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Thomas J. Lee has emerged as one of the leading thinkers in the field of strategic communications, having more than 25 years of experience in professional communications management. As the founder and principal of Arceil Leadership Communication Ltd he has developed highly innovative approaches to the planning and evaluation of internal communication campaigns with broad strategic applications.
Identifying the mismanagement of internal communication as a primary cause of transformational failure, Lee contends that such communication is harmful to effective organizational change primarily because it is non-strategic. Working along lines similar to the groundbreaking developments of Roger D’Aprix, Lee suggests that strategic communication may be established by the observance of twelve key steps in the initiation of an internal communication campaign.
In addition, Lee has advocated the recognition of what he terms ‘informal’ and ‘semi-formal’ modes of communication as vital to such a campaign. These, combined with the formal, are the ‘three voices’ of corporate communication, and may be understood as follows:
- Informal: conversations in the work place, and the relationships of which these are part. The behavior of leaders, their ability to behave as they instruct others to do, should also be considered.
- Semi-formal: the initiatives and procedures instigated by official organizational decisions, essentially the totality of management tools. Lee suggests a recognition and reward system as an example, in which the opinions of leaders will be communicated in an indirect fashion. Policies, programs, processes and procedures are included here.
- Formal: the deliberate official communications of a company. Such communication tends to be verbal and rhetorical, although not exclusively, and acts as a single voice addressing a vast employee audience. An email sent to the entire employee network is one example here.
Lee contends that informal and semi-formal communications may actually be more potent in terms of employee response than the official information releases of an organization. Whilst they are harder to control, and if mismanaged have the capacity to dilute the official corporate angle on a given issue, they can prove invaluable if harnessed in the correct manner. They shake off the taint of a top-down telling approach to communication, and help to develop an organizational culture, in which the business targets and company ethos become apparent throughout the employee structure.
Lee is quick to point out that the development of new modes of communication within the ‘formal’ category does not alter the underlying formality. Organizations who come to rely on the modern computer based modes of communication in the belief that these will automatically make a direct connection with the employee audience, are being seduced by new technology. Lee suggests that all formal modes be understood as essentially of the ‘bulletin board’ format. The alteration of an information interface, the mere means of access, cannot change the level of formality, even in the case of a cutting edge system, such as an intranet.
Thus Lee’s central contention is that an effective strategic communication arrangement must blend the strands of formal/semi-formal/informal to create high levels of information retention in the employee audience. This should be appreciated in combination with his ‘twelve dimension’ theory, strongly influenced by Roger D’Aprix, to create a comprehensive overview of all essential factors in the construction of a strategic campaign.
Twelve Dimensions of Strategic Internal Communication [1]
1. Strategic Orientation and Imperative
Lee argues that communication is the lifeblood of an organization and, in addition, an organization’s strategy will not be successful unless it is properly communicated. Therefore, the communication team should be oriented towards the delivery of the organization’s strategic priorities.
2. Integrity and Integration
It is vital that communication is credible and consistent with the organization’s conduct. If the rhetoric is not matched by actions then the integrity of all communication will be lost. The long-term success in matching rhetoric to action will increase trust throughout an organization.
3. Dignity and Respect
Two of the fundamental building blocks of communication are dignity and respect. Lee believes that through the continued use of dignity and respect in all communications, trust and accountability will be developed on an organizational basis.
4. Flow of Strategic Information
It is vital for information to flow through an organization in a timely manner. Not just down through the organization but also upwards. Indeed a test of an organization’s ability to survive is the way it handles negative upward communication.
5. Clarity and the Power of Messages
Clarity is paramount in all communication. When it is absent, confusion and doubt are present. A clear message will be complete, in perspective, acknowledge any gaps in the information delivered and answer questions raised by the message.
6. External Perspectives
An organization cannot communicate in a vacuum. All messages need to have an external perspective. Lee therefore argues that ‘only a communication system anchored in a company’s external environment can provide information in a compelling way and place it in a tenable context’.
7. Roles and Responsibilities
Every employee of an organization has a responsibility to communicate and should be rewarded for doing so. These responsibilities need to be clearly defined both vertically and laterally within the organization.
8. Listening and Visible Presence
All communication needs feedback and therefore good listening both on a personal and organizational basis is required. It is through listening that people learn and it is a way of building relationships.
9. Training and Support
As all employees have a responsibility for communication the appropriate training and support needs to be provided to ensure that they can meet their obligations. Support will also include ensuring that all employees are aware of the communication channels and upward feedback mechanisms.
10. Structure and Process
Internal communication is all about helping the organization to realize its goals and, as such, the structure and processes should be clearly aligned to this goal. The end result is not the communication itself but the impact it has on the recipients. In order to be successful, the communication department needs to build alliances with line managers across the organization.
11. Measurement Systems
Measurement is vital to the success of any strategic communication system. Without measurement it is impossible to tell how successful previous communication has been and to plan future messages. Measurement should focus on outcomes from the communication rather than the inputs and outputs of the communication process.
12. Continuous Improvement
Continuous improvement is required in order to ensure that the communication process and systems continue to evolve and meet an organization’s needs. Organizations are constantly evolving and the communication system must be able to respond to these needs and expectations. It is also useful to benchmark best practice communication activity elsewhere on a regular basis.
References[1] Lee, T.J. (2002).
Strategic Communication Management: Twelve Dimensions of Strategic Internal Communication [online]. Available
here. [Accessed 19 August 2023.]
