Internal Communications

Consider a steam engine locomotive. Its goal is to transport either the passengers or goods from one place to another. But can the steam alone do these or the engine alone do this? The answer quite blatantly is no. The engine should be aided by the various technical and non-technical parts of the locomotive. Compare this steam engine locomotive to an organization. Its goal is to deliver to the customers and reap profits to the shareholders. The management of the organization can be compared to the steam running the locomotive. But as with the case of the locomotive, the management alone cannot drive the organization. The organization comprises of both the management and employees as its internal constituents. The organization can emerge as a winner only when these two constituents work synergistically. This synergy can be achieved through effective two way communication.

Communication with employees must be in a two way direction wherein employees are not just mere listeners of instructions thrown at them, but are given the freedom to voice their opinions. A two way communication can foster a sense of participation and motivates the employees.
Experts in the field of communication argue that there can never be too much of communication. They say communication always helps increase the efficiency of an organization. The following site provides excellent information regarding internal communications:

http://www.managementhelp.org/mrktng/org_cmm.htm

Some of the ways through which management can communicate with their employees are as follows:

Face-to-Face Meetings

Senior management can hold formal and informal meetings with the employees. Such meetings can be one on one meetings or meeting in a group depending on the size of the organization. Such meetings should be held regularly. This gives the management the opportunity to tackle both company and employees issues directly and maintain good relationship with employees and also in some cases employee unions.

Online Communication

Technology has given the management new ways to communicate with their employees. Management can make use of a company intranet to reach their employees quickly and broadly. It also helps employees to share information among themselves between various departments. However, there a few drawbacks also when using internet technology to communicate with employees. First of all, having a company intranet can be expensive. Financially oriented companies and moderate level companies may think twice before using intranets as means to reach out to their employees. Secondly, when companies do use intranets to communicate, employees may suffer from information overload. Employees are exposed to so much information that they sometimes will have to search for the appropriate information from the amount of information provided to them. Too much information can also lead to ignorance. When one receives too many mails, there is a tendency to read only those mails which we may is very important while ignoring the rest. In doing so, important mails can also be sometimes ignored. Hence internets and intranets must be used effectively and efficiently.

Visual Communication

Technology also allows the management to communicate across the globe visually using Video-Conferencing and Webcasts. Many corporations use television studios with satellite capabilities and staffed by professionals. Video magazines are made available to employees to be viewed over the company intranet. White Boards can also be used for visual communication. White Boards can be used to communicate various data such as production goals, breakdowns, vacation schedules and other information related to the company.

My Experience

When I was working as a Nokia sales executive, the regional marketing team used to call an informal meeting once in every two weeks. During the meeting we were briefed about the new products, accessories, new technologies incorporated in the phones and also new software updates available to the cell phones. We were also given the opportunity to discuss any problems that we faced while working in the Nokia outlets. This made our job a lot easier as the management was able to understand our problems and also aid us in resolving the issue. In some cases, the sales target for the sales executive whose problem could not be solved immediately would also be brought down. We were also invited for important functions and openings of new Nokia outlets. Such meetings and invitations to important functions also gave us an opportunity to interact with various dignitaries. This made us feel as an important unit of Nokia and was also a motivating factor.


Employees are the effective drivers of an organization. They are an important constituency to which the management must address to. Communication with the employees of the organization is very important. Employees feel a sense of empowerment when higher level management personally communicates with lower staff. It acts as a motivating factor and employees are more committed to the organization.