A communication strategy is a plan "...to shape the opinions of your
key audiences and leverage a reputation to advance your corporate
objectives and preserve the goodwill toward your brand," "Building an
effective communication strategy" by Randy Ryerson, Modern
Distribution Management (2003)
http://www.mdm.com/stories/ryerson3305.html. A communication strategy
has many elements. First, it is important to identify what image the
communication plan will present. Second, who the target of the
communication is needs to be determined. Third, how the image will be
communicated needs to be figured out. In particular, what types of
media will be used, how often, and in what way. Finally, regardless
of the media and the target audience, is the message that is being
presented consistent? Will all of the audiences receive the same
message and have the same view of the organization?
Organizational culture plays an important role in determining what
message can be credibly presented, thereby impacting communication
strategy. "Your corporate communications must reflect genuine
actions, practices and commitment to ethics," "Building an effective
communication strategy" by Randy Ryerson, Modern Distribution
Management (2003) http://www.mdm.com/stories/ryerson3305.html. Over
the long run, significant discrepancies between the message and
corporate activities will be discovered and publicized, frequently
leading to adverse business results. Therefore, it is important to
align an organization's culture with the image it is trying to present
to outsiders.
Understanding a company's culture is also important when it is
communicating with its employees, particularly when change is
involved. The message and media choices will be made most effectively
when culture is considered. A culture that is likely to be highly
receptive to the message of change requires a completely different
communication strategy than a culture that will be skeptical and even
resistant to a message of change. As an example, various strategies
for communicating about the adoption of Six Sigma practices depending
on the organization's culture are described in "Communication
Strategies for Six Sigma Initiatives" by Carolyn Pexton, iSixSigma LLC
(2005) http://healthcare.isixsigma.com/library/content/c050608a.asp.
Communication strategies can also be used to create and reinforce
desirable organizational cultures. "We know that some of the most
successful companies and corporations create a workforce that
understands the mission, goals, values and procedures of the
organization. People talk about the Hewlett-Packard "way", or the
Wal-Mart "way" to describe what are essentially organizational
cultures that are held in common by most employees in the
organization," "Internal Communication Strategies - The Neglected
Strategic Element" by Robert Bacal, Bacal & Associates (2005)
http://performance-appraisals.org/Bacalsappraisalarticles/articles/comstrat.htm.
To be successful, communication strategies must consider
organizational culture regardless of who the ultimate target audience
is. For parties external to the company, the communication strategy
must present a message that is consistent with the organization's
culture and the activities it engages in if the message is to be
credible. Even communications within a company must also consider
culture, though. The communications must both reinforce desired
aspects of the organization's culture and present changes in a way
that they will be accepted and incorporated into the organization's
culture.
Sincerely,
Wonko
Search Terms: communication strategy organizational culture |
Clarification of Answer by
wonko-ga
on
06 Jul 2005 20:20 PDT
Wal-Mart is a good example. The company wants to create a perception
of low prices, high-value, and honesty amongst consumers. It clearly
presents this message through its television advertising and in-store
signage. To match, it has created a corresponding culture that is
very cost-conscious. Employees are required to share hotel rooms, for
example. Payments from vendors, which inflate the cost of goods, are
prohibited. Sam Walton personally led a frugal lifestyle, driving an
old pickup truck despite being one of the wealthiest man on the
planet. Wal-Mart is even exporting its corporate culture to China,
forbidding suppliers to pay them bribes even though that is an
accepted Chinese business practice.
Sincerely,
Wonko
|
Clarification of Answer by
wonko-ga
on
18 Jul 2005 21:14 PDT
In simple terms, the parameters of a communication strategy include
what is to be communicated, how it is to be communicated, and to whom
it is to be communicated. For example, Wal-Mart desires to
communicate to consumers that it has low prices (the who and the
what). Its how include television advertising, circulars, and signage
both on the exteriors of its stores and within them.
Sincerely,
Wonko
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