Lauren Y. Walker- Week 5 – Application Assignment

“I don’t have a mission statement.  I don’t have a vision statement.  I have a conclusive statement, which is: to acquire and maintain viable and recurring fundraising streams” (Ronald Hubbard, personal communication, February 24, 2012). 

That response from my question, “what is the strategy of the Corporate and Foundation Relations (CFR) team within Dornsife Advancement,” also set the stage in a few, but very distinct choice and ordering of words, for the ‘strategic communication imperative,’ “align communication with the department’s overall strategy, to enhance its strategic positioning” (Argenti, Howell and Beck, 2005).  As I listened to Ron, I realized that his tact with his team illustrates the best practices of strategic communication.  He allows the department’s strategy to drive their communication strategy and the corporate and foundation relations team is adept in tailoring communication messages for their constituencies to create a unique and appropriate message (Argenti, Howell and Beck, 2005).  Though unique, it is the same message of Dornsife…this is the school where your gift can make the most impact.  Had I not known any better, it was as though Ron had read each of our assigned readings and point by point explained how he has incorporated the highlights of each of the articles read, in his management plan.   When Ron explained that he insures his team tells the right story, to the right person, each time, every time…seeking first to understand, so that they can eventually be understood, it reminded me of Louis Campbell, CEO of Textron, when he noted, “The only way to show the commitment is to communicate with passion, face-to-face, all the time, with the same message.”  Without finding the department in the crosshairs of a credibility issue, part of Ron’s strategy, as well is to insure credibility among the constituents.  He does this by managing a very structured, yet free flowing department.  

This structure feeds the communication strategy he has internally for his team and externally.  There is structure in the sense that everyone in his department has a specific function, from the interns to the executive directors.  Each person is responsible for a portion of the communication piece that will eventually be presented verbally or in writing or both to a corporate entity or foundation prospect.  Each and EVERY week, the entire team meets for at least two hours, sometimes more, to go present a proposed strategy for each entity that is on their target list.  This strategy is designed sans Ron’s input, because in his words, I’m not being paid to do their job. Development officers present their strategy, interns are made aware of new research to gather to complete a presentation or prep for a new one and Ron offers suggestions in fine tuning the package that will communicate Dornsife’s message, if need be. The department’s over-arching strategy drives the internal communication strategy he has, seamlessly, as everyone by design of his structured/free- flowing management style, understands the role they have in the big picture and understands that their work has value.  

By virtue of the constituents his department touches, his team also implements the strategies espoused in the McKinsey Quarterly report.  As his team determines how best to showcase Dornsife to a corporate entity and in what areas of Dornsife (e.g. labs or marine biology) their involvement could be most impactful, his team, he explained, does their due diligence in presenting to corporations and foundation social issues that are in the news.  Part of the communication messaging to the corporate entity is to present them with an opportunity to support and be involved with a program they can get at no other university that they may consider supporting.  

Our department also has major gifts officers and a team of administrative staff.  I mentioned to Ron that in my estimation, the major gifts officers don’t seem to have an operating strategy, much less, a communication strategy.  I told him that I thought the admins don’t have much incentive to try harder because there has not been any communication to clearly define the value of their contribution.  He agreed with my assessment.  I asked if this communication ambiguity was purposeful, because no communication sends a message, as well.  (Eisenberg, 1984)  In no uncertain terms, he expressed his displeasure with the entire notion of communication ambiguity..   

As it relates to the admin staff flailing in the wind with no direction or purpose…I totally agree with Ron. This lack of clarity is a relational variable that is a ‘poison’ in the office.  Upon reflection of our conversation there is one point Ron made with which I must take exception.  He hates ambiguity, but his conclusive statement is ambiguous.  That vagueness is what fosters multiple viewpoints and facilitate organizational change to better communicate with his constituents.  At the helm of a very definitive corporate structure he has implemented, is ambiguity that drives communication success for his team.  

