Category: Internal Communications
In the often buzz-word intensive field of change management, the terms “capacity building” and “capability building” are often used interchangeably. That is unfortunate, because a more careful treatment of the terms can actually lead to some useful breakthroughs for organizations working through change. Let’s take a closer look. In the context of transformation, “capacity building”…
I have noticed a somewhat concerning trend lately among organizations who view social media as a handy alternative to the messy business of building and executing an internal communications function. The argument is that there’s no need to invest in a specialized internal communications function when all employees have to do is find information about…
The enemy of crisp, compelling communications is complexity. Most organizations try to throw everything into their communication messages. Then, when messaging gets circulated around the organization for review and approvals, more words are invariably tossed in. It is the death knell of effective messaging. The reality is that to communicate everything is to communicate nothing….
Earlier this week, at the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) World Conference in New Orleans, Ingenium was honoured to receive the International Award of Excellence in Change Communications, in recognition for our work with the Facilities team of the University of Ottawa. Ingenium was also recognized with the Best of the Best Award, an accolade…
No one has done more to advance our knowledge and understanding of organizational culture than Edgar Schein. In some of his most recent work with Culture University, Schein observes that while the discipline of organizational culture has developed significantly over the past twenty years, the one area that has not been sufficiently understood is occupational…
We all know that organizational change is difficult. Of all the forms of transformation, the most challenging is unquestionably culture change. According to research from the Wharton School of Business, the failure rate of culture change initiatives hovers around 80% (as defined by change projects that don’t achieve the stated goals of transformation). One of…
If you’re planning a retreat for your communications team (and if you’re not – why aren’t you?) here’s a suggestion for an easy, but powerful exercise to offer the group. The Value Proposition Worksheet is a simple tool that can be used in either a breakout or plenary format. The worksheet helps structure an exploration of…
If you’re like me, you spend a lot of time and effort trying to get executives to focus on the critical issue of employee engagement, which often competes for attention with other seemingly more important business priorities. Generally, there is a gravitational pull that draws leaders’ attention to external forces, pressures and conflicts, at the direct…
As a practitioner of organizational change, it’s clear that one of the most stubborn challenges my clients face is the invisible, intractable power of habit. Leaders can create large-scale transformation initiatives, or invest in expensive new technology solutions, but sooner or later, they bump up against the fact that human beings are creatures of habit….
“Successful organizations need to be managed as complex adaptive systems rather than as intricate controlled machines” This wisdom is part of Amy Edmondson’s excellent work Teaming: How Organizations Learn, Innovate and Compete in the Knowledge Economy. Edmondson provides a refreshing update on management theory and connects those principles to the realities of leading organizational performance…
