTACT DETAILS
improving morale and motivation, demonstrating
concern and empathy, taking tangible action on Helen Love
employee issues and creating the small but so Intuitive brands
helen@intuitivebrands.co.uk
scm Volume 13, Issue 3 April/May 2009 27

30. scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
How Barclays’
employees keep the
customer promise
Building external relationships through employee
engagement
BY SARA MOOREHEAD AND STEVEN MCGRORY
hen global banking giant Barclays set out to
W change the way it did business by putting
impeccable customer service at the heart of its
business plan, it needed to rely on its people to deliver
the basis of our customer value proposition. As a
result, we took a different look at our then
business model and re-engineered it so that the
answer to any question concerning how we ran
our branch network began with establishing a
clear benefit to our customer. If we couldn’t find
the promises made to customers. Here, Sara Moorehead
the benefits, it was back to the drawing board. We
and Steven McGrory explain how they achieved align our products, policies, channels and
engagement among employees to do exactly that. structure around the customers, then give our
frontline staff the power to do what’s right.
This was the principle on which Real Retail was
based. It’s a model radically different from our
In 2007, Barclays set out to create a retail banking competition, in that it’s based less on the old
experience unrivalled on the high street: one that “command and control” and more on the
was based on close and genuine relationships with initiative, knowledge, commercial and common
customers. As a result, the concept of “Real sense of branch managers and the infrastructure
Retail” was born, revolving around the idea of that supports them. Barclays the organization was
customer-centricity. The question was: how would to become the matchmaker, if you like, between
the external customer value proposition leap from the branch employee and his or her individual
a smart boardroom idea into something that customer. It was a model that demanded a lot
32,000 colleagues delivered every day? from our people, but also offered a lot.
Meeting customers’ needs Building internal awareness
There was a time before the recession when Every customer value proposition needs its
ordinary men and women wanted something very employee value proposition (EVP) to bring it to
straightforward from their bank. They wanted us life. Within six months of Real Retail being
Barclays UK Retail Banking is the get the basics right; they wanted us to make it introduced into Barclays – not as an initiative but
the UK consumer and local easy for them to manage their own money; they as a sustainable way of going about our business –
business division of Barclays wanted us to prove to them that we knew them; it became clear from research that Real Retail
Bank PLC. UK Retail Banking and finally, they wanted our help in giving them had been internalized as a way of helping Barclays
has approximately 32,000 control over their own finances. Barclays realized to work better rather than standing for what it
employees and 1,700 that these four requests were far more than really means: delivering customer value and,
branches across the UK, merely “nice to haves”: they were fundamental to through delivering customer value, creating
serving over 15 million customer satisfaction and business success. growth. We needed something more to help our
customers. Answering the four customer demands became people understand what it was we were asking
28 scm Volume 13, Issue 3 April/May 2009

31. them to do. We needed an employee/employer of the EVP formula (what we expect) as:
value proposition. Realizing that we needed • Put each individual customer’s needs at the
external specialist help, we put the project out to center of everything you do, every day.
tender and employee communication specialists • Be accountable and take responsibility.
WMW won it, bringing with them a simple • Actively help transform Barclays.
methodology and some very smart thinking. • Live our values. Sara Moorehead is Director
of UK corporate affairs,
Creating a clear line of sight Our most important insight, however, wasn’t the managing internal and
One of the holy grails in business is to reduce list itself but what had to underpin the list if we external communications for
complexity. We believe that even the most were to see any change of behavior. This wasn’t retail and business banking in
complex of business problems can be reduced to a something we could demand of our people but the UK. Her career leading to
simple statement or formula, and this was the way something we could only hope to inspire our Barclays spanned marketing,
that Barclays approached the EVP project. From people to do. The ethos we were trying to embed research, and strategic
the outset, we defined what it was that we were was one of “do all of the above because you want communications.
looking to prove in order to create a robust EVP. to, not because you’re told to”. The question was,
We were able to reduce what we were looking for how could we inspire this kind of thinking?
into a simple formula: In keeping with the basic principle of Real
Retail, the answer lay not inside Barclays but in
An EVP = what we expect + what we give in establishing a clear benefit to our customer. By
return making the transition to named, known customers
who we were helping to manage their own money
There were no fancy twenty page presentations or in an easier way and allowing them control over
complicated graphs to grapple with, just a rugged their own finances, we were asking our people not Steven McGrory is HR
formula to work to and to keep us on the straight only to work on numbers and targets but to work Director for UK retail banking,
and narrow. with the real life trials and tribulations of their responsible for all aspects of
We were working in real time. Customers customers. There’s a very simple, very profound human resources. Prior to
weren’t going to thank us for spending six months satisfaction that can be gained from helping Barclays, Steven held senior
pondering how best to persuade our employees to others and it’s this human instinct that we were HR positions in the consumer
put them at the heart of their days. The tapping into. products, telecommunications
procedural methodology we established was The first half of our EVP formula crystallized and manufacturing industries.
designed with this in mind as follows: into the statement, “Help your customer get the
• We set up a “culture group” consisting of best out of Barclays.” This was and is what we
retail banking executives with sign-off expect of everyone who works here, from the
responsibilities to guide the project at pace most senior executive to the newest recruit on the
through the business. first rung of the ladder.