References:

Argenti, P.A., Howell, R.A., & Beck, K.A.(2005). The strategic communication imperative.  MIT Sloan Management Review, 46(3), 83-89.

Bonini, S. M. J., Mendonca, L.T., & Oppenheim, J.M. (2006).  When social issues become strategic. The McKinsey Quarterly, 2, 19-31.

Eisenberg, E. (1984).  Ambiguity as strategy in organizational communication. Communication Monographs, 51, 227-242.

Week 5 Application Assignment - Crystal Williams

For this week’s assignment, I decided to interview the head of my department, Mark Kern, SVP, Communications. During our discussion, I reviewed the readings for this week to provide a general understanding of each article. I in particular enjoyed reading Argenti, Howell and Beck’s article, The Strategic Communication Imperative because it stresses the importance and use of strategic communications for any company, which is what my department does literally everyday (2005).

As part of The Hub TV Network’s launch in 2010, the clear understanding and one of the primary goals of Kern was to ensure there was clear messaging of what The Hub was and the type of programming it would air. Kern felt that in order for the network to compete with other networks in the children’s television landscape, media and viewers should know that the network aims to enlighten and engage. Since launch this messaging has been used to gain media coverage in trade, online, print and electronic media outlets. Sometimes as publicist, we feel almost like robots because we are all strategically pushing out the same messaging (in an organized manor), in so that we stand out from other children’s networks. Being a start up network, Kern agreed with the article that strategic communication is “communication aligned with the company’s overall strategy, to enhance it’s strategic positioning” (Argenti, Howell & Beck, 2005, p. 83).

Further into my interview with Kern, we also discussed the importance of making sure employees are aligned with brand messaging. Prior to the network’s launch, under the direction of Kern, all employees were required to take part in a network branding meeting so that the companies messaging was clearly explained. Kern highlighted the importance of consistent messaging, along with making sure everyone knew to direct all communication related inquiries to our department. Through meetings like this, employees were prepared at launch and remain aware of our brands messaging a year and a half later.

Reference:

Argenti, P., Howell, R., Beck, K. (2005) The Strategic Communication Imperative, MIT Sloan Management Review, 46 #3, pp. 83-89

Week 5 Application Assignment - Megan Samuels

There was a lot to relate to in this week’s readings, especially when it comes to corporate communication strategies.  Since I work in corporate communications I was especially interested in the paper titled “The Strategic Communication Imperative” (Argenti, Howell & Beck, 2005).  This was something I could sink my teeth into so to speak and it was applicable to my work. 

When I read this piece I was hoping to interview our CEO and ask him about the particular statement “We define strategic communication as communication aligned with the company’s overall strategy, to enhance its strategic positioning” (Argenti, Howell & Beck, 2005, p. 83).  But he was travelling and wouldn’t be back in time.  Even though he wasn’t presently available, I could think back to a large initiative where we overhauled communications with my company from the ground up.

I work for Zenith Insurance Company, a specialty workers’ compensation insurance carrier.  We are considered the Cadillac of worker’s comp insurance companies and we charge Cadillac prices as well. My company’s mission statement basically states that we focus on the long−term compounding of our book value (policies) through disciplined underwriting and sound financing.  But we have a motto that aligns with this statement: ”We service what we sell”.

But around three or four years ago, we saw that more of the work comp claims were being litigated (claimants were hiring lawyers at an alarming rate) and through market research, we heard what the injured workers and policyholders had to say about our claims services.  It basically wasn’t good and we were not “aligning our strategic communication with our overall strategy.” (Argenti, Howell & Beck, 2005, p. 83).  We were not servicing what we sold and we were not “allowing our corporate strategy to drive our communication choices” (Argenti, Howell & Beck, 2005, p. 84).

Zenith had just come out of one the most profitable periods in the nearly 60 years we had been in business.  We grew our book of business tremendously, but we were providing crappy customer service.  So our executives gave the corporate communications team along with the HR training team to rebuild our customer service model from the ground up.

