Internal communications (IC) is the function responsible for effective communications among participants within an organization. The scope of the function varies by organization and practitioner, from producing and delivering messages and campaigns on behalf of management, to facilitating two-way dialogue and developing the communication skills of the organization's participants.
Internal communication is meant by a group of processes that are responsible for effective information circulation and collaboration between the participants in an organization. Modern understanding of internal communications is a field of its own and draws on the theory and practice of related professions, not least journalism, knowledge management, public relations (e.g., media relations), marketing and human resources, as well as wider organizational studies, communication theory, social psychology, sociology and political science.
History of internal communications
Large organizations have a long history of promoting pride and a sense of unity among the employees of the company, evidenced in the cultural productions of Victorian-era soap manufacturers as far apart as the UK's Lever Brothers and the Larkin Soap Company of Buffalo, New York.
Internal communications is fundamentally a management discipline, but as a discrete discipline of organizational theory it is relatively young. Stanford associate professor Alex Heron's Sharing Information with Employees (1943) is an outlier among texts which focus solely on the factors involved. During the 1970s the subject attracted more attention in academic circles but it is only since around 2000 that employee communications has really attracted attention to a significant degree among scholars.
Writing in 2013, Ruck and Yaxley explore how the discipline evolved from the days of employee publications in the late 19th century. As organizations became more complex, the impetus to communicate with employees grew and led to the emergence of an increasingly specialised discipline.
In the UK in 2023, Michael Heller and Joe Chick were undertaking an Economic and Social Research Council-funded project, An Institutional History of Internal Communication in the UK. The project integrates historical research with organizational theory and involves 20 organizations, six involved in the practice of IC in the UK, and 14 which historically practiced internal communication.An Institutional History of Internal Communication in the UK. Accessed: 25 July 2023.
Role of IC in the organization
The job of an IC manager or IC team will vary from place to place and will depend on the needs of the organization they serve. In one, the IC function may perform the role of 'internal marketing' (i.e., attempting to win participants over to the management vision of the organization); in another, it might perform a 'logistical' service as channel manager; in a third, it might act principally as strategic adviser. Kevin Ruck argues that the role may include acting as the ears of the organization and a conduit for employee voice.
There is a practical distinction to make between managed communication and regular interactions among teams or between managers and subordinates. Minzbergcited in Hargie O. and Tourish D. (eds), (2004) Handbook of Communication Audits for Organisations. London, Routledge. talks about the fact that communicating is intrinsic to the work of a manager - especially so in an information society. Interpersonal communications in the workplace are explored by writers such as Phillip ClampittClampitt, P. (2005). Communicating for Managerial Effectiveness. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc. and Hargie and Tourish.Tourish, D. and Hargie, O. (eds), (2000). Handbook of Communication Audits for Organisations. London, Routledge.
There are a number of reasons why organizations should be concerned with internal communication.see Yeomans, L. and FitzPatrick, L., "Internal communication", in Tench, R. and Yeomans, L., (2017). Exploring Public Relations (4th ed). Pearson Education. Employees are the heart and soul of an organization, thus it is critical to pay attention to their needs. An engaged and committed employee work force increases and drives business results. Employee engagement encourages higher employee performance, results in lower turnover and offers competitive advantage. Even in a difficult economy, companies need to inspire and retain high performers. Research undertaken in the United States and the UK in 2008 revealed "the scale and impact on businesses" of 'employee misunderstanding', defined as "actions taken by employees who have misunderstood or misinterpreted (or were misinformed about or lack confidence in their understanding) of company policies, business processes and/or job function".Cognisco (2008), $37 billion - US and UK businesses count the cost of employee misunderstanding, published 18 June 2008, accessed 16 January 2021
Importantly, there is commonly a legal requirement for organizations to communicate with their workers. In large organizations in Europe, for example, the EU has made very specific provision about workers' rights to be informed and consulted with (Directive 94/45/EC on Works Councils).
Effective internal communications is commonly understood by practitioners to improve employee engagement (see, for example, the UK government-sponsored Macleod Report)Macleod D, Clarke N (2009) Engaging for Success: enhancing performance through employee engagement, Department for Business Innovation and Skills, www.bis.gov.uk, http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file52215.pdf and therefore to add significant value to organizations in terms of productivity, staff retention or external advocacy.