• The culture group was itself used as a
research resource to set out the framework Engaging employees with the initiative
for the project. Real Retail roots us. We had the first half of our
• With this framework established, we went out EVP statement; what we didn’t have was verification
into the whole company to take its pulse that it held true and could be used every day. Was it
concerning Real Retail. a statement that our people recognized as a 3
• We narrowed our focus, to look at the insights
from the research and to agree a way forward.
• We delivered the output into the branch
network and its back-office counterparts.
KEY POINTS
Establishing the first half of the formula • In 2007, Barclays devised “Real Retail”, an experience for its customers
You can look at a job description and sometimes
that aimed to achieve unprecedented levels of customer service.
barely think that an individual is capable of
achieving every part of it. KPIs can be equally • To ensure this was a success, it was necessary to gain full acceptance,
intimidating. Both are absolutely necessary, yet understanding and involvement from all employees.
without the overview provided by an EVP it’s
frequently possible to get very confused. The • As well as a new customer value proposition, a new employee value
culture group, through some innovative and proposition was created, which comprised a simple but smart formula that
enjoyable research sessions, arrived at a statement
was communicated across the organization.
of what it was that we had a legitimate right to
expect of our employees over and above the job • The new employee value proposition informs not only the “Real Retail”
description. We expressed our “meta-job way of doing business, but all internal communications that are sent.
description” or, rather more simply, the first half
scm Volume 13, Issue 3 April/May 2009 29

32. How Barclays’ employees keep the customer promise
Barclays”. We asked employees to bring in an
“THE DEAL WE MAKE WITH OUR EMPLOYEES object that to them summed up their relationship
with their employer. The resulting objects fell
COULDN’T BE CLEARER: MAKE YOUR generally into six representative categories,
CUSTOMER THE CENTER OF WHAT YOU DO AND including “I can be me”, “A tough, exciting
business” and, “It’s the people and the
REWARDS WILL FOLLOW.” environment”. Barclays people like other Barclays
people and at times of trouble, most seemed safe
in the knowledge that their colleagues would help
7 description of our core priority? Was it an aspiration them out of difficulty.
never to be reached? Was it something that would Making sense of the intangible benefits, linking
get in the way of the day job? them to the tangible ones, and then reducing the
To test it, we conducted a number of focus result into the second half of our EVP formula
groups. We turned the annual HR conference into was a challenge but it gave the kind of deeply
a giant test bed; we conducted in-depth one-to- satisfying result you get when you know
one interviews at all levels; we re-visited our something is right. The answer, as with many far-
employee opinion survey and other recently reaching insights, was very simple. The first half of
published research; we even conducted external our EVP was ‘Help your customer get the best
research to see how the outside world viewed us. out of Barclays. The rejoinder, what we offer in
We discovered that the ingredients of our EVP return is ‘You’ll get the best out of Barclays.’ The
were the right ones, in the right amount. best of Barclays is a strong offer. We’re not saying
that it’s the best there is, and we know that like
Establishing the second half of the formula every other organization out there, the best we
We had half of our EVP, and we were working offer now can be improved. Nonetheless, the best
towards the other half: what our employees can of Barclays is a great offer.
expect of us. The tangible benefits were relatively
easy to track down, although in any company the Making the venture appealing to employees
size of Barclays, it’s surprising how much of the The EVP needed something in addition, an
reward package is relatively unknown by the “and”: “Help your customer get the best out of
employees. Barclays and you’ll get the best out of Barclays.”
To dig into the detail of what we offered in The strength of this statement lies in its deceptive
terms that could be converted into hard currency, simplicity. The deal we make with our employees
one of the sessions we conducted at the HR couldn’t be made clearer: make your customer the
conference was entitled, “Bring Barclays Benefits center of what you do and rewards will follow.
from Beneath the Bushel”. We asked the HR Real Retail has found its expression in a career
team to rank our benefits (under broad headings promise to every employee. The external
such as training and flexible working) in terms of customer promise now had its internal soul mate.
how well each was communicated, from “In the Customer satisfaction was now linked with
bright sunshine” right through to “under a employees’ career satisfaction, so both would
darkened bushel”. While the range of benefits is enjoy and experience the benefits of Barclays.
broadly consistent across most of our competitors The statement “Help your customer get the
(as our research showed), it’s the detail of those best out of Barclays and you’ll get the best out of
benefits and how well they’re communicated that Barclays” needed to be explained so that everyone
differentiates us as an employer. who communicates inside the business
It’s with the intangible benefits, however, that understands how to use the EVP.
real differentiation lies. It’s frequently cited that So our first move was to define every word in
the reason people move employer is rarely pay, the statement so that there could be no doubt
even if that’s what they say at the exit interview. about what was meant by it. Only in this way can
It’s usually for some other reason and that reason it be used consistently and for the express purpose
is connected to the intangible, or perceived, for which it was designed, i.e, helping deliver our
benefits of working with your current employer. If customer value proposition and driving growth
these are broadly in the black, people will stay. If based on customer-centricity. Here are three of
they go into the red, and an employer asks too the definitions:
much without giving its fair share in return, Customer: Not an homogenous, faceless block
people may leave. of faceless people who drift in and out of your life
One of the exercises we conducted to get a but individuals with stories to tell and hopes and
handle on the intangible benefits of working at worries. Just like you. Reach out to them by being
Barclays was an exercise entitled “Me and My more, well, more you.
