Importance of Internal Communications
Title: Importance of Internal Communications for a company and two case studies.
Internal communications is considered a vital tool for connecting people within the company. It does not refer only to those few “official” channels of communication in a company, it is also the strategic management of information flows to ensure the optima level of employee engagement. (Civicus, 2001) This business context of communication is a dual listening process. It is a top-down, bottom-up, side-to-side communication harnessed as a means of delivering messages, listening to concerns and motivating staff. Maintaining a good internal communications within a company could reinforce the vision, values and culture among employees, who can then communicate it to internal and external audiences. Internal communications aims to ensure that employees in the company work together towards the same goal, know what they should be doing and by when.
Internal communication has evolved various ways of communicating internally. Traditionally, it started off with informal and formal one-to-one and one-to-many meetings where usually the ‘the boss’ would communicate in a highly one-way fashion with employees. (Lee, 2006) In this case the message is mostly communicated in one way, it does not include feedback from the message recipients. When print materials were introduced, it was then involved for formal, top-down transmission, for instance, company annual report. Internal communication then evolved to the digital era where Internet was highly used as a communication tool. When email was introduced into the business settings and with it the nature of communication has radically changed. (Lee, 2006) As the digital technology advances, internal communication has evolved to the point where not only can employees and employers freely email each other, forward messages without any editing (showing the whole conversational trail), and forward those messages outside of the corporate walls,
Internal communications is considered a vital tool for connecting people within the company. It does not refer only to those few “official” channels of communication in a company, it is also the strategic management of information flows to ensure the optima level of employee engagement. (Civicus, 2001) This business context of communication is a dual listening process. It is a top-down, bottom-up, side-to-side communication harnessed as a means of delivering messages, listening to concerns and motivating staff. Maintaining a good internal communications within a company could reinforce the vision, values and culture among employees, who can then communicate it to internal and external audiences. Internal communications aims to ensure that employees in the company work together towards the same goal, know what they should be doing and by when.
Internal communication has evolved various ways of communicating internally. Traditionally, it started off with informal and formal one-to-one and one-to-many meetings where usually the ‘the boss’ would communicate in a highly one-way fashion with employees. (Lee, 2006) In this case the message is mostly communicated in one way, it does not include feedback from the message recipients. When print materials were introduced, it was then involved for formal, top-down transmission, for instance, company annual report. Internal communication then evolved to the digital era where Internet was highly used as a communication tool. When email was introduced into the business settings and with it the nature of communication has radically changed. (Lee, 2006) As the digital technology advances, internal communication has evolved to the point where not only can employees and employers freely email each other, forward messages without any editing (showing the whole conversational trail), and forward those messages outside of the corporate walls,
References: Brown, D, (2002) Internal communications should be of vital importance to any business - The Business Review. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/stories/2002/08/19/focus7.html?page=all. [Accessed 09 January 2013]. Deshmukh, G. (2005) The importance of internal communication - Express Computer. [ONLINE] Available at: http://computer.financialexpress.com/20050207/technologylife01.shtml. [Accessed 09 January 2013]. Kass, K Lee, H.K. (2006), What is internal communication?. 2013. What is internal communication?. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.leehopkins.net/2006/07/06/what-is-internal-communication/. [Accessed 09 January 2013]. Smith, L. (2008). Effective Internal Communication. 2nd Edition. London: Kogan Page Limited Trout, W WK Consulting, (2010) . 12 top tips for internal communications | internal communications consultants | WK Consulting. [ONLINE] Available at: http://wkconsulting.co.uk/about-us/special-focus/internal-communications.php. [Accessed 09 January 2013].