 

There were a lot of serious changes including calls to claims examiners should never go to voicemail and all calls would be returned in a timely manner.  A method for warm phone transfers was implemented and hotlines were established that went directly to a vice president.  Our executives were very sincere about this; they weren’t just paying lip services to those who were complaining.  It worked and it’s still working today.

 

But then I was reading the Eisenberg article “Ambiguity as Strategy in Organizational Communication” (1984) and found myself somewhat appalled at the notion of deliberately creating ambiguous messaging to stakeholders.  I found I couldn’t relate to it and that we didn’t practice such things. I wasn’t really getting the concept.  But then I came across something that really clicked.

“Clarity (and conversely, ambiguity) is not an attribute of messages; it is a relational variable which arises through a combination of source, message, and receiver factors” (Eisenberg, 1984, p.229).  This with what I read in Goodall that “strategic ambiguity values the symbolic and dialogic nature of language and the multicultural bases for interpretations of meanings “(2006, p. 9).  And then I realized that we had done exactly that.  Use ambiguity in our messaging.

As part of our ongoing customer service initiative, we realized that after injured workers filed a claim, they received a form letter with poorly written instructions and some forms to fill out.  It was impersonal and had “get a lawyer” written all over it (in English and Spanish).  So what we did is deploy a little ambiguity.

We reformatted this packet with colorful instructions, used ambiguous but caring language letting them know that if their claim “was accepted”, we would provide them with outstanding medical care and we would get them back to work as soon as they were medically able. We had cultural differences as well. A lot of the workforce we cover is Spanish speaking and many, especially those working in agriculture, are poorly educated. We made sure to test our Spanish translations to see if the same warm ‘ambiguity’ was present.  I understand this concept in more concrete terms now.  It opened my eyes to the fact that this can be a very good strategy and one that I didn’t realize I had adopted.

Argenti, P., Howell, R., Beck, K. (2005) The Strategic Communication Imperative, MIT Sloan Management Review, 46 #3, pp. 83-89.

Eisenberg, E. (1984) Ambiguity As Strategy In Organizational Communication, Communication Monographs, 51, pp.227-242

Goodall, B., Terthewey, A., and McDOnald, K. (2006) Strategic Ambiguity, Communication and Public Diplomacy in an Uncertain World: Principles and Practices, Consortium for Strategic Communication, pp. 1-14

Week 5 Application Assignment - Ken Hagihara

The importance of creating and implementing a strategic communications program is critical to the growth and success of companies of all sizes.

As a public relations consultant for a small, but growing, manufacturer of networking products for consumers and businesses, I was charged with crafting the key messages that would be communicated through our public relations efforts to drive brand awareness and drive demand for the company’s products.

I quickly realized that each communication division within the company worked semi-autonomously, resulting in different messages being communicated through the advertising, public relations, investor relations, and direct marketing efforts.  This created confusion among our various audiences regarding who the manufacturer was, what benefits their products offered and what their core values were.

According to Argenti, Howell and Beck (2005), “senior managers must be involved” in the corporate communications strategy (p. 88).  In order to implement an integrated communications program which would ensure unified messaging throughout all communications efforts, we started at the top.  The CEO, with the assistance of the marketing team, created some core, generalized messages that would need to be communicated in all of our outbound communications efforts, including speeches, marketing materials, advertisements, etc.

As Argenti, Howell and Beck (2005) explained, “However structured, communication must be integrated and adept at delivering a harmonious message to all constituents” (p. 88).  While various communications disciplines within a company need to deliver different messages to their various audiences, such as investors, customers, business partners, etc., the core messages must be well aligned.  The messages, regardless of which division they are coming from or medium which they’re being delivered through, must sound like they’re coming from one unified company (Argenti, Howell, Beck, 2005, p. 88).  All divisions of the communications department were expected to ensure that all outbound material contained the key messages, although the messages were obviously tweaked for the specific audiences that the materials were targeted to.  In addition a communication director was put into place to review all marketing-related materials to ensure consistency of message.

