Leading a Change Communications
Program Based on an
Employee Engagement Approach
IABC San Diego
October 19, 2011
Some Of Our Experience
A Few Assumptions
• Employee engagement is the critical component in
fully leveraging employee performance for positive
business outcomes.
• Employee Engagement leads to:
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Stronger customer engagement
Higher sales
Better financial performance
Increased stock price
Higher retention/lower attrition
Trust in leadership/management
More efficient initiative deployment
etc…
How Engaged Are We?
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It would take a lot to get me to leave [my organization].
Being part of [my organization] motivates me to go beyond what is
expected.
I recommend [my organization] as a great place to work.
I love working for [my organization].
• In addition to other studies, People-Metrics’ (Engagement
Strategies’ research Partner) fewer than 1 in 3 employees are
engaged
• If this is how Employees feel in ordinary times…
• Manpower: 84% are inclined to leave in 2011!
Doing More with Less
Why your role is vital in
engagement
• Growth, competitive advantage, continuous improvement, etc., and
the change required to do so rely on employees being aware of
what’s happening, accept what needs to change, align with the
vision and take prescribed action to reach goals faster.
• Communication is one of the most powerful tools available to
executives to drive the levels of engagement needed for sustainable
performance.
• There is an opportunity to drive increased business value through
effective change communications that help your executives reach
goals faster.
• The employee communications function is uniquely positioned to
keep a “finger on the pulse” of the organization, with the potential to
be of tremendous value to management.
Why your role is vital in
engagement
• You own one of the most powerful (and most underutilized) corporate
disciplines to drive engagement and produce positive business
outcomes.
• There has never been a better time, or more pressing need, for IC to
play its most significant corporate role ever—Your moment is now!
• Are you strategic, are you valued, are you resourced?
• What do you need to do to elevate your role?
• How do you realize the full potential of your function?
Our Approach
Research
EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
DISCOVERY
Strategy
EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
ADVANTAGE
Execution
EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
WORKSTREAM
Employees
• Understand the vision
• Know what is
expected of them
and act accordingly
• Exhibit enhanced
commitment and
engagement
• Perform better
Strategy
• Interpret empirical data & identify key engagement drivers.
• Define what needs to happen within an organization to achieve
a desired future state.
• Recognize obstacles to success.
• Define Employee Value Proposition.
• Create positioning and messaging platforms.
• Embrace “Engagement as a Management Discipline.”
• Communication drives increased engagement. The process:
AWARENESS
ACCEPTANCE
Ensure employees
have clarity around
vision, strategy, brand,
culture and values.
Build support so that
employees understand
what is expected
of them and the
responsibility they have in
supporting goals.
ALIGNMENT
Draw the line-of-sight
for employees so they
recognize their role
within the organization
& how their contribution
is important to
success.
ACTION
Prompt specific
actions and desired
behaviors to mobilize
employees to
accelerate reaching
business objectives.
EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
ADVANTAGE
Some thoughts to consider
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Do you really know your audiences? Really know them?
How specific do you get with segmented stakeholders?
Do you have your “finger on the pulse” for real-time adaptation
Are you working with directly with line managers?
Are you at the C-suite table?
Is the message being translated?
Does the message resonate?
Are you filtering your communications through the prism of
enabling change, improved performance and positive business
outcomes?
• Is your IC function central to driving change in your
organization?
• Are executives and leaders an impediment to change?
Perception Matters
Most corporate initiatives fail to
live up to expectations
• M&A, new strategies, company transformation and corporate
initiatives focus heavily on financial criteria, process and operational
changes; yet regularly fail to have the desired impact.
• This is often due to poor leadership and ineffective communication
leading to a lack of employee engagement and disappointing results.
• Ensuring employees are committed to their organizations and in
alignment with company strategy is the key element in ensuring
execution of programs that lead to sustainable high performance with
demonstrable ROI.
• Communications that Drive Employee Engagement is the missing
ingredient:
• However, HR usually owns engagement research—but is less effective at
what needs to follow.
• The Internal Communications Function should play a significant, if not
lead role, in employee engagement strategies.
