Finding the right signal for modern comms

" The digital economy has disrupted the traditional flow of information inside and outside organisations."

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Today the digital economy has disrupted the traditional flow of information inside and outside organisations.

Trust in media, NGOs, business and government is in decline and we consider our peers to be as credible as experts when it comes to information about companies, according to the Edelman Trust Barometer.

New technology is transforming how we engage with one another and get work done. People rely on the networks they have created but staff engagement remains stubbornly static.

No longer are we tidying up communications or acting as information gatekeepers.  Today a different kind of fearless is needed from IC to find the signal and facilitate business progress in a changing, messy, digital world.

Connections

The Arthur Page Society in the US highlighted this ongoing evolution of communications in a report on the Future of the Chief Communications Officer.

“Our roles are increasingly moving across the spectrum from elements still within the remit of the function,” the report said, “…towards the performance of the company which requires deeper degrees of collaboration and involve multiple responsibilities that the comms function does not own.”

Here’s a lived example: around two years ago, my team and I worked with our technologists to lead the deployment of ANZ’s first enterprise social network (ESN).

At the start of this project the conversations we had with our businesses were about connecting people to enable collaboration and bring leaders closer to them. Next we became drawn into conversations about taking the use of social to the next level — doing ‘the business of the business’.

This involved coaching newly minted community managers to marry existing data with ESN analytics to determine if they were on track to achieve hard business goals. Today we’re even intertwined in conversations about focusing on key platforms from a user perspective rather than as pieces of technology to keep alive.

Trust deficit

The increasing use of social media is leading to the rise of the wirearchy, where even relatively junior people can be extraordinarily influential based on the shape and size of their online networks.

An organising principle identified by futurist Jon Husband, the wirearchy is putting a blowtorch on traditional leadership communications and engagement.

Social media creates greater transparency in a low-trust world and IC professionals can ill afford to keep writing sermons from the mount. People can spot a message that’s not genuine and will quickly dismiss it.

Smart IC professionals know we must strike a balance in enabling unfettered — and at times chaotic — conversations to take place around our organisations while coaching leaders in how to find and engage with the signal personally and with humility.

Yes, it’s likely to be a harder road to travel with leaders who prefer a command-and-control style of communications but IC will never address a trust deficit by perpetuating inauthentic leadership communications or by ignoring the voices of powerful influencers— no matter their job grade.

No ifs or buts

It should go without saying but in a digital world you need to be social.  It doesn’t matter whether you’re starting out in your IC career or have been around for a little while — if you’re not being social it’s like you’re standing in the corner of a room at a party by yourself. 

It’s impossible to encourage others to discover new ways of working if you haven’t experienced them. Experiment with different social channels and identify what’s will work for you, personally, professionally or both.

Next, nurture your networks, work out loud and be generous in sharing what you’ve learned in your IC career with others who may benefit from your experience.

Do it without expecting anything in return. Over time, I guarantee the social world will have a way of rewarding you for making this selfless contribution.

Rita Zonius is Head of Internal Digital Communications at ANZ

A version of this story originally appeared in the ebook: Disrupting the Function of IC – a Global Perspective