One of the main challenges in implementing the communications program for this company, and one that happens to be the main challenge with most of my clients, is that the focus of the communications program has to be placed on long-term objectives.  Argenti, Howell, and Beck (2005) stated “most communications professionals are rewarded for their tactical abilities in the short term (that is, for ‘getting good ink’)” (p. 89).  This is a challenge that I continue to face with all of the clients because it’s much easier to assess the “success” of a communications program through the tangible proof provided by media coverage, analyst reports, and in a somewhat indirect way, sales revenue.  However, the majority of my clients realize that a strategy that incorporates a “long term orientation” is critical for establishing the forward-looking direction of the company and keeping the company focused on the long-term issues that will affect it”(Argenti, Howell, & Beck, 2005, p. 89).

Argenti, P., Howell, R., Beck, K. (2005) The Strategic Communication Imperative, MIT Sloan Management Review, 46, 3, pp. 83-89 (full article)

Week 5 Application Assignment - Dawn Whitaker

In applying the information from our readings this week, I conducted a mini-communication analysis of the implementation of Oakland Police Department’s Strategic Plan with information obtained by interviewing Oakland's former Chief of Police, Anthony Batts.

As the new chief came to Oakland in 2009, he and his team developed a strategic plan that would effect change in the police department and in the community (personal communication, February 25, 2012). Part of the development process included communications professionals acquiring input from stakeholders to help mold and shape the plan. Identifying the importance of their roles, Chief Batts’ team interviewed and surveyed employees and members of the community as well as pastors and politicians, to determine their needs and expectations of the police department. Where the department fell short of those expectations, there became the strategic plan. This activity exemplifies Argenti’s (2005) statement that [communication professionals’] “job was not only to reinforce and help implement the company’s strategy by communicating with key constituencies but also to interpret constituency responses in ways that inform strategy going forward.” (p.84).

In a brief overview, the goal of the Strategic Plan was to “make a community that was safe from crime and the perception of crime.” (personal communication, February 25, 2012). A more specific goal was to “reduce crime 40% by the year 2015.” (personal communication, February 25, 2012). A number of operational and policy changes were necessary to achieve those goals, including but not limited to:

• Improving level of service
• Improving response times
• Changing the way they responded to crisis-related calls
• Eliminating open-air drug markets
• Tactics to deal with the the prostitution problem
• Providing status information to the public   

Once finalized, the new strategic plan needed to be strategically communicated to all stakeholders. This, also known as the “strategic communication imperative [is] an increasingly urgent need for executives to ensure that their communications practices contribute directly to corporate strategy implementation.” (Argenti, 2005, p.83). Employees within the organization were informed first by personal meeting, as their buy-in was necessary to implement proposed changes. Many stakeholders were reached by holding personal and community meetings, and the media was informed simultaneously with the community. (personal communication, February 25, 2012).

After conducting a stakeholder analysis, I identified an over-arching problem which lies in the fact that several entities with maximum influence have the least amount of support for the police department. This “engage“ sector includes:

• The Mayor
• The Federal Monitor of the Negotiated Settlement Agreement
• City Council
• Detractors (ACLU, anti-police groups, etc.)
• Employees (with cultural norms set, not open to change)

Youth fall within the “monitor” quadrant as they have both low influence and low support for the police department

Those groups with the most influence and high support of the police department , the “partners” sector, include:

• Pastors
• Minority Community Groups
• The Media

The relationships with these stakeholders were therefore, nurtured with a constant flow of communication through weekly personal meetings, in and effort to further strengthen that support.

The Federal Court Judge lies near the border of the partner and engage sectors, having ultimate influence, and neutral support.

In their Strategic Communication campaign, the Oakland Police Department should consider ways to engage the cluster of stakeholders with low support, through communication and education , to promote migration to the “partner” sector. This would effectively increase the number of supportive, influential entities, actively helping to reach the organization’s goals, as outlined in its Strategic Plan.

