Future of Internal Communication

The forces disrupting business are confounding organisational leaders across the board. As the months pass, it’s increasingly clear no amount of command-and-control executive dogma will reinstate economic stability. New operating and organising frameworks are needed, ones that introduce flexibility and optimal market-responsiveness for accelerated business performance. In this episode, leading organisational change and HR thinker Perry Timms introduces the concept of the Polymorphic Organisation.

In the first episode of 2026, Neil Carberry, CEO of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation returns to the podcast to discuss labour market trends with Jen, Dom and Cat. The REC’s monthly report on jobs, produced by S&P Global in association with KPMG, has become a go-to resource for enhanced understanding of UK labour market dynamics. Hiring, employment, redundancies, unemployment, salaries and wage inflation or stagnation all have implications for internal communicators and the way they interact with colleagues and other stakeholders.

Few jobs will remain unchanged by AI and automation. According to the World Economic Forum, 59% of the global workforce will need reskilling by 2030. Within the realm of internal communication, developments in GenerativeAI mean any work that involves writing and documentation is set to be transformed by increasingly sophisticated digital tools that promise enhanced operational efficiency. What does this mean for internal communicators? In this episode Jen, Dom and Cat chat with IoIC fellow Joe Salmon to explore the future of internal communication.

Leading an organisation has never been more challenging. As the forces impacting business performance grow ever more complex, trading conditions are increasingly tumultuous. Traditional management tools are no longer effective. Leaders must find different ways to explore the unknown and shore up operating resilience. In this episode, Cat, Jen and Dom are joined by entrepreneur, CEO, writer and keynote speaker Margaret Heffernan to explore the power of conversation in unleashing fresh thinking.

As the global economy grows ever more complex and uncertain, new skills are needed. Endless streams of new enterprise technology, deteriorating international relations, the rise of populist leaders, climate chaos, misinformation and disinformation – there’s no shortage of issues confounding modern leaders. In this episode, leadership advisor, coach and futurist Louise Mowbray sets out the new skills for future-focused leadership.

Since the start of 2025, many organisations have reduced or cancelled DEI activities in deference to the rise of illiberalism across the globe. Already marginalised groups are increasingly nervous that a new wave of right-wing politicians is endorsing racism, sexism, homophobia and other prejudices. In this episode, Dom, Jen and Cat meet with Manchester Metropolitan University’s Head of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, to explore why inclusion remains a mission-critical issue for organisational performance.

As media outlets continue to focus on the transformative nature of AI, a key point remains overlooked. In the UK in 2025, digital inclusion - equitable access to and use of information and communications technologies for participation in social and economic life – remains problematic for many. 7.9m lack basic digital skills and 3.7million UK families sit below the minimum digital living standard. In this episode, Neighbourly COO Zoe Colosimo explores the AI adoption gap and the danger AI inequality poses to society.

The forces impacting 2025 operating conditions continue to confound organisational leaders and managers across the board. Workplace stress, anxiety, and burnout are at record levels and global analytics firm Gallup estimates disengagement cost the global economy US$438 million in the past year. In this episode, Jen and Cat welcome world-renowned organisational psychologist John Amaechi OBE. They discuss his new book It’s Not Magic and dive into the communication skills that underpin exceptional leadership.

Today, a constant stream of corporate scandals show the extent to which a lack of oversight causes chaos, disruption, sizeable financial losses or worse, loss of life. But in the lead up to such events, how many people will have been privy to impropriety but felt unwilling or unable to speak up? This episode, Jen and Cat are joined by Shaun Keep and Paul Adams, co-founders of Say-So, an organisation helping employees voice legitimate safety and wellbeing concerns, safely and anonymously.

In the first episode of series 14, Jen, Dom and Cat chat with Dr. Christopher Owen, a coach, consultant and speaker on the topic of inclusivity and liberation. In this conversation, they explore intersectional systemic oppression and how internal communication can use stories and storytelling to help marginalised groups achieve better representation at work.