Speakers
Talk
Internal Communications (IC) as a professional practice and concept emerged in the UK between the 1960s and 1980s. While the development of company magazines and other forms of communication such as memos, circulars, suggestion schemes and worker representation committees signal a systematic approach to IC as early as 1878 in the UK, the concept and practice of IC, including the emergence of IC managers, committees and departments, did not appear until a hundred years later.
This presentation will outline why IC appeared in the decades of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s by examining important changes in the social, cultural and political macroenvironment in the UK during this period, abrupt shifts in labour and industrial relations, legislation, and the development of ICT technologies that facilitated its growth. It will also highlight the forgotten role of John Garnett at the Industrial Society who was crucial in advocating the adoption of briefing groups and a form of managerial and organizational communication that emphasized employee engagement, job enrichment and two-way communication.
Prof Michael Heller is a Professor of Business History at Northumbria University. His main areas of research cover the history of office work, the history of company magazines and internal communication, the history of public communications, corporate communication, and corporate and product branding.