References:

Argenti, P., Howell, R., Beck, K. (2005) The Strategic Communication Imperative, MIT Sloan Management Review, 46 #3, pp. 83-89 (full article)

Week 5- Application Assignment- Cathryn Lottier

I found this week’s reading selections to be my favorite thus far in the course.  I have always been interested in the field of public relations and strategic communication.  While I liked reading about strategic ambiguity (especially for the United States as a tactic to combat the nation’s poor global image due to the War on Terror), I particularly enjoyed The Strategic Communication Imperative  written by Ugenti, Howell, & Beck (2005).  The examples given within the readings were business examples that I could easily apply to my own real world examples with a full understanding.

Ugenti, Howell, & Beck (2005) document the best practices for strategic communication with some major well-known business examples.  While some of the strategic communication in the examples was proactive and a result of good planning, there were also examples of reactionary strategic communication that proved to be successful.  Though it is always best in any business situation to be proactive and prepared rather than have to be reactionary and change strategy in a situation, businesses can still profit and succeed in the latter situation.  

One of the examples cited by Ugenti, Howell, &  Beck (2005) was FedEx.  Ugenti, Howell, & Beck (2005) quote the president and CEO of FedEx, T. Michael Glenn, when he says, “Communication is at the center of everything.  You can’t execute strategy if you can’t communicate about it … The communication philosophy goes back to [founder] Fred [Smith] and his military training. His management philosophy is ‘Shoot, move, communicate.’” (p. 84).  This comment held true when FedEx was forced to lay off employees due to the economic downfall (Ugenti, Howell, & Beck, 2005).  Though the company was experiencing hard times and forced to do the difficult thing of letting people go, it did so with a particularly savvy communication strategy.  “The company not only offered generous voluntary severance packages to its departing employees, but it clearly communicated this both internally and externally using a multifaceted approach across a variety platforms to maintain employees’ loyalty, customers’ trust and the good graces of Wall Street.” (Ugenti, Howell, & Beck, 2005).

This particular example reminded me of an almost identical situation that I experienced at Macy’s in 2009.  Similar to FedEx, Macy’s was dealing with the hardship of the difficult economy.  To reduce costs, the company was forced to centralize the buying offices, thereby shutting down several corporate locations around the country.  The process took about a year as corporate locations in Seattle, Minneapolis, and San Francisco were closed one by one.  The closure in San Francisco alone put over 4,000 employees out of work.  Similar to FedEx, Macy’s, in order to stay afloat, had to create a strategic communication strategy.  

Macy’s delivered the message to the employees affected, the other employees across the company, and, in the same day, alerted the media.  This strategy allowed for open communication to both employees and the public.  Similar to FedEx, Macy’s offered generous voluntary severance packages (Ugenti, Howell, & Beck, 2005).  In addition to the severance packages, Macy’s created a temporary career center to help relocate displaced employees to other jobs both within Macy’s and even to Macy’s vendors and competitors.  Hot  lines, special websites, and an HR meeting center were all created for employees with questions and concerns about the layoffs and their final three months with Macy’s, a tactic that was also used by FedEx (Ugenti, Howell, & Beck, 2005).

In these more difficult economic times, it is of the utmost importance to have a strategic communication plan in action and one with a long-term goal in mind.  Ugenti, Howell, & Beck (2005) quoted Eric Jackson of FedEx when he said, “It’s not about meeting next quarter’s numbers.  We have 30 years of history and want 100 more.” (p. 89).  This especially rings true for a company like Macy’s, which has been in existence for over 150 years.  With the ability to strategize and manuever through the tougher times, there is no reason why both companies will not be able to thrive in the next 100 years.


