Communicative support for
implementation of strategies
For all managers/leaders at KI, 15/09/2014
Communications and Public Relations Office,
University Administration, KI
Communicative support for
implementation of strategies
Dnr 1-311/2014
CONTENTS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
a.
b.
c.
d.
6.
Document Purpose ................................................................................ 1
Why communicate strategies? ............................................................... 1
The managers/leaders' responsibility ..................................................... 1
Maintain the "theme" in translation......................................................... 1
Translating, formulating and communicating overall messages ............. 2
Phase 1: Preparation ............................................................................. 2
Phase 2: Plan the communication ......................................................... 3
Phase 3: Execution of the communication effort .................................... 4
Phase 4: Keep the message alive ......................................................... 4
In-depth support – message model ....................................................... 5
Publisher:
Karolinska Institutet
Communications and Public Relations Office
Version: 1, 15/09/2014
For more copies or questions please contact karin.lindell@ki.se
Karolinska Institutet – Communicative support
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1. Document Purpose
This document is aimed at helping and supporting you as a manager/leader in
the implementation of strategies in your operations (for example Strategy 2018.
Doc. found at internwebben.ki.se/strategy2018).
The document is part of the managerial support offered by the Communications
and Public Relations Office. This document helps you explain, formulate and
convey general messages to your employees.
2. Why communicate strategies?


Communication is a tool for implementing strategies, changes in your
operations and general messages
Systematic work on the creation of a shared view of organisation around all
the questions of the strategy: why, what, how, who and when
3. The managers/leaders' responsibility




Create awareness of strategies and messages among employees
Prioritise, explain and translate messages for your employees
Emphasise the "thread" running between the overall messages and your daily
work. Create a unified whole – how do your operations/your group
contribute to the overall strategy?
Inspire motivation through dialogue.
4. Maintain the "theme" in translation
Below is a model showing how the strategy's overall message should be a theme
that permeates all levels. Through your translation/interpretation, the emphasis
should be moved from overall messages to more concrete information about
how the strategy will influence your operations. The purpose is to explain the
management's overall vision, values and goals so that the strategy becomes
comprehensible, relevant and meaningful for the employees.
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5. Translating, formulating and communicating
overall messages
Four phases for effective implementation:
a. Phase 1: Preparation
What is the message?
A precondition for success is that you as manager/leader have sufficient
knowledge about what you are conveying. You should be able to answer the
following questions:
 What is the management trying to convey?
 What is the background? Causes? Why?
o What should be made possible? What problems need solving?
 What are the arguments behind these decisions and messages?
 How long has the work been going on? Who has been working on this? Who
are the decision makers?
 What are the consequences for the operations/employees –
positive/negative?
o “What does this mean for me?”
o What does the message mean for the group and for specific
employees?
 What is the time scale?
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b. Phase 2: Plan the communication
When planning your communication you should consider how you are going to
give the information to the employees. To help increase commitment or change
behaviours, you should hold an oral presentation and make room for dialogue.
The presentation should be supplemented with written information because
employees comprehend information in different ways and many appreciate to
read written information after a meeting.
How you present the information and engage in a dialogue with your employees
affects how they assimilate the information. You may need to plan for
communication with different groups of employees at several different meetings.
What is my target group?
 What knowledge do the employees have of the subject? Some? Much?
 How interested are the employees in the message?
 How will the employees react to the message?
o Will someone react positively? If so, what will you do?
o Will someone react negatively? If so, what will you do?
 Are there individuals who should be informed in person before other
employees?
What questions should I be able to answer?
Possible questions:
Who has been working on Strategy 2018?
What is the time scale?
Who is responsible for the measures?
It the strategy confirmed?
How should the work be followed up
on/evaluated?
Add text
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Response:
Strategy 2018 has been discussed by the
Board of Karolinska Institutet, at meetings
with heads of departments, heads of administration and students, with staff
organisations and in the KI/SLL (Stockholm
County Council) management group as well
as with several other groups.
Now–2018
In some cases the responsibility lies with the
university management and internal boards,
while other measures need to be developed
and implemented at KI's departments.
Yes, the Board of Karolinska Institutet
adopted the content of Strategy on 28 April
2014. The Vice-Chancellor confirmed
Strategy 2018 on 15 September 2014.
The activities will be evaluated in the
Annual Report.
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c. Phase 3: Execution of the communication effort
Checklist for presentation meeting
Activity
Arrange a good meeting room and
send invites with any necessary
background information
Responsible
Deadline
Status
Presentation materials – adapt PPT
(film, PPT available)
Prepare speech/bullet points
(message)
Assign keeper of the minutes
(important that employees who
cannot attend are given notes)
Plan for encouraging
questions/dialogue – make room for
questions/dialogue
Summary of what you have
concluded
Send minutes
d. Phase 4: Keep the message alive
It is easy to think that you only need to say something once, but complex and
comprehensive messages need repeating. The challenge is to do this without it
seeming like you are nagging. To do this you need to repeat messages which the
employees recognise, but introduce new parts which attract interest.
Here are some tips of how to keep the message alive:
Activity
Benefit
Continually follow up on meetings, for
example by having a recurring point on
meeting agendas
Let the message become part of the
operational planning and other
policy documents
Use measurements to check results, for
example during the annual employee
survey
Present and highlight good examples and
role models in various contexts
The message and coming activities are
emphasised
Invite someone from top management to
talk about the message
Shows that top management is backing the
message and prioritising the issue
Shows that the message and follow-up of
the issue are prioritised
Shows that your organisation takes followups seriously
Brings the message to life and makes it
concrete
Invite someone from another part of the Lends credibility to the message
organisation who is further along than you
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6. In-depth support – message model
The message model can be used by your as a manager, or by the management
group or project group, as support in designing joint messages.
Building a message
When formulating your message, do not forget to include:
 The main message answers the question of "what?" The core of your
message focuses on what is most important for your employees to
internalise. This means that the main message can be slightly different for
different groups at KI.
 The reasons (why) describe the motive behind the activity. The background
is important for putting the main message in context.
 Consequences for the organisation, operations, group and individual. How
the implementation should be done and how operations are concretely
affected. As manager it is important that you are honest, meaning that the
answer to questions about consequences is: "Currently that is all I know, but
as soon as I know more I will get back to you".
 Arguments, such as factual or contextual arguments, which show the
importance or necessity of the message or circumstances that influence it.
Other arguments may include experiences of similar activities or changes, to
show that the proposed changes are possible.
 Sub-messages which exemplify, supplement and elaborate on the main
message. Information about schedule, various stages of the process and the
division of responsibility should be included here.
If you would like further communicative support, please contact the
Communications and Public Relations Office, University Administration,
karin.lindell@ki.se
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