| Name: | Description: | Size: | Format: | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.85 MB | Adobe PDF |
Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Introduction and Purpose of the Study
The current context is characterized by high dynamism, competitiveness and uncertainty, consequently creating new challenges for organizations, in terms of not only business but also regarding the relationship management with employees.
The paradigm has changed, and organizations are facing a new employee profile, who is not looking for a job for life, but professional development, recognition and new experiences. Therefore, the employee is no longer seen as a number, but is perceived as a person, with unique values, expectations, needs and skills. Consequently, organizations began to look more inwardly, showing greater concern for their employees and their contribution for organizational reputation.
In this sense, it is necessary to know the reality of organizations and understand their vision on internal communication and the way the function is managed, drawing useful resources and knowledge that can contribute to its development.
The main goal is to present a proposal for a Best Practices Guide that can contribute to increase knowledge about internal communication and help its professionals to improve or introduce the function in organizations.
Literature Review
Within the scope of this investigation, internal communication is placed as one of Public Relations (PR) areas, understood as a strategic function that combines philosophies, values, purposes, people, meanings, channels and practices. It is a decisive element in organizations, acting as an agent of change and promoting internal cohesion (Men & Bowen, 2017; Brandão, 2018). The purpose of internal communication is to inform, engage and connect employees, aligning them with the organization.
PR emphasizes the strategic and multidisciplinary nature of internal communication, arguing that it is the function responsible for the strategic management of relationships and interactions within the organization at all levels, contributing to employee's commitment and engagement, as well as to the achievement of business goals and organizational success.
Methodology
The Best Practices Guide was built from a literature review and face-to-face interviews with Portuguese organizations from different sectors - consulting, aeronautical industry, retail, air transport, Portuguese Armed Forced, third sector (consumer protection) and energy - that shared their vision and experience regarding internal communication. One of the founding members of The Internal Communication and Corporate Identity Observatory (OCI), which has contributed to the development of internal communication, was also interviewed. The collected data were analyzed through a Qualitative Content Analysis. In order to give more support to the interpretation of the results, an accounting of the coding units was also carried out.
Results and Conclusion
This research has allowed to understand that each organization is unique, as well as its way of managing internal communication, which is influenced by several factors such as the activity sector, organizational structure and culture, leadership style, size and business strategy. Although some common elements can be found between the organizations, these factors will create special conditions for internal communication that can hardly be replicated in other contexts. Despite the differences observed in organizations, the transformation process that society, people and business are going through are common to all of them.
Internal communication has been playing an important role, not only in helping organizations to be more flexible and to adapt to this new reality, but also in creating new spaces and forms of communication to face these changes. Even so, communication is still not one of the main priorities for organizations, lagging behind business areas and not being properly represented on the organizations boards.
Organizations have a practical view of internal communication, and therefore the way their professionals perceive and manage the function is related to the day-to-day experience, the strategic priorities and the profile of employees. Consequently, it was possible to observe significant differences between the organizations interviewed and to identify best practices in all of them.
Even though these best practices must be adapted to the context, dimension, strategy and purpose of each organization, they can make a difference in the results and effectiveness of internal communication.
Practical and social implications
This investigation contributes to clarify the Public Relations view about internal communication and to a greater knowledge of the function, namely its practical aspects and the crucial role it plays in the success of organizations. Likewise, the Best Practices Guide represents an approximation between the academy and the market, joining two distinct views, which complement each other.
It is expected that this Guide generate some discussion and reflection, not only on the internal communication itself, but also on the role that it can play during this transformation period that organizations are facing and which has been shaping their way of acting and working, as well as the relationship with their most important stakeholder: the employees.
Description
Keywords
Public relations Internal communication Employees Strategy Best practices
Citation
Raposo, A. & Veiga, I. (2020, jul, 03-04). Internal communication as a strategic function in organizations: Proposal for a best practices guide in internal communication. Paper presented, online, at BledCom 2020 (27th International Public Relations Research Symposium), Bled, Slovenia.
Publisher
University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Social Sciences