Measuring the
Effectiveness of Employee
Communications
A General Motors Case Study
Kathy Collins
Director, Communications Research
GM’s PR measurement process captures
inputs from many constituents
Asia-Pacific
Business
Partners
Communities
Customers
Employees
Financial
Community
Influentials
Media
Policy Makers
Shareholders
Europe
LAAM
North
America
GM’s recent history
GM’s Market Share
Key Events
 Competitive pressures increase
50.0%
45.0%
 Market share declines
40.0%
35.0%
 Major internal reorganizations
30.0%
25.0%
 Management goes through phases of
denial, reorganizations, then
recommits to business basics
20.0%
15.0%
10.0%
5.0%
1999
1980
0.0%
Employees make a huge impression ….
 1 in 5 adult Americans
knows and regularly
talks with a GM
employee
 Employee contact is
one of the most credible
sources of information
 about products
 about the company
A two-day corporate benchmarking
symposium: GM hosts 13 world-class
communicators
 3M
 AT&T
 Florida Power and Light
 Hewlett-Packard
 IBM
 Motorola
 Ritz-Carlton
 Royal Bank of Canada
 Royal Bank of Scotland
 Southwest Airlines
 SRC Holdings Corporation
 Texas Instruments
 Whirlpool
The process is based on seven building
blocks of effective internal
communication
Actively Engage
Employees In
The Business
Leaders Must
Drive
Communications
Focus On
Deeds Not
Words
Craft Clear,
Relevant
Messages
Use FaceTo-Face
Communications
Communicate
With
Measure
Employees
Communication
Openly,
Performance
Frequently,
And First
Performance
GM “deep dives” into key
communication elements
Improvement Process
Objective
To establish a
communications structure
and process to improve
business performance
Improvement Process Structure
Message Content
Message Development
Process
External
Benchmarking
Common Process
Media
Measurements
The communication improvement
plan starts with best practices
• Business leaders will drive communications
using face-to-face meetings and “Winning
Together” theme
• Sites will implement a common
communications process
— Common activities
— Overarching theme and six key messages
— Upgraded media tools and technology
— Site Business Communications Integrators
• Each site’s process, capability and overall
effectiveness will be measured and tied to
business results
Goal
• Actively engage all
employees
• Improve business
performance
Management leads communication
measurement with these requirements
 One number per location that local and divisional leaders can
manage
 Added to the overall divisional performance measurement process
 Structured around common processes to be implemented at every
site in North America
The internal communication process
will be measured and tied to business
plan objectives Communication
Plan In Support Of
Business Plan
Measurements
Process
Audit
Problem
Resolution
Communicate
Messages
Process
Capability
Scorecard And
Insight
Generation
Overall
Effectiveness
Metrics Staged to Accommodate
Variability of Site Communications
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
Minimum
measurements
across the sites
Raise the bar
Part of the
performance
scorecard
• Communications
Activity Inventory
• Communications
Activity Inventory
• Communications
Activity Inventory
• Activity Process Audit
• Activity Process Audit
• Activity Process Audit
• Mechanism Evaluation
• Mechanism Evaluation
• Mechanism Evaluation
• Environmental
Surveys
• Environmental
Surveys
• Environmental Surveys
• Business Goal
Attainment
• Business Goal
Attainment
• Process evaluations
• Business Goal
Attainment
• Process evaluations
• Standardized,
numerically based
metric for sites
Communication Scorecard Outline
Common Process
Activity
Frequency
Actual Occurrences
Planned Occurrences
Content
Standards
Effectiveness
Score
Department/Team
Meetings
Diagonal Slice
Meetings
____%
(X)
____%
(X)
Number (=)
Number
Newsletters/Written
Communications
Quarterly
Business Updates
State of the Business
Meetings
Environmental
Survey
Environmental
Score
Total Score
The frequency audit measures actual
vs. planned occurrences of each
common process activity
Common Process
Activity
Minimum GMNA Level Planned Occurrences
(Inventory)
Department/Team
Meetings
• Monthly = 12
Diagonal Slice
Meetings
• Each employee = 1
(execs w/ >100, monthly; execs with <100, quarterly)
Newsletters/Written
Communications
• Site newsletter — weekly = 48
• Division newsletter — monthly = 12
Quarterly
Business Update
• Quarterly = 4
State Of The Business
Meetings
• Annual = 1
Each process activity’s capabilities will
be based on specified attributes and
established goals
Exploded View
of Standards for
Department/
Team Meetings
Common Process
Activity
Department/
Team Meetings
Content Standards
Capability
Goal
Attendance
Operations content
Area/Dept goals content
External content
Dialogue, Q&A time
100%