Reference:
Argenti, P., Howell, R., Beck, K. (2005) The Strategic Communication Imperative, MIT Sloan Management Review, 46 #3, pp. 83-89

Week 5 - Application Assignment - Shane Collins

This week's material made me think back to my job at Allegiant Travel Company. The subsidiary Allegiant Air flies into small towns and takes residents to large vacation destinations, but sometimes has to cease service to some markets due to low demand. With regard to strategic communication surrounding these announcements of ceased service, I interviewed former PR Manager Sabrina LoPiccolo.

LoPiccolo said that communicating the withdraw of airline service from a small market begins at the employee level. "It was important that employees knew about changes in service so they could better assist customers or future travelers who may want to use that discontinued route."

It was also important to communicate to anyone financially vested in the company at this time. It is imperative that this particular group understands the reasons for the withdrawal and knows the vision of the future of the company so there is no panic. 

Following employees and company shareholders, communication focused on media in the small markets. It was important to craft a message that didn't devalue the company in the eyes of the public or company shareholders.

"Dealing with media in the small markets Allegiant services was a delicate process," LoPiccolo said. She continued to explain that in case the company decided to reconsider service to that particular market, it was important to maintain favorable relationships with the media, as well as perceptions by the publics.

Finally, dealing with any national media is an important step, as this stakeholder will influence continued public perceptions of the company.

In essence, strategic communications at Allegiant starts from the ground up - beginning with employees and shareholders, and ending with media and national press. This helps ensure a smooth exit of airline service from small markets.

Interview with Sabrina LoPiccolo conducted Thursday, February 23.

Week 5- Application Assignment- Shanah McKnight

“Strategic communication (is) communication aligned with the company’s overall strategy, to enhance its strategic positioning” (Argenti, Howell, & Beck, 2005, p. 83). I decided to interview J. Piernas about the information I read this week regarding strategic communication. I asked specific questions to see if his experience at McKesson Corporation was consistent with the best practices and lessons of strategic communication that Argenti, Howell, and Beck (2005) mentioned in their article.

Talking with J. Piernas (personal communication, February 26, 2012) I discovered that strategic communication is more complex than I had previously considered. J. Piernas works in an independently functioning department comprised of approximately thirty employees that is responsible for the payroll for more than 25, 0000 employees in multiple countries. According to Argenti et al (2005), in order to align the communication with the strategy a company must give the right portion of the message to the right audience, deliver clearly and consistently, utilize the right channel, and allow for feedback. While there isn’t much communication transmitted about the company’s overall strategy to J. Piernas’ department, it seems the specific messages are broken down and delivered to the right audience. Due to the lack of messages transmitted, it is hard to determine from our conversation whether the messages are delivered clearly, consistently, and through the right channel. J. Piernes (personal communication, February 26, 2012) notes that “it would be nice if more communication about the overall direction of the company was shared with our department, but it would be more of a common courtesy since it is not pertinent to the function we perform”. On the other hand, McKesson Corporation does have one feedback mechanism which is a mandatory annual survey.

Argenti et al (2005) state that “strategic communication requires an integrated, multilevel approach” (p. 87). It appears that McKesson Corporation does not have a fully integrated strategic communication approach. However, it does appear that they do deliver messages to constituents on a need to know basis. Organizational complexities are listed as a driver for strategic communication (Argenti et al., 2005). J. Piernas (personal communication, February 26, 2012) did mention that when the organization has acquisitions, their department is notified as it is necessary to incorporate the new company into the current payroll structure. On the other hand, they are not notified when there are mass terminations or when there is mass hiring. One might call this an inconsistency as all three scenarios effect their operations.

We also discussed how the ideas on strategic communication that I learned this week might be helpful in their organization. The number one component of effective strategic communication that J. Piernas deems as important would be focusing on long-term values that are proactive and not just reactive (Argenti et al., 2005). I agree with that, but also see how incorporating a multilevel approach to strategic communication could only benefit the company.

Overall, I found the interview to be extremely thought provoking as it brought up aspects of strategic communication not directly mentioned by the readings from this week. It was also interesting to see how an employee views the importance of strategic communication as opposed to the article “The Strategic Communication Imperative” which represents the perspective of the Senior Management.

