How do I communicate my strategy to employees?

While corporate strategies are generally discussed and developed at higher levels of management, it is the middle managers and employees on the “front line” who must effectively implement these strategies in their daily work. They can only do this successfully if they have really understood and even internalized a strategy. Otherwise, even the most sophisticated strategy risks fizzling out or, in the worst case, being undermined by local decisions. It is therefore fundamental for the entire strategy process to ensure that the strategy developed with a great deal of effort is also effectively communicated down to the “last corners” of the company.

In order to avoid communication disruptions in advance, specialist and corporate literature often recommends developing a suitable communication strategy for every new corporate strategy (Johnson, Scholes & Whittington, 2008; Laban & Green, 2003). What could such a communication strategy look like in practice?

Find the right communication strategy

First of all, the type and scope of the information to be provided should be adapted to the specific information needs of the target group. Unfortunately, you always have to expect that a large number of employees will not be willing to invest a lot of time and effort to deal with all the details of a strategic plan. Authors therefore often recommend reducing communication to a few key strategic statements (Bradford, s.d.; Thatcher, 2006). In addition, the language used should be easy to understand even for employees with little or no financial background knowledge. In this way, employees are provided with a framework for thought (Framework) that they can remember and who provides them with important guidance in their day-to-day decision-making (Bradford, s.d.).

A good additional method to make key strategic statements as memorable as possible is to use acronyms. For example, a local service provider in the British healthcare sector has the acronym BEST developed so that its four strategic goals — Best Quality, Engagement, Sustainability and Transformation — are easy for everyone to remember (NHS Warwickshire, s.d.). Another important aspect that should always be considered when deciding what and how much information should be passed on to all employees is the sensitivity of internal company data. For reasons of confidentiality, Bradford (s.d.) advises that you only ever forward information that can also be shared with the outside world without hesitation.

Motivate employees with the right language tone

Language plays a very central role in the communication process. It is not only important for presenting information clearly. In addition, when used correctly, it can also be used to motivate and inspire employees. Laban and Green (2003) rightly point out that effectively communicating corporate strategies provides a prime opportunity to expand and strengthen corporate culture. Ideally, this can result in all employees working towards a common goal and supporting each other to the best of their ability.

After you have formed a content focus and have found the right language tone, the next step in developing a communication strategy should be to select a suitable medium to communicate the corporate strategy to employees. Emails, company newsletters, intranet and blog posts or video messages from senior employees equally ensure that all employees are provided with the same information simultaneously and promptly (Johnson, Scholes & Whittington, 2008).

Create space for personal communication

However, in order to particularly emphasize the importance of a new corporate strategy on the part of management, it is advisable to create additional opportunities for personal communication. This can take the form of workshops, conferences, roadshows or the like. Johnson, Scholes and Whittington also point out that personal communication has the particular advantage that employees can react more sensitively to potential emotional reactions to controversial strategic decisions. A good example of this is when the new corporate orientation involves separating from certain business areas in the future or merging with a larger company, which usually entails fears of job loss and unpleasant operational changes within the workforce.

Any good communication strategy should also have an integrated feedback loop (Laben & Green, 2003). This means that employees should be easily given the opportunity to ask questions, express concerns or make comments in the event of any comprehension problems. The members of the planning staff should in turn take such objections seriously and respond to them in a respectful manner. This also requires a certain amount of flexibility to make adjustments to the original strategy when necessary.

conclusion

The development and implementation of a separate communication strategy is certainly associated with additional time and financial costs. However, the benefits that result more than make up for this additional effort. Because only when a new corporate strategy is presented to all employees in an understandable, memorable, even inspiring way can they effectively incorporate it into their daily work and effectively enforce it.

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sources

Bradford, R.W. (s.d.). Communicating your strategic plan with employees. Retrieved online on 6.12.2011.

Johnson, G., Scholes, K., & Whittington, R. (2008). Exploring corporate strategy: Text and cases (8th ed.). Essex, UK: Pearson.

Laban, J., & Green, J. (2003). Communication your strategy: The forgotten fundamental of strategic implementation. Graziado Business Review, 6 (1). Retrieved online on 6.12.2011.

NHS Warwickshire (s.d.). Our vision. Retrieved online on 6.12.2011.

Thatcher, M. (2006). Breathing life into business strategy: An extract from Melcrum's new report on communicating strategy. Strategic HR Review, 5 (3), 28-31.