30 scm Volume 13, Issue 3 April/May 2009

33. And: Do that and you’ll get this. It’s a simple,
transparent deal. We’ll bend over backwards to
help you if you in turn bend over backwards to
help the customer and therefore help us. Or,
alternatively, don’t do that and you won’t get this.
The choice is yours.
Get the best out of Barclays: We offer a great
deal – not perfect but we’ve identified areas
where we’re not great and we’re working on them.
The benefits that you feel in your pocket are
many in number, highly attractive and to a large
degree the level of what you can earn is now
matched directly to your effort and achievement.
The intangible ‘best of Barclays’ – the benefits
you feel but can’t count in pounds, shillings and
pence - are equally attractive. We’re consciously
moving towards ensuring that we’re attending to
the whole you, not just the part that expects good
pay for a hard day’s work.
Everyday use
The line, “Help your customer get the best out of
Barclays and you’ll get the best out of Barclays”
will never be used in regular, everyday
conversation; it’s an organizing thought, no more.
However, the thought can be made to act as an
attraction and engagement proposition, and we
developed it into “Careers Built Around
Customers” for our recruitment advertising and
for some of our HR communications.
Final thoughts
The EVP has given us a grounding and focus
when putting together any internal
communication, particularly those relating to
careers and the whole area of HR. “Help your
customer get the best out of Barclays and you’ll
get the best out of Barclays” is the test for
whether a piece of employee communication is
ready to be sent or not. There’s a simple equation
at the heart of the statement expressing both sides
of the deal. No communication at Barclays
relating to people’s careers is sent without that
deal being expressed. Furthermore, no
communication goes out without being linked
expressly to the needs of our customers which,
after all, is the only reason that any of us are here.
In our experience, business is a very simple
game. The trick is not to complicate it. scm
CONTACT DETAILS
Steven McGrory
Barclays UK Retail Banking
steven.mcgrory@barclays.com
scm Volume 13, Issue 3 April/May 2009 31

34. scm FEATURES
1 2 3 4 5
Helping employees do
more with less at Sony
Europe
Building capacity and re-energizing an organization
BY JANE SPARROW
n these stressful times of recruitment freezes, employees
I
sessions complemented by electronic forums to re-
ignite the passion of his people to live their purpose
are having to take on a greater number of tasks. To help of amazing, delighting and enriching the lives of its
employees at Sony Europe work more effectively, as well customers. Everyone’s talking about the importance
as keep a balanced perspective on work and personal life, of remaining positively challenged and to increase
usage of the right hemisphere of the brain to
an initiative called “Firing on all Cylinders” was introduced. develop the creative ideas that will see Sony leapfrog
Here, Jane Sparrow explains how it resulted in improved into an even stronger brand in the future.
Nishida is engaging his people in various
overall engagement levels, as well as contributing to culture conversations via a roadshow in all European
change throughout the organization. countries, as well as live broadcasts using the
@sony suite of electronic channels comprising
The current economic crisis is testing leadership intranet, e-newsletters and screensavers. He also
teams with the extremes of acute threat or conducts regular breakfast sessions with between
overwhelming opportunity. Many organizations have 12-15 employees and personally attends all
reacted by cutting budgets and reducing investment leadership development programs to support the
in communication and people. Leaders hide behind executives of the future. He travels across Europe
their office doors and communicate only when they and finds time to see both customers and
have positive news. The crisis has pushed leaders employees of all levels in the local organzations.
and their people into survival mode where their Nishida is an emotionally intelligent leader who
instinctive response is fear based, reactive and passionately believes his role is to motivate
expedient. These behaviors drain their energy and people. His aim is to leave a legacy of a business
lead to shortsightedness, short-term decision making and culture of which Sony employees’ children
and frustration. and grandchildren can be proud.
But there are companies, like Sony Europe, This belief that people make the difference in a
that have reacted differently and with a more business is also reflected by a program that
strategic and optimistic approach. started over two years ago to build capacity and
re-energize the organization. At a time when
The attitude from the top many leaders stop investing in talent, Sony
Sony is a global manufacturer Operating with over 13,000 employees in over 20 continue to see people development as critical.
of audio, video, countries, the organization has always believed
communications and effective communication and leadership The Energy Project
information technology development are important. That’s why Fujio The program, known as “Firing on All Cylinders”
products for consumer and Nishida, President of Sony Europe, is actively and run by The Energy Project, helps individuals
professional markets. communicating with employees through face-to-face sustain high performance through being happier,
32 scm Volume 13, Issue 3 April/May 2009

35. healthier and more engaged in all aspects of their humans feel profoundly influences how they
lives. The Energy Project is a consultancy that perform. The module began by introducing Sony
helps organizations build sustainable high- leaders to a simple and powerful way to understand
performance cultures by introducing people to the four energy states they move between, and what
new areas of value creation and building capacity accounts for each one. They were then introduced
by teaching individuals how to manage their to a series of actionable strategies to help people Jane Sparrow is director of
energy rather than their time. While time is finite, gain more control over their emotions, and employee communication and
energy can be expanded; resulting in increased specifically to learn how to cultivate the positive engagement at Sony Europe
personal and organizational capacity. The Energy emotions that best serve sustainable performance. and a senior leader with The
Project’s work has been delivered to many of the This was one of the most powerful pieces of learning Energy Project. From the
world’s largest brands such as American Express, for the Sony team and influenced their individual outset she has worked closely
Ford, Sony Pictures, Microsoft, Ernst & Young, behavior and how they worked together after the with people of all levels to
Nokia-Siemens and Toyota. It has also worked initial program. help them maximize their
with the UK police force, the National Health potential, build capacity,
Service and the Princes Trust. Mental energy and the human spirit implement behavioral change
When the leadership team reconvened one month programs, increase
How the program works later for two days, they addressed mental energy and understanding about the value
Based on extensive experience, practical and the energy of the human spirit. For example, have of communication and culture
experiential approaches it explores the four sources you ever had one of those days when you get to 3pm within a changing business
of energy needed to optimize performance (body, and realize the piece of work or thinking that would environment.