Argenti, P., Howell, R., Beck, K. (2005). The Strategic Communication Imperative, MIT Sloan Management Review, 46 #3, pp. 83-89

Week 05 – Application Assignment: Strategic Communication – Peggy O’Connor

By now, readers of my application assignment blog posts are well aware of my workplace struggles with poor organizational structure, disconnected interpersonal communications, and ineffective management. As I immersed myself in this week’s reading, I identified another of my organization’s challenges: failure of management to understand the need to make strategic communication a priority.

The notion put forward in the second paragraph of this week’s reading, The Strategic Communication Imperative, that “many companies take a tactical, short-term approach to communicating with key constituencies, which is not only nonstrategic but may be inconsistent with the corporate strategy or even impede it,” (Argenti, Howell, Beck, 2005) is one with which I am very familiar.

In seeking an academic writing piece to complement this week’s reading – and one which might focus on best practices in the use of strategic communication - I came across this paper: The State of Strategic Communications in Small Advocacy Groups: Best Practices, Challenges and Trends (Wittke, K. 2008). The paper was the result of a 29-question survey of employees from 11 different advocacy organizations across the United States; all of which had fewer than 20 employees and overall budgets averaging $2 million.

While the responding organizations participating in Wittke’s research are less than one-fifth the size of my current organization, some of the challenges revealed by their survey responses are very similar to my own:

• Insufficient staff and budget relative to the organization’s strategic communication needs
• Failure by management to ensure that communication tactics are strategically woven into the overall organizational strategy
• Disconnects between planned strategic communication and actual implementation

Wittke’s research suggests that the reason behind these challenges could be tied to the organizations’ small size and insufficient budget, as well as their specific nonprofit purpose and mission (advocacy), which may not have been well funded or recognized by foundations and donors.

Wittke’s study of these organizations also drew direct correlations between “management’s support of communications” (Wittke, K. 2008) and increased staffing, direct funding and concrete, written communication plans.

While my school has a more robust size and budget, communication staffing was always 1 FTE until 2008 when I was hired as Director of Communication and Marketing. It is currently 1.6, which is still too small to fully implement effective strategic communications. And, I was recruited and hired by the Head of School following a Board of Trustees strategic planning process which identified strategic communications as a priority.

After a successful first year (followed by a transition in the Head of School’s office), strategic communications in my organization have lagged. There have been at least two major communication failures (not the least of which was the planning and launch of an entirely new curricular structure in the high school: moving from AP coursework to an International Baccalaureate Diploma program WITHOUT fully engaging all appropriate constituencies in the process – including faculty).

What became clear to me through this week’s reading and as I sought out academic papers on this topic is this: it was not enough for the Board and administration at my school to say that it felt that strategic communication was a priority. It was not enough to partially fund and staff the communication office. What was necessary was to understand and implement the idea that communication only works well if the following occurs:

• Communication must be tied directly to the organization’s strategy (which is probably why they call it strategic communication)
• Communication professionals must work hand-in-hand with administration and leadership to develop strategy, work with administration to create an effective communication plan for the strategy, and continue to work together to implement the strategy to appropriate constituencies

As Argenti, Howell and Beck concluded in The Strategic Communication Imperative, “Companies that continue to take a laissez-faire approach to communication will find it increasingly difficult to complete. Although there will be a continuing need for tactical execution, the addition of an integrated, strategic focus will be critical to success. For communications professionals, this imperative will not be a threat but an opportunity to not only get a seat at the table, but to stay there.” (Argenti, Howell, Beck, 2005)

I wonder if I can get my boss to read this.

References

Argenti, P., Howell, R., Beck, K. (2005) The Strategic Communication Imperative, MIT Sloan Management Review, 46 #3, pp. 83-89 (full article)

Wittke, K. (2008) Conference Papers -International Communication Association, 2008 Annual Meeting, pp. 1-24