Describe a situation where strategic communication helped your organization

Communication World, July-August, 2004

CANADA

In 1993, Albertans elected a provincial government that sought to eliminate deficits and radically restructure the organization and delivery of public services such as health care. At the outset, few Albertans understood the scope of the change, and many underestimated the government's commitment to balance the provincial budget, regardless of any uncertainty that ensued.

In health care, this resulted in Gulliverian spending cuts. Physicians tried to effect changes to benefit their patients, and through the Alberta Medical Association (AMA), assumed a high public and media profile. AMA launched a major public awareness campaign, Tell Us Where It Hurts--complete with full-page ads in daily newspapers, posters in physician offices and extensive media coverage. As a result, the government announced an end to the health-care cutbacks.

RONALD A. KUSTRA, ABC, MC

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

SWITZERLAND

In 2000, Novartis took on a major business challenge: implement a new IT system and a globally aligned business process for finance and technical operations at 50 plus locations worldwide within five years.

For employees using the new IT system, communication focuses on relaying consistent messages at all meetings and trainings--with a car racing theme to aid in understanding the changes. Although messages and theme remain the same worldwide, every location uses communication tools they believe will work best locally for employee buy-in. Some offices use short films and e-mails--others use traditional one-page newsletters.

Strategic communication has been essential to helping the business accomplish this change-management project on time, on budget and with high quality.

MONICA RYSER-CSERI

Pfeffingen, Switzerland

MEXICO

After facing losses and uncertainty in 2001, Mexican airline Aeromexico suffered major structural changes: half of its senior management left the company in a few weeks, including the CEO and CFO. Fear of a possible company shutdown spread among personnel, with a negative impact on productivity.

The communications director and internal communications manager faced the challenge by communicating openly, clearly and directly with information needed to recover confidence. They delivered a personal statement from the new CEO to all company members and, in a two-week period, organized information events to personally contact most company members worldwide.

This strategy was the cornerstone in strongly diminishing uncertainty and recovering the company's credibility, confidence and productivity.

PABLO CASARES

Mexico City, D.F., Mexico

AUSTRALIA

After undergoing major change, our company needed a post-merger communication strategy to facilitate the flow of information to employees about internal changes. The strategy had to support a culture of open, honest, two-way communication and eliminate the "grapevine" effect.

We introduced "Team Talk," a face-to-face monthly business cascade that relies on frontline managers ("briefers") sharing information with their teams. To ensure consistent messages, we incorporated a "Core Brief," structured around the company's core business priorities. To encourage ownership, we asked briefers to prepare an additional "Local Brief."

Eighteen months later, our annual climate survey revealed that "Team Talk" was the top source of company information for most employees, with more than 90 percent of respondents reporting sufficient understanding of company strategies, goals and performance.

KATE HOGBEN

Eastgardens, New South Wales, Australia

BELGIUM

I have always felt uncomfortable in the presence of buzzwords like strategic communication. What communication--if it's worthy of the name--isn't strategic? Words are written down, given breath, exchanged with varying degrees of passion--always with a purpose, always to move the listener (in the speaker's mind at least) closer to a predetermined goal. To succeed is to communicate (strategically), to fail ... is something else, a repellant force superior to silence in keeping people apart.

DAVID CAMACHO

Brussels, Belgium