35%
25%
10%
30%
Total
Each process is measured by degreesfrom being informed - to taking action
Score/level of action taken by employee
Communication Action
Strategy Correlation
0 = No business information available through this process
1 = Business information is barely available through this process
2 = Occasional reference to business goals in this process
Information
3 = Business information is generally available in this process
4 = Dialogue is taking place regarding business issues in response to
this process
5 = This process helps explain how business goals affect employees
Understanding
6 = Employees can describe how local leadership is involved in
supporting business goals as a result of this process
7 = Employees can articulate personal role in business issues
Commitment
8 = Employees can explain what actions they personally need to take in
support of their locations business goals as a result of this process
9 = Employees can describe what actions they took to support business
goals as a result of this process
10 = Employee actions resulting from this process have improved
business performance
Action
Business
performance
improves
A communication scorecard for a
site could look like this…
Common Process
Activity
Frequency
Actual Occurrences
Planned Occurrences
Content
Standards
Department/Team
Meetings
90%
80%
6
=4.3
Diagonal Slice
Meetings
100%
90%
8
=7.2
Newsletters/Written
Communications
95%
75%
6
=4.3
Quarterly
Business Updates
100%
70%
5
=3.5
State of the Business
Meetings
100%
90%
5
=4.5
Environmental
Score
Total Score
Effectiveness
Score
6.5
=30.3
Relevant to Msgs, SW, & Media
The math behind the single
communication scorecard-type metric
Standardized
Work
Mechanism
Capability
Actual Occurrences
Planned Occurrences
Process
Effectiveness(1)
Score
(Inventory & Audit)
Newsletters (Written
Communications)
Actual
Planned
Department & Area
Managers Meetings
Actual
State of Business
Meetings
Actual
Diagonal Slice
Meetings
Actual
Business Updates
(Satellite Broadcasts)
Actual
Planned
Planned
Planned
Planned
Capability
Goal Attain 0
= __%
Total
Capability
(Xi)/n = __%
Goal Attain 0
= __%
Total
Capability
(Xi)/n = __%
Goal Attain 0
= __%
Total
Capability
(Xi)/n = __%
Goal Attain 0
= __%
Total
Capability
(Xi)/n = __%
Goal Attain 0
= __%
Total
(Xi)/n = __%
2
4
6
8
10
Max = 10.0
= __ (number)
2
4
6
8
10
Max = 10.0
= __ (number)
2
4
6
8
10
Max = 10.0
= __ (number)
2
4
6
8
10
Max = 10.0
= __ (number)
2
4
6
8
= __ (number)
10
Max = 10.0
Viewpoint Score
Max = 10.0
Total Score
Max = 60.0
Notes:
(1) Gathered from CC Integrator Process Evals & Standardized Work feedback: obtain general level of EE understanding of key information
Key Communications Effectiveness
Measures
(Base for Environmental Score)











My supervisor acts on my ideas, suggestions and concerns.
I have the opportunity to participate in solving problems that affect my job.
My supervisor is kept well-informed by upper management.
Communication here is well-planned and efficient.
My plant or staff is well-organized and efficient.
Management and employees here are all working toward the same objectives.
I have the tools and information I need to make a full contribution here.
My plant or staff provides me with information about the company.
I understand the reasons for decisions within my plant or staff that affect me.
Top management is visible and accessible.
Overall communications are improving in my plant or staff.
Is the effectiveness
score over or
under five?
Under
Over
Always do,
regardless
of score
Identify common
processes that do not
meet the standard
Review survey and/or focus
group data. Identify
environmental elements that
contribute to communication
effectiveness
Review viewpoint survey and/or
focus group data. Identify
environmental elements that Do
Not contribute to communication
effectiveness
Low scores on effectiveness
should generate insight and
new business and
communications plans
define corrective
action
Put plans in place to maintain
good communication
environment
Prioritize those elements that
make most significant negative
Impact on communication
effectiveness
Develop corrective action plan to
address environmental issues.
involve site steering committee
Summary points
Process
 GM has a common process for communications across North America
 Management and Communications have a common process they can
communicate through together
Scorecard
 Scorecard balances different elements (frequency, content, effectiveness and
third-party surveys) to create credibility
 Management has a measurement tool that they understand and accept
 Management drives the process and manages the measurement
 Scorecard facilitates implementation and improvements
 Communications people now have data to take to management — not just
“feelings”