emotions, mind and purpose). The result is an create the most long-term value has still not been
ability for employees to be open to each others’ touched? Email, telephone calls and a “full mind”
value and ideas – thus coming up with the creative seem to take over. That’s everyday for most people
breakthroughs needed currently in every business. but what are the costs of working in this way?
It’s a program that Roy White, Sony’s HR vice During the program, Sony leaders looked at the
president, and other leaders, believe will pay power of absorbed focus at a time when people’s
particular dividends in the “economic storm”. attention is under siege. They saw first hand the
Indeed, Nishida himself encourages people to take costs of multitasking and then discussed how to take
recovery and remain open to positive challenge in control of the primary source of interruption –
much of his communication and behavior. email. They left with clearer mechanisms to move
The Energy Project work with Sony started from reacting automatically to any demand that
when a pilot group of leaders attended its Firing arises, to one where they are more intentional about
on All Cylinders curriculum. This was a group prioritizing their work so that they focus on what will
comprising key executives of Sony Europe from a deliver the highest value and is of strategic
variety of disciplines, countries and cultures. They importance. It’s this, and their new knowledge about
explored the energy of physical (body), emotional, how to use the whole brain (both right and left
mental and the human spirit (purpose and hemispheres) to best effect that has supported the
meaning) needed to sustain high performance drive for a more creative culture within the
over a four-day program spilt into 2 x 2 day organization.
sessions – two modules in each. During the first of The energy of the human spirit is the uniquely
four modules, Sony leaders explored the concept powerful energy derived from a clear sense of 3
of managing energy versus time; the fact that
human beings are designed to be rhythmic and
the evidence that optimal performance depends
on balancing the expenditure of energy with
intermittent energy renewal. They worked with KEY POINTS
the four key components of physical energy – • The president of Sony Europe is a firm believer in strong leadership and
nutrition, fitness, sleep and daytime recovery –
communication being the backbone of a successful organization.
and learnt how to manage each one more
efficiently and effectively. Each leader had one- • In line with this, employees took part in a program run by The Energy
to-one fitness and nutrition assessments and Project called “Firing on all cylinders”.
attended exercise classes at the beginning of each
morning to help them experience the benefits of • This focused on all areas of employees’ lives including nutrition, fitness
physical energy and how it boosts mental and sleep.
concentration for the day ahead.
• Around 90 percent of participants reported an improvement in their
Gaining control over people’s emotions work/life balance and 75 percent said it had improved their business
In the second module people learnt more about relationships.
emotional energy and recognized how the way
scm Volume 13, Issue 3 April/May 2009 33

36. Helping employees do more with less at Sony Europe
messages that were highly focused, strategic and
“THE RESULT OF THE PILOT WAS ENERGIZED relevant to the audience. Attendees reported
higher retention of information than previous
LEADERS WHO WERE ABLE TO GET MORE conferences and saw how the principles from
DONE, TO A HIGHER QUALITY, IN LESS TIME.” Firing on All Cylinders were resulting in a
positive cultural shift and an environment that
fostered a higher performance.
As a result, there’s a new language of positive
energy and reduced conflict. People can speak to
7 purpose and an alignment between what we say each other about how their emotions are clouding
we value and how we actually live. During this decisions and resolve tensions as a consequence.
portion of the program, the Sony leaders explored During high-concern situations, managers are
the alignment between what each of them “stood encouraged to be more aware of how their
for” and “what they really want”. They also each emotional energy can be better used to manage
received personal fitness programs and nutrition situations in the fairest and most positive way to
recommendations to help sustain the foundation benefit both themselves and their people.
of physical energy. More strategic thinking and better collaboration is
abundant. Renewal for performance is valued and
The results and effects has become the “way we do things around here”.
The result of the pilot was energized leaders who The culture has, and continues to change.
were able to get more done, to a higher quality, in
less time. One leader talks of writing his divisional Two case studies
business plan using the new techniques he learnt on John, a general manager at Sony Europe is a
the program. Being able to recognize where he is great example of the impact across the
physically and mentally when he gets his best ideas, organization. He’s lost two stone in weight, and
he spent time thinking about the different elements trained for a UK relay race spanning 65 miles
in various environments. He then captured his across rough terrain, shared between six people.
thinking in a series of focused sessions that he The group raised just under £3000 for charity.
booked in his diary from 9.00am to 10:30am. He He’s physically fitter and feels able to deal with
asked not to be distracted and turned his telephone much more in all walks of life. Like many, he
and email off. The result was a high quality and didn’t know before that he wasn’t dealing
more differentiated business plan than he and his emotionally and mentally as well as he would with
team had ever created before. It was a higher quality more physical energy and awareness.
