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May you live in interesting times” is an ancient Chinese curse and Abbey , the Child Support Agency and Getty Images have had interesting times in spades. At a conference representatives from each talked about their different approaches. Steve Nichols (steve@infotechcomms.co.uk) of InfoTech Communications was there to listen. Abbey learned that relaunching a brand isn't a time when conventional communication techniques work. Sarah Larvor, head of employee communications at Abbey, steered employee communications through the bank's biggest and most radical changes since demutualisation. She believes introducing new communications tools and revamping existing channels was vital to help kick start a change in behaviours and attitudes to support the bank's new vision. Every member of staff was given a copy of a book entitled "Banking on its Head". Written in a friendly, plain English style, the book was all about the company's re-branding and was designed to be colourful and accessible. Outlining the key lessons learned during the brand relaunch, Sarah said being involved from the start was critical. With chief executive Luqman Arnold's open approach and belief in effective communication, Sarah's team was able to discuss the strategy and planning process in advance. Other critical factors included:
"Through feedback from across the company we know we've made a good start but we need to keep the pressure on so that our people can really deliver the brand promise we've made," she concluded. Sharon McKee of the Child Support Agency (CSA) said that when she joined the organisation it was beset by media hammerings, demonstrations and death threats. "We had to rebuild our communications plan and ensure that it fitted with our corporate strategy to support our business objectives," said Sharon. "We recruited more communications staff and invested heavily in training." A switch to faster electronic communications, more conferences and talk-back days, where employees were guaranteed a response to their questions to directors within 24 hours, all helped engage employees. "We learned that communication is a balancing act. It is very easy not to communicate, but it is also easy to make people suffer from information overload," said Sharon. The CSA re-emphasised its child-centered focus - to remind staff that what they are doing is important and worthy. "We make sure that staff know about our successes to acknowledge that they are doing a good job," concluded Sharon. "It is essential that communications delivers the business objectives - it is not an add-on or something that is just 'fluffy', but you have to get it right. As the saying goes: 'Think like a wise man, but communicate in the language of the people'," Sharon concluded. Conference co-sponsor Getty Images had a unique problem with communicating its brand to staff. As an organisation developed as a result of more than 30 acquisitions, the company had no brand. As Warwick Woodhouse, senior VP Organisational Development, explained, Getty Images had too many people, too many offices and too many web sites. "We also had disparate cultures, hierarchies, leadership styles and politics," explained Warwick. "We had no 'glue' to bind the company." A major internal communications campaign is now turning the company into a single coherent entity. "We rid ourselves of our sub-brands, got everyone talking about Getty Images, instigated global job swaps and developed a new leadership culture, based on trustworthiness, transparency and openness," said Warwick. "We added theatre workshops for staff, competitions, and regular feedback sessions which are now bringing people together. "The irony is that our products helps people communicate," joked Warwick. Getty Images has a team of 80 photographers covering 500 shoots a year and has more than 2.5m editorial images at its disposal. |