As noted in Quirke (2008):Quirke, B. (2008). Making the Connections: Using Internal Communications to Turn Strategy into Action, Burlington, VT: Gower Publishing Company. "Traditionally, internal communications has focused on the announcement of management conclusions and the packaging of management thinking into messages for mass distribution to the 'troops. Research indicates a limit to the value of this 'broadcasting' model of IC. Without feedback loops and harnessing the active involvement and mediation skills of frontline supervisors or team leaders, broadcasting tends to be more effective at influencing senior and middle managers than frontline employees - see, for example, Larkin and Larkin (1994).Larkin, T.J. and Larkin, S. (1994). Communicating Change: Winning Employee Support for New Business Goals, New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
As the IC function matures within the organization, then, it may come to play a wider role in facilitating conversations "upwards", "downwards" and "across" the organization, per Stohl (1995).Stohl, C. (1995). Organizational Communication: Connectedness in Action, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Inc. Organizations increasingly see IC as playing a role in external reputation management. Joep Cornelissen in his book Corporate CommunicationsCornelissen, J. (2004). Corporate Communication: A Guide to Theory and Practice, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sge Publications, Inc. touches on the relationship between reputation and internal conversations. This trend reaches its full potential with the arrival of new 'norms' and customer expectations around social media, for example in the work of Scoble and Israel.Scoble, R. and Israel, S. (2006) Naked Conversations: How Blogs are Changing the Way Businesses Talk to Customers, Hoboken NJ, Wiley & Sons. Market researchers MORIDawkins, jenny (2004) "Corporate Responsibility: The Communication Challenge", Journal of Communication Management; p.108 have likewise highlighted the effects of employee advocacy on an organization's external reputation.
IC managers help senior leaders think strategically about how their decisions will be perceived internally and externally. The value added by a strong IC capability is typically explained as making a contribution to positive employee engagement.
Internal communication strategy
As suggested above, employee communications strategy is founded on the essential question of what results does an organization need to achieve. Specifically, many practitioners talk in terms of 'outcomes' rather than 'outputs'; their concern is what actions are needed from employees rather than what tools or content should the IC team be producing. Some writers talk about the DO-FEEL-KNOW challenge.Tench, R. and Yeomans, L., (2017). Exploring Public Relations (4th ed). Pearson Education. The actions needed of a workforce might be to work differently in support of a new business strategy, to follow safer practices or perhaps deliver a particular customer experience. The role of the internal communicator is to identify the behaviour required of staff and then consider what emotional and informational needs will help the staff adopt the desired behaviour.Ruck, M.K. (ed.), 2015. Exploring Internal Communication: Towards Informed Employee Voice. Gower Publishing Ltd.
Specific projects or programmes will then develop detailed plans which include insight into: Audience (or public) - who do we need to influence and what matters to them Messaging - what ideas are likely to inspire staff to follow the desired actions Overall approach - For example, is a campaigning approach needed, or will we be able to simply use a few articles in an internal publication? Is the intention to tell people, excite them or ask for their input? Channel choices - how can we reach all types of employees including front-line workers? Timescales and resources - what tools do we have available to reach employees? Evaluation and tracking - how will we know if we are achieving our results?
Message distribution Formal channels typically fall into one of four broad categories: Electronic: Communications that are delivered and/or accessed electronically, either by computer, telephone, television or other devices. Examples include email, intranet, video and webcasts, DVD, electronic newsletters, podcasts, blogs, wikis, voicemail, conference calls, SMS text messaging, screensaver messaging, desktop news feeds, internal social media tools and team chat tools. Print: Paper-based communications. Examples include magazines, newsletters, brochures, postcards and other 'desk drops', posters, memos, communication packs or 'toolkits' for line managers, etc. Face-to-face: One-to-one and one-to-many forums where people are physically present. Examples include a 'cascade' of team meetings or briefings, conferences, site visits, 'back to the floor', consultation forums, 'brown bag' lunches, round-table discussions, 'town meetings', etc. Workspace: The working environment. Examples include notice boards, plasma and LCD screens, accessories (e.g.: mousemats), window decals, etc.
Informal channels reflect the non-linear dynamics of a social network and can be as influential, if not more so, than official channels, often more likely to stimulate and create discussion and dialogue. The channels may manifest themselves via the rumour-mill, water-cooler conversations, social networking, graffiti, spoof newsletters, etc.
Selecting channels One of the key challenges any internal communicator will face is how to select the right channels - and the right mix of channels - for both the audience and the message. Bill Quirke offers a simplistic guide; see WeickWeick, K.E. (1995) Sensemaking in Organizations, Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc. for some theoretical grounds for this basic insight.
The practical considerations are: Availability: what channels either already exist within the organization or can be introduced effectively? Audience: who are they, where are they based, how do they prefer to access information and how effective will the proposed channel be in reaching them and engaging them? Objectives: what does the organization want people to learn, think, feel or do as a result of the message?