piece of work and took less time to complete. The John’s changed his daily work routine too. He
time saved was used for a variety of strategic work now starts work at home at 6.15am, scanning all
and keeping a commitment he’d made after emails, replying to quick ones, and setting “due
participating in the program: to have lunch with a dates” on all actions.
member of his 100+ team each week. When he gets to work he has reserved blocks of
The pilot group of leaders experienced such a time for non-email activities, that aren’t
high personal impact from the program that they interrupted, mainly project work, one-to-one staff
extended a three-day version to their teams. Now meetings and other high value activities.
over 3000 people have attended one of these The result is less multi-tasking, he gets more
three-day versions. Many are now organizing their done, and feels more in control. In fact, he has
own refresher events and group coaching to keep taken back control of the way he conducts his life.
the work going and benefits alive. There are new Pam is another general manager in Sony. She
restaurant menus aligned to the nutrition took part in the program 18 months ago and
knowledge gained in the program. The gym has joined her local gym within a week of completing
been made larger, new classes are busier than it. She contacted a personal trainer that she’d
ever and membership has increased significantly. worked with in the past and has been training
with him twice a week ever since. She’s physically
The European Management Conference fitter than she has ever been, pays much more
At the 2008 European Management Conference attention to her nutrition and now notices how
where Sony Europe assembled their top 150 both nutrition and exercise affect her emotional
people, the agenda was designed around the key energy and focus when she’s slips into bad habits.
principles of energy management to ensure the During a period of high pressure and stress
performance of those attending was maximized. recently she used boxing classes and spinning to
Renewal breaks were taken every 90-120 minutes help keep emotionally positive. She also uses the
and presentations were structured around key practical frameworks and tools given to her on the
program on a daily basis. Within two months
34 scm Volume 13, Issue 3 April/May 2009

37. she’d overcome challenges with a colleague (that to do more with less, to cope with increasing
had existed for some time) by recognizing her demand and diminishing resources, The Firing on
value wasn’t being questioned and realizing the All Cylinders approach has given Sony employees
physical and emotional impact the situation was a new way of working, thinking and being. scm
having upon her. She took control and stopped
being placed in what The Energy Project calls
“the survival zone”. The result is a highly effective “EMPLOYEES SPEAK AT INTERNAL EVENTS
relationship with the individual and much more
time in a highly positive and productive state. She ABOUT THEIR PERSONAL SUCCESS AND HOW
was a top performer before the program but is
now able to sustain that performance with less IT’S MADE SUCH A DIFFERENCE TO THEIR
cost to her and others in the process.
PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE AND PERSONAL
Encouraging employees to stay in touch LIVES.”
Stories like those of John and Pam are captured on
the dedicated intranet portal that has been set up to
help sustain the new ways of working. Employees
are encouraged to tell their stories about success
(and failure) on the site and to visit it regularly for
the latest thinking in each energy zone. There are
helpful hints/tips, book lists and useful resources.
Sony has also used other communication media to
remind people of the key principles and help
support them to make ongoing change. Daily desk
diaries have been produced that are packed full of
energy management tips and stimulus to keep
momentum. Employees speak at internal events
about their personal success and how it’s made such
a difference to their professional performance and
personal lives. Large versions of the emotional map
introduced in the program are used in meetings to
help articulate the emotional impact of discussions
and debate.
Improving performance across the organization
Thousands of people have personal examples of
how they’re able to sustain their performance across
all aspects of life as a result of the program. But the
story doesn’t stop there. Sony employees expressed
higher engagement levels through its employee
annual survey and 75 percent reported that the
program had a positive impact on their business
relationships. Some 90 percent of participants say
increasing renewal breaks has increased their energy
and performance significantly. Around 80 percent
say their work/life balance has improved. Sony has
implemented a new program of volunteer days, and
introduced more sabbaticals.
At it’s heart, The Firing on All Cylinders
curriculum helps individuals take back control of
the way they live their lives. It gives an
opportunity for people to look at the costs of the
way they currently live and explore new ways of
working that give them a better return personally
and professionally. Sony has recognized that this CONTACT DETAILS
is a key part of building a sustainable high
performing business for the future and its people Jane Sparrow
have already seen the benefits. Sony Europe
In a world where increasingly we’re being asked jane.sparrow@eu.sony.com
scm Volume 13, Issue 3 April/May 2009 35

38. MELCRUM TRAINING & EVENTS
CALENDAR 2009
UK/EUROPE
THE 5TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE
SOUTH AFRICA
CORPORATE COMMUNICATION
2009 3 Black Belt 3
19-20 November, 2009
Designed for senior internal communicators who
ON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT MANAGEMENT SUMMIT are responsible for formulating, writing and
presenting the overarching communication
3 13-14 May, 2009 3 3-4 June, 2009 strategy for their organization or division. In this
3 New Connaught Rooms, London 3 The Rosebank - a Protea Hotel, Johannesburg final phase, you’ll have the opportunity to review
your existing internal communication strategy and
Today’s economic environment is putting pressure on This locally produced event will provide delegates leave with comments, suggestions and new ideas
every organization to improve performance. with an exceptional opportunity to learn about for the next 18 months. You'll also be given the
Employees are certainly feeling the pressure and are global trends and developments in corporate and tools to benchmark your strategy against industry
nervous about how it will impact them personally. internal communications; get the inside track on best practice.
