Post on 14-Jan-2016
Measure twice, cut once:Preparing to communicate the new brand internallyMaurice Harris, Director, Internal Communications
25 Feburary 2013
CONFIDENTIAL – FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY
FirstGroup Profile and Org Structure
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FirstVehicleServices
GreyhoundFirst
TransitFirst
Student
FirstGroup America
14,000
800
CONFIDENTIAL – FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY
Internal Communications Profile
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Field OperationsInternal CommsCorporate HQ
The model conceptualizes innovation, competitiveness, and organizational effectiveness as organizational outcomes of employee engagement promoted by effective internal corporate communication (Welch, 2011).
CONFIDENTIAL – FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY
The Role of Internal Communications
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• Psychological presence at work (Kahn,1992)
• The antecedent to high performance (Barrett, 2002; Schuster, 1998)
• The #1 driver of employee engagement
• The top factor behind successful change
CONFIDENTIAL – FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY
FirstGroup’s Strategic Focuses
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First StudentEFFICIENCY
First Transit & First Services
EMPLOYEEDEVELOPMENT/REBRANDING
GreyhoundREVITALIZATION/
CUSTOMER SERVICE
CONFIDENTIAL – FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY
Identifying the Problem: Different Businesses, Similar Opportunities
• Lack of access to information networks
• “Us v. Them” mentality
• Top-down decisions based on assumptions
• The perpetuation of ineffective communication vehicles
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CONFIDENTIAL – FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY
Quantifying the Problem
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16% of Salary Budget!(Hempel & O’Conner, 2008)
Of the factors that influence employees to work for one company rather than another, open communication ranks highest (Therkelsen & Fiebich, 2003).
CONFIDENTIAL – FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY
Communication Research Methods
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• Self administered questionnaires• 21 locations
• 715 Non-management respondents
• 60 management respondents
• Observation Studies
• Focus Groups• 3 locations
CONFIDENTIAL – FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY
Findings
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• Employees understand the importance of communication to their specific role as well as their engagement in the company.
• In general, most non-management staff were not receiving any company communications, even when managers were asked to share it widely.
• Managers are overwhelmed by the amount of communication they receive and would like help streamlining, organizing and prioritizing it.
• Employees want access to technology that will allow them to communicate more easily across the company.
CONFIDENTIAL – FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY10
Revise…Reset
• (Re)Define the expectations• Leverage internal comms as an external
marketing catalyst• Make “Culture” a strategic imperative
CONFIDENTIAL – FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY11
Thank you.