The Sony Pictures Story
Initial Challenge
• 2007 Employee survey identified many areas for improvement
• Japan engagement at 5% (#1 priority to fix—2nd biggest market for SPHE)
• Many issues and challenges in Japan
• Pilot program to fix problems
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Solution
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Results
Expanded Value
Deployed an updated and enhanced survey that provided a deeper and
more accurate understanding of the localized issues and challenges.
Implemented a formal communications program.
Built a leadership development program.
Developed Workstreams that overcame many traditional and bureaucratic
obstacles while involving all staff in the solution.
Created Personal Action Plans for key managers that reshaped thinking
and ensured accountability.
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150% increase in engagement within 6 months
300% increase in satisfaction with internal communications.
Cultivated a motivated and effective team that significantly exceeded
revenue targets.
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Developed and deployed a revitalized and improved Employee Engagement
approach for the entire global enterprise.
Designed and deployed an improved survey resulting in statistically relevant
and dependable data including true engagement indexes.
Established ability to provide counsel and actionable reporting on areas for
improvement by region, country, department and team.
Dramatically improved engagement in most areas over past 3 years
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Other Activities And Outcomes
• Created Global workstreams around core initiatives
• Empowered teams (to the local level) to develop solutions they
felt would contribute to higher engagement and improved
performance
• Some of these local initiatives were so successful they became
best practices, e.g. improved communications
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If we stopped the annual survey now we’d have mutiny
Employees know their voice is heard and their opinions valued
Executive team is no longer skeptical—this works
Teams with higher engagement have performed better (e.g.
Canada office went from 24% to 60% and is now at 75%
Engagement—it’s a transformed organization that is firing on all
cylinders)
• Engagement has had a positive customer impact
Employee and Customer EngagementOur adopted model
How I Use The Data
• Personal assessment of my performance-especially with my
direct reports (Personal Action Plan)
• Identify key priorities based on what my people need to
succeed (not my opinion of what would work)
• Create workstreams in areas of key concern or potential
advantage
• Empower my people to develop creative ideas for improvement,
implement solutions and drive the change they need to perform
better
• Identify managers that need support to improve and/or become
better leaders (provide them with coaching and training)
• Validate that my team is aligned with the SPHE vision and our
commercial objectives
• Focus on improving customer engagement (in conjunction with
customer survey)
Discussion: Challenges and
Considerations
• How do you get leader and manager support?
• How do you get the resources?
• Are you effectively partnering with other advocates/leaders: HR,
Division Presidents, etc?
• Is there an environment of acceptance for what is said and done?
• Do you know your Communications Value-Access Index?
• Some core considerations:
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It’s not about Day 1. Day 2, Day 20, Day 200 are when programs succeed
Not all change is the same
Change is not linear
Change happens in the trenches (cubicles)
The bottleneck is not usually the average employee
It’s often a carrot and stick approach that’s needed
Don’t confuse effort with outcome
Create the “burning platform” to justify/motivate
What Success Looks Like
1. Results consistent with expectations
2. Consistency and alignment throughout the targeted
stakeholder group/organization
3. An engaged, motivated, goal-oriented workforce
4. Confidence in:
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Leadership
Strategies
Future
5. Metrics demonstrate program effectiveness
6. Your effort gets its due and you’re a hero
Questions to consider
• What are my obstacles to developing an
Employee Engagement Change
Communications approach?
• What is the level of engagement within my key
stakeholder audience(s)?
• What can I do to:
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Build awareness?
Promote acceptance?
Create alignment?
Prompt action?
• Who do I call for help?
Ensuring Employees Ignore You
(A Leader’s Guide)
 A real quote from a real CEO of a Fortune 500 company: “Don’t
do an employee survey—we may need to do something.”
 You’re doing a great job already of alienating everyone. Here’s
how to finish the job:
Presume you’re right.
Don’t listen.
Don’t investigate.
Establish more teams and committees.
Launch a new initiative to mitigate the failure of the prior initiative.
Assume “cascading” will work or that your memo was read.
Blame someone else (preferably a large group critical to your
success).
8. Ignore reality when the data contradicts your established position.
9. “Spin.”
10. Hire a consultant. (Just kidding, this actually works.)
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