key findings from current international and South
How are you responding to this uneasiness in your African corporate communication research; hear
organization? world-class international speakers talk on MELCRUM’S SKILLS TRAINING
Are you still engaging the hearts and minds of your leadership communication; share top traits for COURSES UK
employees and harnessing the increasingly influential communicators in the 21st century; and listen to
force that is employee engagement? best practice case studies from some of South 3 18 May, 2009: Storytelling for audience
Africa’s leading brand companies on how they: engagement
Your challenge is to deliver powerfully motivating 3 19 May, 2009: Mastering brand engagement
communication and HR practices that connect with • Develop effective communication strategies to 3 20 May, 2009: Engaging business writing
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achieve this dual objective will develop your • Improve management communication through Held at Melcrum’s London offices in Hammersmith,
organization through the downturn and prepare it for employee feedback and measurement these new courses are designed to address your key
fast recovery in the eventual upturn. • Create an employee-based values system to challenges and are facilitated by industry experts to
achieve business competitiveness be highly practical and interactive.
Attend Melcrum’s 5th Annual Conference on Employee • Tackle employee communication and
Engagement and learn how to inspire your workforce, stakeholder relations in a negative business You’ll gain techniques to improve the performance of
focus people on a common mission, help them reach climate your team and return to the office with an action plan
new performance levels and ultimately maintain their • Implement sustainable corporate responsibility tailored to your company’s needs.
level of contribution to the business through these programmes as a core of business philosophy
turbulent times and beyond. WEBINARS
Hear from the world’s leading organizations, 3 28 May, 2009: Melcrum’s Change
including five companies listed by The Sunday TRAINING Communication Survival Package
Times and Fortune Magazine as the best
companies to work for. THE INTERNAL COMMUNICATION Melcrum tackles your change challenges head-on
BLACK BELT PROGRAMME – UK with a 90-minute webinar and an 80-page toolkit.
3 Black Belt 1 Melcrum has convened the best in the industry to
4-5 June & 25-26 June, 2009 help. On May 28, 2009 at 11 am ET, dial in and
15-16 Sept & 6-7 Oct, 2009 learn from Terry McKenzie, Karen Horn and Andy
Led by Sue Dewhurst and Sally Hinder, the Internal Szpekman - three seasoned practitioners who will
FOR MORE INFORMATION Communication Black Belt Program is a high give you the straight story on managing change in
impact four-day residential course located in the your organization.
To find out more about Melcrum events: purpose-built facilities of Cranfield School of
Management.
Website: www.melcrum.com
Email: events@melcrum.com 3 Black Belt 2
2-3 September & 22-23 Oct, 2009
US/Canada Black Belt 2 is for internal communicators who are
Tel: 866 MELCRUM or 312.379.6500 competent at developing and implementing
communication plans to support a range of
Other: business scenarios and want to become “trusted
+44 (0)20 8600 4670 advisors”, spending a greater proportion of their
time consulting and coaching rather than “doing”.
36 scm Volume 13 Issue 3 April/May 2009

39. LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
NEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS? THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS.
CONSULTANCY AND INTERIMS DESIGN
COMMA BLUE GOOSE
Comma is a specialist internal communications blue goose specialize in visual communications. We make communications work faster and better. We will link what we
consultancy. Our difference lies in our highly focused and do back to your objectives but we don’t talk (or charge for) “strategy” when you simply want tactical implementation. We
practical problem-solving approach. use design and creativity to:
• differentiate products and services;
We help clients use communication to drive change, • develop and manage corporate and brand identity;
motivate and engage their people, embed strategy and • align external communications with agreed values;
improve organisational performance. We do this by: • internalize corporate and brand identity;
• align internal communications with agreed values;
• Helping leaders be effective communicators • support organizational change; and
• Supporting the clear communication of company • help organizations better understand and define who they are.
vision and strategy
• Helping organisations to speak with one voice We work for clients as diverse as: PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ford Europe, Centrica plc, Greene King, City of London Police,
• Managing through a crisis – providing practical and Le Méridien.
advice and support
• Enabling companies to take their people with them blue goose is for any organization more interested in designing their future than watching it happen.
through change
• Improving the capability of internal communications Contact: Chris Barrington
teams Email: thinking@bluegoose.co.uk
and Tel: +44 (0)20 8869 8500
• Providing high calibre interims – simply and quickly. Website: www.bluegoose.co.uk
Contact: Colette Dorward (consultancy)/Virginia
Hicks (interims)
CONSULTANCY
Tel: +44 (0)207 487 1120
Email: team@commaconsulting.com
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION &
SURVEYS PTY LTD
CONSULTANCY Employee Communication & Surveys Pty Ltd is a
boutique consultancy based in Sydney, Australia. It
HEDRON specializes in employee communication strategies,
comma (n), punctuation mark (,), a discrete intervention that creates
systems, research and employee surveys of all kinds.
meaning Internal and change communication that helps teams
Principal Rodney Gray has been involved in
and individuals to develop strategies, relationships,
organizational consulting for over 20 years following a
processes and skills to engage stakeholders, support
15-year career as a corporate human resources
high performance and deliver change.
executive. Services include:
• Employee communication audits and surveys by
CONSULTANCY “Sharp strategic thinking, quality execution, effective
questionnaires, focus groups and interviews.
interpersonally…” “Creativity, drive, resourcefulness,
• Employee communication systems, strategies and
results, great fun…,” say clients.
processes.
• Employee communication training workshops and
Our clients are happy to tell you what it’s like working
talks.
with us – Barratt Developments, Cadbury Schweppes,
• Employee culture, climate and opinion surveys.
