Last night we hosted a very lively debate at our Internal Communications Fight Club event where an intimate group of communications professionals discussed a number of key issues of the moment, including: how do you keep a focus on corporate purpose in times of upheaval and change; what stops you delivering compelling internal communications and are agencies more creative than their in-house counterparts?
Our panellists for the evening were:
- Suzanne Peck, President, Institute of Internal Communications and Managing Director, Sequel Group
- Murray Nathan, Head of Internal Communications, Visa Europe
- Helen den Held, Head of Global Communications and Executive Coach, GE Capital
- Laura Ferguson, Head of People Engagement and Change, BG Group
Laura was the overall winner of the evening – with the most ‘green cards’!
The Q&R Pulse Check before the event revealed that 68% of Internal Communication professionals believe that Corporate Purpose has to be at the heart of everything we say.
During the debate there was discussion about corporate purpose helping to shape a number of internal communication activities and that it can give consistency in times of change. Some people suggested that at times of tough change some employees don’t care about corporate purpose, they care about whether they are going to have a job in three months.
It was highlighted that millennials want to work for an organisation that focuses on people and purpose, not profit… What do you think? – Join the debate…
Other discussions were about whether in-house managers are too invested in the politics of an organisation to really be creative? And how Internal Communications professionals should be fuelling ‘openness’ and inclusivity in an organisation and that ‘transparency’ is about how black/ white or grey you can and want to be… Everyone agreed on the fact that leaders have to be authentic to gain credibility but there are different ways in which they can do this.
Join the debate and tell us what you think by posting your comments below.