Celerant, Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Department
• Qualitative organizational diagnosis (focus groups
for Children, Schools & Families, Healthcare
and interviews).
Commission, Help the Aged, Lloyds TSB, Prudential,
• Internal service quality research (qualitative and
SABMiller, Siemens, Southern Rail, Unilever.
quantitative).
Contact: Rodney Gray
Contact: Helena Memory
Tel: +61 (0)2 9909 2900
Tel: + 44 (0) 20 7493 0735
Fax: +61 (0)2 9909 2911
Fax: + 44 (0) 20 7493 0743
Email: rodney@rodneygray.com.au
Email: helena-m@hedron.com
Website: www.employee-communication.com.au
Website: www.hedron.com
Employee Communication & Surveys Pty Ltd
scm Volume 13 Issue 3 April/May 2009

40. LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
NEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS? THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS.
CONSULTANCY VIDEO COMMUNICATION
THE FIFTH BUSINESS TILLING PRODUCTIONS
Passion. Innovation. Team work and good listening. • Our passion is targeted video communication. We design, package and deliver your message to be effective,
Delivered fast, with a heavy dose of imagination, good impactful and engaging.
humour and reliability. • Our services are video production and webcasting. We deliver these via events, web TV, DVDs, and interactive
presentations.
This is how we work at The Fifth Business, where our • Our clients are some of the UK’s most successful companies including BP, Castrol, BSkyB, E.ON and Lloyds TSB, as
people create inspiring solutions that engage your people well as public sector bodies including The Treasury.
to deliver success. • Our company is innovative and cutting edge in its approach. Our team is passionate, knowledgeable and driven to
produce results.
So what exactly is it that we do? • Our pledge is to exceed your expectations with our level of service, creativity and the value we add.
• Our reputation: “Tillings are an outstanding partner on all aspects of video production. Not only is their technical
Whether you need to communicate a new corporate and creative approach to video production world class, their dedication and commitment to a high quality product,
initiative, successfully manage an IT rollout, or develop relentless focus on meeting deadlines and professional approach to client relations sets them apart.”
an engagement campaign that enrols your people in (Communications Director - BP Refining and Marketing)
change we can help.
Email or call to find out more, receive a brochure or gain access to our online video showcase of recent work.
We will work with you to develop the right messages, at
the right times, using the right channels, to create the Contact: Bart Bailey
right impact to capture value for your business. Email: bart.bailey@tillingproductions.com
Tel: +44 (0)1895 824022/+44 (0)7810 867540
Contact: Gavin Aldrich Website: www.tillingproductions.com
Tel: +44 (0)20 75349099
Website: www.fifthbusiness.com
CONSULTANCY AND COMMUNICATIONS
WMW
WMW is a business to people communications agency made up of thinkers, writers, artists, organisers and dreamers.
What we communicate from businesses to their people are persuasive reasons why they should put their all into their
work; ‘persuasive’ because they are both in the interests of the organisation and in the self-interest of the individual
employee. We call this happy marriage of interests ‘The Deal’.
We use this deal to drive engagement, recruitment and change through all kinds of creative comms including:
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES press ads; radio ads; brochures; leaflets; posters; outdoor; exhibition stands; desk drops; direct mail; websites;
microsites; banners; HTML emails; Web 2.0; interactive presentations; Flash games; videos; cascade packs; logos and
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE? icons; events; speechwriting; building branding; comms training; employee research; employer brand
A listing in our Directory of Services will give consultancy…well, you get the gist.
you a chance to reach communication
professionals at some of the world’s largest Put simply, WMW helps interesting and influential organisations power their business by empowering their people. We
and most admired companies, and to tap into do this for AIG, Atkins, Barclays, British Gas, InBev, Lloyd’s Register, M&S, O2, PepsiCo and Premier Foods. Perhaps we
decision-making practitioners. can help you too?
Contact: Cristina Harvey
Contact:
Email: cristina.harvey@wmwuk.net
Laura Hassan
Tel: +44 (0)20 7579 1250
Tel: +44 (0)20 8600 4670 Website: www.wmwuk.net
Email: laura.hassan@melcrum.com
38 scm Volume 13, Issue 3 April/May 2009

41. INCLUDE YOUR COMPANY BY CONTACTING US ON +44(0)20 8600 4670, OR AT: INFO@MELCRUM.COM
CONSULTANCY CONSULTANCY COACHING
JFL SEARCH & SELECTION HARKNESSKENNETT INTERACT TRAINING SOLUTIONS
JFL is the specialist search and selection recruitment Making a real difference to how organisations Do you want to develop your effectiveness as a
consultancy for the communications industry, placing communicate communications professional? Do you want to improve the
candidates with leading brands and agencies across a performance and potential of your business?
wide range of sectors. HarknessKennett is a different kind of internal
communications consultancy. Our consultants have all We provide coaching services for internal communications
With over 35 years’ industry knowledge and experience, held senior positions on the ‘client side’. We pride specialists, including;
we understand our clients’ needs and the increasingly ourselves on ‘hitting the ground running’ and working in • “Coaching for Communicators” seminars – developing
important role communication plays in business. partnership to develop straightforward internal powerful coaching techniques you can use with your key
communication solutions. 82% of our clients have stakeholders.
Our consultants are passionate about people so whoever requested repeat work. • Personal coaching – helping you achieve your full
you are seeking – graduate entry-level, Managing potential, resolve issues holding you back, and
Director, permanent, interim or freelance – we are We also support clients with their interim placements, transforming your career.
committed to finding the right candidate for the job. whether it’s strategy or implementation, we can provide • Team Coaching – empowering your team to achieve
an interim consultant to help. outstanding results.
Contact us to find the perfect communications
professional for your business. Our clients include Abbey, Allianz, Arup, The Cabinet Sign up for our next seminar to receive a complimentary
Office, Centrica, EON UK, Leonard Cheshire, M&S Money, coaching session (value – £100). Visit our website for more
Contact: Lucy Hepton or Edwina Rankin Procter & Gamble, Shell and South West Trains. details and to receive your FREE report – “A Guide to
Tel: +44 (0)20 7009 3500 Coaching for Communicators”.
Website: www.jflrecruit.com Our vision is simple – we want to be the first call
you make. Contact: Julie Blunt
Tel: 01525 713686
Contact: James Harkness Email: julie.blunt@interacttraining.co.uk
Tel: +44 (0)1483 222730 Website: www.interacttraining.co.uk
Email: james.harkness@harknesskennett.com
Website: www.harknesskennett.com
CONSULTANCY
SYNOPSIS
Founded by change and communication authority Bill Quirke, Synopsis is one of Europe’s leading internal communication
consultancies. Our clients include such companies as AstraZeneca, BBC, BP, British Airways, Diageo, Ericsson, HP, Lloyds
TSB, Roche, Shell and Vodafone.
We help clients use internal communication to engage their employees in delivering business strategy, and get most value
from their internal communication.
We can help you:
• Develop communication strategies that support your business strategy
• Coach leaders
• Develop line managers’ communication skills
• Develop your internal communicators and get more value from the internal communication function
• Plan and coordinate your communication with our online planning tool
• Check the health of your communication channels and improve return on investment
• Build and develop the communication function
• Measure and track employee engagement, attitudes and opinions
To take a tour of our online planning tool go to: www.synopsisonline.com/product/planningtool.asp
Contact: Jane Lebeau
Email: jane.lebeau@synopsisonline.com
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7490 2900
Website: www.synopsisonline.com
scm Volume 13, Issue 3 April/May 2009 39

42. LEADING CONTACTS IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
NEED HELP IN COMMUNICATIONS? THIS DIRECTORY OFFERS YOU LEADING INDUSTRY CONTACTS.
CONSULTANCY CONSULTANCY RECRUITMENT
IBIS COMMUNICATION HILL & KNOWLTON VMA GROUP
Engaging employees is one of the most fundamental Change is inevitable, suffering is optional... VMA Group is one of the UK’s leading executive search
challenges facing today’s organisations. Why? Because and selection consultancies specializing in internal and
in a competitive world, engaged people deliver superior We know change and internal communication but, corporate communication recruitment.
performance and help achieve better business results. importantly, we’ve been in your shoes. Together the team
has over 20 years of ‘in-house’ experience and For over 25 years, VMA Group has provided the highest
To help understand levels of engagement in expertise. We understand the challenges and the level of service to some of the most demanding global
organisations, we’ve developed a methodology called the complications you face. We’ve worked in financial organizations, developing a strong track record for the
State of Engagement™ – and we’d love to tell you more services, technology, professional services, quality and professionalism of our search and
about it. Go to www.ibiscommunication.co.uk and click pharmaceuticals and retail. We understand the cultures. selection work.
on State of Engagement™ to see our UK benchmarks.
And as well as surveys we also We THINK and DO. We’ve been at the forefront of thought We have in-depth specialist knowledge of the internal
• Conduct qualitative research leadership for the last 10 years but we are also equally communication market and can provide high-quality
• Undertake communication audits passionate about delivery. Whether it is a leadership permanent and interim candidates with expertise across
• Prepare communication strategies and plans programme, delivering communication training to internal communication, change management and wider
• Shape company messages managers, supporting integration during mergers and corporate communication. We understand the needs of
• Implement communication campaigns acquisitions or, more topically, restructures and our clients intrinsically and strive to develop long-term
• Deliver manager training to make face-to-face redundancy programmes. relationships with clients and candidates alike.
channels work
• Facilitate management workshops and conferences Contact: Please call to discuss how we can help you find the
• Measure communication impact EMEA: Jonathon.Scott@hillandknowlton.com ideal candidate, or if you wish to make a career move.
USA: Barbara.Edler@hillandknowlton.com
With heaps of experience, an impressive list of happy Canada: Amanda.Brewer@hillandknowlton.com Contact: David Broome
clients and a real passion for what we do, we’d love to be Asia: Glen.Schloss@hillandknowlton.com Tel: +44 (0)20 7436 4243
working with you! Email: dbroome@vmagroup.co.uk
Website: www.vmagroup.co.uk
Contact: Paul Roberts
Tel: +44 (0)1494 616 043
Email: paul@ibiscommunication.co.uk
Website: www.ibiscommunication.co.uk
DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE?
A listing in our Directory of Services will give
you a chance to reach communication
professionals at some of the world’s largest
and most admired companies, and to tap into
decision-making practitioners.
Contact:
Laura Hassan
Tel: +44 (0)20 8600 4670
Email: laura.hassan@melcrum.com
40 scm Volume 13, Issue 3 April/May 2009